TA(L)KING DIRECTION

Recorded on Wednesday, May 3, 2022 In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Associate Artistic Director Nilan speak with four time Tony Award winning director Jerry Zaks about his first loves, his current productions, and his legendary career.    Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Associate Artistic Director Nilan speak with Daniel Banks, one of the country’s most innovative and imaginative arts leaders and directors. They discuss Daniel’s work with DNAWORKS, being at the forefront of important conversations around equity, social justice, and community engagement; and the important conversations the field needs to have moving forward. Trigger Warning: this episode contains references to racial violence. Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Tuesday, March 22, 2022   In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Associate Artistic Director Nilan speak with Timothy Douglas, recipient of the Lloyd Richards Director Award, who has over 120 productions from some of the most prominent theater companies to his credit. They talk about Timothy’s impressive and inspiring career as a director and educator, his thoughts on American theater today and the changes he has seen as a Black director in mostly White institutions, and the areas where he thinks work still needs to be done.    Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Tuesday March 22, 2022 In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Associate Artistic Director Nilan speaks with Tony-nominated director and playwright, Robert O’Hara, who has been essential in bringing new perspectives and stories about Black bodies and queer lives to the stage. They talk about working outside of the box, what it’s like to be both writer and director of a show, working in the classical canon as Black director, and what the actual labor of creating a production is like. Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Associate Artistic Director Nilan speak with Tony Award-winning director, Rebecca Taichman. Known as a director who is committed to the development of the projects she works on, they discuss her role as director and co-creator of Indecent, her dedication and determination to bringing Sing Street to Broadway, as well as her thoughts on gender parity in the theater, considering she has an exclusive role as one of only 10 women directors to have received a Tony Award for direction. Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Associate Artistic Director Nilan speak with Snehal Desai, Producing Artistic Director of East West Players. Located in L.A., East West Players, now entering its 56th Season, is one of the longest continuously-operating theaters of color in the United States. A former Drama League Fellow, Snehal discusses what it’s like to be a leader of such an institution in our current times and his vision for the company and its future.  Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Friday, December 10, 2021 In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Associate Artistic Director Nilan are joined by the incomparable Liz Diamond. Liz is the Chair of Directing at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, and Resident Director at Yale Repertory Theatre. She has worked around the world as a director and teacher, influencing and inspiring generations of directors. They discuss her incredible career, the art of directing, and new demands directors are facing to counter inequities in the field. Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Thursday, November 18, 2021 The shutdown of theater due to the pandemic changed the industry and the job of every arts administrator within it forever. Changes in effort, execution, curation and sustainability are now very present questions that are being addressed every day at every institution. Today’s podcast pulls back the curtains on that work to reveal some light on the work that often goes unnoticed. In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Associate Artistic Director Nilan is joined by the Bold Associate Artistic Director of WP Theater, director, and choreographer, Rebecca Martinez. They discuss the changes that are happening, rebuilding trust within the artistic community, and shifts that are happening. Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia

Recorded on Wednesday October 27, 2021   The return of Broadway has come with some change and opportunity. Black storytellers are finally getting the opportunity to share their stories, providing audiences the opportunity to see the complexities of Black thoughts, life, and performance through a myriad of narratives. In this episode of TA(L)KING DIRECTION, Associate Artistic Director Nilan sits down with director Steve H. Broadnax III, who made his Broadway directorial debut with Thoughts of a Colored Man by Keenan Scott II. They discuss what it’s been like to be a first-time director on Broadway, what it’s like to bring world premiere productions to life, and how Steve's role in education informs what he does on stage.     Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia  

Recorded on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 The recent Tony Award broadcast signaled to the world that Broadway is back and was an important element in the journey of re-establishing the theatre industry. In this episode, The Drama League’s Associate Artistic Director Nilan talks with Heather A. Hitchens, the President and CEO and Emilio Sosa, the recently named chair of the American Theatre Wing. They discuss lessons learned during the shutdown, the Wing’s Counting Together project, the difficulty the industry is having facing its failures, and more.  Editing Services: Catalin Media, @catalinmedia