Theater Forward

We go behind the scenes of 'Every Brilliant Thing' at Forward Theater for an interview with actor David Daniel and Director Tyler Marchant. Get some insight into their rehearsal process, as well as the inspiration behind transforming our thrust stage into a theater-in-the-round for this unique production.

What's akin to "going to the gym" for theater makers? The team tries to answer that question with some theater resolutions in 2020. There are some doozies in here, from addressing cultural appropriation to deciding to read the entire canon of Caryl Churchill. 

In no other business is pro bono work so prevalent than the arts. The team puts this accepted (and many times expected) practice under the microscope and looks for ways to change how we value and compensate artists in America.

This holiday bonus may not be a swimming pool, but it's better than a jelly of the month membership. It's selections from our bi-annual monologue festival! Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Wisconsin’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, our 2019 monologue festival theme was Two Steps Forward, which encompassed a wide variety of perspectives on and interpretations of our state’s long progressive tradition.

Happy Holidays! In this episode, the team shares their favorite holiday gifts for the theater fans in their lives. From repurposed Broadway scenery to some brilliant book ideas, there are some real show-stoppers in here. It will be hard to remember this is the season of giving, not "getting for yourself."

In this episode, the team gets grateful for all things theater in 2019. We thank our favorite regional theaters and theater makers, give high fives to some great critics, and send a love letter to the current American theater scene. 

The team discusses the current trend of theatrical stage effects and magic, how plays are utilizing this technology to tell compelling stories, and offers an inside look at our experience with flying technology in our current production of 'For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday' by Sarah Ruhl.

The team shares their thoughts on how we deal with work that comes from a "cancelled" artist, and whether we can ever truly separate the artistry from the source.

The A-list has just been published, and the team discusses this year's most-produced playwrights in America. Special nod to the plays of Lauren Gunderson, which we've deemed "the potato chips of American theater."

The team dives into the ever-changing landscape of audience expectations in theater, how it affects what you see on stage, and what it means for the future of playwriting (can we get an intermission, please?).