Studio Time

Michael has embraced lifelong passions for learning, teaching and performing that stem from his earliest days growing up in New Zealand. We learn how his grandfather introduced him music and performance in a somewhat unconventional manner, how the encouragement of a series  of teachers inspired him to step up his fascination in literature, poetry, theatre and music. 

Michael tells the story of how his afternoons playing badminton got him arrested in Zurich, and how changing his planned research at Oxford led to him discovering and championing the work of pre-war and exiled German composers and lyricists that might have otherwise been buried under the weight of their moment in history.

Michael learned more in his first twenty five or thirty years than most of us will learn in our entire lifetime, but then perhaps more importantly has dedicated the forty odd years since then in sharing his knowledge, experience and insights with students, colleagues and audiences in New Zealand, Australia and around the world.

In this episode we discuss:

• The book that introduced Michael to the layabout Oxford lifestyle - Max Beerbohm’s Zuleika Dobson
• Limelight 
• David Bollard - New Zealand born Australian Classical Pianist and Teacher
• Swedish Playwrights Max Frisch and Friedrich Dürrenmatt
• The Berliner Ensemble, the German theatre company established by playwright Bertolt Brecht and his wife, Helene Weigel in January 1949 in East Berlin
• The New York Times writes about a recent collection of Brecht’s Poetry, mentioning that “translating Brecht is no easy task, especially in the early rhyming poems that borrow their form from Dante and Shakespeare. The Domestic Breviary is full of ballads that are meant to be read out loud, preferably while smoking, to lute or guitar.”
• The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by Brecht
• John WIllett - one of the two major (English language) Brecht scholars in the world (obit from the NY Times in 2002)
• Rudyard Kipling
• Robyn Archer AO
• Cameron Goodall bio and Arts Review profile

For more episodes of Studio Time, please visit our website.

If you’re in New York you’ll find Drew at his Wednesday evening residency at Marie’s Crisis Cafe, or working with another friend of the show as the resident musical director at the Jen Waldman Studio. Later this month you’ll find him in Houston as Musical Supervisor of the new musical “For Tonight”. Since moving to New York, Drew has become the first call vocal coach and music director for many artists and projects who are already working on Broadway or Broadway bound.

In this wide-ranging conversation Drew and I talk about the power of community and the importance of protecting spaces where people can feel safe to express themselves. We discuss the benefits of diversity and inclusivity, and Drew shares some advice he learned from Stephen Sondheim and Mother Teresa.

In this episode:

• Marie's Crisis Cafe
• Florence Birdwell
• Ron Raines
• Heather Botts
• Kristin Chenoweth
• Kelli O’Hara
• Jan McDaniel: Professor of Vocal Coaching OKCU
• Goodspeed’s Music Direction Intensive
• Catherine McDaniel: Instructor in Voice OKCU
• “I have found that keeping a community of great colleagues and people who you trust professionally is what will bring you good work, bring you joy and bring you less stress.“
• Jen Waldman Studio - Studio Time Episode
• The Long and The Short Of It Podcast hosted by Jen Waldman & Peter Shepherd (thanks for letting me use the clip!)
• Christina DeCicco
• Michael John LaChiusa
• Listen to Little Fish on Spotify 
• For Tonight - a new musical  (the song featured in the episode is "For Tonight" music and lyrics by Shenelle Salcido and Spencer Wililams)
• Erin Clemons - Studio Time Episode | instagram

Follow Drew:

website | instagram

Though well known for his witty and emotional work on the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance, Al is perhaps best known for his original narrative style which blends dance and his own brand of theatrical storytelling.

Al talks about walking away from your comfort zone to throw yourself into something new, which is what he did when he made the transition from Broadway dancer to choreographer. We talk about what happens when you outgrow your dreams and how Al uses his work to bring people together to provide a shared experience that is meaningful. Along the way we talk about some of Al’s greatest teachers and mentors and auditioning for Madonna. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Jason Parsons
• Pina Bausch - the work Al refers to is Masurca Fogo. The NY Times reviewed it here and you can watch some clips from the piece online.
• Tremaine Dance Conventions and Competitions
• Doug Caldwell - interview and tribute video
• “The best story I have (from LA) is auditioning for a Madonna video. It was one of my first auditions. She was there, and she had all the boys line in a row and take their shirts off. Then she asked us one at a time what we thought about the war in Iraq.”
• The Gyrotonic Method
• Gaga - the movement research developed by Ohad Naharin (Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company). You can watch Mr Gaga, a documentary about Naharin on Netflix.
• ‘meet cute’ - Wikipedia explains the term “in film and television, a meet cute is a scene in which the two people who will form a future romantic couple meet for the first time.” I like this explanation from George Axelrod “Dear boy, the beginning of a movie is childishly simple. The boy and girl meet. The only important thing to remember is that—in a movie—the boy and the girl must meet in some cute way. They cannot...meet like normal people at, perhaps, a cocktail party or some other social function. No. It is terribly important that they meet cute.”
• Watch Al’s Winning Work from the Capezio ACE Award Brown Eyed Girl
• “As I’ve developed a language as a choreographer I’ve also developed my style as a teacher. When I’m in a class, my role is to inspire, to give a challenge, to give information and to motivate. Ultimately as a teacher I’m drawn to bring people together to have a shared experience that is meaningful.”
• “When I’m making anything i try to think about who I’m making it for and how I can connect to them or tell a story that will mean something to them.”
• Freddie Falls In Love
• The Joyce Theater (Manhattan) - book tickets to Freddie Falls In Love Jul 23 - Aug 4, 2019
• 10 Hairy Legs (all male modern dance company) perform Brian, choreographed by Al
• The Pizza Dance
• Mr Bojangles

If you’ve never seen any of Al Blackstone’s choreography, begin with this teaser and then head to alblackstone.net to see more.

Follow:

website | instagram 

Timothy is an alumni of the Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop at BMI and is a past Dramatists Guild Fellow.

In this episode we talk about the artist’s obligation to contribute to important conversations, how he transformed a news report into a musical and the importance of finding someone who believes in you and the work you do.

Find Timothy's published sheet music online at newmusicaltheatre.com and contemporarymusicaltheatre.com and listen on soundcloud or at his website timothyhuang.net

Follow:

facebook | website | instagram | twitter

Peter co-hosts The Long and The Short Of It - a podcast for the curious, with another Studio Time guest Jen Waldman. He is Head Coach of Seth Godin’s altMBA leadership and management workshop and he is the creator of REVEAL - a program for artists and creatives who are looking to make a change in the world, their work, their audience or themselves.

Instead of talking online, Peter and I recorded this episode face to face in Melbourne - which was a first for me - so you might notice that the audio sounds a little different.  As someone who really enjoys The Long and The Short of It and the articles he writes at humanperiscope.com, I was pleased that we got to dig into some of Peter’s favourite themes and magic questions starting with how he thinks about Imposter Syndrome.

Peter hasn’t trained as an artist in the same way as some guests on this podcast, but I think the themes and questions we talk about in this episode are going to resonate with many of you listening, especially if you seek to grow and make a greater impact as you move through the world, however you choose to measure that impact. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Pete’s Podcast The Long and The Short of It
• altMBA
• Imposter Syndrome
• Art Thinking by Amy Whitaker
• Levelling Up
• Pete’s magic questions include:
  • What is the Hard Part?
  • Who’s It For?
  • What’s It For?
• Whiteboarding Podcast Episode: Website | Apple Podcasts Link
• Reveal - Peter’s new workshop for performing artists and creatives
• Erin Clemons on Studio Time: Ep 12. Knowing When To Say No
• Sonder   
• Jen Waldman on Studio Time: Ep 4. Discovering My WHY Changed Everything
• One of my favourite lines is “People don’t change because you tell them to. People change because they fall in love with a different version of the future.”

Follow:

website | podcast

Bonnie built her business by demystifying the casting process and illuminating the business side of pursuing a creative career. Her most popular book is Self-Management for Actors, which has been named one of The Top Ten Best Books on Acting Ever Written.

In this conversation Bonnie describes the path that brought her LA (twice), and how her actor survival job grew into a career and business that has helped thousands of professional actors navigate their way through a notoriously competitive industry. 

We unpack some of the key topics from Bonnie’s book Self-Management for Actors, including

• Getting clear on your bullseye
• Having a daily plan for how you’re going to run your business
• Studying the success of those who’ve gone before you
• Web presence
• Launch at 85% 

While much of this advice is given with actors in mind, the concepts are transferable, no matter where your focus lies. This advice will help you develop a clear strategy to move towards your own goals.

As a gift to Studio Time listeners, Bonnie has offered this free resource 11 Days of Free Upgrades to Your Acting Career.

In this episode we discuss:

• Getting clear on your bullseye
• “You teach the industry who you are by everything you say yes, and more importantly everything you say NO to.”
• “A lot of times at the beginning everybody thinks they have to say yes to everything. So they end up not to creating a brand because of saying yes to things all over the dartboard and then they wonder why buyers don’t understand how to cast them.”
• Having a daily plan for how you’re going to run your business
• Studying the success of those who’ve gone before you
• “Success leaves clues.”
• Paying attention to someone who you could call a pace car is a really great way to have someone who is role modeling for you that it can be done. Then at any intersection where you say “No-one has ever done it this way that I want to do it,” I go “Great, now that’s where you’re going to make your own road.”
• Web presence
• “You don’t have to have a website, but you have to be google-able.”
• "Content is the one way you can make sure you will always be found. If you’re putting enough content out there...if you’re an actor that has a web show that you want to put together and you consistently post to youtube each week, that becomes a DOMINATION that you have on the web that’s actually really beautiful."
• Rock your headshot. Your headshot is your business card and number one piece of marketing material.
• Your Actor or Artist Survival Job
• Launch at 85%
• "You’re never going to get things out into the world to find what they could be if you keep waiting for them to be perfect."
• Self taping: not just for actors anymore. 

Follow:
website

On Em’s website is the statement “I am passionate about work that challenges audiences, shifts paradigms, and serves to increase empathy in our culture.“ 

In this conversation you’ll hear how representing the truth of our own humanity in all its nuances as artists we can create space for others to do the same. There are lots of fun stories here, including those about pixie dust and Meryl Streep. But the thing that has stuck with me from this conversation is the idea of the artist as advocate. I think the thing that separates artists from entertainers is that artists are sharing ideas that they believe in and ideas that need a voice. 

As we move into the new year, I invite you to think about your own work as you listen to this episode. What are you going to be an advocate for this year?

In this episode:

• Rabbit Hole - a play by David Lindsay-Abaire
• Kate Bornstein 
• Shakina Nayfack
• Emotional Creature - Eve Ensler
• Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan
• Tuacahn - check out this clip that gives you an idea of the setting for this amphitheatre
• “I was singing Neverland one night and I saw a shooting star while I was singing. It doesn’t get any more magical than that. It’s badass.”
• “If you are at an intersection of enough marginalised groups, it makes it very hard to have the freedom and support that you need to be an actor. You have to have a certain amount of privilege to pursue this career.”
• Ricki and the Flash - film where Em played opposite Meryl Streep

See Em's postcard HERE

Follow:

Em Grosland website | instagram

Michael has appeared in the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park and on Broadway in Rent, The Wild Party, Big River, Next to Normal and Sunday in the Park with George.
 
In this episode we learn how Michael’s family introduced him to the power of Gospel music from an early age and how he wrote and produced his first musical when he was in high school. He explains what it was like moving to New York City as the city and the theatre community was being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic and how he and 11 friends founded the group that became Broadway Inspirational Voices in order to raise money for the services his friends and colleagues so desperately needed.

Michael talks about his training as an actor and how in his position at the New School on Broadway at NYU he seeks to replicate the best of the education he received and reimagine the rest. His education and outreach work is continued through the programs that  Broadway Inspirational Voices fund and facilitate in public schools and in partnership with Ronald McDonald House.

We’re in the midst of the Holiday Season as this episode is released and as soon as you’ve finished listening to Michael’s story, I urge you to go to wherever you download or stream your music and listen to the choir’s wonderful recordings. Search Broadway Inspirational Voices and fill your home with joy, hope and love. Happy Holidays to you all.

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Broadway Inspirational Voices

One of the big themes that comes up in this episode is something that a lot of people struggle with as artists and creatives…”accepting that it’s okay to say no.”

Erin has been part of the Broadway and US Tour productions of some musicals that I’m sure you’ve heard of or seen, but to step into the next phase of her career she’s making the decision to say no to many of the opportunities that she previously would have accepted. This is the story of a smart, talented and engaging human who I think will inspire you with her candour, her vulnerability and her courage.

In this episode we discuss:

• People who value life outside of work: ie. Kellie O’Hara, Audra McDonald & Daniel Breaker
• The Hamilcast: Ep 109: Yo, this one’s mine
• Finding a balance between your work and personal life
• Studio Time Ep 4. Jen Waldman — Finding My Why Changed Everything
• If you’re interested in finding your own why, check out this TED talk by Simon Sinek, read more about it in Start With Why and then perhaps get together with a friend and Find Your Why.
• Finding your why helps your process. It helps you know what you will do and will not do - which is something actors can really find joy in.
• Erin’s husband Collin created the theatre program at Baychester Middle School
• “I’m a big believer in the body manifesting things that the mind is already thinking, even if we don’t know it consciously.”
• “I was giving up a lot of my time for not the exact dream that I wanted to be living”
• The Long and The Short of It Podcast hosted by Jen Waldman and Peter Shepherd
• “I want to be doing the exact thing that I’m capable of doing”
• “Sometimes you’re on the right bus but you’re not in the right seat.”
• Discover more about the work of Jen Waldman at Jen Waldman Studio and Pete Shepherd at his website here
• Erin debuts her solo concert Mixology of Love at 54 Below, Jan 11 @ 11.30pm
• 24 Hour Musical NYC
• The power of “sprinting” to show you how much you can do and achieve in next to no time when you set your mind to it.
• Erin describes how not going to one of the “top acting programs” in college turned out to be the perfect decision for her. Sometimes it’s right to defy conventional wisdom.
• “Your time could be used so much more valuably if you take the wasted time that you spend going in for everything that you see and really put your energy toward the things you feel passionate about, the things that light you up. If you go toward those things with fire, I think that will be so much more rewarding than just letting everything land where it will.”
• “I’m looking at the people who came to this industry knowing exactly what they wanted right out of college and those people are the ones who end up doing exactly what they wanted because they had a clear vision of who they wanted to be and what kind of work they wanted to do.”
• The time you save by saying no to opportunities that aren’t right for you can be used for create your own work, getting together with friends and creating work, working on yourself in other ways, doing your own concerts, being a part of readings, learning an instrument, becoming a more interesting person.

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Instagram | Mixology of Love: 54 Below (NYC) Jan 11, 2019

As the Artistic Director of the Slingsby Theatre Company, Andy is making an incredible contribution to the cultural life of his hometown community in Adelaide, South Australia and developing shows that will be seen in 8 countries and 40 venues around the world in 2019. While he focuses on cultivating and supporting his community at the most local level, his work is developing a loyal audience around the globe.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Andy and I shared childhoods that were similar in many ways
• How his teacher and mentor Frank Ford helped him discover what sort of theatre-maker he could be
• Andy introduces me to the idea of the shadow of success
• He shares the three things that Simon Abrahams told him to do when his company Slingsby was faced with massive funding cuts and how those things changed the fortunes and the future of the company
  1. Start a fundraiser - There’s nothing like a crisis to encourage people to be supportive
  2. Charge more for what you do 
  3. Build Community - through running workshops
• We discuss the freedom of building a relationship of trust with your audience
• What it means to create captivating theatre for a village audience
• And most of all the value of observing, embracing and reflecting your individual and our collective humanity

Follow:

Slingsby Theatre Website