Bringing Up The Lights

Chicago Shakespeare Theater: One Set, Two Shows

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:01:00 Z

In both The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream, it snows on stage. That's a small piece of a much bigger puzzle for Wendy Stark Prey, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's director of production. Her job is to take everyone else's vision and figure out how to build it, night after night, without anyone slipping on stage.

Wendy talks about how she got into theater almost by accident, through speech and debate club, and how a costume background led her to run one of the largest costume shops in the country before eventually landing in production management. She explains how LED screens and projections are changing what's possible on stage, and why newer technology doesn't always mean a better show. She also covers the specific headaches of a theater that sits on Navy Pier, right on the lake, from HVAC systems that can ruin a scene to a live flame effect that needed sign-off from the Chicago Fire Department.

And she breaks down the real puzzle of this season: two plays, one set, one cast, and two production teams who each see it a little differently.

Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Learning by Doing

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 05:01:00 Z

Edward Hall is the artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and this fall he's directing two Shakespeare plays at the same time with the same company of actors. He has no directing degree. He learned the job by doing it.

Edward tells the story of how he got here: acting at university in Leeds, drama school in North London, and borrowing about fifteen hundred pounds to take a new play to Edinburgh. His big break came at a small theater outside London, where he was handed Othello, and that led to Propeller, the company he ran for twenty years. Along the way we get a Henry V that took the audience outside to invade France, complete with a real horse.

He also talks about directing radio, television, and video games, why Shakespeare should be treated as a modern writer and not a museum piece, what it's like to put "the punk next to the pinstripe" on Chicago's stages, and what he hopes audiences take home from A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale.

Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Two Plays, One Theater

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:01:00 Z

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is turning 40, and this fall it's doing something it has never done before: staging two Shakespeare plays at once, with the same company of 14 actors. A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale will run in repertory, and someone has to make the calendar work.

That someone is Kimberly Motes, executive director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She started the job in October 2023. In this episode, Kimberly explains how she went from high school theater kid to Kennedy Center intern to running one of Chicago's biggest stages. She also covers how a season gets planned, why her job is a lot like running a ballpark, and what it takes to keep about 440 people on the payroll and one very ambitious double-header on track.

Bringing Up the Lights is an original series from Sound Concept Media, written and narrated by Keith Conrad.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joffrey Ballet: Opening The Nutcracker

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:01:00 Z

Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater discusses the process involved in putting together a production, including the yearly production of The Nutcracker. Plus, Dancer Amanda Assucena shares the process she goes through to prepare for The Nutcracker each Christmas.

Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago

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Joffrey Ballet: Costumes and Music for The Nutcracker

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 06:00:00 Z

Ellie Cotey discusses the path she took to become the Costume Manager for the Joffrey Ballet and what goes into putting together costumes for The Nutcracker every Christmas. Plus, Music Director Scott Speck talks about juggling multiple projects and the role music plays in bringing the production to life.

Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joffrey Ballet: The Nutcracker Returns

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 06:01:00 Z

Greg Cameron, the President and CEO at The Joffrey Ballet reflects on how much it means to be peforming The Nutcracker again after a year off thanks to COVID. Meanwhile, for Director of Production Cody Chen, the move to a new venue has presented new challenges and opportunities.

Bringing Up The Lights tells the behind the scenes story of the biggest theatrical productions in the US. Season Two: The Nutcracker at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Opening Night with Sondra Radvanovsky

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 06:01:00 Z

Sondra Radvanovsky talks about how she prepared for the role of Lady Macbeth and the long road back to the stage after the world shut down, including her own COVID diagnosis.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Taking The Stage With The Chorus

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 05:00:00 Z

Suzanne Kszastowski has been a soprano in the Chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2009. As opening night approaches, Suzanne shares her experience as a member of the chorus.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Creating the Costumes For Macbeth

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 05:01:00 Z

Lyric Opera of Chicago has finally reached the point where actors will actually take the stage and start working. That’s where Ben Bell Bern and the Rehearsal Department come into the picture and make sure everyone is where they need to be.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Beginning The Rehearsal Process

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 05:01:00 Z

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Creating Sets Is A World-Wide Effort

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 05:01:00 Z

Michael Smallwood, Technical Director for the Lyric Opera of Chicago talked about his piece of the production puzzle and the Herculean effort involved in creating sets for a production like Macbeth

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: The Ambassador Between the Audience and the Stage

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 05:01:00 Z

Verdi’s Macbeth is not only Lyric Opera of Chicago’s comeback from COVID, but it also marks the official start of Enrique Mazzola's tenure as Music Director. It’s a position that is critical to the success of any production, especially the first live performance with an audience in a year and a half.

Bringing Up The Lights is the story of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2021 production of Macbeth and their return to the stage after eighteen months due to the COVID pandemic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: The Chorus Provides The Emotional Push

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 05:01:00 Z

Now that the Lyric Opera has decided on Macbeth as their production for September 2021 and they've finished casting (and re-casted), now it's time to bring in the people who will inhabit the world of Macbeth. That's where Michael Black, the Chorus Master at Lyric Opera of Chicago comes into the process.

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Lyric Opera of Chicago: Casting Macbeth… Three Times

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 05:01:00 Z

Now that Lyric Opera has decided on bringing Macbeth to the stage in September 2021, it’s time to figure out who will be on that stage. That’s where Andreas Melinat the Vice President of Artistic Planning comes into the picture.

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Lyric Opera of Chicago: Planning In Operaland Is A Four Year Process

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 05:01:00 Z

Anthony Freud followed a long and winding path to become the General Director at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Planning a production at Lyric is a path that's just as long and winding, and it all starts in Anthony's office.

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Season One: Macbeth at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 05:01:00 Z

Raising the curtain September 6th. Bringing up the Lights gives you a behind the scenes look at the people who help put together the biggest stage productions in the country. Season one follows the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Macbeth in September 2021 as they make their comeback following the COVID shutdown. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bringingupthelights.substack.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Dramatic Pause

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 05:01:00 Z

Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Macbeth in September of 2021 was years in the making, but ended up being their return to the stage following the COVID shutdown. Members of the team share what it was like to shut everything down, how they dealt with the down time and what it's like to be back on stage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.