Danya Taymor

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Hi, my name is Danya Taymor, and this is the Empowered Artists Collective podcast.

Hello, welcome to the Empowered Artist Collective podcast.

I'm your host, Jennifer Apple, actor, coach, writer, and someone who believes there's another way to build a creative, sustainable life in the arts without losing yourself along the way.

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You can't direct magic into existence, so how do you create the conditions for it to happen? That's what we're getting into today with Tony Award-winning director Danya Taymor, who, after The Outsiders and John Proctor as the villain, is now getting ready to direct Spring Awakening off-Broadway.

We talk about what she looks for from actors in the room making space for artistic alchemy, creating opportunities for the next generation of directors, and building the audacity to say, you need to see my version of this piece of art.

weight that he's been given, but he obviously stands up to the plate because he loves his parents and he does it for them and for his brothers and yeah.

Now Noah, you worked with Danya Taymor on John Proctor as the villain, yeah?

I did, yeah, that was my Broadway debut, yeah.

And yes, and Danya Taymor directed this as well, The Outsiders as well.

What was something you learned about her as a director that helped you in The Outsiders?

Dude, I'm such a big fan of Danya Taymor.

I think that's part of it is I was a fan of The Outsiders just as a show before even doing John Proctor's The Villain.

So getting to meet her in that audition was really exciting in its own right just as a fan of The Outsiders.

And the Broadway adaptation, a musical, won four Tony Awards.

Benell Fanbrini is Johnny Cade in this national production, and Johnny Cade, well, if you know, you know Bonnell credits director Danya Taymor with helping him realize what he has in common with a teenager in 1960s Oklahoma

When Johnny's around, like, his close friends, it's like he's a completely different person.

You know, like, when he's around strangers and maybe people he's not too fond of or if anything doesn't like, um, he's very shy and closed off.