Ep 76 - Ursa: A Folk Musical
Host Luisa Lyons chats with Sam Boer, co-founder of The Uncommon Folk Collective and one of the composers behind Ursa: A Folk Musical, a theatre-concert hybrid that received its world premier in 2022 as part of the Toronto Fringe NextStage Festival. Ursa has since been performed across Canada, and at the end of 2023, it was available to stream via StratFest at Home (Stratford Festival’s online streaming platform), and was named by The Guardian as one of the best theatre shows to stream.
In this episode, learn about learn about the Uncommon Folk Collective, and delve into the process of developing Ursa: A Folk Musical. Hear about the daunting process of filming the musical for the Toronto Fringe NextStage Festival, and the importance of funding and recording new musicals. Sam Boer is a musician, writer, and theatre practitioner. He and Jake Schindler co-founded The Uncommon Folk Collective: a group dedicated to crafting music-forward theatre experiences. Their first original show, Ursa: A Folk Musical, was praised by The Guardian as a "winning, foot-tapping account of grizzly adolescence" and has been presented through the Toronto Fringe’s NextStage Festival, the Stratford Festival’s online streaming platform, the Kingston Grand Theatre, and Tweed & Company Theatre. Sam also records off-kilter folk music under the name Samson Wrote. His debut album Pigeon (2019), garnered a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination and led to tours across Canada and Europe. SHOW LINKS The Uncommon Folk Collective: Ursa: A Folk Musical
Samson Wrote NEW: Watch the podcast on YouTube!
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Host Luisa Lyons chats with Kevin Purcell, the multi-award winning Australian conductor, musical director, composer, and arranger whose work spans across the worlds opera, classical, and musical theatre.
Go behind the scenes of Kevin’s latest work, Castle Gillian: An Irish Tale, a full-length virtual reality musical. Discover how the musical came to be, how it was made, and the exciting new model behind its release. Castle Gillian was an official selection of the Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories; and was recently screened at the Cannes World Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Soundtrack, and won Best 360º Film, and Best Musical Film. Kevin also shares the inspiring story of his grandma - Dame Mary Dale, how being an opera conductor led him to musical theatre, the differences between working in the classical world and musical theatre, and working on the capture of Cats! Kevin Purcell is one of Australia’s most distinguished and awarded orchestral and opera conductors. Currently, Kevin serves as musical director for the Australian Discovery Orchestra – one of the world’s most innovative orchestral ensembles – whilst maintaining an active freelance career in the USA. He originally studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory with Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1992), with subsequent graduate conducting studies at the Janácek Academy of Music (JAMU) with Otakar Trhlík, culminating with a Masters degree in orchestral conducting at Bard College (NY) under the late Harold Farberman. Additionally, Kevin studied Opera conducting with British conductor and Glyndebourne music director, Myer Fredman and Carlo Montanaro. Kevin has previously been the musical director of the original production of CATS at the New London Theatre and for the South Korean Premiere production. More recently Kevin has conducted WICKED at London’s Apollo Victoria theatre and was the originating musical director for the first national UK/Eire tour. As a composer of musicals, Kevin has worked with his long-time collaborator, book writer and lyricist Victor Kazan on Rebecca, The Stranger from Seville and Castle Gillian. He is a member of The Recording Academy and the Dramatists Guild. Kevin is managed by Francine Fletcher at Fletcher Associates (UK) and William Reinert Associates, Inc. (USA). Show Links
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Listen elsewhere? Find the show on your favorite podcast app here.
Like what you hear? Rate and review us on Apple or Spotify! Let's get social! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Want to support the preservation of the history of filmed stage musicals and the curation of one easy place to find them all? Become a patron or make a tax-deductible donation! Filmed Live Musicals is created by Luisa Lyons, an Australian actor, writer, and musician. Luisa holds a Masters in Music Theatre from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now lives, works, and plays in New York. Learn more at www.luisalyons.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 
This Week on the Calendar
Find out where to stream these musicals and more on the Filmed Live Musicals calendar.
Sugar, Butter, Release Date Pie: Waitress Opening Up in Cinemas
Sara Bareilles’ musical based on the 2007 Adrienne Shelley film was filmed live on Broadway in 2021 starring Bareilles, Charity Angél Dawson, Caitlin Houlahan, Drew Gehling, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, and Christopher Fitzgerald. After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023, the film will be released in cinemas across the United States by Fathom Events on December 7, 2023. HEX Released on National Theatre at Home Based on Sleeping Beauty, the new musical by Tanya Ronder, Jim Fortune, and Rufus Norris was filmed live at the National Theatre during its run in late 2022/early 2023. Available on demand via the National Theatre’s At Home. RuneSical to be Released Online A choose-your-own adventure musical comedy, RuneSical was created by British company GiggleMug. The musical was filmed live at The Town & Gown Theatre in Cambridge. It will be available for free on YouTube from September 29, 2023. There can be miracles! The Prince of Egypt to be Released in Cinemas and Streamed Online A musical adaptation of the DreamWorks animation which tells the story of Moses learning his true identity and following his destiny to be the leader of his people. Filmed live in the West End in 2019, The Prince of Egypt will be released in cinemas worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing on October 19, and online in the United States via BroadwayHD on November 15, 2023.
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On the Calendar:
?? Americana Get your international fix of Americana this week with cinema screenings of the National Theatre’s Oklahoma!, livestream events from The Great American Songbook Academy, or stream the Philip Glass opera about Walt Disney filmed live at the Teatro Real de Madrid. ? Stranger Sings It’s your last chance to catch a stream of the Stranger Things parody musical - available at prime times around the world this weekend. ? Sing for me Catch Broadway performers in new cabarets and discover a musical improvised from the love story of a couple in the audience. ? Go to the festival There are a slew of new musicals to stream from the New York’s Ice Factory Festival and the Orlando DigiFringe.
New on the website: A Store!
New on the website this week is a store page with links to purchase musical theatre books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, sheet music, cast albums, and musicals on demand! Not only can you find musical theatre treasures to keep and stream, you’ll be supporting Filmed Live Musicals with every purchase! Learn more at the Filmed Live Musicals store. Oklahoma! in cinemas! To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Rodgers and Hammertein’s iconic musical, the 1998 National Theatre production starring Hugh Jackman, Maureen Lipman, Josefina Gabrielle, and Shuler Hensley is being released in cinemas worldwide July 16, 18, and 19. Check Oklahoma in Cinemas for local listings.
Titanic
The UK touring production of Maury Yeston’s stunning musical about the ill-fated ship has teased the making of a film on Twitter. More details to come! New Books! Business & Marketing Strategy For The Proactive Performer: Former podcast guest Kimberly Faye Greenberg, is not only the star and writer of the gorgeous one-woman show Fabulous Fanny: The Songs and Stories of Fanny Brice, she is a terrific performer business coach, and she has a new book coming out. Featuring “Actionable Tips, Tricks, and Templates Including...How To Get Representation, Approach Casting, Auditioning, Creating Your Own Work, and Working Smarter and Not Harder To Achieve Career Success!” Available in paperback from August 8. Pre-order now. Garland – That’s Beyond Entertainment – Reflections on Judy Garland: a new highly praised book that is not a traditional birth-to-death biography, but a deep dive that aims to remove Garland from the simplistic realm of such epithets as “world’s greatest entertainer” and “Miss Show Business” and reconsider her as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century’s Great American Songbook, one who took us beyond entertainment to a level of artistry unique in classic American popular music. The two volume book took over 30 years to complete and is written by award-winning music producer, critic, and translator Lawrence Schulman. Available now - Volume I from Amazon. Volume II from Amazon. Gerswhin’s Rhapsody in Blue with piano soloist Leonard Bernstein I loved Good Night, Oscar with Sean Hayes playing Rhapsody in Blue live on stage, but would have loved for that scene to have been performed with a live orchestra! Carnegie Hall Plus have kind of granted my wish by releasing a 1976 performance of Gershwin’s stunning piece with the inimitable Leonard Bernstein at the piano. 
Host Luisa Lyons chats with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, folk musicians, cancer survivors, and the creators and stars of the award-winning short musical All Wigged Out.
Go behind the scenes with Cathy and Marcy as they share the story behind creating the original musical All Wigged Out, which tells the story of Marcy’s journey through breast cancer. The duo talk about why they chose to film the musical, the filming process, and the inspiring story behind sharing it with the world. All Wigged Out is available on demand on Broadway on Demand, Hoopla, Google Play, and on DVD via Amazon and Bandcamp. TWO-TIME GRAMMY® Award Winners, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are an eclectic folk festival on their own terms. They have entertained the Queen of Thailand, been keynote singers for the AFL-CIO, performed at hundreds of folk festivals, appeared on the "Today Show" and on National Public Radio. Their superb harmonies are backed by instrumental virtuosity on the guitar, five-string banjo, ukulele, mandolin, cello-banjo, and many other instruments. Their eclectic repertoire includes classic country to western swing, Django style jazz to old-time stringband and bluegrass, contemporary folk and original gems. While their versatility defies a brief description, perhaps “well rounded Americana” does it best. SHOW LINKS WHERE TO WATCH ALL WIGGED OUT:
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Listen elsewhere? Find the show on your favorite podcast app here.
Like what you hear? Rate and review us on Apple or Spotify! Let's get social! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Want early access to site content? Becoming a patron! Your financial support will help preserve the history of filmed stage musicals and the curation of one easy place to find them all. Filmed Live Musicals is created by Luisa Lyons, an Australian actor, writer, and musician. Luisa holds a Masters in Music Theatre from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now lives, works, and plays in New York. Learn more at www.luisalyons.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 
STREAMING CALENDAR
Find out what's streaming this week from the Filmed Live Musicals calendar:
NOW STREAMING: New Releases
NEW STREAMING PLATFORM: Stratfest @ Home Stratfest @ Home is the new streaming platform from Canada’s Stratford Festival, the largest classical repertory theatre company in North America. The platform features a wide range of content filmed at the festival Shakespeare productions, original plays and musicals, and family-friendly content. $7.99CAN per month or $79.99CAN per year. A 30-day free trial is on offer until July 13, 2023. The platform is available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Roku, and fireTV. More info and access via Stratfest @ Home. NEW PLAY ANTHOLOGY: Stage It and Stream It: Plays for Virtual Theater A new anthology from Rowman & Littlefield and edited by John Patrick Bray brings together new works from both emerging and established playwrights to explore the rich opportunities afforded by streaming theater. They reveal a range of styles and approaches to storytelling; encompass both traditional and experimental plays, from solo pieces to large-cast dramas; and take place within single settings, multiple settings, or even in a utopian “nowhere.” Throughout, these selections all help to bring playwriting fully into our new era, embodying the sense of magic that comes from simple moments of human connection, even when we cannot be together. Available from Amazon and Bookshop.
ICYMI: The Jimmy Awards
Be inspired by outrageously talented high school kids competing in the annual Jimmy Awards. The acting choices! The belting! The theatre kid spirit! Filmed live at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. Watch the whole performance on YouTube, or stream highlights.
ICYMI: West End Live
Filmed live in London’s Trafalgar Square over the weekend of June 17-18, a free event that featured performances from West End musicals. See performances from the casts of Frozen, The Lion King, Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, Moulin Rouge, Tina!, Crazy for You, Cabaret, The Book of Mormon, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Oklahoma!, Jersey Boys, Operation Mincemeat, Glory Ride, The Choir of Man, Six, Annie Get Your Gun, Matilda (including a special appearance by Tim Minchin), The Time Traveler’s Wife, RIDE, and more! Available via YouTube.
Waitress Capture World Premier
The live capture of Waitress premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12.
Watch Sara Bareilles performing live after the screening:
​LOLST: The Puzzle
The newly formed League of Livestreamed Theatre (LOLST) have partnered with Hedgerow Theatre to livestream the world premier of Juliette Dunn’s The Puzzle from June 16-18, 2023. The play blends clowning and neurodivergence to tell a story of connectivity and follows two clowns, Finneas and Quinton as they strive to escape a surreal scrap yard, and The Boy - a non-speaker with autism - whose arrival upends their plans. The cast features Tony award-winning clown David Shiner, Daniel Passer, and Michael Stahler, an actor with autism. Livestreamed from the Hedgerow Theatre in Pennsylvania. For more info and tickets visit LOLST.
Broadway Day Rally
A rally in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America East featuring performances from some of Broadway’s best that took place in Times Square on June 15, 2023. Hosted by Paula Pell and featuring Sara Bareilles, Craig Bierko, Norbert Leo Butz, Jordan Cooper, Adam Pascal, musical director Seth Rudetsky, and many more. The rally was livestreamed and is now available on demand on YouTube. 2023 Metro Awards The best in high school musicals across Westchester, Bergen, Rockland, and Putnam Counties filmed live at the Tarrytown Music Hall.
The 76th Annual Tony Awards
​Catch-up on the performances from the 76th Annual Tony Awards, filmed live at the United Palace Theatre in New York City. You can stream The Tony Awards: Act One - which included presentation of the technical categories, along with the Lifetime Achievement Awards for Joel Gray and John Kander - for free on Pluto TV. Re-live the stunning opening number, along with numbers from Sweeney Todd, Parade, Some Like it Hot, Shucked, A Beautiful Noise, Kimberly Akimbo, Funny Girl, New York New York, & Juliet, Camelot, and Into the Woods, along with Joaquina Kalukango’s In Memoriam Performance of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from The Phantom of the Opera, ​all available on YouTube.
All Arts: Broadway
The free arts channel All Arts have curated an on-demand Broadway playlist featuring over 20 videos with performances, interviews, and behind-the-scenes looks from a wide range of Broadway musicals including Six, MJ: The Musical, Moulin Rouge, The Phantom of the Opera, The Book of Mormon, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical, Aladdin, Beetlejuice, Wicked, Funny Girl, A Strange Loop, Company, Hadestown, Come From Away, The Lion King, Beautiful, The Cher Show, The Band’s Visit, Mean Girls, Once on this Island, Kinky Boots, and Hamilton. Visit All Arts to learn more. “Not in my Body†from A Transparent Musical Watch a number from the new Broadway-bound A Transparent Musical filmed at the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.
Vale Treat Williams
Stage and screen actor Treat Williams passed away earlier this week from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Among his many screen credits, Williams appeared as Berger in the movie adaptation of HAIR (available on DVD and Blu-Ray or to stream). On Broadway, Williams performed in the original production of Grease (Danny replacement), Over Here! Once in a Lifetime, The Pirates of Penzance (The Pirate King replacement; the 1981 production was filmed with its original cast starring Kevin Kline), Love Letters, and the 2001 revival of Follies.
Visit the Filmed Live Musicals calendar to discover what's streaming this week.
​For more musicals available on demand, take a look through the Filmed Live Musicals database. You'll discover musicals dating back to 1938 and from all around the world. 
Host Luisa Lyons chats with playwright, lyricist, book writer and producer June Rachelson-Ospa and actor-director-choreographer and publisherMichael Perry about the musical Welcome to Tourettaville which tells the story of a young boy who is diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Topics include the challenges of creating work based on real people, the power of theatre to inspire and heal, and the world of theatre publishing and licensing.
June Rachelson-Ospa and Daniel Neiden have collaborated on musical theater projects which include Bollywood and Vine, Bully on You, Gone to Texas, Triangle, Rapunzarella White: A Fairly Fractured Tale, Stupid Wig, S.W.A.K. (Sealed With A Kiss), The Hotel Belleclaire, The Tempest, Trixie Shmoop, True Colors of Weedle, and Welcome to Tourettaville. June won the VSArts Award and have had their work performed at The Kennedy Center; Bergen County Players; The Midtown Children’s Musical Theater Festival; Bryant Park, and The Public Theater. Her individual songwriting experiences date back to work sessions with Doc Pomus, and The FUGS Steven Taylor. Her work has been recorded by Grammy legend Dr. John; Peppy Castro; Luther Kent; Jennifer Lewis; Shannon McNally and, most recently, VOICELESS, recorded for animal charities by Broadway stars Ann Crumb, Olga Merediz, and Judy McLane (www.Broadwayvoiceless.com). June was a “POG” for Godspell at Circle in the Square. Investor for the A Christmas Story the Musical (at the Lunt Fontaine) Madison Square Garden. C. Michael Perry -- was born in Colorado and raised in Chicago, but now lives near Bangor, Maine. He found the theatre in High School and has made a living in theatre, film and television since then. He has worked major network television shows, and as a High School Theatre teacher. He has played in front of live audiences from Chicago to Utah to Canada to Germany and Italy in various plays and musicals; and has received acting awards for many leading and supporting roles. He has served as Director/Choreographer for over 70 shows on the Community, Educational, and Professional level. He is a Composer-Lyricist with over 40 produced/published musicals. (One in NYC: An Enchanted April) He is also the President of Premiere Theatrical Licensing, an umbrella organization that manages four subsidiary companies offering live performance rights on over 500 theatrical titles in all kinds of theaters across the world.
Show Links:
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Listen elsewhere? Find the show on your favorite podcast app here.
Let's get social! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Want early access to site content? Becoming a patron! Your financial support will help preserve the history of filmed stage musicals and the curation of one easy place to find them all. Filmed Live Musicals is created by Luisa Lyons, an Australian actor, writer, and musician. Luisa holds a Masters in Music Theatre from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now lives, works, and plays in New York. Learn more at www.luisalyons.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 
Host Luisa Lyons chats with Pat Valera, director and writer of the Filipino musical Mula sa Buwan (From the Moon), a re-telling of Cyrano de Bergerac set in 1940s Manila.
Pat shares his insights into the history of musical theatre in the Philippines, his journey to being a director, and the story behind the creation of Mula sa Buwan! Mula Sa Buwan will be available to stream on demand with English subtitles March 24-26, 2023. For more info and tickets, visit www.mulasabuwan.com. Pat Valera is a director, playwright, dramaturg, and producer for the stage currently based in the Philippines. He is a recipient of the Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature, Aliw Awards, Asian TV Awards, among others. In 2022, he staged his musical ‘Mula sa Buwan’ (From the Moon) under Barefoot Theatre Collaborative — an adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac now set in World War 2 Philippines among young misfits, fools, and dreamers. That same year, the production embarked to create a proshot of the film which is now available for a global release. Follow Mula Sa Buwan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Listen elsewhere? Find the show on your favorite podcast app here.
Let's get social! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Want early access to site content? Become a patron! Your financial support will help preserve the history of filmed stage musicals and the curation of one easy place to find them all. Filmed Live Musicals is created by Luisa Lyons, an Australian actor, writer, and musician. Luisa holds a Masters in Music Theatre from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now lives, works, and plays in New York. Learn more at www.luisalyons.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  If you're up to date on the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, you'll already have heard from Metro Theater Company's managing director Joe Gfaller, artistic director Julia Flood, and actor/composer Guinevere Govea talking all about the brand new musical Spells of the Sea.
MTC is one of my favorite theatre's to stream from. Their work is always delightful, inspiring, and fun, and Spells of the Sea looks like it will be no exception. The musical started as a dorm room quarantine project for composer and actor Guinevere Govea, and was adapted into an award-winning podcast. After being optioned by MTC, the musical is currently playing its world premier run at the Grendel Theatre in St. Louis where it was filmed live by Higher Education Media during its opening week. The capture is part of the PNC Art Alive’s funded MTC Remote initiative which aims to make theatre more accessible across the St. Louis region and beyond, and allows MTC to stream all main stage productions in their 2022-23 season. We love to see it! Spells of the Sea will be available to stream on demand from February 24 until March 10, 2023. Learn more about the musical, and where to buy streaming tickets, in the database! |
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