In a show of bipartisanship and historical appreciation, Alex & Bryan interview the playwright, producer/director, and star of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground. Also, Bryan overindulges in Ike’s favorite scotch whisky.
You’re Welcome.
Sources:
Lessons From History: Hidden heroes and villains of the past, and what we can learn from them
JOHN RUBINSTEIN (Actor) plays President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the new one man play Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground. This play allows John to join his extraordinary theatrical skills with his passion for helping create a better future. And his ability to embody General Eisenhower, commanding the stage in moments ranging from the pointedly political to the intimate and personal, has already begun to resonate with audiences—inspiring them to think and question, moving them from laughter to tears, and leading them to leave the theatre with optimism.
John’s career has been varied and always brilliant. He originated the title role in the Broadway musical Pippin, directed by Bob Fosse, and won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his performance in Children of a Lesser God. Other Broadway appearances include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ragtime, Hurlyburly, M. Butterfly, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Drama Desk nomination), Get- ting Away with Murder, Fools, Love Letters, and the 2013 Pippin revival. He appeared off-Broadway in Counsellor-at-Law (2005 Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics’ Circle and Drama League nominations), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Urban Blight, Cabaret Verboten, and Morning’s at Seven. Regionally: Wicked in LA, and the international tour of the Pippin revival. He starred in the TV series, “Family” (Emmy nomination), and “Crazy Like A Fox,” and over 300 episodes. Films include “Being the Ricardos,” “Hello, I Must Be Going,” “21 Grams,” “Red Dragon,” “The Boys from Brazil,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Daniel, Zachariah,” and “Get- ting Straight.” He directed the world premiere of A. R. Gurney’s The Old Boy, and Counsellor-at-Law, Company, Brigadoon, Macbeth, The Three Sisters, Phantasie, Nightingale, The Rivals, A Little Night Music, Guys and Dolls, Into The Woods, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and The Rover. He composes film and TV music (“Jeremiah Johnson,” “The Candidate.” “The Dollmaker,” “China Beach,” among others), hosted two classical music radio programs, played keyboards in a rock band, and has re- corded over 200 audiobooks, most numerously Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series of Los Angeles crime novels.
RICHARD HELLESEN (Playwright) is the author of numerous plays and musicals for adult and young audiences. His work has been seen at the Denver Center, South Coast Repertory, Los Angeles Repertory Company, Sacramento Theatre Company, Geva, Florida Stage, Gretna Theatre, Sundance Children’s Theatre, Imagination Stage, People’s Light & Theatre, City Theatre in Miami, B Street Theatre, and Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC, where he is an Associate Artist. He has received playwriting awards from the National Theatre Conference, the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild, the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays, and PEN USA-West; his two-dozen short plays include five finalists for the Actors Theatre of Louisville Heideman Award. A member of the Dramatists Guild, he has twice been Playwright-in-Residence at the William Inge Center for the Arts in Kansas.
PETER ELLENSTEIN (Director) is Producing Artistic Director of the New Los Angeles Repertory Company. He is a multi-award-winning director, producer, new play midwife, and educator, whose work has been seen all over the country. For thirteen years, Peter was Artistic Director of the William Inge Center for the Arts in Kansas, served sev- en years as Producing Director of the original Los Angeles Repertory Company, for whom he direct- ed the LA Premiere of Assassins, Odets’ Rocket to the Moon, and many other acclaimed productions. He was Interim Artistic Director of both the Gretna Theatre in Pennsylvania, and the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre at the University of Miami in Florida. Peter has a decades long artistic relationship with Richard Hellesen and has directed the premieres of many of Richard Hellesen’s plays.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download