Claim OwnershipTheatreWorld Presents with Xandra And Noah
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© Noah Bender & Xandra Nemchik
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Theatre buddies Noah Bender and Xandra Nemchik bring you stimulating interviews with movers and shakers around the world of theatre. Tune in every other Friday!
Instagram @Theatreworld_Readings
Instagram @Theatreworld_Readings
30 Episodes
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Gennine Harrington is a choreographer, actor, and teacher who has worked with theatre companies all over the Bay Area, most notably Tri-School high school theatre for over twenty years, and Hillbarn Theatre, where she has worked with the youth conservatory (with both Noah and Xandra!) for over ten years as well.
Together with Xandra and Noah, they discuss why Gennine is drawn to working with high school actors, the growing need to examine the historical context of classic shows, reflecting on the legacy of Grease (a problematic fave), Gennine’s experience as an understudy in the iconic San Francisco musical revue Beach Blanket Babylon, and how a dream ballet helped her connect with her late father. Plus, Noah's thoughts after seeing the new revival of 1776.
Be sure to catch Tri-School Productions' award-nominated production of Matilda's performance at the Rita Moreno Awards for excellence in high school theatre on May 8th!
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Randy O’Hara is the artistic director at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City, starting off as an actor from the East coast who made his Hillbarn debut as Quasimodo in Hunchback of Notre Dame (2017), soon taking over as the Conservatory Director, creating theatre through innovation during the pandemic, and eventually taking the helms as Artistic Director role at Hillbarn. Randy will be taking on his next adventure at the close of this season moving back to the east coast to start a family with his husband.
Noah and Xandra chat with Randy about challenging young performers to the level of professionals, leading a community theater out of the pandemic, why escapism is back, how working in a restaurant is the best training for theatre leadership, his tale of being thrown on as Roger in Rent with no rehearsal mid-show, and more!
Check out the rest of the Hillbarn season here, beginning with Assassins, playing Jan 26-Feb 12
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Teagan and Makena Reynolds are sisters who create musicals together! Their most recent project is a new original musical, Jinx, for their alma mater, Borel Middle School. Last year they wrote and Makena directed The Emily Dickinson Musical, presented at the University of Utah. They’ve also acted in high school and community theater alongside Noah and Xandra!
Together, they discuss the importance of telling authentic middle school stories, the pressure of pitching an unwritten project, why Emily Dickinson’s life story makes for a great musical, and more!
Learn more about their newest original musical, Jinx, premiering March 3-5, 2023, here!
Listen to selected music from The Emily Dickinson Musical here!
Follow Teagan on Instagram @teaganjenay
Follow Makena on Instagram @makreyn and check out her web series Theatrics Online here!
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Matt “Maestro” Mattei is a music director and piano player for theaters and schools all over the Bay Area, plus he is the biggest Andrew Lloyd Webber fan on this hemisphere! He even runs a Lloyd Webber Facebook fan group! Noah and Xandra chat with their friend of over a decade about all things Lord Andrew.
Matt shares his takes on why Bad Cinderella isn’t as bad as it looks, the true power of a spectacle musical, radio pop on Broadway, what actually works about Love Never Dies, and more!
Catch Matt in the orchestra pit at Coastal Rep Players’ Christmas in Oz, December 1st through 18th. Buy tickets here!
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Meena Shayesteh is a professional stage manager on the Disney Cruise Line, actively stage managing Frozen: A Musical Spectacular, Disney Dreams, and The Golden Mickeys. She's also worked and performed with Noah and Xandra for many years at Hillbarn Theatre and San Mateo High School, and was an original TheatreWorld Readings founding member back in 2020!
Xandra and Noah discuss with their old friend about the magic of working with Disney, living on the ocean, what Meena learned from starting out stage managing for young kids, the infamous "Poop Shower" story, and more!
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Jim Ambler is an accomplished actor who kickstarted his career in the original broadway companies of Footloose and Saturday Night Fever, going on to tour all over the world in major productions of The Producers, West Side Story, Damn Yankees, and others, until he returned to his home in the Bay Area, where he’s been performing all over the place ever since.
We talk about Jim’s time developing the original broadway production of Footloose, our takes on the new Bad Cinderella, the joys of touring with Cats, hilarious onstage mishaps, and more!
Catch Jim in the upcoming Sunday in the Park with George at San Jose Playhouse, November 19 through December 11! More info here!
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We’re back! This week Noah and Xandra interview their amazing high school drama teacher, Brad Friedman. Brad was the drama director at San Mateo High School for 28 years and ingrained a high level of arts education into the school and community, winning numerous awards, wowing audiences, and instilling a love for the performing arts in generations of students. He also taught and directed Xandra and Noah in their formative high school years! They spent more time with Mr. Friedman in those four years than their own families!
They discuss Brad’s directing philosophies, the importance of teaching kids how to handle rejection, his decision to cast himself in a special production of The Drowsy Chaperone, why Grease doesn't work for high schools, the importance of funding the arts, and more!
Brad is currently directing Coastal Rep’s production of Murder on the Nile, which opens September 30 in Half Moon Bay! Learn more here!
He also writes about his favorite mystery novels and films in the ahsweetmystery blog.
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Start spreading the news! Xandra went to NYC and saw a plethora of theatre!
She shares her experience and gives the hottest takes on the current productions of the stunning revival of Company, the star-studded Into the Woods, the powerful yet controversial Paradise Square, the overblown Funny Girl, the most classic Phantom of the Opera, and decadently opulent Moulin Rouge!
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Dawn Troupe is an actor, director, producer, and Bay Area legend! She recently made her Broadway debut in last year's revival of 1776, and has appeared in countless plays and musicals for TheatreWorks, Berkeley Rep, Broadway By the Bay, Hillbarn Theatre, and more, including original workshop casts for Memphis and Dave Malloy's Moby Dick: A Musical Reckoning.
We discuss how Dawn prepares for a role, the emotional experience of stepping onto a Broadway stage, the genius of Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin, falling in love with theatre from her first audition, and more!
Follow Dawn on Instagram @dawnlt
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Emma Atherton is a wardrobe professional, having worked as a dresser on the Broadway productions of Hamilton, Great Comet..., Frozen, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, and currently dressing Josh Groban in the revival of Sweeney Todd.
We discuss what a dresser does during the performance, the mechanics of stressful quickchanges, Phantom's place in her family DNA, how to break in to the wardrobe department, and more!
Follow Emma's fashion page on Instagram @wearingthewings
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Tamra Glaser is a professional vocal and acting coach most well known for her stint as Christine Daae in the Los Angeles production of The Phantom of the Opera, opposite Michael Crawford. She is the founder of College Audition Mentors, a program where her students have been accepted to every major theatre program in the country.
Together we discuss auditioning over zoom, the first time going on as Christine Daae, the joy of working with Michael Crawford, the death of the cadenza, overdone audition songs, and more!
Follow Tamra on Instagram @thestudiooftamraglaser
Check out her coaching site College Audition Mentors
Hear her in Phantom here!
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Boo!!! Are you frightened yet? Mitchell Ralston aka Mr. Spooky is an aficionado of all things supernatural and creepy, sharing his favorite facts and stories on social media. He has experience with ghost hunting and an extensive knowledge of huanted theaters. Scaredy-cats beware! This ep gets spooooooky!!!
We discuss the true story behind the Phantom of the Opera, tales of haunted theaters on Broadway and around the country, his experience working as a Jungle Cruise skipper, favorite monsters, and more!
Follow Mitchell on TikTok @mrspooky13 and Instagram @mrspooky13
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Sammi Cannold is one of the most in-demand young directors in the business. She directed Stephanie J. Block in Sunset Boulevard at The Kennedy Center earlier this year and is currently helming a hit revival of Evita at American Repertory Theatre. She has staged shows at New York City Center, Ellis Island, A.R.T., Lincoln Center, and on a moving bus. Sammi also directed the feature documentary The Show Must Go On, about the global and Korean theatre communities' return to the stage during/after covid. Her future is bright and we had a lovely time chatting with her!
We discuss the research and passion that went into Sammi's deep connection with Evita, her relationship with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Really Useful Group, associate directing Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 at age 22 with Rachel Chavkin, “embracing the space” with site-specific theatre, consulting on an early iteration of the Tony-winning Kimberly Akimbo, the potential connections between Cirque du Soleil and Broadway, and more!
See Sammi's current and upcoming projects:
Evita at A.R.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts runs through July 30. Tickets and information here!
RENT in Concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. runs July 26-28. Tickets and information here!
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Lady Glamb is a multi-hyphenate. She is a fabulous actor, arts educator, minister, model, and social media sensation, with thousands of followers (aka Glambabies) on Instagram and TikTok (@33glamb). She and Noah met through social media a few years ago and quickly became bosom buddies. Glamb is a fabulous diva who has been performing and teaching for decades, having gone through several eras and stage names along the way. She is constantly reinventing herself and we love her for it!
We discuss Glamb’s early stage persona “Muffin,” her time in Yiddish theatre, her social media’s impact within the LGBT+ community, what it means to be a DIVA, how she has been inspired by Judy Garland and Liza Minelli, and more!
Follow Glamb on social media:
@33glamb on Instagram and TikTok
@Glamb33 on YouTube
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Danny Martin is an actor, director, and educator, a true veteran of Bay Area community theatre. He is currently the artistic director of Coastal Repertory Theatre in Half Moon Bay. He is committed to creating a more inclusive community and is excited to be presenting an upcoming season at Coastal Rep with all female directors.
Tune in for our discussion of the politics of community theatre, taking the blame as a middle school casting director, how he’s making the most of becoming a gatekeeper, the joys of Rocky the musical, and more!
Check out more information about Coastal Rep’s upcoming season here!
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Juan Castro is a New York-based actor and TheatreWorld zoom veteran. He recently moved to NYC from the Bay Area, where he performed in many local productions. He is also an avid theatre-goer and cannot wait to attend Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Bad Cinderella.”
Noah and Xandra chat with Juan about the state of auditioning in New York theatre, the craziness of working for TodayTix, Broadway audience behavior, the joys of the underrated children’s musical “A Year With Frog and Toad,” and more!
Follow Juan on Instagram @Juancastrophe and check him out in the upcoming Big Broadway Bodies, a 54 Below cabaret show on April 3.
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Shawn Ryan is the co-founder and director of Young Actors’ Theatre Camp, an overnight camp for young performers (ages 8-18) that offers classes in scene study, musical theatre, filmmaking, dance, the art of drag, and more! YATC holds a special place in Noah’s heart because he spent his teen years attending and then later working there, a place he grew immensely as a performer and human, and always felt supported to let his full personality out.
They discuss the “up until now” mentality, the importance of Drag Night, the best ways to support young performers, why actors should be “doing less a lot more often,” and more!
Learn more about YATC’s upcoming camp sessions at their website campyatc.com
Check out the Young Actors Theatre Camp here or on your favorite podcast platform!
Follow Shawn @theshawnryan and YATC @campyatc on Instagram and TikTok.
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This week we chatted with Jonathan Lewis (host of the Sweaty Oracle Show podcast), a theatre commentator who shares news, gossip, and hot takes on social media @SweatyOracle.
We discuss why the Muppets have lost their edge, how much a broadway ticket should cost, Sunset with Stephanie, whether Andrew Lloyd Webber should retire (he should), upcoming revivals, and more!
Follow Jonathan on TikTok and Instagram @SweatyOracle and subscribe to The Sweaty Oracle Show on your favorite podcast platform!
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Mr. DeMille, he’s ready for his closeup! Broadway Bob is a Chicago-based theatre critic, TikTok commentator, and creator/host of "The Sunset Project", a detailed history of the iconic megamusical Sunset Boulevard.
Noah and Xandra chat with Bob about his lifelong obsession with Patti LuPone, many of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s controversies, the worst show he’s ever seen, and more!
Follow Bob @broadwaybob on TikTok and @thebroadwaybob on Instagram!
Check out his podcast The Sunset Project!
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Noah and Xandra spoke with physical theatre, Bouffon, and Clown expert Nathaniel Justiniano. Nathaniel is the founder and artistic director of the Naked Empire Bouffon company (based in San Francisco), has directed, created, and starred in numerous theatrical productions, worked as a movement designer, and taught Noah’s physical comedy/clowning class at Emerson College!
Bouffon is a broad performance realm rooted in satire and mockery. It is often physically grotesque, confrontational, hilarious, and harnessed to point out and revel in society’s ills.
They talk differences between Bouffon and Clown, the cathartic process of becoming inhuman onstage, Noah’s experience in class as a pig-man clown, the meaning of “virtuosity” in performance, and more!
Nathaniel and Naked Empire Bouffon Company have two new productions opening later this year! Catch “The Most Important Place in the World!” at the Cannonball Festival (Philadelphia) and "How to Catch A Karen" at San Francisco Fringe, both in September!
All info at nakedempirebouffon.org
Follow us on Instagram!
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