Circa Contemporary Circus Launches Podcast PRODUCING HEROES

In a first for the pioneering Australian performing arts company, Circa Contemporary Circus is launching a podcast. In Producing Heroes Circa Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz sits down with some of the producing heroes of the creative world, to capture their extraordinary tales of producing the shows and events that have shaped the 21st Century.

Guests include Stuart Oken, former Executive Vice President of Disney Theatrical and lead producer behind Broadway hits The Lion King and An American in Paris, and David Lan, Artistic Director of London's Young Vic for 18 years.

Producing Heroes will be launched on June 10. Yaron said the podcast is dedicated to creative producers who make the impossible happen. "Every day these intrepid theatrical alchemists harness the energies of artists, hustle opportunities, dream dreams and translate them from ideas into shows," he said.

"They are the drivers of an industry and yet they tend to remain hidden, hiding behind the curtain. Until now.

"Our guests have produced shows that have won 14 Tony Awards, used performing arts to facilitate international diplomacy in China, closed a city so that 1.4 million people could watch giants walk the streets, helped a country heal from genocide by fostering culture, produced on Broadway and the West End, in remote communities and large festivals."

Producing Heroes tells their stories, in their own words. The triumphs and failures, the risks and rewards.

"The glory and the gory all feature in these deeply personal accounts of some of the world's most inspiring creative producers," Yaron said.

Producing Heroes is produced by Circa, hosted by Yaron Lifschitz, Circa's Artistic Director and is aimed at anyone who has ever wondered 'how did they make that happen?'

Launching on June 10, listen to Producing Heroes on Google Play, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

EPISODE 1 SUMMARY AND INFO ON GUEST:

Stuart Oken on courage and resilience, pursuit of vision, tireless problem solving and the moment you realise it just might work.

Our first Producing Hero has journeyed from non-profit theatre in Chicago to feature films in Hollywood and then 10 years as EVP of Disney Theatrical.

"and then I was no longer watching tech, I was watching the opening number of The Lion King, and everyone was weeping as we watched it. And that night we knew, no matter what, that we were going to have a big success, because it was like nothing anyone had ever seen"
- Stuart Oken