On this episode of WNY Soundstage, Host Daniel Lendzian speaks with Drew Fornarola, artistic director of Starring Buffalo, and Michele Ragusa, actress and star of Hello, Dolly.&#160;&#160; Starring Buffalo was founded in December 2017 to connect, entertain, teach, and thrill, and above all, to provide top-quality musical theater. Drew Fornarola was inspired by NYC’s City Center Encores! Series, which offers short-run, unstaged versions of musicals starring superb Broadway performers. Michele Ragusa, Buffalo native, and star of Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional [...]

Jessica Kirson, comedian, appearing at Helium Comedy Club

Explores WNY's creative economy through a series of conversations with artists, musicians, producers, directors, and authors from WNY and beyond. Join host, Daniel Lendzian, as he pulls back the curtain and gives listeners a behind the scenes look at current trends in the arts industry.

What started during the pandemic as a series of free virtual concerts while stages were mostly dark, has turned into an in-depth reflection on current trends in the creative economy. Western NY's arts and cultural organizations generate more than $352.1 million in total economic activity throughout our region. Through this series we look at where the industry is heading with an evolving definition of art in all its forms, as well as feature the best our region has to offer across all artistic genres.

In addition to this podcast, local event guides are posted monthly on BuffaloRising.com.



 



Hosted By Daniel Lendzian | a working artist, author, and educator. He has mentored thousands of students across the U.S. in classical and contemporary theatre techniques, as well as performed in hundreds of individual shows on international, national, and regional stages. Currently, he is a lecturer in SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance as well as host of Buffalo Rising's WNY Soundstage podcast. Dan also writes micro-fiction and has devised dozens of original works of theatre. He is a certified Pilates Instructor and completed his Masters of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin.