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From Madison to Manhattan, this podcast discusses theater on a local, regional and national level. Artistic Director Jen Uphoff Gray, Managing Director Julie Swenson, and Theater Writer/Dramaturg Mike Fischer offer a glimpse at running a regional theater company in the Midwest while exploring a variety of current topics affecting the American theater world. Insightful and timely conversations about the arts from flyover country.
129 Episodes
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Join us for our end-of-year episode, in which we share our theater-related resolutions for 2026 (that we swear we won't break).
We talk about theatergoing roadtrips to places we've never been, exploring productions by our favorite playwrights, helping actors master the business side of show business, and continuing in our mission to build a strong theater community in the state of Wisconsin.
As the holidays approach, we share everything we loved about 2025, including stellar productions, new endeavors, the ever-expanding support of our audiences, and the brilliant artists that make everything we do possible.
We are excited to welcome Chad Bauman, the Ellen & Joe Checota Executive Director of Milwaukee Repertory Theater!
Milwaukee Rep has a LOT going on right now - including the debut of their brand-new, state-of-the-art theater center on the heels of an epic flood that threatened to pull the rug out before the season even began. We dive into the highs and lows of the last year at the Rep, the attention Wisconsin theater is getting on a national level, and what's on the horizon for one of our state's flagship theater companies.
We can't wait to give our take on the top 10 most-produced plays and top 20 most-produced playwrights in America this season! These annual lists are generated by American Theater Magazine, and we love to dive in and discuss. We talk about what we expected, what surprised us, and how this list reflects some interesting trends for theater in America.
Spoiler alert: this season we're producing a rolling world premiere from America's #1 most-produced playwright...
Here are the lists so you can follow along!
Top 10 most-produced plays in America in 2025-26
Top 20 most-produced playwrights in America in 2025-26
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok is one of America's hottest playwrights, and we're excited to experience two of her plays in Wisconsin during the 2025-26 season. We welcome Marcella Kearns and Jake Penner, two directors preparing to stage her work, to discuss Majok’s themes of survival, resilience, and connection.
They share what makes Majok’s plays hit so hard—and why directors are so drawn to her work. We talk about how her plays resonate personally, what challenges them, and why Majok’s stories feel more urgent than ever.
We get down to business about one of the most contentious issues in modern American theater - play length and whether or not to have an intermission. Audiences have VERY STRONG feelings about this, and as producers of new plays we see these trends firsthand. As much as we love a 90-min theater experience, are our shrinking attention spans getting in the way of deeper, richer storytelling? Have we lost our theater stamina?
The debate about whether to produce a play based on its length is very real, and in this episode we offer an inside look at how producers address this evolution in theater making.
We are excited to welcome BJ Jones, Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre in Skokie, IL. Northlight is among the largest non-profit theaters in the Chicago area, known for their commitment to contemporary works and their extensive youth education program.
In this episode, we discuss the current evolution of regional theater, balancing audience wants with your own artistic vision, the art of "timing the moment" with new and relevant work, and what the future holds for theaters (and audiences) across America.
Check out Northlight's 2025-26 season.
Summertime means outdoor theater! We discuss the productions we're excited to see at some of our favorite summer theaters. We also dive into the 2025-26 season announcements from Wisconsin theaters, and share what we'll be checking out in the year to come.
We tackle the sudden and rapidly-shrinking landscape of government arts funding - and what it means for organizations trying to stay afloat without compromising their values. From disappearing grants to the risks involved for the artists and companies that are sitting out (and speaking out), this conversation is candid, urgent, and eye-opening.
But amid the challenges, we also take a hopeful look toward solutions to help change the tide. A tough topic, but one worth confronting - the future of the arts may depend on it.
It's season announcement time for theaters across the country, and we're excited to share our slate for the 2025-26 season! A common question we get is, "how do you choose your plays?" We talk about the decision process behind selecting these four productions, and how they fit together in the grand scheme.
The 2025-26 season at Forward Theater. Season tickets now available at ForwardTheater.com.
PRIMARY TRUST by Eboni Booth
Directed by Mikael Burke
September 4-21, 2025
GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! by Scott Brown & Anthony King
Directed by Jen Uphoff Gray
November 6-23, 2025
IRONBOUND by Martyna Majok
Directed by Marcella Kearns
Jan 29 - Feb 15, 2026
LADY DISDAIN by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Jen Uphoff Gray
April 9-26, 2026
Jen Uphoff Gray welcomes Kait Kerrigan and Nathan Tysen, writer and lyricist of Broadway's THE GREAT GATSBY! In this episode, this musical power couple shares their insight into the broken pipeline of musical theater development, which leaves countless new works stuck in limbo. We discuss the roadblocks that prevent fresh stories from reaching American audiences and why regional theaters hesitate to take the leap.
But it’s not all bad news - we also explore real solutions for making the pipeline more accessible, sustainable, and artist-friendly. A candid, insightful conversation about the future of musical theater and what it will take to get new voices heard.
Bonus:
Kait and Nathan reference the types of grants and financial assistance that keeps many writers afloat while they create America's next musical sensation. Here's a link to the Dramatists Guild resource directory of Grants & Fellowships.
This episode was inspired by a VERY spirited conversation we recently had, centered around a particular play and whether it would be a good choice for a future season. This debate required us to evaluate our relationship with our audiences - how do we meet them where they are, and how do we bring them along with challenging material while creating a welcoming and community-centered environment?
As theaters across the country work toward building new audiences, what's the best balance between leading and listening?
*This episode went missing late last year! It is officially Episode 113. Enjoy!
Despite the fact that theater is back to being live and in-person, many theaters (including ours) have discovered great value in offering a streaming option for their productions. As arts companies strive to become more accessible, digital theater has become an oasis for many patrons.
In this episode, we revisit this topic that preoccupied the theater world just a few years back. What's happening with digital theater now? Are we using what we learned during COVID, and if so, how?
Happy Holidays! Enjoy our end-of-year episode, in which we share everything we loved about 2024, including stellar productions and films, the support of our amazing audiences, and the brilliant artists that continue to make the theater an inspiring and life-affirming experience.
We LOVE mailbag episodes, and this one was a treat. Join us as we talk about theater spaces, share our own play selection process, and bring the heat on playwrights and productions we never need to see again.
Our take on the top 10 most-produced plays and top 20 most-produced playwrights in America this season, based on the annual list generated by American Theater Magazine. We discuss what we expected, what surprised us, and how this list reflects the current state of theater in America. Here are the lists so you can follow along!
Top 10 most-produced plays in America in 2024-25
Top 20 most-produced playwrights in America in 2024-25
Inspired by the Summer Olympics and our upcoming production of KING JAMES by Rajiv Joseph, the team steps up to the plate to talk about their favorite sports-themed plays, and the exciting parallels between these two dynamic art forms. A spirited conversation for sports and theater lovers alike.
Each year, theatermakers from across the country attend the biennial Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Conference to learn, share, and network. But lately, this gathering has become less practical (and educational) for small companies looking for new and better ways to do business. We share our mixed experience with this year's meeting of the minds, and how it might better serve local regional theaters in America.
From educational programs to full productions, there have never been more opportunities for young adults and children to participate in a theater experience. We sit down with two of Wisconsin's most prominent leaders to talk about the ever-changing world of TYA and the impact these experiences have on future generations.
This episode features First Stage (Milwaukee) Artistic Director Jeff Frank and Children's Theater of Madison Artistic Director Brian Cowing as we discuss the state of theater for young audiences in America.
Our favorite summer stories are back! We sit down with some of our most treasured theater artists and ask them to share a story about a play or musical that "stayed" with them, inspired them, or simply blew their minds. This episode features:
Cody Estle - Artistic Director of Next Act Theatre
James Carrington - Actor and Associate Director of Engagement at Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Lisa Schlenker - Scenic Designer
Mikael Burke - Director
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