On this episode of Curtain Call Tom speaks with a man whose life has been woven into the very fabric of American theatre and music for more than seventy years. From his early days as a music major at New York City’s High School of the Performing Arts… to studying opera directing at Boston University… to working during the explosive Off-Broadway movement of the 1960s alongside some of the most influential voices of the era… Barry Plaxen has truly seen it all. He shares stories of those formative years, what it was like standing at the edge of theatrical history, and how music and performance shaped not only his career—but his way of seeing the world.

Today, Barry is the publisher of the Delaware & Hudson Canvas, a vital arts newspaper championing live performance throughout the Catskills, Upper Delaware, and surrounding regions.

On this episode of Curtain Call, Tom takes listeners inside one of the most meaningful evenings in musical theatre: the Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre. Featuring this year’s winners—lyricist Eric Price and librettist Philip Christian Smith—the conversation explores what it truly means to receive an award that isn’t just recognition for past work, but a vote of confidence in what comes next. Woven throughout the episode are voices from the ceremony itself, including Susan Stroman, Maury Yeston, John Weidman, Richard Maltby Jr., and Santino Fontana, offering insight into craft, mentorship, and the legacy of Ed Kleban. With performances from The Violet Hour and selections from Smith’s The Charter School Presents: The Medea – A Rap Tragedy, this episode captures the spirit of dedication, belief, and artistic conviction that keeps musical theatre alive and evolving.

On this episode of Curtain Call, Tom sits down with director Willo Hausman for an in-depth conversation centered on her upcoming production of Hair, opening July 9, 2026 at the Byrdcliffe Theater in Woodstock, New York. This is not a nostalgia-driven revival, but a contemporary reimagining that honors the original spirit of Hair while engaging directly with the world we’re living in now. Willo shares her vision for a production rooted in community, choice, collective responsibility, and what she describes as the lived reality of the Aquarian Age. Willo also talks about her work as founder of The Tivoli Players and Gryphon Pictures, and how her background across theatre, film, and production informs her collaborative approach.

On this episode of Curtain Call, Tom speaks with playwright Nicca Ray and director Joe Battista about their collaboration on the new play The Cry of the Butterfly, opening in early February at Theater for the New City. The conversation explores how deeply personal material is shaped for the stage, the trust required between writer and director, and the role collaboration plays in bringing new work to life.

This week on Curtain Call, Tom sits down with a remarkable husband-and-wife duo whose work spans classical theatre, regional stages, higher education, and the New York State prison system. Nick López and Jessica López-Barkl bring deeply personal insight into what it means to use theatre as a tool for connection, education, and social impact.

The conversation explores Nick’s long-standing work with Rehabilitation Through the Arts, where creativity plays a central role in dignity and transformation inside correctional facilities, alongside Jessica’s award-winning work as a playwright and theatre-maker whose projects explore grief, neurodiversity, and non-verbal storytelling. Together, they discuss collaboration, teaching, responsibility, and the ways theatre can open space for empathy in unexpected places.

This week on Curtain Call, Tom Candela heads straight to the heart of theatre fandom with a spotlight on BroadwayCon 2026, the three-day celebration where fans, artists, and creators come together in the center of Times Square to share their love of Broadway. Joining the conversation is Melissa Anelli, CEO and founder of Mischief Management, the producing force behind BroadwayCon. With new venues, expanded programming, and the introduction of BroadwayCon’s first-ever Drag Ball benefiting Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, this year’s event marks an exciting new chapter in BroadwayCon’s evolution.

Also joining Tom is actor, writer, and advocate Erin Quill, a member of the original Broadway company of Avenue Q and a longtime voice for equity in casting. This year, Erin takes the BroadwayCon stage not as a panelist, but as a guest performer as part of Friday’s AANHPI-focused event, celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander artists and stories. Together, they explore the power of speaking up, the importance of representation, and how fandom can become a bridge—connecting loving audiences with the artists and stories that inspire them

This week on Curtain Call, Tom sits down with performer Drita Kabashi and director Meghan Finn to talk about A Trojan Woman — a one-woman theatrical adaptation of Euripides’ The Trojan Women, often considered the first anti-war play in Western theatre.

Drita Kabashi carries the entire production in this one woman show, stepping into ten different characters under the direction of Meghan Finn, Artistic Director of The Tank. Together, they share how this ancient story continues to feel urgently modern, and why its message of loss, endurance, and humanity still matters today — making this a powerful way to begin Curtain Call’s first episode of 2026!

This special Holiday Best-Of edition of Curtain Call brings together some of the most inspiring voices and moments from recent seasons. Tom looks back to some of his favorite episodes, celebrating the artists, storytellers, and creative visionaries who are shaping our region’s theatre and arts community. From bold innovators and cultural advocates to devoted champions of local storytelling, this episode offers a rich tapestry of conversation, creativity, and connection. It’s a heartfelt look back, a hopeful look ahead, and a reminder that theatre isn’t just something we watch — it’s something we share, protect, and pass along.