Photo from Playbill. It features Cynthia Erivo, the host of the Tony Awards this year.
It’s been a record year for Broadway theater. 4.85 million viewers watched the Tony Awards on CBS on Sunday, the largest broadcast audience since 2019 and a 38% increase over 2024. It set a new record for streaming with a 208% year-over-year increase. This is on the heels of Broadway’s highest grossing year ever – $2 billion in revenue from 14.7 million tickets sold.
Working in the performing arts in many different capacities for a good portion of my career, including Broadway theater, regional theater, touring, and now for Carnegie Hall, it’s inspiring and gratifying to see so many people choosing to spend their time and money to experience live performances. Most of my work is now in the digital media space, and I’m especially excited to see digital and live melding together as is the case for the current Broadway incarnations of Sunset Boulevard and The Picture of Dorian Grey
We often hear platitudes that theater is an escape from our everyday lives. We sit together in a dark theater with total strangers for 2+ hours as a way to get away from our worries and cares, to forget the outside world for a little while, to find some kind of reprieve.
I’ve always seen live performance as a way to come home to myself, to my deepest dreams, to the core of who I am. It helps me to reimagine what I might create, what I might aspire to do next. That’s why I keep going back. I think that may be why in these troubling, dangerous times so many people are gathering together in theaters – to affirm their belief that our best and brightest days are still ahead of us.
Can I tell you a secret? Hosting events makes me so nervous. I’m forever worried no one will be there, or that people won’t enjoy the event or show, or that something, anything, everything will go terribly wrong. As a writer, I’m used to rejection and harsh critiques. It stings (of course!), though I can bear that privately. The second I do something in-person, in public — producing or hosting a live show or having a public event like my NYC book launch party tonight — the butterflies in my stomach arrive in full force!
A new episode of the JoyProject podcast dropped today—The Joy of Winnie-the-Pooh with Christine Caccipuoti. It’s available at this link and everywhere you get your podcasts. You can also hear it by clicking the YouTube link above.
Childhood joys never leave us. This week, we delve into all things Winnie-the-Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood with podcaster and historian Christine Caccipuoti as our guide. Christine’s loved all things Pooh for her entire life. With a mother and grandmother who loved Winnie-the-Pooh, these stories and characters were her destiny.
As the Co-producer and Co-Host of the incredible Footnoting History podcast, Christine not only delves into why she loves Pooh but also the history of the Milne family, the importance of maintaining the magic we find in childhood wonder as we age, and what may be ahead for Pooh as he and his friends begin to enter the public domain.
At the end of the podcast, I share the final passage of The House at Pooh Corner and how you can see the original Pooh stuff animals on display at the New York Public Library (and online) as part of a fantastic free exhibition going on right now.
Topics discussed in this episode: – Christine’s podcast, Footnoting History – Christine’s Winnie-the-Pooh episode on Footnoting History – How Christine got interested in Winnie-the-Pooh – How her views on the different characters in the Hundred Acre Wood have changed over the years – The importance of maintaining childhood wonder as an adult and why having things that bring you joy in your life are so important – The differences and similarities between the A.A. Milne stories and the Disney Pooh stories – How and why we gravitate to certain stories and certain characters within stories – Why so many people relate to Eeyore and how compassion is a major theme in the Hundred Acre Wood – The history of the Milne family and how Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends came to be – How the Pooh stories are similar to other childhood favorites such as Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, and Charlie Brown – The messages that Milne communicated to all of us about life and friendship through Winnie-the-Pooh – What it means for Pooh to now (sort of) be in the public domain – What might be next for Pooh and Friends in the years ahead – How to see the original Pooh stuffed animals in New York City
About Christine: Christine Caccipuoti is a historian, writer, and co-producer of the long-running podcast Footnoting History, where she regularly shares her love of biography.
Christine proudly co-edited Independent Scholars Meet the World: Expanding Academia beyond the Academy (University Press of Kansas, 2020) and has published / is soon publishing pieces about Blanche Barrow, Jane Manning James, and Elton John.
In addition to dealing with all things historical, Christine likes to spend her time rewatching her favorite television shows and films, learning about elephants, tweeting about musical theater, and planning vacations she may or may not eventually take.
The Joy of Old Time Radio Show with Zachary Lennon-Simon
Travel back in time with JoyProject as we delve into the world of Old Time Radio Shows, a form of entertainment from the 1920s to the 1960s that had families and friends gathered around the radio to tune into their favorite mysteries, drama, and comedies. Zachary Lennon-Simon, a comedian and storyteller in Brooklyn, New York, is our guide through this delightful and light-hearted audio-forward history for the latest episode of the JoyProject podcast—The Joy of Old Time Radio Shows.
At the end of the podcast, I share something that brought me joy this week related to the episode. I found a bunch of free online resources where you can tune into all kinds of old time radio shows with just a few taps on your computer or phone. I also share my two favorite apps where you can access thousands of free audiobooks through your local public library.
Topics discussed in this episode: – How Zach discovered old time radio shows as a kid and rediscovered them after college – Zach’s favorite shows and where to find them today – The differences between old time radio shows, audiobooks, and narrative podcasts, and some good ones to check out – The importance of sound design in old time radio – Stars who made old time radio popular
A little bit about Zach: Zach Lennon-Simon is a filmmaker and storyteller who was born & raised in Brooklyn, NY. He has told stories for many different shows such as Kvetching & Kvelling, Everything is Bad, Beaver Helmet, and The Teacher’s Lounge. In his spare time, he tries his best to sing both parts of Judy & Babs’ “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again” medley.
Christa Avampato 