Dean Taucher is a film and television production designer, art director, and playwright. He is behind some of television’s most iconic shows and spilling the beans in his new play, “Reel Stories.” On this episode we peek behind the curtain and talk set design, “Miami Vice,” and working with directors like Michael Mann.

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Dean Taucher is a production designer/set designer, originally from the Chicago area. He attended The Goodman School of Drama - Art Institute of Chicago and immediately began designing in the Off-Loop theater scene of the 1970’s. These theaters included Body Politic, St. Nicholas, the Organic Theater Company, the Goodman and Victory Gardens.

He moved to New York in 1979 and thanks to his membership in the United Scenic Artist Local 829 he worked on many Broadway shows including 42nd Street, Evita, Cats and at NBC on Season 5 of Saturday Night Live. His design work continued in regional dance and opera at The Penn Opera Theater, Atlanta Ballet and the Hubbard Street Dance Company.

His work as a scenic Artist let him to working on feature films where he was able to move into positions in the Art Department. From his initial job as charge scenic on Michael Mann’s film “Manhunter” he became an assistant art director and the following year he was hired by Mr. Mann as the production designer (credited as visual consultant) on Season 3 of Miami Vice, with Dick Wolf as the head writer.

Dean then made the TV movie “ L.A. Takedown” with Mann. He returned to New York to work with Dick Wolf for the CBS series, Harlem Eastside Lifesaving Project, H.E.L.P., and subsequently three season at FOX for New York Undercover and over 20 seasons of Law & Order, SVU at NBC. For David Chase at HBO, Dean designed Season One of The Sopranos and episodes two through thirteen, including many of the iconic permanent sets, the logo of the Bada Bing and the logo for the show.

Off-Broadway he designed the plays Tabletop, Snakebit and River Deep: A Tribute to Tina Turner. He has worked with the director/choreographer Gabrielle Lansner on all her live and filmed projects for the last 25 years as designer and on her film projects as Executive Producer. Their current film, I AM NOT OK, is part of The Brooklyn Museum’s 200th Anniversary Show, The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition.

Dean’s play “REEL STORIES-MADE IN NEW YORK” is a riotous exposé of the inner workings of film and TV, informed by the myopic, egocentric and clueless motivations of the people who work in front and behind the camera. Nothing may be true, but they are all “REEL STORIES- MADE IN NEW YORK.” It is Dean’s first play.

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Jason Kravits is an actor, singer, improvisor, and viral video creator who's worked regularly in film, television, and on Broadway.His voice can currently be heard as Sneezy in Disney’s live-action hit, "Snow White." On this episode we get into Jason’s audition process and sniffling varieties, his adoration of vaudeville, and how changes in technology have affected viewership.

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Jason has been fortunate enough to appear on stages and screens, large and small, for over 35 years. Recent TV credits include Only Murders in the Building (as Melissa McCarthy’s husband, “Big Mike”) Halston, The Undoing, Dr. Death and Young Sheldon. Other favorite appearances include Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, Kimmy Schmidt, Gilmore Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Practice and the final episode of Friends. His voice can be heard as “Sneezy” in the current live-action remake of Disney’s Snow White. On Broadway, Jason has appeared in The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox and Relatively Speaking. Off-Broadway, Jason appeared in the New Group’s adapation of the Philip Roth novel Sabbath’s Theater (alongside John Turturro and Elizabeth Marvel). For the last 10 years, Jason has been performing his solo, completely improvised cabaret, OFF THE TOP (winner of a 2017 Bistro Award) - playing to sold out crowds in London, Adelaide, Melbourne, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles - and can be seen regularly in New York City at venues like Joe's Pub and Birdland. Jason is a native of the D.C. area, where he performed extensively at the Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. He is a member of the Actors Center Workshop Company.

Tickets to July 2025 show @ Joe's Pub: https://bit.ly/OffTheTopJuly10

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Celia Chavez is a singer, songwriter, session vocalist, educator, and coach. She’s played global arenas and intimate music clubs - duetting and harmonizing with Pink, Enrique Iglesias, Julia Fordham, and many more. On this tuneful episode, Celia shares the secrets of how to blend, harmonize, and adapt to different voices and concert styles, and how to stay fit while on an arena tour. We also get an introduction to her musical alter ego, Babilonia.

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Celia Chavez enjoys a multifaceted career as performing songwriter, touring singer, session vocalist, educator and coach. With her wistful lyricism balanced with a unique clarity of vocal delivery, Celia creates an ongoing love letter to the world as comfort in times of uncertainty, compassion in times of division, and catharsis for a world under pressure. Her songs express different ways to hang on to love and faith despite seemingly hopeless odds. Her music displays a gracefully tenacious, yet playful sensibility — so beautifully reflected in the story arc of Celia's life.

Spreading her wings to step outside the gilded cage of her life as a globetrotting backup singer, she assumed a new moniker, Babilonia, to release her new EP, If I Ever Think To Double Back. Braiding together strands of music she's lived and loved -- from her parents’ jazz/soul records in her hometown of Seattle, to New York City’s vibrant Lower East Side and Brooklyn, to the songcraft capital of LA's Laurel Canyon -- Chavez takes her place at the front of her own formidable studio band as a compelling singer-songwriter. Click here for more.

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Amy Ziff is the acerbic wit behind the award-winning Indie Rock trio, Betty. She is also a singer, songwriter, cellist, activist, and mom. On today’s episode, this multi-talented artist chats about song placements, the art of collaboration, electronic cellos - and of course, how to navigate these times as an artist.

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In addition to being a pop icon and touring the world with the band BETTY,

Amy has appeared in movies and TV, including Showtime's The L-Word, and originating the roles of "Mom and "Ida" on the ABC series Edith Ann.

Amy has also written and performed her one-woman shows, Superlatives and Accident in several festivals and theaters across the U.S. and Canada.

She has also co-written an opera about Typhoid Mary, called A Danger to Us All.

Be sure to grab a ticket for BETTY’s latest concert series and tour! Hellobetty.com

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Jen Munson is an audio mastering whiz and engineer with a sharp ear for sound. She’s a jazz vocalist and also a technical director for WNYC’s “On the Media.” On this episode you’ll hear about sound frequencies, how to make voices distinct, and a bit wood chopping thrown into “the mix”! WNYC

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Jennifer Munson is the technical director for On the Media and a Mastering Engineer at Taloowa.

Jen has engineered some of the greatest musical talents in history. Isaac Stern, for instance. Also Prince, Judy Garland, Jessye Norman, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Glenn Gould, Busta Rhymes, Lou Reed and Kathleen Battle.

And also Brooke and Micah.

"They're very much like Springsteen," she says, "only without backup vocals."

In addition to WNYC, Jen has worked for Sony Classical, Gateway Mastering and ABC News. Her first love, however, is singing. Trained at Indiana University, she is an accomplished jazz vocalist and composer of such tender love songs as "Lucy."

Lucy was her dog.

When not recording, mixing and mastering "On the Media," or other acts, Jen is most likely found in her garden.

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Carole Montgomery is a stand-up comedian, producer, and director who has headlined clubs & colleges across the USA. She is also the creator of the series “Funny Women of a Certain Age” on Showtime and live in clubs. On this episode, we get a backstage glimpse into the world of working in Vegas, outrageous comedy gigs, and Broadway child wrangling. www.carolemontgomery.com

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With over 2 dozen television credits to her name, CAROLE MONTGOMERY is a respected veteran of the standup comedy scene nationwide. In addition to her numerous television appearances, Carole has headlined clubs & colleges across the USA and starred in 2 different Las Vegas production shows. In her ten years as a LAS VEGAS STAR, it is estimated that she has been seen by over 5 million audience members.

Carole created the live stand up comedy show FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE featuring female headliners over the age of 50 in 2017. The show was such a success that it was filmed for the Showtime network. It was the network’s highest rated comedy special for 2019 and it made TV history as the first comedy special to feature 6 women over the age of 50. The following year MORE Funny Women Of A Certain Age premiered with huge viewership. EVEN MORE Funny Women Of A Certain Age premiered Thanksgiving Eve 2021.

Carole is also an accomplished director & producer. She directed Jim Florentine’s solo show I’m Your Savior currently airing on Amazon Prime. She is currently developing a new solo show with activist and comedian Kaytlin Bailey called Whore’s Eye View.

Carole is proudest of her 11 comedy tours for Armed Forces Entertainment. Her NY Underground Comedy Allstars have performed in Iraq, Haiti, Kosovo, Holland, Kuwait, Diego Garcia, Singapore, Honduras, El Salvador, South Korea and Germany to rave reviews.

Carole was also a featured performer at the MONTREAL JUST FOR LAUGHS, BOSTON & NY COMEDY FESTIVALS.

www.carolemontgomery.com
www.funnywomenofacertainage.com
www.funnynevergetsold.com

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Adam Feldman is the National Theater and Dance Editor and chief theater critic at TimeOut New York. He is also President of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle - and sometimes graces the stage himself. On this episode we “review” the star system, tips on reaching a journalist, and unravel the mind of one of NYC’s most beloved critics.

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Adam Feldman is the Theater and Dance Editor and chief theater critic at Time Out New York, where he has been a staff writer since 2003. He has served as President of the New York Drama Critics' Circle since 2005. He has written for Canada's Globe and Mail and National Post as well as for Out, Time Out London and Broadway.com, among other publications, and was the contributing Broadway editor for the Theatre World book series. He has been a regular panelist on the public-television shows Theater Talk and Theater: All the Moving Parts; in 2024, he received the Friend of Off Broadway Award from the Off Broadway Alliance. A graduate of Harvard University, he lives in Greenwich Village.

Website: https://www.timeout.com/profile/adam-feldman
Broadway listings: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/broadway-shows-and-tickets-listings-a-z-broadway
Off Broadway listings: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/off-broadway-shows-new-york-theater-reviews-tickets-and-listings
Off-Off Broadway listings: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/off-off-broadway-shows-new-york-theater-reviews-tickets-and-listings
Dance listings: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/the-best-dance-shows-in-nyc-this-month
Cabaret listings: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/nightlife/the-best-cabaret-shows-in-nyc-this-week

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Melinda Buckley is an actress, comedian, director, choreographer, and writer who's been seen on Broadway, TV, and film. On this episode we chat about her solo show, “MOTHER (and me),” working in the biz, having a casting director as a neighbor, and a fun Audra McDonald tidbit.

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MELINDA BUCKLEY Broadway and national tours include Crazy For You, A Chorus Line, Raggedy Ann, Sally and Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity. She has performed improv/sketch and stand up all over NYC as well as written and performed several solo shows. Her latest is the critically acclaimed MOTHER (and me).‘One Up! Solo, is a program she designed to guide other artists in crafting their own stage worthy stories. On the other side of the table, highlights include directing Broadway By The Year, with a Tony award winning cast, and choreographing Paramour, starring Len Cariou at the Old Globe. She choreographed Columbia Pictures’ Stuart Little I and II with Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie, the independent film 1999, starring Amanda Peet and Jennifer Garner, and assisted Pat Birch on Working Girl as well as many episodes of Saturday Night Live. Other TV credits: choreographing One Life to Live and award-winning promos for CBS including a Super Bowl spot forGirl Power, named one of the top ten ads by Paste magazine. She assisted Lonny Price (as SDC Fellow) in the filming of Company at the NYP, which starred Neil Patrick Harris, Patti Lupone, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton, Jon Cryer among many others. She has been a creative director, writer, director/choreographer and speaker coach for a diverse range of clients including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Fox, ESPN, Sesame Street, McDonald’s, Microsoft, IBM, American Express, and the Port of LA...to name a few! She is a proud member of AEA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA and SDC.

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