Podcast Episode #40: The Artistic Director of Deaf West, Mr. David “DJ” Kurs.

That was a fast five weeks, wasn’t it?

Spring Awakening month here on the ol’ Producer’s Perspective Podcast ends today, but not without going out with what is absolutely the coolest of all of my podcasts to date.

What makes this podcast different from all others?  Because it’s not just a podcast, it’s an everything-cast.

In the spirit of Spring and our desire to make what we do accessible to the highest amount of people possible, today’s podcast is not only available in the usual audio formats, and not only in this transcript, but it’s also available to watch on video (which is also captioned).

Why video?

Because my guest today, the Artistic Director of Deaf West, Mr. DJ Kurs, is deaf, and I wanted to give you the chance to watch the beauty of his language as he signed to me.  And if you just listened to the podcast (where he is voiced by his interpreter, the multi-lingual Mr. Dylan Geil), or read the transcript, you won’t get the true essence of his charm and passion, which bursts out of his body through his hands.

But on video, you can see it all, hear it all, and read it all . . . DJ, me, and the interpreter.

So pick your format, whatever your format, and listen to/watch/read Mr. Kurs talk about all things involved in being an Artistic Director and his company’s second foray to Broadway, like:

  • Why deaf actors make the best actors around.
  • Why, unlike other Artistic Directors of nonprofits, DJ doesn’t want Deaf West to have its own venue.
  • How Broadway can be more accessible.
  • The challenges of marketing Deaf West productions to a mainstream audience . . . in Los Angeles.
  • How Spring Awakening got started, and why it’s a symbolic production for the deaf community.
Click here to listen or watch the video.

Listen to it on iTunes here.  (And give me a rating, while you’re there!)

Download it here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed Spring Awakening month.  A super big thanks to all of my Spring team members who took time out of tech to spend a few minutes with me.  I learned a ton about my own show these past five weeks and I hope you have too.  If you missed any episodes, click the links below to get caught up:

And by all means, go see Spring Awakening.  We’re only here until January 24th.  And that’ll be here before you know it.

Tune in to the podcast next week for . . . WHO IS IT?  (Click here to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss it!)

 

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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.

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