What Inspires You?
What Inspires You?
bestofbroadway
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
#0What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/19/04 at 9:19pm
What inspires you in theater? Are there any actors, directors, designers? Are there artists who are inspirational to you? What artists or groups do you believe continue to stretch boundaries and create new and interesting theater? What about in the other areas of the art- painters, choreographers, etc? They don't necessarily have to be alive to have inspired you.
Okay I'll start-
Anne Bogart
Twyla Tharp (particularly her work in Push Comes to Shove and Sinatra Suite)
Merce Cunningham
Jose Limon
Sondheim
Michael John LaChuisa
...just to name a few
Updated On: 1/19/04 at 09:19 PM
jesseeinstein
Broadway Star Joined: 11/9/03
#1re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/19/04 at 10:00pm
Jason Robert Brown
Donald O'Connor
William Finn
Brent Carver
Carolee Carmello
There are so many... those are some of the main ones though.
Anytime I see a good performance I'm inspired.
Updated On: 1/19/04 at 10:00 PM
#2re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/19/04 at 10:04pm
Actors:
Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kristin Chenoweth, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, and Patrick Wilson
(I have always had a hobby for the creative parts
Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Eugene Lee, Robin Wagner, William Ivery Long, Rob Marshall, Sam Mendes, Susan Stroman, and Tony Kushner
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
BwayTheatre11
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/25/03
#3re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/19/04 at 10:24pm
Donald Holder
Ken Posner
Natashia Katz
CCM '10!
BroadwayNYC
Featured Actor Joined: 12/4/03
#4re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/19/04 at 11:12pmBernadette Peters, Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber. I am inspired more in terms of creative writing and thought, as opposed to acting. I'd love to write the next best play! I'm working on something on my spare time.
"Everything's coming up roses, this time for me!"
bestofbroadway
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
BroadwayNYC
Featured Actor Joined: 12/4/03
#6re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 12:11am
Thank you bestofbroadway! I always say, "Can't be in a broadway show? Then write one!"
It would be a dream if Bernadette Peters would play the lead!!! How amazing would that be!!
"Everything's coming up roses, this time for me!"
tappedout
Stand-by Joined: 10/22/03
#7re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 12:17amIdina Menzel is pretty inspiring right now because i am listening to still i can't be still and she's so versatile and good. Also: Sondheim, Bernadette Peters, Michelle Federer, Jack Johnson, Stephen Schwartz, Sutton Foster ... to name a few
you think you know but you have no idea.....
#8re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 12:19amI'm inspired by a lot of performers, Sutton Foster, Julie Andrews, Kerry Butler, Chita Rivera, Bernadette...just so many. I think what inspires me more though, is the kindness that is shown by some performers. The fact that they take time to talk to their fans, treat them respectfully, give them advice, reply to letters...its such an inspiration to me to get this guidance from performers.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#9re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 12:49am
Marissa Jaret Winokur
Jerry Mitchell
Michele Lynch
The NYTimes dance critic
The Tony voters
Marc Shaiman
Scott Wittman
Twitter @NamoInExile
Instagram none
bestofbroadway
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
King Stevos
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/03
#11re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 1:12am
A good story: Shadow Box Rent etc.
STEVOS
"IF I TRY THERE MAY BE A CHANCE / WE COULD LOVE WITH OUR EYES CLOSED/ WITH OUR EYES CLOSED WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!"- Stephen Dwight
TheaterChef
Chorus Member Joined: 1/6/04
#12re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 1:25am
*A stellar performance.
*Curtain call.
*A good audience.
*A vocal challenge.
*Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Sarah Brightman.
*A profound plot.
*Closing a show.
*Stepping out of the comfort zone, regardless of winning or losing. 'Trying is succeeding.'
*Stars being sincere with the fans.
*Ballet (pointe).
*Time Square at night.
*Instrumental solos.
*George Gershwin.
*42nd Street lives.
"More than in any other performing arts the lack of respect for acting seems to spring from the fact that every layman considers himself a valid critic."
--Uta Hagen
Updated On: 1/20/04 at 01:25 AM
Chorus Member Joined: 12/31/69
#13re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 3:34amNAMO, you mentioned Michele Lynch...........You must be an insider.
JakeB
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#14re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 9:03am
- Jason Robert Brown
- Cameron Mackintosh
- and a guy called Kenneth Alan Taylor.
BroadwayNYC
Featured Actor Joined: 12/4/03
#15re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 10:12am
I forgot to mention my biggest inspiration....NEW YORK CITY!!
as if it wasn't implied... :)
"Everything's coming up roses, this time for me!"
robyn525600
Broadway Star Joined: 9/26/03
#16re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 10:29amJonathan Larson and RENT. I have a frame that has "Inspiration" inscribed on the bottom and I have a photo of JL in it.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away."
sheekala
Broadway Star Joined: 7/3/03
#17re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 10:43amWhen I first came to the city to begin my creative journey I had to a find a job asap, the big fish from a small pond needed money and fast! On day two I became a busboy,I worked with a man named Hector(what a head of hair the man had, a hairline like Eddie Munster) who spoke no english and who said I was "gringo loco" and that I did everything wrong, after a few weeks with my new "partner", I began to see how hard he worked and seemed to love his job(which I HATED).I tried so hard to make him happy and be as fast on the floor as he was,slowly I moved up to waiter, found a new "family" of actors, all new to the city, all scared at what lay ahead. We dreamed our dreams, went to our classes and auditions, fell in and out of love, I really fell OUT, to friends and family! Left that job, got a tour, came back and left a few more jobs and had some of my dreams both come true and kind of end. One day I was walking down W 47th St. and bumped into Hector,I was still "gringo loco" (but said with love) and he was still working away, happily at a new restaurant and still with his amazing hairline in tact! He asked if I was "famous actor now", I said not that I heard, we chatted and he went about his business and as I watched him vanish into the crowd in Times Square I remembered how much he inspired me, what the city was like when it was new and how the lights of Broadway and those who are drawn to it NEVER let me down and never stop giving me inspiration to keep trying my best for them and...Hector.
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#18re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 11:10amIt's the welling up of my eyeballs while reading stories like yours Sheek (and watching recent episodes of Sex & The City) that remind me what a big fag homo I am.
Twitter @NamoInExile
Instagram none
MasterLcZ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/12/03
#19re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 11:15amSheek - you should really write a journal.
"Christ, Bette Davis?!?!"
sheekala
Broadway Star Joined: 7/3/03
#20re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 11:16amEight million stories and I had to have the sad one.
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene
MasterLcZ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/12/03
#21re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 11:28amSheek, do you like cobb salads?
"Christ, Bette Davis?!?!"
sheekala
Broadway Star Joined: 7/3/03
#22re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 11:34amA good cobb salad never fails to inspire me!
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#23re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 11:36am
Well, sheekala (pronounced SHEIK-ala...not she-KALA, as I had once thought!), I couldn't begin to top that. Hell, I'm even inspired by Hector!
What also inspires me are great words written by a great author. Such as Christopher Durang...which leads me to:
COME SEE ME IN A SHOW!
I'm in BETTY'S SUMMER VACATION, playing at the Native Aliens theatre on W. 23rd Street, Feb. 11-21!
I'm saying some of the most brilliant lines I've ever been allowed to say and I tell you I'm INSPIRED!!!
"I'm so looking forward to a time when all the Reagan Democrats are dead."
BroadwayGal
Stand-by Joined: 10/6/03
#24re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: What Inspires You?
Posted: 1/20/04 at 3:51pmLots of performers have inspired me like Diana Kaarina, Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, the list goes on.. but after reading the interview with Michelle Federer on broadway.com it was interesting to know that she wasn't confident about her singing (and I love her voice!) and I'm the same way =)
*Don't dream too far, don't lose sight of who you are*
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