SDCF Podcast Series
404 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 24 ratingsAbout: The SDCF Podcast series includes insightful and in-depth conversations about the working processes and experiences of directors and choreographers. This series features four decades of interviews and panel discussions with some of the field’s most distinguished luminaries, including Hal Prince and Lloyd Richards. Recent episodes include conversations with such notable artists as Anne Kauffman, Raja Feather Kelly, Seret Scott, Leigh Silverman, Twyla Tharp, and Mark Valdez. Dive into our archives to hear the story of the American theatre, told by those who helped create its history and are charting the course of its future.
Feel free to search for episodes using relevant search terms, or peruse the following categories:
● Awards
● Choreographers in Conversation
● Choreography
● Direction
● In Motion with Wendy Seyb
● Issues
● One-on-One Conversations
● Producing
● Regional Originals with M. Graham Smith
● Shakespeare/Classics
● Technical Theatre
● The Founder’s Series with Anne Kauffman
● Writing/Composition
Please note: The conversations in these podcasts date back to 1980 and may contain language that is not representative of the Foundation’s current ethos. We believe these conversations should be made available as an educational and informative resource for theatre artists. Due to the historical nature of this podcast archive, there may be outdated language or content. Therefore, we ask listeners to reach out to us if they feel any of our podcasts need additional review due to content. Additionally, we are happy to have any of our episodes transcribed upon request.
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Episodes
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with and Stafford Arima and Thomas Kail
November 21, 2016 17:00 - 1 hour - 147 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Stafford Arima about their careers and the theatrical worlds that have shaped them.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: Thomas Kail and Stafford Arima
November 21, 2016 17:00 - 147 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Stafford Arima about their careers and the theatrical worlds that have shaped them.
SDC Collaboration Symposia: Marshall Mason Keynote Address
November 07, 2016 17:00 - 56 minutes - 129 MBOn May 8th, 2015, director Marshall Mason spoke to audiences at the SDC Collaboration Symposia in a keynote address. In this speech, Mason discusses how a director’s greatest challenge is often reconciling the invisibility of their work. Mason then relates this difficulty to the importance of collaboration and trust with other artists and focuses on the director’s relationship with the actor. Additionally, Mason describes his rehearsal process by illustrating how he navigates memorization, b...
Marshall Mason Keynote Address
November 07, 2016 17:00 - 56 minutes - 129 MBOn May 8th, 2015, director Marshall Mason spoke to audiences at the SDC Collaboration Symposia in a keynote address. In this speech, Mason discusses how a director’s greatest challenge is often reconciling the invisibility of their work. Mason then relates this difficulty to the importance of collaboration and trust with other artists and focuses on the director’s relationship with the actor. Additionally, Mason describes his rehearsal process by illustrating how he navigates memorization, b...
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with Leigh Silverman and Thomas Kail
October 24, 2016 16:00 - 1 hour - 147 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Leigh Silverman about ideal directorial skills, the value of readings, career beginnings, and much more.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: Thomas Kail and Leigh Silverman
October 24, 2016 16:00 - 147 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Leigh Silverman about ideal directorial skills, the value of readings, career beginnings, and much more.
Masters of the Stage Replay: Thomas Kail and Leigh Silverman
October 24, 2016 16:00 - 147 MBWelcome to Masters of the Stage Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Leigh Silverman about ideal directorial skills, the value of readings, career beginnings, and much more.
DCN with May Adrales, Anne Kauffman, and Lonny Price
October 10, 2016 16:00 - 1 hour - 150 MBIn a DCN focused on preparing for the first rehearsal, directors May Adrales, Anne Kauffman, and Lonny Price describe how they respectively get from picking a project to the rehearsal room. Listen in as these three master directors discuss how they prepare to stage a piece, how they initially approach the all important collaborations with their fellow artists, how they compartmentalize when juggling multiple projects in pre-production at the same time, and more broadly, how they approach tim...
DCN with May Adrales, Anne Kauffman, and Lonny Price
October 10, 2016 16:00 - 150 MBIn a DCN focused on preparing for the first rehearsal, directors May Adrales, Anne Kauffman, and Lonny Price describe how they respectively get from picking a project to the rehearsal room. Listen in as these three master directors discuss how they prepare to stage a piece, how they initially approach the all important collaborations with their fellow artists, how they compartmentalize when juggling multiple projects in pre-production at the same time, and more broadly, how they approach tim...
Masters of the Stage Replay: Thomas Kail and Lear deBessonet
September 26, 2016 16:00 - 151 MBWelcome to Masters of the Stage Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Lear deBessonet about their early-career experiences, from the importance of making work with friends to the advantages and disadvantages of assisting.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with Lear deBessonet and Thomas Kail
September 26, 2016 16:00 - 1 hour - 151 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Lear deBessonet about their early-career experiences, from the importance of making work with friends to the advantages and disadvantages of assisting.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: Thomas Kail and Lear deBessonet
September 26, 2016 16:00 - 151 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today’s podcast features Hamilton director Thomas Kail in conversation with director Lear deBessonet about their early-career experiences, from the importance of making work with friends to the advantages and disadvantages of assisting.
Bartlett Sher and Rachel Chavkin
September 12, 2016 16:00 - 213 MBOn May 2nd, 2016, directors Rachel Chavkin and Bartlett Sher visited Emerson College and engaged in a conversation about their craft with a group of Boston-based directors. In this one-on-one discussion, Chavkin and Sher speak about the broad spectrum of their work—from preparing for meetings with designers, to the actor-audience relationship, to how space informs their approach on a given piece. Chavkin and Sher also engage in a layered discussion on form as they compare their experiences w...
Bartlett Sher and Rachel Chavkin
September 12, 2016 16:00 - 213 MBOn May 2nd, 2016, master directors Rachel Chavkin and Bartlett Sher visited Emerson College and engaged in a conversation about their craft with a group of Boston-based directors. In this one-on-one discussion, Chavkin and Sher speak about the broad spectrum of their work—from preparing for meetings with designers, to the actor-audience relationship, to how space informs their approach on a given piece. Chavkin and Sher also engage in a layered discussion on form as they compare their experi...
One-on-One Conversation with Bartlett Sher and Rachel Chavkin
September 12, 2016 16:00 - 1 hour - 213 MBOn May 2nd, 2016, directors Rachel Chavkin and Bartlett Sher visited Emerson College and engaged in a conversation about their craft with a group of Boston-based directors. In this one-on-one discussion, Chavkin and Sher speak about the broad spectrum of their work—from preparing for meetings with designers, to the actor-audience relationship, to how space informs their approach on a given piece. Chavkin and Sher also engage in a layered discussion on form as they compare their experiences w...
Jennifer Tepper and Michael Grandage
August 22, 2016 16:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MBOn June 9, 2016, author Jennifer Tepper had a conversation with director Michael Grandage, who is best known in America for hit productions like Red, Evita, and Frost / Nixon. In their conversation, Michael speaks about his early years as an actor and what inspired him to become a director, as well as the advice he frequently gives to early career directors. Other topics include the ways in which accessibility, affordability, and diversity are important to theatre; skills for effectively usi...
One-on-One Conversation with Jennifer Tepper and John Doyle
June 07, 2016 18:46 - 1 hour - 175 MBOn March 23, 2016, Jennifer Tepper, author and Director of Programming at 54 Below, interviewed director John Doyle about his craft and illustrious career. In this conversation, Tepper and Doyle dive into Doyle’s methods for contemporizing both classics and revivals, as well as discussing his current Broadway revival of The Color Purple and his upcoming role as Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company.
Jennifer Tepper and John Doyle
June 07, 2016 18:46 - 1 hour - 175 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series. This is the second installment of a series curated by Jennifer Tepper, author and Director of Programming at 54 Below in New York City, and released by SDCF to celebrate some of the many luminaries currently represented on Broadway. On March 23, 2016, Jennifer Tepper, author and Director of Programming at 54 Below, interviewed director John Doyle about his craft and illustrious career. In this conversation, Tepper and Doyle dive into Doyle’s methods for cont...
Jennifer Tepper and Jerry Mitchell
June 06, 2016 14:33 - 47 minutes - 108 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series. This is the first installment of a series curated by Jennifer Tepper, author and Director of Programming at 54 Below in New York City, and released by SDCF to celebrate some of the many luminaries currently represented on Broadway. On February 15, 2016, Tepper interviewed Jerry Mitchell about the evolution of his wide-spanning career. Best known for Broadway hits like Kinky Boots, Hairspray, and the current production of On Your Feet, Mitchell discusses his ...
One-on-One Conversation with Annette Bening and Tom Moore
April 21, 2016 16:21 - 1 hour - 200 MBOn April 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, star of stage and screen Annette Bening sat down with director Tom Moore to discuss her career, the actor-director relationship, and the differences between working in film and theater. In this conversation, Bening and Moore discuss Bening’s production of The Ruth Draper Monologues, in which Bening served as her own director, the many ways in which actors and directors determine their working dynamic, the comparative need for detail in directing film and thea...
Annette Bening and Tom Moore One on One
April 21, 2016 16:21 - 200 MBOn April 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, star of stage and screen Annette Bening sat down with director Tom Moore to discuss her career, the actor-director relationship, and the differences between working in film and theater. In this conversation, Bening and Moore discuss Bening’s production of The Ruth Draper Monologues, in which Bening served as her own director, the many ways in which actors and directors determine their working dynamic, the comparative need for detail in directing film and thea...
One on One Conversation with Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Justin Emeka
April 01, 2016 18:38 - 207 MBOn November 5, 2015, Two Rivers Artistic Director John Dias sat down with actor, playwright, and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson and actor, playwright, choreographer and director Justin Emeka to discuss their bodies of work and philosophical approaches to directing. Throughout the conversation Santiago-Hudson and Emeka touch on the importance of thoughtful casting, directing both Shakespeare and August Wilson, and the importance of representation. In this discussion, Santiago-Hudson and Emek...
Masters of the Stage Re-Release: Thomas Kail and Moises Kaufman
March 17, 2016 20:06 - 134 MBWelcome to Masters of the Stage Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today we replay a 2011 conversation with playwright and director Moisés Kaufman, best known for The Laramie Project, and Thomas Kail, director of the hit Broadway show Hamilton.
SDCF Podcast Series Re-Release: Thomas Kail and Moises Kaufman
March 17, 2016 20:06 - 134 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today we replay a 2011 conversation with playwright and director Moisés Kaufman, best known for The Laramie Project, and Thomas Kail, director of the hit Broadway show Hamilton.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with Moisés Kaufman and Thomas Kail
March 17, 2016 20:06 - 58 minutes - 134 MBWelcome to SDCF Podcast Series Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. Today we replay a 2011 conversation with playwright and director Moisés Kaufman, best known for The Laramie Project, and Thomas Kail, director of the hit Broadway show Hamilton.
Masters of the Stage Replay: Bartlett Sher and Julie Taymor, Moderated by Anne Bogart
March 04, 2016 19:10 - 215 MBMasters of the Stage Replay re-releases podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. This 2014 podcast features directors Bartlett Sher and Julie Taymor, and is moderated by Anne Bogart.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: Bartlett Sher and Julie Taymor, Moderated by Anne Bogart
March 04, 2016 19:10 - 215 MBSDCF Podcast Series Replay re-releases podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. This 2014 podcast features directors Bartlett Sher and Julie Taymor, and is moderated by Anne Bogart.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with Bartlett Sher and Julie Taymor
March 04, 2016 19:10 - 1 hour - 215 MBSDCF Podcast Series Replay re-releases podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. This 2014 podcast features directors Bartlett Sher and Julie Taymor, and is moderated by Anne Bogart.
Susan Stroman at the 2014 Musicals Symposium
February 28, 2016 05:00 - 1 hour - 173 MBOn April 28, 2014, director/choreographer Susan Stroman visited the SDCF Symposium on Musicals. In this Q&A session with early-career directors and choreographers, Ms. Stroman shares the story of how her career began, imparting guidance about several dimensions of the craft—from the design process to working with a dance arranger. Listen in as this master director reminds her audience—and all of us—that the more directors know about their fellow collaborators, the more prepared they will be;...
Jack O’Brien at the 2014 SDCF Emerging Artists Symposium on Plays
February 01, 2016 15:00 - 1 hour - 160 MBOn June 23rd, 2014, Director Jack O’Brien visited the Emerging Artists Symposium for Plays and spoke with SDC Members about his career as well as his advice for the next generation. As O’Brien touches on his early days with the APA-Phoenix Repertory Company, his experiences with Porgy and Bess, his time at the Old Globe, and other phases in his career, he shares perspective gained on creating, re-creating, and directing. Overall, this is an insightful discussion that is sure to fascinate eme...
Thomas Kail and Lear deBessonet
December 11, 2015 21:02 - 151 MBIn 2015, Thomas Kail and Lear Debessonet participated in a One-on-One conversation that focused on their experiences as young directors. In this podcast, deBessonet shares her early interest in interdisciplinary work that led to her current role as Director of Public Works at the Public Theater. Throughout their conversation, Kail and deBessonet talk about various elements in an emerging director’s life—the importance of making work with friends, the advantages and disadvantages of assistin...
Thomas Kail and Leigh Silverman
December 11, 2015 20:10 - 147 MBIn 2015, Director Thomas Kail sat down with Director Leigh Silverman in a One-on-One conversation about craft, career, and professional trajectories. In their conversation, Silverman expresses her thoughts on the value of readings, how female directors have to prove themselves in a male-dominated industry, and the apparent stigma surrounding ambition in professional theater. Additionally, Silverman and Kail talk about ideal directorial skills and their thoughts on what it means to soak up id...
Thomas Kail and Rachel Chavkin
November 19, 2015 19:48 - 152 MBIn the summer of 2015, Director Thomas Kail sat down with Director Rachel Chavkin in a one-on-one conversation about Chavkin’s career and trajectory as a director. Throughout the discussion, Kail and Chavkin discuss a series of questions ranging from ‘how can directors balance running a company with a freelance lifestyle?’ to ‘How do you know when a piece is good?’ and ‘Should directors read reviews?’ In addition to discussing these questions, Chavkin discusses what shaped her career as a di...
Thomas Kail and Stafford Arima
November 02, 2015 16:03 - 147 MBThis is the first in a series curated by Thomas Kail, director of Hamilton and In the Heights, and featuring Kail in conversation with some of the most fascinating directors currently working on the American stage. In this podcast Kail and Stafford Arima engage in a lively conversation about their careers and the theatrical worlds that have shaped them. Throughout their hour-long session, the two artists discuss many questions that often come up in their work and ultimately engage in a criti...
One-on-One Conversation with Stafford Arima and Thomas Kail
November 02, 2015 16:03 - 1 hour - 147 MBThis is the first in a series curated by Thomas Kail, director of Hamilton and In the Heights, and featuring Kail in conversation with some of the most fascinating directors currently working on the American stage. In this podcast Kail and Stafford Arima engage in a lively conversation about their careers and the theatrical worlds that have shaped them. Throughout their hour-long session, the two artists discuss many questions that often come up in their work and ultimately engage in a criti...
One on One Anne Bogart and Lear deBessonet
October 13, 2015 18:26 - 131 MBOn February 6, 2015, SDCF held a One-on-One discussion with directors Anne Bogart and Lear deBessonet at New York’s National Opera Center. Throughout this brief conversation between mentor and mentee, community, collaboration, and inclusivity are listed as core values for a director, which are illustrated through some of their respective career highlights. Additional topics discussed include rehearsal techniques and methods for preparation; the relationship between actors and audiences; what...
Live Theatre and Concert Capture
February 19, 2015 20:40 - 1 hour - 146 MBOn January 27, 2014, SDCF hosted a DCN with director Michael John Warren to discuss his experiences with filming “live captures” of Broadway musicals like RENT and Shrek.
One-on-One Conversation with Leigh Silverman and Joel Sass
February 04, 2015 15:04 - 1 hour - 126 MBOn August 25, 2014, director Jeremy Cohen moderated a conversation with panelists and fellow directors Leigh Silverman and Joel Sass at the Guthrie Theater. Listen in to learn about the views, experiences, and lives of these two master directors.
TDF Replay: Tony Taccone One-on-One Conversation
January 20, 2015 17:00 - 141 MBOn January 17, 2011, SDCF hosted a One-on-One Conversation with Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Tony Taccone.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with Tony Taccone and Ellen Rusconi
January 20, 2015 17:00 - 1 hour - 141 MBOn January 17, 2011, SDCF hosted a One-on-One Conversation with Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Tony Taccone.
On Directing with Daniel Sullivan
January 06, 2015 17:00 - 54 minutes - 101 MBAt the 2013 Emerging Artist Symposium on Plays, SDC’s Executive Director Laura Penn spoke with acclaimed theatre and film director Daniel Sullivan on the art and practice of directing.
Assistant No More
December 16, 2014 16:42 - 1 hour - 134 MBAt the June 17, SDCF 2013 Emerging Artist Symposium on Plays, SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi moderated a discussion with directors Shelley Butler, Benjamin Endsley Klein, and Tony Speciale about the transition from assistant to director. Listen as they compare stories and experiences illustrating their unique transitions into directing their own work.
Assistant No More
December 16, 2014 16:42 - 134 MBAt the June 17, SDCF 2013 Emerging Artist Symposium on Plays, SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi moderated a discussion with directors Shelley Butler, Benjamin Endsley Klein, and Tony Speciale about the transition from assistant to director. Listen as they compare stories and experiences illustrating their unique transitions into directing their own work.
TDF Replay: Conversation with Walter Bobbie and Sam Gold
December 02, 2014 17:00 - 151 MBOn April 30, 2012, Walter Bobbie and Sam Gold discussed their shared background in performance and respective discoveries that they are better suited for directing. Both directors go into great detail about how they find collaborators, how to give notes to a director, and the generous professionals who helped them when they were getting their start.
SDCF Podcast Series Replay: One-on-One Conversation with Walter Bobbie and Sam Gold
December 02, 2014 17:00 - 1 hour - 151 MBOn April 30, 2012, Walter Bobbie and Sam Gold discussed their shared background in performance and respective discoveries that they are better suited for directing. Both directors go into great detail about how they find collaborators, how to give notes to a director, and the generous professionals who helped them when they were getting their start.
Karen Azenberg: From Freelance to Artistic Leadership
November 18, 2014 15:00 - 49 minutes - 90.6 MBAt SDCF’s annual Emerging Artist Symposium on Musicals on May 20, 2013, SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi moderated a conversation with Executive Board President and director/choreographer Karen Azenberg. Listen as they discuss Karen’s transition from working as a freelance director/choreographer to her current position as Artistic Director of Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Theatre Company, and how those experiences can help emerging artists in their careers.
Karen Azenberg: From Freelance to Artistic Leadership
November 18, 2014 15:00 - 90.6 MBAt SDCF’s annual Emerging Artist Symposium on Musicals on May 20, 2013, SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi moderated a conversation with Executive Board President and director/choreographer Karen Azenberg. Listen as they discuss Karen’s transition from working as a freelance director/choreographer to her current position as Artistic Director of Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Theatre Company, and how those experiences can help emerging artists in their careers.
Emerging Artists Symposium on Plays with Jerry Patch
November 04, 2014 15:22 - 56 minutes - 104 MBOn June 17, 2013, SDC Foundation hosted a symposia with the Director of Artistic Development at Manhattan Theatre Club, Jerry Patch on how new play development differs between New York and the regions.
One on One: Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall
October 22, 2014 13:00 - 181 MBOn June 12, 2013, directors Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about their work and career.
One-on-One Conversation with Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall
October 22, 2014 13:00 - 1 hour - 181 MBOn June 12, 2013, directors Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about their work and career.