Interviews and Features

Behind the Scenes of ‘Breathing Under Dirt’ at Lower Shore Performing Arts Company: Part 3: Actors Robert Forester and Tina Sloan

In Part Three of a series of three interviews taking you behind the scenes of Lower Shore Performing Arts Company‘s production of Breathing Under Dirt, meet actors Robert Forester and Tina Sloan....

Behind the Scenes of ‘Breathing Under Dirt’ at Lower Shore Performing Arts Company: Part 2: Director Grant Aleksander

In Part Two of a series of three interviews taking you behind the scenes of Lower Shore Performing Arts Company‘s production of Breathing Under Dirt, meet Director Grant Aleksander. Known for years to...

Behind the Scenes of ‘Breathing Under Dirt’ at Lower Shore Performing Arts Company: Part 1: Playwright Michael O’Leary

In Part One of a series of three interviews taking you behind the scenes of Lower Shore Performing Arts Company‘s production of Breathing Under Dirt, meet Playwright Michael O’Leary. Although the...

Steps from Broadway: “How To Quit Your Day Job” Makes Its NYC Debut

DC to Broadway! That’s the dream of the cast and creative team behind the new musical How To Quit Your Day Job. And they are well on their way thanks to a packed house and standing ovation at the...

Meet the Cast of Sterling Playmakers’ ‘OLIVER!’ Part 3: Ella Levri

In Part Three of a series of interviews with the cast of Sterling Playmakers’ OLIVER! meet Ella Levri. Joel: Please tell our readers where they may have seen you appear on our local stages and roles...

Sarah Doreen MacPhee on Playing Brenda Strong in ‘Catch Me If You Can’ at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre

Sarah Doreen MacPhee tells us about playing Brenda Strong, who falls in love with a con artist in Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s Catch Me If You Can. Joel: Please introduce yourself and...

He’s Back: Alex Stone on Playing The Con Man Again-in Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’

Alex Stone has returned to the stage to play one of his favorite roles: the con man: Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre, which ends its run this...

Meet the Cast of Sterling Playmakers’ ‘OLIVER!’ Part 1: Mike Baker

In Part One of a series of interviews with the cast of Sterling Playmakers’ OLIVER!, meet Mike Baker. Joel: Please tell our readers where they may have seen you appear on our local stages and roles...

Meet the Cast of Sterling Playmakers’ ‘OLIVER!’ Part 2: Madeline Curtis

In Part two of a series of interviews with the cast of Sterling Playmakers’ OLIVER! meet Madeline Curtis. Joel: Please tell our readers where they may have seen you appear on our local stages and...

Meet the Cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s ‘Spring Awakening’: Part 3: Lexi Rhem

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s Spring Awakening, meet Lexi Rhem. Sam: Why did you want to appear in Spring Awakening at Metropolitan Youth Theatre?...

Meet the Cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s ‘Spring Awakening’: Part 2: Quentin Araujo

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s Spring Awakening, meet Quenton Araujo. Sam: Why did you want to appear in Spring Awakening at Metropolitan Youth...

Meet the Cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s ‘Spring Awakening’: Part 4: Carlos Castillo

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s Spring Awakening, meet Carlos Castillo. Sam: Why did you want to appear in Spring Awakening at Metropolitan Youth...

2016 Philadelphia FringeArts Preview: Exploring Food Culture with Applied Mechanics and The Renegade Company

There are more than 175 shows in this year’s Philadelphia Fringe Festival, spanning eleven different genres and covering a wide array of subjects. Two experimental Fringe regulars, Applied Mechanics...

Meet the Cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s ‘Spring Awakening’: Part 1: Erin Claeys

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Metropolitan Youth Theatre’s Spring Awakening, meet Erin Claeys. Sam: Why did you want to appear in Spring Awakening at Metropolitan Youth Theatre?...

Meet the Swingin’ ‘Summer Club’ Team

Discovering secrets of The Summer Club: Interviews with some of the best big band swinging performers on the East coast “Come swing with us back to an era when life was cooler, music was snappier, and...

Theatre Lab Students Ben Cherington and Jack Posey Take ‘Superstar’ Turn in Summer Teen Institute Production This Weekend

Theatre Lab Students Take ‘Superstar’ Turn in Summer Teen Institute Production Ben Cherington and Jack Posey are both veterans of The Theatre Lab’s summer Musical Theatre Institute for Teens...

In the Moment: ‘Kitchen Sink Fest’ at Dance Place: Part 2: 7 Dancers on Their 1 Minute Pieces

Hungry for inventive choreography? Up for a summer’s night adventure with performance that is unconventional and live? Hungry for inventive dance and movement? Desire a way to escape the summer’s heat...

Taking Flight With The Cast of ‘Boeing Boeing’ at Hedgerow Theatre

Boeing Boeing, a 1960’s French farce by Marc Camoletti, translated into English by Beverley Cross, features Bernard, a self-styled Parisian Lothario who has Italian, German, and American fiancées—all...

Magic Time! The Studio Theatre’s ‘Hand to God’: A Puppet Chat

So this strange thing happened. I was sitting at a table in a church basement that happened to be on the fourth floor of The Studio Theatre, and I was waiting to see a show called Hand to God. And...

‘Come to Their Cabaret’: Meet the Cast of PWLT’s ‘Cabaret’: Part 4: Katie Puschel & Jared Il-Pazzo Dent

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Prince William Little Theatre’s production of Cabaret, meet Katie Puschel and Jared Il-Pazzo Dent. Joel: Who are you, and where might area readers...

‘Come to Their Cabaret’: Meet the Cast of PWLT’s ‘Cabaret’: Part 3: Catherine Lyon and Larry Keeling

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Prince William Little Theatre’s production of Cabaret, meet Catherine Lyon and Larry Keeling. Joel: Where have local theatergoers seen you perform...

A Divine Chat with Mother Superior: Mary Martello of Walnut Street Theatre’s ‘Sister Act’

“I live my life as a flawed character” Mary Martello started performing at the age of seven and “has continued through four kids and fifty years.” She began in Michigan (where she trained at BoarsHead...

Updated July 12, 2016: On Parenting and a Play: Director Shirley Serotsky Talks About ‘Another Way Home’ at Theater J

I have admired Shirley Serotsky’s work as a director on such shows as Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy at Theater J in 2014 and Rapture, Blister, Burn at Round House Theatre in 2015. Shirley also serves as...

In the Moment: ‘Kitchen Sink Fest’ at Dance Place Part 1: An Interview with Ben Levine

This summer’s Kitchen Sink Fest at Dance Place is showcasing a curated, meant-to-provoke on-lookers, dance and theater technical design elements collaboration. From Kitchen Sink Fest producer Ben...

‘Come to Their Cabaret’: Meet the Cast of PWLT’s ‘Cabaret’: Part 2: James Maxted

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Prince William Little Theatre’s production of Cabaret, meet James Maxted. Joel: Who are you, and where might area readers and audience members know...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights Interviews: Part 5: Chisa Hutchinson and “The Wedding Gift” by Sharon J. Anderson

Here is Part 5 of 5 in a series of interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Chisa Hutchinson...

‘Come to Their Cabaret’: Meet the Cast of PWLT’s ‘Cabaret’: Part 1: Aaron Verchot-Ware and Katherine Bisulca

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Prince William Little Theatre’s production of Cabaret, meet Aaron Verchot-Ware and Katherine Bisulca. Joel: Please introduce yourself, and tell us...

A New Play and a New Mission for Ginger Dayle and New City Stage Company in Philadelphia

When Ginger Dayle founded New City Stage Company in the summer of 2006, she was a graduate student at Villanova University, hoping to provide herself and other young theater artists with professional...

Magic Time! 5 Reasons Capital Fringe Is a DC Treasure

The future of the Capital Fringe Festival has been uncertain since its brilliant and brave inception in 2006, but back in July 2013 its fate was especially iffy. The festival’s fabulously funky Fort...

Spine: The 26th Contemporary American Theater Festival: Ed Herendeen’s 26th Snapshot of America’s Theatrical Culture

The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is approaching its second quarter of a century of new American plays. This year’s rotating repertory...

‘Very Well-Connected’: Meet Cast Members of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s ‘Side Show’: Part 3: Da’Von Moody

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s production of Side Show, meet Da’Von Moody. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us what other shows...

An Interview with Pleasure Train’s Will Berger

Through an email interview with DC based Pleasure Train’s bassist Will Berger, we talked about the band’s favorite venue to play in, their musical journey highlight so far, and how they write their...

Magic Time! Left-Handed Complement: Liam Forde on Acting With a Puppet in ‘Hand to God’ at Studio Theatre

Studio Theatre’s fourth floor has been turned into an amazing facsimile of a Lutheran church basement, complete with inspirational posters on the walls and seating at folding tables as if for a...

‘Very Well-Connected’: Meet Cast Members of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s ‘Side Show’: Part 2: Jehan Silva

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s production of Side Show, meet Jehan Silva. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us what other shows...

‘Very Well-Connected’: Meet Cast Members of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s ‘Side Show’: Part 1: Anna Phillips-Brown

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s production of Side Show, meet Anna Phillips-Brown. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us what...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights Interviews: Part 3: Allison Gregory and “Not Medea”

Here is Part 3 of 5 interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Allison Gregory and learn about...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights’ Interviews: Part 2: Christina Anderson and “pen/man/ship”

Here is Part 2 of 5 interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Christina Anderson and learn...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights Interviews: Part 4: Ronan Noone and “The Second Girl” by Sharon J. Anderson.

Here is Part 4 of 5 interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Ronan Noone and learn about his...

2016 Capital Fringe Preview #25: An Interview with Chè Monique on Her Cap Fringe Show ‘Cake’ and Her Cabaret ‘Summer SOULstice’

I think everyone who’s ever popped a pastie or twirled a tassel has thought about jumping out of a cake. When one actually considers the logistics of doing that though it quickly becomes a “No, that’s...

Post-Play Palaver: ‘Next to Normal’ at The Keegan Theatre

Post-Play Palaver is an occasional series of conversations between DCMetroTheater Arts writers who saw the same performance, got really into talking about it, and decided to continue their exchange in...

An Interview with Patrick Garrity of ‘Round About’

I interviewed Patrick Garrity, who plays rhythm guitar and sings, about his band Round About, their favorite venue to play in the DC area and how they write their music. The band won Honorable Mention...

Meet The Cast of ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Vagabond Players: Part 7: Richard Manichello

In Part Seven of a series of interviews with the cast of Vagabond Players’ Moon Over Buffalo, meet Richard Manichello. Joel: Please introduce yourselves and tell me why you wanted to be in the cast of...

Meet The Cast of ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Vagabond Players: Part 5: Greg Guyton

In Part Five of a series of interviews with the cast of Vagabond Players’ Moon Over Buffalo, meet Greg Guyton. Joel: Please introduce yourselves and tell me why you wanted to be in the cast of Moon...

An Interview with Hannah Van Sciver on ‘Doing Whatever’s Scary!’

After receiving a classical education at the University of Pennsylvania and graduating with a degree in English and a minor in Theater in 2014, Hannah Van Sciver has appeared in productions at...

In the Moment: Wolf Trap and the NSO Celebrate 100th Anniversary of National Parks Service on Friday, 7/1

American epic grandeur will be visible and heard at Wolf Trap when the National Symphony Orchestra presents America the Beautiful in a grand pre-July 4th event. There will be breath-taking large-scale...

‘Happy Days’ by Samuel Beckett: An Interview with E. Ashley Izard Who is Playing Winnie at Quintessence Theatre Group Through this Sunday

The much talked about Quintessence Theatre Group, one of the few ensemble theaters in Philadelphia, under the direction of Alexander Burns, is featuring two of its actors—E. Ashley Izard as Winnie and...

In the Moment: Part 2: An Interview with Workhouse Arts Center’s Ava Spece

Rare words indeed to take in and ponder from the preface to the The Brookings Institution’s Creative Communities, Art Works in Economic Development: “Without good data and analysis—much of it grounded...

‘Sometimes a House Is Much More Than a House: “Clybourne Park” Opens Friday at Silver Spring Stage’

Sometimes a house is just a house. Sometimes it’s a home. Sometimes it’s the bearer of secrets or of legacies. And sometimes it’s a stage where dreams, emotions, fears, and changes play out. A house,...

An Interview with Jeff Coon: Part 2: Raising His Two Children in His Own Special Secret Garden

In this two-part interview, we look into some corners of the secret garden in the life of the much talked about Jeff Coon at a time me when American family structures are changing and expanding. Jeff...

An Interview With Jeff Coon On The Arden’s ‘Secret Garden: Part 1: An Outstanding Father On and Off the Stage

In this two-part interview, we look into some corners of the secret garden in the life of actor Jeff Coon at a time when American family structures are changing and expanding. Jeff talks about his...