Local with Laura Ekstrand

In this episode of Local , we look back at the exciting private screening of A Relative Comedy in Montclair and preview an upcoming fundraiser for the film featuring Dan at the piano and Laura sharing stories. We celebrate the upcoming conclusion of our Production Lab improv class, where six students created and hosted their own original mini improv shows. Laura and Dave also discuss Vivid Stage's...

In this episode of Local , we look back at Etiquette by David Lee White and talk about balancing comedy and drama onstage. Dave shares a brief story about meeting Sabrina Carpenter at the Pasadena Playhouse during a panto-play production of Peter Pan . Etiquette was a smash success and marks Vivid Stage's final mainstage production of the season. We also looked back at Vivid's recent cabaret featu...

In this episode of Local, we take you inside a whirlwind month of comedic theatre. We look back at a pop-up improv show and share a clip from that night. Then we take you to The Flip Side in Madison, New Jersey, and give you a taste of that performance as well. We also discuss Ladies Night, another Flip Side show, and dive into Etiquette, now closing to rave reviews, sharing a first rehearsal clip...

In this episode of  Local , we go behind the scenes of our Valentine's gala, featuring Laura's Hallmark-inspired musical spoof and a peek inside rehearsal for  L-O-V-E . We celebrate the release of the  A Relative Comedy  teaser and share what we've been in the middle of over the past few weeks—from new improv projects and experimental work like  Crossroads on the Canvas  to upcoming Flip Side sho...

In the first episode of the Local reboot, we explore the wide range of work happening at Vivid Stage—and how even members of our own community don't always realize everything we do, from improv and theater to cabarets. We look back at our very first show of the year, Improv in Madison , share behind-the-scenes stories from rehearsing a cabaret (including a last-minute arrival from Amsterdam), and...

Dear Local with Laura Ekstrand listeners, we have some exciting news to share! While we take a short break from our regular episodes, we invite you to explore our new podcast, Jacqueline Goes to Film. Join Laura and Dave as they embark on a thrilling filmmaking journey, and discover the creative process behind their upcoming feature film. Subscribe now for behind-the-scenes insights, interviews, a...

In this episode of Local, Laura interviews Sydney Marie Fucito, a New Jersey-based actress with a passion for theatre and the arts. Sydney shares her journey, from earning a Theatre Arts degree at Centenary University to her current role as a Marketing Assistant at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Sydney discusses her experience in marketing, focusing on learning Adobe products and keeping u...

In this episode of Local, Laura is joined by stage manager Amy Hadam-Rapp, the first stage manager to be featured on the show. Amy shares her experience working behind the scenes in the theatre industry and sheds light on the often-overlooked role of the stage manager. Laura and Amy dive deep into the art of stage management, discussing how it involves being an invisible character while also manag...

In this episode of Local, Laura is joined by the multi-talented Andrew Binger, a respected educator, actor, director, consultant, and arts administrator from Newark, NJ. Andrew shares his experience as the Producing Artistic Director of Yendor Theatre Company, which is dedicated to developing, producing, and celebrating works by Black and Brown writers. Laura and Andrew also chat about his latest...

This month, Laura talks with Vanessa Parvin, a singer and voice teacher who is also the longtime musical director for the Vivid Dreamers summer program. Vanessa talks about her early history performing (when she met her husband), and how she has developed a life as an arts entrepreneur. Hear about how her work as a teacher, a singer in Marquee Five and manager of a carolling business intertwine to...

Join Laura for an incredible conversation with Summit NJ-based visual artist Yolanda Fundora. Entering the conversation with the big news of her work being sold and displayed at the Clinton offices in Harlem. Yolanda goes on to talk about her process of creating art, and her transformative experience drawing the Matterhorn. The conversation spans many topics, including meeting her wife, her former...

In the season premiere of Local season 5 Laura chats with the incredible young artist Darin F. Earl II. They talk about juggling multiple projects as a freelance artist, and the power in not finishing all projects right away. The conversation touches on reimagining choices around age, gender, and race in casting and the impact on theatre and storytelling. And the conversation gets intimate when La...

For the season finale, the tables are turned, and Laura Ekstrand takes her turn in the interview seat. Fellow Local producer Dave Maulbeck steps in to fill her interview shoes. These two friends have an enjoyable and fascinating conversation that is an absolute must-listen for every Vivid Stage fan! These two old friends discuss the dichotomy of living simultaneously as an Artistic Director and a...

This month Laura sits down with, Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich. After moving from Massachusetts to the confusing land of New Jersey, Barbara joined a writing group with former Local guest Lia Romeo. Laura and Barbara talk about the art of playwriting and how writing IS rewriting. They discuss Barbara's inspiration from real-world events, as well as how impersonal the business of submitting plays can...

In this episode, Laura talks with company member Scott McGowan. Scott is a Pennsylvania native who was later transplanted to NYC and then New Jersey. Vivid Stage fans will remember years of Scott's performances. Laura and Scott talk about his acting work and transition from musical theatre to plays. From his struggles to feel comfortable with improv to writing a one-man show. Don't miss this amazi...

Harriett Trangucci - If I Can Just Ease Something For a Moment   We are back from our winter break with a fresh episode of Local. In this episode, Laura sits down with Harriett Trangucci. Harriett grew up in Kansas City before becoming a New Jersey resident. Fans of Vivid Stage will remember years of Harriett's performances. Laura and Harriett talk about her acting work and her advocacy for childr...

This month on Local, Laura connects with playwright, actor and director Emma Gibbson. Emma is a British playwright now based out of Philadelphia, where she founded the theatre company Tiny Dynamite. Vivid Stage fans can look forward to seeing Emma's writing come to life in the main stage production of her play; Water in My Hands. Emma talks with Laura about her journey and evaluation as an artist...

In this episode of Local, Laura sits down with actor and teaching artist Harry Patrick Christian. Harry hails from the great state of Georgia where he began his acting career as a teenager. Vivid Stage fans know Harry well, from years of his amazing performances. Harry talks with Laura about his life as a teaching artist and actor — from his experience teaching workshops with the Patterson Police...

Kicking off Local Season 4, Laura sits down with actor and singer Stephanie Windland. Stephanie received her BA in Musical Theater and Communication Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, and currently lives and works in New York City. Vivid Stage audiences will remember her from the 2018 main stage production of Dead and Buried . Stephanie tells Laura what drives her to continue...

On the season finale of Local, Laura chats with the incredibly talented Joe Sutton. They talk about his return to New Jersey, his native New Yorker bias against the Garden State, and overcoming the Jersey stigma to fall in love with Montclair. Joe went to grad school as a director, but almost immediately realized that artistic opportunities were greater as a playwright. Within years of leaving gra...

On the April podcast we're joined by Dreamcatcher Rep company member Daria M.  Sullivan — the M is important, don't forget the M! Laura and Daria talk about how they first met, racism in the acting industry, the audition grind, and the challenges and triumphs of discovering your voice as an artist. Don't miss Daria this month in Everything is Super Great: A Comedy, opening April 29, 2021, and as M...

This month on Local, Laura talks with Dreamcatcher Rep company member Jason Szamreta. In this fun, light-hearted interview, they get deep into what makes Jason tick and what makes him fulfilled — including his enthusiastic eating.   Jason discusses his decision to enter the field of social work in addition to acting, and how the two fields inform each other. They remember some favorite moments wor...

Local is back! And to kick off the new year, Laura sits down with Dreamcatcher Rep's resident Sound Designer Jeff Knapp. In this fascinating and intimate interview, Jeff talks his college radio DJ days, being a theater student at a school without a theater, and his infamous appearance in The Sound of Music as "Captain Von Knapp." He goes on to talk being a theatre sound designer in the pandemic —...

Jessica F. Baskerville is a playwright based in New Jersey. She joins Laura for a fascinating and wide-sweeping conversation, covering the personal, political, and the life and work of a young creative whose work thus far has been intimately focused on community and sotries in New Jersey. Jessica tells Laura about attending Whitney Houston Academy in East Orange where she was a middle school drama...

In this episode, Laura is joined by playwright and educator David Lee White. A longtime friend and frequent Dreamcatcher collaborator, David has worked with theatres and theatre programs across the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania area. And this month with Dreamcatcher, we're thrilled to be virtually premiering David Lee White's audio play Ways to Be Happy. David and Laura share a warm and l...