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Somewhere in this season’s rep is an actor who can convincingly unravel with jealousy as a king in The Winter’s Tale, then turn around a few nights later and play one of the goofiest supporting roles in all of Shakespeare. Finding that actor, before anyone else even knows he’s the answer, is the job of Bob Mason, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s casting director. Bob talks about growing up in a small town in southwestern New York, a college acting class that hooked him on Shakespeare’s language, and fifteen years acting in Chicago before a former classmate talked him into casting instead. He explains how casting has changed since the pandemic, what it’s like working with Edward Hall’s very specific audition process, and the particular puzzle of casting a true repertory production for the first time: a single company of actors who all need to work in two different plays, with their own doubled pairings and tonal shifts to balance. Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In both The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream, it snows on stage. That's a small piece of a much bigger puzzle for Wendy Stark Prey, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's director of production. Her job is to take everyone else's vision and figure out how to build it, night after night, without anyone slipping on stage. Wendy talks about how she got into theater almost by accident, through speech and debate club, and how a costume background led her to run one of the largest costume shops in the country before eventually landing in production management. She explains how LED screens and projections are changing what's possible on stage, and why newer technology doesn't always mean a better show. She also covers the specific headaches of a theater that sits on Navy Pier, right on the lake, from HVAC systems that can ruin a scene to a live flame effect that needed sign-off from the Chicago Fire Department. And she breaks down the real puzzle of this season: two plays, one set, one cast, and two production teams who each see it a little differently. Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edward Hall is the artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and this fall he's directing two Shakespeare plays at the same time with the same company of actors. He has no directing degree. He learned the job by doing it. Edward tells the story of how he got here: acting at university in Leeds, drama school in North London, and borrowing about fifteen hundred pounds to take a new play to Edinburgh. His big break came at a small theater outside London, where he was handed Othello, and that led to Propeller, the company he ran for twenty years. Along the way we get a Henry V that took the audience outside to invade France, complete with a real horse. He also talks about directing radio, television, and video games, why Shakespeare should be treated as a modern writer and not a museum piece, what it's like to put "the punk next to the pinstripe" on Chicago's stages, and what he hopes audiences take home from A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale. Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is turning 40, and this fall it's doing something it has never done before: staging two Shakespeare plays at once, with the same company of 14 actors. A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale will run in repertory, and someone has to make the calendar work. That someone is Kimberly Motes, executive director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She started the job in October 2023. In this episode, Kimberly explains how she went from high school theater kid to Kennedy Center intern to running one of Chicago's biggest stages. She also covers how a season gets planned, why her job is a lot like running a ballpark, and what it takes to keep about 440 people on the payroll and one very ambitious double-header on track. Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater discusses the process involved in putting together a production, including the yearly production of The Nutcracker. Plus, Dancer Amanda Assucena shares the process she goes through to prepare for The Nutcracker each Christmas. Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ellie Cotey discusses the path she took to become the Costume Manager for the Joffrey Ballet and what goes into putting together costumes for The Nutcracker every Christmas. Plus, Music Director Scott Speck talks about juggling multiple projects and the role music plays in bringing the production to life. Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greg Cameron, the President and CEO at The Joffrey Ballet reflects on how much it means to be peforming The Nutcracker again after a year off thanks to COVID. Meanwhile, for Director of Production Cody Chen, the move to a new venue has presented new challenges and opportunities. Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sondra Radvanovsky talks about how she prepared for the role of Lady Macbeth and the long road back to the stage after the world shut down, including her own COVID diagnosis. Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suzanne Kszastowski has been a soprano in the Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2009. As opening night approaches, Suzanne shares her experience as a member of the chorus. Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago has finally reached the point where actors will actually take the stage and start working. That’s where Ben Bell Bern and the Rehearsal Department come into the picture and make sure everyone is where they need to be. Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago has finally reached the point where actors will actually take the stage and start working. That’s where Ben Bell Bern and the Rehearsal Department come into the picture and make sure everyone is where they need to be. Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Smallwood, Technical Director for the Lyric Opera of Chicago talked about his piece of the production puzzle and the Herculean effort involved in creating sets for a production like Macbeth Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Verdi’s Macbeth is not only Lyric Opera of Chicago’s comeback from COVID, but it also marks the official start of Enrique Mazzola's tenure as Music Director. It’s a position that is critical to the success of any production, especially the first live performance with an audience in a year and a half. Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that the Lyric Opera has decided on Macbeth as their production for September 2021 and they've finished casting (and re-casted), now it's time to bring in the people who will inhabit the world of Macbeth. That's where Michael Black, the Chorus Master at Lyric Opera of Chicago comes into the process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that Lyric Opera has decided on bringing Macbeth to the stage in September 2021, it’s time to figure out who will be on that stage. That’s where Andreas Melinat the Vice President of Artistic Planning comes into the picture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.