Theater Forward

Meet 'Mary Jane' actress Clare Arena Haden and director Mary MacDonald Kerr, and get their insight into the play, their process, and the ups and downs of a career in professional theater. 

Join us around the campfire as we share our summer theater stories! From 'Moulin Rouge' on Broadway to Stratford, from Chicago to northern Wisconsin and our own backyards, we saw a LOT of theater. Get the scoop on the best things we saw on stage this summer season. 

In this episode, the team puts ticket prices under the microscope to understand new trends in ticket pricing, what the deal is with "convenience fees," and why you're taking out a second mortgage for good Broadway seats. 

In this episode, the team discusses the growing shortage of theater critics in America, and what theaters around the country are doing to supplement this vital marketing and ticket-selling resource.

In this episode, the team discusses the growing trend of playwrights writing for both stage and screen, the impact this has on scripts we consider (or don't), and what it means for the future of both art forms.

It's musical season! From Broadway openings to summerstock gigs, now is the time to sing. In this delightful piece of audio candy, we talk about the current state of musicals, from recent Broadway remounts to our first-ever musical at Forward Theater - Fun Home starring Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo.

In an art form that serves to surprise and challenge its audience, how does a theater address and present gun violence on stage in today's society? In this episode, the team discusses the ways in which our approach has changed in recent months, what other theaters are doing, and what issues we face when presenting productions that deal with this problematic yet common topic.

It's Tony Award season (our favorite time of the year)! But it's also award season for many theater communities around the country. In our latest episode, the team heads to the podium to express their views on various theater awards, both locally and around our region. 

In this episode, the team lets it all hang out and shares what they would "go to the barricades for" in the world of theater. Good and (really) bad, our list covers the things we love as well as the things we simply cannot abide. 

In this episode, we debate the use of Intimacy Design in the rehearsal process, which works to assist with the choreography of intimate or emotionally sensitive moments on stage. It doesn't take long for the team to go to the mat over this unique trend in American theater.