Filmed Live Musicals

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Ricky and Dana Young-Howze, also known as RnD, theatre critics who throughout the pandemic have reviewed over 200 digital theatre productions.  In this deeply informative discussion, RnD share wisdom about digital theatre, being critics, theatre and accessibility, and the impact of disability on audiences both in person and online. We chat about how chronic illnesses af...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams, founders of new musical theatre company Bottle Cap Theatre, and creators of recently streamed musicals The Limit , about mathematician Sophie Germain, and RIDE , about Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle.  Topics include how song cycles and the Edinburgh Fringe inspired Freya and Jack to start wr...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Emmy-Nominated producer and director Kenneth Ferrone.   In this epic episode, Luisa and Kenneth discuss multiple filmed live musicals including Sistas: The Musical, Grease Live!, RENT Live on Fox , and SpongeBob the Musical!  Learn about the role of Riverside’s Children Theatre in Kenneth’s theatre development and the importance of arts education, how the TV show Smash...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Singaporean actress, singer-songwriter and arts educator Ethel Yap.   Learn how Ethel worked to establish herself as an actor in her home country of Singapore after training in London, how Pangdemonium was formed, how working with The Theatre Practise (TTP) helped Ethel learn Mandarin, the state of unions — and the role of government — in Singaporean theatre, Chinese-la...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with a leader in digital theatre, Jared Mezzocchi.   Topics include the intersection of theatre and film, how Jared’s mom (who was also his 8th grade math teacher), helped him see the world through numbers and story-telling, we deep dive into the world of digital theatre - what it is, what should we do with it, and delve into Luisa’s favorite question “what should we call it...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Richard J. Hinds, associate choreographer on Come From Away and the current Broadway revival of Company .  Topics include why Richard was drawn to the creative side of musical theatre and his journey to Broadway, Andy Blankenbuehler’s role in Richard’s career, working with Kelly Devine, setting High School Musical on tour in the UK, US, Australia, and on ice(!), the rol...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Maribel Legarda and Liza Magtoto, the director and writer of the hit Filipino jukebox musical Rak of Aegis. Topics include the formation of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), and how PETA operates and fulfills its founders’ mission to create a Filipino theater. We discuss  the development of Rak of Aegis, why Maribel double cast the show, the signifi...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Sarah Ellis & Greg Kamp, co-founders of MT Shorts.  We chat about the creation of MT Shorts, working with Emmy nominated producer & director Kenneth Ferrone, the personal stories behind Jump , the creation of High School Zoomsical during the early days of the pandemic, and more! Includes an exclusive preview to “All of These Goodbyes” from new short Still Here !...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with songwriter and performer Benjamin Scheuer.  We chat about  the influence of Frank Loesser, how Benjamin came to write his first show (which Prince William ushered), the interplay of different performance and artistic mediums, being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins lymphoma at age 28 and our shared journey of cancer treatment and bone marrow biopsies, how The Lion served...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Jessica Ryan, founder and CEO of Broadway Unlocked.   In this fun conversation, we talk about Jessica's grandparents role in getting her into theatre, how being an advocate for the Crime Victims Treatment Center and making accessible content led to a career in digital theatre, the inspiration of early Kickstarter, being an early adopter of tech, why the theatre ind...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Susan Jamson, Press and PR Manager for the north London based inclusive theatre company Chickenshed.   Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that first began in 1974. Primarily based at their purpose-built venue in North London, they create theatre for all ages and run successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes throughout the year. A...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with actor/dancer/singer James T. Lane.  Topics include the influence of Robert Guilluame and the importance of being able to see people that look like you on stage, Forbidden Broadway and movie musicals as a gateway to musical theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar , A Chorus Line , coining the phrase “sad understand”, working at the Jen Waldman Studio, words of wisdom from Baayor...

In episode 20 host Luisa Lyons chats with Broadway on Demand CEO and President Sean Cercone.  Topics include theatre on public TV being a gateway to live theatre, how being a good son-in-law led to the creation of Broadway on Demand, how streaming can help authors and help shows build their brand, sport as a model for live-streaming, the importance of a theatre archive, and much more! Sean Cercone...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with actor Jalynn Steele about the upcoming livestream of Titanique  the Maiden Voyage Concert. In this laugh-filled chat, we talk about the joy of performing, going to State for theatre, what Jalynn learnt during the pandemic, performing with COVID restrictions, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical , and the importance of diverse representation on Broadway. Jalynn...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Filipino-American artist Lourds Lane - book writer, composer, lyricist, arranger, and violin-playing co-star of the new rock musical SuperYou. The musical was scheduled to open off-Broadway in May 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. Instead, a concert version was performed on the back of pick-up trucks at a drive-in in upstate New York. The concert was filmed a...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with the Creative Director of HMDT Music, Tertia Sefton-Green.  We chat about HMDT Music's extraordinary children's theatre education program pre-pandemic, the fortuitous decision to downscale in 2019, and the new female-led musical filmed live in 2021 Jina and the STEM Sisters. The musical is available to stream worldwide until April 11 from HMDT Music . HMDT Musi...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with New York-based Australian director Benita de Wit.   Topics include creating pertinent work with college students during a pandemic, the LIU Post Sondheim cabaret One More Thing Not to Think About, what makes a good theatre capture, what makes theatre “live” and human, why a student production of Kiss Me, Kate stuck in Benita’s memory, the upcoming stream Alter/Ego and h...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Marc Teitler and Tim Phillips, the composers of the smash-hit British musical The Grinning Man. Filmed live at the Bristol Old Vic in 2016, The Grinning Man is a dark and visceral musical based on Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughed.  Topics include the development of the musical, Marc and Tim's initial resistance to releasing the archival footage, how the music...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Eliza Jackson, an Australian producer based in the UK whom The Stage recently listed as one of the Top 100 Theatre Makers of 2020.  We chat about making the switch from acting to producing, the joys and challenges of producing virtual theatre content during the pandemic, paying artists during lockdown, the future of streaming, what it means to make theatre during this t...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with British director and producer Adam Lenson. Topics include Merrily We Roll Along , what should we call filmed theatre, Signal Online, Alt+Right+Shift , making new work without a theatre, filming theatre without an audience, and more!  Based in London, Adam is a director, producer, dramaturg, and musical theatre specialist. He was recently included in The Stage 100, a lis...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with writer, designer, and publisher Robert Sokol.  We chat about Robert’s extensive cast recording collection, collecting albums in languages other than English, Japanese takarazuka theatre, how changing the language affects a musical, the pros and cons of recordings going digital, watching theatre online, and more! Robert Sokol is a writer, designer, publisher, and produce...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Tony nominated composer Paul Gordon. Topics include Jane Eyre, Daddy Long Legs , how union rules impact artists, the differences between subscription and pay-per-view models, why filming musicals is important, and making theatre more accessible, sustainable, and fair.  Paul Gordon was nominated for a 2001 Tony Award for composing the music and lyrics to the musical Jane...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with Broadway dancer and associate choreographer Barry Busby. We talk about Starlight Express, being a swing, the work of an associate choreographer, creating the incredible jump rope number in Holiday Inn, and more!  Barry Busby is a Texas native, MFA graduate from the University of Oklahoma, and has lived in NYC for over 11 years where he just recently closed the 11-time T...

In this week's episode of the podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with Kelly Kessler, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at DePaul University, about Kelly's new book Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical.  We talk about Kelly's research, why television networks produce live musicals, the role of adverts, the first musicals on television...

Host Luisa Lyons chats with actor and Broadway expert Kimberly Faye Greenberg all about her one woman show Fabulous Fanny: The Songs & Stories of Fanny Brice , Barbra Streisand, the technicalities of streaming a show online, creating online “events”, and more!  Visit Filmed Live Musicals at www.filmedlivemusicals.com . Follow us on Facebook and Twitter . You can also support the site at Patreo...