IN CONVERSATION is a new series of free community events, serving as a platform to pass the mic and invite artists from around the Bay to be in conversation with the work we are presenting on stage. Come by and join the conversation!

IN CONVERSATION events for Ragtime:

• June 8: Post-Show Conversation with the Cast
• June 11: Robert Kelley and the Direction of Ragtime
• June 18: Making Space in the Rehearsal Room
• Digital Conversation: The Directors Series

Post-Show Conversation with the Cast

June 8, 2022
Following the 7:30pm performance

Join us In Conversation with the actors of Ragtime as they discuss their process and journey.

In Conversation: Robert Kelley and the Direction of Ragtime

June 11, 2022
Following the 2pm performance

Join us In Conversation with the director of Ragtime, Robert Kelley, about what Ragtime means to him and how it feels coming back to this production after two years.

PANELIST BIO:

Robert Kelley is a Bay Area native and Stanford University graduate. He founded TheatreWorks in 1970, retiring in June 2020 after directing over 175 TheatreWorks productions, including many world and regional premieres. He has received the Silicon Valley Arts Council's Legacy Laureate Award; the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Paine Knickerbocker Award and Jerry Friedman Award for Lifetime Achievement; the Theatre Bay Area Legacy Award; BATCC Awards for Outstanding Direction for Pride and Prejudice (2020); The Hound of the Baskervilles; Into the Woods; Pacific Overtures; Rags; Sweeney Todd; Another Midsummer Night; Sunday in the Park with George; Jane Eyre; and Caroline, or Change; and a TBA Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Daddy Long Legs. Proud to be TheatreWorks' Artistic Director Emeritus, he recently directed the company’s musical Sense and Sensibility. 

In Conversation: Making Space in the Rehearsal Room

June 18, 2022
Following the 2pm performance

As we move to create brave spaces in our rehearsal rooms and organizations, we must factor in the emotional, mental, and physical work that actors and creatives do to bring stories to life. Join us In Conversation with Judith Nihei, Artist Counselor, to learn more about the importance of their work.

PANELIST BIO:

JUDITH NIHEI (Artist Counselor) is a San Francisco Japantown native and has spent many years in theatre as a director, dramaturg, writer, and administrator. A founding member of Seattle’s Northwest Asian American Theatre, she returned to work with San Francisco’s Asian American Theatre Co. and joined the historic improv group, The Committee. A licensed psychotherapist in private practice, Judi consults for schools and community-based organizations, facilitating the incorporation of stress-reduction and cultural humility as an integral part of trauma-informed services. In 2021 her worlds converged, when she was one of four healers invited to support the Theatre Communications Group Rising Stars of Color.

In Conversation: The Directors Series

The plays on our stage are in conversation with each other, to tell a story of who we are. The Directors Series invites our directors to be in conversation about their work, what moves them and how they inspire each other. Join our digital conversation.

TIM BOND and ROBERT KELLEY

Although Gem of the Ocean and Ragtime are set just two years apart, they tell two very different stories of early 20th century US. Watch directors Tim Bond and Robert Kelley discuss their visions and the dialogue between the plays.