Episode 14

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Published on:

26th Oct 2023

Wicked Turns 20: "This show was my entire personality" | with Alexis Scheer | Episode 14

Happy 20th Birthday to Wicked! On this Wonderful episode, Alex and Danielle have a Swankified time chatting with playwright Alexis Scheer (it's good to see her, isn't it?) about how this ever-Popular musical has changed theatre For Good. They get into topics like female-female friendships in media, the political and witchy themes of the show, its influence on theatremakers of a millennial age, and all that good Shiz. And of course, we answer the age-old (read: twenty-year-old) question: would you play Elphaba or G(a)linda?

  • 03:21 - What we've been enjoying
  • 07:44 - Background and history of Wicked, and each of our personal histories with the show.
  • 21:00 - Discussion of why Wicked holds up so well and why it still elicits such strong emotional responses from people.
  • 31:30 - The singularity of Wicked as a show that represents a close female friendship and being unable to find other examples from musical theatre history.
  • 41:05 - How Wicked and contemporary playwrights put a positive spin on tropes about witches, including Alexis' play Our Dear Dead Drug Lord.
  • 47:40 - Sharing who each of our formative childhood witches were.
  • 53:20 - Final thoughts on how Wicked has influenced Alexis' work and how the show is distinctly of a post-9/11 time.
  • 56:00 - Discussion of the politics of Wicked and how it influenced our own views.

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Alexis Scheer is a playwright and TV writer from Miami, Florida. Her breakout play was the Off Broadway hit OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD (WP Theater/Second Stage: NYT Critics Pick, John Gassner Award; LTC Carnaval of New Latinx Work; Kilroy’s List), and she recently made her Broadway debut adapting the book for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s BAD CINDERELLA. Her other plays include LAUGHS IN SPANISH (Kennedy Center’s Harold & Mimi Steinberg Award) and CHRISTINA (Roe Green Award; O’Neill Finalist). Her work has been developed at the Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre Center, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, and more. Alexis is currently under commission by Second Stage, MTC, Miami New Drama, and Seaview. Television: “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” (HBO Max), and projects developed for HBO Max and Salma Hayek’s Ventanarosa.

Alexis's Website

@alexisscheer on Twitter

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References and Links

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Find us:

Danielle: Twitter | Instagram

Alex: Twitter | Instagram

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And, if you love what you're hearing and want to support us, head over to our Patreon at www.patreon.com/partialviewpod.

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Music by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

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About the Podcast

Partial View Podcast
Conversations about the past, present, and future of The American Theatre
Deep dive discussions about the issues impacting the theatre industry in NYC and across the country. Be part of the conversation as we discuss our questions, frustrations, and ideas for how we can all leave The American Theatre better than we found it.

About your hosts

Danielle Feder

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Danielle Feder (she/her/hers) is a dramaturg, producer, writer, and arts administrator based in NYC. She is the co-founder of Hysteria Theatre, and has worked for organizations including Signature Theatre, Premiere Stages, The Interval, Theatre Communications Group, Noor Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, NYMF, 59E59 Theaters, and more. In addition to theatre, she has also worked in nonprofit and political communications. All of her work is driven by a passion for amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities across all forms of media and storytelling. Danielle has an MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University and a BA in Dramatic Literature from NYU.

Alexandra Ley

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Alexandra Ley (she/her/hers) is an arts administrator and dramaturg based in New York, NY. As a dramaturg and literary manager, she has worked for Solas Nua, Spooky Action Theater Company, the New York Musical Festival, and The Olney Theatre Center. She considers herself a veteran theatre patron services professional after seven years on the Front-of-House team at The Olney Theatre Center, a season and a half in the box office at Arena Stage, and volunteer usher shifts at multiple D.C. theaters. Alex is also an independent scholar on the intersection between fan/fandom studies and theatre/performance studies; she has been published in the British Fantasy Society Journal and presented research at the Northeast Popular Culture Association conference. M.A. Theatre History & Criticism, The Catholic University of America. B.A. American Studies and Theatre, Barnard College of Columbia University.