John Rando is a stage director who won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Urinetown the Musical in 2002. He received his 2nd nomination in the same category in 2015 for the 2014 Broadway revival of On the Town. He has directed Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. On Broadway he made his debut in 1994 as the Assistant Director for the Arthur Miller play Broken Glass. He next directed on Broadway in 2000, with the play The Dinner Party by Neil Simon. Rando directed the musical Urinetown, which opened in 2001 and closed in 2004, and won the 2002 Tony Award for Direction of a Musical. He directed several staged concerts of musicals for New York City Center's Encores!: Strike Up the Band, Do Re Mi, The Pajama Game, On the Town, Damn Yankees, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Little Me.
If you’re a Director, or just plan on working with a Director (which is all of us), then listen in to this enlightening podcast to hear John talk about . . .
- How he created his own major in college to pursue the theater.
- Why Directors have to balance art and commerce just like Producers.
- The story of the unlikely success of Urinetown.
- Why he likes to work with people with opinions.
- The most controversial question I’ve ever asked on any podcast to date.
You’re going to learn a lot by listening to the Director of Urinetown, The Wedding Singer, and this past season’s glorious On the Town talk Broadway . . . but one of the most interesting things you’re going to learn is that John is simply a great guy.
Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway