Filmed Live Musicals

Host Luisa Lyons chats with playwright, actor, musician, and teacher Jack Canfora all about the creation of the virtual New Normal Rep, making online theatre, the importance of democratizing theatre, and more!  John Lawrence "Jack" Canfora is an Award-Winning American playwright, actor, musician and teacher. After receiving his dramatic training at the London Academy of Music and Dramati...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with choreographer, director, producer, and digital theatre artist Brandon Powers. Brandon shares his journey to becoming a choreographer/director, along with his fascinating insights into the integration of VR and live theatre, Musical Theatre Factory’s XR initiative, TikTok, and the future of filmed theatre.  Brandon Powers is a creative director + choreographer who create...

In part two of our special on Metro Theater Company , host Luisa Lyons chats about the brand new musical Spells of the Sea with director Julia Flood and composer Guinevere Govea. Discover how the magical new musical transformed from a dorm room quarantine project to a podcast and then became a fully fledged state musical! Hear how the University of Texas facilitated the project, the challenges of...

In the first of two episodes featuring Metro Theater Company in St Louis, host Luisa Lyons chats with Joe Gfaller, MTC's Managing Director.  Tune in to this fun and informative chat to discover: Joe’s fascinating journey from high school theatre to working for theatre and opera companies across the United States,  How MTC fast forwarded their plans for streaming during the pandemic, Why and h...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Nick Corston, founder of STEAM Co., a British non-profit that aims to connect kids with their art, and communities with their schools. In this inspiring and energetic chat, Nick shares what sparked his journey, creating the first online videos, and how he kept creativity alive during the lockdown. Nick Corston was recently chosen as one of the BBC's #100Londoners i...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with artistic director, writer, and director Sheldon Epps. Mr. Epps shares what it took to film his musicals Play On! and Blues in the Night , how theatre on television influenced his own career, and why we must continue to film live theatre for television.  Sheldon Epps has directed major productions on and off Broadway, in London and at many theatres across America. In add...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Sean Pollock, director, executive producer, and designer of the upcoming production of A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant LIVE! Sean shares what it was like being a child actor, working with ego driven directors, and the challenges of working with children. He also speaks candidly about prohibitive union rules, as well as the the difficulties of se...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Alex Borovenskiy, the founder and executive director of the ProEnglish Theatre and Drama School in Kyiv, the only English-language theatre in the Ukraine. Alex shares his experience of creating theatre in the middle of a war, how ProEnglish Theatre has adapted and continued to make new work, as well as collaborate with artists and theatres from around the world. ProEngl...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Cynthia Shaw, an actor, singer, and classical pianist whose one woman show Velvet Determination is currently available to stream on demand.  Tune in to hear about how Cynthia came to play the piano, music practice, the inspiration behind her one woman show, folding pianos, and the importance of making art.  Cynthia grew up playing classical piano in a tiny Colorado town...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with James Jefferies, the writer and composer of the new electro-rock sci-fi musical of a Lifetime. Topics include James’ unusual path to staging a musical in New York all the way from Brisbane, Australia; how the show came to be filmed, and the myriad of influences that led James to writing an original musical.  James Jefferies is an Australian composer and writer based in...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Jim McCarthy, CEO of Stellar and author of the new book Beyond the Back Row: The Breakthrough Potential of Digital Live Entertainment and Arts , which explains the why, how, and what of online events. In this lively conversation, McCarthy shares the value of an English degree, how working in e-commerce led him to the creation of Goldstar,  how the company changed course...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Christian Tiu and Bianca Lao all about the student theatre group Ateneo Blue Repertory in Manila, and how they managed to make theatre through COVID,  political upheaval, and whilst getting a college education. Topics include the challenges and joys of creating student theatre, and how Blue Ateneo Rep created a hybrid in-person/filmed version of the musical First Date....

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Planet Money host Kenny Malone and composer Kit Goldstein Grant all about the creation of the new superhero musical Micro-Face ! Learn about the inspiration behind the musical, the workshop process, and the special one-night-only staged reading! With guest appearance by actor Sebastian Treviño.  Visit the official Micro-Face website .  Kit Goldstein Grant is a composer,...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with composer, producer, and lawyer Jay Kuo all about the Broadway musical Allegiance. Topics include how Sunday in the Park with George inspired the filming of Allegiance, the amazing happenstance of meeting George Takei and how Jay came to write George’s story, why producers should get behind filming their shows, and more!  *Editor's Note* We had some difficulties wit...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with writer, composer, and lyricist Gus Gowland about his award winning musical Pieces of String, which was inspired by the hidden story of gay men in the military during WWII. Other topics include the 10th anniversary concert of Les Mis , why we need the arts in schools, and Gus’s PhD thesis about the representation of gay men in musical theatre.  Gus is an award-winning wr...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with writer, director, and filmmaker Bartek Podkowa. Topics include how Bartek started out in maths and science and became a filmmaker, the difference between filming a short film and filming live theatre, and some of the technical aspects of filming live theatre including lighting, sound, and filming with an audience!  Bartek Podkowa almost became a scientist but ended up m...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with author, director, actor, and producer Ben Rimalower. Topics include the importance of cast recordings, working with Patti LuPone, creating the one-person show Patti Issues, and how Ben came to work with Lonny Price. We also take a deep dive into the 2001 Sweeney Todd with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra starring Patti LuPone and George Hearn, for which Ben was the assi...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with actor, voice teacher, and creator Kayla Capone Kasper. Topics include The Sound of Music, how being a voice teacher led Kayla to becoming a viral sensation on TikTok and Instagram, moving from classical singing to musical theatre, how Laura Benanti came into Kayla’s life and the creation of the one woman show Becoming Benanti , and the story behind Laura Benanti announc...

On this bonus Sondheim episode, hear extra content from previous chats with historian Margaret Hall about Stephen Sondheim's early life and career. You'll also hear from playwright Caridad Svich, composer Matt Board, and actor John Patrick Sabatos, who shared their memories of watching filmed live Sondheim musicals and why pro-shots are important for musical theatre today. Margaret Hall...

It’s part three of our three-part Sondheim special! Host Luisa Lyons chats with musical theatre historian Margaret Hall all about the 2011 filmed live musical Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY with the New York Philharmonic.  Margaret Hall is one of the foremost emerging theatre historians of her generation. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama (Musical Theatre) from New York University, Tisch...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with musical theatre historian Margaret Hall all about the filmed live musical Pacific Overtures. Topics include how the original Broadway production came to be filmed, and why we have the proshot, appreciation for Alvin Ing, appreciation for the brilliant women in Hal Prince’s office (and our pitch for a new play, “Lesbians in the Prince Office”), and a breakdown of the pro...

Join host Luisa Lyons for a chat with musical theatre historian Margaret Hall and take a fun tour through the catalog of filmed live Sondheim musicals. You can also learn about Margaret’s journey from Bones to Wicked, how she started teaching and writing about musical theatre history, and how advice from Michael Cerveris compelled her to take on the project of writing Paul Gemignani’s memoir. Marg...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Tralen Doler, the Vice President of Partnerships & Brand Engagement at Broadway Licensing.  We chat about how the pandemic has changed the game for theatre streaming, the importance of teachers in the early days of the pandemic, ShowShare, Tralen’s “yes and!” approach to digital theatre content and his genius idea for for filming Wicked live, how streaming sports ca...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Jean-Paul Yovanoff, the artistic director of Musical Theatre Radio and co-founder of the virtual theatre, The Jill Edmund Theatre.   Learn about how Jean-Paul got a very early start in show business, career pivots and the creation of Musical Theatre Radio (currently available to stream across North America and the UK), being a musical recording collector in the digital...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with actress, singer, writer, content creator, and puppeteer Laura Kay Clark all about her new family-friendly musical Petunia’s Playhouse.  Topics include the influence of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, choosing a different path than going through a traditional musical theatre program, what drew Laura to puppetry, the inspiration behind Petunia and how she h...