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PODCAST

The Drama Book Show!

The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network

Welcome to The Drama Book Show! Join hosts David Rigano, Mark-Eugene Garcia, and Dylan Glick- seasoned playwrights and close friends, as they engage in interviews with a diverse array of guests spanning from Broadway to Off-Broadway and beyond. Recording before a live audience at the Drama Book Shop, each week features a theater expert delving into realms both on and off the stage. Follow @dramabookshowpodcast on instagram, check Eventbrite for events, and join our lively audience at the book

arts performing arts

All Episodes

54:57

The Antiracist Theatre with Nicole Brewer and Ann James

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/07

In this episode, we talk with Nicole Brewer, theater director, educator, and originator of the internationally recognized Antiracist Theatre (ART) model, about her book The Antiracist Theatre and reimagining how artists collaborate.Brewer’s book combines memoir, self-exploration, and practical tools to examine power, privilege, accountability, and care in theatrical spaces. Rooted in transformative justice, she offers a framework for disrupting harmful practices and building healthier, more

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43:52

Cold War Choir Practice with Ro Reddic

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/06

In this episode, we talk with playwright, songwriter, and educator Ro Reddick about her darkly comedic play Cold War Choir Practice, winner of the 2026 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.Set in Ronald Reagan’s America, the play follows a young girl caught up in family intrigue when her estranged uncle, a prominent Black conservative, brings his mysteriously ill wife home for the holidays. Blending music, comedy, espionage, roller disco, cults, and choir practice, Cold War Choir Practice offers a wildly

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48:38

Acting Heightened Text: The Basics - With Catherine...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/05

In this episode, we talk with Catherine Weidner, actor, director, educator, and author of Acting Heightened Text: The Basics, about bringing heightened language to life onstage.Weidner’s book offers actors, directors, students, and teachers practical tools for working with verse and prose, from text analysis and playing actions to auditions, rehearsals, rhetorical arguments, and rhyming couplets. We explore how curiosity, rigor, and techniques like “hooking” can help performers make dynamic,

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68:47

Launch Party for The Methuen Drama Book of Trans...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/04

In this episode, we explore the third volume of the Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, featuring nine new works by trans playwrights and centered on young trans characters, from age twelve through their late twenties.The collection highlights a wide range of voices, genres, and theatrical styles while exploring coming of age, family, relationships, athletics, dating, and navigating challenging social and political environments. Each play is accompanied by an introductory essay offering additional

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49:39

Quick Bright Things with Michael Golding

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/03

In this episode, we talk with novelist and actor Michael Golding about new novel, Quick Bright Things, a love letter to Broadway’s Golden Age. Set in New York in 1948, the novel follows a young rehearsal pianist, a visionary director, and his Girl Friday as they race toward opening night with a musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Drawing on Golding’s own experiences in the theatre, Quick Bright Things celebrates the colorful, talented, and sometimes chaotic people who keep Broadway

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49:24

Latinidad in Musical Theatre with Stefan Sittig

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/02

In this episode, we talk with Stefan Sittig, director, choreographer, educator, performer, and author of Latinidad in Musical Theatre, about the lasting influence of Latine artists, music, dance, and choreography on the American musical.From Carmen Miranda to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sittig traces a century of Latine contributions through shows including West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, In the Heights, and Hamilton, while exploring the careers of artists such as Chita Rivera and Graciela Daniele. The

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54:39

Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/10/01

In this episode, we talk with Paige Allen and Stacy Wolf, authors of Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre, about the relationship between feminism, spectatorship, and the musical theatre canon.Using shows including The Music Man, Evita, Fun Home, and SIX, the book explores how feminist theory can help us understand and analyze musicals, particularly the contradictions of an art form beloved by women audiences while historically dominated by male artists and producers. Joining the conversation

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56:28

Queer Musicals with Robert W. Schneider and Patrick...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/30

In this episode, we talk with Robert W. Schneider, artistic director of J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, producer at 54 Below, and host of Behind the Curtain: Broadway’s Living Legends, about his book Queer Musicals.Taking a chronological look at queer musicals from the second half of the twentieth century through today, the book explores how these shows were created, produced, received, and understood within the larger history of Broadway. Schneider traces the evolution of queerness in

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37:02

Irish Goodbye - with Tom Dugan, Mel Johnson, and...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/29

In this episode, we talk with award-winning playwright Tom Dugan about Irish Goodbye, the first installment of his Jersey Pub Trilogy.Set in a small New Jersey pub on Christmas Eve, the darkly comic play follows a disgraced cop and an ex-beauty queen who take shelter from a winter storm and form an unexpected connection. Joining the conversation are Broadway veteran Mel Johnson, who serves as moderator, and actress Anica Petrovic, who originated the role of Sandy in the Los Angeles premiere

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57:01

Unsinkable Women: Stories and Songs From the Titanic...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/28

In this episode, we talk with Deborah Jean Templin, award-winning playwright and veteran actor of theatre, film, and television, about her solo work Unsinkable Women: Stories and Songs From the Titanic.Inspired by Templin’s experience touring with the Tony Award-winning musical Titanic, Unsinkable Women explores the lives of nine women who survived the sinking and how the disaster shaped their lives. Through vivid monologues and historical songs, Templin brings their stories to life—from the

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58:45

Creating Theatre for Audiences that are Neurodiverse-...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/27

In this episode, we talk with Dionne O’Dell, artistic director of the MSU Sense-Ability Ensemble, about The Sense-Ability Ensemble’s Guide to Creating Theatre for Audiences That Are Neurodiverse. Part case study and part practical guide, the book explores how theatre makers can create work with neurodiverse audiences in mind—from sensory engagement, live music, and puppetry to design, storytelling, audience interaction, and performer training. Joining the conversation are Sense-Ability Ensemble

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71:59

Uncovering Your True Voice: A Practical Guide for...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/26

In this episode we talk with performer and longtime voice teacher Carolyn Marcell Elmore about the art and practice of singing. Elmore’s career spans opera, classical concert performance, and musical theatre, as both a performer and educator. Her book, Uncovering Your True Voice: A Practical Guide for Singers & Teachers, explores the day-to-day process of discovering, creating, and memorizing the energies and sensations that make up the art of singing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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56:16

Stuck in a Role: Releasing Trauma in Teens

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/25

In this episode, we sit down with Diana Feldman to discuss her book Stuck in a Role: Releasing Trauma in Teens through the ENACT Drama Therapy Method. Drawing on more than 30 years of work in NYC schools, Feldman shares how drama therapy helps adolescents break free from protective roles and reconnect with their authentic selves. Through improvisation, role play, and empathy-driven communication, her method offers powerful tools for educators, therapists, and parents to support at-risk youth.Learn

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64:32

What This Place Makes Me: 21st Century American Plays...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/24

In this episode, we explore What This Place Makes Me, a groundbreaking collection of works by first- and second-generation immigrant playwrights of Lebanese, Nigerian, Korean, Bengali, Polish, and Mexican descent. These seven powerful voices illuminate stories of displacement, alienation, and the search for belonging, weaving together narratives that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.We’re joined by editor Isaiah Stavchansky—a playwright, actor, and creator whose work has been

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60:13

Playpenn Presents James Ijames Live In New York with...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/23

In this episode, we talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, director, and educator James Ijames about his creative process and the art of making new work.In anticipation of the world premiere of his new play Wilderness Generation at Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ijames joins Nancy Boykin and Kimberly S. Fairbanks for a conversation moderated by PlayPenn Artistic Director Che’Rae Adams. Together, they discuss collaboration, developing new plays, and creating theatre in

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69:39

Broadway Poster Art 1945-1969

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/19

In this episode, we celebrate Broadway Poster Art: 1945–1969 by Nicholas van Hoogstraten, a visually stunning tribute to Broadway’s iconic posters—from My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof to rare designs for legendary flops. The book offers an insider’s look at the artists behind the posters, featuring Al Hirschfeld, David Klein, Fay Gage, and more, along with alternate concepts, rejected designs, and fascinating stories about how these visuals shaped Broadway’s identity.Nicholas van Hoogstraten

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62:50

Over the Shoulder- A Discussion with Mark Solomon

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/18

In this episode, we explore Over the Shoulder: A Freelancer’s Guide to Telling Stories and Editing Films by Mark Solomon. Drawing on 30+ years in Hollywood, Solomon shares insider insights from editing iconic films like Shrek, Chicken Run, Space Jam, and the Eddie award-nominated Frankenweenie. His book offers a practical roadmap for crafting unforgettable stories, with lessons on suspense, contrast, cause and effect, and cross-cultural storytelling techniques, alongside real-world anecdotes from a

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67:42

Black Entertainment History with Smokey Stevens

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/17

In This Episode In this episode, we talk with Ronald “Smokey” Stevens, an award-winning performer, director, choreographer, producer, and founder of Capital City Readers Theatre. A veteran of Broadway productions including Bubbling Brown Sugar, Dreamgirls, and his own Rollin’ on the T.O.B.A., Stevens has dedicated much of his career to preserving and celebrating Black theatrical history. His book, The First 60 Years: The History of Afro American Musical Theater & Entertainment, 1865–1930,

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61:53

Working Together in Theatre- With Joel Veenstra

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/16

In this episode, we explore Working Together in Theatre: Collaboration and Leadership with Joel Veenstra, Chair of the Drama Department at UC Irvine and a specialist in stage management, improvisation, and collaborative production. Building on the work of acclaimed theatre educator and director Robert Cohen, this new edition examines what it takes to create great theatre together. From playwrights and directors to actors, designers, stage managers, dramaturgs, and crews, we look at how

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60:25

Sex, Drugs, and Pilot Season: Confessions of a...

The Drama Book Show! ·

2026/09/15

In this episode, acclaimed casting director Joel Thurm shares stories from his remarkable career in Hollywood, chronicled in Sex, Drugs, and Pilot Season. From discovering John Travolta and the Phoenix family to shaping iconic TV shows like Cheers, Taxi, The Love Boat, and The Golden Girls, Thurm offers a witty and irreverent insider’s view of the entertainment industry. He also recounts his work on classic films including Grease, Airplane!, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, giving listeners a

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136 results

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