Looking for Theatre Podcasts that are NOT about musicals

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 10:36am

Hey all, I just started getting into podcasts recently, but I've been hesitant to start any theatre-related podcasts because it seems like all the ones that come up are related to musicals and/or are very Broadway-centric. And that's just not what I'm looking for in a theatre podcast.

Does anyone have any recommendations for podcasts that focus more on plays and/or Off-Broadway and/or theatre history? It can either be interviews with artists or other kinds of discussion-based podcasts. I also enjoy following the London theatre scene, so that's a potential area of interest as well.  

Thanks! 

[raddersons]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 10:47am

JBroadway said: "Hey all, I just started getting into podcasts recently, but I've been hesitant to start any theatre-related podcasts because it seems like all the ones that come up are related to musicals and/or are very Broadway-centric. And that's just not what I'm looking for in a theatre podcast.

Does anyone have any recommendations for podcasts that focus more on plays and/or Off-Broadway and/or theatre history? It can either be interviews with artists or other kinds of discussion-based podcasts. I also enjoy following the London theatre scene, so that's a potential area of interest as well.

Thanks!"

3 On The Aisle -- sometimes their conversations are very broadway-centric, but they typically tie it into larger themes in theater throughout the country. It's less "These are the broadway shows I love!" and more "How is the theater-scape changing through the country"

[jbird5]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 11:02am

Maxamoo is a diverse bunch of theater connected millennials who tend to focus more on the off Broadway scene. Broadway Radio also has some short features on weekends that often are focused on plays.

[Harriet Craig]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 7:13pm

Public Square (the Public Theater)

Live at the Lortel (interviews, conducted live at the Lortel, with people involved in the theater in various capacities; the one I listened to most recently was with John Benjamin Hickey, but they have also done interviews with, among others, Rebecca Taichman, Richard Nelson, and John Doyle)

Shakespeare Unlimited (podcast of the Folger Shakespeare Library; obviously Shakespeare-centric, often interviews with people who have written books about Shakespeare)

[whatdoesntkillme]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 9:58pm

The Context is a great podcast about dramaturgy

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 10:11pm

Love it! Thanks folks! Keep ‘em coming if you have them!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 10:52pm

I’ve listened to a lot of The Compass, in which the host interviews other struggling actors (not famous Broadway people). It can be kind of depressing, but is much more “real” than the more publicity-oriented ones.

Downstage Center is an oldie but a goodie with lots of theater legends of all kinds.

[PlayingOnAir2]

Posted: 3/9/20 at 12:42pm

If you're interested in actual *short plays* via podcasts, not just interviews with artists, Playing On Air is great: http://bit.ly/PlayingOnAir

 

Our archive has short plays-- from Lynn Nottage, David Ives, Jesse Eisenberg, Lily Akerman, and others-- with a ton of brilliant actors. Plus they're a) free, b) not based in NYC (because it's a podcast), c) often short enough to get through a show over your commute!

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 3/9/20 at 12:45pm

Playing on Air, do you accept submissions from emerging playwrights?

[FranklinDickson2018]

Posted: 3/9/20 at 2:07pm

This series of podcasts is very much about history and also includes individual artists.

Maybe it is what you are looking for?  they tend to focus on people, composers, and then individual shows . A very entertaining series. 

 

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/behind-the-curtain-broadways-living-legends

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 10:52pm

They haven't had an episode in a while and it's always been very sporadic but I enjoyed the OHenry Report a lot, which talks about the business aspect of Broadway and putting on shows.  While it is mostly Broadway-centric, it doesn't necessarily talk about specific shows, but more of things like casting and finances if that's something you're interested in.

[Mm882]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 7:16am

A Balancing Act- Actress Analisa Leaming interviews everyone from Rebecca Luker to Sierra Boggess to Rob McClure.

“A Balancing Act challenges the idea of the "struggling artist." Through conscious conversations with brilliant creatives, you will learn the insights, how-tos, and strategies to create that BIG, rich, beautiful life you desire (independent of your agent, union status, and résumé!).”

Posted: 3/11/20 at 12:15pm

Page to Stage: A Conversation with Theatre Makers is a theatre podcast that doesn't focus on solely Broadway or solely musicals. Their mission is to pull back the curtain to reveal an artist's process while creating theatre and often their guests are folks in the theatre industry we don't get to hear from. Producers, Dramaturgs, Stage Managers...etc. They have a fair share of different professions in the industry. BPN.fm/pagetostage 

Updated On: 3/11/20 at 12:15 PM

[cougarnewtin]

Posted: 3/11/20 at 12:24pm

I can’t recommend the No Script podcast enough! Two guys (and sometimes a guest) discuss a different play script each week. It’s insightful, but the conversations themselves are very informal, entertaining, and easy to follow.

[bwayjulia]

Posted: 3/12/20 at 12:45pm

My favorite is The Backdrop, which is an NPR-style podcast about theatre.  It's really well written and edited, I find it to be a higher quality than most of the ones that are only gab and gossip.  The host is a former writer for Jon Stewart and President Obama so I guess it makes sense that it well produced and the conversation is intelligent! 

I also like Putting it Together, which is more of an industry-focused one. I find the host to be engaging and knowledgeable and I like hearing about off-stage business. The one drawback is that he only publishes around one per month and I go through podcasts quite a bit so I wish there were more. 

Variety's Stagecraft is hosted by critic Gordon Cox.  In all honesty, I don't find him to be a super engaging host but he gets great guests and he is a journalist so the questions are good but I wish he was more upbeat. The later episodes are better so I guess maybe these podcasters get more comfortable as they do more? But as far as access to artists, he definitely has it (maybe because it is from Variety.)

I also second the Lortel podcast that someone has already posted about.

[patrickj88]

Posted: 3/12/20 at 7:35pm

One of the best theater podcasts out there is Behind The Curtain: Broadways Living Legends with hosts Rob Schneider and Kevin David Thomas. These guys are fantastic and what's  great, is that they have about 400 podcasts in the can so you can go back and listen to all these legends of Broadway (many of which are now gone). Now, they are taking a bit of a sabbatical until the fall, but its so worth going back and listening to what they've already done. Can't recommend it enough.

And of course, Three on the Aisle is equally as great. Three of Broadways finest critics and their insight to Broadway and theatre in America