By Joseph Taylor, Muse Magazine editor
The May/June issue of Muse, “All the World’s a Stage,” marks the introduction of a new format in our magazine. “Art@Work” will feature profiles and first-person interviews with those involved in the arts. Our readers have been accustomed to “Science@Work” interviews with individuals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. For example, Muse recently featured an exclusive interview with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who in 2022 set an American record for continuous days in space: 355, or almost a year. We’ve also recently spoken with well-known forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, who has said she’s uncovered that trees share and communicate with one another in underground fungal networks.
We think of Muse, though, as a science and arts magazine. So, for our latest issue about the stage and theater, we wanted to broaden our horizons and incorporate first-person interviews with people in the arts. In this issue, you’ll find not one or two but three “Art@Work” interviews you won’t soon forget. You’ll hear firsthand from Miguel Cervantes, the star of Hamilton on Broadway and the longest-running actor in the role of Hamilton; Lizzy Brooks, an actor and understudy who in 2022 learned nine roles for Broadway’s latest incarnation of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, starring actor Daniel Craig; and Joel Jeske, an experienced clown who has been featured in the shows of Cirque du Soleil as well as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, and whose stage work has been called “masterful” by Variety.
Each of these performers is a remarkable talent with hard-earned knowledge to share. Jeske, for instance, tells us, “I know at some point I am going to do something that inspires someone or allows someone to think a little bit differently than they did before. Art is tremendously powerful.”
The fun and insight in this issue don’t end there—and some of it does involve science. Feature stories include a behind-the-curtain peek at how the magical special effects in the Tony Award-winning play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child are done; how ventriloquists manage to bring their puppets to life for audiences; and how the Royal Ballet dancers in England have recently turned to cutting-edge sports science to boost their performances and protect themselves from injuries.
We also profile longtime Royal Ballet star Thiago Soares, who in 2023 is making what he is calling his final international tour. And we’re delighted to share the incredible story of the New York Youth Symphony and how they found a way to persist during the pandemic—and triumph in ways they never imagined.
We hope our readers will enjoy this issue and may even be inspired to step out onto the stage and try performing themselves. For those who might be so inclined, we present an article on stage fright and tips for overcoming it.
In the meantime, the show—and the summer season on Broadway—are about to begin. Please take your seats—and enjoy some of the many amazing and entertaining things the theater has to offer. And in future issues of Muse, you can look forward to finding more “Art@Work” first-person interviews to hear directly from some of the most notable and fascinating people in the arts. We can’t wait.
