Student Blog: “See You at the Parks!”

"See You at the Parks!" A Conversation with Director and Disney Fan David Alpert

If you've read some of my previous articles, you know that I'm both a musical theatre and a Disney fan. I've written articles about Disney movies that should be stage shows, bilingual shows at Disneyland Paris, the fate of Disney's live entertainment during the pandemic, and even Disney attractions that I think could work as musicals! Over the years, I've met many people who are interested in both, but rarely have I met someone who is just as passionate about both (if not more!) than I am. David Alpert is a director of musicals and plays as well as the creator and host of the podcast, "E-Ticket to Broadway," where he talks with Broadway stars about their favorite stories from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and beyond. We actually met at an event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where two Disney animation legends discussed how European art inspired movies like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Beauty and the Beast!

Recently, I had the chance to speak with David about his experience in the theatre world, his off-Broadway directorial debut, and, of course, Disney! From Happy Meal toys to college professors, read on to learn more about how David became the person they are today and how he is contributing to both the theatre world and the Disney community.

David Alpert and the World of Theatre

David was the Associate Director on both If/Then and The Trip to Bountiful. They also have assisted on shows including The Best Man and the revival of Guys & Dolls. But being a director isn't the role that David has played in the theatre world. He also serves as the creative director for Idina Menzel and collaborates with groups like the Broadway Green Alliance and Constellation Immersive. Adding on to this impressive resume, David also is an Adjunct Professor of Acting at New York University (Steinhardt)!

Kat: So how did you first get started in the theatre world?

David: I have always wanted to be a theatre director. In fifth grade, there was even a project of "Get to Know Me" and one of the categories was, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And I said, "I wanted to be a director." And they said, "Oh, Hollywood!" and I said, "No, I want to be a Broadway director." My parents loved theater, and they took us to the theatre a lot. My sisters and I sang show tunes and loved going to the theater. So it always was just part of me and it never felt strange to want to do it. My parents really supported me and encouraged me to do it.

Kat: And so do you remember exactly what it was about directing that stood out to you?

David: I really loved theatre as a whole. I loved the experience as an audience member. I don't think I could narrow down what I loved! I loved being in musicals in the ensemble, I loved designing lights, I loved looking at how things were made. But it ties directly to loving Disneyland so much as a kid that I would love to see how they made things happen. And I think I started thinking about not what the audience was looking at, but about how it was all created, and that was really interesting to me. Even at the age of 10, I thought that was really cool.

Kat: What were some of the steps that you took to become a director?

David: As a kid, I would spend a lot of time not knowing that I was preparing to be a director, ut with a lot of Happy Meal toys on flights to California, I would create little vignettes on my tray table. And it was really cool to be able to turn on the light in the armrest! So I would sit next to my mom and I would put together something, elbow her, and then turn on the light. And then you start to kind of build little shows. Little puppet theatres, little miniatures . . . And while that is happening, I'm listening to show tunes, and I'm seeing shows and starting to think about how they're created. So by the time I was in middle school and high school, I was joining the local theatre company, their education division, some of the mainstage shows, immersing myself in the tech world as well. And then there was a professional equity theater in our hometown where I spent three summers doing stage management, props, and company management. My parents were really good about saying, "If you want to be a director, really learn everything." So that's how by the time I went to college, I had professional experience. And I went to Western Michigan University where they really quickly allowed me to do my own thing, and they supported me in this passion for directing. I worked professionally in college. I did take one summer to go work at Disneyland on Autopia, which was delightful! And then I left college and interned at the Guthrie and did some shows, then I moved to New York. The continual steps I took were to get in the room - To assist, to volunteer on benefits and cabarets to meet people. It was very cool. It continues to be very cool to meet and work with these people that I listen to on albums - Now I get to work with them! Here I am as we're coming out of a pandemic, and I'm in rehearsal for my first off-Broadway play as the director. And it's all coming together and we're having a blast.

Our Brother's Son - An Off-Broadway Debut

David is making his Off-Broadway directorial debut with Our Brother's Son, which is currently in previews and will have its opening on Thursday, May 5th, 2022. As stated on the website, the play's description is: "A family fragments when confronted with a complicated medical crisis, compelling every family member to make an unimaginable personal choice; where to draw the line between family loyalty and self preservation." The cast includes Harrison Chad (Children of Eden, Caroline, or Change, Mame), LeeAnne Hutchison (God Shows Up), Liz Larsen (Damn Yankees, Hairspray, Beautiful), Allen McCullough (The Hairy Ape and Amy and the Orphans), Midori Nakamura (The Tempest), and Dan Sharkey (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, The Bridges of Madison County, Amazing Grace). The play is the New York debut of Charles Gluck and waill play at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center. Tickets for the limited engagement (ending June 24th) can be bought here as well as on TodayTix.

Kat: So this [Our Brother's Son] is the first off-Broadway show you're directing. How did you get involved with it?

David: In 2016, I directed a NYMF show called A Scythe of Time, and our general manager was Lisa Dozier. Around that same time, she was in Florida and found this production called Unlikely Heroes and was very moved by the story. The playwright [Charles Gluck] was interested in bringing it to New York and they met with some directors, then they met with me. And that began our collaboration - Taking that play and working on it for about seven years now, really elevating the story and tightening it. Of course, due to this two-year delay, we've had even more time to really get into the script and bring it to a whole another level.

Kat: And what drew to Our Brother's Son?

David: I'm attracted to the story because it's a juicy family drama about three siblings and how their choices deeply, deeply affect each other. And as one of three siblings, I'm very close with my sibling. My older sister passed away in 2007, which is, of course, very personal to me, and working in the rehearsal room. But I think the story that Charles Gluck has created is so interesting, so complicated, and difficult to untangle. And to watch these characters have to deal with these huge events, with betrayal and resentment, is fascinating to me. And I'm so drawn to this because there are so many moments in the play where something happens, and you look to that character and say, "I don't even know how I would respond to that. How are you going to respond to that?" So it really is a play that makes me think about my life choices and what I would do in certain situations. I always like theater that makes you think, and this one definitely makes me think.

"E-Ticket to Broadway"

Along with directing and his other roles in the theatre world, David also finds time to share his love of Disney with others through "E-Ticket to Broadway," a podcast that they created during the pandemic in 2020. Some of the guests on David's podcast include Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon and Hamilton), James Monroe Igleheart (Aladdin, Memphis, Hamilton), Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid, The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock), and even Idina Menzel (RENT, Wicked, If/Then)!

Kat: How did the E-Ticket to Broadway podcast start?

David: Coincidently, the play that I'm in rehearsals for now was supposed to kick off in March of 2020. And, of course, the play was put on hold. I found myself living with my sister and her family in North Carolina and I had nothing to do. It was suggested to me to do something digital, and the idea of a podcast came up. I thought about things I like to talk about. A former college professor of mine mentioned Disney and podcasts and I said I could gather some Broadway friends and talk about our love of the parks. Broadway and the Disney Parks had shut down at the same time, and those are two sources of such joy and inspiration for many people. To not have that felt very sad amidst the global pandemic, which was a terrible, terrible time. And I thought if I could just bring some joy into people's lives, by not talking about the hard subjects, but by giving people a chance to breathe and close their eyes and think about happy times, it might help people get through those days of isolation. So that's where that all started.

Kat: Had you always thought about combining Disney and Broadway to do something in the future? Or did that just come out of quarantine?

David: My love of theatre, as I said earlier, is tied to Disney so that even when I'm directing shows, there are a few times that I will use Disney Parks imagery or movie references. It's something that is ingrained in most of us that grew up watching Disney movies. So I can say, "I want this moment to feel like Aurora almost touching the spindle." Or, "This needs to feel like we're walking through the portrait hall of the Haunted Mansion." And it's a common vocabulary that my cast and designers will be like, "Oh, I know that!" Both Disney parks and shows are all about making an experience for an audience member that is all-encompassing. Theatre doesn't necessarily - It's not always immersive with theatre like it is in the Disney parks. But there's still this idea of tailoring the lighting and the sound and what you're seeing, hearing, and smelling to really let you live as part of the story. So there's definitely an overlap. I've always dreamed of directing shows for the parks. I know that I've spent my entire career in New York. I'm thrilled to be doing that and I love doing it. But part of me wants to do a Broadway show and then jump over and tell Mickey Mouse to cross downstage left and then come back and work with Pulitzer Prize-winning writers. Because for me, it's about telling a story to an audience. And however I do that is fulfilling to me.

Kat: How did you find people who are interested in both Disney and Broadway? Were surprised to see that there were so many people interested in both?

David: I was the founding artistic director of BroadwayCon and that was my first experience with fandom. I learned quickly that I love theater, I love directing, but Broadway is not my fandom. After the first year, I was so inspired by meeting the fans and watching how 100% committed they were that I went to another one of the conventions called GeekyCon, and there was a panel about Disney parks. I was like, "Oh, I'll be on the panel. That's great!" And being in a room with all of these wonderful people, talking about our love of the Matterhorn versus Expedition Everest, I was like, "Oh, these are my people." And I processed that. Directing is a very singular path when you can be lonely and you walk into a room and you're like, "Oh, I guess we all really like this. And it's cool to like that!" So I knew that there was an overlap. In my 15 years of living in New York, I had met enough people to know that when I would wear a Disney shirt to rehearsal, who would say "Oh, I love Disney!" I distinctly remember in rehearsal for The Best Man revival, Kerry Butler said, "You always wear Mickey Mouse! I love Disney World." Throughout BroadwayCon, throughout working together, I started to meet more people that loved the parks. So the podcast started with just me texting Lesli Margherita and Andrew Barth Feldman and I said that "In our time together, I know that we love the parks." And on a Twitter thread were Lesli, Andrew, Stephanie Styles, and Rachel Zegler. We started talking about how much we love Disney parks, and then it kind of blew up. It was like, oh, and Eric Anderson and Jessica Rush - They worked at the parks. Deedee Magno Hall, of course, was on the Mickey Mouse Club and worked at California Adventure. And then, as I interview Eric and Jess, they say "Oh, you've got to talk to Keala Settle!" And then I talked to Keala and she goes, "You' have to talk to Jessie Mueller." And then, of course, everyone's like when will Idina [Menzel] be on it, and I said, "Oh, that's a good idea. Let me check!" So then Idina was so kind enough to join me for an episode, which really lifted the podcast to new heights. Now, 53 episodes later, you keep hearing more and more and it's really wonderful to hear so many people excited to talk about their passion. That's really exciting to me.

Kat: I have some quickfire questions as well! Favorite Broadway show - Could be a musical or a play.

David: Little Shop of Horrors.

Kat: Dream show to direct?

David: I would love to direct Andrew Lippa's Wild Party.

Kat: Favorite Disney park?

David: Disneyland!

Kat: Favorite Disney attraction?

David: I honestly don't have one. I love Sleeping Beauty Castle. I also love Space Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Big Thunder [Mountain]. And a shout out to Autopia!

Kat: Favorite Disney movie?

David: I think Peter Pan! Tie - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan

Kat: Favorite Disney musical?

David: Let's say Snow White Live at Radio City Music Hall

Kat: Dream Disney Disney movie you'd like to see on Broadway?

David: Let's say Mulan.

David Alpert can be found on Twitter and Instagram. He also has a website where you can learn more about their other projects!