Out of the Rehearsal Hall

In this episode of Out of the Rehearsal Hall, we welcome you to an audio prologue for Qui Nguyen's Vietgone. Before COVID disrupted our lives, audiences would arrive early to Geva productions to hear a presentation about the show they were about to see. Since we can't do that in person right now, we're thrilled to offer this version! Hear an excerpt of an interview with Rochester resident Ginny Nguyen, who left Vietnam with her family in 1975. And then the director and cast of Vietgone introduce themselves and talk about the play. And join us at the theatre soon for Vietgone!

In this episode, we talk with director, deviser and dance dramaturg, Daniel Banks about socio-political awakenings, storytelling traditions and innovations, justice and spirituality and the work that breaks your heart open, makes you want to create something new, and inspires dialogue and healing. Associate Artistic Director and Director of Engagement Pirronne Yousefzadeh co-hosts.

Christopher Rivas is an incredible storyteller in any medium, and in this episode, he talks about the climate crisis and the beauty of this world, Porfirio Rubirosa (inspiration for James Bond) and just how vital it is to see people who look like you in stories that inspire you, and the power of telling stories from the heart. Geva's company manager Angela Giuseppetti co-hosts.

In this episode, Esther Winter, creative producer for Recognition Radio, and Jenni Werner talk with sound designers David K. Samba and Justin Ellington about jazz music, the nature of collaboration, sound design and composition as an out of body experience, and how we’re all sound designers at heart, even if we don’t know it yet.

Recognition Radio's Creative Producer Esther Winter joins Jenni Werner for a conversation with sound designers Christie Chiles Twillie and Larry Fowler. Join us for a great conversation about how sound designers build worlds onstage, and how their work has become even more pivotal with more and more theatrical work living only online. And, a special bonus, a handful of dogs make accidental guest appearances, which a sound designer might have placed slightly differently!

In the first episode of season two, Jenni Werner is joined by co-host Esther Winter, creative producer for Geva's Recognition Radio Festival - an audio play festival celebrating Black stories - to talk about the festival and Esther's many roles in the Rochester-area arts community. And then guest Professor Sonja D. Williams, author of Word Warrior: Richard Durham, Radio and Freedom to talk about the pioneering writer and producer of radio's first Black radio dramas. Join us for a conversation about radio history, Durham's script writing (the good and the bad), innovative artistic choices, missed deadlines and incredible impact.

In this episode, Jenni is joined by Geva's former stage operations manager Carolyn Pike for a conversation with actor Madeleine Lambert. Carolyn and Jenni talk about just what a stage operations manager does, and a particularly memorable - and unexpected - onstage appearance. And then Madeleine joins us and we discuss her favorite running shoe, how marathons and performance are related, what it is like to play Susan B. Anthony,  and the power of good stories.

This episode features Jen Cody, truly one of the funniest actors around. We talk about how fate played a role in her becoming a professional actor, how she discovered her gift for comedy, how Actors Equity Association is working to address the current crisis, and how much joy there is to be found in online workout videos. (Also, Jen tells her late father's favorite joke.) Geva's executive director Chris Mannelli co-hosts, and we illustrate the importance of timing.

In this episode, playwright and TV writer Dipika Guha (Yoga Play) talks about her international childhood, how learning you are a playwright might be "bad news," the snacks in a TV writers room, and women who've changed the world. Fran Da Silveira, Geva's assistant literary director and a playwright herself, co-hosts, and we talk about two people who changed our lives.

We talk with poet-playwright-composer-performer Brian Quijada about how looping has impacted his life and work, snooping parents and teenage love letters, and the happy accident of choosing a college program that puts your career on an exciting path. Brian shares with us a mashup he created, and we talk about what's on the horizon. Geva's company manager Angela Giuseppetti co-hosts, and talks about how working for the wardrobe department prepares one to become a company manager and shares what happened when Geva made the decision to cancel shows and postpone rehearsals.

We talk with Looks Like Pretty playwright Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder about being a Southern storyteller, bourbon happy hours, her 105-year old grandmother, and her next project. Geva's Associate Director of Education, Lara Rhyner, co-hosts, and shares what the education department has in store for students and educators this spring and summer.

In this inaugural episode of Out of the Rehearsal Hall, Geva's Literary Director Jenni Werner and Associate Artistic Director/Director of Community Engagement talk to Shelley Butler about her work as a director in non-profit and commercial theatre, working in Japan, a surprising RV trip across the country, and finding hope for what comes next.