What an insightful and interesting interview we had with Actor Solomon Parker III who is appearing in Signature Theatre's upcoming production of "Hair." Why does he think this show is so important and relevant in 2024? Why does he believe the 1960's were so critical? How did he prepare for his role as the "President of the United States of Love" and how it contrasted to his previous role when he appeared in the production in Oregon? Answers to these questions as well as how he got into the theater industry and roles on his bucket list are some of the wide-ranging topics we discussed. And what does Solomon think would make this world a much better place?

Scenic Designer and Visual Artist Julie K. Ross appeared on the podcast as part of our educational shows about the professionals not on stage that are critical to bringing a show to the stage. Hear what a Scenic Designer does, how she ended up in this career, how the profession has changed (and where projections fit in), and a prop that many times ends up on her sets as an inside joke. Also hear about her work as a visual artist and where in Dollywood one can see her very large and unique murals. Finally get the scoop on "Thurgood" opening soon at NC Stage Company and some teasers about that set.

The Executive Director of Encore Stage and Studio Sara Duke returned to the show to talk about the exciting developments with their "Flip the Script" series. Hear how the students prepare and draft the play, background on the two previous productions (one focused on Arlington's first middle school integration and Green Valley) and the current one that will be all about the diversity of Arlington and its food trucks. Also hear what surprised the students in their research about Green Valley and some iconic sights in the neighborhood that are recreated on stage. Finally get all the details about the final two productions in this current season and the many different options for summer camps being offered this year.

Actor Jessica Phillips took time off the stage to join us on the podcast to talk about her new show "Penelope" being presented at Signature Theatre. How did she prepare for a one-person show and portraying Penelope - Odysseus' wife in the Odyssey? Get all the details about the show and why she thinks all audience members will be able to relate so well to her character. Also learn about how she ended up in the theater industry, what are some of the big differences and adjustments actors need to make when moving from television to the stage, and what her unique answer was to roles on her bucket list.

Toni Andrews, Senior Program Director at George Mason University updated us on the new construction building at George Mason University and its inclusion of the arts including digital arts and a podcast studio, as well as other arts projects the university is working on. Also get all the details about her historical fiction book "The Road to Second Chance" that she just published, what the impetus was behind her writing of it, how writing helped her mentally and emotionally, and her words of wisdom and lessons learned about how to get a book published.

Actor Philip Kershaw was a guest on the podcast to talk about his travels to the artsy city of Asheville to perform in NC Stage Company's production of "Witch," Find out how he ended up in the theater industry and what led him to Asheville to appear in this production and direct their next play entitled "Thurgood." Also learn how he prepares for new roles, what is on his "bucket list," and his journey to becoming an equity actor. And what really surprising thing did he do his first week in Asheville?

Broadway Directors West Hyler and Shelley Butler appeared on the Embracing Arlington Arts Talks podcast to talk about the new works festival they founded in Greenville, SC - the South Carolina New Play Festival - after leaving New York City's Broadway during the COVID shutdown. Find out how they both ended up in the theater industry, why they both believe presenting new works is so important to both the theater personnel and audiences, their international work in both Bulgaria and Japan, among many other interesting topics. Also get all the details about the festival, how it is unique (one way is through the combination of using local talent and directors/actors straight from Broadway), the associated "Broadway Cabaret" on the closing night, and the great variety of productions that are offered, including a childrens' play, musical and drama, among others. Also as very established theatrical professionals, hear their thoughts on how the theater industry is doing in this post-COVID world and how patrons can help this still struggling industry.

Actor Sebastian Newman offered us some insight into being a teen involved in theater, as well as told us how he became interested in theater and why he thinks it is important to have theater in our lives. He also embellishes on why theater training helps teenagers so much in terms of leadership, personality and during times of stress (like the COVID shutdown). Also hear details about two teen programs he is participating in - Synetic Theater's Teen Program which teaches students a very unique approach to acting on stage (i.e., movement theater) and Signature Theatre's Conservatory Program which teaches more traditional acting training based specifically on what the students say they need to learn. And get all the details about Synetic's upcoming production of "Romeo & Juliet."

Music Director and Conductor Chris Zimmerman was a guest on the show to talk about the Fairfax Symphony and give us all the details about their upcoming concerts. Also find out how to audition for the Symphony, how he chooses which pieces will be performed each season and the many diversity programs they have initiated. Plus hear about their exciting recent concert featuring the renowned soprano Renee Fleming and some interesting factoids about how China is voraciously embracing Western classical music.

Visual Artist Brenda Goerzen joined us to talk about the health benefits of painting for her during the COVID shutdown which impacted her mentally. Also learn about the unique materials she uses for her pieces, her #1 inspiration for creating art, and how she describes her particular type of art work. And then hear what very interesting fact she dropped on us halfway through the interview about how she exactly paints and how this technique would be such an entertaining show and explains why she does not teach!

The award-winning architect Paola Amodeo returned to the show to talk about her latest and very exciting side business - jewelry design. Find out how she got into this line of work from an incident that happened 40 years ago, how her jewelry is so unique, how "adjacencies" and shapes appear to her when designing jewelry and her other services of repair and repurposing pieces and heirloom gems for customers. Also learn why she thinks architecture design so closely mirrors jewelry-making with one major difference which made it a perfect fit for her keen eye for design. Finally, hear first-hand why jewelry-making helps her de-stress and calm herself.

Actor Jake Loewenthal took time out of his crazy schedule to chat with us about the upcoming world premiere of "Private Jones" at Signature Theatre about a a WWI deaf soldier and the unique device of "sound" in the production. Also hear about how he prepares for new roles, his bucket list of productions, his particular technique when sending in taped auditions, and what exactly he does when he is not on stage (hint: it is not reading a book!). And he does have one COVID silver lining that positively impacted his acting career.

"Community Builder for the Arts" Stacey Schwartz shared with our listeners a wonderful new initiative being offered in communities throughout the US - Free Little Art Galleries. Find out what it is all about, how they help the community residents interact with the arts, how they uplift residents and how they help artists market their work. Also find out the process and how folks can take or give art. She also updated us on how the Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University is changing its marketing strategies for ticket sales in this post-COVID world, and what is happening at the Educational Theatre Company with her newly installed as the Board Chair.

One of the Artistic Producing Partners of Avant Bard Theatre returned to the show to give us all the details about their exciting 2024 season. Starting off the year they will be holding their annual "Scripts in Play Festival" that features staged readings of 3 original plays, along iwth talk backs and the ability of audience members to influence the final play. Subjects this year include a serial murderer, a queer Puerto Rican and a fictional Shakespeare. Also hear about their 2 main stage productions - "Coriolanus" with video games and an updated "Cherry Orchard" for today's world. Finally we get her insight into the state of the theater industry in the DMV in a post-COVID world.

Dominion Stage's Director Mario Font and Actor Gary Bernard DiNardo came on the podcast to give us all the details about the organization's upcoming prodution of "Torch Song." Also find out how Gary prepared for his role as "Arnold" and how the character's personality resonated with him, some things you will see in the show from the director's standpoint and how the show captures family conflict. Also find out which roles and plays are on each guest's bucket list and what is coming next in the Dominion season, as well as what exactly is a "busy signal?"

The Visual Artist Judy Southerland joined us to talk about her new exhibition at the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art opening January 6th with an opening reception, an artist talk on February 4 and a closing reception on February 24. Hear about how she became a visual artist despite no art classes being offered when she was ins school, how Carl Sagan influenced her interest in art, and how her work in this latest exhibition features a unique glazing technique and hidden text within each work. Also find out how it actually IS her life.

The newly hired Gallery Assistant at the Fred Schnider Gallery of Art A'nnah Howard came on the show to give us all the details about the gallery's exciting 2024 Exhibitions schedule - from gothic surrealism to psychology to human grief and anxiety. Also find out her aspirations for a career in the art world, the type of art she creates and why she loves the Fred Schnider Gallery whose mission is to showcase local artists.

Continuing our goal of interviewing "behind the scenes" theatrical professionals, we welcomed back to the show Jorge Acevedo who is the Casting Director at Signature Theatre. Find out exactly what a casting director does and how they go about finding the right actors for each role. Also learn the audition process followed at Signature, how Jorge strives to bring diversity and "outside the box" thinking to casting actors, how far in advance actors in DC are called up for auditions and how does he keep track of everyone's talents and gifts? Also get all the details about the current hit at Signature "Ragtime" and the upcoming world premiere of "Private Jones." And at the end hear Jorge's words of wisdom to all administrative theater professionals starting out in their careers.

The very talented actor Maria Rizzo appeared as a guest on the "Embracing Arlington Arts Talks" podcast to talk about her career, how she got into the theater industry, some of her previous "vampy" roles and her character in the current production of "Ragtime" being presented by Signature Theatre. Also learn what roles are on her bucket list, how she felt going onstage for the first time after the shutdown and her unique next "role." And for those romantics out there, listen in to the story about how her husband proposed.

The Artistic Director of Ballet Nova Dance Company Matthew Powell returned to the show to give us all the details about how they are celebrating their 20th anniversary of presenting "The Nutcracker" including a return to tradition and incorporating what it has meant to the company's families. Also find out about their spring ballet production (and how it will be announced) and an exciting "Roaring 20's" themed gala complete with a "speakeasy" in their black box theater. And learn one interesting fact about how boy and girl ballet dancers are treated differently with respect to their "toes."