56 episodes

Welcome to Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals. Theater is a community event and it takes a village to operate. From actors to designers to company managers to teaching artists to data nerds and dramaturgs and everything in between. So join me weekly to learn more about each person's journey and the "hustle" we call theater as we go Beyond the Lights.

Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals Mary Beth Smith

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 15 Ratings

Welcome to Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals. Theater is a community event and it takes a village to operate. From actors to designers to company managers to teaching artists to data nerds and dramaturgs and everything in between. So join me weekly to learn more about each person's journey and the "hustle" we call theater as we go Beyond the Lights.

    54. TOM ONTIVEROS - Lighting and Projection Designer

    54. TOM ONTIVEROS - Lighting and Projection Designer

    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.

    Mentioned in this Episode
    [00:04:18] Siti Company
    [00:07:03] Museum of Natural History
    [00:09:47] Intersection for the Arts
    [00:10:08] Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
    [00:10:31] Campo Santo
    [00:11:12] The Culture Project
    [00:11:24] The Exonerated
    [00:40:18] University of La Verne
    [00:47:14] Norco 80

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    • 50 min
    53. ANDREA GRODY - Broadway Music Director

    53. ANDREA GRODY - Broadway Music Director

    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.

    Mentioned in this Episode
    [00:04:33] The Civilians
    [00:05:53] The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
    [00:05:57] Music Directing at Penn State
    [00:13:40] The Band’s Visit
    [00:17:36] MTI
    [00:25:09] Tootsie
    [00:40:43] Maestra
    [00:49:02] Suffs

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    WordWaves

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    • 57 min
    52. CATE BROOMHEAD - Broadway Wig Swing

    52. CATE BROOMHEAD - Broadway Wig Swing

    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.

    Mentioned in this Episode
    [00:03:39] Walnut Street Theater
    [00:04:10] Glimmerglass Opera Company
    [00:09:45] Gretchen Evans - Wig Maker
    [00:09:45] JJ Janas - Wig Maker/Designer
    [00:26:48] Pacific College of Health

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    Etsy

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    • 51 min
    51. RJ MAGEE - Casting Director

    51. RJ MAGEE - Casting Director

    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.

    Mentioned in this Episode
    [00:05:06] Interlochen
    [00:07:17] The Arden
    [00:08:45] Jamie Baker Management
    [00:08:58] Breakdowns Express
    [00:12:07] Actors Access
    [00:15:52] Musical Theater Educators Alliance
    [00:21:54] Theality TV
    [00:21:58] Broadway On-Demand
    [00:21:59] Dekkoo
    [00:22:12] Fearless

    Follow RJ
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    More Theality TV
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    Broadway-on-Demand
    Dekkoo
    Fearless
    IMDB


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    • 48 min
    50. DARREN LEE - Director, Choreographer, and Performer

    50. DARREN LEE - Director, Choreographer, and Performer

    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.

    Mentioned in this Episode
    [00:03:43] Star Search
    [00:04:41] Kids Incorporated
    [00:06:06] Shogun
    [00:09:05] The Battle of Miss Saigon: Yellowface, Art, and Opportunity
    [00:24:48] Red Bucket Follies
    [00:24:53] Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids

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    • 47 min
    49. OR MATIAS - Music Director

    49. OR MATIAS - Music Director

    On today's show, I speak with music director Or Matias. Or has such an incredible resume that includes Juilliard, NYU, The Great Comet, Octet, Moby Dick, The Wave which premiered in Austria, an upcoming children's album, honestly the list goes on and on. I've had the pleasure of seeing a bit of Or's work both on and off-Broadway and I was so excited to have a chance to speak with him.

    For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com.

    Mentioned in this Episode
    [00:00:39] Chloe Treat
    [00:05:52] Ars Nova
    [00:06:10] Dave Malloy
    [00:11:05] “Time Does Not Bring Relief”
    [00:14:42] Adam Guettel
    [00:16:34] How The Great Comet Went From Cabaret to Broadway
    [00:20:11] Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
    [00:22:25] Original Broadway Cast Record of The Great Comet
    [00:26:01] Mimi Lien
    [00:35:55] Octet

    Follow Or
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    • 51 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
15 Ratings

15 Ratings

CarrieS25 ,

Go behind the scenes with Beyond the Lights

I’m a fan of Broadway/theater, and I’m always interested in what goes on behind the scenes—enter Beyond the Lights. This podcast sheds light (ha ha!) on some lesser known—or in my case, totally unknown—aspects of theater. I learn something from each episode and grow more and more excited for regular, live performances to return when the time is safe.

Zvarglbc ,

Perfect for all theater lovers

Every episode not only teaches you about a different aspect/job/role in theater, but also celebrates the heart of each personal, artistic journey.

bwayphan ,

Very fun and insightful!

I miss all aspects of theatre. And this is a great fix for that. You don’t really get to hear about music directors or stage managers and all that they do to make a show run smoothly. So great that these people and these jobs are given a chance to be heard and shine! Can’t wait to hear more and continue to get my theatre fix!

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