PAULO SZOT

PAULO SZOT

Tony Award-Winning Singer, Actor and Star of Chicago, the longest-running American Musical in Broadway History

All the themes are very contemporary. I think what moves this story is the search for instantaneous celebrity. That’s what the girls are all about, Roxie and Velma. They want to be famous. Of course everything that you cited, corruption, crimes, the press focusing on sensational stories–it’s all there. And I think that’s why the public relates so much to it.

(Highlights) NOELANI PANTASTICO

(Highlights) NOELANI PANTASTICO

Principal Dancer · Pacific Northwest Ballet

I always do a lot of studying into the history of something, if I feel like that is going to help me. And then, if that's not going to help me, I make up a story. I do a lot of different things for each role and each performance, and sometimes when I repeat something something else will come through. So it really changes every single time.

NOELANI PANTASTICO

NOELANI PANTASTICO

Principal Dancer · Pacific Northwest Ballet

I always do a lot of studying into the history of something, if I feel like that is going to help me. And then, if that's not going to help me, I make up a story. I do a lot of different things for each role and each performance, and sometimes when I repeat something something else will come through. So it really changes every single time.

Highlights - Jonah Bokaer - Choreographer, Media Artist

Highlights - Jonah Bokaer - Choreographer, Media Artist

Choreographer & Media Artist

Choreography is always, also, a Visual Art…
The etymology of crisis is very productive and constructive because krísis in the Greco-Roman etymology is what happens when there is a germ in the body, so this heat from the krísis creates fever, and fever and the breaking of fever tends to flush out the germ. Healing the germ through crisis is the etymology. And crisis gave birth and rebirth to criticism. Criticism and crisis have the same root word.

Jonah Bokaer - Choreographer, Media Artist

Jonah Bokaer - Choreographer, Media Artist

Choreographer & Media Artist

Choreography is always, also, a Visual Art…
The etymology of crisis is very productive and constructive because krísis in the Greco-Roman etymology is what happens when there is a germ in the body, so this heat from the krísis creates fever, and fever and the breaking of fever tends to flush out the germ. Healing the germ through crisis is the etymology. And crisis gave birth and rebirth to criticism. Criticism and crisis have the same root word.

(Highlights) RICK CARNES

(Highlights) RICK CARNES

Songwriter & President of the Songwriters Guild of America

Songwriters create the meaning in people’s lives. When you’re married, you have a song. When you fall in love, you have a song. At a funeral, they play a song. When people go off to war, they’re singing a war ballad. Songs create the meaningful moments in people’s lives. People bookmark the moment they met and kissed for the first time with a song. Songs are the bookmarks of your life. Your life is not going to have those meaningful moments cemented into your heart and soul without those songs. That’s a critically important job. That’s worth paying for.

RICK CARNES

RICK CARNES

Songwriter & President of the Songwriters Guild of America

Songwriters create the meaning in people’s lives. When you’re married, you have a song. When you fall in love, you have a song. At a funeral, they play a song. When people go off to war, they’re singing a war ballad. Songs create the meaningful moments in people’s lives. People bookmark the moment they met and kissed for the first time with a song. Songs are the bookmarks of your life. Your life is not going to have those meaningful moments cemented into your heart and soul without those songs. That’s a critically important job. That’s worth paying for.

(Highlights) ALICE BROOKS

(Highlights) ALICE BROOKS

Award-winning Cinematographer
In The Heights, Tick, Tick…Boom!

There’s this children’s book called Miss Rumphius, and I’ve carried it around with me my entire life. It’s about a woman who grandfather tells her three things, and the last one is the most difficult thing of all and that’s to fill the world with beauty. And I give this book to every one of my friends who are having babies, I have a copy with me almost at all times, and I’m reminded of that feeling that Jonathan Larson had in Tick, Tick…Boom! Of how much time do we have to do something great.

ALICE BROOKS

ALICE BROOKS

Award-winning Cinematographer
In The Heights, Tick, Tick…Boom!

There’s this children’s book called Miss Rumphius, and I’ve carried it around with me my entire life. It’s about a woman who grandfather tells her three things, and the last one is the most difficult thing of all and that’s to fill the world with beauty. And I give this book to every one of my friends who are having babies, I have a copy with me almost at all times, and I’m reminded of that feeling that Jonathan Larson had in Tick, Tick…Boom! Of how much time do we have to do something great.

(Highlights) NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

(Highlights) NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

Interview Highlights

Days are filled with things that happen. And you have to sort of determine whether you're going to make choices for things to happen or just react to things that are happening around you. And why not choose to go do things. You're not going to see art unless you go to the museum.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

Actor · Comedian · Filmmaker · Magician · Singer · Writer

And I remember I was just the whitest kid ever from small-town New Mexico in this big city of Los Angeles…I'm sitting there watching this play about a lower middle-class African-American man in Pittsburgh and his family. And I just remember being so moved, moved to tears at 13, 14 years old…And it was so moving. And I did think even back then, I recognized the impact that the theater can have on someone that isn't even anything like what they're like.

(Highlights) PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET · Price Suddarth · Christopher D’Ariano & Amanda Morgan

(Highlights) PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET · Price Suddarth · Christopher D’Ariano & Amanda Morgan

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The Company of nearly fifty dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. The Company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances at Jacob’s Pillow and in New York City and Washington DC.

In this interview, we speak with soloist Price Suddarth and corps de ballet Christopher D’Ariano and Amanda Morgan.

This interview was conducted by Mia Funk and Caroline Dougherty with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Ari T. Renai. Digital Media Coordinator is Hannah Story Brown. 

Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET · Price Suddarth · Christopher D’Ariano & Amanda Morgan

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET · Price Suddarth · Christopher D’Ariano & Amanda Morgan

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The Company of nearly fifty dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. The Company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances at Jacob’s Pillow and in New York City and Washington DC.

In this interview, we speak with soloist Price Suddarth and corps de ballet Christopher D’Ariano and Amanda Morgan.

This interview was conducted by Mia Funk and Caroline Dougherty with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Ari T. Renai. Digital Media Coordinator is Hannah Story Brown. 

Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process.

(Highlights) MICHAEL DAUGHTERTY

(Highlights) MICHAEL DAUGHTERTY

Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning composer
One of the ten most performed composers in America

“Architecture is frozen music,” as Goethe said…There is something about when you’re exploring not knowing exactly where it’s going to go or how it’s going to turn out which creates an element of surprise and an element of intrigue.

MICHAEL DAUGHTERTY

MICHAEL DAUGHTERTY

Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning composer
One of the ten most performed composers in America

“Architecture is frozen music,” as Goethe said…There is something about when you’re exploring not knowing exactly where it’s going to go or how it’s going to turn out which creates an element of surprise and an element of intrigue.

(Highlights) BRIGHT SHENG

(Highlights) BRIGHT SHENG

MacArthur & ASCAP Award-Winning Composer, Conductor & Pianist

I try to preserve the Chinese music flavor. So, you imagine in Chinese band, the country music that people usually reserve for weddings or for big moments or for funerals. That kind of a feeling. Drums and music playing. I try to preserve it from my memory because what we have now is just a tune. You can probably recognize the tune, but the execution of translating that for a Western orchestra and make it sound like it’s a Chinese band playing Chinese instruments.

BRIGHT SHENG

BRIGHT SHENG

MacArthur & ASCAP Award-Winning Composer, Conductor & Pianist

I try to preserve the Chinese music flavor. So, you imagine in Chinese band, the country music that people usually reserve for weddings or for big moments or for funerals. That kind of a feeling. Drums and music playing. I try to preserve it from my memory because what we have now is just a tune. You can probably recognize the tune, but the execution of translating that for a Western orchestra and make it sound like it’s a Chinese band playing Chinese instruments.

(Highlights) EDMAR CASTANEDA

(Highlights) EDMAR CASTANEDA

Jazz Harpist

The harp or the instrument that I play is a traditional instrument from Columbia (I’m from Bogota, Columbia). We have traditional music there called Janetta music. It’s the music from the plains of Colombia and Venezuala. It’s like the cowboy music… I met the harp when I was seven years old. That’s the first time I saw this instrument. I was like–Wow! I knew I was born to play the harp that day!

EDMAR CASTANEDA

EDMAR CASTANEDA

Jazz Harpist

The harp or the instrument that I play is a traditional instrument from Columbia (I’m from Bogota, Columbia). We have traditional music there called Janetta music. It’s the music from the plains of Colombia and Venezuala. It’s like the cowboy music… I met the harp when I was seven years old. That’s the first time I saw this instrument. I was like–Wow! I knew I was born to play the harp that day!

(Highlights) NANO STERN

(Highlights) NANO STERN

Musician and Songwriter

There is a metaphor to every single word that we say, we're just not aware. But if we were aware, then it would become very interesting. And that's the quest for me to be constantly more and more aware because it's so beautiful. It's a quest for beauty as well.