Podcast Episode #36: Broadway Actor turned Broadway Director Michael Arden!
As you know, Spring Awakening starts previews tomorrow (!) night and opens on September 27th . . . so I had an idea. What about theming this month’s podcasts? I had a meeting with the board of directors for my podcast (which would be me, me, and this other crazy dude called me) and got a consensus. This month would be Spring Awakening month on The Producer’s Perspective Podcast! (Insert trumpet sounds here.)
Over the next month, I’ll be podcastin’ the key players of my production of Spring, including Authors Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Choreographer Spencer Liff, DJ Kurs (the Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre) . . . and today, our captain our captain, the Director of Spring Awakening, and the man whose idea it was to weave sign language into this heartbreaking story, Michael Arden.
Yep, that Michael Arden . . . the same guy who starred in Bare, Big River, The Times They Are a-Changin’ and most recently, Hunchback at Paper Mill.
He’s had a very successful acting career . . . and I have a feeling that after Spring he’s going to have to tough time deciding whether to take acting jobs or directing jobs. #TalentedEnoughToWearTwoHats
Listen in to hear Michael and I talk about some things Spring and some things not, like . . .
- What it was like going to school at Juilliard . . . and how they reacted when he left early.
- Why there is a great theater scene in Los Angeles.
- How being a Director has made it both harder and easier for him to work for one as an Actor.
- What the heck is the Milan Conference and why does it make Spring Awakening ideal for incorporating hearing and deaf actors into the production?
- How you should wear multiple hats with pride.
Enjoy the first episode of Spring Awakening month!
Click here to listen.Listen to it on iTunes here. (And give me a rating, while you’re there!)
Download it here.
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Podcasting
Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.
