Interviews

Little Sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Inside the Cloister of Sister Act with MaryKate Brouillet, Erica Clare, and Rachel Kemp

Interviews October 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

When you’ve got a song worth hearin’ there’s just one thing to do— and these sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre most definitely have a song worth hearing! In the second installment of The Little Sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre series, we’re sitting down with nunsemble members MaryKate Brouillet, Erica Clare, and Rachel Kemp, to find out what it’s like to be a nun in Sister Act.

Thank you ladies for sitting with us!

Little Sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Inside the Cloister of Sister Act with Jane C. Boyle and Lynne Sigler

Interviews October 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody knows that the first rule of singing is to get those rafters ringing! And nobody seems to know that better than the sisters of Sister Act now appearing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre! In a TheatreBloom exclusive series, we go behind the walls of the cloisters and talk chapel with the nuns of the show! First up? Sister Mary Lazarus and Sister Mary Martin of Tours.

Thank you ladies for giving us a moment of your time— if you would just remind the readers who you are,

Halloween Hijinks: An interview with War of the Worlds Directors Craig Coletta and Dave Marcoot

Interviews October 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

With infinite complacency, men go to and fro over this globe about their little affairs— but on November 5, 2016 at exactly 8:00pm, the world as we know it will cease to exist. The aliens have landed (though that may have actually been some five years ago when Yellow Sign Theatre took up residence in the old Zodiac Restaurant…theatre company started on a dare? A likely story…) and they’re recreating a science fiction thriller with their pending production of Orson Welles infamous radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

Tyler Lea and the cast of Curious Incident

A Curious Incident of Interviews in the Daytime: Speaking with Gene Gillette on playing Ed Boone

Interviews October 5, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

After a whirlwind of success on Broadway, featuring five Tony Award wins including the 2015 win for Best Play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has launched its national tour and has landed in Washington DC. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview we take a moment to talk with Gene Gillette, playing the father character of Ed Boone, to hear what the experience with this evocative drama has been like.

Thank you so much for giving us a moment of your morning,

Ritija Gupta, writer and performer of "Charming the Destroyer: Questionable Choices in Search of the Sublime"

Charming The Interviewer: An In-Depth Look at Ritija Gupta’s Charming the Destroyer

Interviews September 22, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Theatre at its most basic is storytelling. The root of all good performance comes from the inherent ability to tell the story in its simplest form. All the whizzbangery and whistles of spectacle that accompany theatrical endeavors are an added bonus, but if you can’t tell a story at its core, you’re wasting everyone’s time including your own. Proving her prowess as an engaging storyteller, performance artist Ritija Gupta has taken a moment to sit with TheatreBloom for an exclusive interview to talk about her current show— Charming the Destroyer: Questionable Choices in the Search for the Sublime— now running as a part of the Mead Theatre Lab Program at Cultural DC.

Let Them Show You How They Cabaret: LiveStreamed Interviews with Kensington Arts Theatre’s Cabaret

Interviews September 20, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!
Fremde, etranger, stranger.
Gluklich zu sehen, je suis enchante,
Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay.

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome

Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!

Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen! TheatreBloom is proud to present the Kensington Arts Theatre cast and crew of Cabaret! In an exclusive never-before-attempted live-stream interview (which was streamed live from the theatre during rehearsal on Tuesday September 20,

Oh What a Night: An Insiders Interview with Daniel Reichard

Interviews September 20, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

They’re the big men in town and they’re coming to town quite soon! The original Jersey Boys all grown up into The Midtown Men are here with TheatreBloom offering up the fourth and final installment in the quartet series featuring Michael Longoria, Christian Hoff, J. Robert Spencer, and as the finale, an exclusive interview with Daniel Reichard.

Thanks for giving us your time! If you’d just give us a quick introduction,

Oh What a Night: An Insiders Interview with J. Robert Spencer

Interviews September 19, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s just too good to be true, can’t take our eyes off these Midtown Men! The readers have been waiting for the third installment in the Oh, What a Night interview tetralogy. Featuring Jersey Boys leading man J. Robert Spencer, we go in-depth about The Midtown Men experience.

Thank you so much for a quick second of your time, if you’ll just introduce yourself, we’ll get started!

Boop-Boop-Be-Do! An Interview with Beth Hylton and her work with Collective Rage

Interviews September 18, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Boop-boop-be-BLAM! Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is opening their 2016/2017 season with an honest-to-God firecracker of a play. Delivering the world premiere of Jen Silverman’s Collective Rage: A Play in Five Boops, Woolly sets the bar high for the rest of the conversationally loaded season with this thunderclap of a theatrical experience. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview we sit down with Beth Hylton, playing Betty Boop 1, and pick her brain on the whole “Boop Experience.”

Hi,

Oh What a Night: An Insiders Interview with Christian Hoff

Interviews September 18, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Unable to take our eyes off these Midtown Men, the readers of TheatreBloom are eager to see what Christian Hoff has to say in part 2 of the “Oh, What a Night!” interview series, featuring four of the original Jersey Boys who now tour the country as The Midtown Men.

Thanks so much for giving us your time today! If you want to give us a quick introduction,

Oh What a Night: An Insiders Interview with Michael Longoria

Interviews September 17, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Oh what a night— it will be in Frederick later this month as four former Jersey Boys bring a fantastic show to The Weinberg Center for the Arts! All grown up, these Broadway boys are now presenting The Midtown Men. Starring four of the originating performers from the Tony Award-Winning Jersey Boys, The Midtown Men is bound to dazzle anyone that loves music from that era.

The Deputy Done It! An Interview with Student Performers Dylan Ngo and Alexis Turbat (and their dads) about The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Interviews September 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

I now swear and record the oath on this page that I nevermore will discuss this mystery with any human creature until I hold the clue to it in my hand! In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we’re getting clues of all sorts to help us solve the mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Symphonic Metal Edition, and just what it’s like for young performers Dylan Ngo and Alexis Turbat to play with the big boys of Landless Theatre Company in their current production of Dickens’ unfinished mystery tale turned musical.

Getting InterAct-ive: An Interview with InterAct Story Theatre’s Artistic Director Ali Oliver-Krueger

Interviews September 10, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

So many of us have great memories of our first outing to the theatre. A musical or a play— perhaps even a play designed specifically for children? InterAct Story Theatre, a local children’s theatre company that specializes in bringing a unique theatrical experience to young audiences, is making memories with their current production of One Gold Coin— Una Moneda De Oro. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we sit down with current Artistic Director Ali Oliver-Krueger,

Scott Burke (left) as Junius Brutus Booth and Alex Hacker (right) as Flynn

Their Kingdom for an Interview: Talking Richard III with Playwright Alex Hacker and Actor Scott Burke

Interviews September 5, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Sin, death, and hell have set their marks on Alex Hacker. The Baltimore-based playwright and actor has is preparing for the world premiere of his newest work, His Majestic Lump of Foul Deformity, debuting with his company The Analogue Players later this month. But the play itself was an accidental response when Hacker hit a creative roadblock to a different work (one still in progress) that at present remains unfinished. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview,

Siobhan O'Loughlin, performance creator of Broken Bone Bathtub

Splish Splash We’re Taking a Bath: An Interview with Bathtub Artist Siobhan O’Loughlin

Interviews September 1, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

How does one decide to make performance art? Where does it come from? And at what point does one say “how about I do this in a bathtub?” In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview with performance artist Siobhan O’Loughlin, currently performing her Broken Bone Bathtub right here in Charm City through Submersive Productions, we sit down and talk one on one about how the world-renowned bathtub show got its start and where it’s going next.

Once More Into the Breach: An Interview with Allison McAlister and Rebecca Speas on Henry V

Interviews August 29, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more! But what if it’s your first time into the breach, like it is for Director Rebecca Speas, who’s taking Henry V out for her first full-length directorial debut? Or you’re newcomer Allison McAlister fresh to the Maryland theatre scene by way of North Carolina and delving into the titular role of the show? In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we sit down with Rebecca and Allison to get an idea of what muses stoke their fire when it comes to the Bard and his great history lesson.

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Justin Calhoun and Christie Graham

Interviews August 24, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

You can’t stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above— you can try to stop the paradise they’re dreaming of— but you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay! You can’t stop the final installment of the You Can’t Stop the Beat interview series, featuring Christie Graham and Justin Calhoun as Tracy Turnblad and Link Larkin! Read on, readers! Because they’re going to shake and shimmy it and have some fun today!

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- David James and Larry Munsey

Interviews August 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Some folks can’t stand it— say time is a bandit— but not these two, because they’re timeless to everyone! Heading into the home stretch of the TheatreBloom “You Can’t Stop the Beat” interview series, we sit down with Toby’s veterans David James and Lawrence B. Munsey who are no strangers to theatre in the round nor to the roles which they’re currently reprising in Hairspray.

Thank you both so much for giving me a quick nugget of your time!

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Andre Hinds and Sophie Schulman

Interviews August 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

They say the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice, and Seaweed J. Stubs is here to run and tell that alongside Miss Penny Lou Pingleton, who has found her blue-eyed soul after meeting Seaweed! Continuing on the You Can’t Stop the Beat interview series, TheatreBloom sits down with Andre Hinds and Sophie Schulman to talk about Seaweed and Penny.

Thank you both for taking a moment and sitting with us! If you could give us a brief introduction of who you are,

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Heather Marie Beck and Gabriella DeLuca

Interviews July 25, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Come on, you Von Tussle’s, go and shake your fanny muscles! Yes they can, yes they can! And they can’t stop the beat as Part 3 of the TheatreBloom interview series “You Can’t Stop the Beat” rolls along to meet Heather Marie Beck and Gabriella DeLuca, playing Velma and Amber Von Tussle.

Thank you, ladies, for having a sit with us! If you’ll give us a quick introduction and background, we’ll get going!

She’s Your Dreamgirl: An Interview with ArtCentric’s Crystal Freeman on playing Effie in Dreamgirls

Interviews July 23, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Your dream is about to come true if you open your eyes to what’s in front of you! And that’s the ArtsCentric production of Dreamgirls now playing at The Motor House in Baltimore’s very own Station North Arts District. Live for one night only— well, one night each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening over the course of eight weekends— they will indeed be your Dreamgirls as only the fine talents of ArtsCentric can be!

Behind the Mask: An Interview with Phantom of the Opera’s Julia Udine & Storm Lineberger

Interviews July 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

In sleep it sang to me, in dreams it came— dream no further for The Phantom of the Opera has arrived at last on the Opera House stage of The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center for a six-week summer engagement. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we have taken a moment to talk with Storm Lineberger and Julia Udine, playing Raoul, Vicomte de Changy and Christine Daae respectively, about the Phantom experience.

Million Dollar Interview: Meet the Infinity Theatre Company Actors of Million Dollar Quartet

Interviews June 24, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody’s got the fever, that is something you all know. Fever isn’t such a new thing. Fever started long time ago! And the fever is spreading like a burning ring of fire! The fever is spreading like great balls of fire! The fever is rocking its way into the Infinity Theatre Company this summer as Million Dollar Quartet sets to open this weekend, now in repertory with Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver.

They’ve Got MOXIE! An Interview with Happenstance Theatre

Interviews June 22, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Those folks have Moxie! And we ain’t talking nerve tonic, kid, though boy oh boy do them Happenstance Theater folks got plenty of nerve! And gumption. And chutzpah! And, well— Moxie! A brand new theatrical collage arrives this summer for the ensemble-based performance company, and if you haven’t already guessed, it’s going by the title of Moxie: A Happenstance Vaudeville. The company has taken their much cherished vintage aesthetic and much celebrated performance nature and steered it in the Vaudevillian direction.

Under the Sea with CCP: Meet Joseph Mannherz playing King Triton

Interviews June 19, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

…where Triton is King! And the Merpeople sing! In mysterious fathoms below! Plunging into the third part of “Under the Sea with CCP” as opening weekend rests upon us, TheatreBloom sits down with Joseph Mannherz to discover what it’s like to play the almighty ruler of the sea in this fun-filled Disney musical.

Thank you for taking a moment of your time to sit with us! If you’d give us a little introduction,

Under the Sea with CCP: Meet Logan Dubel Playing Flounder

Interviews June 15, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Down here all the fish are happy, as aft through the waves they roll! The fish at Charm City Players’ production of The Little Mermaid have no troubles and life is de bubbles under the sea! Diving into Part 2 of the TheatreBloom exclusive interview series we sit down with one very special fish— Flounder— played by Logan Dubel, and talk all about his experience as the yellow and blue striped guppy.

Thanks for sitting with us,

Under the Sea with CCP: Meet B. Thomas Rinaldi playing Chef Louis

Interviews June 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue, and it’s hey— to the starboard, heave-ho! Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below! Come delve the depths of the fathoms below as TheatreBloom goes on an exclusive interview journey not quite 20,000 leagues under the sea, but rather goes “Under the Sea with CCP.” Exploring the principal cast of Charm City Player’s current production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid,

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Samantha McEwen Deininger and Renata Hammond

Interviews June 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

You can try to stop the seasons, hon, but you know you never will! As the season of summer gets hot underway in Baltimore, Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia sets to open their production of Hairspray. Entering the second part of the “You Can’t Stop the Beat” interview series, TheatreBloom sits down with two of the show’s Dynamites, Samantha McEwen Deininger and Renata Hammond, for a chitchat about the production and just what it’s been like to be a part of the show.

On Holiday! An Interview with an American Idiot, or The Director Thereof at Milburn Stone Theatre

Interviews June 11, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Don’t want to be an American Idiot? Then you’re going to have to travel up to Milburn Stone Theatre to see their visceral production of Green Day’s American Idiot. But before you do, we’ll put you in the know and keep you informed by presenting you with a TheatreBloom exclusive interview with the show’s Director Lance Bankerd. Hear what Lance has to say regarding the production and what it means to today’s audiences.

MET Marches On: An Interview with Artistic Director Tad Janes about the 2016/2017 Season at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Interviews June 8, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s that time of year when all the theatres start making their big announcements for what’s coming to their stages in future seasons! After a roaring successful season of new works, fun shows, area premieres, and much, much more, the Maryland Ensemble Theatre is ready to roll straight into their 2016-2017 season. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we’ve sat down with Artistic Director Tad Janes to talk about the company’s rich history, how they continue to fight the good fight of professional theatre in Frederick and what’s next for them as the new season gets underway.