SDCF Podcast Series

Check out this recording of our webinar conversation with Casey Nicholaw hosted on Zoom in March 2025. This conversation focused on Casey's expansive career. Topics of discussion included his approach to the craft, serving as both director and choreographer on many productions, and his work on the development of new musicals. A short Q & A followed the conversation. This interview was conducted by Dani Barlow. Bio: Casey Nicholaw is a two-time Tony Award winning director and choreographer of theatre, film and television. Nicholaw was awarded the 2011 Tony Award for co-directing THE BOOK OF MORMON, and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Choreography for SOME LIKE IT HOT. He received additional Tony nominations for ALADDIN (Best Choreography), THE PROM (Best Direction), MEAN GIRLS (Best Direction & Choreography), SOMETHING ROTTEN! (Best Direction & Choreography), THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (Best (Best Direction & Choreography), THE BOOK OF MORMON (Best Choreography), SOME LIKE IT HOT (Best Direction), and MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT (Best Choreography). Other Broadway credits include TUCK EVERLASTING and ELF: THE MUSICAL. He's currently represented in the West End with THE BOOK OF MORMON (Olivier Award winner for Best Choreography), and MEAN GIRLS. Other notable West End Credits include DREAMGIRLS, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, and ALADDIN. Upcoming, Nicholaw will direct and choreograph the UK premiere of Disney's HERCULES. His production is currently running in Hamburg, Germany. His film and television credits include THE PROM (choreographer), TROLLS (choreographer) and SMASH (director). Nicholaw started his career as a performer. His credits include CRAZY FOR YOU, THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC, VICTOR/VICTORIA, STEEL PEER, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, SEUSSICAL, and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. He can be heard on the cast album of most of these musicals.

We are excited to bring you this new episode in our podcast series, The Art of Collaboration, with Brandon Stirling Baker and Justin Peck. This series focuses on directors and choreographers in conversation with some of their collaborators. The series explores the ins and outs of these processes, both finer details as well as overarching ideas about what goes into a productive collaboration on a show. In this episode you will hear a conversation with Brandon (Lighting Designer) and Justin (Director, Choreographer, co-Book Writer) about their work on Illinoise including how they collaborate, the value of incorporating team members early in the production process, and the role of lighting in theatrical storytelling. They also discuss the different iterations of the production as it moved from venue to venue. Bios: Brandon Stirling Baker is a Tony Award-Nominated lighting designer working internationally. His work can be seen on stages throughout the United States and abroad including Broadway, Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Park Avenue Armory, American Repertory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and many others. Baker received a Tony Award Nomination for his lighting of ILLINOISE on Broadway and is a recipient of the Knight of Illumination Award for his work in dance. Baker has designed over 30 premieres worldwide for director and choreographer Justin Peck, and works frequently with William Forsythe, Jamar Roberts, and Pam Tanowitz among others. He is the Resident Lighting Designer of Boston Ballet and a Lecturer of Design at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. www.stirlingbaker.com Brandon's headshot by Vincent Tullo Justin Peck is a three-time Tony Award winning choreographer, director, filmmaker, and dancer based in New York City. He is currently the acting Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet. Peck has created and developed over 50 dance and theater works for stages around the world, including work for Broadway, the Palais Garnier, Lincoln Center, the Sydney Opera House, & Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has created extensively for film, most notably choreographing Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (2021). In 2024, Peck directed and choreographed the original Broadway musical Illinoise. Honors include the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Carousel (2018) and Illinoise (2024), the National Arts Award (2018), the Golden Plate Honor from the Academy of Achievement (2019), the Bessie Award for Rodeo (2015), and the World Choreography Award for the film West Side Story (2021).

Check out this podcast replay of our SDCF Panel: The Journey from Dancer to Choreographer with Mayte Natalio, Adesola Osakalumi, and Ellenore Scott. This conversation focuses on career transitions or expansions, specifically for dancers who have shifted or added choreography to their artistic practice. We hosted this panel at Sunlight Studios in February 2024. This video and audio was recorded by Michael Weir supported by the Maria Torres Emerging Artists Foundation. Transcript available upon request. Ellenore Scott (she/her) is a BIPOC, New York based choreographer and director. Through her work, Scott values lifting diverse voices in her community while creating a joyous space where the creative process can bring as many people in as possible. Her Broadway credits include Grey House, Funny Girl, Mr. Saturday Night. Her Off-Broadway credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Titanique (Lucille Loretel Nomination), I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Other choreography credits include: So You Think You Can Dance?, Single All the Way (Netflix). In 2023, Scott co-directed The Lonely Few, a world premiere rock musical at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, CA that will transfer to Off-Broadway's MCC Theatre in Spring of 2024. Scott's work has also been seen at The Bushwick Starr, The Old Globe, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cape Fear Regional Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre. In 2020, Scott was a finalist for the SDC Breakout Award for the first ever TikTok Music Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical which raised over $2 million for The Entertainment Fund. As a performer, Scott appeared in numerous television shows (Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Smash, The Blacklist, Glee! to name a few) and was a finalist and All-Star on So You Think You Can Dance? Scott is the Artistic Director of ELSCO Dance, a contemporary-fusion dance company. Mayte Natalio: Broadway: Suffs (spring 2024), For Colored Girls… (Associate Choreographer). Off-Broadway: Measure for Measure (The Public Theater, Mobile Unit). Regional: The Winter's Tale (DTC, Public Works), Into the Woods (Barrington Stage Company), Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theater), Hair (The Old Globe), Kiss My Aztec (Hartford Stage), How to Dance in Ohio (Syracuse Stage). Adesola Osakalumi: is a Bronx native, Bessie Award-winning, Drama Desk-nominated Choreographer and Actor. Inspired by his family's dance company Africa 1 Dance Theater, he began performing at an early age and was immediately captivated by popping, locking, and all diasporic hip-hop dance styles. He began training seriously at every opportunity possible while maintaining a strong presence in the New York club scene where these styles flourished. Selected Choreographic credits include: Fall For Dance/Jam On The Groove 3 For 30 (City Center),Skeleton Crew (Broadway MTC), Cullud Wattah, Coal Country, Othello (Public Theater), runboyrun, Eyewitness Blues (NYTW), Good Grief (Vineyard), Jam on the Groove (Minetta Lane) and the film School Of Rock. Upcoming: The Hippest Trip (Soul Train Musical) Associate Choreographer & Dance Consultant and Syncing Ink (Victoria Theater) Spring 2025. As an Actor: Skeleton Crew, Fela!, Equus (Broadway), runboyrun (NYTW), Syncing Ink (Flea/Alley Theater) and the films Red Pill, IBRAHIM, Enchanted, Across the Universe, and Sex and the City 2. TV: "Endgame", "Ice", Blue Bloods. Awards: Bessie Award Recipient, Drama Desk Recipient. I give thanks to my Ori, Ancestors, and Family for their constant support and love. adesola.com IG @adesolaosakalumi.

Check out this podcast replay of our one on one conversation with 2023 Tony Award Winner Michael Arden hosted by SDCF and the Museum of Broadway. Interviewed by SDC Executive Director Laura Penn, this conversation focuses on Michael's expansive career to date including a deeper dive into his work as an artist and practice as a director. We held this conversation in March 2024. The video and audio was recorded by Michael Weir supported by the Maria Torres Emerging Artists Foundation. Transcript available upon request. Michael Arden (Director) was awarded the 2023 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his production of Parade starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, which will have a national tour beginning early 2024. Michael was also Tony nominated for his revivals of Once On This Island and Spring Awakening. Michael wrote and directed Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol which played the Nederlander Theatre last Holiday season and starred Jefferson Mays. Michael will helm the new Stephen Schwartz and Lindsey Ferrentino musical The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenowith and a new musical adaptation of the cult film The Lost Boys. Other directing credits include: Maybe Happy Ending at the Atlanta Alliance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, and site specific works: American Dream Study and ALIEN/NATION with his company The Forest of Arden. Arden has been named on Variety's Impact List and is the winner of an NAACP Award for best direction of his revival of Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg in Los Angeles. In addition to directing theater in America and around the globe, he regularly directs "The Connors" on ABC, and has appeared in numerous features and TV shows, most notably: Grey's Anatomy, Bride Wars, Anger Management, Source Code, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. On stage, Arden has appeared on Broadway in Big River; The Times, They Are A-Changin', and King Lear. Arden is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and alumni of the Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School. Michael and longtime creative and design partner Dane Laffrey founded AT RISE CREATIVE, a production company that strives to create groundbreaking live experiences with an emphasis on design and innovating technologies. Photo credit: Laura Penn has been Executive Director of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) since 2008. This year, she was appointed by President Biden to serve as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Most recently, she was elected to the Board of the Entertainment Community Fund. Under her leadership, SDC's Membership has grown more than 100%, a result of her work expanding jurisdictions; leading bold and successful negotiations; and furthering the Union's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives and political engagement. She serves on the General Board of the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) and is an active member of DPE's Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industry Coordinating Committee (AEMI). She is co-Chair of the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds, the first woman to hold a leadership position with this coalition of 18 influential unions representing workers on Broadway. Laura serves on the Tony Awards Administration Committee and is a Tony Voter. She served as a panelist for the New York State Council for the Arts, for more than a decade was a site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts, was Vice President of the League of Resident Theatres, and was two-term Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. Recognized with Seattle's Distinguished Citizen Medal, she is an advocate for civic dialogue and public participation and has been dedicated throughout her career to the idea that artistic excellence and community engagement are intrinsically connected. Laura previously served as an arts executive for Intiman Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre and began her career at D.C.'s Arena Stage, Living Stage Theatre Company. She currently teaches Labor Relations in the graduate program at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.

In this conversation we hear from associate directors and choreographers to learn what their jobs entail and how they navigate their work in the industry. This event will be in webinar format and ASL interpretation will be provided. The conversation is moderated by Benjamin Endsley Klein (Associate Director, Hairspray West End, The Ferryman, Carousel), and the panel includes Nancy Renee Braun (Resident Choreographer, Moulin Rouge & Associate Choreographer, Beetlejuice), Chika Ike (Associate Director, Hadestown Broadway/Tour), Tatiana Pandiani (Associate Director, What The Constitution Means To Me), and Danny Sharron (Senior Associate Director, Dear Evan Hansen Broadway/West End/Toronto/Tour). Learn more about our panelists here: https://sdcfoundation.org/the-role-of-broadway-associate-resident-directors-and-choreographers/ Join our mailing list: https://forms.gle/4yBHJSyu98cQw2Qm8

As live productions resume across the country, theater artists and managers are working to reopen for audiences. There are several conversations they must respond to—namely the ongoing pandemic and calls for action for equity and inclusion. This series will elevate those conversations, hearing from a group of theater leaders, directors and choreographers about their experiences on returning. In the second installment of this series Raja Feather Kelly, choreographer of SUFFS, Leigh Silverman, director of SUFFS, and Yuvika Tolani, Director of Producing at The Public Theater join us in conversation as they discuss the process of putting up this production. Learn more about the panelists here: https://sdcfoundation.org/sdcf-conversation-series-returning-to-rehearsal-2/ Join our mailing list: https://forms.gle/4yBHJSyu98cQw2Qm8

In 2015, Thomas Kail and Lear Debessonet participated in a One-on-One conversation that focused on their experiences as young directors. In this podcast, deBessonet shares her early interest in interdisciplinary work that led to her current role as Director of Public Works at the Public Theater. Throughout their conversation, Kail and deBessonet talk about various elements in an emerging director's life—the importance of making work with friends, the advantages and disadvantages of assisting, the importance of having mentors, and how young artists can ultimately claim the identity of "director." Listen in as these two artists share their thought-provoking experiences, reflections, and ideas in this thought-provoking conversation.

In the summer of 2015, Director Thomas Kail sat down with Director Rachel Chavkin in a one-on-one conversation about Chavkin's career and trajectory as a director. Throughout the discussion, Kail and Chavkin discuss a series of questions ranging from 'how can directors balance running a company with a freelance lifestyle?' to 'How do you know when a piece is good?' and 'Should directors read reviews?' In addition to discussing these questions, Chavkin discusses what shaped her career as a director and offers insight into the process of directing Three Pianos and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Listen in on this intriguing conversation between two exciting artists!

As live productions resume across the country, theater artists and managers are working to reopen for audiences. There are several conversations they must respond to—namely the ongoing pandemic and calls for action for equity and inclusion. This series will elevate those conversations, hearing from a group of theater leaders, directors and choreographers about their experiences on returning. In the first installment of this series we hear from Producing Artistic Director of Philadelphia Theatre Company Paige Price and director of The Garbologists at Philadelphia Theatre Company Estefanía Fadul as they join us in conversation and discuss the process of putting up this production. Learn more about the panelists here: https://sdcfoundation.org/sdcf-conversation-series-returning-to-rehearsal/ Join our mailing list: https://forms.gle/4yBHJSyu98cQw2Qm8

On August 25th, 2020 SDCF Trustee and Artistic Director Emeritus of Pasadena Playhouse Sheldon Epps moderated a second roundtable conversation with regional Artistic Directors new to their roles about facing the specific challenges of the moment. He was joined by Melia Bensussen (Hartford Stage), Tim Bond (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), David Ivers (South Coast Repertory), Rob Melrose (Alley Theatre) and Sarah Rasmussen (McCarter Theatre Center).

On July 9th, 2020 SDCF hosted a virtual roundtable conversation, moderated by Sheldon Epps, SDCF Trustee and Artistic Director Emeritus of Pasadena Playhouse. He led a conversation about the challenges and opportunities of leading a non-ethnic specific organization as a leader of color. Sheldon was joined by Artistic Directors Robert Barry Fleming (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Nataki Garrett (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Jacob Padrón (Long Wharf Theatre), Hana Sharif (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), and Stephanie Ybarra (Baltimore Center Stage).

The Founder's Series was created by Anne Kauffman, Artistic Director of Encores! Off Center at New York City Center, as part of SDCF's Podcast Series. In this series, Anne interviews artistic directors and founders who have had a lasting impact on the nonprofit theater community around the country. In this episode Anne talks with Emily Mann, Artistic Director of the McCarter Theatre Center, about her career journey as a female director, the adversity she's faced, and how she has navigated these situations, including the current COVID-19 crisis, with strength.

Evren Odcikin, Founder of Maia Directors, sits with M. Graham Smith to discuss career and craft of working in regional theaters.