Welcome to our new Fall season and to our September theme, “Back to the Books.” But before we bring you new content, we want to celebrate Broadway’s reopening with Renee Chambers Liciaga‘s October 2020 Ivory Tower Boiler Room interview “The Performing Arts During a Pandemic.”
“We need to have human contact and especially for those of us who are creators. We have to be there in real time with each other.” Such a heartwarming moment that occurs when Renee discusses the powerful feeling that her and all of the Tarzan creative team (including the performers) felt in the summer of 2020. In this episode, Renee talks about the seemingly impossible task of mounting a live theater production, and, as you listen, you will hear about the innovative ways in which her team solved the obstacles, like masks and social distancing. Renee’s energy as a storyteller is infectious, and you can’t help but experience her joy when she talks about previous performances, both domestic and international. Listening to her, it’s easy to see how her lessons on leadership influence everyone in her orbit (including a certain Andrew Rimby, who was only 17 years old when he entered that orbit). As Renee told that 17 year old Andrew, “If you want to make it to Broadway or let alone Broad Street in Philly, you have to take the notes.”
Click this link to see the photos from Tarzan and check out the Google document which includes so many exciting videos of Renee performing! Make sure to follow Renee on Instagram and Twitter, @naebway and her business page on Facebook, under Renee Chambers Liciaga.
Thanks to Renee for posting an excerpt of this interview to her YouTube channel (Renee Liciaga, follow it!). Now you can actually see Renee and Andrew’s energy and excitement.
(and this comes from Andrew’s heart: I want to personally thank Renee Chambers Liciaga for recognizing the inner passion in me and helping me cultivate it. Renee, you have helped me find my purpose, from my high school years up until now, and it means so much to have you as a creative mentor in my life. From Diana Ross’ own voice…I want to “Thank You.”)
Follow Ivory Tower Boiler Room on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (just type Ivory Tower Boiler Room). We can’t wait to see you all there!
If you enjoyed this piece, please consider making a donation to help us grow our literary and artistic community.
