Storyteller

  • Interview with Actor, Dancer, Singer, Writer, Educator Marie Thomas-Foster

    5-14-18 Interview
    5-14-18 Marie Thomas-Foster knew by the time she was twelve years old that she didn’t want to follow in her families tradition – and become a teacher – she wanted to perform. She began taking dance lessons as soon as she could and convinced her friends to create “shows” in which they sang and danced. She misled her mother into thinking she was majoring in Education when she was actually studying Theater. And her determination paid off as her career has taken her to roles on Stage and Screen (big and little). But apparently the power of her early training never quite left her as she also taught theater at the City College of New York and created Theater Workshop where she gave hundreds of youngsters and opportunity to learn to sing and dance and act. Today she is staring in Having Her Say at the Goodman Theater in Chicago directed by Chuck Smith.

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  • Zach Dorn

    8-2-16 Interview

    8-23-16 Zach Dorn is a multi-talented, if difficult to categorize, theater artist. Having fallen in love with stories as a child, he spent the majority of his time paying with his toys, which he used to tell his stories. Having toyed with acting, directing and other kinds of storytelling, today Zach is using video and shadow puppets to tell his stories. Listen to this thoughtful, serious, self-deprecating, funny man talk about the dilemma faced by everyone who doesn’t fit neatly into a box other people recognize. Hear him describe the challenge of holding on to his unique vision. Fortunately that vision is now being validated. His talent has been recognized by world famous theater/film director and designer Julie Taymor. (*see below.). He is the one of three initial recipients of a $30,000 fellowship endowed by the Julie Taymor World Theater Fellowship. He will spend next year in Japan studying ritual robotic puppetry in Western Honshu and working with Japanese contemporary theater directors; Toshiki Okadain and Niwa Gekidan Penino in both Osaka and Tokyo. And come see what Julie Taymor saw by attending the two final shows he will do before leaving for Japan – August 25 and 31st at Starlight Restaurant 1001 Cocoanut Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236 – seating is limited call for reservations (941) 702-5613
    (Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. She is best known for directing the stage musical, The Lion King, for which she became the first woman to win the Tony Award for directing a musical, in addition to a Tony Award for Original Costume Design. She has also received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award, and an Academy Award nomination for an Original Song. She also received the 2012 Director Award for Vision and Courage from the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College in New York City. She was the director of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and an off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.)

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  • Audio Interview with actor, Colin Lane

    5-5-15 Audio Interview

    Colin Lane says that acting is “the only thing he is good at.” He loves telling stories and having people watch him. And Colin is a masterful storyteller who is very worth watching, as you can see in his performance in Florida Studio Theater’s regional premier of Christian O’Reilly’s play Chapatti – where he shares the stage with the equally compelling Susan Greenhill. Given his skill and success as an actor (he’s appeared above the title on Broadway, off Broadway, off-off Broadway in regional theaters and movies) it is ironic that Colin didn’t even consider being an actor until a friend heard him read “A Child Christmas in Wales” and told him that he was an actor; luckily for us Colin believed her. Listen to this charming, funny man talk candidly about the deceptively difficult dialogue he had to learn in his role as Dan; and the encouragement and support he received from his director Kate Alexander and FST’s Artistic Director Richard Hopkins. And smile at the unusual journey he took to what is clearly his path and come see him in Chapatti demonstrating what he is definitely “very good at” indeed.

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  • Audio Interview with Bill Bowers

    3-10-15 Audio Interview

    Bill Bowers, the amazing mime/actor/story-teller, lit up the stage at the Historic Crocker Church in his performance for Sarasolo, the first Solo Festival in Sarasota. Fortunately he will be returning to Sarasota on March 15th to perform his current work in progress at the Asolo Theater’s Unplugged series. Anyone who has seen Bill perform –- will not want to miss the opportunity to see the origins of his next work. Listen to Bill tell the story of how he went from a hyper aware 5 year old boy who could tell that there was much unsaid in his family, to a man who can say everything with silence, and who is nonetheless remarkably articulate.

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  • Jimmy Hoskins – A Celebration of Life

    2-3-15 Audio interview with Jimmy Hoskins

    There will be a celebration of Jimmy’s extraordinary life at 4:00 on Mon 2/9 2015 at the Mertz Theater in the Asolo Repertory Theatre complex.

    Dancer, choreographer, movement coach, director, painter, writer, storyteller, teacher, cook, Jimmy Hoskins was member on the of the Penn State University theater faculty for 10 years, professor emeritus of theater at Florida State University, staff choreographer for the Asolo Repertory Theatre for 45 years, visiting choreographer at Florida Studio Theater, The Golden Apple, the Sarasota Opera, the Banyan Theater, the Venice Theatre and the Players Theatre and adjunct faculty member of the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, following his long and distinguished career in New York, California, Texas, Mexico and Paris.

    He wrote three books. “The Dances of Shakespeare,” for which he also did the illustrations;. And his two book irreverent and delightful memoir “Our Hearts were Khaki and Gay,” and “No Fairies, No Magic.” which can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

    Greg Leaming of The Asolo Conservatory says “He very strongly connected to his students as a friend, mentor and teacher. What he brought into the room was an infectious spirit and a love of the art form.”Richard Hopkins of Florida Studio Theater says “In an age before political correctness, in a society that all too frequently rejected people who were different, Jimmy was proud to be gay. He was adept at teaching us straight guys how to relax with the gay guys, how to revel in our differences, and how to appreciate the depth of our similarities.

    He was, as Carl Meyer his beloved partner of 19 years says, a “Renaissance man.” But for me the most enduring memories of Jimmy will be of his sweetness and his generosity. Jimmy was always giving – even when he was suffering he never burdened others with his distress. I was lucky enough to be one of the legions of people who benefited directly from his talent and his willingness to give it selflessly and joyfully. My life is changed forever by both what I learned from Jimmy and how he taught it.

    In 2011 the Asolo established the Jimmy Hoskins Visiting Artist Chair for Stage Movement and Dance, an endowed fund that brings guest artists in to work with conservatory students. Contributions to the Jimmy Hoskins Visiting Artists Chair in Stage Movement and Dance are welcomed by sending a check, payable to FSU Foundation (reference Jimmy Hoskins Fund in note section) to the Florida State University Foundation, Suite 300, 2101 Levy Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32310, or by giving online at one.fsu.edu/community/.

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  • Memorial to Jimmy Hoskins

    12-30-14 Memorial to Jimmy Hoskins – Audio Interview

    Dancer, choreographer, movement coach, director, painter, writer, storyteller, teacher, cook, Jimmy Hoskins was member on the of the Penn State University theater faculty for 10 years, professor emeritus of theater at Florida State University, staff choreographer for the Asolo Repertory Theatre for 45 years, visiting choreographer at Florida Studio Theater, The Golden Apple, the Sarasota Opera, the Banyan Theater, the Venice Theatre and the Players Theatre and adjunct faculty member of the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, following his long and distinguished career in New York, California, Texas, Mexico and Paris.

    He wrote three books. “The Dances of Shakespeare,” for which he also did the illustrations; intended for dancer’s, choreographers and directors but which could also be understood by a lay audience. And his two book irreverent and delightful memoir “Our Hearts were Khaki and Gay,” and “No Fairies, No Magic.”
    Greg Leaming of The Asolo Conservatory says “He very strongly connected to his students as a friend, mentor and teacher. What he brought into the room was an infectious spirit and a love of the art form.” Richard Hopkins of Florida Studio Theater says “In an age before political correctness, in a society that all too frequently rejected people who were different, Jimmy was proud to be gay. He was adept at teaching us straight guys how to relax with the gay guys, how to revel in our differences, and how to appreciate the depth of our similarities.

    He was, as Carl Meyer his beloved partner of 19 years says, a “Renaissance man.” But for me the most enduring memories of Jimmy will be of his sweetness and his generosity. Jimmy was always giving – even when he was suffering he never burdened others with his distress. I was lucky enough to be one of the legions of people who benefited directly from his talent and his willingness to give it selflessly and joyfully. My life is changed forever by both what I learned from Jimmy and how he taught it.

    In 2011 the Asolo established the Jimmy Hoskins Visiting Artist Chair for Stage Movement and Dance, an endowed fund that brings guest artists in to work with conservatory students.

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  • Interview with Ridley Pearson

    2-4-14 – Audio Interview

    Ridley Pearson is a storyteller; he tells his stories in the books he writes and the music he writes and plays. Luckily for him both of his grandfathers were storytellers who fascinated the very young Ridley and stimulated his lifelong interest in the magic of stories. For 11 years, thinking that he and his friend would be another Simon and Garfunkle, Ridley told his stories in the songs he wrote and played. When he realized that he “didn’t want to be moving all this equipment when he was 45,” Ridley decided to tell his stories in books. He wrote steadily for 8 ½ years (while playing music at night) before his first book was published. He recently published his 47th book and is hard at work on # 48. And he still plays music – until recently with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock and roll group made up of published authors, which includes, Dave Barry, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Sam Barry, Scott Turow, Joel Selvin, James McBride, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount, Jr., Barbara Kingsolver, Robert Fulghum, Matt Groening, Tad Bartimus, Greg Iles, and Aron Ralston. Listen to this clever, quick-witted, charming man talk about his passion, and hear a little of the Rock Bottom Remainders.


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  • Interview with Karyl Lynn Burns

    10-22-13- Audio Interview

    Karyl Lynn Burns says that she was a born producer. Listen to her delightful story about when her mother’s friends came to play bridge, how 4 or 5 year old Karyl Lynn would charge the children who accompanied them their allowance to watch her put on a show. Her childhood was filled with stories, invention and play acting; Karly Lynn says that she always knew her life would be about acting, producing and the telling of stories. But it has been that and more. She was also interested in writing and so she majored in Journalism in College, but she went on to study acting under Tony Nominated director Bill Ball at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) an experience which changed her approach to her work and her life. Also through a series of coincidences she created a major Public Relations firm. But acting and producing remained her passion, listen to this delightful, charming, spontaneous woman describe the circuitous route which led her and her husband Jim O’Neil to the creation of the Rubicon Theater, a remarkable space for all kinds of theater.

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  • Interview with Annie Morrison

    8-27-13—Audio Interview

    Actor, writer, singer, dancer, storyteller, philanthropist and Druid Goddess, Annie Morrison is impossible to categorize. Like the Celtic Spirit she embodies Annie is a force for artistic creation. Raised in an artistic hothouse with a family dedicated to artistic collaboration Annie was trained to create, but not to compete. Listen to this charming, ebullient, creativity machine tell the story of how she became who she is and come to New York to see just some of her prodigious artistic expression; on Labor Day (Sept 2nd), at 54 Below where she will be performing NOW YOU KNOW An evening Steve, Lenny –and Annie (the work of Sondheim and Bernstein) and on Nov 14th at 4:00 PM at theUnited Solo of Theatre Row in New York to see her new one woman show Word Painting: Soliloquies around an Easel.

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  • Interview with Noah Racey

    4-10-12 –Interview

    When he was just three years old Noah Racey’s Dad gave him a snare drum and was stunned to hear, within the first week, his infant drummer playing an entire John Phillip Souza album. Discovering a place to put his excessive energy and deriving a feeling of belonging and pride at being allowed – by age six – to play with his father’s drum circle, Noah put his foot on the path that would define his life; a life that has grown to include tap dancing, acting, and the creation of his own company of triple threat performers, all in the service of storytelling.

    Noah has danced in or choreographed for Fine and Dandy, Curtains with David Hyde Pierce, Busker Alley, Where’s Charley?, Babes in Arms, Do Re Mi, Never Gonna Dance, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Baby and Johnny Project, and Look Ma, I’m Dancin’!, among others. In 2012 he will appear in 1776 at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota as well as debuting his original dance creation “Pulse” which will directed by Jeff Calhoun.

    But perhaps the thing that most defines Noah Racey is his love of his life, his passion for his work, his spontaneity and his exuberance. Listen to the roller coaster ride of joy and fun that is Noah Racey, and watch his tap dancing magic.

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  • Norm Corwin Interview Part 3

    11-08-11 Interview Part 3

    On December 15th 1941, (following the bombing of Pearl Harbor) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt requested that Norman Corwin’s radio play “We Hold These Truths,” become the first radio program to be carried by all the network stations in the country. Written to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, and starring Edward Arnold, Walter Brennen, Bob Burns, Walter Huston, Marjorie Mane, Edward G Robinson, Corporal James Stewart.

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  • Norm Corwin Interview Part 2

    11-1-11 Interview Part 2

    The second half of my interview with 100 year old Norman Corwin begins with his description of Orson Wells’ narrating “We Hold These Truths,” which Norman wrote to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights and which was rebroadcast 50 years later on NPR to celebrate its 200th anniversary. Hear him tell the story of the program he created for Election Eve, the year that FDR ran against Thomas Dewey, and his unwillingness to be paid for it because of his concern that he would “not be safe” at CBS if he declared himself a Democrat. Norman’s story continues with the description of his relationship with actor Charles Laughton and how this relationship lead to a career in Hollywood and the writing of screenplays for films such as “Lust For Life,” the Vincent Van Gogh story which he wrote for director Vincent Minnelli and starred Kirk Douglas. Finally hear a portion of his radio play “Between American’s” – also narrated by Orson Wells.

    And listen next week for the full airing of “We Hold These Truths.”

     

     

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  • Norm Corwin Interview Part 1

    I’m interrupting the airing of my Bonnie and Clyde The Musical interviews to dedicate the next 3 shows to what I believe is the last interview given by Norman Corwin who died on 10/18/11 at the age of 101. I interviewed Mr. Corwin at his home shortly before his 100th birthday. Propped in his wheelchair, with little capacity to move his ancient body, Mr. Corwin was nonetheless lucid, erudite, and remembered virtually everything about his 70 plus year career. After the interviews I will rebroadcast one of his most beloved radio plays “We Hold These Truths.”

    10-25-11 Norm Corwin Interview Part 1

    Norman Corwin has been called “the poet laureate of radio,” the Bard of Broadcasting, a “citizen of the world” “and “to radio what Shakespeare was to theater.” He is truly a national treasure. Listen to the hilarious “accidents” which propelled his career. Hear the story of his interview with world’s greatest ashcan roller, (who could roll an ashcan faster and further than anyone without spilling an ash,”) and was the very first interview ever broadcast on radio, to the production,”On a Note of Triumph.,” written to mark the end of the war in Europe, which then president FDR had alerted him was soon to come, so that he could have the piece ready in time.

    The Plot to Overthrow Christmas
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    Orson Welles performs “Between Americans” by Norman Corwin 1 of 3
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    Orson Welles performs “Between Americans” by Norman Corwin 2 of 3
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    Orson Welles performs “Between Americans” by Norman Corwin 1 of 3
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  • Interview with Nate Jacobs, Part 2

    October 13, 2009

    Interview – The second half of my interview with Nate Jacobs, in which he tells the story or his mission to create a theater company with and for “people who look like me.” I also interview another founding member of the troupe delightful, 28 year old Leon Pitts, who began to work with Nate when he was 9 years old, and who had no plans for his life until Nate convinced him to audition for a part and it was “lights, camera, action from then on.”

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  • Interview with Nate Jacobs, Part 1

    October 06, 2009

    Interview –The first half of my Interview with Nate Jacobs, Founder and Creative Director of the Westcoast Black Theater Troupe. Nate’s story is of a man who took a long time to believe what everyone was telling him – that he was a talented singer, dancer, actor, and story teller. For many years he told himself that “they were just being nice.” In this half of his interview Nate tells the often hilarious tale of his discovery and acceptance of himself and what it forced him to do with his life I also play an interview with gregarious and talented 26 year old Tsadok Porter, a founding member of the Troupe who began working with Nate when she was 5 years old.

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  • Interview with Annie Morrison

    April 21, 2009

    Here I continue to talk about the families need for balance and encourage you to try the Small Change exercise to see if your family is balanced and in what way. Sharon reviews Murderers, and I interview Actor, Musical Comedy Star of the cult favorite Merrily We Roll Along, Druid, and self proclaimed Grail Maiden Annie Morrison.

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