Podcast TYA

For years I have tried to be lucky enough to talk to these two living legends. If Jack and Annie's adventures with the Magic Tree House mean anything to you, prepare to LOVE this episode of PodcastTYA. This Episode is with Will Osborne, playwright and theatre maker and Mary Pope Osborne, author and historian. The two have collaborated to write books, and then adapt them for the stage using the...

Tim Webb, founder of UK's Oily Cart Company is once again on the Podcast. This is part 1 of 2 where I discuss with making my own sensory theatre class at Salt Lake City School District's Glendale Middle School.  Part 2 will dive deeper into how Sensory Theatre is made, and both parts heavily discuss Tim's foundational text "Sensory Theatre". Maybe the most important episode pub...

In this episode of the podcast I'm my own guest! In 2022 I began reviewing plays for the Utah Theatre Bloggers Association (UTBA) and I recap what I saw in Utah TYA productions across the state in 2022.  As always, thanks for listening! Audio Engineer: Darius Fletcher | Lumber Beard Designs Theme Music: Wallpaper by Kevin Macleod

In this episode of the podcast our guest is the in demand wordsmith and titan of a man, Idris Goodwin.  Idris Goodwin is an award winning scriptwriter, breakbeat poet, educator and executive director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. He was recently named a 2021 United States Artist Fellow. In addition to Can I Kick It?, he’s had several publications from Haymarket Book...

In this episode of the podcast our guest is the exhuberant and groundbreaking Maria Cary.  Maria Cary is a professional Theatre for Youth educator. The current Drama and Dance Resource Teacher for Orange County Public Schools, she holds an MFA in Theatre for Young Audiences from the University of Central Florida and a BA in Theatre and Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina Wil...

In this episode of the podcast our guest is the warm and mesmerizing Gene Columbus.   Gene Columbus had a long and illustrious career with the Walt Disney Company  before he became a renowned presence in the field of TYA. Gene served for over a decade as the executive director of what had been the Orlando Civic Theatre as it transitioned and blossomed into the incredible Orlando Repertory Theatre,...

In this episode, our guest is the charismatic, insightful, philosophical, and moving Tim Webb. Tim is the founder of the UK's Oily Cart company today Tim's work in theatre spans many decades and is focused on creating sensory engaging theatre for children with PMLDs or Profound Multiple Learning Disabilities. PLMD is not just those who are neurodivergent such as having an autism spectrum d...

In this episode, our guest is the enterprising and accomplished Chris Brown. Chris Brown is the executive director of the Orlando Rep -- Central Florida's premiere TYA company. Orlando REP's mission is to create experiences that enlighten, entertain, and enrich the lives of family and young audiences. Their first season of children's plays was in 1975 when the organization was still ca...

In this episode our guest is the impressive and wise Becky Wallin. Rebeca Wallin is the managing director of the Brigham Young University Young Company. Young Company is BYU's TYA touring company taking two shows a year to elementary and middle schools through out the state of Utah. Their fall show is usually a TYA script or an adaptation of a contemporary story. Their spring show is a condens...

In this episode, our guest is the brilliant and engaging Nina Meehan.  Nina’s award-winning theatrical work for young people as CEO and Founder of Bay Area Children's Theatre has reached more than 1 million kids and adults and has toured nationally and internationally. As president of the board of directors of TYA/USA, the national organization of theatres for young audiences, she actively eng...

In this episode of the podcast, I go solo and discuss the field of TYA from my perspective!   A little about me. I am a middle school theatre teacher in Salt Lake City at the states most wonderfully diverse middle school. I have a BA in Theatre Arts Education from Brigham Young University and an MFA in Theatre focused on Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) from the University of Central Florida. I h...