Melissa details her 2024 Chicago Theatre Week Experience. She saw shows at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakes, TimeLine Theatre, Writers Theatre, and Court Theatre, and she recommends them all! Resources MentionedChicago Theatre WeekLeague of Chicago TheatresChoose ChicagoGoodman TheatreChicago Shakespeare TheaterWriters TheatreCourt TheatreTimeLine Theatre Company Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Melissa is on another short winter break. Be sure to rate/review/subscribe/share your favorite episodes with a friend, a student, a fellow playwright. Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Amy Lehman from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (New York) stops by the show to talk about this organization and how artists can benefit from their programs and services. In this episode, we discuss:How Amy pivoted from a performance career to a career in lawWhat VLA is and who can use their servicesMany of the programs VLA offersThe types of problems she wishes she didn't have to solve And more!Resources MentionedVolunteer Lawyers for the Arts (New York)VLA CalendarMissing MoviesAbout Our GuestAfter a career as a professional ballet dancer, Amy Lehman attended NYU for her bachelor’s degree in theater history and dramatic literature. After graduating from NYU, she continued to work in the theater industry, where she reviewed contracts and managed and negotiated licensing agreements for plays in the US and internationally.Having been inspired to go to law school by her desire to help other artists, she studied IP and media law while at University of Michigan School of Law, where she served as an editor on the Journal of Race and Law, and as president of the Entertainment, Media and Arts Students Association. Amy’s primary practice has been general commercial litigation, including matters involving art law, media law, employment, intellectual property, constitutional law, real estate, insurance, contract disputes, torts, and other disputes. She is also a trained mediator with extensive experience working with VLA in the MediateArt program and is on the panel of mediators assigned to resolve cases for the Southern District of New York.Amy is a member of the Entertainment Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association and was selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2014-2017 and New York Metro Super Lawyers 2018 through 2023.Connect with VLA NYTwitter/XInstagram Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

For the first time ever, Melissa is joined by three guests in one interview! Scenic Designers Regina García, Sibyl Wickersheimer, and Maureen Weiss stop by to discuss their book and museum exhibit and drop a ton of wisdom along the way. In this episode, we discuss:The orgins of Scene ShiftHow they each came into theatre and scenic designBeing a mom and a theatre artistWhat they're teaching their students now in a post-pandemic worldAnd more!Resources Mentionedscene-shift.comScene Shift bookScene Shift Exhibit at the Fisher Museum - February 2nd - April 6th, 2024Connect with Our GuestsFollow Scene Shift on Instagram & Facebook Regina Garcíagarciaportfolio.comInstagramMaureen Weissmweissdesign.comSibyl Wickersheimersawgirl.comInstagramConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

No official episode this week, but Melissa will be back soon with all new interviews. Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

For another installment of "When the Production is the Adaptation," Melissa is joined by Marcia Milgrom Dodge aka "MMD" to discuss her production and revival of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Olney Theatre Center.   In this episode, we discuss:The origins of the "MMD" moniker"Smuggling in deeper meaning"Redesigning and imagining a Disney-branded showHow MMD has been a constant champion of diverse casting And more!Resources MentionedOlney Theatre's production directed by MMDDramaturgy and research for MMD's productionLicensing the musicalAbout Our GuestMarcia Milgrom Dodge is a Tony, Drama Desk & Astaire Award nominated director & choreographer for her “stirring & lovingly staged” Broadway/Kennedy Center revival of Ragtime. Most recently, MMD was the American Show Director for Tokyo Disneyland’s 40th Anniversary Parade Harmony In Color! For Television, MMD appeared as herself in Disney+ Encore!; choreographed The Muppets in an Emmy-winning episode of Sesame Street and choreographed Elmo & The Noodle Family in Elmo’s Wild West video, delighting children of all ages. MMD’s bold new approaches to classic plays & musicals-- plus a few world-premiere musicals-- have been seen worldwide, from major regional theatres throughout the USA & Canada to Fredericia, Denmark to Seoul, S. Korea to Blackpool, England and even Muskat, Oman. Devoted to developing the next generation of theatre artists, her Directing Musicals workshops are geared for early-career Directors and Actors as well as for Theatre Lovers. MMD is also wife to Tony, mother to Natasha & a proud member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society. Connect with Our Guestmarciamilgromdodge.comRead & Recommend Tony Dodge’s plays on New Play ExchangeInstagramConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

In this episode, Melissa guides listeners through a comprehensive goal-setting strategy for playwrights and theatre makers so they can plan for a successful 2024, however they chose to define it. ***Sign up for the Newsletter***Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

In this episode, Melissa guides listeners through an end-of-year self-inventory and reflection which will help set the stage for a 2024 goal-setting session. ***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Christmas came early this year! We are dropping this episode a few days ahead of schedule to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the release of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.   The multi-talented Lavina Jadhwani stops by to discuss her adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which was first produced when her script was discovered on New Play Exchange. In this episode, we discuss:Adapting a well-known story for the stage, making it unique, and being faithful to the original textLavina's approach to adapting for the stageHow surviving cancer gave her a different perspective of her workthe Bollywood film list Lavina curated for Melissa on the spotAnd more!Resources MentionedA Christmas Carol by Lavina Jadhwani is playing at the Guthrie and Penobscot Theatre during the 2023 holiday season.New Play Exchange Nothing For the Group substackAbout Our GuestLavina Jadhwani is a Chicago-based director, playwright, and activist. Directing credits include Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Rep, the Rep of St. Louis, Asolo Rep, Mixed Blood, the Neo-Futurists, the Gift, Teatro Vista, Silk Road Rising, and Rasaka Theatre Company, where she served as Artistic Director for seven years. As a playwright, her work has been seen at the Guthrie, the Goodman, the Gift, East West Players, Cincinnati Shakes, and Indianapolis Shakes, and more. Lavina serves on the boards of the National New Play Network and the Chicago Inclusion Project. She is a proud cancer survivor, dog mom, and child of immigrants. She got her BFA/MA at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and her MFA at The Theatre School at DePaul University.Connect with Our Guestlavinajadhwani.comRead & Recommend Lavina’s plays on New Play ExchangeFacebookInstagramConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

This week Hollywood screenwriter Greg Taylor stops by the show! Greg wrote the scripts for the 90s kids' classics, Harriet the Spy and Jumanji, as well as one of Melissa's favorite holiday films, Prancer, which Greg later adapted for the stage. In this episode, we discuss:How the late great Cloris Leachman influenced Greg's script The reindeer in the film vs the stage playHow screenwriters and playwrights are treated differentlyAdapting novels to screenplays and screenplays to stage playsAnd more!Resources MentionedPrancer filmThe Rose TheaterPrancer script from Plays for New Audiences Prancer is playing at ALT, WV's Apollo Civic Theatre, and The Sauk during the 2023 holiday season.***We have a gift for 101 Stage Adaptations listeners! Download a  FREE PDF perusal copy of Prancer  here using the discount code is 101Prancer. Valid until December 1, 2024 and only valid on Prancer.***  About Our GuestGreg Taylor was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a screenwriter, author and playwright.  His screenwriting credits include Prancer, Jumanji, and Harriet the Spy.Greg is married, with two children, Jessica and Ian, and two grandchildren. From the time he and his wife, Joanne, had their first child, Greg has concentrated on writing stories for families, children and young adults.For his adaptation of the stage version of Prancer, which premiered at the Rose Children’s Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2016, Greg received the Omaha Theater Arts Guild award for Outstanding New Script. Since Prancer’s premiere and initial run, the play has been performed at community theaters throughout the US.Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).