Working in the Theatre

The panel of actors - Alan Alda (Neil Simon's "Jake's Women"), Jodi Benson ("Crazy For You"), Roscoe Lee Brown (August Wilson's "Two Trains Running"), Glenn Close ("Death and the Maiden"), Richard Dreyfuss ("Death and the Maiden"), Harry Groener ("Crazy For You"), Tracy Pollan (Neil Simon's "Jake's Women"), and Lynn Redgrave (Ibsen's "The Master Builder") - discuss how they got started in the business and their big break, the significance of the rehearsal process, keeping a role fresh and not repeating the same performance, doing classic plays and if they are influenced by seeing different versions, and the difference between London and New York stages. Jean Dalrymple & Brendan Gill moderate.

The panelists - playwright Jon Robin Baitz ("The End of the Day"), playwright Charles Grodin ("One of the All-Time Greats"), director Mark Lamos ("The End of the Day"), playwright Ken Ludwig ("Crazy For You", "Lend Me A Tenor"), director Tony Roberts ("One of the All-Time Greats"), choreographer Susan Stroman ("Crazy For You"), and International Creative Management Vice-President Victoria Traube - discuss how they got started and their common backgrounds as actors and lawyers, directing the work of living and dead playwrights, the development and journey for each of their shows, and the seamless collaboration the Crazy For You creative team achieved. Jean Dalrymple & George White moderate.

The production team of "Crazy For You" - advertising representative Nancy Coyne, press representative Bill Evans, general manager Tyler Gatchell, casting director Julie Hughes, and producer Elizabeth Williams - discuss how the show was adapted from the 1930's Gershwin musical "Girl Crazy", advertising as a new musical - not a revival, producing a television commercial, the financial cost of the large production, the role of the casting director, and the effect of positive critical reviews. Jean Dalrymple & Brendan Gill moderate.

The panel of union and guild representatives - Jean Dalrymple, member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM); Alan Eisenberg, Executive Secretary of Actors' Equity Association; actress Caroline Lagerfelt, former Equity Council member (Actors' Equity Association); David S. Rosenak, Executive Director of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers; and Peter Stone, President of the Dramatists Guild - talk about when and why their organizations were founded, their purposes and the services they provide; the need for contracts, salary minimums, and safety regulations; and the agreement between producers and all unions and guilds for the Broadway Alliance. Henry Guettel & Harvey Sabinson moderate.

The panel consisting of casting director Jay Binder ("Lost In Yonkers"), and actors Lucie Arnaz ("Lost In Yonkers"), Hallie Foote ("The Roads to Rome"), Gregory Hines ("Jelly's Last Jam"), Tonya Pinkins ('Jelly's Last Jam"), and John Schneider ("Grand Hotel") discuss how they started their careers, what casting directors look for, auditioning established actors, rehearsing and replacing in a role, and the panelists provide advice to people beginning in theatre. Jean Dalrymple & George White moderate.

The panel - playwright/director P.J. Barry ("A Distance From Calcutta"), lyricist Susan Birkenhead ("Jelly's Last Jam"), playwright/director Horton Foote ("The Roads To Home"), agent Wiley Hausam (International Creative Management), musical adaptor Luther Henderson ("Jelly's Last Jam"), playwright/director George C. Wolfe ("Jelly's Last Jam") - discuss how and why they got started in theatre, collaboration between authors and directors, whether playwrights should direct their own work, advice for young writers including how a play gets produced, finding a suitable director, and the advantages and disadvantages of readings. Jean Dalrymple & George White moderate.

The "Jelly's Last Jam" production team - general manager Michael David, advertising representative Rick Elice of Serino Coyne, press agent Richard Kornberg, producers Pamela Koslow and Margo Lion, and legal counsel Jean Ward - discuss developing the musical for Music-Theater Group, working with director/performer Gregory Hines, creating a standout ad campaign, and fundraising with multiple workshops and finding corporate investors for the resulting $5 million production budget. Jean Dalrymple & George White moderate.

The panel - actress Brenda Braxton ("Jelly's Last Jam"), Mettawee River Theatre Company puppet/costume designers Casey Compton and Ralph Lee ("Wichikapache Goes Walking"), producer/lighting designer Jules Fisher ("Two Shakespearean Actors"), director Michael Greif ("Pericles"), and costume designer Toni-Leslie James ('Jelly's Last Jam") - discuss the significant roles of lighting and costume design, the relationship between designers and director, their education and early training, and design budgets; plus a demonstration of costumes and puppets. Tish Dace & Jean Dalrymple moderate.