Ep261 - Tommy Kail and Sonya Tayeh: Cut From the Same Cloth

This is the third episode of a special 4-part takeover with cast & creatives from Hulu's new musical series UP HERE. Make sure to stream the entire 21 song UP HERE soundtrack everywhere you find your music.

Director Tommy Kail and choreographer Sonya Tayeh have teamed up for the first time in Hulu’s new rom-com musical, “Up Here”. Not wanting to stick to just one medium, Sonya talks about being an expansive artist and following wherever her passion takes her. Tommy also shares his deal with Disney, putting a musical on mainstream TV and how Kirsten and Bobby's ability to make musical comedy resonated with him. While Sonya has done numerous projects and won awards already, the choreographer shares open up about dealing with imposter syndrome, calling it "big, old, scary monsters" and why she loves physicalizing them. Working as the director and choreographer for "Up Here", both Tommy and Sonya share how they operate, including collaborating with other creatives and shooting with at least two cameras at all times. Sonya reflects more on her love for collaborating, trying out all the options, starting a conversation and hearing what her collaborators have to say. Tommy, on the other hand, speaks about consciously surrounding himself with talented people that make him a better person. With Sonya and Tommy's love for collaborating, it's no surprise that the two found each other to create something beautiful.

Sonya Tayeh is a TONY Award-winning choreographer and director. She has choreographed for renowned artists, including Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Florence and the Machine. She’s been nominated twice for Emmy Awards for her work on So You Think You Can Dance, and won the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for “Outstanding Choreography” for her work on David Henry Hwang’s dance-play “Kung Fu”, for which she also received a Drama Desk nomination. She made her Broadway debut as the choreographer for the hit show, “Moulin Rouge the Musical” and worked on the production of “Sing Street”. Sonya has recently joined the creative team for the upcoming production of "Gatsby" and “The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window” and is gearing up for the world premiere of “Is It Thursday Yet?”, a play that she directed, co-choreographed and co-conceived.

Tommy Kail is a theatre director known for directing the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musicals “In the Heights” and “Hamilton” for which he won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Direction of Musical. His other credits include “Lombardi”, “Magic/Bird”, “Randy Newman's Faust and The Wiz”, “Broke-ology”, “When I Come to Die”, “Family Furniture”, and “The Tutors” among others. Tommy was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018 and won a Special Tony Award in 2021 for “Freestyle Love Supreme”.

Songs used in this episode:

• Can I Ever Know You
• Tiger Shark
• Can I Ever Know You (Finale)

Connect with Tommy and Sonya:

• Website: www.sonyatayeh.com
• Instagram: @directorkail, @sonyatayeh

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices