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35:43

Actress Nancy Marchand

Marchand talks about the differences between acting onstage and in television, the challenges of raising children while working, and the intersection of her celebrity and personal life.

Interview
49:53

Escaping and Finding Himself Again

Billy Hayes' years spent in a Turkish prison for smuggling hashish have been well documented in his book Midnight Express, which was later adapted into a book. He now pursues an acting career in California.

Interview
41:38

If You Could See Him

Actor Joel Grey talks about the legacy of his father, comedic actor and clarinetist Mickey Katz. Grey's Jewish heritage helped him add complexity to his performance in the Broadway and film versions of Cabaret, in which he played the Master of Ceremonies.

Interview
56:14

Minas: The In-Studio Concert

The bossa nova duo comprises married couple guitarist Orlando Haddad and pianist Patricia King, who both sing. Fresh Air producer Danny Miller asks them about the growth of their career and the unique rhythms they incorporate into their performances.

24:05

Telling Jesse Owens' Story

Television actor Dorian Harewood is known for roles in Roots, Strike Force, and Trauma Center. He stars in a new miniseries as groundbreaking athlete Jesse Owens. Harewood joins Fresh Air's Danny Miller to talk about the making of the program, as well as Owens' career.

Interview
39:22

Actor Cleavon Little

Little tells Fresh Air about his experiences as an African American actor on- and off-Broadway. He considers how black actors have risen to greater prominence on stage and screen.

Interview
22:31

Bringing Beadle Bamford to Life

Jack Eric Williams played one of the villains in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, and found success during a run of Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera. He has written a musical of his own called Mrs. Farmer's Daughter, about the life of actress Frances Farmer, which is now in production in Philadelphia.

Interview
01:05:11

Composer Anthony Davis

Davis is an avant-garde composer whose work draws heavily from jazz traditions. He wrote a new opera called X, based on the life of Malcom X. He performs the overture live in-studio.

Interview
39:12

A Conversation with "A Couple of Blaguards"

Scholar Frank McCourt and his brother, actor Malachi McCourt, grew up poor in Ireland before finding success in the United States. Both brothers were voracious readers and were able to find success without a high school education. They wrote and perform together in a new, autobiographical play.

57:12

Jazz Concert and Interview with Marty Grosz.

Acoustic jazz guitarist and composer Marty Grosz began playing at the age of 13. He is the son of satiric artist George Grosz who fled Germany with his family in 1933. Grosz takes inspiration from obscure jazz and pop from the 1920s. He regularly plays with Woody Allen at Michael's Pub. Grosz is in town for the Cool Jazz Festival and his brought his guitar into the studio.

Interview
33:16

Taking Tap to the Next Level.

Actor, director, and choreographer Maurice Hines comes from the famous tap-dancing family. He is the founder of the company Ballet Tap U. S. A. Hines appears in the film "Cotton Club." Hines joins the show to discuss working as a child with his father and brother, Gregory, touring Europe, learning ballet at the age of 30, the difference between "up-in-the-air," and "close-to-the-floor" tap dance, break-dancing, and the great dancers of film.

Interview
45:15

Jazz Opera about Malcolm X.

Composer and pianist Anthony Davis has composed jazz and "new music" work with his ten-piece ensemble Episteme, directed plays, composed orchestral suites, and taught at Yale, where he also received his B. A. in music. His latest album with his band is called "Hemispheres." Davis has written an opera, "X," based on the life of Malcolm X. The libretto was written by his cousin and Village Voice writer Thulani Davis-Jarman, and the story was written by his brother CHRISTOPHER DAVIS.

49:47

Edward Albee's Unconventional Theater.

Noted playwright Edward Albee is the author of "The Zoo Story" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," which was lated adapted into an Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton film. Albee has won many awards including two Pulitzer Prizes, one in 1967 for "Delicate Balance," and one in 1975 for "Seascape."

Interview
31:50

Few Roles for Black Actresses

Esther Rolle played a maid in the television show Maude, a role which she hoped would subvert the racist tradition of mammy characters typically given to African American actresses. Rolle now works mostly in theater, and is featured in a production of Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding.

Interview
36:34

A Guide to Class in the United States

Historian Paul Fussel has observed nine distinct class categories in the United States. He says that, while belief in social mobility is strong in American culture, few people are able to move out of the class into which they were born.

Interview
54:54

Folk Musician Michael Cooney

The singer and guitar player muses on the origins and definitions of folks music, his approach to writing children's songs, and the rigors of having been a traveling musician for over two decades.

Interview
23:49

A TV Star on Her Animal Advocacy

Comedic actress Betty White played the Sue Ann Nivens, a sex-obsessed television show host, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her new book about the relationship between humans and pets builds on her work for animal welfare.

Interview

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