EPISODE 114- DOUGLAS & SUSAN SEGAL

One of life's biggest clichés became a horrific reality when Douglas Segal's wife Susan and young daughter were hit head-on by a Los Angeles city bus. Miraculously, his daughter was unharmed, but Susan faced a series of life-threatening injuries, including the same one that famously left Christopher Reeve paralyzed. Following the accident, Doug began sending regular email updates to their circle of friends and family—a list that continued to grow as others heard of the event and were moved by the many emotional and spiritual issues it raised. Struck is an intimate and honest chronicle built around these email updates, and is a profound example of how people show up for one another in times of crisis and is an uplifting tribute to love, determination, and how the compassion of community holds the power to heal, serving as an inspiring testament to the resilience of the human spirit when faced with pain and adversity.

Little Known Fact- Doug and Susan met through a mutual friend at a play. Doug thought the mutual friend was there as Susan’s date. Good news for all- Doug figured it out and that was 30 years ago!

EPISODES 106 and 107- DAVID KORINS Parts One and Two

Here are Ilana's conversations with  the extraordinary designer David Korins in two parts.

David's Broadway credits include - Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Motown, Annie, Bring It On, Chinglish, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, Magic/Bird, Godspell, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Lombardi, Passing Strange and Bridge and Tunnel. He has also worked extensively both off-Broadway and regionally. David’s opera credits include The Gospel of Mary Magdalene at San Francisco Opera and Oscar and Life is a Dream at the Santa Fe Opera. In 2011, David served as Kanye West’s creative director designing several concerts in the United States and abroad. David has designed installations across the country for festivals including Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and The Great Googa Mooga. He has been the production designer for several feature films, television specials and series on NBC, CBS, HBO, Bravo TV, IFC, Comedy Central, Lifetime and the Game Show Network. David has done commercial work for Target, Samsung, World MasterCard, McDonald’s and Friendly’s. He has received a Drama Desk Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, three Henry Hewes Awards and the 2009 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design.

EPISODE 96 - ABIGAIL POGREBIN

At the age of 15 Abigail Pogrebin was cast  in the original production of the Stephen Sondheim- Hal Prince musical,  "Merrily We Roll Along." Abby was also part of the original "Free To Be You and Me" concept album and television special. Ms. Pogrebin is the author of three books, including “Stars of David,” which was adapted for the Off-Broadway stage, “Showstopper” — an Amazon Kindle Single bestseller that chronicled her teenage adventures in the Broadway flop, “Merrily We Roll Along,” and the most recent deep-dive into the Jewish calendar, called: “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew,” which received a glowing review in The New York Times and was featured on the Today Show. A former Emmy-nominated producer for Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at “60 Minutes” and for Bill Moyers at PBS, she has written for numerous publications, has her own live interview series in New York for which she’s interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, Nora Ephron and Charles Blow, and she’s been a guest on CNN, Good Morning America and Face the Nation. Abby lives in New York with her husband and two college kids. 

Little Known Fact: When she was only 15 years old she was cast by Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim in their original production of "Merrily We Roll Along." Suddenly she found herself in the middle of what would become musical theater history. Here to tell the story of that legendary production and more, Abigail Pogrebin.

EPISODE 94 - ROMA TORRE

 

Her Story

 

Roma Torre, a recipient of an Emmy® and more than 30 other awards, is celebrating her 25th anniversary at NY1, New York’s popular cable news channel, where she is an anchor and theater critic.

Torre began her television career at CBS’ flagship station, New York’s Channel 2, becoming a news writer and producer. Then, with Cablevision’s formation of the country's first 24-hour local news station, News12 Long Island, Torre was among the first reporters hired.

At the station, she reported, anchored and hosted a weekly news program. Torre was also its film and theater critic and her reviews were published in the television magazine, Total TV.

After five years at News12, Torre returned to New York City in 1992 to join NY1, where she now anchors its "News All Day" and is its theater critic. She previously anchored the station’s award-winning "Inside City Hall," a hard-hitting political and public affairs program described by one critic as "the ‘60 Minutes’ of local television." 

She followed in the tradition of her mother, the late Marie Torre. A well-known syndicated columnist and amusements editor for The New York Herald Tribune, Marie was involved in a celebrated freedom of the press case. She was the first reporter to gain national attention for going to jail for refusing to identify a news source in a dispute involving CBS and Judy Garland. (It was a 10-day sentence.)

But growing up, Roma Torre wanted to be an actress. Born in New York and raised in Pittsburgh, she later graduated from Tufts University. While in Boston, Torre started a theater company with fellow student Ed Lopez. The theater lasted three years but the partnership with Lopez thrived. They married in 1991 and now have two children, Alejandro and Alegra.

Torre’s road to Broadway took a detour. After performing in numerous soaps and off-Broadway productions, she traded in the stage lights for the glare of television news cameras.

Her theater years are still being put to good use in her role as NY1's theater critic. She regularly contributes to its weekly theater show, "NY1 On Stage." In addition, Torre continues to cover news stories and various special events, ranging from NY1's election night coverage to major parades. 

She has more than 30 broadcasting awards, including an Emmy for reporting and anchoring coverage of the Avianca plane crash disaster in 1991. Torre and "News All Evening" anchor Lewis Dodley were honored in 1993 by New York Magazine's "Best Of" edition as the best news anchors in New York.

Torre was the recipient of the Newswomen’s Club of New York's 2003 Peggy Award for Broadcasting for her review of the Broadway show, Big River.

She has co-produced a documentary entitled, “Shout Gladi Gladi” - a story of hope and survival - narrated by Meryl Streep. It profiles a Scottish woman who has dedicated countless hours and her own money to improving the lives of African women and children living in extreme poverty.  

A colon cancer survivor, Torre is a staunch advocate of early screening and has spoken extensively about the need to raise awareness and the importance of cancer prevention. 

She is a proud board member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA). Founded in 1889, NAWA is the country’s oldest organization that promotes and showcases women in the art world. 

Little Known Fact - Roma's mother was the world famous journalist Marie Torre. Marie was part of a landmark case protecting a journalist's right to protect their source. She went to prison for a case involving Judy Garland. She served part of her 30 day sentence before being released but still she refused to reveal her source and thus... changed journalism history forever.