Mollynook Podcasts

In this episode, Matt and Mitchell are joined by Kaleb, the third member of the "core" Mollynook Films trio. Kaleb has appeared in "The Power of Love," "The Werewolf Who Loved," and many more films on the Mollynook Films site; and will soon be releasing his directorial debut on the site, a documentary about medical student advisors.

Matt and Mitchell chat about what makes a balanced musical.

In this episode, Mitchell and Matt are joined by Chris Youstra, the music director at the Olney Theatre Centre in Maryland. A year ago, the Olney staged a production of The Music Man featuring a cast and creative team made up of Deaf, hearing, and hard-of-hearing performers/crew members.

The rebrand/reboot of Mollynook Podcasts! We're starting fresh (back at Episode 1) with a brand new cohost, Mitchell Case! Mitchell is an actor turned director and is an undergraduate Theatre Studies and English major at Penn State University. Mitchell has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user, meaning his insights into accessibility in the arts/performance spaces comes from both his research on this topic and his own first-hand experiences.

This episode's guest is a licensed sign language interpreter who works with All Hands Interpreting Services and whose focus is on interpreting theatrical and musical performance. She discusses her path to becoming a licensed interpreter and the significance of that title; her interest in theatrical interpreting; and the process of learning and interpreting entire theatrical productions.

In this episode, Amber Shojaie introduces her literature review which examines the benefits of performance based intervention in the lives of participants with developmental disabilities. From confidence, to stronger social bonds, to other skill-based development opportunities, the research shows that performance and theatrical intervention can positively impact its participants. Learn about different forms of performance intervention and more -- as well as her experience "spinning-off" Harmony (the theater troupe covered in the last several episodes of the podcast series) to the Pittsburgh area when she started her doctoral program.

The fourth and final episode spotlighting members Harmony's community features some of the organization's performers. Harmony is a Penn State University sanctioned theater organization whose mission is to put on musical theater performances starring performers with and without disabilities. In this episode, some of those performers discuss their interest in theater; what it means to them to have an organization like Harmony in their lives; and the value of performance for themselves -- what they've learned and hope to achieve through performance and performance techniques.

The third part of Mollynook Films' collaboration with the Penn State sanctioned theater organization Harmony; whose mission is to unify performers with and without disabilities onstage for musical theater performances. This episode's focus is a conversation with the Penn State student volunteers who the support the performers and fill out the ensemble onstage. Hear from the volunteers why theater and performance are important parts of their lives, and about some of their favorite moments and memories being part of Harmony.

This episode is the second installment featuring the Penn State theater organization Harmony whose mission is to put on musical theater showcases featuring performers with and without disabilities. This episode focuses on a "spin-off" of Harmony, called "HarMINIs" which works with performers between the ages of 3-10. Guests include performers, parents, and instructors all answering the question: what does performance and Harmony/MINIs mean to them.

Learn all about how the Pennsylvania State University organization Harmony accomplishes its mission of integrating performers with and without disabilities with its student volunteers to put on theatrical performances. In this first episode (of four) featuring the organization, the executive board of Harmony discusses the value of theater for themselves and their performers, a little history of the org, and the need for more organizations like Harmony which offer theatrical opportunities for performers with disabilities. Look forward, in upcoming episodes, to hearing from the performers themselves, their parents, and some of the Penn State student volunteers about the value of "universal design for performance and theater" -- making theater spaces more accessible for performers and spectators with disabilities.

This episode's discussion revolves around the production of the short film, "A Trip Into the Movies" which Mollynook Films released earlier this year. Hear about the rapid, exciting, and chaotic, production cycle which produced a short film from a 4-day-long shooting schedule. The film is available to watch now (at mollynookfilms.com). Following the adventures of a young man whose cinema-going experience is interrupted when an evil wizard's spell pulls him into the screen, and across three short films, "A Trip into the Movies" was made in collaboration with LifeLink PSU and features its students as the cast. LifeLink is a special education program for students with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 21 who attend the State College Area School District; giving them the opportunity to take college classes at the Pennsylvania State University.

Making theater spaces more accessible for performers and spectators who have intellectual and developmental disabilities is a major focus of Mollynook’s overall mission; and will be the focus of conversation for this year’s season. The guest for this premiere episode is John McCarthy, who is the interim dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University. Bridging the topics of last season (AAC — Augmentative and Alternative Communication) and this one, he discusses how AAC and music therapy can work together to achieve communication goals for their participants; and other topics related to AAC, music, and performance.

Dr. Christine Holyfield brings her AAC expertise to give her own insights into how AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) can be applied to the arts-- such as live performance. The focus of this episode is on her research in the sphere of AAC, specifically on representation, or, how AAC boards utilize images and text to help their users communicate (and if there are better ways to approach representation); and her experiences with AAC and live presentations.

In this episode, Tanika Peart, the co-founder of ACE Innovations-- a company with mission of providing assistive technology solutions for individuals of all ages-- provides insight into how AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) can accommodate entertainment and artistic pursuits. Specifically, the focus of the conversation is on artistic performance; and how poetry, theater, and presentation in general, can be accommodated by AAC devices across the range of low-tech to high-tech devices. Hear about her experiences within that frame, her thoughts about adapting devices and techniques to accommodate those goals, and looking towards the future and new technologies which could make the arts even more accessible for AAC users.

In this episode, my friend Brooke and her mother Margie describe Brooke’s plans to start her own "Rachel Ray" inspired cooking series in which she'll present recipes that are tasty, healthy, and most importantly: accessible and safe for chefs who have Down syndrome. Brooke also happens to be an in-demand singer of the national anthem (and other songs) for athletic games at the local college, high school, and other events big and small around the community-- and her and her mother explain how singing and music therapy can benefit a person who has Down syndrome.

Actor, tattoo artist, and now news anchor, perhaps a good question for Mollynook Podcast's fourth guest, Joey Nelson, would be "what can't you do?" In this episode, Joey (with a cameo from his brother in-law) comes on the podcast to discuss his projects-- both upcoming and past-- including his guest appearance on the television game show, Ink Masters!

Colleen, a licensed music therapist, expresses the value of the growing field (of music therapy) by citing her own experiences as a teacher and therapist for individuals with special needs; and breaking down the core techniques utilized in music therapy, and identifying the goals those techniques can build towards.

Graduate student Megan McGrath explains how valued communication goals for individuals with developmental disabilities can be achieved through performance techniques such as improv, dance, and music.

Matt and his friend (and frequent co-director) Kaleb continue to work on their screenplay: "The Werewolf Who Loved Meets the Werewolf Who Hated" in this behind the scenes proto-podcast podcast.