By Kathy Deitch

"...for what brings us more JOY than SEEING and BEING SEEN?" – Marianne Williamson

I heard that sentence last week at a lecture that Marianne was giving and although it was probably the 1000th time I'd heard it, it resounded in my heart-space like it was the first time.

I connected that to my feeling about Art, capital-A Art in the general and then to acting in the specific. Under the umbrella of Art lives the act of writing, painting, filming, building, directing, teaching, creation in any form, really, but that simple sentence is my bottom line when it comes to acting. It has been called many things: The White Moment, Being Zen, the Holy Instant but it always is the very moment the veil of separation comes down and you stand in a moment of Truth. THAT is the thing that drives me; it drives me as an actor, as a writer, as a teacher, as a singer, as a dancer. I'm busy being free in the Truth while the world looks on a thinks I'm in "character"- it's pulling a fast one for sure. You get to express your point of view, how you actually feel about things and no one is the wiser. Onlookers get to call you a "great actor."

When Harry Connick Jr. was on American Idol as a mentor and challenged the contestants to sing THEIR version of a song, not someone else's, the panel of judges looked at him like he shook the stars out of the sky. Yet he made such sense: you start at the beginning, you use the text, you hear the tune, and you allow it to DO something to you and THEN you find YOUR point of view in that. Finally, you learn to be brave enough to let an audience to experience the you without filter, that you who is a creature of holy instinct. That's why we call it 'Brave'...'Courageous'...'Transforming.'

The first time I felt that allowing, that sweet relief of living in the moment, I was a senior in high school doing GODSPELL. Our director and musical director decided to have the cast sing "On the Willows" which was usually left for the band to sing. It's a beautiful song from scripture: "On the willows there, we gave up our lyres for our captures there required of us songs of our forbearers birth; but how can we sing? Sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" As I hugged my best friend playing Jesus goodbye, it became very clear to me this was a real goodbye in many ways: goodbye to high school, goodbye to my hometown, goodbye to a stage I had spent my years celebrating Life upon with my dear classmates. Singing "How can we sing?" became a transcendent moment.

And a miraculous thing happened: the audience shared it with me and I felt their understanding, empathy and TRUTH in return.

I was SEEN.

And then was the SEER.

That JOY I have craved ever since.

Now, as a teacher, I have found the hyper-focus to watch someone slowly unfold into this journey of Truth and it is a whole different White Moment altogether. To really listen to someone, to really hear them and really see them so they can drop the veil that separates us, that is where Spirit abides as well. That is the only word my Catholic heart will let me use. It is Spirit. It is Truth. It is the One that we all are.

In an modern age where disconnect is the norm, magnified by technology that makes it so easy to hide, keeping us from being with one another even while at the same table, these moments of SEEING are precious commodities. And to take it further, I believe they can heal the World.

 

Kathy Deitch is a talented performer, as well as audition coaching specialist here at Broadway U. 

Kathy Deitch recently played Catherine/Senator Martin in the LA cast of Silence! The Musical (LA Weekly Award Winner) & made her LA acting debut at the Hollywood Bowl in RENT directed by Neil Patrick Harris. Broadway: WICKED (original company), FOOTLOOSE (original Urleen); HAIR at both City Center's Encores! and European Tour (Crissy) and much, much more. 

She has brought her Audition Boot Camp to students of all ages across the country including Wagner College, UCLA, Pace University, University of Hartford and has been a special guest at the School of Rock and Stella Adler Conservatory, both in NYC & LA and VocalizeU. She has coached some of Broadway's biggest starts, including but not limited to Tony award nominee Stephanie J. Block!

To schedule a coaching session with Kathy email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

We sent our interns Chrystina and Payton to see Pippin and decided to have them interview one another after! Read about what they thought of the show, getting to go backstage with our Director of Staff Sonny Paladino (Associate Conducting on Pippin), meeting the cast and more! 

Chrystina: Which song from the show has the most meaning to you?

Payton: I think "No Time At All" might hold the most meaning for me. The song really captures the message of the entire show; the fact that we should live in the moment and live while we can. The lyrics are so applicable to all of our lives, which is why I find it so beautiful. "Oh, it's time to start living, time to take a little from the world we're giving. Time to take time, for spring will turn to fall, in just no time at all." What a great lyric!

Chrystina: If you were to perform in Pippin, which character would you like to be cast as?

Payton: I would love to play Catherine! She is so quirky and totally the type of character I tend to play.

Chrystina: What is the most captivating aspect of the show?

Payton: The whole show is incredibly captivating, but I could not keep my eyes off of the stage when Andrea Martin performed "No Time At All". (I don't want to spoil the surprise for those who haven't seen it!)

Chrystina: How would you describe Pippin to someone who has never heard of the show before?

Payton: Pippin is a spectacle. The revival incorporates the beautiful story about coming of age, finding love, and finding yourself with amazing stunts and acrobatics. It is a must-see!

Chrystina: Which actor or actress had the most impressive performance?

Payton: Everyone was phenomenal, but I'd have to say Patina Miller was a standout for me. She commanded the stage as the Leading Player should!

 

Payton: What was your favorite part of the show?

Chrystina: What I enjoyed most was the choreography. I absolutely adore Fosse and loved how the style was continued in the revival. The strength required of each cast member to perform all of the acrobatic stunts was incredible.

Payton: What were you most surprised about backstage?

Chrystina: The stage seems a lot smaller standing on it than it does sitting in the house.

Payton: What was it like being on the Broadway cast recording of Pippin?

Chrystina: The opportunity to participate in the recording of the cast album was beyond magical. It was nice to see professionals such as Stephen Schwartz, Andrea Martin and Charlie Alterman living their passion and share that moment with them.

Payton: How did you feel about switching gender roles for the Leading Player?

Chrystina: Ben Vereen definitely made the role famous, however there is no one other than Patina Miller who I would want to see play this part. From the moment she came out she had a connection with the audience. I believe that a male or female can be the Leading Player as long as they keep a bond with the audience throughout the entire performance.

Payton: How is this Pippin different from the original?

Chrystina: I think there is something really special about doing a revival. A base is formed by the original cast that allows the revival cast to experiment with and create something new from it. I unfortunately was not around when the original was performed but this revival cast really made this their own.

Follow Chrystina on twitter @ChrystinaKep and Payton on twitter @NotPaytonSherry

Our fabulous interns Chrystina and Payton were both winners in Pippin's contest to sing on the Broadway cast recording yesterday and Chrystina documented the experience for us! Read about this amazing experience below:

Unless you're in the cast of a show, you normally don't participate in the recording of the cast album. This was not the situation for the revival of Pippin!

Those of you familiar with the show know that the song No Time At All allows for audience participation. On Tuesday, May 7th around 250 fans were selected to sing the chorus for the album. If that's not enough of a thrill, the brilliant Stephen Schwartz was there to instruct and teach the music to everyone. The feeling of getting to work with Mr. Schwartz can't be put into words. He entered the room with the sense of pure excitement to have fans there and was very down to earth. From the audience's perspective, it was obvious that everyone on the production staff really cared about making this the experience of a lifetime. In addition to Stephen Schwartz, Pippin's music director Charlie Alterman was there to teach the correct harmonies for each voice part. The Pippin staff became very impressed as they were thinking we would only be capable of singing the melody. Everyone seemed a little bit apprehensive about singing differently than the others around them (sopranos: "OHH-ohh it's time to start livin", and altos: "spring will turn to FAL-ALL"), so Mr. Alterman instructed us to "don't just be the change, LOVE the change!" Mr. Schwartz suggested for us to smile while singing to not only make it enjoyable, but to change our sound (for the better).

Hearing the harmonies definitely was a magical sound, and Andrea Martin would agree. Ms. Martin came running in from the back of the concert hall stating that she was not supposed to enter yet, but she was so moved by our singing that she had to. The recording took place at The New York Society for Ethical Culture which was so beautiful that Ms. Martin said, "If I were dating, I would get married here."

The Pippin staff most definitely succeeded in making this the perfect experience. The most memorable part of the afternoon was seeing working artists who truly love what they do. Charlie Alterman, Andrea Martin and Stephen Schwartz all are living proof that if you work hard to follow a dream, you will find your "Corner of the Sky".

Chrystina is studying public relations with a dance minor at Susquehanna University, PA, where she's President of the Susquehanna University dance squad. She's an experienced communicator as well as a talented choreographer.

Follow Chrystina Kepreos on twitter @ChrystinaKep

By Marc Hem Lee

Marc has just completed his dissertation while working on his MFA at East 15 Acting School in Essex, London.  He decided to share a portion of his dissertation with us "on acting as a philosophy, way of life, and existance."  Below is an excerpt from his writing:

"I do not speak of souls, of vessels and spiritual expression from the realm of religion,

but of belief. Belief in the inexplicable connection that one can witness or experience;

between character and audience and character and actor there are links. It is beyond the

physical nature, beyond the senses. One transcends looking and starts to see. One transcends

hearing and starts listening. How is that at all possible without an inner life, an inner sense of

this nature of existence, this need to communicate this existence?"

It makes me wonder about what we as artists do to shape our art form. Is what we explore and how we choose to do it help to mold our own experience and the people with whom we are interacting, whether that is the person next to you on stage or the people in the audience, a measure of the strength of our spirit? It is what I ponder as my training continues.

Cheers,

Marc

Follow Marc on twitter @SuperMarcKyo

We thank Marc for sharing such a personal piece. 

By Payton Sherry     

April 30th, 2013 was the day we all had been waiting for: The Tony Nominations! I was lucky enough to sit in on the action this year. Hosts Sutton Foster and Jesse Tyler Ferguson announced the fate of this past year's Broadway season. The crowd of press at the ceremony oohed and ahed at the surprising and not so surprising nominations.

As stated earlier, the 2013 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented to Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater,; Scenic Design Ming Cho Lee, and Paul Libin, Executive Vice President of Jujamcyn Theatres. The Isabelle Stevenson Award will be presented to Tony-winning playwright Larry Kramer. The 2013 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Career Transition For Dancers, William Craver, Peter Lawrence "The Lost Colony,"

and the four actresses who created the title role of Matilda The Musical on Broadway - Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon, and Milly Shapiro. This year's Regional Theatre Award goes to Huntington Theatre Company from Boston, MA. 

In case you missed the nominations, we have a list of the full nominations below. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Play

"The Assembled Parties"

"Lucky Guy"

"The Testament of Mary"

"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Best Musical

"Bring it On: The Musical"

"A Christmas Story, The Musical"

"Kinky Boots"

"Matilda The Musical"

Best Revival of a Play

"Golden Boy"

"Orphans"

"The Trip to Bountiful"

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Best Revival of a Musical

"Annie"

"The Mystery of Edwin Drood"

"Pippin"

"Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Tom Hanks, "Lucky Guy"

Nathan Lane, "The Nance"

Tracy Letts, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

David Hyde Pierce, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"

Tom Sturridge, "Orphans"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Laurie Metcalf, "The Other Place"

Amy Morton, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Kristine Nielson,"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"

Holland Taylor, "Ann"

Cicely Tyson, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Bertie Carvel, "Matilda"

Santino Fontana, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Rob McClure, "Chaplin"

Billy Porter, "Kinky Boots"

Stark Sands, "Kinky Boots"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Stephanie J. Block, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"

Carolee Carmello, "Scandalous"

Valisia LeKae, "Motown the Musical"

Patina Miller, "Pippin"

Laura Osnes, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Danny Burstein, "Golden Boy"

Richard Kind, "The Big Knife"

Billy Magnussen, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"

Tony Shalhoub, "Golden Boy"

Courtney B. Vance, "Lucky Guy"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Carrie Coon, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Shalita Grant, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"

Judith Ivey, "The Heiress,"

Judith Light, "The Assembled Parties"

Condola Rashad, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Charl Brown, "Motown the Musical"

Keith Carradine, "Hands on a Hardbody"

Will Chase, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"

Gabriel Ebert, "Matilda the Musical"

Terrence Mann, "Pippin"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Annaleigh Ashford, "Kinky Boots"

Victoria Clark, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Andrea Martin, "Pippin"

Keala Settle, "Hands on a Hardbody"

Lauren Ward, "Matilda the Musical"

Best Book of a Musical

Joseph Robinette, "A Christmas Story, The Musical"

Harvey Fierstein, "Kinky Boots"

Dennis Kelly, "Matilda the Musical"

Douglas Carter Beane, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater

"A Christmas Story, The Musical" (Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul)

"Hands on a Hardbody" (Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green; Lyrics: Amanda Green)

"Kinky Boots" (Music and Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper)

"Matilda the Musical" (Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin)

Best Direction of a Play

Pam MacKinnon, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Nicolas Martin, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"

Bartett Sher, "Golden Boy"

George C. Wolfe, "Lucky Guy"

Best Direction of a Musical

Scott Ellis, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"

Jerry Mitchell, "Kinky Boots"

Diane Paulus, "Pippin"

Matthew Warchus, "Matilda the Musical"

Best Choreography

Andy Blankenbuehler, "Bring It On: The Musical"

Peter Darling, "Matilda the Musical"

Jerry Mitchell, "Kinky Boots"

Chet Walker, "Pippin"

Best Orchestrations

Chris Nightingale, "Matilda the Musical"

Stephen Oremus, "Kinky Boots"

Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, "Motown the Musical"

Danny Troob, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Bailey, "The Nance"

Santo Loquasto, "The Assembled Parties"

David Rockwell, "Lucky Guy"

Michael Yeargan, "Golden Boy"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Rob Howell, "Matilda The Musical"

Anna Louizos, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"

Scott Pask, "Pippin"

David Rockwell, "Kinky Boots"

Best Costume Design of a Play

Soutra Gilmour, "Cyrano de Bergerac"

Ann Roth, "The Nance"

Albert Wolsky, "The Heiress"

Catherine Zuber, "Golden Boy"

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, "Kinky Boots"

Rob Howell, "Matilda The Musical"

Dominique Lemieux, "Pippin"

William Ivey Long, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, "Lucky Guy"

Donald Holder, "Golden Boy"

Jennifer Tipton, "The Testament of Mary"

Japhy Weideman, "The Nance"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kenneth Posner, "Kinky Boots"

Kenneth Posner, "Pippin"

Kenneth Posner, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Hugh Vanstone, "Matilda The Musical"

Best Sound Design of a Play

John Gromada, "The Trip to Bountiful"

Mel Mercier, "The Testament of Mary"

Leon Rothenberg, "The Nance"

Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, "Golden Boy"

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm, "Pippin"

Peter Hylenski, "Motown The Musical"

John Shivers, "Kinky Boots"

Nevin Steinberg, "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Tony Nominations by Production

Kinky Boots -- 13

Matilda The Musical -- 12

Pippin -- 10

Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella -- 9

Golden Boy -- 8

Lucky Guy -- 6

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike -- 6

The Mystery of Edwin Drood -- 5

The Nance -- 5

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? -- 5

Motown The Musical -- 4

The Trip to Bountiful -- 4

The Assembled Parties -- 3

A Christmas Story, The Musical -- 3

Hands on a Hardbody -- 3

The Testament of Mary -- 3

Bring It On: The Musical -- 2

The Heiress -- 2

Orphans -- 2

Ann -- 1

Annie -- 1

The Big Knife -- 1

Chaplin -- 1

Cyrano de Bergerac -- 1

The Other Place -- 1

Scandalous -- 1

 

Photos courtesy of Payton Sherry (Sutton Foster top photo, Payton Sherry below)

Payton is a talented performer studying Theatre Performance at Wagner College,NY and has also interned at BroadwaySpotted. Follow Payton on twitter @NotPaytonSherry