Podcasts have been popular for a long time, but the shutdown has brought house-bound theater professionals many new reasons to create their own audio recordings. The combination of having more spare time and fewer creative outlets has caused some artists and organizations to branch out into podcasting. Content makers often link content to requests for donations to keep them going during this period of unemployment and underemployment for theater professionals. We encourage you to support by listening, and donate if you can. This list was first published January 21, 2021, and has been continuously updated as information comes in. The most recent update was made at 10 PM on July 29, 2021.
AMERICAN THEATRE ARTISTS ONLINE
American Theatre Artists Online has been entertaining theatre lovers for two seasons, and can be found on iTunes, Podbean and many other podcast streaming platforms. The podcast is presented by Stefan Sittig, a seasoned moderator and podcast host. He has moderated dozens of theatre themed panels on various topics including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC representation, Theatre for Social Action, and Latinx Performance and Leadership. He has interviewed many leading figures in theatre including Tony Award winners Linda Lavin, Michael Rupert, Gavin Creel, Beth Leavel, and Madeline Michel, Tony Award nominees Emily Skinner, Camille A. Brown, Kate Baldwin, Charlotte D’Amboise, J. Robert Spencer, Jen Damiano, Blair Russell and Toni Leslie-James, and Broadway regulars Ken Page, Judy McLane, Billy Bustamante, Matthew Steffens, MJ Slinger, Mercedes Herrero, Rachel Zucker, Julio Agustin, Jacob Stuart Dickey and Mary Page Nance.
AS THE CURTAIN RISES
Broadway Podcast Network presents serial radio play As The Curtain Rises. After the ‘Broadway Disher’ (Lesli Margherita) leaks news of a top secret, in-the-works, new mega musical, the Broadway community goes off-the-charts batty. Top-of-their-game Broadway Producers Cheryl Philips (Lillias White) and Steve Jones (James Monroe Iglehart), arch enemies, pounce. Who will get the rights? Will way-out-of-their-comfort-zone creators Kaye (Ashley Park) and Bobby (Michael Urie) manage to deliver a draft of the show before their marriage implodes? Will Director/Choreographer Zoey Taylor (Ariana DeBose) send the show’s budget into a free fall with her wildly ambitious vision? Will Broadway Diva Emma-Olivia (Sarah Stiles) get a Schmackery’s cookie (with Sprinkles) named in her honor? Will newbie Agent Maxwell Fernsby (George Salazar) step into his new big shoes? And will Science Consultant Andrew Barth Feldman (Andrew Barth Feldman) protect the integrity and authenticity of the in-the-works mega musical, before he needs to leave this top secret show to star in a new Broadway musical? The drama on stage pales in comparison to the drama behind the curtain. As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor’s Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).
BETWEEN ACTS
Missing Link presents Between Acts, an immersive theater podcast. Each episode sets the stage for your imagination to freely venture through the works of newfound playwrights—from dramas to comedies and everything in-between. Shows are released on a bi-weekly basis.
BURIED BROADWAY
Buried Broadway is presented by Mikey and Jen Bevarelli. A podcast where two people discover, dissect, and demystify forgotten Broadway musicals that they most likely found on vinyl for a dollar!
DAUGHTERS OF LORRAINE PODCAST
The Daughters of Lorraine podcast is presented by Howlround Theatre Commons. Hosted by two doctoral theatre students, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley, Daughters of Lorraine Podcast features reviews of Black theatre productions (mainly in the DC/Baltimore area), current national conversations around, within, and about Black theatre, academic discussions concerning Black theatre, recommendations on Black theatre scripts, and interviews with Black theatre artists. This podcast centers and privileges the narratives of Black theatremakers, scholars, and audiences while also underscoring the need for understanding the influence of Black theatre on the American theatre landscape.
EMBRACING ARLINGTON ARTS TALKS PODCAST
The Embracing Arlington Arts Podcast is hosted by Janet Kopenhaver on Tuesday afternoons. Each show features an Arts organization representative, visual artist, arts expert, reviewers, and others to talk about productions, events, benefits of the arts, economic impact of the arts, and many other topics.
OUT FOR BLOOD: THE STORY OF CARRIE: THE MUSICAL
OUT FOR BLOOD: THE STORY OF CARRIE THE MUSICAL is an original ten-part podcast documentary exploring the history and mysteries of ‘Broadway’s greatest flop’, CARRIE THE MUSICAL. The first half of the series has attracted critical acclaim, thousands of downloads and over sixty 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts from listeners in its first month. It is hosted by Holly Morgan and Chris Adams, two life-long fans of the show who, upon re-discovering a dusty VHS bootleg of Carrie from their university days, decided to track down the people who had experienced Carrie first-hand and get answers to some of their burning questions.
The final episodes of the series explore the phenomenon of an army of fans keeping the legacy of the show alive for over twenty years until the writers finally agreed to revisit the doomed show for an intimate-scale revival in 2012, and the subsequent explosion of worldwide productions which led to the musical being showcased as the first musical episode of the hit TV series Riverdale. The concluding episode revisits original cast members including Linzi Hateley, Charlotte D’Amboise, Sally Ann Triplett and lyricist Dean Pitchford for their final thoughts on the show’s turbulent life and how it changed their lives.
Originally developed and staged in 1988 by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, Carrie is one of theatre history’s most infamous shows thanks to its notably short life and abrupt ending, disastrous reviews, mystifying design choices, revolting cast members and its notorious backstage tension and feuds. Despite a try-out run in Stratford, plagued with technical issues and an incomprehensible plot, very few changes were made before its big-budget transfer to Broadway, which infamously ended after just sixteen previews and five performances.
The podcast is available exclusively from the Broadway Podcast Network and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Find it now at https://bpn.fm/outforblood.
Guests sharing their memories and experiences of recent productions of CARRIE include:
– Director of the 2012 revival of Carrie Stafford Arima with stars Molly Ranson (Carrie) and Carmen Cusack (Miss Gardner) and Grammy-nominated vocal designer AnnMarie Milazzo (Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, Finding Neverland).
– Tony Award winning actress Alice Ripley (Next to Normal, Side Show) from the 2016 Seattle production, plus director Louis Hobson and co-star Keaton Whittaker (Carrie)
– Playwright and screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer of the Carrie screen adaptation 2013, Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics, showrunner of Riverdale)
– Carrie super-fan Joe Iconis (Tony nominated creator of Be More Chill)
– From the LA immersive production of Carrie, director Brady Schwind and cast members Emily Lopez and Kayla Parker
– From the Southwark Playhouse, London production of Carrie, director/choreographer Gary Lloyd and cast members Evelyn Hoskins (Carrie), Jodie Jacobs (Miss Gardner) and Kim Criswell (Margaret)
– Star of the original Carrie workshop and creator of the cult movie Camp, Tony nominee Todd Graff
– Creator and star of drag parody S’Carrie! The Musical, David Cerda
– Author of Flop Musicals of the Twentieth Century, Stephen Purdy
– Creatives and cast members from the famous early unauthorised productions at Stagedoor Manor and Emerson College
RHAPSODY
This podcast by The Rose Theatre Co features eclectic entertainment. Rhapsody brings you jazz, monologues, comedy, short stories, and plays.
THE SHAKESPEARE UNLIMITED PODCAST
From the Folger Shakespeare Library. William Shakespeare and his works are woven throughout our global culture, from theater, music, and films to new scholarship, education, amazing discoveries, and more. In the Folger’s Shakespeare Unlimited podcast, Shakespeare opens a window into topics ranging from the American West, to the real history of Elizabethan street fighting, to interviews with Shakespearean stars. As you’ll hear, he turns up in surprising places, too—including outer space. Join us for a “no limits” tour of the connections between Shakespeare, his works, and our world.
THE CRUELEST MONTH
The Cruelest Month is an adventure for your ears like no other! April has a history of horrific events happening in it. From the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, to the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, to the sinking of the Titanic, and so many other events. What’s causing all this? What is it about April that incites so many messed up events? This anthology podcast will tell stories set in, around, and behind some of the most impactful moments of all-time!
THE ORIGINAL CAST
The Original Cast is a podcast about original cast albums and the people who love them, hosted by playwright Patrick Flynn.
THE WORLD TO COME
The World to Come is produced by David Treatman Creative and Iconoclast Theatre Collective. A future further off than you can imagine, but closer than you would like…In a post-apocalyptic world with no internet or electricity, five disparate factions vie for dominance in the city-state of Fiveboro. Each tribe worships at the altar of the bygone pop-culture references of an earlier time, and relishes the stories of film and television they’ve never actually seen. The Fansci Folk live in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy cosplay kingdom, the Escandalistas invoke the drama of the Telenovelas, The Criterione Collective praises the independent Art Film, the Snookis favor “reality” over fiction and the Hepburners prefer their stories told in black and white. When a powerful figure who calls himself The Cardinal invites the leaders of the factions to his Roost, the announcement he makes threatens to shake Fiveboro to its very core and upend the peaceful detente that has ruled the realm for over a decade.
THREE ON THE AISLE
American Theatre Magazine presents Three on the Aisle, a podcast from New York about theatre in America, featuring drama critics Peter Marks, Terry Teachout, and Elisabeth Vincentelli.
Listeners can subscribe via RSS feed, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or TuneIn. You can also follow Three on the Aisle on Twitter. Feel free to contact the critics at [email protected].
TOKEN THEATRE FRIENDS
Token Theatre Friends is a community for theatre lovers to engage and discover with the work of artists we love. In our weekly web series and podcast, along with our features and reviews, we bring a fresh perspective to the performing arts. Our entire staff and hosts are BIPOC. We don’t talk about representation, we are representation.
We are fully crowdfunded, meaning we don’t answer to boards or industry insiders. Our obligation is to our audience and artists. We are by the people, for the people (so become a Patreon contributor if you can). Most importantly, we want to create a joyful space that celebrates artists who push boundaries, as well as the fans who love them. So please, take a look around and join in the conversation, we are always looking for more Token Theatre Friends!
WHATCHA DOIN?
Whatcha Doin? is a fully student-produced podcast series that strives to connect current theatre industry professionals with future theatre industry professionals by way of interviews accessible as both YouTube and Spotify podcast listings. Listen on Spotify
WHAT IS LOVE, ACTUALLY?
What Is Love Actually? tries to discover just what the 2003 romantic Christmas film Love Actually is by taking it apart and putting it back together again. Join Beth Amann & Patrick Flynn as they examine each component of Richard Curtis’s holiday opus with guests such as:
Keith Powell & Jill Knox Powell from NBC’s Connecting
Alexandra Petri, columnist and author of Nothing’s Wrong and Here’s Why
Robbie Rozelle & Robert W. Schneider from the podcast Gay Card Revoked
Stephen Stromberg, The Washington Post
Jonathan Howard, The King’s Singers
Kimberly Cooper Schmidt, Broadwaysted! & Broadway Baby podcasts
Jay Schmidt, Preview’d on YouTube and the Broadway Baby podcast
and many others as they try to discover “What is Love Actually?”
