Michael Johnson-Chase is a former theatre professor, international program director at the Lark Play Development Center, producer and writer. After a stint as a solar installer, he is currently developing Green Collar Job training programs at Solar One, an environmentally focused arts and education center in NYC soon to feature New York City’s first net zero carbon classroom and performance facility.

In this interview, Michael talks with us about how he came to be involved in Green technologies, the potential for social change and new narratives at the intersection of the arts and environmentally sound design, and the plans for New York’s first net-zero carbon building.

Note: Michael has requested that we correct a misstatement in this interview: at 14:45, the ARRA 2009 funding mentioned as being available for weatherization is incorrect — the correct sum is five billion dollars.

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Dmitri Vietze is the founder of rockpaperscissors, a publicity and marketing firm emphasizing music of global significance. He was also one of the music scene professionals involved in starting up the North American World Music Coalition, which provides a forum for the advocacy, public awareness, and economic viability of world music in all its forms. He writes about World Music in his blog, DubMC.

In this podcast Dmitri talks about the changing landscape of promoting artists, how he helps artists tell their stories, and where he goes to see great live performances.

This interview is part of an ongoing series with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

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Jeremy Nowak is President and CEO of The Reinvestment Fund, and a nationally recognized leader in urban development and the role of art and culture in community revitalization.

In this podcast he talks about why we need to change the language that dictates how we view arts and culture in society, and why artists are good stewards of investment.

This interview is part of an ongoing series with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

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Caridad Svich is a U.S. Latina playwright, translator, lyricist and editor, whose works have been produced across the U.S. and abroad. Her adaptation of Isabel Allende’s novel The House of the Spirits was commissioned by Repertorio Español, and premiered as part of their 40th Anniversary Season.

In this podcast, Caridad talks about her evolution as a playwright and the different ways she approached the task of adapting a contemporary classic novel.

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Ivan Sygoda is co-director of Pentacle, which has provided administrative and managerial services to dance companies and performing artists for over 25 years. Pentacle serves as an incubator for emerging non-mainstream and pre-mainstream dance companies, enabling them to develop and present their work.

In this podcast Ivan talks about the artist poet, why it is important to allow for mistakes and miscalculations, and how we can support emerging artists as they develop and perform their work.

This interview is part of an ongoing series with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

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