Welcome to COMPACT BROADWAY — a new public radio series that blends interviews, produced segments and a variety of music to explore creativity, pop culture and everyday life through the filter of today's theatre. Combining elements of Bravo's "Inside The Actor's Studio" and public radio's "This American Life," COMPACT BROADWAY uses a different musical or play as a context for each new episode to focus on the stories, sounds and personalities of the American theatre, from the stars to the stagehands to the man on the street. And because the landscape of theatre extends far beyond Times Square, COMPACT BROADWAY will also spotlight shows that are performed Off-Broadway, as well as touring and regional theatre productions.

Designed as a one-hour weekly series, the mission of COMPACT BROADWAY is to provide a national stage for the world of theatre, but the program is not just for theatre fans. With no critics, no reviews and no hype, COMPACT BROADWAY respects the intelligence and curiosity of public radio listeners by using an insightful, non-promotional and sometimes humorous approach to tell compelling stories.

Now if you're wondering why you haven't heard of COMPACT BROADWAY before now, it's because our program is not on the air yet. At the moment, we are on a temporary hiatus because other opportunities have presented themselves. Until we return to the project, you can get a better sense of what the show will sound like by listening online to an hour-long pilot that was created at the request of National Public Radio.

(L to R) Jordan Gelber, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Nicky, Rick Lyon (behind Nicky), Princeton, John Tartaglia, Kate Monster, Jennifer Barnhart (behind Kate), Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rod (behind Stephanie) and Ann Harada. Photo: Carol Rosegg

Our COMPACT BROADWAY pilot takes an in-depth look at Avenue Q, the surprise winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical. A quirky Broadway musical that focuses on the little guy in today's society, Avenue Q addresses some of the issues that underdogs face by using a mixture of puppets, humans and no political correctness. In the first act of COMPACT BROADWAY, AvenueQ producers Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller describe how the show went from the BMI Workshop to Broadway and talk about the controversy surrounding their campaign for the Tony Awards. Puppet designer and performer Rick Lyon explains what goes into creating a felt character, while correspondent Annie Lawrence visits the ticket lottery outside the Broadway home of Avenue Q. Then in the second act, performers John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo discuss making their Broadway debuts, while correspondent Peter Royston examines the history of puppetry. Finally, host Douglas Young is joined by Avenue Q creators Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who not only talk about being underdogs but also perform at the piano.

In theatre terms, we consider this pilot to be our out-of-town tryout for COMPACT BROADWAY, and like any new show in previews, we need you, the audience. Let us know if you like what we are doing with COMPACT BROADWAY by sending us your comments and feel free to tell others about our program.

In the meantime, we invite you to explore our online home to learn more about the series and the people behind the program. We hope you enjoy our show and welcome to COMPACT BROADWAY!

Listen to the Avenue Q Pilot and take the Avenue Q Survey! If you would like to hear our pilot on Avenue Q, simply click on the CD (on the left). And if you have already heard our pilot, just click on the Avenue Q logo (on the right) to give us your feedback in our survey.

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COMPACT BROADWAY is a proud supporter of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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