Best Performing Arts Podcasts (2024)

1
Ashawnta Jackson, "Soul-Folk" (Bloomsbury, 2024) 1:10:55

17m ago1:10:55

1:10:55

Folk music of the 1960s and 1970s was a genre that was always shifting and expanding, yet somehow never found room for so many. In the sounds of soul-folk, Black artists like Terry Callier and Linda Lewis began to reclaim their space in the genre, and use it to bring their own traditions to light- the jazz, the blues, the field hollers, the spiritu…

1
28. Are You Accidentally Holding Your Breath? Change This One Thing for a More Powerful Singing Voice 18:54

18h ago18:54

18:54

Do you find that you are accidentally holding your breath throughout the day? Do you find yourself loosing your singing or speaking voice sometimes, or have less power than you used to? Your unintentional shallow breathing might be causing the diaphragm’s path to be shortened, and your pressure system and support system not working as it should. I …

1
Broadway's Dan Rosales - Insights for Navigating the Performing Arts - Part 2 32:03

9d ago32:03

32:03

Welcome to "Making It Happen: A Career in the Performing Arts," where we dive deep into the journey of breaking into the performing arts industry. In this episode, Leesa Csolak sits down with Broadway talent Dan Rosales to discuss the realities behind the scenes, the importance of resilience, and the value of relationships in the industry. Dan shar…

1
Peter C. Kunze, "Staging a Comeback: Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Renaissance" (Rutgers UP, 2023) 1:08:52

17m ago1:08:52

1:08:52

In the early 1980s, Walt Disney Productions was struggling, largely bolstered by the success of its theme parks. Within fifteen years, however, it had become one of the most powerful entertainment conglomerates in the world. Staging a Comeback: Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Renaissance (Rutgers University Press, 2023) by Dr. Peter Kunze argue…

1
Brad Balukjian, "The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Wrestlemania" (Hachette, 2024) 1:01:45

1h ago1:01:45

1:01:45

In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian’s life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search…

1
Ora Horn Prouser et al., "Under One Tent: Circus, Judaism, and Bible" (Ben Yehuda Press, 2023) 1:03:48

1h ago1:03:48

1:03:48

The study of Jewish text, over two millennia, has traditionally taken place in the Bet Midrash (the communal study hall), sitting at a table or desk. Studying the Bible has been a project of thinking, talking, contemplative reflection, and debate. There are other ways. Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, Cantor Michael Kasper, and circus artist and choreographer…

1
Aviva Dove-Viebahn, "There She Goes Again: Gender, Power, and Knowledge in Contemporary Film and Television Franchises" (Rutgers UP, 2023) 1:05:55

2h ago1:05:55

1:05:55

There She Goes Again: Gender, Power, and Knowledge in Contemporary Film and Television Franchises (Rutgers UP, 2023) interrogates the representation of ostensibly powerful women in transmedia franchises, examining how presumed feminine traits—love, empathy, altruism, diplomacy—are alternately lauded and repudiated as possibilities for effecting lon…

1
27. Victory Through Redefinition: Solve Your Problem by Changing the Question 22:24

1d ago22:24

22:24

Do you have a problem or circumstance that seems like its at an impasse? Solve your problem by changing the question! I call this "Victory Through Redefinition." I'll teach you how to examine both the question and the potential answer to challenge the "should be's" or the way things usually are. As an example, let's take a look at the challenge you…

1
John Withington, "A History of Fireworks from: Their Origins to the Present Day" (Reaktion, 2024) 1:00:01

4d ago1:00:01

1:00:01

A History of Fireworks from: Their Origins to the Present Day (Reaktion, 2024) by John Withington illuminates the glittering history of fireworks, from their mysterious beginnings to the dazzling big-budget displays of today. It describes how they enthralled the world’s royal courts and became a sensation across the British Empire. There are storie…

1
Natalie Wall, "Black Expression and White Generosity: A Theoretical Framework of Race" (Emerald Publishing, 2024) 58:03

2d ago58:03

58:03

In Black Expression and White Generosity: A Theoretical Framework of Race (Emerald Publishing, 2024), Dr. Natalie Wall takes readers on a journey through the tropes and narratives of white generosity, from the onset of the African slave trade to contemporary efforts to ridicule and undermine the “woke agenda.” She offers a theoretical framework for…

1
Kristina Kolbe, "The Sound of Difference: Race, Class and the Politics of 'Diversity' in Classical Music" (Manchester UP, 2024) 42:49

4d ago42:49

42:49

What is the future of classical music? In The Sound of Difference: Race, Class and the Politics of 'Diversity' in Classical Music (Manchester UP, 2024), Kristina Kolbe, an assistant professor of Sociology of Arts and Culture in the School of History, Culture and Communication at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, explores how the genre is seeking to…

1
Serena Laiena, "The Theatre Couple in Early Modern Italy: Self-Fashioning and Mutual Marketing" (U Delaware Press, 2023) 47:00

14d ago47:00

47:00

Serena Laiena joins Jana Byars to talk about her new book, The Theater Couple in Early Modern Italy: Self-Fashioning and Mutual Marketing (University of Delaware Press, 2023). Who were the first celebrity couples? How was their success forged? Which forces influenced their self-fashioning and marketing strategies? These questions are at the core of…

1
26. No Time to Sing? 4 Ideas to Incorporate Singing into the Events of Your Day 9:47

8d ago9:47

9:47

Are you wishing that you had more time to sing, but can’t find any time for it in your schedule? Here’s some quick ideas you can use to bring singing into some of the things you’re already doing! Plus, you’ll find yourself connecting with others at the same time, and start to singing as less of a chore, and more of a joy!! // Contact: hello@sarahto…

1
Lynne B. Sagalyn, "Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change" (MIT Press, 2023) 1:01:07

9d ago1:01:07

1:01:07

What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Squ…

1
Konrad Bercovici, "The Algonquin Round Table: 25 Years with the Legends Who Lunch" (SUNY Press, 2024) 45:06

11d ago45:06

45:06

Konrad Bercovici's The Algonquin Round Table: 25 Years With the Legends Who Lunch (SUNY Press, 2024) is a previously unpublished manuscript exploring the rich history of a New York City landmark. Located in New York's theatre district, the Algonquin Hotel became an artistic hub for the city and a landmark in America's cultural life. It was a meetin…

1
25. A Dangerous Prayer to Fuel Hunger for God for Singers in the Performing Arts 26:24

14d ago26:24

26:24

Do you have a desire to see God's direction in your life? To start to see clear solutions for problems you're facing in your life? Maybe you wish you could spend time with God, without feeling like you're just going through the motions. Do you wish you could see more fruit of his presence in your life? If you're looking for a change, you might be r…

1
Francesco Lotoro, "The Lost Music of the Holocaust: Bringing the Music of the Camps to the Ears of the World at Last" (Headline, 2024) 1:31:55

25d ago1:31:55

1:31:55

Scores sewn into coat linings, instruments hidden in suitcases, sheet music stashed among dirty laundry, concertos written on discarded food wrappers - these are just some of the ingenious ways prisoners in civilian, political and military captivity from 1933 to 1953 protected their music in the darkest of times. Italian pianist and composer France…

1
Jane Little Botkin, "The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen" (She Writes Press, 2024) 39:41

15d ago39:41

39:41

Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn’t have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso’s Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty”—just as the 1970’s counterculture movement began to take off. A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex cr…

1
Emily Carman, "Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System" (U Texas Press, 2016) 1:15:08

19d ago1:15:08

1:15:08

During the heyday of Hollywood’s studio system, stars were carefully cultivated and promoted, but at the price of their independence. This familiar narrative of Hollywood stardom receives a long-overdue shakeup in Emily Carman’s new book. Far from passive victims of coercive seven-year contracts, a number of classic Hollywood’s best-known actresses…

1
Dan Rosales - His Journey to The Great Gatsby, Broadway 38:08

16d ago38:08

38:08

Welcome to "Making It Happen, a Career in the Performing Arts," where we discuss how to break into the performing arts industry for yourself or your child, teen, or young adult. Join host Leesa Csolak as she chats with professionals passionate about helping talented individuals land professional representation and have successful careers in the art…

1
Lucy Weir, "Performance, Masculinity, and Self-Injury" (Routledge, 2024) 40:24

22d ago40:24

40:24

Can self-harm be art? In Performance, Masculinity, and Self-Injury (Routledge, 2024), Lucy Weir, a Reader in History of Art at the University of Edinburgh rethinks the recent history of performance to understand the ‘injurious turn’ in contemporary live art. The book challenges the usual associations between self-harm and gender by exploring the wo…

1
Sheri Chinen Biesen, "Through a Noir Lens: Adapting Film Noir Visual Style" (Columbia UP, 2024) 1:06:25

25d ago1:06:25

1:06:25

Shadows. Smoke. Dark alleys. Rain-slicked city streets. These are iconic elements of film noir visual style. Long after its 1940s heyday, noir hallmarks continue to appear in a variety of new media forms and styles. What has made the noir aesthetic at once enduring and adaptable? Sheri Chinen Biesen's Through a Noir Lens: Adapting Film Noir Visual …

1
24. Do You WANT to Be Well? 2 Mindset Shifts You Need for Embracing Healing as a Performing Artist 18:38

22d ago18:38

18:38

Are you longing to see the circumstances of your life change? Maybe you're afraid to move out of your current state, because atleast its something that's familiar. Perhaps you feel that you deserve the pain you feel, or that you're being punished. You might even feel nothing in your life will ever change! I invite you to listen to these two truths …

1
Salma Siddique, "Evacuee Cinema: Bombay and Lahore in Partition Transit, 1940–1960" (Cambridge UP, 2022) 1:06:15

29d ago1:06:15

1:06:15

Evacuee Cinema: Bombay and Lahore in Partition Transit, 1940–1960 (Cambridge UP, 2022) offers a new history of the partition. Based on previously unexamined archives and rare films, it investigates key questions around film production, partition and the provenance of the nation in South Asia: How did partition transform the dynamic and transcultura…

1
Grant Olwage, "Paul Robeson's Voices" (Oxford UP, 2023) 1:38:18

1M ago1:38:18

1:38:18

Paul Robeson's Voices (Oxford UP, 2023) is a meditation on Robeson's singing, a study of the artist's life in song. Music historian Grant Olwage examines Robeson's voice as it exists in two broad and intersecting domains: as sound object and sounding gesture, specifically how it was fashioned in the contexts of singing practices, in recital, concer…

1
Jennifer L. Lambe, "The Subject of Revolution: Between Political and Popular Culture in Cuba" (UNC Press, 2024) 1:00:44

1M ago1:00:44

1:00:44

From television to travel bans, geopolitics to popular dance, The Subject of Revolution: Between Political and Popular Culture in Cuba (UNC Press, 2024) explores how knowledge about the 1959 Cuban Revolution was produced and how the Revolution in turn shaped new worldviews. Drawing on sources from over twenty archives as well as film, music, theate…

1
23. Sinking Feeling of Fear? Surround Yourself with This Psalm to Receive God’s Peace 12:21

30d ago12:21

12:21

Are you finding yourself in a place of fear? Listen in to allow the words of Psalm 91 wash over you. Replace your fear with the peace and presence of God! Place yourself under God’s shadow and protection! How? Give him your fear. Look to him instead of looking at your problem or your fear. Put your thoughts on him, instead of your fear. Trust that …

1
Steve Jones, "The Metamodern Slasher Film" (Edinburgh UP, 2024) 1:04:28

1M ago1:04:28

1:04:28

It is commonly proposed that since the mid-2000s, the slasher subgenre has been dominated by unoriginal remakes of "classics". Consequently, most original slasher films have been ignored by academics (and critics), leaving the field with a limited understanding of this highly popular subgenre. The Metamodern Slasher Film (Edinburgh UP, 2024) correc…

1
Kevin Csolak - From Broadway to Hollywood, The Outsiders & More 42:23

1M ago42:23

42:23

Join host Leesa Csolak in this exciting episode of "Making It Happen, A Career in the Performing Arts" as she chats with Kevin Csolak, a cast member of the Tony Award-winning show "The Outsiders." Recorded at the iconic Bernard B. Jacobs Theater in New York City, Kevin shares his experiences of returning to Broadway post-pandemic, his transition to…

1
Trevor Boffone, "TikTok Broadway: Musical Theatre Fandom in the Digital Age" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:02:06

1M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

Are you a musical theatre fan who loves TikTok? Or are you curious about how this social media app has changed musical theatre fandom - and even the concept of the musical itself? TikTok Broadway: Musical Theatre Fandom in the Digital Age (Oxford UP, 2024) takes readers inside the world of TikTok Broadway, where fans create, expand, and canonize mu…

1
Yiu Fai Chow et al., "It’s My Party: Tat Ming Pair and the Postcolonial Politics of Popular Music in Hong Kong" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) 1:02:05

1M ago1:02:05

1:02:05

It’s My Party: Tat Ming Pair and the Postcolonial Politics of Popular Music in Hong Kong (Palgrave Macmillan 2024) is unique in focusing on just one band from one city – but the story of Tat Ming Pair, in so many ways, is the story of Hong Kong's recent decades, from the Handover to the Umbrella Movement to 2019's standoff. A comprehensive, theoret…

1
Tom Boniface-Webb, "Modern Music Masters: Oasis" (MMM, 2020) 1:12:06

1M ago1:12:06

1:12:06

In the first book in the Modern Music Masters series, Tom Boniface-Webb examines the Manchester band Modern Music Masters-Oasis (MMM, 2020). Founded in 1994 and playing together until their spectacular and abrupt breakup in 2009, during their time together Oasis made an imprint on British music that will last for generations, impacting fans through…

1
Mark Blake, "Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac" (Pegasus Books, 2024) 54:22

1M ago54:22

54:22

An illuminating deep-dive into everything Fleetwood Mac--the songs, the rivalries, the successes, and the failures—Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac (Pegasus Books, 2024) evokes the band's entire musical catalog as well as the complex human drama at the heart of the Fleetwood Mac story. Fleetwood Mac has had a ground-breaking career spanning …

1
22. Use This One-Minute Tool TODAY to Cultivate Joy and Disarm Disappointments 23:55

2M ago23:55

23:55

Are you looking for a way to be more present, cultivate joy, disarm disappointments that come your way, and laugh at life's surprises? Implementing this simple, accessible tool into your life will help you do all of this, as well as connect deeper to people around you. And the beauty is that it only takes one minute to start to see the benefits! Li…

1
John S. Garrison, "Red Hot + Blue" (Bloomsbury, 2024) 46:53

2M ago46:53

46:53

John Garrison's Red Hot + Blue (33 1/3 Series) (Bloomsbury, 2024) is a meditation on music's capacity to find us, transform us, and help us make sense of our historical moment. In a narrative that blends memoir and history, Red Hot + Blue explores Garrison's coming out at the height of the AIDS crisis alongside the history of the music industry's r…

1
Anthony Meindl -Unlocking Success in Performing Arts - Part 2 17:17

2M ago17:17

17:17

Welcome to "Making It Happen: A Career in the Performing Arts," where host Leesa Csolak, CEO and founder of Makin' It Happen, delves into strategies for breaking into the performing arts industry. This episode features a conversation with Anthony Meindl, renowned acting coach and founder of Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop. Anthony shares his insigh…

1
Steven Watts, "Citizen Cowboy: Will Rogers and the American People" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 36:28

2M ago36:28

36:28

Citizen Cowboy: Will Rogers and the American People (Cambridge UP, 2024) is a probing biography of one of America's most influential cultural figures. Will Rogers was a youth from the Cherokee Indian Territory of Oklahoma who rose to conquer nearly every form of media and entertainment in the early twentieth century's rapidly expanding consumer soc…

1
Tarryn Li-Min Chun, "Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theater, Technology, and Politics in Modern China" (U Michigan Press, 2024), "Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theater, Technology, and Politics in Modern China ... 1:08:22

2M ago1:08:22

1:08:22

Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theater, Technology, and Politics in Modern China (University of Michigan Press, 2024) offers a fascinating approach to modern Chinese theater history by placing the stage at the center of the story. Combining vivid readings of plays with technical manuals and how-to guides, Tarryn Li-Min Chun charts how stage technology c…

1
Randall Stephens, "The Devil’s Music: How Christians Inspired, Condemned, and Embraced Rock n’ Roll" (Harvard UP, 2018) 57:21

2M ago57:21

57:21

I was immediately drawn to the book The Devil’s Music by Dr. Randall Stephens, Associate Professor of British and American Studies at the University of Oslo. Dr. Stephens and I came across one another online and the book, which combines part rock n’ roll history, part American Christianity history, was an absolute delight for me. The Devil’s Music:…

1
21. Three Tips for Relieving Stress Through Improvisational Singing 28:34

1M ago28:34

28:34

Are you looking for a way to let stress melt away? Learn to improvise with your voice in order to engage your creativity in a different way and give your perfectionist streak a break! With improvised singing, you don't need to worry about "messing up"or getting it wrong. Listen in for my top tips to getting started in this freeing practice. Even if…

1
Christopher Brown, "Mapping Taiwanese Cinema, 2008-2020: Environments, Poetics, Practice" (Edinburgh UP, 2024) 1:21:47

2M ago1:21:47

1:21:47

Accounting for the unique characteristics of Taiwan’s cinema from 2008 to 2020, Mapping Taiwanese Cinema, 2008-2020: Environments, Poetics, Practice (Edinburgh UP, 2024) examines how filmmakers have depicted and imagined the island’s diverse environments. Drawing on cinema, cartography, and cultural studies, Christopher Brown argues that by refocus…

1
Sara Farrington, "A Trojan Woman Adapted from Euripides" (Broadway Play Publishing, 2024) 26:27

2M ago26:27

26:27

In a flash of modern warfare (Ukraine? Afghanistan? Vietnam? Poland? Hiroshima? Israel? Gaza?), a mother loses her child. She becomes "A Trojan Woman," compelled to embody every iconic character in Euripides’ classic play. Sara Farrington (Playwright) NYC & NJ based playwright, screenwriter, co-founder of Foxy Films, her theater company w/ Reid Far…

1
Anthony Meindl - Renowned Acting Coach, Writer & Director - Part 1 31:50

2M ago31:50

31:50

Welcome to "Making It Happen: A Career in the Performing Arts," where we delve into the intricacies of breaking into the performing arts industry for yourself or your child, teen, or young adult. Join Leesa Csolak, CEO and founder of Making It Happen, as she converses with passionate professionals dedicated to helping talented individuals achieve s…

1
Jennifer Ponce de León, "Another Aesthetics Is Possible: Arts of Rebellion in the Fourth World War" (Duke UP, 2021) 1:05:52

2M ago1:05:52

1:05:52

In Another Aesthetics Is Possible: Arts of Rebellion in the Fourth World War (Duke UP, 2021), Jennifer Ponce de León examines the roles that art can play in the collective labour of creating and defending another social reality. Focusing on artists and art collectives in Argentina, Mexico, and the United States, Ponce de León shows how experimental…

1
20. Can I Prophesy? Yes! How to Hear from God to Encourage Others 34:31

2M ago34:31

34:31

Do you see others hurting around you? Do you wish you could help and encourage a friend? Learn to tune in to the Father's heart for your friend, by cultivating the gift of Prophesy! At its core, prophesy is encouraging someone by hearing the heart of God for them. When you share an encouraging word from the Lord, you can will see their mindset and …

1
Laura S. Lieber, "Staging the Sacred: Performance in Late Ancient Liturgical Poetry" (Oxford UP, 2023) 1:04:36

2M ago1:04:36

1:04:36

Staging the Sacred: Performance in Late Ancient Liturgical Poetry (Oxford UP, 2023) examines the importance of Christian, Jewish, and Samaritan liturgical poetry from Late Antiquity through the lenses of performance, entertainment, and spectacle. Laura Lieber proposes an account of hymnody as a performative and theatrical genre, combining religious…

1
The Sounds of Silents 47:04

2M ago47:04

47:04

What did going to the movies sound like back in the “silent film” era? The answer takes us on a strange journey through Vaudeville, roaming Chautauqua lectures, penny arcades, nickelodeons, and grand movie palaces. As our guest In today’s episode, pioneering scholar of film sound, Rick Altman, tells us, the silent era has a lot to teach us about wh…

1
Alonso Duralde, "Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film" (Running Press Adult, 2024) 59:40

2M ago59:40

59:40

Film critic Alonso Duralde and I talk his new book, Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film (Running Press, 2024), including some fascinating anecdotes, case studies, and watershed moments in queer cinematic history, not to mention its creators, its stars, its detractors, and its various ebbs and flows -- fr…

1
19. Three Steps For Performers to Move On After Disappointment 24:15

2M ago24:15

24:15

Processing in order to move forward into what God is calling you into. 1. Brain Dump * Invite Holy Spirit * Identify what to process 2. Lamenting Prayer * Start to give voice to the disappointment * Be verbal: allow yourself to cry, sing, moan over it * you could also write, paint, dance, etc. 3. Heart Healing * Ask God to speak into your disappoin…

1
Marissa Nicosia, "Imagining Time in the English Chronicle Play: Historical Futures, 1590-1660" (Oxford UP, 2023) 46:09

2M ago46:09

46:09

Imagining Time in the English Chronicle Play: Historical Futures, 1590-1660 (Oxford University Press, 2023) argues that dramatic narratives about monarchy and succession codified speculative futures in the early modern English cultural imaginary. This book considers chronicle plays—plays written for the public stage and play pamphlets composed when…

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