This week on The Town Hall Spark Sessions, we welcome the iconic singer, songwriter, actress and composer, Sara Bareilles. With more than 15 million singles and 3 million albums sold in the U.S., she is one of the world’s leading popular musicians. Join us as we discuss how love and grief are interwoven and have sparked her creativity into a new album, the way that truth in creativity is visceral and her journey to the legendary Town Hall stage with the incomparable Rufus Wainwright.
To purchase tickets to Opening Night and support the ACLU, go to The Town Hall box office or purchase them online at Ticketmaster. Learn More and Listen Here!
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S1E6 - Laura Benanti
This week on The Town Hall Spark Sessions, we welcome luminary actress and singer Laura Benanti. Best known for her revolutionary performance in the 2008 revival of Gypsy, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Benanti made her broadway debut at 18 playing Maria in the Sound of Music on Broadway. She has also starred in television and films, including ABC’s Nashville, NBC’s Supergirl, and HBO’s The Gilded Age.
Join us as we discuss her upcoming appearance at the Town Hall, in John Cassavetes' Opening Night, the first musical with music, lyrics, and orchestrations by the brilliant Rufus Wainwright. We chat about what it’s like working with your idols and the creative power of taking long walks. In addition to her highly anticipated appearance at The Town Hall, Benanti will be performing her solo show, Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, created with Todd Almond, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland this summer!
You can listen to The Town Hall Spark Sessions on The Spark File podcast feed - now on the Broadway Podcast Network! Or tune in to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more. And, you can learn more about The Town Hall at thetownhall.org.
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S1E5 - Sofronio Vasquez
This week, we welcomed the golden-voiced Sofronio Vasquez, winner of NBC’s The Voice Season 26. With his championship win, Sofronio became the first Filipino and Asian man to win a major singing competition in the United States. Join us as we discuss Sofronio’s thrilling rise in the music industry. He shares his secret to remaining positive and his tips and tricks for navigating what he calls “beautiful rejection.” We also chat about his upcoming concert at the Town Hall on July 19 where Sofronio will take the iconic Town Hall stage to sing through his life story. You can pick up your tickets at the Town Hall box office or online at Ticketmaster. Learn More and Listen Here!
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S1E4 - Griffin Newman
In this week’s episode of The Town Hall Spark Sessions, we were thrilled to welcome Griffin Newman. For a decade, with his co-creator David Sims, Griffin has hosted the wildly popular podcast Blank Check with Griffin and David. Join us as Griffin discusses the Blank Check origin story, and how a film critic and an actor/comedian became longstanding professional podcasters. We chat about the show’s focus on individual director’s comprehensive filmography, and Griffin shares what we can learn about creativity by studying the career highs and lows of luminaries like Steven Spielberg. Plus, we chat about the upcoming performance, BLANK CHECK: DEMAND AN AUDIENCE WITH KING RALPH. That’s right: after repeatedly promising their producer they’d analyze the 1991 John Goodman/Peter O’Toole screwball comedy KING RALPH, Griffin and David are finally making good on their word, live, at The Town Hall to celebrate a decade of Blank Check. You can listen to The Spark File Podcast and the Town Hall Spark Sessions on the Broadway Podcast Network. You can also visit The Town Hall and The Spark File online.
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S1E3 - Sean Mayes
In this week’s Town Hall Spark Session, we welcomed Sean Mayes, the visionary conductor and founder of Pops of Color, as he takes us behind the scenes of creating an orchestra that’s building bridges and breaking barriers. Join us as Sean shares how Pops of Color sparked from idea to inception. We discuss the impact of the orchestra’s unique programming, and Sean connects his work to Town Hall's remarkable 105-year history—as a venue that welcomed Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, and other profound artists of Color when other prestigious institutions wouldn't. You can listen to The Spark File Podcast and the Town Hall Spark Sessions on the Broadway Podcast Network. You can also visit The Town Hall and The Spark File online.
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The Town Hall, New York City’s landmark cultural venue, is teams up with The Spark File, the acclaimed creativity podcast hosted by Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien, in this brand-new podcast series: The Town Hall Spark Sessions.
The Town Hall Spark Sessions will spotlight creatives, musicians, comedians, artists, advocates, cultural creators and conversation makers who have graced—or are about to grace—the legendary Town Hall stage.
Each episode features fun and fulfilling questions that dive deep into how these inspiring individuals are using their creativity not only to entertain, but to spark change, connection, and meaningful impact. Learn more at thetownhall.org and thesparkfile.com
Ireland