Asheville Theater Alliance (ATA) "Behind the Curtains" Weekly Podcast

What an interesting conversation we had with Actor and Improviser Stevie Ramirez. Find out how they got into improv and acting, insight into how one performs improv, tips on succeeding as an improv team, and their upcoming role in the inaugural and immersive production "Close Quarters" at the Phantom Lamp Theatre Company - a production that blends theater and improv. Also, get all the information...

We are excited for the 2026 "Behind the Curtains" podcast episodes and have some exciting guests lined up. Starting us off is Playwright Wendy Belden who chatted with us about her transition from being on the stage to writing what we hear from the stage, types of plays she tends to write, her unique process for completing new works, and one specific play that really impacted her. Also get details...

Jeff Catanese, one of the founders of the Asheville Theater Alliance (ATA), returned to the show to discuss a very exciting and lucrative audition opportunity for its members - the Asheville Regional Theater Auditions (ARTA) being held on January 31 and February 1. This will provide a unique opportunity for actors, dancers, ensembles, swings, technical professionals and even volunteers/ushers to a...

What an interesting interview we had with the founder of Skysail Theatre Michelle Troszak. Hear how she got into the theater industry, her vast set of performing arts skills and expertise, where her musicals have been presented, and how she writes and composes the shows and songs. Also learn about her theater company Skysail Theatre, why she founded the organization, its mission, how she came up w...

There is a lot of exciting stuff happening at the Hendersonville Theatre and we got all the scoop from Business Manager Amanda McLoughlin. She briefed us on the new leadership team and business model at the theater, outlined the responsibilities for all three principals, and updated us about some of their goals for the organization. Amanda then gave us all the details about the remaining shows in...

We sat down with actor and director Gabby Bailey for a wide-ranging interview on theater in Western North Carolina. We began with stories about her career, her unique introduction to the industry, her experience as a fight choreographer and details about the Montford Park Players Fight Club classes. Then we transitioned to the upcoming production of "The Thanksgiving Play" being presented by the A...

We sat down with actor Emily Greene to talk theater. First we learned what brought her back to the stage after a 10-year hiatus, what it felt like to be back in the business, roles she likes to portray, characters on her bucket list, and some changes she has seen in the theater world. Then hear all the details about "The Thanksgiving Play" being presented by Attic Salt Theatre Company, which chara...

Is Asheville getting a new theater company? YES! Get all the details from our interview with Abby Auman, Technical Director of the Asheville Community Theatre (ACT) and one of the founding members of the new theater. First learn about her background, her role as a technical director, two upcoming shows at ACT, and her surprising entrance to the lighting design arena. Also hear about a "funeral" ev...

We had so much fun catching up with Candice Dickinson, Artistic Director of the HART Theatre in Waynesville. Find out how it felt for her to be back on stage when she played Reno in "Anything Goes" and whether we might see her again on stage in 2026. Then get all the details about the rest of their 2025 season, including "Lizzie" (the rock musical) and two Christmas shows. Candice then walks us th...

Is Asheville going to get a new performing arts center? Find out the back story and more by listening to our interview with the Director of the Asheville Department of Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities (CREF) Chris Corl. First we found out what CREF does for Asheville, its citizens and tourists. Then we jumped right in to a discussion about a very exciting prospective initiative of a...

We were happy to sit down with resident Ashevillian playwright David Hopes to chat about his career. First we chatted about how he made the leap into playwrighting from poetry, information about the first play he ever wrote, types of plays he usually pens, and his unique writing process (which is hard to teach to his students). Then we segued into a discussion about his play "Washington Place" (wh...

It was a lot of fun catching up with our old DC friend who is now in Western North Carolina - Actor Shayne Gardner. We chatted about her early entrance into the theater industry, her thoughts on comedy vs. drama roles, and how DC theater companies compare and contrast to Western North Carolina ones. Also, get all the details about the upcoming production of "Clue" being presented by the Hendersoni...

Hear our wide-ranging and interesting chat we had with actor and playwright Jason Phillips. Find out the irony behind him getting into the theater industry, his thoughts on how improv productions are most successful,  and his daring and creative initiative he implemented during COVID with Magnetic Theater. Then we chatted about his many, many performances coming up including at the Appalachian Pla...

We caught up with the very busy Actor and Playwright Travis Lowe to chat about some exciting evvents he has coming up. First he enlightened us about his experience portraying Cyrano, roles he typically gets cast in, characters on his bucket list and his planned "swan song" for his theater career. Then we discussed several lays  he has written, details about his upcoming one-act shows being present...

Actor Lauren Otis was the latest guest on the "Behind the Curtains" podcast. She told us all about her career and personal growth in the theater industry, her views on the blossoming of the performing arts in Western North Carolina (especially after COVID), how the Asheville Theater Alliance is helping bring the industry together as a community, and roles on her bucket list. Also get all the detai...

What an interesting conversation we had with Erin McCarson - who wears many hats in the theater industry. First we chatted about her acting career, her many diverse talents, some past favorite roles, the one role she wants to play for her mom, and her gravitational pull toward "sad clown" characters. We moved on to her directing career and found out her views on picking plays to direct, which type...

We were happy to welcome back to the show a man who wears many hats, including director, actor, co-founder of the Asheville Theater Alliance and Founder/Artistic Director of the Attic Salt Theatre Company for a wide-ranging interview - Jeff Catanese. First, Jeff caught us up on the Alliance, outlined membership benefits, upcoming networking events, and a very exciting and lucrative audition event...

We learned a lot about the physical theater dance form commedia dell'arte during our chat with Choreographer Ayla. Listen to the latest Asheville Theater Alliance "Behind the Curtains' podcast episode to hear about her unique dance career and experiences, as well as get a detailed primer on the commedia art form. Also, get all the details about her upcoming commedia workshops for both children and...

Actor and Costume Designer Maree Starling joined us on the "Behind the Curtains" podcast produced by the Asheville Theater Alliance for a wide-ranging interview. We talked about their early introduction into the theater world and some of their "dream" roles. We delved into how they coped with the COVID shutdown and what new skill they learned that turned into a business. We then transitioned into...

The Founder and Artistic Director of the ballet company Terpiscorps was the latest guest on the "Behind the Curtains" podcast being produced by the Asheville Theater Alliance. In our wide-ranging interview, she tells us how she got in the dance arena from an early age, some impressive accolades and honors she earned while still a teenager, the impetus behind her founding Terpiscorps and its unique...

Long-time actor Allison Stinson had us in stitches during our latest podcast interview produced by the Ashevile Theater Alliance. We chatted about her 61-year career, the many diverse roles she has played, the remaining few that are still on her list, and how she found stages on which to perform worldwide. Also get all the details about the dark and throughtful comedy "Ripcord" being presented by...

Rowan Bishop wears many hats in the theater world and we were happy to chat with him about many of them. From Director to Actor to Drag Queen to Set Designer to Costume Designing, among some of his talents he tells us how he honed these skills over the years. Also hear all the details about "Something Rotten" that he is directing at the Hendersonville Theater, teasers about the numerous hidden ref...

What a multi-faceted and talented guest we had on our show! Jenna Jaffe is an actor, musician, dancer, composer, visual artist, and instructor, to name a few. And she has some exciting performances coming up, including concerts and an immersive "mask" performing arts production. Find out about her many different types of instructional classes and training, how to sign up as a student, some success...

One of the founders of the Street Creature Puppet Collective - Jen Murphy - recently chatted with us about puppets. Hear how her activism activities led to puppetmaking and the formation of this collective. Get all the details about what kind of puppets the artists make, how these large puppets are actually manipulated, some of the past and future events and parades where their puppets have "perfo...

We had such an enoyable chat with Actor Amanda Ladd on the latest "Behind the Curtains" podcast produced by the Asheville Theater Alliance. Learn how she got involved in theater and some words of wisdom she received from a professor that she has never forgotten. Amanda also chats about her work at the New Circle Theatre Company in New York City, why she loves "new works," what roles are on her "bu...