Acting

Napier And Estlin

Our live celebration of 1000 weeks of podcasting onstage at Chicago’s Annoyance Theater continues this week as Annoyance founder and directors Mick Napier and Jennifer Estlin discuss the evolution of their mentalism and closeup magic double-act. Mick and Jen share their early inspiration; a special appearance from telephone psychic Vanessa Sawyer from the Kenny Kingston Psychic Hotline; shout-out Chicago’s Magic Lounge, where Napier and Estlin have played before; and how the danger of knowing too much or overthinking a thing can sometimes destroy the magic of that thing; a fantastic definition of magic; how the value of most institutions is the generations of artists who’ve contributed to its legacy; and a partial answer to the question “Are magicians born or made?” (Length 26:17)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:17 — 30.2MB)

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By austin, ago

The Annoyance Theatre (Episode #1000!)

It’s our 1000th episode! And we celebrated in high-style with a live recording onstage at Chicago’s Annoyance Theatrewith Annoyance’s founder and artistic director Mick Napier (Paradigm Lost, Exit 57) and its executive director Jennifer Estlin. Mick and Jen discuss the theatre’s origins; how Mick wanted to set the Annoyance apart from what Second Citywas doing (but ended up returning to the mothership to direct a landmark production that changed the culture there forever); how Jen kept the Annoyance going during the pandemic; and how they both have made the Annoyance an artistic home for generations of multi-talented actors and improvisers. PART TWO OF OUR CONVERSATION WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK, OR YOU CAN WATCH THE WHOLE THING ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW! (Length 22:44)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:44 — 26.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Joys Of Touring

What happens when you’re a five-person theatre company whose stage manager is too sick to fly and the shipping company won’t deliver your props and costumes? Reed Martin explains what happened last month when those hiccups affected our performances of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) in Oregon and Washington. It’s a tale of improvisation; scrambling and calling on reserves; promoting from within; early mornings and late nights; the beauty of muscle memory; all hands being on deck all across the country; getting the chance to admire beautiful scenery; not panicking; the show going on; and the whole thing turning into a Christmas (ultimate) miracle. (Length 19:47)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:47 — 22.7MB)

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By austin, ago

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)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:09 — 25.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Meet The Cratchits

Jon Hudson Odom and Helen Jon Lee (above) reveal how they bring surprising joy to their portrayals of the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit in this year’s Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol. Jon and Helen share the various productions that have inspired them; how they keep the performances fresh; how their own families shape their instincts; how the Cratchits code-switch; the moving and very personal interactions they’ve had with audience members; the value of avoiding “toxic positivity;” the Shakespearean nature of this classic text; and the importance of scorning the kind of modern-day Scrooges who would find this kind of diversity too “woke.” Also: a special appearance by Erin Allen, producer and host of the WBEZ podcast Curious City. (Length 22:52)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:52 — 26.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Quarter Century Caroler

Gregory Hirte (above) reflects on the twenty-five years (!) he’s been in the Goodman Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol, and how both he and the show have changed in that time. Hirte reveals the benefits of being both an actor and a musician; the challenge of going where the work is; how he got started with Chicago’s famed Piven Theatre Workshop; tales of onstage mishaps; his vote for, not the best, but the fastest Scrooge; and finally, how the beauty of the story keeps bringing back actors – and audiences – year after year. (Length 18:35) (PICTURED, above: Gregory Hirte in the 2023 Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:35 — 21.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Improvised Shakespeare Company

Chicago’s Improvised Shakespeare Company celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025, and founder/director Blaine Swendiscusses the company’s humble origins and how it now performs regularly in Chicago and Los Angeles and tours all across America. Blaine shares performing secrets; the nature of the high-wire act of improvising in iambic pentameter; how this stuff can be learned; how several of every performance’s signature moments began as an attempt to solve a technical problem; and how the audience is the key ingredient to the alchemical magic that makes each performance work. (Length 19:39)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:39 — 22.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Celebrating The Bible

The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), an irreverent celebration of “the greatest story ever accepted as fact” that was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and Matthew Croke, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor reminisce about its creation and how much the world has changed since it premiered at the Kennedy Center in 1995. The original cast members reveal how they bent over backwards to make an entertaining innoffensive comedy; the genius of Steve Smith, the former director of Ringling Brothers Clown College; rave reviews from a Virginia nun and a minister from the Church of Scotland; and how, perhaps paradoxically, some of the show’s biggest fans are the most religiously devout. (Length 19:24)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:24 — 22.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Shannon Cochran’s ‘Paranormal’

Stage actor Shannon Cochran (August: Osage County) brings her horror movie bona fides (The Ring; The Hand That Rocks The Cradle) to the phenomenal new stage play Paranormal Activity, an original new story based on the successful film franchise now running at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (followed by the Ahmanson Theatre in LA, American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington DC). Shannon discusses the precision with which playwright Levi Holloway and director Felix Barrett ratchet up the tension; how everyone has demonic qualities they struggle to suppress (or, as actors, tap into); how to not play the ending; the importance of keeping audiences literally and metaphorically in the dark; and how making audiences laugh in a theatre is not even as great as making audiences jump, scream, and then laugh in a theatre! (Length 20:13)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:13 — 23.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Nina Ruscio Designs

Our conversation with Nina Ruscio, the production designer of The Pitt, continues this week with further details of how unprecedented her design for HBO’s Emmy-winning Best Drama really is. Nina compares her work on this show with other large projects she’s designed; reveals the incredible amount of interior and exterior detail she puts into her designs, and how shooting The Pitt is very much like filming a play that’s happening live; gives props to fellow Cal alum Cathy Sandrich Gelfond on her Emmy win for casting The Pitt; shares the pleasure of working with star and executive producer Noah Wyle; and revels at how highly regarded The Pitt is by the medical community they’re depicting. (Length 15:14)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 15:14 — 17.5MB)

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By austin, ago

Improv Is Magic

Actor, improviser, and founding member of Upright Citizens Brigade Matt Walsh (Veep, Manhunt) is touring this summer with Bluebird Improv and returns to the RSC Podcast to discuss how improv differs from acting (and sometimes doesn’t). Matt reveals how improv is less about creation and more about discovery; the importance of and method for learning the value of patience; how he combined both acting and improv on Veep; why scripted punchlines are sometimes not as funny as improvised punchlines; the challenge of playing a racist monster in Manhunt; and (to unintentionally paraphrase Austin Powers) the importance of remembering that when onstage, just behave. (Length 27:46)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 27:46 — 31.9MB)

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By austin, ago

Preparing For Coriolanus

Host Austin Tichenor returns to Chicago’s Back Room Shakespeare Project to perform in their production of William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus on June 16, 2025 at the Hideout, and he discusses with the show’s captain and first mate Sam Pearson and Gage Wallace how this cast and crew came together to embody the Project’s ethos of “Serious actors. No director. One rehearsal. In a bar.” Building on co-founder Samuel Taylor’s notion these productions are “bad ideas,” Gage and Sam reveal the core values that guide every Project production; how modern bars most resemble Shakespeare’s original rowdy playhouses; how “youthful arrogance” is just another word for “incredible generosity;” and how audiences continue to flock to BRSP productions because they know their presence is not simply important, it’s required. (Length 20:20) (Logo art by Collin Quinn Rice.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:20 — 23.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Glaser’s Dog Meditations

Actor, author, and comedian Jon Glaser (Parks and Recreation, Delocated, Inside Amy Schumer, Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter) is turning his recent comedy album Jon Glaser’s Soothing Meditations for the Solitary Dog into a live show that combines interactive artwork with storytelling, silly comedy, and support for shelters and organizations that care for pets and their owners. Jon reveals his desire to find an outlet for passion projects that are stupid but also do great work; how the project is evolving and reaching new people; how his new Instagram page highlights portraits created at his “VIP Sip & Paint” live events; and how meditations designed for dogs can help soothe our own very real anger and existential despair. (Length 17:37)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:37 — 20.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Filming ‘Complete Works’

Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor – the cast of the film version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) – reminisce about the 2000 filming of the RSC’s signature work, and discuss the extraordinary lengths the production went to ensure they were jet-lagged for the entire process. Revelations include the secret cameo from co-author and RSC founding member Daniel Singer; how different actors must play jokes differently; the Spinal Tap observation that relative size is the difference between funny and scary; how to make friends in British and Irish pubs; and how the RSC vibe might best be described as squabbling siblings bound together in a brotherhood of Shakespeare. (Length 21:33) (PICTURED: Reed Martin, Adam Long, and Austin Tichenor enjoying post-show beverages in Shuttleworth’s Pub, Charing Cross Road, 1992. Photo by Kent Tichenor.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:33 — 0.0KB)

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By austin, ago

Funny To Us

Playwrights and RSC artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss the updates they’ve been making to all their scripts (including All the Great Books (abridged), featuring Doug Harvey, Tré Zijuan Tyler, and Michael Faulkner, below) and how their writing process begins with coming up with material that’s personal resonant. Martin and Tichenor reveal the despair of artists listening to the mortgage when evaluating their work; how not all laughs are created equal; how the great job of making people laugh now feels like an supremely important job; and how hearing the audience gasp at the turns in the narrative is even more satisfying to us. (Length 24:21)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 24:21 — 28.0MB)

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By austin, ago

William Shakespeare Speaks!

409 years ago today, on April 22, 1616, William Shakespeare himself spoke to Tony Dean, the creator and host of the Calling History Podcast, which features conversations with history’s most influential and interesting people. Tony explains how the podcast got started, how he finds his guests (including Austin Tichenor as Shakespeare), how Ralph Waldo Emerson remains the podcast’s great white whale, and how the Calling History Podcast is filled with unbelievable but absolutely true stories. HEAR HERE! (You can listen to part one of Tony’s conversation with Shakespeare here and part two here.) Length 19:50.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:50 — 22.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Fool’s World Premiere

7 Ages Theatricals is producing the world premiere of Fool, Austin Tichenor’s adaptation of Christopher Moore’s New York Times bestselling comic novel. Tom Berger, 7AT’s executive artistic director, talks about how this theatrical collaboration came to be, and reveals how the combination of Tichenor and Moore creates “a match made in Shakespeare comedy heaven” (Broadway World). Berger discusses the pleasure of being a theatre slut; the importance of staying in one’s artistic lane; the stress of not wanting to disappoint each other (or Fool’s creator); the paradox of having written “Schrödinger’s Play;” the trick of making sure the audience catches what we’re throwing; and the fateful coincidence of being a Christopher Moore superfan and a Reduced – as well as a real – Shakespeare guy. (Length 22:46) (Logo title art by Michael Dewey.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:46 — 26.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Storefront Titus Andronicus

Anne Sheridan Smith plays the title role in the Redtwist Theatre production of Titus Andronicus, directed by Redtwist’s co-artistic director Dusty Brown, and both actor and director talk about how their production evolved from its original conception. Dusty and Anne reveal how they navigated both Redtwist’s beautifully renovated but incredibly intimate space, and the changing political landscape; how they discovered both real-life and theatrical inspirations; and how they’re going to pair this production with next month’s production of Taylor Mac’s Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus. (Length 21:52)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:52 — 25.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Meet Geoffrey Barnes

Veteran Shakespearean actor Geoffrey Barnes joins the Reduced Shakespeare Company to play Yorick and Ophelia’s mother in the regional theatre premiere of The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel). The RSC’s 11th stage show marks the company’s seventh appearance at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, as well as MRT’s 300th production, and Geoffrey discusses how his many years at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Oregon Shakespeare Festival – as well as his background in musical theatre and experience performing RSC scripts at CSC – serve him well in this comic prequel to Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Geoffrey reveals the value of a comedian not thinking he’s funny; how he finds the rhythms and music of the language, whether it’s Shakespeare, vaudeville, or August Wilson; and the importance of letting the music and the jokes serve the characters and the story. (Length 21:05)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:05 — 24.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Returning To MRT!

RSC artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss their return to Merrimack Repertory Theatre with the company’s 11th show, The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel) as MRT’s 300th production. Reed and Austin reveal the RSC’s deep connections to New England; how this will be the RSC’s third show to premiere at MRT (after The Complete World of Sports (abridged) and The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) and seventh visit overall; and share insights into the creation of the show and why they changed the title; how the show’s roll-out and script development got interrupted by the pandemic; what milestone anniversary will be celebrated by our first MRT performance; and how creating a prequel to Shakespeare’s greatest play brought unexpected emotional connections to the characters. (LENGTH 18:24)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:24 — 21.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Key West ‘Angel’s

Successful playwrights and television writers (and married couple) Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe are playing successful playwrights (and married couple) Charlotte and Arthur Sanders in the Waterfront Playhouse production of Paul Slade Smith’s The Angel Next Door through February 8, 2025. Friends of the pod Barb and Tom make their first joint appearance to talk about their return to the stage as “eccentric artists” playing eccentric artists; being directed by Waterfront Playhouse artistic director Patrick New; help from Chicago actor (and friend of the pod) Laura T. Fisher and the LineLearner app; the importance of reading a script’s “funny type;” a possible new play called Terror at Four Feet; finding out one’s musical chops are out of tune; and how much acting is actually involved for two successful writers playing two successful writers. (Length 21:06)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:06 — 24.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Threading The Needle

For this first episode of 2025, RSC co-artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor discuss how Austin plays the “Alternate Scrooge” in the Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol for the third year in a row. Austin reveals how he threads the needle of honoring the Scrooges he alternates with (Larry Yando and Christopher Donahue) while still making the character his own; the difference between being an alternate and an understudy; how he inherited the role from previous alternate and now current Scrooge Allen Gilmore; the secrets to flying, including massive shout-outs to ZFX Flying, who makes the magic happen (not “VFX,” as misidentified by Austin); what it’s like to work with young performers; the danger of running out of mental bandwidth during the holidays; and the privilege of jumping from reduced productions to the Goodman’s massive annual extravaganza. (Length 38:46)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 38:46 — 44.5MB)

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By austin, ago

Chekhov To Dickens

Chicago actor Christopher Donahue (currently playing Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol), discusses playing the role of Gayev in the Goodman’s 2023 production of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, directed by Robert Falls. Donahue reveals the challenges and rewards of discovering a character in rehearsal; how he finds humor alongside absurdity; how he takes inspiration from the original Dickens novel of A Christmas Carol; how people can be capable of change; his relationship with Tony-winning director (and friend of the pod) Mary Zimmerman; and finally, how the audience teaches you how to perform the play because the audience is the reason we do this. (Length 20:51)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:51 — 24.0MB)

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By austin, ago

Mike McShane’s Scrooge

Actor/comedian Mike McShane (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Whose Line Is It, Anyway?) is playing Ebenezer Scrooge in A Red Carol, a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol for the legendary San Francisco Mime Troupe. Mike discusses how this “activist adaptation” differs from other takes on the Dickens classic; how he’s able to combine serious dramatic acting with, in his words, “as cheap comedy as you can get this year” and how a clown can play Hamlet easier than a proper actor can play a clown; the disconnect between Christmas Carol audiences in the theater and the same people passing unhoused people on the street; how two veterans of West End Shakespeare are both playing Scrooge for American theater institutions in San Francisco and Chicago; how Alan Rickman came up with his great lines in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; and the glory of creating politically activist theater that’s also ridiculously funny and entertaining. (Length 21:21)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:21 — 24.5MB)

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By austin, ago

Ring Reduced Remembered

It’s the Podcast’s 18th birthday! Austin Tichenor, Reed Martin, and Adam Long celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Ring Reduced, the RSC’s 1994 film for Britain’s Channel 4 which compressed Wagner’s epic opera Der Ring des Nibelungen into a brief and palatable 24 minutes. Adam, Austin, and Reed share their favorite fun facts about Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung; reveal their inspiration from Anna Russell; speculate on comic directions not taken; confirm that the Reduced Shakespeare Company is completely and utterly responsible for the success of Ted Lasso; disclose how they created the most expensive and complicated gag of the entire shoot; and marvel how for one brief shining moment, they were the Rhinemaidens of all media. (Length 29:09)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 29:09 — 33.5MB)

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By austin, ago

Playing Bilbo Baggins

Fresh off its successful run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale opens this week in Auckland, New Zealand, and Rick Hall discusses the challenges and pleasures of playing J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbit hero. Rick reveals the education he’s received in Middle-earth and the pride he feels in no longer being a bit of an idiot; the struggle of getting your high school trombone lip back; the fun of jumping through traps and making eight-second costume changes; getting real-time notes from the audience; lengthy discussions about hobbit feet; and the emotional power of a small(ish) ensemble telling an epic tale. (Length 20:59) (PICTURED: Spencer Davis Milford (l) as Frodo and Rick Hall (r) as Bilbo in rehearsal for The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, directed by Paul Hart. Photo by Liz Lauren, courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:59 — 24.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Directing ‘Primary Trust’

Director Malkia Stampley, whose beautiful production of Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust runs at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre through November 3, 2024, discusses how she embraced the play’s delicate intimacy and transformed a literary script into a theatrical event. Malkia reveals the ways in which a live audience and actors playing multiple characters lift a potentially naturalistic play into a theatrical realm; how she eschewed melodrama and discovered the mystery and curiosity she was looking for; how clowns can find the funny and serious actors the gravitas; and the value of always looking for – and finding – the light. (Length 18:23)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:23 — 21.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Charlotte Booker’s ‘Alive!’

Charlotte Booker discusses her show Elsa Lanchester: She’s Alive!, which celebrates the great character actress who played the title role in The Bride of Frankenstein and runs Wednesdays and Thursdays this month at the Venus Cabaret in Chicago. Charlotte is joined both onstage and in this conversation by her husband and accompanist Mark Nutter, and shares some of the secrets and similarities between her and her subject, including youthful flings with onstage nudity; the glory of being the first female monster; how Elsa was raised to be a free spirit by artist-Bohemians and became the former It Girl of London; playing Katie Nanna in Mary Poppins and Miss Marbles in Murder by Death; being drawn to fellow redheads; the challenges of having an “absinthe father;” the perils of being institutionalized for “over-education;” and the posthumous joy of being a Goth icon. (Length 20:32)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:32 — 23.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Scott Bakula’s Lincoln

In this new edition of Great Moments with Mr. Bakula, the former captain of the Enterprise and famous Quantum Leap-er discusses playing America’s 16th president in Mister Lincoln, Herbert Mitgang’s one-man show now onstage at the storied Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC. Scott reveals how the role came to him; his long association with this particular venue; his history of leaping into the bodies of other notable Americans, such as Dr. Ruth; how his whole career has been a lovely surprise; coming full circle in the musical Shenandoah!; fudging the rules of time travel; hesitation to do his own beard work; excellent direction from James Whitmore, Jr. (son of another fabled one-man show performer); gratitude for a hero’s return; Lincoln’s deep familiarity with Shakespeare; and how the theatre is and always has been Bakula’s first love. (Length 32:24)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 32:24 — 37.2MB)

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By austin, ago

Salic Law Speech

Artistic director Edward Hall’s production of Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theater includes the frequently cut “Salic law speech” (“the best speech in Shakespeare” – Mya Gosling, GoodTickleBrain), and friend of the pod Gregory Linington explains how he speaks the speech as the Archbishop of Canterbury, and how its inclusion is emblematic of the production as a whole. Gregory, who is a verse and dialect coach in addition to being an actor, shares how the speeches in this production are broken down surgically; how the historical Henry prized wisdom and experience over youth and moxie (as does this production); how director Hall fills the stage with a powerful ensemble of veteran character actors; how the famous “band of brothers” becomes a literal band; and how this powerful production balances contemporary flourishes with a traditional reading of the text. (Length 21:11) (PICTURED: The cast of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Henry V, directed by Edward Hall. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:11 — 24.3MB)

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By austin, ago

West Texas Weirs

Actor and comedian Stephnie Weir (Mad TV, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) discusses the origins of her one-woman show The West Texas Weirs, which she performs this weekend at Chicago’s IO Theater. Stephnie shares how she grew up on a used car lot; how dealing with a complicated father made her the person she is today; the trick of navigating unconventional relationships with reality; how family vacations were planned around repossessing cars; the potentially NSFW origin of terms like “hunty” and “askholes;” how vowels are expensive; and how a comedic exorcism can help process our feelings about complicated men. (Length 18:06)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:06 — 20.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Royko: Chicago’s Shakespeare

Writer and actor Mitchell Bisschop discusses his new one-man show Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago, now running at the Chopin Theater until the end of September (2024). Bisschop shares his inspirations for the show, including talking to Royko’s surviving friends and relatives; how he based his script on Royko’s 34-year career and over 7500 columns; how Royko – like a Shakespearean fool – told truth to power and ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize; how he got to know Royko’s “leg creatures;” and how Mike Royko asked the questions nobody else was asking. (LENGTH 18:20)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:20 — 21.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Remembering Jerry Kernion

We remember longtime RSC colleague Jerry Kernion, who passed away last week after a short illness. Jerry acted for us in multiple shows and produced, directed, and edited our DVD film version of The Complete History of America (abridged). A much in-demand stage and film actor, we hear excerpts from previous podcast interviews where Jerry discusses performing both Dromios in A Noise Within’s The Comedy of Errors, Sir Toby Belch, and Colonel Tom Parker in the jukebox musical Heartbreak Hotel. (Length 23:01)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 23:01 — 26.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Tools Not Rules

Actor, director, and educator Rob Myles, co-creator of The Show Must Go Online, talks about how adhering too strictly to the supposed ‘rules’ of speaking Shakespeare leads to lazy interrogation of the text and a lack of clarity for the audience. Rob reveals the dangers inherent in the flawed ideology of trying to get Shakespeare ‘right’; the value of being a magpie and using whatever works in a given moment; how Shakespeare didn’t know a rule he didn’t break; how the speech is meant to be said, not read; and how Rob’s “toolkit for actors,” The Shakespeare Deck, can give you even more useful tools for exploring and activating Shakespeare’s text. (Length 20:07)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:07 — 23.1MB)

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By austin, ago

‘America’ In Chicago

The best of America comes to Chicago this month as Dee Ryan (The Office, Second City, the RSC’s Complete Millennium Musical (abridged)) directs a special one-hour, five-actor production of The Complete History of America (abridged) on Saturday nights at the IO Theater (plus Sunday, August 18 and Tuesday, August 20). Dee and cast member Sheri Flanders talk about the special energy fueling this production; how it’s timed to coincide with the Democratic National Convention; the exciting Edinburgh Fringe-like vibe of IO; how they’re keeping the bronzers locked up; the power of ensemble-driven theatre; and how Second City veteran Dee wants to bring an improvisational energy to scripted comedy.(Length 17:44)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:44 — 20.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Ruining Father’s Day

Mark Nutter and Tom Wolfe bring their special blend of comedy and music to an evening entitled “Another Father’s Day Ruined,” part of the Solo Sunday series held at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro. Mark and Tom discuss their 30-plus-year partnership and reveal their collaborative – for want of a better word – “process;” the ways in which neither of them are Mick Jagger; the time Tom opened for Bill Hicks; a history of ruining other things, like opera and Gershwin; memories of writing and filming the Chris Farley and Matthew Perry comedy Almost Heroes; and almost dying while researching Wild Men, their early-90s parody of Robert Bly’s Iron John. (Length 21:36)

Podcast: Download (24.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Daniel Breaker’s ‘Judgment’

Daniel Breaker (Billions, Girls5eva) is appearing in Judgment Day in its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in a production starring Jason Alexander. Daniel (above left, opposite Alexander) talks about discovering the fun and function of the role in the room, and how he loves experimenting in the science lab of comedy; then shares his love for the next great American play; his surprising inspiration for Donkey, the role he originated in Shrek The Musical; the important distinction of being raised Baptist rather than Catholic; how and why he found so much humor playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton on tour and Broadway; and the relaxed pleasure of sitting in “the Adirondack chair of acting”. (Length 17:54) (Photos by Liz Lauren)

Podcast: Download (20.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Liz Allen’s ‘Mother’

Improviser, improv coach, and “ensemble whisperer” Liz Allen discusses her one-person show Tonight, I Am My Mother, her darkly comic exploration of her mother’s alcoholism, in which Liz plays multiple roles (seamlessly). Liz talks about moments of discovery in her childhood; reveals her script’s inspiration; shares stories of working with comedian Mike Birbiglia on his film, Don’t Think Twice; marvels over her show’s Shakespearean levels; confesses the importance of taking creative license; and celebrates the rewards of bringing a complicated family member back to life. (Length 24:39)

Podcast: Download (28.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Screwed-Up Teenagers

Scott Bailey’s new book Romeo, Juliet, and Other Screwed-Up Teenagers: An Irreverent Guide to Introducing the World’s Most Staggeringly Inappropriate Play to a Classroom Full of Confused Freshmen is a funny and frank look at Shakespeare’s arguably most popular play, and a great resource for educators, students, and even professional actors. Scott reveals his Shakespeare background, both onstage and for almost 30 years in the classroom; how his Renaissance Faire origin story coincides with the early days of the RSC; the surprise of taking a year off and discovering you have a book in you; and finally, the wonder of constantly discovering new things about a 400-year-old play. (Length 22:47)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:47 — 27.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Ondřej Pšenička’s Magic

He’s fooled Penn & Teller three times, and now Ondřej Pšenička is fooling audiences every week at the Chicago Magic Lounge in his new show 52 Lovers. Ondřej reveals surprising secrets (but not all of them!) about how he builds his tricks; the difference between being a manipulator and being a conductor; how comedy can enhance the magic when it doesn’t accidentally ruin it; how his theatre background made him a better magician; the crucial importance of audience management; and magic’s inherent promise to bring audiences back to a place of wonder. (Photo by Martin Vecera.) (Length 21:24)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:24 — 24.6MB)

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By austin, ago

Ides Of March Madness

What’s Shakespeare’s best speech? That question gets answered on this epic episode by director Nate Cohen and actor/educators Elizabeth Dennehy and Gregory Linington, who agonize over every match-up in this Sweet 16 selection of soliloquies and monologues. Highlights include remorse over the many speeches that didn’t make the tournament; the differences between speeches and soliloquies; how Juliet is the female Hamlet; origins of the phrase “rolling thunder;” the unsurprising dominance of fulcrum speeches; a brief “Rap Othello” interlude; and most importantly, how a full March Madness field of 64 would have included many many more of your favorite Shakespeare monologues. (Length 1:22:47)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:22:47 — 94.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Banning “The Bible”

Last week was the tenth anniversary of “The Kerfuffles,” that time when our performance of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) was banned by conservative politicians and then UNbanned when an international media storm arose. Co-authors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, and Matt Croke – the show’s original cast (pictured above) – reminisce about the creation of the script, how it developed in workshop performances, and how the controversy was handled. Featuring the show’s big Broadway musical ending; conscious comic and commercial decisions; lost scenes and cut props; and the importance of always heeding the wisdom of former dean of Ringling Brothers Clown College Steve Smith. (Length 24:28)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 24:28 — 28.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Measuring The Laughs

On the eve of our upcoming tour of The Complete History of Comedy (abridged), co-authors and RSC co-artistic directors Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor talk about measuring the success of a production, and how it’s easier with a comedy but not so much with a drama. Reed and Austin reveal how comedy opens up the heart; how laughs preceded by quiet moments are usually stronger; their greater willingness to go on a comic journey than a tragic one; a shout-out to George Saunders’s book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain; their feelings about whether Chekhov’s plays are actually funny; their ability to take their own notes about slowing down; how not all laughs are created equal; a special appearance by half an EGOT winner “Weird Al” Yankovic; the complete song, “I Laughed Till I Cried;” and the ultimate challenge of wondering whether a quiet audience is enthralled or simply bored. HEAR HERE! (Length 20:36)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:36 — 23.7MB)

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By austin, ago

Potter V. Scrooge

Joe Dempsey and Austin Tichenor play Mr. Potter and Ebenezer Scrooge in, respectively, It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! at the American Blues Theater and A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. The two Chicago actors share their stories of being cast and the mixed blessing of being perfect casting for two miserable old characters. Dempsey also reveals an appreciation for Saturday Night Live’s famous “Lost Ending” to the Frank Capra film; a shout-out to American Blues Theater’s brand new performance space; what one taps into to play a scurvy little spider; the luck of getting emotional plausible deniability; having front-row seats to some of the finest acting ensembles anywhere; the value of being of service to great stories; and the ultimate privilege of fulfilling audience desires at this time of year. (Length 21:15)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:15 — 24.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Marley’s Christmas Carol

On its 20th anniversary, actor and playwright Tom Mula discusses the stage adaptation of his book Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, which is available to license via Dramatists Play Service. Mula reveals how Marley helping with Scrooge’s redemption inspired Tom to help with Marley’s; how A Christmas Carol remains an enduring personal myth; how, like Scrooge himself, he too was haunted by Jacob Marley; how he helped settle two ghosts; how cartoonist Nicole Hollander helped him get published; his complicated feelings about having a resting Scrooge face; his fear about living up to the set design; and the beautiful art of surviving a demanding role and how it can inform your future work. (Length 17:08)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:08 — 19.7MB)

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By austin, ago

Scrooge To Scrooge

Larry Yando (left, above) discusses playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol with his “Alternate Scrooge,” the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s own Austin Tichenor. The two actors talk about the challenge of being haunted by the Ghost of Productions Past; how Dickens’s story continues to percolate in the off-season; how they navigate script changes, especially the little annoying ones; how Scrooge compares to some of the other great roles Yando’s played (such as Scar in The Lion King, Prospero, Roy Cohn in Angels in America); how seeing another actor play “your” role can sometimes act like “an undigested bit of beef;” why the story stays relevant year after year; the value of staying on your toes; how and why Scrooge chooses Marley over Belle; and how if A Christmas Carol ended 20 minutes earlier, it’d be King Lear. (Length 21:48)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:48 — 25.0MB)

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By austin, ago

Lionesses In ‘Winter’

Rebecca Spence (left) and Netta Walker play Eleanor of Aquitaine and Alice Capet, the estranged wife and mistress, respectively, of Henry II, in the Court Theatre production of James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter, directed by Ron OJ Parson. Spence and Walker discuss what it’s like to be playing the smartest characters in the play; the joy of facing off in their second onstage collaboration; the highly flattering comparison they make to Robert Preston; the privilege of working with such a sensitive ensemble of actors (and a director who trusts them); and how they navigate their power as women in a play with such, as they say in the 12th century, Big Dagger Energy. (Length 20:23) (Photo by Michael Brosilow.)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:23 — 23.4MB)

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By austin, ago

Meet Frederick Fronkensteen

Actor Sean Fortunato (TV’s Fargo) discusses playing the iconic role of Frederick Frankenstein in the Mercury Theater Chicago production of Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks’s musical version of his own legendary film, co-written by and starring the great Gene Wilder. Fortunato talks about the enviable range of roles he’s been able to play (from Malvolio to Otto Frank to Willy Wonka); how they navigate some of the 50-year-old jokes; the challenges and rewards of playing in venues of varying sizes; how he approaches comedy from a place of seriousness and sincerity; and the glory of channeling Gene Wilder’s spirit, rather than copying his specific performance. (Length 15:13)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 15:13 — 17.5MB)

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By austin, ago

The Nacirema Society

Chicago director Lili-Anne Brown brings extraordinary levels of funny and heart to the Goodman Theatre production of Pearl Cleage’s wonderful comedy of class, The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years. Brown discusses the kind of rehearsal room she creates; how she worked her way up the theatrical ladder; how we don’t talk enough about the value of comedy; how the comedy basics of high status versus low status goes too frequently unrecognized; how she gives license to her actors to explore and invent; how the best and funniest idea wins; and how the recipe always begins with great actors and giving them permission to try. (Length 21:08)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:08 — 24.3MB)

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By austin, ago

Eurydice’s Sarah Price

Sarah Price stars in the Writers Theatre production of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice (directed by Braden Abraham) and discusses the challenges of playing a character out of myth. As an actor with a background in improvisation and comedy, Sarah talks about finding a balance between modern and classical; how she finds the magic within the realistic (and vice versa); the fun of making physical choices; why being a big comedy nerd helped lead her to Chicago; the value, importance, and absolute necessity of listening; and the complete inability of acting programs to teach ‘adorable’. (Length 18:05)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:05 — 20.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Improvising ‘Star Trek’

Chicago’s Otherworld Theater Company is America’s only non-profit theatre dedicated exclusively to exploring the genres of science-fiction and fantasy (and occasionally horror). Otherworld’s Dylan Schaefer talks about Starship Edsel, the fortnightly improvised Star Trek parody (created by Brandon Brylawski) that combines improv, satire, LARPing, and classic nerdery. Dylan reveals how Star Trek led to his life in the theatre; how Otherworld creates an ecosystem for multiple universes; how Star Trek is in its second golden (or possibly silver) age; how theatre as an art form doesn’t lean into sci-fi/fantasy as much as it should; a special guest appearance by a genuine starship captain; where you can watch Starship Edsel online; and how the Edsel preceded the USS Cerritos as the worst ship in the fleet. (Length 19:12)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:12 — 22.1MB)

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By austin, ago

Lenny Bruce Lives

Actor and writer Ronnie Marmo (above) talks about his one-man show I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce (directed by Joe Mantegna), which he’s toured all over the country for over 400 performances. A longtime actor (Criminal Minds, General Hospital), Ronnie reveals how he first fell in love with the so-called “foul-mouthed” comic who never actually cursed all that much; how he was first arrested in Chicago; how Lenny threatened the status quo and “obscenity” was just an excuse to arrest him; what it’s like when the audience is your scene partner; his showbiz origin story; and ultimately, the importance of always being in a play, whether they’re paying you or not. (Length 20:51)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:51 — 24.0MB)

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By austin, ago

TV’s Neil Flynn (Pt. 2)

Neil Flynn (The Fugitive, Mean Girls, Scrubs, The Middle) returns to talk about how he manages to work both sides of the acting street: comedic and dramatic, improvised and scripted. A theatre vet, Neil marvels at the times he’s been allowed to frequently act onscreen in 4-5 page scenes (something that rarely happens), and shares the reasons he doesn’t do many talk shows; the bites he’s gotten to take out of dramatic apples; the best business decision he ever made; how basketball led to his role of the Janitor on Scrubs; the joy of getting lucky twice; and his absolute satisfaction about his place on the showbiz ladder. (Length 18:52)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:52 — 21.7MB)

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By austin, ago

TV’s Neil Flynn (Pt. 1)

Film (Mean Girls, Magnolia) and television (Scrubs, The Middle) veteran Neil Flynn talks about the joys of meeting your heroes, including working with Dick Van Dyke twice and Harrison Ford three times in The Fugitive (below), which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and in Shrinking. A Second City alum, Neil shares the fun of working with people you look up to, as well as the possibility of working with people who’ve looked up to you, and the surprising things you do and don’t remember from your career. (Length 16:21)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 16:21 — 18.8MB)

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By austin, ago

Steppenwolf’s Jeff Perry

Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member and co-founder Jeff Perry returns to Chicago to star in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land, and he discusses what drew him to this role, at this time, at this theatre. Perry shares how seeing John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson in No Man’s Land in 1975 inspired a lifetime love of theatre and passion for Pinter; reveals the surprising number of Pinter productions at Steppenwolf over the years; evokes the original cast of Fiddler on the Roof; confesses the delirious joy of communal tomfoolery; talks about how Balm in Gilead gave him a triple doctorate in advanced theatre physics, as well as a motto for the Steppenwolf ensemble; and marvels at the wonder of having a “jazz soul.” Just a couple of old theatre geeks sitting around talking. (Length 21:47)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:47 — 25.0MB)

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By austin, ago