What’s Off?

Artistic Venues // The Burden and the Benefits

Access to affordable space has always been a concern for New York City theatre makers; this episode shines the spotlight on some visionary leaders who recognized the need for more artistic space and decided to do something about it! Despite some closures during the COVID-19 lockdown and ever-rising real estate costs, the story of New York City’s artistic venues may actually be one of evolution and rebirth. 
Tune in as leaders from Brooklyn Art Haus, IndieSpace, and People’s Theatre Project discuss breaking ground on new real estate ventures, their place in their communities, and how they balance affordability with the need to financially sustain their space!
“I don't know a single venue operator in the indie scene that doesn't want to make their space more affordable for the people to use it. We all want that.” - Randi Berry
Episode Transcript Website Link
GUESTS:
Randi Berry, Executive Director of IndieSpace 
Isaac Bush, Founder and Executive Director of Brooklyn Art Haus
Mino Lora, Founding Executive Director of People's Theatre Project  
 
INTERVIEWER:David E. Shane (he/him/his), Director of Program Services, A.R.T./New York
 
HOSTS:
Ashley J. Hicks (a.k.a. Ash, she/her) Programs Coordinator for A.R.T./New York
Nicky Maggio or “N” (they/them) Programs Manager at A.R.T/New York 
**Visit the episode webpage for full guest and host bios
 
Additional Links:IndieSpacePeople’s Theatre ProjectBrooklyn Art HausHERE Arts CenterRattlestick TheaterNorthern Manhattan Arts AllianceNational Black TheatreThe Bushwick Starr
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.
“What’s Off?” Production StaffDavid E. Shane, Executive ProducerErica Wray Barnes, Associate ProducerAshley J. Hicks, Episode Line ProducerDante32, Audio Engineer

Sam Morreale // Making the Revolution Irresistible

As a multi-hyphenate theatremaker, dramaturg, and Associate Producer at Soho Rep, Sam Morreale inhabits many spaces within the theatrical field. They are guided by the words of Toni Cade Bambara, holding dear the idea that “the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible” - and Sam’s role is to hold space so that theater artists can bring their fullest selves into the rehearsal room.
Tune in as host Nicky Maggio chats with Sam about their artistic ethos, their work as a consultant, artist, and facilitator, as well as what it means to be an “accountability partner.” 
“Facilitation is at the core of my practice. I’m conscious of the sociopolitical reality that we might be facing under any given circumstance and one of my superpowers is to help name the patterns that we're seeing in rehearsal rooms, so that we might be in better relationship with them.” - Sam Morreale
 
Episode TranscriptWebsite Link
 
GUEST BIO:
Sam Morreale (they/them) is currently the Associate Producer at Soho Rep. With facilitation at the core of their practice, they've had a blossoming career as a creative producer working with many companies including Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, New York Stage and Film/Powerhouse, The Prelude Festival, Mixed Blood Theatre, Penumbra Theatre, and Theater Communications Group. In addition, Sam has developed a portfolio of consulting work in strategy planning, institutional alignment, and cultural change with arts organizations such as Center Theater Group, The New Harmony Project, Ars Nova, Boston Court Pasadena, A.R.T./NY, New Georges, and The Acting Company. Sam nurtures their artistic practice in rehearsal rooms as a dramaturg, director, and culture shaper constantly seeking to break down dissonance between artist and institution. B.A. Wesleyan University, Theater and Science in Society. @smorreale_reckons
INTERVIEWER/CO-HOST:
Nicky Maggio or “N” (they/them) currently serves as Programs Manager at A.R.T/New York. N is a freelance theatrical curator with a focus on new play development and directing. Originally born in southeast Massachusetts, Nicky received their B.F.A. at Emerson College and then completed their M.F.A in Directing at The New School. For more information on their artistic projects visit www.nmaggio.com @nickymaggio
CO-HOST:
Ashley J. Hicks (a.k.a. Ash, she/her) works currently as a Programs Coordinator for A.R.T./New York.  Ash is an actor, writer, solo performer & teaching artist. She received her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in 2021 and was a participant in the 2022 Disney Discovers Talent Showcase. To learn more about Ashley and her past/recent projects, please visit www.ashley-j-hicks.com
 
Additional Links: SOHO RepBreaking the Binary TheatreTheater Communications Group (TCG)Mix It Up Podcast Toni Cade Bambara
 
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.
To donate to A.R.T./New York, please visit: https://www.art-newyork.org/donate
 
“What’s Off?” Production StaffDavid E. Shane, Executive ProducerErica Wray Barnes, Associate ProducerNicky Maggio, Episode Line ProducerDante 32, Audio Engineer

New Leadership // To Be of Service

Many longstanding theater organizations in New York City and across the country are experiencing changes in administrative and artistic leadership. These individuals may be new to their positions, but they bring years of experience and fresh ideas to the field and to their new theatrical homes.  
A.R.T./New York Co-Executive Director Talia Corren sat down with Amanda Feldman of Classic Stage Company and Patricia McGregor of New York Theatre Workshop to discuss their roles as new leaders of multi-decade institutions. Listen in as they share about their experiences as women in the field, what they bring to their new positions, what it’s like to lead in a co-director model, and how they each are bridging the gap between the past, present and the future. 
“People haven't solved the challenges we're going to solve. People haven't dreamed the things that we're going to come up with. I think there is this interesting play between wanting to have reverence and appreciation and deep respect for what has come before while also [holding] that this is who I am and this is the life experience, identity, and way of moving through the world that I carry.” - Talia Corren 
 
Episode Transcript
 
GUEST BIOS:
Amanda Feldman is currently the Managing Director of Classic Stage Company. Prior to this role she served as Managing Director of Page 73, where she produced five world premiere Off-Broadway productions and oversaw the finances, human resources, and marketing, as well as played a key role in strategic planning and organizational advancement. In her career, Amanda has produced new works Off-Broadway with The Foundry Theatre, En Garde Arts, The Play Company, Abrons Arts Center, and The Playwrights Realm. In 2011, she co-founded the Off Off Broadway company Neighborhood Productions to support entrepreneurial theater artists in self-producing their own works and, for five years, she was the General Manager of the Lark Play Development Center. Feldman also led The NYC World Theatre Day Coalition until 2014, where she created and curated The Around-the-Globe Chain Play. She was the founding Managing Director of CollaborationTown and produced seven of their world premieres. Feldman currently serves on the board of History Matters/Celebrating Women's Plays of the Past and she is a WP Theatre Producer Lab alumna. BA from Tufts University.
Born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Patricia McGregor is the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop, as well as a director and writer working across disciplines. McGregor has twice been profiled by The New York Times for her direction of world premieres. She was the inaugural Artist in Residence for Arts in the Armed Forces and an Old Globe Resident Artist, as well as a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow at Yale School of Drama.
 
For Interviewer Bio, Host Bios, and additional links, please visit the episode webpage.
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.
 
To donate to A.R.T./New York, please visit: https://www.art-newyork.org/donate
 
“What’s Off?” Production StaffDavid E. Shane, Executive ProducerErica Wray Barnes, Associate ProducerNicky Maggio & Ashley J. Hicks, Line ProducersCatalin Stelian, Audio Engineer
 

Technician Training // Sending The Elevator Back Down

As the team at Roundabout Theatre Company considered the significant barriers to entry for potential technical theatre workers, they realized something was “off”. So, they created the Theatrical Workforce Development Program (TWDP) -  a partnership between Roundabout Theatre Company and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE.) TWDP offers participants hands-on, work-based training in four technical disciplines and connects them directly to employment opportunities in theatres across the city. 
 
In this episode, A.R.T./New York Theatre Operations Manager Sarah Lahue talks to the program leaders about how TWDP helps participants with everything from learning about self care on the job to avoiding student loan debt. Tune in to learn all about how this innovative program is helping to develop the next generation of theatrical workers.
“There's so many jobs out there where you can't get the job unless you've had the job. Technical theater is no different. It's about trust. It's about safety and making sure you're going to be able to do it when you show up." - Mitch Mattson
 
Episode Transcript 
For more information about A.R.T./New York and to learn more about the hosts and guest interviewer in this episod, please visitWebsite Link 
 
GUEST BIO:
Njeri Baker is a dedicated Arts Administrator with more than 7 years of theater experience across production, company management, and theater administration. She graduated from Howard University and New York University with a BFA in Theater Technology & an MA in Performing Arts Administration, respectively. Currently, she's an Education Manager at Roundabout Theatre Company, managing their Theatrical Workforce Development Program. A program training young people in backstage theater work to diversify the technical theater industry.
 
Mitch Mattson is the Director of Career Training and Operations at Roundabout Theatre Company – NYC’s largest not-for-profit theatre company. He leads a team of arts administrators and teaching artists fostering the next generation of dynamic theatre professionals through career and workforce development programs. His work has created partnerships with over 5 professional theatres and shops across NYC – enabling Roundabout’s Theatrical Workforce Development Program to provide training and jobs to early career technicians. He facilitates workshops and presents on theatre education topics nationally and internationally. Mitch is the recent Board Chair of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education and an alum of Coro: Leadership New York, LNY31. Previous work of his at Arena Stage in Washington, DC was sponsored by the US State Department, taking him to India to create theater with young people.
 
Additional Links:
Roundabout’s Theatrical Workforce Development ProgramIATSE, The Union Behind Entertainment
 
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
 
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.
 
To donate to A.R.T./New York, please visit: https://www.art-newyork.org/donate
 
“What’s Off?” Production StaffErica Wray Barnes, Executive ProducerDavid E. Shane, Associate ProducerNicky Maggio, Line ProducerDante32, Audio Engineer

Theresa Buchheister // The Illusion of Stability

Since 2004, Theresa Buchheister has found themselves in a veritable slew of non-conventional New York City theatre and performance spaces. Their lifelong pursuit of creating collaborative,  experimental work has made them a beloved community leader. Today, Theresa has refocused their energy toward supporting other scrappy artists and career experimenters. Along the way, they’ve affirmed that theatre is most definitely NOT dead, and discovered that we can learn a lot by asking, “what are the barriers to participation?”
Tune in to listen as host Nicky Maggio//N chats with Theresa about how shifting their focus allowed them to gain a new perspective on our ever tumultuous industry. 
“You can still be specific and have aesthetic value and have no money. The Brick is creating a way for people to say, ‘I could do this too’, and actually try it and see if it's something they wanna do.” - Theresa Buchheister 
Episode Transcript
GUEST BIO:
Theresa Buchheister (they/them) is a director, writer, producer, performer and curator from Manhattan, KS. They currently operate as Artistic Director of The Brick (an experimental performance space in Brooklyn), The Exponential Festival (a January performance festival of deep fringe art) and Title:Point (16-year-old theater company specializing in oddity, slapstick and dread). Theresa also curates ?!:New Works, a works-in-progress gathering for all performance mediums. They used to run Vital Joint for 4 years, which was home to a veritable slew of alt comedy, weird dance, strange film and more. They were a part of DIY Bushwick performance venue Silent Barn for 4 years and The Ontological in St. Marks Church for 10 years. Theresa makes a living doing voice over work, directing and voicing cartoons, audiobooks and podcasts (BoyGirlDogCatMouseCheese, Pokemon, How Music Works, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Arrow of Time, RecursiveCast, etc). 
 
 
Additional Links:
The Brick TheaterTitle:PointThe Exponential FestivalJeff Stark Life WorldNonsense NYCStaff PicksThe Manhattan Experimental Theater WorkshopThe Million Underscores The Ontological - Hysteric Theater
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.
To donate to A.R.T./New York, please visit: https://www.art-newyork.org/donate
 
“What’s Off?” Production Staff
David E. Shane, Executive Producer
Erica Wray Barnes, Associate Producer
Ashley J. Hicks & Nicky Maggio, Line Producers
Dante 32, Audio Engineer

Rebecca KellyG // Harmonizing with the Self

Rebecca KellyG went from being a musical theatre college student to a civil rights attorney. Along the way, she noticed some things that felt similarly “off” about these vastly different spaces. Through establishing an artistic practice as a healing artist and facilitator, Rebecca learned that in order to challenge systems, we must first harmonize with the self for both personal and collective liberation. 
Tune in to listen as A.R.T./New York Co-Excutive Director Risa Shoup chats with Rebecca about her journey and how she found resilience by reigniting her passion for performance and soundscape artistry. 
 “I really believe the more comfortable a person is with themselves - your own discomforts, your own challenges, your own pain, your own needs - the more able you are to listen and receive when other people are expressing theirs.” - Rebecca KellyG
 
Episode Transcript
 
GUEST BIO:
Rebecca KellyG (she/her) supports individuals and groups to challenge conditioned beliefs, embrace accountability, and cultivate self-love for our personal and collective liberation. 
She is particularly invested in working with people of color to shed internalized racial oppression and its expression in BIPOC organizational practices and culture. In addition to facilitating organizational retreats and mediation, Rebecca is a sound artist and speaker. In a unique blend of public speaking and performance, she weaves vocal harmonies with percussive sounds to create meditative soundscapes accompanied by story-telling and affirmations. Rebecca has shared her sounds with spaces such as, The United State of Women, La MaMa Galleria, Theatre Communications Group, and Flux Factory Rhizome Project. As an equity consultant, she has worked with such places as HERE Arts Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, and Yale University Art Gallery. 
Prior to starting her consultancy, Rebecca worked as an attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, DC focusing on education and voting rights. Additionally, Rebecca taught as an Adjunct Professor for American University Washington College of Law and in the Wagner College Theater Department teaching her course “Race, the Arts, and Activism.”
 
Additional Links:
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps others find the show.
To donate to A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/donate
 
“What’s Off?” Production Staff
David E. Shane, Executive Producer
Erica Wray Barnes, Associate Producer
Ashley J. Hicks & Nicky Maggio, Line Producers
Catalin Media, Audio Engineer

The Caregivers // Bringing Our Whole Selves

In this special episode of “What’s Off?” A.R.T./New York Co-Executive Director Risa Shoup explores what it means to be a caregiver and to be cared for as a working theatre professional. Risa speaks with Tony nominee Amber Gray who has practical solutions about how to shift the culture of care on Broadway. Nonprofit theater leader Roberta Pereira talks about The Radical Parent Inclusion Project -  a partnership between PAAL and The Playwrights Realm -  and Lindsey & Michael Sag describe how they are operationalizing care for themselves and the organizations they lead. 
Join Risa as they weave together common themes of balance, flexibility, responsibility, and humility in this thoughtful exploration of what it means to care for someone, even yourself, within the historical context of a field that believes no matter what that “the show must go on.”
“I think the important part is that bringing our whole selves is actually what makes us better. It makes the field and makes the art better” - Roberta Pereira 
 
Episode Transcript 
For more information, including guest bios please visit the episode webpage.
For many more resources about caregiving, visit our valued parters at the Parent Artist Advocacy League for Performing Arts + Media, the National Network and Solutions-Generator for Caregivers in the Performing Arts!
 
Additional Links:
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
The Playwrights Realm
WP Theatre
 
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps others find the show.
 
“What’s Off?” Production Staff
David E. Shane, Executive Producer
Erica Wray Barnes, Associate Producer
Nicky Maggio, Episode Line Producer
Catalin Media, Audio Engineer

OOBA // Then & Now

In 1972, a group of New York theatre makers realized something was “off” when they noticed the limited amount of funding and resources available for their community. This group set out to fill in some of those gaps, and thus OOBA (the Off-Off Broadway Alliance) was formed!
“It was because of OOBA that we were organized and that all of this happened. It wasn't random. We were very organized and we were right at that moment. At that moment, we were right.” - Bob Moss
Tune in as Audrey Rush chats it up with Stephen Facey, Barnet Kellman, and Bob Moss about the ‘Then & Now’ of A.R.T./New York.
 
Episode Transcript
For more information, including Guest Bios, visit the episode webpage.
For more about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
 
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps others find the show.
 
“What’s Off?” Production Staff
David E. Shane, Executive Producer
Erica Wray Barnes, Associate Producer
Ashley J. Hicks, Episode Line Producer
Catalin Media, Audio Engineer

Lynnette Taylor // Warrior Love

As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), theatrical interpreter Lynnette Taylor grew up with sign language as her first language - her home language. When she moved to San Francisco to attend the Academy of Art, no one told her that she would be separated from her first language in an all-hearing environment. Lynnette realized something was off when she met a Deaf man looking for an interpreter to participate in the 504 Sit-in, a civil rights demonstration for disabled people. In that moment, her life changed forever. 
Tune in to listen as Host Ashley J. Hicks chats with Lynnette about her origin story and how she combined her experience as a native signer and lover of the arts to create a robust career as a theatre interpreter. 
“This is a political act. Interpreting for the theater is a political act. Sharing this space is a political act. We need to be in this conversation about what politics are being made.” - Lynnette Taylor
CLICK HERE for an ASL interpreted version of of this podcast on A.R.T./New York’s YouTube page
Episode Transcript
GUEST BIO: 
Lynnette Taylor, BFA, CSC, brings her experience as a native signer and love of the arts to interpreted theatre to her teaching. She has interpreted over 100 Broadway and off Broadway shows that run the gamut from drama to comedy to musicals as well as interpreting behind the scenes for Deaf talent in Film,Television and Theatre. She was one of the curriculum developers and taught for over a decade at the national “Interpreting for the Theatre Seminar” held at the Juilliard School in New York City. She has published articles on interpretation and taught ethics and translation at LaGuardia Interpreter Education Program.She organized and co-moderated the Community Forums at the RID National Biennial Conference for 10 years. These past several years, she has been working with A.R.T./New York and Hands On, presenting workshops on interpreted theatre and is currently at work on a book about Interpreting Theatre with co-authors Stephanie Feyne and Candace Broecker- Penn, soon to be published. 
As a filmmaker, her work has focused on Deaf artists in Ella Mae Lentz’s, The Treasure, and showcasing artists in, Language Landscape. She is an award winning stop motion animation filmmaker. 
 
Additional Links:An ASL interpreted version of of this podcast is available on A.R.T./New York’s YouTube page.
Learn more about Hands On Sign Interpreted Theatrical Performances!
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps others find the show.
“What’s Off?” Production StaffDavid E. Shane, Executive ProducerErica Wray Barnes, Associate ProducerNicky Maggio, Episode Line ProducerCatalin Media, Audio Engineer

Tavia Rivée Jefferson // Launch the Class!

After 25 years of experience in the theatre industry as a performer, Tavia Rivée Jefferson realized her very unique skill set made her a perfect fit for an emerging need in the rehearsal room, but this time, behind the table. Tavia created the role of Cultural Coordinator -  a mediator, moderator, resource, and liaison to support cultural sensitivities in the artistic space. 
Tune in to listen as Host Ashley Hicks chats with Tavia about how her unique journey led her to cultural coordinating and how the question, “if not me, then who?” created an entirely new and necessary role in the theatre industry. 
“After the execution of George Floyd, I found myself in a lot of zoom rooms and affinity spaces where I was hearing people of color need a space or a representative to speak on our behalf when we didn't feel safe.” - Tavia Rivée Jefferson
Episode Transcript
GUEST BIO: 
Tavia Rivée Jefferson is a performer, director and communication specialist.  After earning her Communications degree from Chapman University, Tavia returned to the arts, performing in shows including, All Shook Up, Trav’lin, Hairspray, Beehive, HAIR, Little Shop of Horrors, Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE,  the National Tour of Motown the Musical and Disney Theatricals workshop cast of Aida.  During the pandemic, Tavia focused her skills in interpersonal and organizational communication and cultural relations to build the specialized role of Cultural Coordinating, designed to improve cultural competency in artistic spaces.  Tavia is currently Cultural Coordinator for multiple regional, touring, West End, and Broadway productions, including To Kill a Mockingbird, Company, Hairspray and Other World at Delaware Theatre Company. Tavia Rivée Jefferson
HOST BIOS:
Ashley J. Hicks (a.k.a. Ash, she/her) works currently as a Programs Coordinator for A.R.T./New York.  Ash is an actor, writer, solo performer & teaching artist. She received her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in 2021 and was a participant in the 2022 Disney Discovers Talent Showcase. To learn more about Ashley and her past/recent projects, please visit www.ashley-j-hicks.com
Nicky Maggio or “N” (they/them) currently serves as Programs Manager at A.R.T/New York. N is a freelance theatrical curator with a focus on new play development and directing. Originally born in southeast Massachusetts, Nicky received their B.F.A. at Emerson College and then completed their M.F.A in Directing at The New School. For more information on their artistic projects visit www.nmaggio.com @nickymaggio
For more information about A.R.T./New York, please visit https://www.art-newyork.org/
If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to “What’s Off?” wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps others find the show.
“What’s Off?” Production StaffDavid E. Shane, Executive ProducerErica Wray Barnes, Associate ProducerNicky Maggio, Episode Line ProducerCatalin Media, Audio Engineer