PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: INSIDE MEDIA: GREAT PERFORMANCES: IN THE HEIGHTS: CHASING BROADWAY DREAMS {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's Inside Media events. Held at the Paley in New York, this evening honors a "Great Performances" program, "In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams," which takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2008 Tony Award-winning musical. Christy Carpenter, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Paley in New York, offers opening comments before introducing Bill O'Donnell, series producer of "Great Performances." Jeremy McCarter, senior writer at Newsweek, moderates. O'Donnell introduces the program, which is screened in its entirety. (For episode synopsis and credits, see "Great Performances: In the Heights: Chasing the Dream," ACCNUM 100519.)
After the screening, McCarter introduces the panelists: O'Donnell; "In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams" producer Andrew Fried; "In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams" director Paul Bozymowski; and "In the Heights" composer/cast member Lin-Manuel Miranda; and "In the Heights" cast members Mandy Gonzalez and Christopher Jackson.
Panelists touch on such topics as: how the producers got their subjects to agree to have cameras follow them around during the show's rehearsal period; if any scenes in the program were pre-arranged with the subjects; the techniques that cast members employed to force the camera to cut away; favorite scenes which failed to make the final edit; plans to initially make a reality series about the build-up to the Broadway opening of "In the Heights"; and why the showcasing of a Latino-based musical became a priority for the "Great Performances" series.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: how Miranda managed to star in "In the Heights" while being a crucial part of its production; how the show evolved from a workshop format to an off-Broadway vehicle to a Tony-winning musical; future professional endeavors for Miranda, including a movie version of "In the Heights"; if Miranda was inspired by the music of "West Side Story"; the biggest challenges to surface during the documentary's filming; if cast members consistently found the cameras intrusive during "In the Heights" rehearsals; and why the producers chose not to focus on the show's off-Broadway incarnation.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: May 4, 2009 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:38:26
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 100032
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Christy Carpenter … Host
- Jeremy McCarter … Moderator
- Bill O'Donnell … Panelist
- Lin-Manuel Miranda … Panelist
- Mandy Gonzalez … Panelist
- Christopher Jackson … Panelist
- Andrew Fried … Panelist
- Paul Bozymowski … Panelist