Like most of us these days, the triple-threat Broadway icon is constantly looking for ways to keep herself busy during lockdown whilst observing social distancing guidelines.

I call on a quiet Friday afternoon and find Ms Rivera in good spirits at her home in Upstate New York. She cheerfully recalls her mother’s futile pleas for her to rest. ‘My mother, if she were alive, would be very happy that I’m taking naps in the afternoon. She tried to get me through my entire life to take a nap. And I would never ever do that. Well, now I’m taking naps and I’m not so sure I like that!’, she laughs.

CHITA RIVERA. PHOTO BY LAURA MARIE DUNCAN

Her daughter, the singer, dancer and choreographer Lisa Mordente is by her side during this period. Lisa is Ms Rivera’s ‘most treasured production’ and the only Shark/Jet baby in history. Despite director Jerome Robbins’ strict demand back in the day for the Sharks and the Jets [West Side Story’s two rival gangs] to refrain from associating with one another in order to create more tension on stage, Ms Rivera ended up marrying Tony Mordente – a Jet.

Chita Rivera is very fond of England and has returned to this country time and again throughout her impressive career. She has performed on numerous occasions including in ‘West Side Story’, ‘Bye Bye Birdie’, ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’, and most recently played two exclusive concerts at Cadogan Hall in 2019, as part of her solo tour.

When asked about her fondest memory of her time in England, she enthusiastically remembers having met HRM Queen Elizabeth ll, but that having ‘had a life as full as I’ve been blessed to have’, it’s difficult to choose only one. ‘I like the people of England and the theatre there. People go to the theatre. They sit and they listen and they really have an understanding of what they’re going to see. I appreciate that.’, she explains.

CHITA RIVERA IN ‘KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN’. PHOTO BY CATHERINE ASHMORE

Ms Rivera continues, ‘My daughter was a year old the first time we went there and the second time, with Birdie, she was three years old. Each one of those shows was a big hit and the audiences were wonderful. I’ve had the opportunity to not just work in England, but to live, have neighbours, and have a life there. We have many many friends in England.’

During the London production of ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ in 1992, she met Mr Harry Gabriel, Shaftesbury Theatre’s beloved stage doorkeeper, for whom a handful of distinguished artists, including Ms Rivera, will be performing an online concert on 15 July, to celebrate his 40-year career. ‘I love Harry! You walk through that door and the very first face you see is Harry’s face. It’s the most welcoming, the warmest and the sweetest introduction to your evening that you can possibly have. It does help when the first person you see is a welcoming sight. And he enables you to really do a wonderful show!’, she exclaims.

CHITA RIVERA IN ‘WEST SIDE STORY’. PHOTO BY MARTHA SWOPE. ©NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Ms Rivera made history by originating and shaping the roles of Anita in ‘West Side Story’ (1957) and Velma Kelly in ‘Chicago’ (1975), both of which secured Oscars for Rita Moreno and Catherine Zeta-Jones, respectively, who went on to portray the characters on screen.

She landed the leading role in ‘West Side Story’, the ground-breaking musical by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents, back in 1957. Having brought ‘passion, motherly instinct and devilish humour’ to the role of Anita, she credits Leonard Bernstein, in no small part, for her singing abilities.

Bernstein had invited Ms Rivera to his apartment to help her inhabit the role of Anita musically. ‘He taught me to appreciate and understand the music itself. And he went through it with me, note for note. He actually, I can almost say, taught me how to sing. His personality was a warm and friendly one and he made me feel as though I could do this amazing music. I was very nervous at first, but he made me comfortable. He was not so superior that I felt as though I couldn’t do it. He put me on the same level as himself and I felt as though I was the right person for that music. So it was exciting to sit next to him and feel his energy and understand his music.’, she recalls.

CHITA RIVERA & COMPANY IN ‘THE VISIT‘ (2015). PHOTO BY THOM KAINE

Ms Rivera’s voice adopts a sad tone when asked about the great playwright Terrence McNally, whom we’ve lost to coronavirus earlier this year. She talks about him in the present tense, as if he’d never left us, and declares that, ‘Terrence McNally is a great playwright. He is brilliant. He taught me how to speak his language, how to have faith in myself, and how to play in this wonderful piece of theatre called ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ and get good reviews out of it. It was brilliantly written, therefore every night I went into that theatre was an exceptional evening for me.’

‘The Visit’, the final musical collaboration between Terrence McNally, composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, added more awards to Chita Rivera’s impressive résumé. ‘The Visit was extraordinary! He writes very well for Kander and Ebb, and obviously he writes wonderfully for me. It was a very exciting time in my life. It was a complicated show, a very dark musical, but he made the audiences understand what the play was all about. Some people misunderstood it and thought it was a play about death. We thought the play was really about love. But that’s what’s so great about theatre. You go to the theatre and you have your own interpretation.’, she says.

CHITA RIVERA SOLO AT CADOGAN HALL, LONDON, 10 FEB 2019. PHOTO BY DARREN BELL

With her upcoming shows being postponed due to the pandemic, Ms Rivera keeps herself busy by doing virtual shows and interviews. Over the past few months, she has made a few online appearances to fundraise for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Actors Fund, recently raising over $100K for Broadway Cares’ COVID-19 Emergency Efforts during the stream of her October 2013 concert, ‘Chita: A Legendary Celebration’. The 2013 benefit concert for Broadway Cares, which took place at the August Wilson Theatre, originally raised around $500K at the time, bringing Chita: A Legendary Celebration’s performance total to over $600K.

Notwithstanding the technical difficulties that come with such endeavours, she accepts that, for now, this is the only way ‘you can express yourself and explain how your experience has been’.

Her advice to everyone who is struggling during ‘this time of confusion’ is to find ways to make their own lives interesting. ‘We find out more about ourselves by delving into our own conscience. It’s very hard but you have to look forward to waking up in the morning and finding something constructive about your life and about your work.’, Ms Rivera reflects. ‘This pandemic is making us aware of each other much more than we have been. I think it’s turning into a less selfish time and it’s making us realize how fortunate we have been in our lives by thinking about other people, not just ourselves.’

CHITA RIVERA, GWEN VERDON, CHICAGO, 1975. PHOTO BY MARTHA SWOPE. ©THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Despite admitting that the business has changed drastically since she started her career, Ms Rivera is adamant that one thing did remain the same. ‘You have to accept the fact that times change but the wonderful thing about the theatre is that it’s alive. Audiences are very smart and very aware of when you’re being truthful and when you’re being phoney. So I think the theatre forces us to be honest.’, she elaborates. ‘This pandemic is a whole ‘nother bag of beans. We have to wait until this is over to find out how our theatre is going to be done. We’re not in charge and, in a way, that’s good.’

For any individuals who are looking to pursue this career, Ms Rivera has one simple piece of advice: ‘They have to have patience with themselves and get to learn as much as they can about the business and about other people. But most of all, I think they have to have faith in themselves, in what they want to do and how they want to express themselves.’

One of Broadway’s greatest legends, with numerous iconic roles under her belt, Chita Rivera is one of the most nominated performers in Tony Award history having earned ten nominations, won twice and received the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. In 2009, she was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama and in 2002, the coveted Kennedy Center Honor. In 2018, Ms Rivera was honoured as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

CHITA RIVERA & DICK VAN DYKE IN ‘BYE BYE BIRDIE’. PHOTO BY FRIEDMAN-ABELES

Looking back at her illustrious career, Chita Rivera proudly declares that if she had the opportunity to go back in time and do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. She explains, ‘This is what I tell the kids: “Your eyes are meant to see, your ears are meant to listen and your mouth is made to speak. You’ve got to use them all.” Hopefully, you use them in the best of ways. But you must see, listen and speak. And I think I did all of that. I was extremely obedient as a performer, and by listening and seeing I learned so much not just about the theatre, but about my life. So I don’t think I would do things differently. And I think that’s a blessing.’

She continues, ‘I can honestly say I’m one of the luckiest performers in the world because I came at a very full time, The Golden Age, when the theatre was alive and well and there was a piece of good theatre in most theatres. I worked with some of the greatest and most creative people: Jerome Robbins, Jerry Herman, Michael Kidd, Jack Cole. And they’re a part of my being now.’

Ms Rivera was interviewed, together with her long-time friend and colleague, Graciela Daniele, for Khadifa Wong’s upcoming documentary ‘Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance’, which is a cinematic exploration of the art form of jazz dance. ‘Graciela is a great gift and a great talent. She is a great director and this is a girl that has been through much in her life and she has now put it back into the theatre. She is like my soul sister. We’re hoping this piece will be successful.’, she concludes.

‘Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance’ is set to be released on 20 July.

Chita Rivera will make a guest appearance on the online training platform, Bridge to Broadway, on Wednesday, 1 July, at 6pm BST/1pm EDT. Her fans, as well as up and coming industry professionals, will get the unique chance to learn more about her career and ask her questions during the Q&A segment of the masterclass.

Broadway veteran Erik Liberman, noted for his impressive career on Broadway and off, as well as on the small screen (‘War Paint’, ‘The Band’s Visit’, ‘LoveMusik’, ‘Modern Family’, ‘Vinyl’), talked with The Cinematic Journal about the way he approaches each role, how he deals with stage fright and some of his most memorable roles in productions such as ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, and the musical finale of the hit TV series ‘Transparent’.

The actor, director, author, and educator has been keeping busy during the lockdown, having decided to give something back to the community during these challenging times. Together with producer Marissa Lynn Daniel, he launched Bridge to Broadway, an online training platform that connects young industry professionals with a star-studded line-up of seasoned mentors.

ERIK LIBERMAN. PHOTO BY MARK ODGERS

Do you remember your first encounter with the performing arts, that precise moment when you thought, ‘I belong in this world’?

Two things come to mind. The first is that my mother, on my sixth or seventh birthday, took me to the Riverboat Playhouse where they performed children’s shows. That filled me with wonder and ignited my imagination.

Then there was a commercial for The Coconut Grove Children’s Theatre which featured a bunch of kids my age in costumes. I remember turning to my grandmother when she asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and I said, ‘In there!’ pointing to the television [laughs].

I remember calling the Children’s Theatre many times and when they picked up, I hung up because I was afraid. Finally, my father got me an audition through a friend of his who knew the Artistic Director, Corky Dozier, and I got in. It changed my life.

Before that, I typed a letter to the producers of ‘The Sunday Funnies Show’ because I wanted to read comics to kids on TV and ended up doing that… So it was very much a confluence of events at around five or six years old, I would say.

ERIK LIBERMAN IN ‘THE BAND’S VISIT’. PHOTO BY AHRON R. FOSTER

Did that period foreshadow the genres you’d end up gravitating towards? 

I don’t think at five or six there is an awareness of ‘genre,’ per se. There’s just a question of wanting to be part of something larger than yourself and seeing if you have something to offer. It’s an investigative time.

When you are offered a role, which boxes does it need to tick in order for you to say, ‘This is for me’?

I would say that when a role coincides with my humanity in a way that will help me grow, I go for it. And hopefully, there are collaborators involved who have a commitment to cutting edge work and to telling a story that hasn’t been told before, at least not in the way they’re imagining it.

In terms of musicals, you’ve portrayed quite a few memorable roles in ‘War Paint,’ ‘The Band’s Visit,’ ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame,’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ to name a few. How did you find the connection with them? Did you identify with any of those characters in real life?

All of them. If I can’t identify with a character, I can’t play it.

In the case of ‘The Band’s Visit,’ it was the character’s longing — reaching for something larger than himself — with which I connected. I think that’s an urge we all contain.

‘War Paint’ was tougher because the man I played was quite destructive. I had to work backwards from those behaviours, considering his early misfortunes and how those can colour the roads we take.

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ I avoided for a long time because it was a world my grandparents lived through which I wasn’t eager to revisit. Once I took the part, however, I felt the presence of my beloved grandfather every night, particularly during the exodus.

‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ — absolutely. That was a human who learned to entertain the masses in order to deal with the pain of being marginalized, as the Romani people were and continue to be.

ERIK LIBERMAN AND RENA STROBER IN ‘FIDDLER ON THE ROOF’. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

Going back to Fiddler, having eventually played in it, did the experience help you come to terms with your grandparents’ history?

Yes.

I feel that as actors, our job is to play characters as far from ourselves as possible in order to widen our purview of the human experience — so for a while, I avoided roles that were close to my history. But Fiddler forced me to embrace that history— and in fact I grew stronger for it.

Then again, you can’t help but feel embraced by such a brilliantly constructed show. We were held in the sturdy palms of Jerome Robbins, Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein, three of whom I had the privilege of meeting.

Do you have a dream role that perhaps you are afraid of taking on?

 Not afraid, no, because I think there’s universal design to which parts find us and when. But I do have a particular affinity for two characters: Georges Seurat in ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ and Shakespeare’s ‘Richard II.’

I’ve also written a lot lately which has been fun because as actors, we tend to look toward other creators to ascribe the secrets of our hearts and liberate us. At the moment, I am enjoying unlocking those doors myself.

How do you combat stage fright?

Before I go on stage, I summon everyone on whose shoulders I stand: my teachers, living and passed, my family, my role models. I thank them and say a blessing asking that everyone in the theatre be met with whatever it is they came to receive at that performance. When I feel ensconced in that matrix of appreciation, there’s less fear. Another means of combating fear is meditation — connecting with something larger than ourselves which transcends our individual concern as to whether or not people approve of us.

“The best thing we can do is gather the courage to step aside and be borrowed. That’s vulnerability.”

As a performer, how do you feel the ego and vulnerability intersect?

I think of the ego as this tender membrane designed to protect a finite instrument — the mind — from feeling obsolete in the face of the infinite. And what are things that render the mind obsolete? Love, nature and art, because we can’t quantify the magnitude of these phenomena.

For example, singing ‘Answer Me’ at the end of ‘The Band’s Visit’ was terrifying because it was everything that I am – my heart and soul laid bare. But once you hitch a ride on that material, something larger takes over and, much as our ego would like to take credit for it, we can’t. The best thing we can do is gather the courage to step aside and be borrowed. That’s vulnerability.

ERIK LIBERMAN IN ‘WAR PAINT’. PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

Do you find getting into character on stage similar or different to getting into character in front of the camera?

On stage, there’s more time for research and I love that — deep-diving into a character then testing that homework in rehearsal. And, in a few weeks’ time, we all test our work before audiences.

On television, it’s a faster process. The prep is compressed, but you’re ready because the fast-twitch muscles required for TV are borne of the marathon muscles developed onstage.

MICHAEL ARDEN AS QUASIMODO AND ERIK LIBERMAN AS CLOPIN TROUILLEFOU IN ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME’. PHOTO BY JERRY DALIA

A little bird told me you love to sing. Having worked on ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame,’ which features gorgeous music by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, how was that experience for you from a singing perspective and do you have a favourite musical moment?

The majesty of that music washes over you in such an oceanic way, you can’t not be affected by Alan and Stephen’s exquisite creation!

That said, it was a tricky show for me because that’s when I was diagnosed with a hearing disorder — which was frightening but allowed me to understand why I had learned to work in certain unorthodox ways before and how I could navigate more effectively going forward.

“I’ve travelled in groups where none of us spoke the same language but we all sang around a fire. We taught each other a tune, we may not have understood the words but we felt the connectivity… that’s one reason I love music and musicals.”

As for favourite moments, near the end of the show, Michael Arden [the actor who played Quasimodo] recites a passage drawn from the novel about the hunchback ‘spooning’ the body of Esmeralda and their bodies turning to dust.

After that passage, Clopin’s theme is reprised and I had this idea — I think it was my idea — to ask our director, Scott Schwartz, if I could [exhales deeply] exhale with the company to sort of blow the dust, the star-stuff, of Quasimodo and Esmeralda into the ether.

It was then that we invited the audience to open themselves to the deeper meaning of the story… a near-silent moment in the midst of all this magnificent music that allowed us to step back from what had been invoked and reflect.

Hunchback is filled with such moments… There’s a lyric, ‘Could there be a country kinder to our race?’ which always touched me and there’s a song called ‘Someday,’ which is an anthem for anyone who has felt ostracised, marginalized, excluded…

I was in the car the other day when Erik Satie’s ‘Gymnopédie No. 1’ came on and I was unexpectedly moved. I thought, ‘How amazing that humans can assign notes to a page so long ago and we can still connect with them today!’

 I’ve travelled in groups where none of us spoke the same language but we all sang around a fire. We taught each other a tune, we may not have understood the words but we felt the connectivity… that’s one reason I love music and musicals.

ERIK LIBERMAN, LESLI MARGHERITA, JUDITH LIGHT AND JO LAMPERT IN ‘TRANSPARENT: MUSICALE FINALE’. PHOTO BY NICOLE WILDER

You appeared in the unexpected musical finale of Amazon’s ground-breaking series ‘Transparent’. What attracted you to this show?

From the moment I saw ‘Transparent’, I thought, ‘This is a show I have to be on because this is addressing something I haven’t seen before.’ At the same time, I thought, ‘I’ll never be on that show because Jay Duplass already is and we sort of cancel each other out visually [laughs].’ But something inside me knew that I had to be on it – just like when I was a kid – and I kept saying, ‘I’m going to be on “Transparent”’ and people would ask, ‘When?’ and I’d say, ‘Don’t know, but soon!’ [laughs]

In the end, it all came together magically. I met Faith Soloway, the composer and a producer on the show, at a concert of her work at Joe’s Pub in New York. We kept in touch and eventually, she asked if I’d be interested in participating in the workshop of a Transparent musical. We weren’t sure if it would make it to the stage or screen but blessedly, it did.

In April 2018, we played musical versions of the Pfeffermans in a concert at Joe’s Pub. Then, in early 2019, we shot the finale. Judith Light’s character casts us as doppelgangers of her kids, which helps heal her relationship with her actual kids… It was very ‘meta’!

Like holding a mirror up to nature.

Yes! Exactly.

Jay [Duplass] was so wonderful in that — and I was very sensitive to him, because I didn’t want to step on his toes in any way. But he could not have been more magnanimous. For a moment, though, it did feel like the Sharks and the Jets during ‘West Side Story’ rehearsals, when Jerome Robbins didn’t want them to talk to each other so there was tension in the air! In our case, I think that led to a lot of comedy.

ERIK LIBERMAN AND JAY DUPLASS TRANSPARENT LOS ANGELES PREMIERE PHOTO BY JEREMY BOROS

You recently launched Bridge to Broadway, an online training platform connecting young professionals with Broadway mentors. Can you tell me more about the initiative?

They say, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ and that was very much the case! Bridge to Broadway was sparked by a need to pivot in the face of the pandemic, which we thought would last a week or two. I had concerts and classes scheduled in New York, all of which were cancelled, so I reached out to a few friends and asked, ‘Do you want to teach?’ Then we realized that this was going to last longer than any of us expected and the program grew from there.

We offered the first 48 classes as ‘pay what you can, if you can,’ and began donating a portion of proceeds to The Actors Fund and Black Lives Matter… The most powerful thing I’ve observed over the last four months is the sense of global citizenship that has emerged as a result of these exchanges. There are students who wake up in the dead of night from all over the world to meet their mentors — and for most participants, they’ve never had face-to-face contact with artists like these before. It’s been a joy to facilitate.

Are you currently working on any projects that we should be on the lookout for?

I’ve spent much of the last two years writing a pilot and a book and am now producing a documentary.

The spiritual density of everything happening right now can sometimes just force me – and I don’t think I’m alone in this – into submission. And then I come out and say, ‘Hey, wait a moment, you’ve got something to offer.’

“The planet has been brought to its knees in a way. I feel that this inability to go out and shine as performers onstage and on set forces us to shine as human beings in real life and ask ourselves, ‘Why am I here?’ — then align with that deeper mission.”

Bridge to Broadway has been a real lifesaver because it’s a place to show up every day and engage in larger conversations — and a lot of opportunities have sprung from that.

It feels like a new world right now, or maybe it’s the same world with a lot of buried truths coming to light. Either way, the narrative is being rewritten and appropriately so.

Perhaps, similarly to what you did with ‘Transparent,’ this pandemic is raising a mirror.

I think that’s perfectly put.

It’s all a mirror that allows us to ask, ‘How can I be of service?’ When I coach someone, the first thing I ask is, ‘How can I best support you?’ because I really don’t know. I don’t know if any of us knows what it truly means to support each other — but maybe, finally, we’ve become humble enough to ask.

The planet has been brought to its knees in a way. I feel that this inability to go out and shine as performers on stage and set forces us to shine as human beings in real life and ask ourselves, ‘Why am I here?’ — then align with that deeper mission.

Juilliard-trained dramatic soprano Meagan Miller is one of the leading Wagnerian specialists of her generation. Throughout her career, the versatile artist has performed diverse music of many eras and in nine different languages on some of the most important stages all over the world, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, the American soprano grew up in Ohio and Pennsylvania. She began her vocal training at the Washington and Lee University in Virginia before transferring to the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Her teachers at the renowned conservatoire included Cynthia Hoffmann, Marilyn Horne, Ruth Falcon, and Hilde Zadek.

MEAGAN MILLER AS MINNIE IN ‘LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST’, PALERMO, ©STUDIO CAMERA

In 1999, Miller was one of five winners at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where she performed ‘Martern aller Arten’ from Die Entführung aus dem Serail and ‘Ain’t It a Pretty Night?’ from Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. The New York Times described her interpretation of ‘Martern aller Arten’ as proving ‘her agility, thrust and command of intonation’ and that ‘her voice is strong and brilliant’.

In 2008, Miller garnered both the George London/Kirsten Flagstad Award and the George London Foundation Vienna Prize.

After her early years performing in various American opera houses including New York City Opera, Orlando Opera, Kentucky Opera, Syracuse Opera, Eugene Opera, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Minnesota Opera, among others, the soprano made her debut at the Vienna Volksoper in 2009 as the title heroine in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and soon after performed this role at the Bavarian Staatsoper.

Miller’s Viennese operatic debut brought her many more roles on the stages of some of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe, including the State Operas of Vienna, Munich and Hamburg. During that time, she began to establish herself as a powerhouse in the late-Romantic German repertoire. Her performance as Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at Leipzig Opera is but one example of a memorable Wagnerian performance.

MEAGAN MILLER AS ARIADNE IN ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, VOLKSOPER WIEN, ©DIMO DIMOV

In November 2013, Meagan Miller made her first Metropolitan Opera appearance in the role of the Empress in Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten. The Kaiserin is a demanding role, considered to be one of opera’s most difficult parts. Miller however, rose to the occasion showing off her skill and stamina with great panache, winning over one of the toughest opera crowds in the world.

Meagan Miller’s wide repertoire also includes Mozart roles such as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni‘s Donna Anna and Donna Elvira, and Fiordiligi from Così fan tutte. As a concert and lieder singer she performs works from the Baroque to the present, having premiered many pieces written specifically for her voice. Most notably, she has collaborated with American classical composer Libby Larsen on ‘Try Me, Good King: The Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII’, a song cycle written based on the text taken from the dying letters and execution speeches of the ill-fated wives of the iconic British king.

DIE LIEBE DER DANAË, BARD SUMMERSCAPE, ©CORY WEAVER

Other noteworthy performances include Minnie in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West at the Teatro Massimo Palermo, Elisabetta in Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser at the Hungarian Staatsoper Budapest, and her debut at the Vienna Staatsoper as Strauss’s Daphne. In fact, Vienna is where Meagan makes her home with her husband and two young children.

Miller has recorded CDs of Beethoven, Brückner, Libby Larsen, and Richard Strauss, and her most recent recording, the title role in the world premiere full studio recording of Cesar Franck’s opera, Hulda, comes out in Fall 2020 on Naxos Records.

A passionate advocate for the next generation, Meagan is a lecturer, master teacher, voice teacher, and stage director for select projects.

As it happens, on Thursday, 28 May, at 01:00 p.m. EDT, Meagan will appear as a guest mentor on Erik Liberman’s Bridge to Broadway, an online training platform that connects young professionals with Broadway actors, directors, music directors, composers, lyricists, casting directors, and vocal coaches in behind-the-scenes conversations. Fans will get a chance to find out more about Meagan and ask her any questions.

Bridge to Broadway has announced their next line-up of industry superstars who will mentor students and young professionals during the June masterclasses.

TONYA PINKINS, DONNA MURPHY, CHUCK COOPER AND LILLI COOPER

Actress Ciara Renée (‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, ‘Frozen’, ‘Big Fish’) will join Tony winners Tonya Pinkins and Donna Murphy who will lead a joint master class (available as a bonus class for June ClassPass holders only), Tony winner Chuck Cooper and nominee Lilli Cooper who will lead a father-daughter master class, Two-time Tony-winning composer and lyricist Adam Guettel (who is also the grandson of legendary musical theatre composer Richard Rodgers), Emmy winning casting director Jeff Greenberg (‘Modern Family’, ‘Frasier’, ‘Cheers’), Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy nominee Joshua Henry, Drama Desk Nominee Stephanie Hsu (‘Be More Chill’, ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’, ‘The Path’), internationally acclaimed audiobook narrator Edoardo Ballerini (‘The Sopranos’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’, ‘Dinner Rush’), and master on-camera acting teacher Gary Perez (‘When They See Us’, ‘13 Reasons Why’, ‘The Blacklist’). Mickey Rowe of ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’, who is the founder and Artistic Director of National Disability Theatre, will also be among the guests on Bridge to Broadway in the following weeks.

JOSHUA HENRY AND ADAM GUETTEL

Bridge to Broadway matches emerging artists with seasoned pros in live conversations and Q&As supporting The Actors Fund. Actor and author Erik Liberman teaches master classes around the country and is a recent inductee into the National Alliance of Acting Teachers. Marissa Lynn Daniel produces this series. Director Dan Fishbach associate produces.

Readers of The Cinematic Journal receive 25% off all classes and class passes in May and June. Just use the code TTEP74GF during checkout.

For more information, visit www.bridgetobroadwayonline.com/.

Bridge to Broadway continues to quickly fill up its masterclass calendar for May and June with industry superstar guests.

The newly-announced mentors who will join Erik Liberman over the next few weeks are three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, Tony and Olivier winner and ‘Disney Legend’ Lea Salonga, Tony-winning master voice teacher Joan Lader, two-time Tony-nominated composer Craig Carnelia, Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones (‘This Is Us’), TV star Yara Martinez (‘The Deputy’, ‘The Tick’, ‘Jane the Virgin’), animation voice-over director, producer, casting director Ned Lott (Miyazaki films, ‘Cars’, ‘Monsters, Inc.’, ‘The Incredibles’, ‘Lord of the Rings’), and Lucille Lortel Award winner Larry Owens, who starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical ‘A Strange Loop’.

RON CEPHAS JONES in ‘THIS IS US’. © 2017 NBCUNIVERSAL MEDIA, LLC

Previously announced guests on Bridge to Broadway include Tony-winning actors Andrea Martin, Ben Vereen and Christine Ebersole, nominee Austin Pendleton, showrunner Joshua Safran (‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Smash’), Vincent Rodriguez (‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’), and ‘Wicked’ star Alexandra Billings, among many others.

Bridge to Broadway connects theatre students and emerging artists around the world with their role models and supports artists by donating a percentage of net proceeds to The Actors Fund.

Bridge to Broadway is now offering payment plans for those in financial distress and 25% off discount codes for students/alumni/teachers at any performing arts training centres who would like to enhance their educations with Bridge to Broadway’s offerings.

For more details about Bridge to Broadway and their previous guests, check out this article or visit Bridge to Broadway’s website, where you will find the complete masterclass calendar.

Actor Erik Liberman (‘War Paint’, ‘The Band’s Visit’, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’) has recently launched Bridge to Broadway, an online training platform that connects young professionals with Broadway actors, directors, music directors, composers, lyricists, casting directors, and vocal coaches in behind-the-scenes conversations.

As social distancing seems to force everyone to adapt to the ‘new normal’, Bridge to Broadway came as a swift and welcome solution to help keep theatre students and emerging artists around the world connected with their role models. Furthermore, the initiative supports artists by donating a percentage of all proceeds to The Actors Fund.

The star-studded line-up recently included Tony winners Judith Light, Alan Menken, Harvey Fierstein, Joe Mantello, Victoria Clark, Christopher Gattelli, Joan Lader, Ali Stroker, Michael McElroy, as well as Hamilton’s Javier Muñoz and composer-lyricist Steven Lutvak, to name a few.

JAY DUPLASS

Prominent actor, author, writer, producer and filmmaker Jay Duplass (‘Transparent’, ‘Room 104’, ‘Togetherness’, ‘Wild Wild Country’) will make his guest appearance on Bridge to Broadway on Saturday, 2 May, at 01:00 p.m. EDT.

Jay, together with his brother Mark, recently executive produced the documentary ‘Not Going Quietly’, which was scheduled to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, but unfortunately missed a Tribeca launch.

The documentary chronicles the life of Ady Barkan, a political activist, lawyer and Be a Hero PAC co-founder diagnosed with ALS who embarks on a nationwide campaign for healthcare reform. Over the course of his career, politicians like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and others have acknowledged and supported his work.

The perfectly timed documentary comes at a critical time, as the novel coronavirus pandemic keeps highlighting the importance of a solid healthcare system.

NOT GOING QUIETLY. © DUPLASS BROTHERS PRODUCTIONS

According to IndieWire, Jay recently stated that he and his brother had been preparing, unintentionally, for the global crisis brought forth by the pandemic with their ‘epically small’ approach to filmmaking. Their glass-half-full perspective might bring some comfort to filmmakers working on small productions during these difficult times.

Duplass explained, ‘We could be among the first people back on track and shooting. For us to make a small movie, we could take 17 people to a special rural location. We didn’t invent this model, but we’ve gotten good at it, knowing where to spend our time, energy, and resources. Actors can do their own hair and makeup and socially distance, not stacked on top of each other. That isn’t a big incubation risk.’

Jay is also scheduled to star in Amanda Peet’s six-episode series ‘The Chair’, co-starring Killing Eve‘s Sandra Oh. The show, which is executive produced by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Amanda Peet and Sandra Oh, is set to start shooting in late summer, if the current global situation permits it.

Other notable upcoming guests on Bridge to Broadway in the next few weeks will include Tony-winning actors Andrea Martin, Ben Vereen, and Christine Ebersole, Tony winners André de Shields, Ted Sperling, Michael Cerveris and Ann Reinking, nominees Arian Moyaed, Michele Shay, Michael Berresse, and Austin Pendleton, casting director and AMPAS Board Member Bernie Telsey, showrunner Joshua Safran (‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Smash’), trans-advocate and Broadway/TV actress Alexandra Billings, and Vincent Rodriguez (‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’), among many others.

“This is a time of isolation and financial contraction for many, so we want to engender a spirit of community, accessibility, belonging and above all, service, among participants.”

In addition to actors, directors, writers, producers, casting directors, composers, lyricists, music directors, choreographers, Bridge to Broadway’s roster includes writing coaches, nutritionists, photographers, mental wellness experts, dyslexia specialists, diversity advocates etc., so that conversations transcend the world of acting.

The sessions are structured into a 30-minute interview between Erik and his guest, where they touch upon topics such as the guest’s creative process, pivotal personal and professional junctures and underlying missions, followed by a 30-minute Q&A with the participants. Each session runs for a minimum of one hour, although a few past guests have graciously shared their time and knowledge with the students for up to two hours.

Apart from being packed with invaluable behind-the-scenes tips from industry giants, these mentorship classes also come at a bargain price, so that as many students and industry professionals can join in. Additionally, those who enroll in Class Pass (granting them unlimited access to classes in May) by the end of May 1 will receive a half-hour 1-2-1 coaching session with Erik, who is a seasoned mentor and teaches all over the US.

‘Our sessions are affordable because we don’t believe students should be denied education at any age. This is a time of isolation and financial contraction for many, so we want to engender a spirit of community, accessibility, belonging and above all, service, among participants. We believe that every participant should be able to identify a role model within our roster of guest artists and should feel empowered to give something richer back to their communities after spending time with us!’, Erik explained.

ERIK LIBERMAN. © PETER KONERKO

Chameleonic actor Erik Liberman is recognized for originating roles in several productions on Broadway and off, including ‘War Paint’ with Patti LuPone, ‘The Band’s Visit’ with Tony Shalhoub, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, and Hal Prince’s ‘LoveMusik’. Television work includes ‘Transparent’, ‘Modern Family’, and Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger’s ‘Vinyl’. Liberman has also performed in Carol Burnett’s ‘Hollywood Arms’, portrayed Groucho Marx at the Obama White House, appeared in acclaimed Stephen Sondheim revivals, as well as opposite Topol and Harvey Fierstein in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, later leading the show’s all-star 50th anniversary celebration at New York City’s Town Hall with Chita Rivera.

The Bridge to Broadway series is produced by performer and producer Marissa Lynn Daniel.

For more information and to sign up for classes, head over to https://bridgetobroadwayonline.com/