John Clancy and Nancy Walsh are the Executive Artistic Director and the President of Clancy Productions. They are also both founding members of Present Company, the producing organization of the New York International Fringe Festival. They have both produced, directed and acted in numerous award winning productions. In this interview John and Nancy talk about the genesis of the New York International Fringe Festival, the evolution of fringe as an artistic and economic model, and why they love being in festivals.

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Jeffrey Lewonczyk is Associate Director of the Brick Theater in Brooklyn, New York. The Brick is known for its innovative productions and also hosts several festivals, including The Sellout Festival, which runs through July 2nd. In this interview Jeff talks about how the festival themes are developed, what his favorite productions are, and how this festival and the Brick Theater interact with the community around it.

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Mary Lou Aleskie is the executive director of the Arts & Ideas Festival in New Haven, Connecticut (USA). Previously, Mary Lou has been the President and CEO of the La Jolla Music Society, programming orchestras, ensembles and dance companies as well as the summer music festival, La Jolla SummerFest; executive director of Da Camera of Houston for chamber and jazz music; general manager/manager director of the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; producer of the Saratoga International Theatre Institute (SITI); and an artist manager with the Helen Merrill Agency.

We spoke earlier this week, just days before the beginning of Mary Lou’s first festival with Arts & Ideas. Mary Lou talks about her approach to the festival, including the intersection between the festival’s art programming and the ideas panels, the economic impact of the festival on the region, and what a producer worries about in the days before a festival begins.

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