What it takes to film a show, plus a conversation with theatre artist Abby Apple Boes and our weekly Top 10 Colorado Headliners

*This podcast is 100% free of election news of any kind!

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca take a look at the whole concept of filming theatre. From high-end productions like Hamilton and Shrek to bootleggers recording entire shows on the sly, we dive into what it takes to record a show, why more theatres don’t do it and some of the many considerations to take into account.

Abby Apple Boes headshot

Abby Apple Boes

Later in the episode, Alex catches up with Abby Apple Boes, a well-known theatre artist in Colorado who sings, acts and directs. Abby has a couple of one-woman cabaret performances coming up at the Aurora Fox Nov. 15 and 16 and also will be in the director’s chair for a few shows upcoming.

And as usual we work through our Top 10 list of Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows of note. Here they are:

Listen to the podcast

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to the Podcast and Election Day Context

01:00 – Bootlegging vs. Film Theater: An Overview

02:21 – Weekly Roundup: Recent Shows and Festivals

06:47 -Denver Film Festival Highlights

10:54 – Reefer Madness: A Unique Production

13:02 – Theater News and Announcements

16:09 – Main Topic: Digital Theater and Bootlegging

22:21 – The Debate on Bootlegs and Accessibility

26:01 – Comparing Concerts and Theater: Recording Practices

29:51 – The Evolution of Theater in the Digital Age

31:11 -The Impact of Hamilton on Theater Accessibility

34:05 – Creative Solutions for Regional Theaters

36:03 – The Role of Trailers in Promoting Theater

37:02 – Upcoming Colorado Theater Highlights

52:00 – Conversation with Abby Apple Boes

01:11:08 – Looking Ahead: Future Conversations and Themes

Transcript

(Created by an AI monster; beware hallucinations and other oddities!)

Alex (00:01)

Hey, hello and welcome to the OnStage Colorado podcast. I’m Alex Miller here once again with arts reporter Toni Tresca. Hey, Toni.

Toni Tresca (00:10)

Good morning Alex, it’s a pleasure to be here talking with you about theatre and not stressing about the election.

Alex (00:17)

No, this is, guess, our Election Day episode, but I will say right now we have absolutely zero content related to the election other than this part here, and since you’re past it now, you’re good to go. Yes.

Toni Tresca (00:30)

It’s over. This is going to be a politics free zone or at least an election free zone for the next 90 ish minutes.

Alex (00:34)

Absolutely.

Yeah, I don’t even think we have any election themed shows to talk about or anything like that. so yeah, as usual, we’ll unpack the shows we’ve seen lately. And I think I’ll give you some thoughts on whether we think you should check them out. And then this our main topic this weekend is kind of an interesting one that you suggested Toni bootlegging and film theater. So can you tee that up just a little bit?

Toni Tresca (01:00)

Yeah, so bootlegging, just to like right off the bat, it is illegal. You are not allowed to film shows that are being done when their rights are still out and available for purchase. However, just because it’s illegal doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. And so this is that kind of practice of people sneaking into shows, mostly at Broadway level theaters and filming them so that they can be shared to the masses. Whereas film theater is something kind of more akin to

like the Shrek the musical that dropped in 2008 in which they professionally shot that production and then released it on DVD at the time, but then later to streaming where it really was popularized. So it’s kind of two different camps and there’s a lot of debate around the subject, which I think makes it a really interesting topic to unpack.

Alex (01:51)

Great, yeah, well, hang tight. We’ll get to that in just a minute. Also later in the episode, I have an interview with Abby Appleboes, who is a really well-known theater person here in the Front Range area, who she is gonna be doing a cabaret at the Aurora Fox and also has a couple of shows coming up that she’s directing. So it was fun to have her on. She’s one of those people you see out theater all the time with John. And yeah, it was great to catch up with her. So hang around for that as well.

Toni Tresca (02:21)

Yeah, looking forward to listening to that conversation a little later in the episode. But first, on to our weekly roundup of what we’ve seen around the state. So Alex L, what have you seen this week?

Alex (02:34)

I had kind of a light weekend. only saw one show and that was Eyes Up, Mouth of Gape at Budport. you saw that one as well, didn’t you?

Toni Tresca (02:44)

I did, was there on their opening night.

Alex (02:47)

Okay, yeah, I was there Saturday. And I have to say this is probably one of the funniest button port shows I’ve seen in a while. And the shows are always funny, but this one was like, had a lot of great laughs. It’s a, I shouldn’t say weird, because all this stuff is, you know, in that category. But the premise is about this, this horrible incident that was, that really happened in like, what was it 2004 or something like that.

Toni Tresca (03:10)

2004, this is the 20th year anniversary of the infamous, it’s the Dave Matthews tour bus incident. And it’s for just for the uninformed, it is an incident in which a tour bus unloaded pounds of extrament that was in the bathroom of this tour bus.

Alex (03:13)

Yes.

Toni Tresca (03:34)

through a graded bridge so it fell, smack onto a tour boat that was floating underneath the bridge by happenstance. And rather than focus on any of the people involved in this situation, their way into this is a documentarian who is speaking to the inanimate objects involved. So the boat, the bridge, the Sears Tower, and the…

Alex (03:40)

Yes.

Right.

Yes.

Toni Tresca (04:03)

boat bridge and the tour bus.

Alex (04:05)

Yes, yes, it was really, really creative. The set was really striking because they had the Sears Tower. So they had kind of a guest, you know, usually it’s just the, you know, the Bunt Porters themselves, but they had Emily K. Harrison come on and she’s wearing like a, I don’t know, a hat or a headpiece that sort of looks like, I guess, the top of the Sears Tower or as it’s called the Willis Tower now. so this is like the first time, at least that I can think of, that I’ve ever seen any kind of musical component to a Bunt Port show.

So that definitely added something to it. she so she as the as the Sears tower is looking down on all this action and so Hannah Duggan Duggan is the boat and it was the name of the boat the little lady of Chicago or something like that.

Toni Tresca (04:48)

That’s right.

Alex (04:49)

Yeah. so they’re wearing, she’s like wearing the boat and Eric Edborg is wearing the bridge that the boat was under when the bus worn by Brian Colonna. And so I don’t even understand how would that even happen? I don’t even want to know. So I will say that it’s really, and it really has really inventive use of live video. So Air Enrollment is the documentarian and has three cameras and they switch off. so like, you know,

Toni Tresca (05:10)

Mm. Mm-hmm.

Alex (05:17)

the boat might go to dark and then it flips over to the bus. Which, that definitely leaves the actors literally in the dark and without lines and just kind of sitting there, which is kind of hard to avoid in that setup. But overall it was really a great show. I got to tell you, it’s pretty scatological and it gets kind of grosser as it goes on.

And Hannah’s character is just like talking about the pee and the poop and the vomit and all this stuff and and the other thing is that Eric Eric has the bridge is kind of plays him as this sort of really boring character who’s you know, they question whether he’s even should be able to talk us he was just a really a stand stand Standing by wasn’t an active, you know He went through the greats. Yeah

Toni Tresca (06:01)

And as he points out, it wasn’t even the most interesting incident that’s happened on the bridge. He repeatedly says that.

Alex (06:07)

Yes. So yeah, they get into the history. then it’s so Brian was hilarious as the the bus who sort of starts to try and gaslight them about, what actually happened. maybe it was the Lincoln Park, Lincoln Park bus that. So, yeah, really fun show. Definitely. If you’re kind of a prude about.

Toni Tresca (06:24)

The alternate bus theory.

Alex (06:33)

fart jokes and the like, which I kind of am. I was a little swirmy at points, but I had to, know, if you’re going to do that, you kind of have to go there. but yeah, really a fun show. What else did you see this weekend? you were at the film festival, right?

Toni Tresca (06:47)

Another, I was, so I was at the Denver Film Festival this weekend, so that’s the 47th annual festival. I’ve seen six films so far and I have seven more to go. I’ve really been making a meal of this festival. I wanna give a couple recommendations, won’t go through everything I’ve seen, but the best I’ve seen so far, kind of feature film, has to be A Real Pain, which,

Alex (07:03)

huh.

Toni Tresca (07:14)

is the Jesse Eisenberg directed and written film about the it’s a comedy about the Holocaust, which sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. But it’s pinned with such emotion and heart and undercurrent and it’s related to his real life grandmother. So there’s such truth to the kind to the experience of the film. It was introduced last night when I saw it. So that was Sunday, November 3 by the Polish ambassador.

Alex (07:25)

Right.

Toni Tresca (07:43)

Colorado’s Polish ambassador to kind of set the stakes of the film. And I just thought it was really well done. I would definitely check this out whenever it opens, because I think this is going to be nominated for a buttload of Oscars. And it’s a really good film. So and then a documentary would recommend is The World According to Ali Willis. It’s a she’s a songwriter, abstract artist and somebody who I knew nothing about. And that was kind of the joy of this film. I thought it was

Alex (07:47)

Haha.

Really? Yeah. Cool.

Toni Tresca (08:12)

really fascinating introduction to her and made me really want to learn more about her. And I was sitting next to a bunch of her fans because she has a eclectic career that’s attracted a lot of supporters along the way. And they all seem to really enjoy it as well. So I think it speaks to wherever you are with Ally Willis. Do you know anything about her?

Alex (08:33)

No, I’ve never never heard of her.

Toni Tresca (08:35)

She wrote the Friends theme song. She wrote September for Earth, Wind and Fire. She’s the lyricist behind so many iconic songs. then as well as just making her own art, she was a set designer. So just a really fascinating life. And then best animated film is Memoirs of a Snail. This is a really, it’s an R-rated animated film kind of about this woman’s dep…

Alex (08:45)

Interesting.

Uh-huh.

You

Toni Tresca (09:03)

really depressing life where she has kind of retreated into snail iconography. She dresses as a snail. She becomes really obsessed with this and she’s isolating herself and creating the shell. And it’s kind of about her interesting family dynamic. And so it’s really kind of a tragically beautiful film. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart either. It’s definitely are in all senses of the word, but it’s lovely claymation.

And just a really thoughtful, interesting way to use animation for storytelling.

Alex (09:38)

Wow. Are any snails harmed in the filming of this movie?

Toni Tresca (09:43)

They are really sensitive about the snails, so no snails are harmed, but humans are.

Alex (09:49)

Okay, get, Clay gets smushed maybe. So, all right, great. Well, so there’s still another whole week or so of the film festival,

Toni Tresca (09:53)

Mm-hmm.

That’s right. So I’ve got seven more to go, including, I guess, as you when you are listening to this listeners, I will have already seen Night Bitch starring Amy Adams, which is the film at the Botanic Gardens this evening that I’m looking forward to checking out. She plays a woman who transforms into a dog sometimes. Yeah.

Alex (10:21)

I love the title. It’s up there with my old ass in terms of great titles for the year.

Toni Tresca (10:28)

My Old Ass is also a great film, and a great title as well, so, but totally a great-

Alex (10:31)

Yeah, it makes me laugh every time. I haven’t seen it yet. We’re planning on getting to it.

Toni Tresca (10:37)

Definitely worth checking out. think it’s on streaming now. So and I I think it I think it would be worth it It’s a worth a night in and watching it at home. It’s it’s pretty good

Alex (10:40)

Is it? Okay.

huh. Okay. All right. Well, that sounds great. And you also went up to Fort Collins and saw a reef for madness, right?

Toni Tresca (10:54)

That’s right, so I was at the opening night of Reefer Madness at the Lincoln Center. This is a production by Open Stage up in Fort Fun. It was directed by Kenny Moten, who lives up there. He’s a very well-known director. He’s doing this, I caught up with him at intermission and he was talking to me about how he’s doing this in conjunction with the Arvada Center’s production of Once Upon a Mattress, as well as getting ready for North Glen Arts production of Motowns and

jerseys, believe. I may have messed up the title there, it’s Motones, that’s right. But he’s a ever busy guy, but he still puts his all into every production he’s doing. And Reefer Madness is a really tricky show because although it sounds like, it’s an easy kind of campy show, camp is really hard to pull off well, particularly this show, which has themes of abuse as well as it’s like a set in the 1930s. So there’s all these kind of outdated

Alex (11:26)

Motones, I think it’s called. Yeah.

Toni Tresca (11:52)

sexist kind of tropes about gender. And obviously the central subject of marijuana and is treated rather sedaciously, which can get old if it’s just the same joke every over and over. But Kenny Moten has really his experiments with this rotating set that kind of is it stripped down but is able to kind of represent so many different places throughout here, his inventive use of everything from like a seat and

that starts as a pew altar, but then kind of goes into this really elaborate sequence, mad dream sequence in which someone’s being pushed around the stage on this altar. It’s just a really inventive show from top to bottom, very funny, very well cast with a lot of people who actually live up in Fort Collins. I was very impressed with the production.

Alex (12:41)

Great, that sounds great. And you’re going to do a review for on stage,

Toni Tresca (12:45)

That’s right. I was working on it before I hopped on to record this episode. So it may be up even by the time you’re listening to this tomorrow.

Alex (12:55)

All right, great. Well, any news or mail since we last spoke, Toni?

Toni Tresca (13:02)

Yeah, so we got another new five-star review on Spotify. So, woo-woo, yes, thank you so much to whomever gave us that new review. It really helps us get the word out about there. And if you’re listening now and you like what you’re hearing or you like what you’ve heard in the past, please feel free to give us a review. Perhaps five stars if you’re so inclined. Keep our streak going, but.

Alex (13:05)

Woohoo!

Toni Tresca (13:28)

whatever you feel is appropriate, will take. And we’re just thankful that you’re here listening to us.

Alex (13:32)

All right, and then we had an announcement, a couple of announcements come out.

Toni Tresca (13:38)

That’s right. So first off, we’ll start with the kind of the fun one. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival announced its lineup for the 2025 season, which will be June 7th through August 10th. It’ll be two Shakespeare plays, The Tempest and Richard II, as well as two original practice performances of Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus. I really like Dr. Faustus. would be, I’m looking, I would like to.

go to that one of those original practice performances, I still have yet to actually see one of those.

Alex (14:11)

Me neither. We both tried this last summer and it didn’t work out. But yeah, it’s a shortened or a smaller season just because they’re still working on the Rho Green.

Not the Roe Green is the indoor theater. They’re working on the, yeah, out there, which is kind of the original classic outdoor Shakespeare theater there at the University of Colorado Boulder. yeah, that’s cool. That’s coming up. It’s always something to look forward to. then big news out of Colorado Springs.

Toni Tresca (14:29)

The Merry Rippon.

That’s right, it was announced this week, or last week, that Caitlin Lowans is going to be stepping down from Colorado Springs Theater Works. They’re one of only two artistic leaders over there, and they’re gonna be stepping down to become the producing artistic director for 10,000 Things Theater Company in Minneapolis starting in February.

Caitlin has been one of the only two leaders over there. Murray Ross started the company in 1975 and then Lowndes took over after his death in 2017. And no additional information has been shared about their replacement at this time. However, the company said in a statement, all TheaterWorks performances will continue as planned. So hats off to you, Caitlin. Congratulations on the job. But it definitely sounds like

from the community, will be very, very missed. I saw a lot of outpouring of love for them when this news broke last week.

Alex (15:44)

Yeah, TheatreWorks does great work, has done lot of great work under her artistic direction. So definitely sad to see her go, but yeah, I’m sure it’s always a new opportunity for a theatre to get in a new AD and see what they can do.

Toni Tresca (15:58)

Yeah, so we’ll share news as soon as we hear it about who their replacement is at TheatreWorks. But in the meantime, let’s move on to our main topic this week.

Alex (16:09)

Yeah, we’re to be talking about digital theater, bootlegging and everything in between. so, you know, why isn’t more theater film for digital release and why are bootlegs such a controversial issue in the theater community?

Toni Tresca (16:24)

Yeah, this is a subject, as I mentioned up at the top, that I’m quite excited to chat about. It really is no small feat to film a live show. I actually did it twice back when I was working with New Works SA in San Antonio. We filmed and released two original productions there. And I gotta say that the work that went into them, that we filmed, the comedy of Romeo and Juliet and Girl and the Cocoon to upload to YouTube, it was quite intense from the kind of…

additional rehearsals that we had to do to incorporate camera setups and test all of the audio levels, all of that technical stuff. Then after filming it during multiple live showings, we had to then edit it and then go through the distribution. So the kind of work was nonstop for months. And we didn’t even have to deal with the rights, which is something that most kind of professional productions that aren’t doing something original have to kind of navigate. So.

Alex (17:13)

Yeah.

Toni Tresca (17:19)

It’s a very complicated subject and although I get that it’s kind of a lot of people immediately jump to just film the thing and throw it online. If you want it to look good, it takes a lot more thought and in order to execute that.

Alex (17:34)

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, I’m sure that experience gives you a pretty unique perspective. But I would have to say from my own experience that, unless you have a ton of resources, most recorded plays and especially musicals really suck. So, you know, if someone just stands up a camera in the back. like, but, you know, I really enjoy having those. I have a few of those from my acting days, but strictly for my own use. And even though they suck, still, you know, fun to have them. I digitize them and, know, so, you know, my family got a kick out of seeing me, you know.

Toni Tresca (18:01)

Mm-hmm.

Alex (18:03)

as 30 year old jumping around on stage in tights and Shakespeare abridged and stuff like that. So there’s value there, but as far as like making something that you can show to an audience, that’s a whole nother thing. So theater fans have been asking for digital access to Broadway shows for years, but there’s not a ton of it. I mean, other than like you’ve already mentioned, it’s a heavy lift, but what are some of the other reasons?

Toni Tresca (18:29)

I mean, the biggest issue is definitely money. I think people don’t realize how expensive it is to film a show. We’re talking about at least a half a million dollars in additional capital that’s necessary to be able to film this. And that’s just for something basic. There’s this really great article written by G. Kedalia, producer, it’s entitled On Filming Theater and Why It Doesn’t Happen More, which we’ll link in the episode notes. But it really kind of lays out.

all of the kind of challenges for digital theater. There’s the cost of securing rights, there’s union pay bumps, there’s production expenses, which includes setting up multiple shoot days and then finding a distributor. So it’s really a kind of a massive undertaking.

Alex (19:15)

Yep, yeah, definitely not just setting up a few cameras and I bet unions play a big part in the cost as well for equity.

Toni Tresca (19:24)

Totally. you have like, actors’ equity, there’s the stage directors and choreographers society, as well as several other additional unions who fairly, I think, require significant pay bumps when a show is filmed, plus the royalties. Because I mean, their kind of argument is that if they film this, then there’s the incentive on the producers maybe not to keep the live show there. So they want to make sure that they still have some skin in the game.

There to get paid and then there’s the technical side So filming a live show takes a lot more planning than just hitting record as I as I kind of mentioned at the top When I was working on this for the two shows that we filmed it took months of kind of Pre-planning to kind of think through the camera shots We wanted how we wanted it to look so that it didn’t just look like we just filmed something from one camera angle and then uploaded it We wanted it to look like it was actually shot for film

Alex (20:22)

Yeah, that sounds intense. But you know, there are those who argue that by not making recordings available then Broadway’s, you that’s kind of a cultural elitism. you know, that it’s only for people who can afford a theater ticket, which is, you know, not a big section of the population. So is there any truth to that?

Toni Tresca (20:43)

I definitely think there is an excessive, because I mean, as I was saying, mean, not everybody can get to these New York or these other places that are producing theater and then shell out additional money to go see it. But I think focusing just on the Broadway scene alone actually misses out on the bigger issue here. Like local theaters need that support too. And it’s often a lot more affordable to see work regionally.

But that said, yeah, I think Broadway should be more accessible. And this is just one way, but it’s kind of part of a bigger picture. think Broadway also should be reducing ticket prices so that people can actually go see it. But until they do that, or if that’s not financially possible, as I keep hearing producers say, then I think doing these recordings are a really good way to introduce new audiences to it.

Alex (21:32)

Yeah, yeah, it’d be great project for a, you know, film students who are learning all this stuff. Of course, you still have the rights and the unions and all that stuff to deal with. But maybe, maybe if it’s a local original play or something like that, you could you could do it a little more easier. But so but you know, there’s a whole world of theater beyond Broadway, and it helps, you know, supporting it all with with showing it more helps helps it all, you know, be more aware. Start to start over there.

Toni Tresca (21:42)

Mm-hmm.

Alex (22:01)

So, but yeah, there’s the whole world of theater beyond Broadway and supporting it helps make the art form stronger and more accessible. But what about the companies that make theater specifically for the internet and also the stickier topic of bootlegs? And some say they’re the only way for fans to experience a show if they can’t get a ticket.

Toni Tresca (22:21)

Yeah, that’s a really hot topic, particularly in the online theater community, those Broadway message boards and Reddit theater pages. I see you, I see you there commenting there. I kind of have a soft spot for this debate because of groups like Team StarKid, who they are huge influence on me. They’re an online group started by college students originally from the University of Michigan. They started by making parodies of things like

Alex (22:29)

Mm-hmm.

Ha ha ha.

Toni Tresca (22:50)

Harry Potter and Aladdin and things like that. But they really kind of evolved to producing original musicals. And their kind of niche within the market was that they would, yes, they would do them live, but they were always planned and intended to be released online to kind of be shared with that internet audience. they were really, that was really inspirational to me as a young kid who was in a small town and who didn’t have access to a ton of theater around me. I was like, it still felt like I was able to experience it.

and see what was kind of possible through that experience. So I think that groups like them and people who are producing stuff for online, there’s a real opportunity there, particularly to kind of attract the next generation of theater lovers.

And then as for bootlegs, which again, I should say they are technically illegal, but I get why people watch them, including, yeah, I’m just gonna say I get why people watch them. Because for many, it’s the only way to experience shows. for example, the Heather’s bootleg is very popular, Heather’s the musical from the original off-Broadway run. Never gonna see that cast again, it’s not coming.

Alex (23:48)

Ha ha.

Toni Tresca (24:05)

It is coming back to Broadway, allegedly, next year, but you’re not in that off-Broadway space with the original cast. So I get why people would see it. I wouldn’t say I’m anti-bootlegging. It’s just a kind of a complicated piece of the accessibility puzzle. They’re not perfect. And I think what would be better is what we were talking about is productions kind of embracing that people want to see this and they want it preserved. So making sure that they budget accordingly so they can shoot it.

But until then, if a bootleg kind of inspires people to go see a show live, I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with them.

Alex (24:44)

Yeah, well, you know, of course the emergence of smartphones really changed it. I mean, it used to be like, you weren’t gonna smuggle in a video, you know, VHS camera to a show, but now you got it in your pocket. But I still, I’m not sure I understand how you could film an entire show without getting caught by an usher or annoying everyone behind you, because it’s really distracting to see, you know, and it happens at concerts a lot. I’m just like, God, for God’s sakes, would you put your phones down? It’s like, really? You’re not even gonna watch it.

Toni Tresca (25:13)

Yeah, I often ask that kind of question too. I have no idea. The people who film the bootlegs are not kind of open about what tactics they take. I think probably rightly so. They don’t want to get caught. But yeah, I don’t know how they do it. It’s kind of astounding that they could, particularly those people who film Patti LuPone performances. I’m like, you’ve got to be on the edge of your seat the whole time. Because there are bootlegs of her performance in company out there.

Alex (25:24)

Right.

Toni Tresca (25:43)

And I’m like, you brave soul, she will scream at you if she sees you.

Alex (25:48)

Yeah, yeah, maybe you could wear like a bouffant wig and have a camera kind of, you know, an external camera like that you’d have on your computer monitor or something, but I don’t know.

Toni Tresca (26:01)

Yeah. And you mentioned to me when we were talking about this kind of subject that this is something that’s been around kind of in the concert space and more widely kind of there for a lot longer than it’s been in the theater space. you say a little bit more about that?

Alex (26:18)

yeah, yeah, because you know, well, when I was a kid, was when I was a kid, I was a teenager in my 20s, I was a big deadhead. And I saw like, I think I saw like 30 something shows. But I learned about like, there’s the whole community there. And so there’s different people that are dead shows, there’s the twirlers who they don’t even look at the band, they’re just out in the aisle, tripping on acid and twirling. But there’s also another section of the tapers, what they used to call the tapers. And the dead at one point said, you know, we can’t fight city hall, these people are gonna be out there anyway. So they just kind of

stopped telling ushers or whatever, the security was not gonna bust anybody at Dead Shows for doing that because it was still strict for most bands back then. But they’d come in with like, they might walk in with a crutch and they would use that as a mic stand. And of course, back then they literally had tape recorders. But the gold standard was like, you could get plugged into the soundboard, occasionally the sound guys would let you do that.

And so there’s this whole enormous aftermarket of dead shows. And so that’s why they say like Jerry Garcia was the most recorded guitarist of all time, because every single show he had ever played was recorded somewhere. But yeah, very, very different kind of thing, but still kind of the same thing. It’s like, do you allow it or not? And of course it used to be that, you if you went to a concert, they were definitely, you know, nobody would walk into a concert with a camera maybe, maybe when they started getting smaller.

but you’re definitely not allowed to tape them or film them. And of course that’s all gone by the boards with smartphones. And so it’s not surprising that it’s seeped over into the theater world, but it is a different thing. When you’re at a concert, live concert, I think you’re more willing to be annoyed, even if it’s still annoying. The rules are a little more lax. Someone could be sloshing beer on you and stuff, which you might expect at a concert where you wouldn’t see at the theater.

Toni Tresca (28:13)

Yeah. I mean, so many, think it’s just really interesting how artists on the kind of concert side, when they still have to navigate the same kind of rights issues that theaters do, they just are so much more open to it being recorded. mean, it’s kind of such a vital part of the internet economy now. mean, Sabrina Carpenter is on tour at the moment and every single

Every single night you’re just seeing fans uploading the full concert from whatever city she’s in. There’s key moments that people are waiting for online. And you see, just creates so much more engagement. And so I think it’s kind of silly that theaters are not at least kind of considering how that they can kind of tap into that. And on the other hand, theaters are kind of toying with it, but the comedy scene is shutting that stuff down completely. You go to professional comedy shows,

Alex (28:41)

Wow.

Toni Tresca (29:05)

They make you lock your phone up. are not, they do not play around with that shit. They make you put it in a yonder case and you are not filming their show. They don’t want to be recorded. They don’t want anything to get out. If they do film it, it’ll be for a professionally produced special that will be released later down the line. But it’s a totally different approach over there in comedy and it doesn’t seem to hurt them. So I can kind of hear the arguments on both sides there of kind of being like,

Alex (29:06)

Yeah.

Ha ha ha.

Toni Tresca (29:32)

concert side, creates so much demand, creates access, it gets people excited, but on the comedy side, the kind of not releasing it, the exclusivity of the experience is kind of what’s being so valued and cherished. But so it’s where does theater fall? Where do put it?

Alex (29:51)

Yeah, it’s really interesting. There’s a whole continuum of what’s allowed and what’s not, depending on where you are. And of course, the pandemic shifted some attitudes around this. Some theaters, they found creative ways to balance the live experience with digital access. We were talking about the Playhouse in Cincinnati did it when they filmed the Wind in the Willows for streaming during the pandemic.

Toni Tresca (30:11)

That was a really interesting case as Natalie Claire, was the Playhouse’s marketing manager at the time, wrote a really fascinating article for the company’s website blog about how they tailored that production specifically for digital viewing experiences using a multi-camera setup and even doing special rehearsals for it. They didn’t just point the camera at the stage, they designed it for both live and remote audiences. And that sounds really similar. I wish that this article had been available when

I was kind of trying to figure out how to do this for the shows that I worked on with New Works SA, because this would have been really helpful to kind of conceptualize it. But that’s a lot of the same strategies we did. We were kind of thinking, yes, we still need to have it be a really interesting and engaging live experience for the kind of smaller audience that we could have during the pandemic. But we also want it to translate to at home.

I think that’s probably that thinking about it like that is the best way to bridge the gap for those who can’t see the show in person.

Alex (31:11)

Right, yeah, yeah. So it sounds like a lot of thought went into that one. And just one other thing, the live audience has to deal with having camera people creeping around and sort of getting in shot or upstaging potentially, even if they’re just slinking around all in black, they’re still there. So, well, do you think that kind of approach that that theater did in Cincinnati could be a model for future Broadway stuff? And we can talk about

You the big one that everybody thinks of was Hamilton on Disney +, which was really well done.

Toni Tresca (31:47)

Yes, when Hamilton premiered on July 3rd, 2020, it forever altered how producers kind of thought about film theater. There was a lot of talk before that show came out that filming theater would reduce the number of people who would come to see a show live. But now four years later, with multiple touring productions of Hamilton running around the world, in addition to its permanent kind of New York City residency, that thinking kind of has proven to be short.

Short sighted, Hamilton has only gotten more popular since it was released and more people could kind of get into it and see it themselves. And while Hamilton has been really the kind of the most successful production to do this, it’s not the only one. As I mentioned up top, Shrek the musical released a recording back in 2008. Les Mis has released multiple anniversary concerts. Passing Strange was filmed by Spike Lee and released in 2009.

Alex (32:21)

Yeah.

Toni Tresca (32:42)

And then there have been multiple live TV specials like Rent and Peter Pan Live that were experimenting with that live model for musicals, translating directly to an at-home TV audience.

Alex (32:56)

Yeah, yeah, and as good as the Hamilton one was, I watched it and thought, wow, maybe I don’t need to go see it. But then I did see it live and I was like, it’s still better live. You know, it really is. Yeah. And that’s the beauty of live theater that you can’t capture it, you can capture sort of part of it, but you don’t get that whole live thing. So for big name shows, that approach can work, especially when there’s that guaranteed

Toni Tresca (33:07)

Totally agree.

Alex (33:25)

fan base, but for smaller or newer productions, there’s those huge cost barriers. And right now, you know, really only the popular productions at the budget are going to really see it make make it worthwhile with the audience.

Toni Tresca (33:39)

Yep, and a lot of those film productions have the benefits of huge names attached, or at least huge names for the Broadway world, and kind of a well-known story that is gonna draw crowds to it.

Alex (33:50)

Yeah. So thinking about these regional theaters and smaller productions that might not have that same reach, know, we’re on stage Colorado after all, we’re thinking about a lot of our Colorado theaters, what can they do? And how would that benefit them?

Toni Tresca (34:05)

I think that’s kind of where creative solutions and funding are gonna become critical here. So regional and community theaters could benefit from kind of a hybrid model where they’re supported by applying for grants specifically to offset kind of these filming costs or doing kind of creative partnerships. Like you already mentioned, one outlet is working with film students at the local universities to kind of do, to collaborate on something, particularly with a newer project that you’re trying to.

Alex (34:17)

yeah.

Toni Tresca (34:32)

get eyes on, or even if you just want to make a demo reel so that you can show it to future investors. think there’s a real incentive for theaters at the local scale to be thinking critically about how they capture and shoot what they’re doing, because you can say that you’re producing the best theater in the world. It’s beautiful. It’s changing lives. But seeing is believing in a lot of cases. And so if you can have high quality video content,

maybe not even of the full show, if you have something that, yeah, there is that rights barrier, but just thinking critically about that investment in capturing what you’re doing so that you can show it to people, I think makes a difference. And there are like on the larger scale, there are nonprofits like PVS’s, Greek performances and Broadway HD. They’re doing it because they have donors, public fundings or these nonprofit models. But if we want digital theater to grow,

going to take support at kind of all levels, not just for the Broadway blockbusters, but also for these kind of regional gems and original works that deserve a wider audience.

Alex (35:33)

Yeah, yeah, it definitely sounds like there’s a lot of potential there, but a long way to go in making film theater sustainable across the board. I would just note also, it’s a different thing, but you know, some theaters around here use videographers like Friend of the Pod, Ray Bailey, to create trailers. So this is a different animal than a whole enchilada, of course, but it definitely gives you an idea of what a show will look and sound like. Especially, think, like a musical. think if people are thinking like, I want to go to like, you know, my community theater’s musical, but my God, can those people sing?

Toni Tresca (35:48)

Mm-hmm.

Alex (36:03)

And if you could see the trail, it’s like, yeah, they can. And if they can’t, maybe you shouldn’t get a trailer done. But anyway, you can check them out at RayBailey.tv. He’s got all of his trailers up there from all the ones he’s done. And he’s really good at

Toni Tresca (36:18)

Yeah, that’s kind of what I was speaking to at the end there is like thinking about the investment like at point at multiple levels, like even if you don’t have the kind of capital at this point in time to invest in filming a full production or something, just can you can you make that investment in a one off like a purchase from like a videographer, a local videographer to film and capture it? So yeah, that’s a really good point.

Alex (36:41)

Yeah. So the next part, the other part of that is if you’re the theater person, you know, in control of the money, it’s like, what’s my ROI on that? How much of a difference is that little trailer gonna make? And so being able to measure that somehow is definitely gonna be important for theaters to know. So anyway, cool.

Toni Tresca (37:02)

Yeah, good point.

Alex (37:03)

Well, great topic, but right now we’re going to take a break and when we come back, we’ll do our top 10 Colorado headliners of all the cool stuff coming up the next week or so. And my conversation with Abby Applebows. So hold on, we’ll be right back.

Alex (37:18)

Support for Onstage Colorado comes from the Boulder Ensemble Theater Company, Betsy, whose production of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott plays at the Dairy Center in Boulder December 5th through 29th. This stage adaptation of one of the most beloved classics of American literature is adapted and directed by Jessica Rob Lee. Spend some time this holiday season with the March family. Tickets at betc.org. Onstage Colorado is grateful for support from the Colorado Fine Arts Center at Colorado College.

presenting the City Dog and the Prairie Dog from November 2nd through 24th. It’s a bilingual musical about exploring the world, learning new things, and maybe, just maybe coming home again. The FAC also presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid from November 20th through December 29th. Two great shows for the holiday season with tickets at fac.coloradacollege.edu.

Alex (38:08)

All right, we are back and ready to hit this week’s Colorado Headliners. So these are some of the upcoming shows that we think you should know about and in no particular order. You want to kick it off, Toni?

Toni Tresca (38:19)

Sure, so I’m gonna kick it off with a classic. It’s Into the Woods. It’s being done by CSU’s theater program. And it opened this weekend to what I hear from folks up in Fort Collins, that it was very, very well done. It’s this, if you don’t know Into the Woods, this is Stephen Sondheim’s musical intertwining of several of Grimm’s fairy tales that examines the consequences of our human wishes and quests.

It’s being directed up there by Broadway veteran Noah Racy as their fall musical and it runs through November 10th. So you’ve got a little bit more time to catch this one. And as I mentioned before, I’ve heard it’s quite strong.

Alex (39:03)

Great. Yeah, not my cup of tea, but if you like Sondheim, maybe that’s a good head up to Fort Fun. My first one is The Man Who Came to Dinner. So this is in Boulder at the Dairy Center from Viva Theater. So this is a theater for older adults, November 8th, just one weekend, November 8th through 10th. you The Man, this is a classic. Of course, The Man Who Came to Dinner, it’s a really funny comedy from Kaufman and Hart, and it’s got all kinds of great characters and…

Well, it’s got penguins in it, which always appeals to me, and wicked insults and all kinds of stuff. So that sounds like that’s always a fun one to see.

Toni Tresca (39:46)

My next pick is…

phone there. Funny. I’m going start over. Yeah, that sounds like a fun one. My next pick is an original musical comedy by a local playwright, Ken Crow, and it is the People’s Cadillac. It tells the true story of the epic failure of Edsel and Ford’s flawed marketing plan to include the recruitment of a famous poet, Marianne Moore, to name the car.

It’s the story promises to be a humorous perspective on 1950s office culture through the eclectic characters unaware of the impending predicament about to befall them. So this is being done by Atomic Theater at Wheat Ridge Grange Hall, November 8th through the 16th. And I personally had never heard of this failed marketing plan or this incident. Do you know anything about it, Alex?

Alex (40:41)

No, no I hadn’t. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of atomic theater either, are they new?

Toni Tresca (40:47)

I think they are on the newer side. But yeah, this play is definitely new. Excuse me, this musical is new. yeah, so if somebody checks this out, let us know. I’d be curious to hear how this one is.

Alex (41:03)

Yeah, I’m always fascinated with the naming of things. And I used to write a comedy or a humor column when I was at the summit daily news. And we had our official car was the Daiwu Laganza, which was like, you know, the silliest sounding name for a car. Of course, Daiwu went into business or at least they don’t sell them in the US anymore. But back in the day, you could get a Daiwu Laganza. Anyway, my next one is this is a really cool sounding thing. It’s called Interzone. And this is from third.

Third Law Dance Theater. and it’s also in conjunction with a multimedia artist, Rebecca D. Domenico, in collaboration with choreographer, Kate Elliott, filmmaker, L. Ashwin Collins, composer, Paul Fowler, the dancers at Third Law, and special appearances from, you know, other dancers. And so it says, as you enter the magical space of Swoon Art House, so this is in Boulder,

As you enter the magical space of Suen art house in Boulder, you’ll be taken into a whimsical world incorporating intricate network of maps from D Domenico’s work emanate maps are flat renderings of intricate connections. You’ll be surrounded by life sized images movement and sound and a truly immersive expression of connection. So that sounds really cool. So if you’re in Boulder. Upcoming here, check that out.

Toni Tresca (42:28)

Third Law Dance always does really experimental storytelling. I would say they’re kind of Boulder’s version of Wonderbound, if that gives you some kind of touch point. They’re really cutting edge and that sounds like classic them and really, really cool concept. My next pick is going to also stay in Boulder, so if you’re looking for something else to do in addition to Interzone,

Alex (42:37)

huh.

Yeah.

Toni Tresca (42:57)

maybe consider heading over to the University Theater building, March 8th through the 17th to check out Antigone. So this is a different kind of maybe a different adaptation than you’ve seen before, but it’s similar story of the timeless narrative of love, rebellion and the indomitable will to challenge authority. It’s Jean Antouille’s gripping adaptation that was pinned in the shadows of a Nazi occupied France. And in this version of the tale, it kind of

centers that kind of perspective and what people in that, just in the pre, the lead up to World War II might have been thinking about this play that was all about standing up to authority.

Alex (43:39)

that sounds fascinating. So, you know, I have a really big gap in my theater knowledge of Greek theater or some of that kind of stuff like the, I’ve never seen the Lycistrista, I don’t even pronounce that, Lycistrata, So I see, but yeah, I think it’d be great if there was a Greek play festival sometime. So think about that if you’re looking for, I think that would be cool to see like.

Toni Tresca (43:54)

Liz Estrada.

Ooh, that sounds fun.

Alex (44:06)

Yeah, I three or four of them that you hear about, but you don’t necessarily get produced that often. My next one is from Opera, Colorado. This is Daughter of the Regiment. So this will be at the Ellie Calkins Opera House at the Denver Center, November 9th through 17th. So this is a, I’ve never heard of this one, not that I know a whole lot about opera, but this is a Donna Zetti opera from 1840. That’s about a girl, an orphan raised with a French army regiment. And as she grows up, she falls in love with an outsider and it’s performed in French. So that sounds pretty.

Toni Tresca (44:37)

Yeah, that does sound pretty cool. I’ve never seen anything by Opera Colorado. Have you Alex? I know you just said you’re not a huge opera guy.

Alex (44:45)

I have and I really should get out there. I think opera is so intimidating to people that don’t know it. I’ve only really ever seen light opera like Gilbert and Sullivan. And I’m pretty sure I’ve saw like the Magic Flute or I’ve seen a couple over the years, but not much.

Toni Tresca (44:57)

Mm-hmm.

Opera is also not something that I have a deep knowledge of either. I’ve seen the Gilbert and Sullivan. I’ve seen like the adaptations of like Romeo and Juliet as an opera. like stories, you know, that are opera, operatized, I suppose, that makes it a little bit easier to follow. But I don’t know, I don’t have a huge knowledge. Maybe I should change that. Get over to Opera Colorado. Try it out.

Alex (45:27)

Yeah, I have to say, you know, as many theater lovers that as I know, I don’t hear a lot of people talking about going to opera and I wonder sometimes like, how do they fill the L for these shows?

Toni Tresca (45:39)

I keep seeing ads for, there’s like singles nights at the opera for like young people and I keep being like, you know, maybe that’s a, that might be an interesting way to go check it out.

Alex (45:45)

wow.

Yeah, and they might be a good candidate for some of that, you know, those trailers to get a look at what it’s all about. And of course, you know, this is in French, but they have these little, little digital, you know, there’s the translation is live that you can see. So you’re not just sitting there baffled by what’s going on.

Cool, what’s next for you, Toni?

Toni Tresca (46:14)

next for me is Stories on Stages, partnership with Colorado Humanities for Mixed Company. And it’s a single author showcase of Colorado Book Award winner, Jenny Schenck. She is an accomplished author, teacher, and journalist who grew up here in Denver. And her work is going to be performed by actors, including Noelia Antwiler, Mackenzie Byer, and Anna Marie Nest, who will perform Casa Del Rey.

Less Sexy Kana and Local Honey from Shank’s short story collection. And Shank herself will be there in person after the show for a post-show conversation, as well as stories on stages, classic free milk and cookies reception in the lobby afterwards. So this is going to be at Sioux Teatro in Denver on November 10th.

Alex (47:05)

Will they have any nut milks or non-dairy milks, Toni Dina?

Toni Tresca (47:10)

I think that they do from my recollection of it. I tend to go for the regular full milk or whatever, but I think that they do have the other options available.

Alex (47:11)

You

Uh-huh.

I was talking with a friend of mine just the other night, my friend Matt, his wife, rode for dinner and we were talking about how when we were kids, you’d sit down at dinner and you had a big tall glass of milk and like not any 1 % or 2%. It was full, know, full fat, whole milk. And it’s like, my God, I would just barf if I had to drink a big glass of milk like that. But yeah, we liked it back then. Nice and cold, quench the thirst and…

Toni Tresca (47:38)

whole milk.

Alex (47:50)

built strong bones, or I don’t know what they would say about it. So anyway, well, my next one is the Thanksgiving play. So this is the Springs Ensemble Theater set, doing it November 7th through 24th. So this is a, were you gonna say something?

Toni Tresca (48:06)

No, I’ll go ahead.

Alex (48:07)

Okay, we didn’t do this one already, we? No, I think so. all right, well, my next one is the Thanksgiving play. This will be at the Springs Ensemble Theater Company in of course, Colorado Springs, November 7 through 24. This is a satirical comedy from playwright Larissa Fast Horse, and it’s about a group of adults. And so they’re putting on this politically correct Thanksgiving play for kids that of course goes horribly awry. And I saw the regional premiere of this at Curious a few years ago, maybe, maybe it was five years ago.

And I had some issues with it. I don’t know. I’d be curious to try and get down to see it in the springs. don’t know if I’ll get to, but.

Toni Tresca (48:37)

Mm-hmm.

Alex (48:50)

But you know, anyway, so but the thing is that, God, I’m just tongue tied today. So anyway, but yeah, it’s still it’s an interesting play. And it’s it’s similar to some of the other ones we’ve seen kind of like, I’m trying to think of other ones where they’re trying to they’re trying to be politically correct and failing. And it’s like, I know there’s been the theme has been hit in some some recent things that we’ve talked about. But the director

Kate Hertz is going to be on the podcast next week to talk all about it. So this is actually her directorial debut. So she’s really super excited about it and really, really happy with her cast. yeah, we’ll hear more about it next week.

Toni Tresca (49:26)

Yeah, I’m looking forward to listening to that conversation next week, of appropriate in the lead up to Thanksgiving. I do really like that script. I think it’s very funny kind of send up of kind of white privilege and these kind of, or excuse me. I think it’s a kind of really funny send up of like kind of white liberalism and the kind of tiptoeing that you kind of have to do. It’s so.

Alex (49:34)

Of course.

Toni Tresca (49:54)

I think I am going to try to get down to the springs to check this one out just for myself because I am a fan. So looking forward to hearing that conversation.

Alex (49:59)

great. Yeah. Yeah, it definitely has some funny bits like one of the actors that they get this ringer in from LA. They think they think she’s a Native American, but she’s just a white woman with blonde with brown hair that like on her resume, it’s like Ken play Native American and other ethnicities. And they’re like, shit. So anyway, what’s what’s next on your list, Toni?

Toni Tresca (50:15)

Yeah

My final headliner this week is the inaugural Denver Immersive Invitational. So this is being hosted by Immersive Denver. It’s in partnership with After Hours Theater Company and the Immersive Experience Institute with support from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Off Center and the experimentalists.

Alex (50:28)

Yeah.

Toni Tresca (50:42)

So this is a 48 hour immersive theater competition that will challenge eight teams of Denver creators to conceptualize and perform original short form immersive works in just two days. So this event is going to be taking place at the historic L.

You say this Alex, I’ve never been here. El-heba? Jeba? Jebel?

Alex (51:10)

eligible.

Toni Tresca (51:12)

Is that what it is? Okay, I’m gonna take that again.

Alex (51:13)

Yeah, it’s a town up in it’s a town out near Aspen too. I didn’t know there was a. Yeah.

Toni Tresca (51:19)

is it? It’s a building here in Denver too. I looked it up. It’s got a cool architecture, I’ve never, I haven’t been to it yet. Okay. I’m going to take that back to the start of that sentence. The, so the event will take place at the historic El Gebel in Denver, and it will be sponsored by, which is being, excuse me. Let me start that sentence. I’m also tug-of-tied. Let me start that over.

Alex (51:24)

Okay. Yeah, no, yeah, it’s just Algebel.

Yeah.

Toni Tresca (51:48)

So the event will take place at the historic El Gebel that is being provided by Non Plus Ultra and it’s on November 10th and it’s kind of in conjunction with the final days of Denver Arts Week. if you are attending this, may see me there as well. But that’s all I can say about that for now.

Alex (52:09)

Okay, cool. I just wanted to check the pronunciation on non plus ultra.

Okay, I guess just non plus ultra, I think it’s like a French phrase. So, all right, cool. Well, my last one is at Curious Theater. This is Confederate. So this is November 7th through December 8th. I’ll be at this on Saturday. So I’ll have a review. this is, so I’ll just read their blurb as a visionary play that explores institutional racism through the dual lens of Sarah, an enslaved rebel turned union spy, and Sandra, a tenured professor in a modern day private university. So it’s a

Regional premiere and it leaps back and forth in time to trace the stories of these two Black American women and has been called luminous and grossing and surprisingly funny. So I will see for myself. And are you going to get out to see that one, Toni?

Toni Tresca (53:02)

I am going to get up to see this one, but not opening weekend. I will be there the following Friday. So I believe that is the 15th of November. So I will, we’ll be able to discuss that together.

Alex (53:15)

Yeah, looking forward to it.

Toni Tresca (53:17)

So that is our Headliners for the week. Head to our site to check out new and upcoming reviews, including The Squirrels at Westcliff, Monopoly Life Size by the DCPA’s Awe Center, Nonsense by Veritas at Parker Arts, Murderers over at Vintage Theater, Bolds with the Bards, latest production, your review of Buntport’s

Eyes up, mouth agape, and my review of Open Stage is production of Reefer Madness in Fort Collins. So tons of reviews either up or coming soon to the site.

Alex (53:53)

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I was just looking. So October was really busy. We posted 24 different reviews over the course of the month. And we already have 17 on the books for November. And I’m pretty sure we’ll add more as we try and get out to see some of the early holiday stuff. And we don’t get out to see every holiday show. I don’t know that we need to review Christmas Carol every year, things like that. But if there’s something new and interesting or just one that we haven’t seen before like,

Toni Tresca (54:00)

Woo.

Alex (54:22)

know, like candlelight’s doing Scrooge the musical, which I think I’ve seen before, but I’ve seen you recall that one’s a pretty good, pretty funny take on Christmas Carol. So cool. Well, I still have this thing on here about these New York Times. think maybe I’ll just delete this. I never seem to have time for it and I don’t know how interesting it is. but one that struck me was Attack on Titan. That was an anime that I used to watch with Andy.

Toni Tresca (54:43)

can.

It looks really cool. They’ve got these like puppets, massive puppets that are being used to create it. I would love to see that.

Alex (54:53)

Yeah.

Yeah, so I don’t know if it’ll have a touring Broadway production, but I don’t know. Anime is so popular. It seems like it seems that’d be a great way to get kids to the theater, know, or a different audience. Yeah, yeah. So, all right, I’m gonna close this out.

Toni Tresca (55:05)

It seems kind of, would be, that seems like a great one to film.

Sure. So go check out all those reviews plus the latest theater news from around the state at OnStageColorado.com. All right, now we will sit. Let me just start that over. Excuse me. So go check out all those reviews plus all the latest theater news from around the state at OnStageColorado.com. But first, sit still and get tight.

Alex (55:31)

Okay.

Toni Tresca (55:42)

because we’ll hear Alex’s interview with Abby Applebos, so stand by.

Alex (55:48)

All right. Hey, we’re here with Abby Applebo’s here to talk to you about some of the cool stuff that’s going on in your life here. So thanks for being on the OnStage Colorado podcast.

Abby Apple Boes (55:58)

Thanks so much for having me, Alex. I really appreciate it.

Alex (56:01)

Yeah, that’s great. So we were talking a little bit about what you’ve been up to. And you mentioned that you were at this cabaret intensive this summer and at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. So they do a lot of different programs, including one for for critics, theater criticism, which I’m trying to get into. But all kinds of other stuff. But you were there for the cabaret thing. So how was that? Can you tell us a little bit about that experience and what you were looking for?

Abby Apple Boes (56:17)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, so I’ve been involved and I’ve done cabaret shows for a really long time since the 80s and a friend of mine who was a songwriter was a master teacher there in the 90s and I remember her talking so much about that program and for some reason it stuck in my brain and I saw something pop up in like a Facebook feed or I don’t know something

about the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. And I thought, I wonder if they still do the cabaret intensive. So lo and behold, they did. And when the application date came around, I applied for it. You had to send a video and your resume and why you wanted to do it. And they had over 40 applicants and eight of us were chosen. And it was such a wonderful, talented and lovely group of people. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had.

Alex (57:23)

Uh-huh. And what was the scene like there? You’re in the same place with everybody and getting partying and hanging out and that kind of stuff along with all of the work you’re doing.

Abby Apple Boes (57:31)

Yeah, so I mean, it’s this beautiful campus, if anybody’s ever been there, and there are all these different dorm houses. So we’re living in kind of dormitory housing, which was wonderful because we were all hanging out, God, probably 12 hours a day, working on our songs and our cabarets with wonderful

master teachers who were Manhattan Association of Cabaret winners and Broadway theater artists like Philip Boykin and Kate Baldwin and Betty Buckley. And we were able to workshop with them. They also would do cabarets that we would open for. So all day long, we were singing and working on our material and watching each other’s

performances. was an amazing experience.

Alex (58:33)

I bet. So was it the kind of thing where you were kind of working on your act all day and then you would do a performance in the evening every day or just at the end or how did that work?

Abby Apple Boes (58:45)

Yeah, so in the morning, were all, two of us were assigned a music director, the most amazing music directors. They were fantastic. And so we would go off and we would work on a song with our music directors, come back, perform the pieces, get feedback from our master teachers, and then go off in the afternoon and do the same thing, whether it was the same song or maybe something different.

And then every night there was a cabaret show, whether it was our master teachers or John McDaniel was the artistic director. You might remember him from the Rosie O’Donnell television show. He was the music director for that show. And he’s also, you know, an Emmy and Grammy award winner. So he, you know, would put together these cabarets and you would open for one of the cabaret acts. And then at night there would be an open mic night and you performed

whatever song you decided to do for the open mic night. So that was, I mean, by the time we were done, it was like midnight. We’d start about eight in the morning. was, yeah, it’s a long day, but it was so wonderful. was just, we were exhausted, but in a really lovely way.

Alex (59:51)

Wow, that’s a long day.

And so it was the mix of people that are kind of newer to the art and some more veterans or something.

Abby Apple Boes (1:00:07)

Yeah, it was a mixture of folks. There were a couple of lovely artists from USC. So they were, you know, early 20s. All the way up to where there was a woman there who lived in the area and had been part of the Eugene O’Neill for years. And she was 80, I believe. most people, I was the only person who wasn’t from New York or LA.

But most everybody was kind of somewhere in between that too. Yeah.

Alex (1:00:39)

Okay. And so, imagine you must have really made some friends who you may still be in touch with, bounce stuff off of in the future, you think?

Abby Apple Boes (1:00:49)

Absolutely, I’ve been in touch with some people who’ve gone on to do their own cabaret show already and who’ve done cabaret shows in the past, but this was kind of like a wonderful way for us to get back in touch with the art form and in its truest form. So yeah, having all of those friendships and it was a very unique experience that we all shared. that was kind of, that was really

really fun.

Alex (1:01:20)

Yeah, that’s awesome. Did you have any like real aha moments like takeaways where you’re like, shit, I’ve been doing it wrong all these years, like one particular thing or something that was like, I am definitely bringing this to my next Gaborade.

Abby Apple Boes (1:01:33)

yeah, I mean, it’s really informed this next cabaret that I’m about ready to do at the Aurora Fox. It has really changed things up for me. And then there are some things that it’s just kind of, it’s like rediscovering, you know, because you’ve been away from it for a long time. So it’s rediscovering the art form and what makes it so special.

So yeah, there and then there were also, you know, really rough times too where you were like, man, I could have done that better. You know, it was a wonderful learning experience.

Alex (1:02:07)

Hahaha.

Yeah. All right. Well, that sounds amazing. So yeah, so you’re going to be at the Aurora Fox on November 15th and 16th with the she’s all she’s here all evening cabaret. So hey, I wanted to ask you just kind of a related question like what is cabaret? What’s your understanding the definition? Because I think think some people may be confused with burlesque. And I’m sure there’s there’s some overlap between those two. But how do you define that?

Abby Apple Boes (1:02:18)

Yeah.

Yeah.

I’m so glad you asked that question. Because it is kind of a difficult one because sometimes people look at it as burlesque, which it can be. Some people look at it as like a lounge act. But really what it is, it’s a kind of more intimate and theatrical experience and more personal. So you tell a lot of stories about your life or

If you’re focused on a particular songwriter, let’s say, it’s kind of a more personal expression of how you feel about those songs and that songwriter, rather than a lounge act is kind of like your ambiance, you know, and it can last for hours. Or, know, burlesque is completely different. A cabaret club can also…

Alex (1:03:22)

huh.

Abby Apple Boes (1:03:30)

feature all of those things. But for me, a cabaret act, well, I have, you know, a definition that I found actually. A cabaret act typically refers to a more relaxed background style musical performance, often played in a bar or hotel lounge. While a cabaret act is a more theatrical performance with a focus on storytelling, audience interaction, and often mixed singing, acting, and sometimes dancing.

So that’s kind of between a loud jacked and a cavalry act. And I agree with that.

Alex (1:04:01)

Okay.

Okay. And it seems like it’s often a solo performer, but it doesn’t have to be,

Abby Apple Boes (1:04:10)

Yeah, it doesn’t have to be. I know a lot of times I bring in friends to sing with me. Like I’ve had Megan VandeHei sing with me and Arlene Rapalhick sing with me. that’s always really fun. It’s a fun way to vary it and make it kind of a fun community experience too.

Alex (1:04:32)

So at the Aurora Fox, are you doing it in their black box theater?

Abby Apple Boes (1:04:36)

Yeah, I’m doing it in the studio space. And this time, I’ve never done this before, all the cabarets I’ve ever done, this time I’ve got a band. So I’ve got Robert Lowe on piano, Randy Chavez on guitar, and Lynn A. Keller on bass, and Brian Jaffe on drums. So it’s going to be a fuller experience than just with a piano player. Yeah.

Alex (1:04:38)

Okay.

yeah, that’ll be great. So can you give, tease us, what are some of the songs that you’re doing? Is there a theme to it or just like your favorites or what people are to hear?

Abby Apple Boes (1:05:08)

Yes. So the theme. So I called it She’s Here All Evening because I have this joke about how, you know, cabaret artists are kind of mixed in with the lounge singers. So it’s like, hey, she’s here all evening. So to me, it’s just kind of like a wink and a nod to that. But the show is basically songs that I’ve either done in the past or new songs that I’ve discovered that kind of tell the story of my journey as a singer.

Alex (1:05:21)

Okay.

Abby Apple Boes (1:05:38)

and I started singing when I was a kid. So it’s pretty varied, rock and pop and standards and Broadway, it kind of runs the gamut really. Yeah.

Alex (1:05:53)

Okay. Hey, who would you say is your favorite singer?

Abby Apple Boes (1:05:58)

My favorite singer, ooh, that’s tough. Well, actually it’s not. Judy Garland was my favorite singer. Yeah, I saw her in The Wizard of Oz when I was a little kid. And from that moment on, I was like, that’s what I wanna do, that’s magic.

Alex (1:06:04)

Okay.

huh. Okay. Great. Well, that’s good choice. Well, let’s shift gears and talk about some of the upcoming plays that you’re going to be directing. So you’re doing a show called Morning You Have to Grace by Cary Crimm at Miner’s Alley. This will open in early January. It’s a comedy. I’m not familiar with this one. I don’t know if it’s been done around here yet. So what can you say about it and why you wanted to direct it?

Abby Apple Boes (1:06:36)

It is a regional premiere and Lynn and Lisa and Warren found it through the Purple Rose Theater connection that they have with the theater in Michigan. It has been performed around the country regionally, but it hasn’t been performed here in Colorado at all. It’s a lovely comedy. It’s very poignant. It’s a three-hander. And the topic is, you know, aging.

Alex (1:06:47)

Okay.

Abby Apple Boes (1:07:05)

Basically, there’s three different characters that come together in a kind of unique circumstance. And I think people are really going to love this play. And being involved in jukebox for the Algonquin last year kind of really solidified, you know, how much we need to tell the story of, you know, people in their senior years.

and how much people want to hear those stories. I have a wonderful cast and I’ve told that I can reveal that to you now.

Alex (1:07:44)

I was just going to ask if you’d cast it yet, so who do we have?

Abby Apple Boes (1:07:46)

We have Kevin Hart in the role Angus, and we have Tammy Menechini in the role of Abigail, and Duane Carrington in the role of Ollie.

Alex (1:07:49)

Uh-huh.

Okay, that’s if you have three actors to pick, those are definitely some great choices. When do you start rehearsal?

Abby Apple Boes (1:08:03)

Yes. We start December 16th and it opens January 24th and runs through March the 2nd at Miners Alley Performing Arts Center.

Alex (1:08:14)

Okay, great. And then the next one you’re doing is in the spring. It opens later in May and this is Rip Chord by David Lindsay of Bear. of course, they have some echoes of Jukebox for the Algonquin because this is set in a senior home, but this one is about two older women who just kind of go at it, right?

Abby Apple Boes (1:08:21)

Yeah.

Yeah, so I mean, this one, you have seen this one before. It’s such a wonderful play. So funny and heartwarming and really interesting play. So I’m really excited to do that for a Firehouse Theater, direct that this year for Firehouse Theater.

Alex (1:08:52)

huh. Yeah, that sounds great. So I think the Springs Ensemble Theater did it earlier this year, but other than that, think it’s, I don’t know that it’s been done very often. Betsy did? Okay. All right. Yeah. Great. Well, what else would you like to talk about, Abby, that’s going on?

Abby Apple Boes (1:09:02)

Becky did it actually a few years ago. Yeah. Yeah, it was a great production.

you know, the cabaret show that I’m doing, I’m really excited about that. I’m working on that. and you know, that’s really it kind of for me right now. I’m, know, going to see plays all the time, because I love to support the community and we’ve got a lot of fantastic, work going on here in Denver, Colorado and the surrounding area. So it’s always great to go support everybody in those shows.

Alex (1:09:44)

Yeah, there’s so much stuff going on this fall. It’s like really hard to keep up with it all. Yeah, it’s fun.

Abby Apple Boes (1:09:49)

Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, that’s what we’re doing and auditioning around town and all of that sort of thing. that’s kind of the format.

Alex (1:10:04)

Do you have another thing that you do to supplement your work as an artist like some people do voiceover or anything like that?

Abby Apple Boes (1:10:12)

no, I mean, for many years, I had a corporate gig. was a technical sales director for years and I’ve been retired now for seven years. So, you know, besides singing and acting, those are kind of my side hustles and, know,

Alex (1:10:28)

huh. That’s a nice place to be. You’re only doing what you like.

Abby Apple Boes (1:10:33)

It is. It’s a great place to be. I’m super lucky to have that situation.

Alex (1:10:41)

All right. All right. Well, Abby Apple pose. Thanks so much for coming on the onstage Colorado podcast. can see Abby with her tuned up cabaret skills at the Aurora Fox November 15th and 16th. And but she’s all she’s here all evening cabaret. And then we’ll keep an eye out for those shows that you’re directing coming up as well.

Abby Apple Boes (1:11:02)

Thanks so much, Alex, and thanks so much for all that you do for our community.

Toni Tresca (1:11:08)

All right, that’s it for this week’s episode of the Onstage Colorado podcast. Next week on the podcast, we’ll have an interview with Kate Hertz from Springs Ensemble Theater Company that you teased earlier. But this is the first time we will have anybody from that company on the pod. What can you tease about that conversation, Alex?

Alex (1:11:25)

Yeah, I think it is the first time we’ve had set on, although, you now that we’ve had so many episodes, Toni, it’s hard to sometimes remember over 105 now or something like that. But yeah, we talked about like, you know, the Thanksgiving play, of course, and her directorial debut, as well as, you know, I always love to hear people’s path to theater. know, kind of what kind of the vibe of Springs Ensemble Theater Company, they’re really pretty adventurous. I would put them sometimes in the kind of the curious realm.

Toni Tresca (1:11:33)

You

Alex (1:11:54)

Although they do some stuff that’s a little more off the wall sometimes, but they’re always doing interesting stuff. And even if it’s like something that’s maybe not the greatest in the world, still they’re bold, they’re brave theater makers. So it was fun to talk to Kate who, you she’s directing this, but she’s also been involved with theater for a while.

Toni Tresca (1:12:01)

Mm-hmm.

I’ve seen some of the most insane stuff on their stages. Their production, I think it was Hand to God, the puppet play that they did a couple years back was so bonkers, but so well done. Yeah. So I’m looking forward to listening to that conversation. We’ve got lots of exciting stuff coming your way. If you want to stay up to date on what’s going on at theaters around the state, please…

Alex (1:12:23)

You

huh.

Toni Tresca (1:12:45)

subscribe to the On Stage Colorado podcast wherever you get your audio stuff. If you have any thoughts about the show or you have any suggestions for upcoming episodes, feel free to get in touch with us at info at onsdagecolorado.com. And if you like what you’re doing, please tell other theater lovers in your life about us or consider supporting us by donating under a link on our website that’s resources there.

Alex (1:13:12)

Yeah, under the menu resources that we’ve got a link there. So also I just wanted to mention that we just moved our world famous holiday calendar to the top of the calendar menu on our site. So there’s so much holiday stuff going on and you can find it all in one place. And I’m pretty sure it’s a better, the best clearing house for holiday onstage stuff that you’ll find anywhere. So if you’re looking for.

for a holiday show, that’s a great place to find it. And as we know, this is a big season for theaters. is where they, you know, kind of like those retailers that would have Black Friday when they started actually making money for the year. This is where theaters really make, you know, a lot of their revenue for the year. So it’s a great time to get out and, you know, go to these holiday shows and support the theaters for all of their year-long programming.

Toni Tresca (1:13:56)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, and we’ll have an episode rounding up all the most exciting holiday shows here on the podcast in the coming weeks. So stay tuned for that.

Alex (1:14:13)

all right. Well, thanks so much everybody for listening. I’m Alex Miller.

Toni Tresca (1:14:17)

and I’m Toni Tresca and we’ll see you at the show.

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