It’s a star-studded extravaganza on the red (no wait…yellow) carpet. Time Square is completely transformed into Zoey’s version of Pandora. But all that glamour is barely masking the rampant tension backstage. The pressure is crushing as the recently voiceless diva, Emma-Olivia, prepares to take the stage on Opening Night. But where is she? And just how many push-ups with Stavros do before it’s curtain up? Will Kay even acknowledge Bobby’s existence? And is that really Charles, reappearing after his many months away after the botched dimpleplasty surgery?

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

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What happens when you’re only days away from first performance and your diva star loses her voice from non-stop hysterical behavior? Will Stavros’s star continue to rise and rise…while Emma Olivia becomes more and more unhinged?? Will Bobby order Calamari? Banshee wrangler Bill Berloni has no time to contemplate these important thoughts, as he’s completely consumed with Banshee flying and underwater training. 

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

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It’s Press Day which means that Opening Night is fast approaching. Exciting for sure….however unhinged, behind-the-scenes drama is at an all-time high. Who’s pushing Bobby’s buttons? What’s going on between Zoey and Andrew Barth Feldman? Is Emma-Olivia really 4 years older than Stavros? And is agent Maxwell Fernsby stepping into his boss’s slick shoes or is he stepping into something far less savory? 

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

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Big Broadway Musicals don’t simply happen. Aside from all else, it’s an all-consuming monster challenge – to say the least – to raise the money to put on the show. But Producer Steve Jones has a few tricks up his sleeve to score the needed cash. Good thing the producers have a secret weapon who may solve their fundraising problems (and, undoubtedly, create many others!). Enter Stavros.  

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

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When left to their own devices, mega producers Cheryl Philips and Steve Jones from Avvatar: The Musical, who have a collective bazillion Tony Awards between the two of them, can't quite seem to agree on anything... except that Avvatar: The Musical needs to be made.

Visit avvataronbroadway.com for more info and tickets, and make sure to subscribe to Stagecraft with Gordon Cox via bpn.fm/stagecraft.

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Many people know Andrew Barth Feldman made his Broadway debut in the title role in Dear Evan Hansen and is now starring in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, but what most people don’t know is that while he was in DEH performing his 6 shows a week, he was also attending Yale -- and obtained a master’s degree that has landed him his latest gig being the Science Consultant on the forthcoming Avvatar The Musical.

Find More about Avvatar the Musical:

• IG: @AvvatarOnBroadway
• Web: http://avvataronbroadway.com/
• As The Curtain Rises

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Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com.

A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible!

Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales

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Avvatar is a new musical premiering at the Hellinger theatre! Check out more information here: http://avataronbroadway.com/

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Play along as The Broadway Disher joins us for her take on the upcoming Avvatar: The Musical (An Unauthorized Parody).

Check out AvvatarOnBroadway here!

Check out As The Curtain Rises here!

Subscribe to Broadwaysted here!

Thanks to Lesli Margarita for always being amazing.

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Originally streamed live on Jan 14th, 2021, cast members Alex Brightman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Lesli Margherita, Michael Urie, Lillias White, James Monroe Iglehart, Ramin Karimloo and a few surprise guests joined us for a fun chat about episodes 1 through 8. Watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/hbnguUYIHnM

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stavros has completely enthralled the Avvatar team and Emma Olivia couldn’t be more thrilled! Well, no, not exactly….but she’s an actress and she can pretend! Speaking of pretending, Bobby and Kay are busy pretending that Thomas isn’t a problem. Steve and Cheryl are pretending they were never worried. And ambitious Maxwell Fernsby comes up against a brick wall. 

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Auditions for Avvatar are finally here—how many blue-themed songs can one creative team hear? Just as hope seems lost for a dreamy leading man, a miracle of muscle and ability sweeps into Ripley-Grier and blows everyone away. And diva Emma-Olivia may be the most surprised of all.

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most important aspect of Avvatar is finally being discussed: No, not the new script from Thomas (which Kay is still fuming over privately). The marketing campaign! As producers Cheryl and Steve—and science consultant Andrew Barth Feldman—take meetings, Kay and Bobby try to make it work with new bookwriter Thomas, and Emma Olivia is enticed by Maxwell Fernsby, who might have more going on than these Broadway types realize.

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The team takes drives of shame home after the Staten Island debacle. Emma Olivia and Cheryl find themselves too close for comfort; Kay gives Bobby the silent treatment; Maxwell Fernsby has an interesting proposition for director-choreographer-cheerleader Zoey—and Steve may already have his next musical project lined up with Andrew Barth Feldman. No spoilers, but two words: Fantasy Island.

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The workshop is here—well, actually, it’s on Staten Island. Did you know cars can go there? The whole team makes the trek to see what they’ve got, but there are a few surprises waiting… not least of which is the score. Could Kay and Bobby have a hit song on their hands? Or will Steve and Cheryl’s behind-the-scenes plotting derail what’s starting to work? At least Emma Olivia’s beloved barista is on hand for plenty of cappuccinos and scones!

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pressure is starting to get to Kay and Bobby—or maybe it’s just the caffeine—as they write the book, lyrics, and score for the first act of a musical that everyone thinks is based on the highest grossing movie of all time, but secretly… isn’t. Luckily, they have a brand-new science consultant joining the team to lead the way in the form of… “Dear Evan Hansen” star Andrew Barth Feldman? Producer’s Cheryl and Steve love this new addition to the team. Kay and Bobby do not. And Emma Olivia has a few demands that must be met before signing on to the role she’s forced everyone to hire her for, including the creation of a Schmackery’s blue-sprinkled cookie in her honor.

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after an epic meeting debacle at Sardi’s—where, true to form, the pigs in a blanket are an off-menu secret treat —Bobby and Kay tried to regroup as the new, contractually obligated writers of a not-Avatar musical. Producers Cheryl and Steve try to salvage their reputations before anyone knows what’s happened by bringing onboard acclaimed director-choreographer Zoey Taylor, who’s never met a dazzle she didn’t want to razzle. And Emma Olivia will do whatever it takes to star in whatever musical this ends up being. Tune in for the thrilling second installment of As the Curtain Rises!

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Broadway Composer/Lyricist/Book Writers Bobby and Kaye are writing a top secret new musical. But nothing is secret on Broadway…not with the Broadway Disher around. After news about the new, in-the-works musical leaks, the Broadway community goes into full-tilt crazy chasing opportunities to get involved. This includes mega producers Steve Jones and Cheryl Philips, arch enemies. Jr. Agent Maxwell Fersby feebly attempts to help with negotiations, as Diva Emma-Oliva pursues the starring role and Theatre Owners look to plant their flag. But not all is as ‘chim chim cheree’ as it seems!

For the full cast & creatives list, check the show notes visit BPN.fm/AsTheCurtainRises.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

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After the ‘Broadway Disher’ (Lesli Margherita) leaks news of a top secret, in-the-works, new mega musical, the Broadway community goes off-the-charts batty. Top-of-their-game Broadway Producers Cheryl Philips (Lillias White) and Steve Jones (James Monroe Iglehart), arch enemies, pounce. Who will get the rights? Will way-out-of-their-comfort-zone creators Kaye (Ashley Park) and Bobby (Michael Urie) manage to deliver a draft of the show before their marriage implodes? Will Director/Choreographer Zoey Taylor (Ariana DeBose) send the show’s budget into a free fall with her wildly ambitious vision?  Will Broadway Diva Emma-Olivia (Sarah Stiles) get a Schmackery’s cookie (with Sprinkles) named in her honor? Will newbie Agent Maxwell Fernsby (George Salazar) step into his new big shoes? And will Science Consultant Andrew Barth Feldman (Andrew Barth Feldman) protect the integrity and authenticity of the in-the-works mega musical, before he needs to leave this top secret show to star in a new Broadway musical?

The drama on stage pales in comparison to the drama behind the curtain….

You don’t want to miss this.

This is an original radio play produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.

As The Curtain Rises proudly supports The Actor's Fund, the Broadway Podcast Network Frontline Initiative, and is a sponsored project of IFP (www.ifp.org).

THE CAST

• Alex Brightman as The Narrator
• James Monroe Iglehart….as Producer Steve Jones
• Lillias White…..as Producer Cheryl Phillips
• Ashley Park….as Book Writer/Lyricist Kay Fields
• Michael Urie…as Composer Bobby Kerns
• Sarah Stiles…as Diva Emma-Olivia
• George Salazar…as Agent Maxwell Fernsby
• Ariana DeBose….as Director / Choreographer Zoey Taylor
• Andrew Barth Feldman…as Science Consultant Andrew Barth Feldman
• Lesli Margherita…as The Broadway Disher
• Ilana Levine…as the CAAA Receptionist
• Mauricio Martinez….as Thomas
• Jacob Smith as Randolph, the Lyft Driver, the N’avi Ticket Buyer and the Barista
• Danny Marins as the Soul Cycle Instructor
• Mark Peikart as the Box Office Manager
• Alan Seales as Alexis

WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY

• Matt Britton – CEO Broadway Briefing
• David Korins - Set Designer
• Natasha Katz - Lightning Designer
• Alex Lacamoire - Music Director/ Arranger
• Lynn Nottage - Playwright/Lyricist
• Jordan Roth - Producer and President, Jujamcyn Theatres

THE CREATORS

• Written by Dori Berinstein & Mark Peikert
• Directed by Dori Berinstein
• Sound Editing & Design by Bart Fasbender
• Music by Matthew Sklar
• Sound Engineering by Alan Seales
• Banshee Wrangling by Bill Berloni
• Executive Produced by Liz Armstrong
• Produced by Dori Berinstein Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network

And absolutely everything else….by the extraordinary BPN Team:

Brittany Bigalow, Yoanna Nikolova, Katie Rosen, Cyndy Schatz and Beatriz Westby

AS THE CURTAIN RISES was created and recorded entirely in quarantine.

This Broadway Soap Opera celebrates and supports The Actor’s Fund and the BPN Frontline Worker Initiative which you can find at: Bpn.fm/frontlineworkers with Tremendous Gratitude To our Producing Partner Liz Armstrong.

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