TLC Talk: Stories from the Stage - Four Actors / Four Reveals

Tuesday March 12, 2024

Patrick Briggs, Brent Black, Hania Stocker and Alexander Lane are four of Santa Fe’s best known and esteemed actors and directors. They come together for the first time to share their stories and insights, anecdotes and lessons from careers in film, television, and live theater on Broadway and stages across Santa Fe and beyond. Their resumes read like ‘every show you’ll ever want to see’ … musicals, drama, Shakespeare, comedy and everything leftover.

TLC Talk: An Actor's Life - Panel Discussion Moderated by Aaron Leventman

Tuesday December 12, 2023 6-7 PM

What is it like to be an actor here in Santa Fe? Aaron Leventman of Almost Adults Productions is hosting a panel composed of local professional actors to talk about the craft. Topics include the difference between acting for the film and for theatre, early inspirations and muses, and past training. Finally, we cover the many other forms of creativity and industries that actors are involved in to demonstrate the multi-faceted life of an actor. We also address social responsibilities for the field in the face of current world crises. Panelists include Maura Studi, Marguerite Louise Scott, Talia Pura, Geoffrey Pomeroy, Scott Harrision and Gabrielle Maisels.  

TLC Talk - Why Write Plays?

October 13, 2023 • 6:00-7:00 pm

Have you ever wondered what inspires playwrights to create the magical pieces of art that we all enjoy seeing transformed into live theatre? Several of our talented local playwrights share their inspirations, techniques, how they work with directors and actors, and other secrets of their trade, under the leadership of playwright Rosemary Zibart. and participating playwrights Robert Benjamin, Vicki Meagher, Daniel Gee Husson.

TLC TALK: Summer Time is for Shakespeare in Santa Fe!

Tuesday • June 13th, 2023 • 6-7 pm

Unitarian Universalist Church Outdoor Courtyard

Shakespeare will be inside, outside and all around the town! We met on the Unitarian Church’s outdoor patio for a preview of things to come. Three of our theater producers talked to us about their exciting plans for live theater this summer.

TLC Talk May 9 2023: “The Director/Playwright Relationship”

What insights are gained when the director knows the playwright personally?Two local directors discuss their recent direction of a work by playwrights they knew and admired. How does this inform their direction? Does it add or constrict. Or both! It should be a fascinating evening.

Nicholas Ballas, Artistic Director of New Mexico Actors Lab, has just finished directing Simpatico by Shepard, now playing at the New Mexico Actors Lab. Nicholas knew Sam Shepard when he lived in Santa Fe and has had a passion for his work. As a tribute, when Sam passed, Nicholas and Paul Blott performed Sam Shepard’s Ages of the Moon, one of NMAL’s biggest box office hits. Nicholas has been an actor and director in New Mexico Film, TV and Theatre for many years.

Colin Hovde, Executive Director of The Santa Fe Playhouse, has just finished directing The Baby Monitor, by David Stallings which had previous productions in New York City, Dublin, Belgrade, Italy [Rome and Cagliari]). Both Colin and David have been working with The Santa Fe playhouse for the last year in several capacities and have come to know each other well. Colin comes to Santa Fe from Washington DC, where he served as producing artistic director of Theater Alliance of Washington DC and has directed everywhere from the Rustaveli Theatre in Tiblisi Georgia to the Kennedy Center. 

TLC Talk April 18 2023: Stories from the Stage: Actors Lift the Curtain

A trio of accomplished Santa Fe actors tell tales of the stage:

“The director from hell."
“The character that doesn’t leave.”
“That one line I will never forget.”
“The worst/the best thing that happened to me on stage.”
“What compels me to be an actor?”
“Auditioning? Tips for getting the call back.”

Leslie Harrell Dillen, Danielle Reddick, and Karen Ryan form our Actors Panel. These engaging, talented women dive into the inner side of acting.

TLC Talk March 7 2023: Women Can Change the World

Deana Culp and Talia Pura, two of Santa Fe’s dynamic women directors, discuss their two upcoming productions acknowledging Women’s History Month & International Women's Day. Director Deana Culp is bringing the Internationally produced play, SEVEN, to Teatro Paraguas beginning March 10th. Seven countries, seven women, seven stories lead to a riveting documentary play by seven female award-winning playwrights. This play is based on interviews with remarkable women who have faced life-threatening obstacles before bringing heroic changes to their home countries of Pakistan, Nigeria, Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Russia and Cambodia. Talia Pura is kicking off the new performing space at 420 Fashion Outlets Mall, on Saturday, March 11th at 1:00 pm with Fearless Female Voices. This is an annual festival of new short plays by female playwrights from New Mexico as well as National and International guests.

TLC Talk February 14 2023: Santa Fe Film Festival: Cinema Different

Join fellow movie aficionados as Aaron Leventman shares some tips and clips of the upcoming Santa Fe Film Festival. Aaron is the Head of Programming for this year’s Festival. He is a playwright, actor, and instructor of creative writing, acting and film appreciation. The Festival runs Feb 17-26th in various locations across Santa Fe. Aaron will be joined by one of the filmmakers via Zoom to talk about their entries and films. He will also talk about how a festival comes together and why Film Festivals are important to communities.

TLC Talk January 10, 2023: New Mexico School for the Arts - Polishing the Stars of Tomorrow

The stars of stage and the silver screen all got their start somewhere – and that somewhere right here in New Mexico just could be the New Mexico School for the Arts. Barbara Hatch, instructor and chair in the Theatre Department, will take us on a tour of the school and give an inside peek at how that early training happens. The focus is on the art of storytelling through practice and performance, while honing students’ own skill at personal expression. Exercises, improvisation, scene study and performances are all involved. At this talk, students Esperanza Gonzales and Merrick Kohn will demonstrate a little of what they learned by performing a scene from “Sure Thing,” a play by David Ives. You also can learn about what you can look forward to this spring, which include performances of “The Clouds,” by Aristophanes; ArtSpring, and more. You’ll want to make space on your calendar for these upcoming events.

TLC Talk December 6, 2022: Santa Fe Playhouse – A Year With Frog and Toad

Santa Fe Playhouse is closing out its centennial season with a family-friendly medley of song, dance and humor that can help young people discover the magic of theater. Co-directors Patrick MacDonald and Emily Rankin will discuss how this project came together and explore this adventure about a beloved Frog and a grumpy Toad as they learn a big life lesson: the value of being true to oneself.

“A Year with Frog and Toad,” which runs Dec. 1 - 23 at the Playhouse, was nominated for three Tony awards in 2003, including for best musical. Based on the books by Arnold Lobel, it shows viewers of all ages how they can be true to themselves, while also taking themselves less seriously. Join us for a taste of this enchanting show.

TLC Talk November 8, 2022: The Exodus Ensemble

Exodus creates contemporary and edgy adaptations of classic texts and stories, from the Greeks to Chekhov and the Bible, blending theater and film to create immersive dramatic experiences. Events feature unique formats of audience interaction, and may take place in non-traditional spaces, such as George RR Martin’s Sky Railway. April Cleveland, a St. John’s alumna and Exodus director, leads a question and answer session on the origin of the group and how it creates original works. Six members of the Ensemble in the cast of Bathsheba are also introduced.

TLC Talk October 11, 2022: A Tribute to Tony Mares

The artistic directors introduce us to a new show at Teatro Paraguas: Lola’s Last Dance and Astonishing Light: A Play and Epic Poem.

Teatro Paraguas will present the one-act play Lola’s Last Dance, by the late Ernesto Antonio “Tony” Mares of Albuquerque, for seven performances beginning Friday, August 12, 2022. A staged reading of his long epic poem Astonishing Light— Conversations I Never Had with Patrociño Barela, will also be presented.

TLC Talk, May 2022: Theatre Walk 2022 and Ironweed Productions

This year’s Theatre Walk will take place on May 21 at Fashion Outlets Santa Fe, with music, food and fun! Talia Pura, Chair of Theatre Santa Fe, gives us an idea of what to expect from all our local companies.

Scott Harrison from Ironweed Productions discusses what inspired the impulse to “get back to the studio” to connect with other artists in an intimate studio/workshop setting, and to explore rich dramatic material by a great American writer in a live performance. And actors Matt Sanford and Emily Rankin present a teaser scene from the evening and talk about the process.

TLC Talk, April 2022: What's Under the Hood?

In April we hosted the artistic and administrative staffs from the New Mexico Actors Lab and the Santa Fe Playhouse, who are each presenting a full season of plays this year. They gave us insights into at how theater production comes together — from page to stage.

TLC Talk, March 2022: New Mexico School for the Arts Looks to the Future!

In March, we spoke with Barbara Hatch, Interim Chair of the Theater Department at the New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA). At NMSA, conservatory practice is added to a regular high school curriculum and the focus is on developing the complete performer through exercises, improvisation, scene study, and performances. Dealing with Covid restrictions has demanded intense creativity as teachers continue to help their students explore the theater arts.

TLC Talk, February 2022: From Godspell  to Cabaret… From Grease  to Guys and Dolls… The show will go on.

We explore the delights and challenges of producing musical theater with  Artistic Directors Chris Leslie of Pandemonium Productions and Marilyn Barnes of Tri-M Productions. They take us step by step through what it takes to put on a musical and why they are so drawn to this popular, enduring genre.

TLC Talk, November 2021 - Forces of Nature: Why plays when the world is falling apart?

We host playwrights Leslie Dillen and Dale Dunn for our November talk. They will be joined by directors Kent Kirkpatrick and Lynn Goodwin for a discussion of their upcoming one-act plays, collectively entitled FORCES OF NATURE.

TLC Talk, October 2021: A Brief History of the Santa Fe Playhouse, 1919-2021

The Santa Fe Players, inspired by the community theater movement of the early 20th century, was established in 1919 by Mary Austin. The people of Santa Fe have written, produced, watched, and celebrated this tenacious theater ever since. It has gone by many names and has performed in many venues over the years, and countless folks have made it possible.

The Playhouse is now entering its second century and to celebrate this milestone, Kent Kirkpatrick, President of the Board of the Playhouse, and Robyn Rikoon, Artistic Director, discuss some of the history and stories of the past and share plans for their exciting Centennial season.

TLC Talk Excerpt, August 2021: A New Musical Theater Company in Santa Fe

Marilyn Barnes, Kathlene Ritch, and the actors from Tri-M (Millennial Music Makers) Productions discuss their new musical theater company here in Santa Fe and sing a few songs from their upcoming show, “Broadway Bites.”

TLC Talk, July 2021: NMAL 2021 Season

Nicholas Ballas, Artistic Director of the New Mexico Actors Lab, discusses the 2021 NMAL season and what drew him to select each of the upcoming plays, his casting criteria, and how the season flows.  

Managing Director Robert Benedetti talks about how The Lifespan of a Fact, which he will be directing, fits into Nicholas’ theme for the season as well as the genesis of the play, The Cradle Will Rock. 

TLC Talk, June 2021: Santa Fe Theater Revival: Summer 2021

We invited three of our local theater producers to talk to us about their plans for live theater in Santa Fe this summer. Kelly Briggs tells us about Shakespeare in the Garden’s July production of As You Like It at the Botanical Garden. Caryl Farkas brings us up to speed with the summer offerings of the International Shakespeare Center and the Upstart Crows. And finally, Santa Fe Playhouse Artistic Director, Robyn Rikoon, describes the Playhouse’s summer plans.

TLC Talk, March 2021: New Mexico Actors Lab - How the Sausage is Made

What does it take to create a season of plays and then actually produce them? Robert Benedetti and Nicholas Ballas from the New Mexico Actors Lab will speak to the creation of a season, and then secondarily to the preparation of an individual play. They will each be discussing their responsibilities as the Artistic Director (Mr. Ballas) and the Managing Director (Dr. Benedetti), a pairing that is at the heart of all resident theaters.

TLC Talk, January 2021: NMSA - The Optimism of Youth

Joey Chavez, Theatre Department Chair of the New Mexico School for the Arts, joins us to discuss how NMSA combines the optimism of youth and the experience and support of its theater teachers to create theater via remote learning in this time of COVID.

So... you want to do a play.  You can't be in the same room with cast and crew members.  There are other family members in your household vying for computers and bandwidth. You can't upload and share videos which violate copyright laws as they pertain to all the performing arts.  You still want to do a play? Heck yes!

Theater Next! #3 - Directing for Zoom - November 10, 2020

This presentation by the Theatre Lovers Club focuses on the fundamentals of directing internet-based theater. Every medium has its challenges and as theater adapts to the computer, we are all learning new techniques. Dr. Robert Benedetti (New Mexico Actors Lab Founder and Managing Director) draws on his vast film and theater directing experience to give us some hints on how to make these new internet formats more engaging.

Theater Next! #2 - October 13, 2020

Join David Carter, Managing Director of The Santa Fe Playhouse, John Flax, Artistic Director of Theater Grottesco, Aaron Leventman, Artistic Director of Almost Adults Productions, and Moderator Jennifer Graves as they discuss the effect of COVID-19 on theater in Santa Fe, NM.

Theater Next! #1 - September 22, 2020

Nicholas Ballas, the Artistic Director of New Mexico Actor’s Lab, Caryl Farkas, Artistic Director of the Upstart Crows, and Argos McCallum, Artistic Director of Teatro Paraguas, join Moderator Jennifer Graves to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Santa Fe Theater.

Theaters in Transition: New Mexico Actors Lab and the Santa Fe Playhouse - November 12, 2019

Robert Benedetti, Founder and Artistic Director, and Nicholas Ballas, Co-Artistic Director, of NMAL join Vaughn Irving, Artistic Director, and Robyn Rikoon, Artistic Director of the Santa Fe Playhouse, discuss the process of transitioning a theater to new leadership.   

New Mexico Actor’s Lab was founded in 2012 by Robert Benedetti and a group of Santa Fe Actors with a shared passion for theater that addressed issues of social justice and celebrated the human spirit. NMAL has traditionally formed its season around the talents of its actors and from the best of the American theatrical cannon.

The Santa Fe Playhouse has a 100-year-old history and Vaughn Irving was hired four years ago as Artistic Director to bring new life to an old tradition.  Vaughn saw his mission as keeping the old traditions of Community Theater in the best sense of community and exposing the playhouse’s audience to newer and more unconventional fare.  

Playwrights Forum - December 10, 2019

Tonight we host a panel of 5 Santa Fe playwrights: Leslie Dillen, Dale Dunn, Robert Benjamin, Aaron Leventman, and Talia Pura talk about the magic of playwriting — moderated by playwright Rosemary Zibart.

“What’s So Funny?” - Ron Bloomberg Discusses Comedy - January 14, 2020

Ron Bloomberg is an award-winning television and comedy writer who knows what makes us laugh.  Join us for a fascinating discussion about what makes comedy funny as Ron unpacks the mystery of comedy.

New Mexico School for the Arts presents Fools - January 28, 2020

Joey Chavez, Theatre Department Chair at NMSA, discusses their upcoming production of Neil Simon’s Fools.  CBS TV called it "The brightest, freshest, funniest, wittiest, warmest, and happiest to-do on Broadway in many a day."

Harrison & Goodwin discuss Ironweed’s production of THE ALIENS - February 11, 2020 -

Director, Lynn Goodwyn (Just Say It Theater) and Producer, Scott Harrison, discuss Ironweed’s production of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker’s The Aliens.  By turns poignant and hilarious, this lovely 3-character play explores friendship, alienation, and the healing power of music among three lost souls on a desolate porch outside a Vermont coffee shop.   This March will be 15 years since Ironweed’s first production, Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love, kicked off in Santa Fe.  Come find out Scott Harrison’s secret to longevity in the Santa Fe Theater Scene!