{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Off Off Pod - Episode 030 - Director Will Pomerantz","description":"Will Pomerantz and I grew up in the same small town of Seguin, Texas, and we both eventually made our way to the Big Apple to pursue a life in the theatre.  We first met when he was about 13 (which would have made me about 12), and while in Texas we did plenty of high school and community theatre together.  We recount a few tales from our Texas theatre roots in the interview.\r\nWill has over the years evolved into an amazing director who is always busy with exciting projects.  I was lucky enough to rope him into directing a play of mine call Desert Rites, which for me was one of those great life experiences that one always remembers.  He's very skilled at working on new plays, possessing the ability to help the playwright clarify and fine-tune what he's attempting to say. I certainly had a better play at the end of our rehearsal process.\r\nFor more information about Will, check out his website.\r\nTopics covered in the interview:\r\n\r\nHi Will… and Zoe.  Growing up in Seguin, Texas (2:17)\r\nThe director emerges, Cornell University (8:51)\r\nAn interview with the CIA (11:33)\r\nMFA in directing at Carnegie Mellon University (13:27)\r\nDrawn to the past, particularly the 1930s (16:49)\r\nWill directs my new play, Desert Rites -- a strength working on new plays (17:58)\r\nWorking with Nancy Harrow on This Side of Paradise about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald (20:59)\r\nThe Blue Flower by Jim and Ruth Bauer at American Repertory Theatre and Second Stage Theater (24:58)\r\nAdapting Tale of Two Cities at The Culture Project (28:38)\r\nA tangent -- The Godfather and Pulp Fiction (31:51)\r\nEpic Theater Ensemble, Mahida's Extra Key to Heaven by Russell Davis (34:30)\r\nWorking with John Guare -- Landscape of the Body at Juilliard (38:57)\r\nWorking with Kathleen Chalfant, Great Expectations (43:48)\r\nAudition stories from the other side of the table (49:22)\r\nStephen's "bad director" story (54:25)\r\nDirecting philosophies -- how to coax forth a great performance and how Will approaches a new project (58:27)\r\n","author_name":"Off Off Pod with Stephen Bittrich","author_url":"http:\/\/offoffpod.libsyn.com","html":"