#11 Darron West

Today’s guest is sound designer, Tony winner, and all around awesome dude Darron West. See if you can figure out how Darron manages to work on all the coolest projects…cause we can’t! He and Cory discuss ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Kung Fu’, and an upcoming production of ‘The Tempest’ that sounds so crazy he might have made it up. Learn how companies like Actors Theatre of Louisville and SITI company have shaped his career and what it was like when he decided to sit in the director’s chair. And if that’s not enough, Darron regales us with stories of the original production of ‘Rent’ and how his Broadway debut led to partying it up with Quinten Tarentino!

#10 Ken Billington

Turn the lights down low, chain the door, and pour yourself a drink because we’re sitting down with lighting designer and living legend Ken Billington. Ken and Cory cover a wide range of topics from his biggest hit, “Chicago”, to his newest project, “Act One”, and other shows from his over 40 years in the business including “Footloose”, “Chaplin”, “The Visit”, “Sweeney Todd” and more. Ken tells us about learning the ropes from Tharon Musser, why you better be fast in a room with Hal Prince, how he introduced Bob Fosse to the magic of moving lights and why you should tuck in that shirt for goodness sakes! (Warning…management is not responsible for you walking into traffic while having your mind blown.)

#9 David Arsenault

Today’s guest is scenic and lighting designer David Arsenault. David and Cory discuss the pros and cons of living in New York City…from broken down subways, to lugging your own scenery through midtown, to dreaming of the suburbs. They discuss shows on their bucket list and offer a mini class in website and resume do’s and don’ts, including why you should never attach balloons to your resume. Pay attention…there will be a quiz!

#8 Jill BC Du Boff

The podcast has been seriously lacking in feminine charm and this week we’re rectifying that with sound designer and actual female Jill Du Boff! Jill chats about going on the road with Radiolab, how a baby that wouldn’t stop crying led to an awesome sound effect and how she is preparing the next generation of artists to think about sound design in a whole new way. Expect guest appearances from both her cat and her husband…it’s an episode for the whole family!

#7 Jeff Sugg

This week’s guest is projection designer Jeff Sugg. Cory and Jeff discuss how he accidentally became a commercial designer after years of working in experimental theater. Hear inside stories from ‘Bring It On’, ’33 Variations’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘The Last Five Years’ and other shows as Jeff chats about often being the last designer hired, why bad projections are so easy to find and his far reaching influences from 19th century optical magic to Polish theatre. AND did you know Jeff grew up on a compound in Saudi Arabia…hit play now to hear THAT story!

#6 Craig Stelzenmuller

Prepare to turn the nerd dial to 11 on this episode. Our guest is LD/big time Broadway associate Craig Stelzenmuller. Cory and Craig compare processes for making light plots, documenting focuses, dealing with crews, and a whole host of other topics. Learn what Craig calls ‘political capital’ and how he uses it when working with big time designers like Paul Gallo, Natasha Katz, Hugh Vanstone and others.

#5 Paul dePoo

Today’s guest is set designer Paul Tate dePoo III. He tells us how a hurricane may have prevented him from being the next David Copperfield, why he wants to design the Olympic opening ceremonies, and what is was like working for famed Broadway set designer Derek McClane. AND finally learn what it’s like going through life with a last name that begins with a lower case letter! Insanity!

#4 Dane Laffrey

Our guest today is Dane Laffrey. Dane is one of the hottest young designers working today and he spent a wintery Saturday morning with Cory talking about his life. He tells us how his training in Sydney has impacted his career and what it’s like having an impromptu interview with Woody Harrelson. Dane also catches us up to speed on his newest project, Chance Magazine, a magazine dedicated to photographic documentation of theatrical designs.

#3 Ben Pearcy

Today’s guest is lighting/projection designer Ben Pearcy. Ben and Cory discuss his design for ‘Big Fish’ and mourn it’s closing, his experience working with renown artist James Turrell, how it feels to hit the GO button at the Opening Ceremonies, and how Ben owes much of his career to the legendary (and possible mid-show surprise guest,) Ken Billington!

#2 Lindsay Jones

The hardest (and nicest!) working man in showbiz sits down to chat about his life as a sound designer. It’s Lindsay Jones! He talks about making his Broadway debut with ‘A Time to Kill’ and why he waits until the last possible moment to write music for a show. He’s got a resume as long as the 20 years he’s been designing and he was the first person to record an episode. Enjoy!