Lin-Manuel Miranda

Published by austin on

Author and professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner returns to talk about his new biography, Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist, which charts the growth of the award-winning 21st-century composer, lyricist, and cultural juggernaut, and details the many ways in which “artistic genius is a team sport.” Pollack-Pelzner shares how he wanted to write something that would inspire his students; and reveals how Miranda agreed to open up his digital rolodex; how he can cite formative influences going back to elementary school; how early book buyers in the UK can win two tickets to see Hamilton in the West End; and most importantly, he stresses the extreme value of editors, especially if they’re related to us. (Length 26:00)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:00 — 29.9MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS | More

Categories: Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast
Tags:

Related Posts

Play(s), Not Work(s)

Mary Hartman, the director of education at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada, shares her philosophy for Shakespeare education and its emphasis on play. Mary reveals why threads is a better term than themes; how Shakespeare’s plays should not be poetry readings; how she's developed the Discovery Zone, an extensive free resource for both students and educators; and how so much of Shakespeare’s power is not just in his words, but in the relationship of actors to each other and to the audience. NOTE: This conversation was recorded the night before we learned Tina Packer, the Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts and an acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher, died at the age of 87. Tina was a mentor to generations of artists, scholars, and educators, including Mary, and so this conversation is an unintentionally timely tribute to and celebration of the legacy of Tina Packer. (Length 19:30)

Casting The Pitt

Cathy Sandrich is the Emmy-winning casting director of The Pitt, HBO's Emmy-winning outstanding drama beginning its second season this week. A veteran of various "big boy movies," Cathy reveals how she sees thousands of actors for hundreds of roles; the supreme importance of lists; how one starts over with every project; the importance of strong and truthful choices; how casting directors have to audition just like actors and, also like actors, don't like to be pegged; how good is always good but sometimes not quite right; and, most encouragingly, how great auditions are never wasted. (Length 22:09)

The RSC Christmas

On its 30th anniversary, we present the complete audio of The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas, which walked so The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) could run, and was first recorded and broadcast on Public Radio International in 1995. Featuring conversations with both the crew of Yule-Sat and Charles Dickens; festive (and occasionally dated) partying at the RSC HQ in Northern California; the ten-minute "The Complete Christmas Carol (abridged);" and the original in-context version of that would-be holiday classic "Mrs. Santa Claus." (Length 47:35)