Theater Masters: Talking Theater

JULIA HANSEN, Artistic Director Aspen Theater Masters, and host of Talking Theater began interviewing celebrities and distinguished theater artists when he became head of the Drama League of NY.   Her 1st interview was with stage and film actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, and actor Kevin Kline and the artistic Director of the Long Wharf Theater, Arvin Brown.

She has interviewed such luminaries as Frank Rich and John Simon, Sutton Foster and Bernadette Peter, and Dame Eileen Atkins and Sir Ian Mckellen.  While leading the Drama League she conceived, founded and administrated The Directors Project, a national training program for young directors whose alumni now include, the head of the Yale School of Drama, James Bundy; The Artistic Director of The La Jolla Playhouse, Chris Ashley; Tony Winner Michael Mayer, (Spring Awakening and Thoroughly Modern Millie), the Artistic Director of American Repertory Theater at Harvard, Diane Paulus and director of Hair.  A directing award in her name has been given to Mike Nichols, Jack O’Brien, Dan Sullivan, Des McAnuff and this year to Arthur Laurents.

She has creates performances honoring celebrities such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Hal Prince, Liz Smith, John Kander and Fred Ebb. At Theater Masters she started The National MFA Playwrights Festival in association with Brown, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, Iowa, USLA, UCSD and the University of Texas at Austin: The Visionary Playwrights Commissions and Awards in association with The Aspen Institute, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, Steppenwolf, La Jolla, and The Dallas Theater Center: and The New Bridges Festival in association with Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Talking Theater provides audiences with a look at the other side of the footlight though interviews with actors, producers, writers, designers, teachers and directors