Penguin Beak
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May 2007—Vol. 1, No. 1 “YOU’RE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE AUDIENCE” Q&A with Joe Brancato, Artistic Director Q: What prompted you to found Penguin 30 years ago? A: I have no idea. I have no idea why, as a child in the Bronx, I set up a theater in the alleyway between two tenements. I have no idea what promoted me to start a drama club in high school. I have no idea why, while I was in To read the rest of the interview click here for a PDF of Penguin's Beak
July 2007—Vol. 1, No. 2 Michael Mastro From Penguin to Broadway ... and back? Broadway star Michael Mastro is an accomplished actor with seven major Broadway shows to his credit, including Warren Leight’s Tony-winning Side Man, and he has fond “Being in rehearsal with Joe Brancato is like an Italian-American feast,” Michael says. “Joe is gracious, generous, passionate, and fiery – everything you want at an Italian-American dinner table.” Michael, who lives in Manhattan but grew up on the Hudson near Albany, considers Penguin his creative home away from home. To read the rest of the story click here for a PDF of Penguin's Beak | |
the military, I organized performances on the fantail of the ship off the coast of Nova Scotia. And, while teaching English and drama at North Rockland High School, I have no idea, when I first saw this barn on Crickettown Road, what prompted me to think I could turn it into a theater. I guess what all these moments had in common for me was a sense of magic and power – the possibilities of telling a story and shaping the vision of the story. I was being true to what something inside was telling me. It made me feel alive. And still, these years later, I feel very much alive when I’m collaborating with actors and writers and designers in a theatrical production.
memories of several appearances in Penguin productions.