Atw - Downstage Center

Versatile leading man Raúl Esparza explains why he's taken on a light musical like "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" after a strong of dark and tormented roles, and recalls earlier performances, including taking on roles as the authors' alter egos in works like "The Normal Heart" and "Tick...Tick...Boom". Original airdate - April 22, 2005

Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler and castmate Sarah Saltzberg track the creation of the hit musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", and the many fortunate meetings that made the musical possible - from the high school links to their college friendship to performing the non-musical "Crepuscule" in a condemned theater on the Lower East Side to the best payoff to any child care job in theatre history. Original airdate - August 12, 2005

Producer Robyn Goodman discusses her role in the creation of the musicals "Avenue Q" and "Altar Boyz", talks about her transition from running the not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre to the commercial arena, and the many considerations that go into producing revivals, including the recent "Steel Magnolias" and the upcoming "Barefoot In The Park". Original airdate - August 5, 2005

Terrence Mann talks about the development of the musical "Lennon", including what it's like to speak the words of John Lennon with Yoko Ono only 20 feet away, as well as his experience creating roles in the original Broadway productions of "Cats", "Les Miserables" and "Beauty and the Beast". Original airdate - July 29, 2005

Prolific playwright A.R. Gurney discusses his recent turn into political playwriting ("O Jerusalem", "Mrs. Farnsworth", "Screen Play"), how he developed his career while keeping a "day job" for more than 20 years -- teaching humanities to aspiring engineers and scientists at M.I.T., and why one of America's most popular playwrights has taken to premiering his new plays in a tiny theatre Off-Off-Broadway. Original airdate - July 22, 2005

Broadway Producer Arielle Tepper ("Spamalot", "The Pillowman") talks about complexity of mounting her labor of love, New York's Summer Play Festival, now in its second season of introducing new plays by new writers. Original airdate - July 8, 2005

Lynn Redgrave talks about life as part of one of the great theatrical dynasties -- including the challenging experience of acting with one's relatives, her drive to commemorate her family through her own work as a playwright ("Shakespeare for My Father", "The Mandrake Root"), and her current role in the revival of "The Constant Wife". Original airdate - July 15, 2005

New blog offering Downstage Center podcasts. The American Theatre Wing, in association with XM Satellite Radio, presents "Downstage Center" a weekly theatrical interview show, featuring the top artists working in theatre, both on and Off-Broadway and around the country. The interviews are conducted by Howard Sherman, the Executive Director of The American Theatre Wing and John von Soosten of XM Satellite Radio. This episode (#51) features Leslie Uggams, currently on Broadway in "On Golden Pond". She discusses her career, from working as a singer in some of America's best known nightclubs to starring on Broadway opposite James Earl Jones. Original air date - April 29, 2005

This week Barbara Cook (currently in "Tribute" at the Cafe Carlyle), visits "Downstage Center" to talk about her five decade career - from intimate cabarets to the Broadway stage; the people she has met and a lot more. Original air date - May 6, 2005.

Tony Award nominated actor (Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, "Spamalot"), Tim Curry, discusses his wide-ranging career; from "Hair" on the West End to King Arthur in "Spamalot" on Broadway; with a stop along the way for the film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Original air date - May 13, 2005.

The Tony Award winning actress (Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, "Thoroughly Modern Millie") and current nominee (same category, "Little Women"), Sutton Foster, talks about many of her roles including the most recent, Jo in "Little Women", and the title role in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on Broadway. Original air date - May 20, 2005

The Tony Award nominee (Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, "The Light in the Piazza") Victoria Clark, describes the trip that she took with "A Light In The Piazza" from a small workshop to Tony-nominated Broadway musical at Lincoln Center. Original sir date - May 27, 2005.

Yet another Tony Award winner (Best Performance by an Actress in a Play, "The Heiress") who is nominated again this year (Best Performance by an Actress in a Play, "Doubt"), Cherry Jones, talks with "Downstage Center" about her voyage from a small town in Tennessee to Broadway stage, film and TV screens. Original air date - June 3, 2005

Alan Ayckbourn, who is back in the United States for the US premiere of his newest play, "Private Fears in Public Places", joins the hosts of "Downstage Center" to talk about how he approaches being an author and director. Original airdate - June 10, 2005

Tony Award winning actor ("The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby"), Roger Rees, joins "Downstage Center" to talk acting in the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as on Broadway, and about his newest "role" - as Artistic Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Original airdate - June 17, 2005

Denis O'Hare, Tony Award winning actor from "Take Me Out", and currently starring in the Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity", shares his thoughts on working in both plays and musicals - and what draws him to a particular project. Original airdate - June 24, 2005

Bill Irwin, details his journey from being a clown in a San Francisco troupe to winning a Tony Award for starring opposite Kathleen Turner in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Original airdate - July 1, 2005