Last Thursday's episode of Call Time with Katie Birenboim, featuring actor and choreographer Aigner Mizzelle, marked the 100th episode of the show -- in some form or another. Longtime listeners, friends, or fans might remember that a different version of Call Time, then known as "Theatre Book Club," started under the auspices of Berkshire Theatre Group in 2020. We were in the … [Read more...] about Celebrating 100 Episodes of Call Time
Business of Theatre
Eric Cornell, and a New Generation of Commercial Producers
This week on the podcast I had the pleasure of sitting down with commercial producer Eric Cornell (Co-Producer: Oklahoma!, To Kill a Mockingbird, What the Constitution Means to Me, Head Over Heels, Hello Dolly! First National Tour; Executive Producer: Anastasia, Rocky; Upcoming: Anne of Green Gables) for a conversation about producing, company management, international theatre, … [Read more...] about Eric Cornell, and a New Generation of Commercial Producers
A New “Golden Age” Off-Broadway: Where Less Is More
About a month ago, Michael Paulson wrote an article for The Times about an unexpected "bright spot" in the American theatre landscape. "Broadway is struggling through a postpandemic funk, squeezed between higher production costs and lower audience numbers just as a bevy of new shows set sail into those fierce headwinds," Paulson began. "At the same time," he wrote, … [Read more...] about A New “Golden Age” Off-Broadway: Where Less Is More
Taking Big Swings, with Alan Harrison and His New Book, Scene Change
This week marks a very special episode of the podcast, not only because it focuses on a forthcoming book (like the episode on Shy with Jesse Green and that on Broadway Bodies with Ryan Donovan), but also because I got connected with the guest (the author of said book) through Arts Journal! So if you're an avid reader of the Arts Journal blogs, you might already be familiar … [Read more...] about Taking Big Swings, with Alan Harrison and His New Book, Scene Change
Talking High Art and Late-Stage Capitalism with Jacob Kerzner
This week on the podcast I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with music director, orchestrator, pianist, educator, scholar, and my music director for the show I just directed, The Secret Garden, Jacob Kerzner. As I say at the top of the episode, it was a somewhat unique moment for the podcast because it was my first time interviewing a music director about his life and … [Read more...] about Talking High Art and Late-Stage Capitalism with Jacob Kerzner
Little Girl Wanted: Acting, Directing, and Details With Jenn Thompson
On this week's episode of the Call Time podcast, I had the pleasure to chat with the great Jenn Thompson. I call it a pleasure not only because Jenn was a beloved actor and is now one of the most in-demand and accomplished directors in the industry, but also because Jenn is/was my boss, and we worked on two shows together (technically three if you count my foray into … [Read more...] about Little Girl Wanted: Acting, Directing, and Details With Jenn Thompson
“So Much of My Power Lies In What I Can Do Myself”: Exploring the Catch-22s of Freelancing With Runako Campbell
This week, Call Time stayed in "dance world" by interviewing dancer, and multi-faceted performing artist, Runako Campbell. I call her multi-faceted because, much like last week's guests, in addition to being a dancer trained in multiple styles and techniques she's also cut her teeth in the theatre -- on a Broadway show to be exact, the Alanis Morissette/Diablo Cody/Diane … [Read more...] about “So Much of My Power Lies In What I Can Do Myself”: Exploring the Catch-22s of Freelancing With Runako Campbell
Ryan Donovan’s “Broadway Bodies”: Examining Authentic Casting, Body Politics, and Outsider/Insider Status in Academia
In a first for this iteration of Call Time with Katie Birenboim, I was so excited to welcome a theatre academic -- assistant professor of Theatre Studies at Duke University, Ryan Donovan -- to the show this week. As we discuss on the podcast, Ryan initially came from the performance world: he was a dancer for many years, performing in shows like the 50th anniversary tour of … [Read more...] about Ryan Donovan’s “Broadway Bodies”: Examining Authentic Casting, Body Politics, and Outsider/Insider Status in Academia
What Can American Theatrical Markets Learn from Those in China, and Vice-Versa? A Discussion with Bella Wang
For my first episode of 2023, I decided to interview my classmate at NYU, Bella Wang, with whom I've been wanting to chat since our program began last fall. Because of her professional experience working for a PR consulting group, with clients beyond the arts industry like Avenues The World School and luxury fashion conglomerate LVMH, Bella always had really interesting -- … [Read more...] about What Can American Theatrical Markets Learn from Those in China, and Vice-Versa? A Discussion with Bella Wang