Talkling to Emily Skinner

By Matt Windman | amNew York theater critic

2:44 PM EDT, July 17, 2008

Emily Skinner (HO)

Emily Skinner, who has performed in numerous Town Hall concerts in addition to Broadway, will co-direct "Broadway's Rising Stars," a concert showcasing recent graduates from performing arts conservatories, at Town Hall on Monday night.

What made you want to direct the show? I've performed and directed some of the other Broadway By the Year shows, but I also teach and am really into fostering young talent. We've got a really great group of kids that just graduated from theater conservatories in the city and around the country. Their energy is fantastic.

What was the audition process like? Town Hall wrote letters to all the theater schools and asked them to put forth or suggest some of their graduating talent. They all came and auditioned for us and we selected 20 kids out of that group.

How did you decide which performers would be cast? The people who book the jobs tend to be the ones who show their full personalities and leave an impact that way. It's not always about who is the best singer or dancer. We responded to the kids who showed us their personality inside of the material that they performed.

What's it like co-directing with vocalist Scott Coulter? We love each other. We've done so many things together that now we're almost always on the same page about things. It's a very happy working relationship.

Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St, 212-840-2824, $25-50. Mon 8pm.