Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals

On today's show, I speak with Tom Ontiveros, a lighting and projection designer as well as a professor and chair of the theater department at the University of La Verne. Tom has such an interesting and unexpected from starting college as a biology major, to working at the Museum of Natural History in LA, to finding himself as an emergency professor for one semester in Pennsylvania and falling in love with teaching. While I could keep going about Tom's journey, I feel it's better to let the rest of it unwind on its own in this conversation. For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/]. Mentioned in this Episode [00:04:18] Siti Company [https://siti.org] [00:07:03] Museum of Natural History [https://nhm.org] [00:09:47] Intersection for the Arts [https://theintersection.org] [00:10:08] Yerba Buena Center for the Arts [https://ybca.org/the-center/] [00:10:31] Campo Santo [https://camposantosf.tumblr.com] [00:11:12] The Culture Project [https://www.cultureproject.org] [00:11:24] TheExonerated [https://www.amazon.com/Exonerated-Play-Jessica-Blank/dp/0571211836] [00:40:18] University of La Verne [https://laverne.edu/] [00:47:14] Norco 80 [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/943092240/norco-80] Follow Tom Website [https://cargocollective.com/tomontiveros] Follow Beyond the Lights Website [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheLightsPodcast] Twitter [https://twitter.com/BeyondLightsPod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondthelights_podcast/]

Andrea Grody is a music director and music supervisor, primarily working in new musicals. Now, if you've been listening for a while you know that one of my specialties and loves is new plays, so it was such a pleasure to discuss what that looks like from a musical director's perspective. Andrea has been on two of the bigger Broadway shows over the last few years, The Band's Visit and Tootsie—two pretty different shows. She walks me through a little of what those processes looked like and the different challenges they each presented. For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/]. Mentioned in this Episode [00:04:33] The Civilians [https://thecivilians.org] [00:05:53] The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland [https://www.rcs.ac.uk/postgraduate/ma-musical-theatre-musical-directing/] [00:05:57] Music Directing at Penn State [https://arts.psu.edu/degrees/master-of-fine-arts-in-theatre/] [00:13:40] The Band’s Visit [https://open.spotify.com/album/2RLYvCLS2sE77j6Vl8FVfc?si=_s7BXlCMTfOeiZ3lbfFAow] [00:17:36] MTI [https://www.mtishows.com] [00:25:09] Tootsie [https://open.spotify.com/album/55DUCEVpFCMbgtisE233d3?si=GKWVefBGRX6B0K2tfVQ7EA] [00:40:43] Maestra [https://maestramusic.org] [00:49:02] Suffs [https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2122/suffs/] Follow Andrea Website [http://www.andreagrody.com] WordWaves [https://www.singwordwaves.com/] Follow Beyond the Lights Website [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheLightsPodcast] Twitter [https://twitter.com/BeyondLightsPod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondthelights_podcast/]

On today's show, I speak with Cate Broomhead, a wig swing on Broadway. With Halloween being yesterday it's only appropriate to release an episode with a person who does a job that we've all benefitted from at some point in our lives. I'd venture to guess MOST of us have worn a wig at least once, and many of us much more frequently than that. Cate walks me through how she got into theater and wig making in the first place, what really goes into creating and maintaining a wig, and what a day in the life of a swing in the hair department on Broadway looks like right now. For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/]. Mentioned in this Episode [00:03:39] Walnut Street Theater [https://www.walnutstreettheatre.org] [00:04:10] Glimmerglass Opera Company [https://glimmerglass.org] [00:09:45] Gretchen Evans - Wig Maker [https://www.instagram.com/gretchenmakeswigs/] [00:09:45] JJ Janas - Wig Maker/Designer [https://www.instagram.com/jjjanas_/] [00:26:48] Pacific College of Health [https://www.pacificcollege.edu] Follow Cate Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/catebthe_spark/] Etsy [https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchesNKnotsShop] Follow Beyond the Lights Website [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheLightsPodcast] Twitter [https://twitter.com/BeyondLightsPod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondthelights_podcast/]

On today's show, I speak with casting director RJ Magee. RJ got his start in professional theater at a very young age, a journey that led him to the famous Interlochen School for the Arts and then eventually onwards to casting for musical theater. RJ is currently involved in a pretty unique project called Theality TV which we talk about extensively in this episode. For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/]. Mentioned in this Episode [00:05:06] Interlochen [https://www.interlochen.org/arts-boarding-school] [00:07:17] The Arden [https://ardentheatre.org] [00:08:45] Jamie Baker Management [http://www.jbakermanagement.com] [00:08:58] Breakdowns Express [https://www.breakdownexpress.com/index.cfm] [00:12:07] Actors Access [https://actorsaccess.com] [00:15:52] Musical Theater Educators Alliance [https://www.musicaltheatreeducators.org] [00:21:54] Theality TV [http://theality.tv] [00:21:58] Broadway On-Demand [https://www.broadwayondemand.com] [00:21:59] Dekkoo [https://www.dekkoo.com] [00:22:12] Fearless [https://fearless.li] Follow RJ Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/rj.magee/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rjforthewin/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/RJBroadwayBoy/videos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjmageecasting/] More Theality TV Website [http://theality.tv/] Broadway-on-Demand [https://www.broadwayondemand.com/series/kITAobl3HRSn-theality-tv] Dekkoo [https://www.dekkoo.com/theality-tv] Fearless [https://watch.fearless.li/programs/theality-tv-s1e1] IMDB [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13622080/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm] Follow Beyond the Lights Website [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheLightsPodcast] Twitter [https://twitter.com/BeyondLightsPod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondthelights_podcast/]

On today's show, I speak with Darren Lee, a director, choreographer, and performer. Darren has had quite the career, from winning the first-ever Junior Star Search, to being in the original Broadway cast of Miss Saigon, to reconnecting with Lea Salonga in 2015's Allegiance, to being on tour in the UK as the King in The King and I when covid shut the world down. For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/]. Mentioned in this Episode [00:03:43] Star Search [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Search] [00:04:41] Kids Incorporated [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_Incorporated] [00:06:06] Shogun [https://www.amazon.com/Shogun-Epic-Novel-Japan-Asian/dp/1982603844/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1633190203&sr=8-1] [00:09:05] The Battle of Miss Saigon: Yellowface, Art, and Opportunity [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/theater/the-battle-of-miss-saigon-yellowface-art-and-opportunity.html] [00:24:48] Red Bucket Follies [https://broadwaycares.org/category/post-event/red-bucket-follies/] [00:24:53] Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids [https://broadwaycares.org] Follow Darren Website [http://www.darrenlee.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darrenleenyc/] Follow Beyond the Lights Website [https://beyondthelightspodcast.com/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheLightsPodcast] Twitter [https://twitter.com/BeyondLightsPod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondthelights_podcast/]