Kyle Beltran is playing the lead, Usnavi, in the national tour of the Tony-winning musical, "In the Heights," a surprisingly old-fashioned musical of immigrant aspiration, rich in both traditional and Latino musical modes. The week-long stop in Pittsburgh (through Feb. 7) is an unusual treat for Beltran, who just graduated from CMU last spring -- pretty cool to be the successful alum so soon! He talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson about CMU, ethnicity in the theater and the American dream, in life and on stage.

Norman Steinberg, Part 2: Screenwriter Steinberg ("Blazing Saddles," "The Cosby Show") continues discussing his career with senior theater critic Chris Rawson – working with Mel Brooks, earning his first $50, almost working with Dino DeLaurentis and starting a graduate TV writing program at Long Island University's Brooklyn campus. For more on all this, listen to the previous podcast, go to http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/wn/2009/060.html or write Steinberg (Norman.steinberg@liu.edu) or LIU (admissions@brooklyn.liu.edu).

Norman Steinberg, Part 1: Screenwriter Steinberg scaled the heights of comedy in film ("Blazing Saddles") and TV ("The Cosby Show"). Next fall he starts an MFA program in screen writing at Long Island University's Brooklyn campus. He talks with PG senior theater critic Chris Rawson about his career (meeting Mel Brooks and recruiting Richard Pryor) and his new program, which plans to teach not how to write but how to be a writer, creating a TV show on a real-life model. Learn more at http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/wn/2009/060.html or by writing Steinberg (Norman.steinberg@liu.edu) or LIU (admissions@brooklyn.liu.edu). [18:57]

Pittsburgh native Tom Atkins has been an actor for 43 years, on stage, film and TV. This month and next this Pittsburgh acting icon is playing two other icons -- for the second year, Scrooge in "A Musical Christmas Carol" (Pittsburgh CLO through Dec.24) and for the seventh (and supposedl;y last) time, Art Rooney in "The Chief" (Public Theater, Jan. 6-11). Tom talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson.

Douglas Levine is probably the busiest musician in Pittsburgh -- composer, teacher, arranger, conductor and, more to the point, the go-to guy for theater music, both plays and musicals. Right now he's on stage nightly, playing the music he composed for PICT's [Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theater] "Jane Eyre," running through Dec. 20. He talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson.

Robin Abramson lives in Israel and acts in Pittsburgh (how does she do it?), mostly at City Theatre and the Playhouse. She has a marvelous openness, all her feelings exposed. Now, in City's harrowing "Blackbird," she faces off with Steve Pickering (from Chicago), and that openness acquires a protective layer of wariness and anger. She talks with PG senior theater critic Chris Rawson.

Jeffrey Carpenter is artistic director of Bricolage, one of Pittsburgh's fine small professional theater companies, which is staging Jennifer Haley's creepy/funny "Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom" every Friday-Saturday through November. It's all about a webgame that duplicates and perhaps subsumes reality. he talks with senior critic Chris Rawson. Because of technical problems, the quality of the audio is not up to the usual standards of post-gazette.com

Here, senior theater critic Chris Rawson puts on a different hat as producer of "Off the Record," the annual one-night-only musical spoof of Pittsburgh culture, news and newsmakers. He talks with writer/co-producer Gary Rotstein about "Off the Record IX: High School Confidential!," which plays Oct. 1 at the Byham Theater and benefits the Food Bank.

As dean and artistic director, Ronald Allan-Lindblom has had a major role in the growth of Point Park University's performing arts programs, which feed the busy schedule at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. He talks with senior PG theater critic Chris Rawson about Playhouse REP's professional production of "That Championship Season," which Lindblom directed. It continues just through Sept. 20, its run curtailed by the following week's G-20 hurdles.

Christine Laitta has been staging her giddy, participatory "TV Tunes" for several years, and it just keeps getting better. Her trip down memory lane via the theme songs of classic, '60s-'80s sit-coms returns Thursday and Saturday, Sept. 10 and 12, to the CLO Cabaret in the Cultural District. She talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson.

Deana Muro is a keyboardist, conductor and music director, and she even tunes pianos. Best known here as music director of the CLO Cabaret, she recently conducted "The Full Monty" at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey. just outside NYC -- which meant working with notoriously eccentric Elaine Stritch, one of the stars. She talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson about that experience, this summer's work for the CLO and what the world looks like from the orchestra pit [14:29].

Sam Redford hails originally from London (check out his accent) and now from New York, but he's just finished a run of three shows in Pittsburgh: "The Seafarer" at City, "Rock 'n' Roll" at PICT and now, still at PICT, "The History Boys" (through this weekend). He plays the slick young teacher brought in to teach the boys how to ace the Oxbridge entrance exams. He talks about this and more with senior theater critic Chris Rawson [15:05].

Actress Kimberly Richards is better known around here as Sister, the role she's played in "Late Nite Catechism" for some 100 weeks over the past four-plus years. "Late Nite Catechism 3 - 'Till Death Do Us Part" continues through Aug. 16. Here, Kim talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson about growing up in Pittsburgh, performing in Las Vegas and putting on the habit about eight years ago, and she reminisces about some of the highs and lows of her long run as Sister.

Beth Leavel is a Broadway veteran, a Tony winner for "Drowsy Chaperone" and a very funny lady, and she brings it all to the role of the Witch in "Into the Woods." The witty Stephen Sondheim version of Grimm's fairy tales plays at Pittsburgh CLO through Aug. 9. Leavel talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson [17:11].

The Sister who has starred in "Late Night Catechism" for more than four off-and-on years at City Theatre talks with senior theater critic Chris Rawson. She has a no-nonsense way about her, just like those school-teaching nuns of yore, but she has a twinkle and a quick wit, and the show's great fun, whether you grew up Catholic or not. This fourth version of "Catechism" here (through Aug. 16), this focuses humorously on marriage and other of life's adventures.