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Acting the Role Discussion: UNCLE VANYA with Tony-winner Reed Birney – play by Anton Chekhov, translation by Annie Baker, at SoHo Rep in 2012

Published November 22, 2022 | Last Updated November 23, 2022 Leave your thoughts »

Reed Birney played Uncle Vanya at SoHo Rep in 2012 in a translation by Annie Baker, with a cast that also included Michael Shannon. He joined us in December 2021 to discuss the character in depth. This episode marks our third installment in our Chekhov series as we focus on Reed playing the role of […]



Filed Under: Discussion, Podcast Tagged With: anton chekhov, character, chekhov, comedy, drama, facebook, new york, q&a, russia, soho rep, uncle vanya, vanya

Ep #28: James Newcomb (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theatre, Shakespeare & Company) on Being Authentic, Career Hang Times, and Readiness

Published May 10, 2022 | Last Updated June 14, 2022 Leave your thoughts »

“I take great pride in the fact that as a profane clergyman in the theater—I think of the theater as a profane church, a place of worship—we honor the human condition, with all of its warts.” ~ James Newcomb Today’s guest started in the theatre at a very young age, felt adrift and wasn’t exactly […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: classical, denver, film, hamlet, new york, regional theatre, richard iii, shakespeare, theatre, workshop

Ep #26: Elizabeth Dennehy (Star Trek, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Guiding Light, and hundreds of commercials) on Being Natural vs. Casual, Propelling the Story Forward, and Saving Your Money

Published March 15, 2022 | Last Updated April 11, 2022 Leave your thoughts »

“I think the biggest mistake people make is playing their given circumstances instead of the characters’ given circumstances. Nick Bottom [in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’] is not trying to do a funny death scene. He thinks he’s going to blow your mind with his tragedy and it’s going to be the most heartbreaking death scene […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: antaeus, father, film, london, macbeth, new york, regional theatre, shakespeare, star trek, teaching, theatre, workshop

Reed Birney on playing the role of Uncle Vanya from Chehov’s play – LIVE Discussion and Q&A on Facebook [Watch the Replay]

Published December 3, 2021 | Last Updated February 28, 2022 Leave your thoughts »

Professional actor Reed Birney joined us LIVE (December 1, 2021) to discuss the character of Uncle Vanya in Chekhov’s play of the same name. Reed played the role in a critically-acclaimed production at Soho Rep in NY in 2012, using a new translation by Annie Baker. Reed has been a working actor for 40+ years, […]



Filed Under: Discussion Tagged With: character, chekhov, comedy, facebook, new york, q&a, role, russia, vanya

Ep #25: Randall Duk Kim and Annie Occhiogrosso (American Players Theatre founders, Shakespeare actors/teachers, Kung Fu Panda, The Matrix, John Wick) on Pursuing Crazy Ideas, Shakespeare’s Clues, and Your Own Discretion

Published February 11, 2020 | Last Updated February 13, 2020 Leave your thoughts »

If you have a dream and you love these plays, don’t let anyone tell you it can’t happen. It will break your back and tear your heart out at times, but if you have that dream, please don’t give up on it because the theatre needs you—we need the people who won’t take “no” for […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: asian, film, first folio, hawaii, new york, producing, regional theatre, repertory, shakespeare, teaching, theatre

Behind the Podcast: Mike Moreno of Actor CEO (Run Your Career Like a Business)

explicit language So don't be surprised!

Published January 21, 2020 | Last Updated November 22, 2020 Leave your thoughts »

“Instead of thinking of yourself as a freelancer, think ‘I am a business that partners with other businesses to tell stories. That’s what I do.’ So when I go into an audition, I’m representing my business, and you think that my business might partner well with your business on this project.”  — Mike Moreno   […]



Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: actors, auditions, brand, business, challenge, explicit, goals, new york, podcast, self-tape, shakespeare, social media

Ep #24: Tony-Winner L. Scott Caldwell (Broadway, Regional Theatre, The Fugitive, Lost, A Million Little Things) on Self-Doubt, Pretending vs. Being, and Meeting Your Destiny

Published January 7, 2020 | Last Updated January 13, 2020 Leave your thoughts »

Scotty in Gem of the Ocean

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, but if you don’t even know the direction you’re going in, the step you’re taking may be away from your ultimate mission or destiny. — L. Scott Caldwell   If you’re looking for what it takes to be an actor long-term, over the course of […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: auditions, august wilson, awards, broadway, california, chicago, film, los angeles, new york, rejection, theatre, tony award, tv, uta hagen

Ep #19: Alan Mandell (The Actor’s Workshop, Waiting for Godot/Endgame, Shortbus) on Samuel Beckett, Theatre Artists, and Always Working

Published April 9, 2019 | Last Updated December 30, 2020 Leave your thoughts »

Know something about lighting design, about set design, about stage management, about writing. The actors get most of the praise—but there are all these other artists. Acting is important and you have to work hard at it, but you’re not working any harder than anyone else. — Alan Mandell   On the show today is Alan […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: beckett, california, canada, classical, directing, endgame, godot, mother courage, new york, prison, radio, san francisco, san quentin, success, theatre, toronto, tv, work

Ep #17: Robert Goldsby (Columbia/ACT/UC Berkeley; Directed 150+ plays, 60+ years in theatre) on the Aliveness of Molière, Clear Transitions, and Being Blissfully Happy

Published February 12, 2019 | Last Updated January 30, 2021 4 Comments - add more!

Plays are intensely personal to the writers—when they write them, they’re imagining something that’s very vivid to them. You have to get into their head and try to find another vividness that’s truthful to the original. I’m all for the playwright; that’s where you go to study. — Robert Goldsby   On the show today is […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: ACT, antaeus, army, berkeley, california, classical, columbia, directing, moliere, new york, san francisco, shakespeare, text work, theatre, war

Ep #13: Tony-Winner Reed Birney (The Humans, Casa Valentina, House of Cards, The Blacklist) on Actor Despair and Roles That Scare You

Published October 9, 2018 | Last Updated October 31, 2019 Leave your thoughts »

Reed Birney

Always tell the truth, but in the most interesting way possible. The range of human experience and expression is vast. There are many ways to react to a situation and still have it be utterly and deeply truthful. — Reed Birney   Welcome back to season 2 and I’m excited to have actor and teacher Reed Birney […]



Filed Under: Episodes, Podcast Tagged With: auditions, awards, broadway, career, confidence, film, new york, persistence, struggle, television, theatre, travel

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UNCLE VANYA Final Session: “Echoes of the Past” – Chekhov – Act 2 – The Rehearsal Room [Video, Audio, and Transcript versions]

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UNCLE VANYA Final Session: “Echoes of the Past” – Chekhov – Act 2 – The Rehearsal Room [Video, Audio, and Transcript versions]

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