The Ensemblist
Arts & Culture Podcasts
The Ensemblist is the online advocate for the talent artists working in theatre ensembles. Through our podcast, website and social presence we are creating conversation what it means to be a successful artist in the theatre. Each of our miniseries highlights a conversation that effects performers in Broadway ensembles, with experts on the topic sharing their insights in candid interviews. The Ensemblist podcast has more than 1.5 million podcast downloads and was recently named one of the Top 50 Best Selling Performing Arts Podcasts of all time.
Location:
New York, NY
Genres:
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Description:
The Ensemblist is the online advocate for the talent artists working in theatre ensembles. Through our podcast, website and social presence we are creating conversation what it means to be a successful artist in the theatre. Each of our miniseries highlights a conversation that effects performers in Broadway ensembles, with experts on the topic sharing their insights in candid interviews. The Ensemblist podcast has more than 1.5 million podcast downloads and was recently named one of the Top 50 Best Selling Performing Arts Podcasts of all time.
Twitter:
@theensemblist
Language:
English
Website:
http://theensemblist.com/
Email:
theensemblist@gmail.com
Episodes
#413 - Black Hair in the Big Leagues (feat. Salisha Thomas)
11/5/2020
Today we chat with Salisha Thomas, a five-year veteran of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical about her new podcast: Black Hair in the Big Leagues. We discuss the dressing room stories her interviews feature and why hair is such an important part of her story. Listen to Black Hair in the Big Leagues here: https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcast/black-hair-in-the-big-leagues/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:13:19
#412 - The Line (A Chorus Line - feat. Francine Espiritu)
11/4/2020
A Chorus Line changed everything. It’s a statement theatre lovers have heard time and again. But until this exploration into the proliferation of the line as a theatrical device in musical theatre, I never really understood the depth of what A Chorus Line changed. For the layman, it was the first time in years that a Broadway musical reached the greater cultural conversation. Musical theatre had drifted from the zeitgeist after decades of leading the entertainment industry, but here it was...
Duration:00:17:41
#411 - Fosse/Verdon (Episode 1)
11/3/2020
“Life is a Cabaret” premiered on April 9th, 2019. It was written by Steven Levenson, and directed by Thomas Kail; uniquely for this episode, the show credited Both Mssrs. Levenson and Kail with creating the story, but only one of them for writing the actual teleplay. The two group numbers we saw, “Mein Herr” and “Big Spender,” were both originally choreographed by Bob Fosse, but were reconstructed by Valarie Pettiford and Dana Moore, respectively. Something fun for these modern TV shows: the...
Duration:00:24:19
#410 - Raise Your Voice (Election Day, feat. Brandon Victor Dixon, Ashley Monet, Ryan Vasquez)
11/2/2020
It is November 2nd. That means that TOMORROW is November 3rd, the day that we’ve all been waiting for...the election. In the past few months, we’ve been able to speak with so many incredible artists who are fighting the good fight, and it has been my biggest motivator. Today, with only one day left, I wanted to check back in with some of these brilliant people and see what they’ve accomplished. Stay tuned! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:21:47
#409 - Movin Out (feat. Barrett Martin)
10/30/2020
Over the years, The Ensemblist has had the privilege of sharing personal stories from hundreds of theatre actors on our blog. In this edition, we spoke with Chicago’s Barrett Martin, who gave us an awe-inspiring testimony of his continental RV roadtrip with his wife and son. This last summer over the course of just 28 days, Barrett and his family explored an astounding 6,200-plus miles, crossing through 15 states and more than five national parks. In his own words, here are a few of...
Duration:00:18:04
#408 - Hurt and Healing (feat. Myles McHale)
10/29/2020
Over the years, The Ensemblist has had the privilege of sharing personal stories from hundreds of theatre actors on our blog. In this edition, we spoke with Myles McHale of Mean Girls, who recalled a seemingly innocuous wrist injury a year prior that would take him out of the production for six whole months. In the days and weeks leading up to Myles return to rehearsals, Broadway shut down in the second week of March, sidelining not only Myles return to the stage, but even his in-person...
Duration:00:11:57
#407 - The Line (Hamilton, feat. Stephanie Klemons)
10/28/2020
In my exploration of “the line” and its impact on musical theatre, I wanted to learn more about its use in Hamilton, I reached out to a friend and colleague who has intimate knowledge of the show’s staging. Stephanie Klemons is a noted mover and shaker in the theatre industry, known for her work onstage and off. But her most impressive title is that of Global Dance Supervisor for Hamilton: An American Musical. Steph was in the room as Hamilton was staged, sitting at tech tables as the show...
Duration:00:22:53
#406 - Built for the Stage University (feat. Christine Cornish Smith)
10/27/2020
This fall, we're starting a new collaboration with our friends at Built for the Stage. They've launched a new community for specifically for college students, called Built for the Stage University. One of the benefits of membership is access to personal Q&As with theatre professionals. Today, we are sharing excerpts from our first BFTSU Q&A with Christine Cornish Smith, a grad of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and veteran of three Broadway shows: Cats, Kiss Me, Kate and My Fair Lady. Learn...
Duration:00:15:07
#405 - Remembering Doreen (feat. Jocelyn Bioh, Natalie Caruncho, Linedy Genao, Analise Scarpaci, Shani Talmor, Alèna Watters)
10/26/2020
Today, we remember the life and career of Doreen Montalvo. An ensemblist legend, she created the role of the Bolero Singer in In The Heights and was also an original company member of On Your Feet! Most recently, she created the role of Janet Lundy in Mrs. Doubtfire The Musical. We are honored to share memories and tributes from some of Doreen's friends and colleagues: Jocelyn Bioh, Natalie Caruncho, Linedy Genao, Analise Scarpaci, Shani Talmor and Alèna Watters. Learn more about your ad...
Duration:00:19:42
#404 - Tony Telecasts (1976 - A Chorus Line, Chicago, Pacific Overtures, Bubbling Brown Sugar) Part 2
10/23/2020
The 30th Annual Tony Awards were held at the Shubert Theatre, current home of A Chorus Line. As opposed to the usual June ceremonies we are used to, the ceremony took place in April 18, 1976 and broadcast by ABC television. The show featured six hosts, including Richard Burton and Jane Fonda It should be noted that while revivals of My Fair Lady and Hello, Dolly! (featuring Pearl Bailey) ran this season, there was no category for Best Revival or Best Revival of a Musical. Heading into the...
Duration:00:29:05
#403 - Raise Your Voice (TheHive, feat. Tory Trowbridge, Adam Dworkin)
10/22/2020
“Write what you know. All I know is, I don’t know what to write or the right way to write it”. How many of us have started to write an instagram story, a tweet, or tried to talk to family members about the state of the world and have had no idea how to start? This week, I spoke with artists who have figured out what to write, and right way to write it by sending letters to prospective voters all around the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:19:53
#402 - The Line (Rent - feat. Andy Señor Jr.)
10/21/2020
For theatre lovers of a certain age… my age… it’s impossible to think about a line onstage without thinking about Rent. The 90s musical which transposes the story of the opera La Boheme onto New York’s Lower East Side is a touchstone for many theatre lovers who grew up at the end of the millennium. Like A Chorus Line before it, and Hamilton after it, the show was a cultural phenomenon whose impact reached far outside a typical Broadway audience. Rent expanded the typical theatre audience to...
Duration:00:16:36
#401 - Tony Telecasts (1976 - A Chorus Line, Chicago, Pacific Overtures, Bubbling Brown Sugar) Part 1
10/20/2020
The 30th Annual Tony Awards were held at the Shubert Theatre, current home of A Chorus Line. As opposed to the usual June ceremonies we are used to, the ceremony took place in April 18, 1976 and broadcast by ABC television. The show featured six hosts, including Richard Burton and Jane Fonda It should be noted that while revivals of My Fair Lady and Hello, Dolly! (featuring Pearl Bailey) ran this season, there was no category for Best Revival or Best Revival of a Musical. Heading into the...
Duration:00:30:14
#400 - Movin Out (feat. Natalie Charle Ellis)
10/19/2020
Since March, we've been sharing stories of actors moving out of Broadway theaters - sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. But today we share a story from Natalie Charle Ellis, who as an original cast member of School of Rock and Beetlejuice moved out of the Winter Garden Theatre after five years in the building. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:12:32
#399 - Tony Telecasts (2004 - Avenue Q, The Boy from Oz Caroline or Change, Wicked) Part 2
10/16/2020
The 58th Annual Tony Awards were held June 6, 2004 at Radio City Music Hall with Hugh Jackman as the host, also a nominee this year for portraying fellow Aussie Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. Leading the pack this year was Ozian juggernaut Wicked with 10 nominations, followed by six for Avenue Q, five for The Boy From Oz and six for Caroline, or Change. In a rare year where four productions were nominated for Best Revival of a Musical, a Roundabout Theatre Company production of Assassins...
Duration:00:31:19
#398 - 2020 Tony Award Nominations (feat. Mary Dina)
10/15/2020
Just after the 2020 Tony Award Nominations were announced, I chatted with Mary Dina (host of BPN's Page to Stage podcast) about our reactions to the nominees: our co-signs, surprises and snubs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:19:10
#397 - The Line (Soft Power - feat. Leigh Silverman, Jennifer Ashley Tepper)
10/14/2020
In this exploration of the history of musical theatre through one of its most effective devices, I wanted to bring along one of our artforms most knowledgeable and personable historians. Jennifer Ashley Tepper is a theatrical icon of her own, most notably for authoring her book series “The Untold Stories of Broadway.” But she’s also a proverbial vault of theatre history, recognizing the connective tissues of musical theatre in ways that others may not have seen before. Jen’s statement about...
Duration:00:14:00
#396 - Tony Telecasts (2004 - Avenue Q, The Boy from Oz Caroline or Change, Wicked) Part 1
10/13/2020
The 58th Annual Tony Awards were held June 6, 2004 at Radio City Music Hall with Hugh Jackman as the host, also a nominee this year for portraying fellow Aussie Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. Leading the pack this year was Ozian juggernaut Wicked with 10 nominations, followed by six for Avenue Q, five for The Boy From Oz and six for Caroline, or Change. In a rare year where four productions were nominated for Best Revival of a Musical, a Roundabout Theatre Company production of Assassins...
Duration:00:29:48
#395 - Broadway Shutdown (feat. Mikey Graceffa, Lauren Zakrin)
10/12/2020
I’m not sure why this postponement of Broadway’s reopening stung more than the last time. On Friday morning, the Broadway League released a statement: “Ticket sales for Broadway performances in NYC are now suspended through May 30, 2021. Dates for each returning and new Broadway show will be announced as individual productions determine the performance schedules for their respective shows. The League will provide updates to the public as more information becomes available.” When I started...
Duration:00:13:20
#394 - The Line
10/9/2020
It was one of the most arresting - and uncomfortable moments I’ve experienced in the theatre in quite a long time. There I sat, in The Public’s Newman Theatre, watching a performance of the show Soft Power. In the song, a reprise of a number called “Democracy,” the full company of actors comes down to the edge of the stage. There, standing shoulder to shoulder, 15 performers looked directly into the audience to recognize our presence in the space. What is it about this line?! Why is it that,...
Duration:00:10:22