About this podcast
The behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US.
Episodes
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Lights, Sound, and a Sunroof · 20 minUnderneath the stage at Chicago Shakespeare, there’s a mechanism called the sunroof. It drops down, slides away, and opens a hole for a lift to rise through. Both The Winter’s…
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Catching Lightning in a Bottle · 18 minSomewhere in this season’s rep is an actor who can convincingly unravel with jealousy as a king in The Winter’s Tale, then turn around a few nights later and play one of the…
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater: One Set, Two Shows · 23 minIn both The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream, it snows on stage. That's a small piece of a much bigger puzzle for Wendy Stark Prey, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's…
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Learning by Doing · 21 minEdward Hall is the artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and this fall he's directing two Shakespeare plays at the same time with the same company of actors. He has…
- Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Two Plays, One Theater · 22 minChicago Shakespeare Theater is turning 40, and this fall it's doing something it has never done before: staging two Shakespeare plays at once, with the same company of 14 actors…
- Joffrey Ballet: Opening The Nutcracker · 29 minJoffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater discusses the process involved in putting together a production, including the yearly production of The Nutcracker. Plus, Dancer…
- Joffrey Ballet: Costumes and Music for The Nutcracker · 33 minEllie Cotey discusses the path she took to become the Costume Manager for the Joffrey Ballet and what goes into putting together costumes for The Nutcracker every Christmas…
- Joffrey Ballet: The Nutcracker Returns · 40 minGreg Cameron, the President and CEO at The Joffrey Ballet reflects on how much it means to be peforming The Nutcracker again after a year off thanks to COVID. Meanwhile, for…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Opening Night with Sondra Radvanovsky · 21 minSondra Radvanovsky talks about how she prepared for the role of Lady Macbeth and the long road back to the stage after the world shut down, including her own COVID diagnosis…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Taking The Stage With The Chorus · 18 minSuzanne Kszastowski has been a soprano in the Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2009. As opening night approaches, Suzanne shares her experience as a member of the…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Creating the Costumes For Macbeth · 15 minLyric Opera of Chicago has finally reached the point where actors will actually take the stage and start working. That’s where Ben Bell Bern and the Rehearsal Department come…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Beginning The Rehearsal Process · 15 minLyric Opera of Chicago has finally reached the point where actors will actually take the stage and start working. That’s where Ben Bell Bern and the Rehearsal Department come…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Creating Sets Is A World-Wide Effort · 25 minMichael Smallwood, Technical Director for the Lyric Opera of Chicago talked about his piece of the production puzzle and the Herculean effort involved in creating sets for a…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: The Ambassador Between the Audience and the Stage · 18 minVerdi’s Macbeth is not only Lyric Opera of Chicago’s comeback from COVID, but it also marks the official start of Enrique Mazzola's tenure as Music Director. It’s a position that…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: The Chorus Provides The Emotional Push · 19 minNow that the Lyric Opera has decided on Macbeth as their production for September 2021 and they've finished casting (and re-casted), now it's time to bring in the people who will…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Casting Macbeth… Three Times · 18 minNow that Lyric Opera has decided on bringing Macbeth to the stage in September 2021, it’s time to figure out who will be on that stage. That’s where Andreas Melinat the Vice…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Planning In Operaland Is A Four Year Process · 27 minAnthony Freud followed a long and winding path to become the General Director at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Planning a production at Lyric is a path that's just as long and winding…
- Season One: Macbeth at the Lyric Opera of Chicago · 4 minRaising the curtain September 6th. Bringing up the Lights gives you a behind the scenes look at the people who help put together the biggest stage productions in the country…
- Lyric Opera of Chicago: Dramatic Pause · 43 minLyric Opera of Chicago's production of Macbeth in September of 2021 was years in the making, but ended up being their return to the stage following the COVID shutdown. Members of…
