Class Notes: Tom Costello of “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down”

Summary

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BroadwayRadio – Class Notes: Tom Costello of “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down”

Date: June 13, 2026
Host: Lauren Klasschneider
Guest: Tom Costello (Co-Director, “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down”)
Original Venue: Ars Nova

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Episode Overview

This episode of BroadwayRadio’s “Class Notes” features an in-depth conversation with Tom Costello, co-director of the critically acclaimed production “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down.” Host Lauren Klasschneider delves into Tom’s collaboration with fellow creators Chloe and Natasha, the physical and dramaturgical construction of the piece, the evocative set design, the show’s future, and Tom’s work on the Debt Gala, an inventive charity event.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis of the Collaboration and Creative Synergy

[00:51–02:27]

• Tom began working with Chloe and Natasha in late 2024 after meeting them through the Fringe Festival circuit, where their shared interests in physical comedy, clowning, and innovative storytelling aligned.

• Their partnership was cemented after a mutual collaborative dinner in London post-Fringe, leading to Tom joining their creative fold for the Soho Playhouse run of “Letters. Lyndon Johnson or God, Whoever Reads This First or LBJ.”

  “I went to Fringe that year with a handful of shows…Chloe, Natasha already knew Serena [Frida], and so…after they saw that show and after we’d been in some similar rooms of collaboration, we had a dinner together after Fringe in London and they proposed the idea of working together.”
  — Tom Costello [01:26]

2. Rehearsal Process & Directing Dynamics

[02:27–04:08]

• Early works by Chloe and Natasha were built without Tom. “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down” marked their first substantial co-directing collaboration in the rehearsal room.

• Their rehearsals are unique: Chloe and Natasha’s deep creative shorthand allows them to synchronize in movement and intent—sometimes instantly, without explanation.

• Tom describes the process as part choreography, part conversation, resembling dance in its attention to language, rhythm, and gesture.

  “They have such a deep working relationship that their conversation is almost shorthand in many ways...They also did everything synchronized. They already knew, without explaining it, what the beats were going to be.”
  — Tom Costello [03:31]

3. Choreography and Physical Language

[04:08–05:32]

• The show’s highly physical nature is rooted in intentional dramaturgy: gestures are not random but tethered to narrative meaning, especially in character relationships (e.g., one character as another’s shadow).

• Physical mirroring, rhythms, and gestures serve as storytelling devices, integrating choreography into the very structure of the play.

  “There’s a real dramaturgy to the gestural language that happens in the show…the times in which there is synchronized movement…one character speaks and makes a gesture and the other character mirrors it…there are gestures that have to do with the rodeo being the best place in the world.”
  — Tom Costello [04:25]

4. Set Design and Atmosphere

[05:32–06:58]

• Set designer Emmy Finkel crafted an immersive, rundown rodeo clown tent ambiance, with undertones of mid-century Vegas.

• Color, saturation, and scenic aging were carefully considered to create a subconscious layer of meaning that unfolds for the audience as the play progresses, evoking both nostalgia and theatricality.

  “We were really excited to bring people into a rodeo clown tent space…but also feels in some ways like a rundown…sort of middle of 20th century theater feel…We really wanted the space to tell a story without revealing too much about what happens in the play.”
  — Tom Costello [05:49]

5. Critical Acclaim and Production Details

[07:05–07:30]

• Lauren quotes The New York Times’ praise, emphasizing the troupe’s distinctive use of tenderness rather than shock in their brand of clowning:

  “These sweethearts of the rodeo stand out in a competitive clown scene because they don’t go for shock value, and their transgression is tenderness. Whatever world Chloe and Natasha are building, we need to see more of it.”
  — The New York Times [07:07], quoted by Lauren Klasschneider

• The show’s Ars Nova run was extended through July 2, with hopes for further developments pending.

6. What’s Next: Future Projects

[07:30–08:02]

• After “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down,” the team’s next project is “Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half,” premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe (Summerhall) in August, moving to London’s Soho Theatre in September, and returning to New York in the fall.

  “The next show we’re gonna do together is a play we’re just going into rehearsals for now called ‘Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half’…at Edinburgh Fringe…then Soho Theatre…and then…Soho Playhouse in the fall.”
  — Tom Costello [07:32]

7. On Other Interpretations and Future Casting

[08:02–09:08]

• Discussions have occurred about publishing the plays for future productions by new companies, particularly after Chloe and Natasha feel their original interpretation has run its course.
• The current run is special—“the first time Chloe, Natasha have got to do a show with a full set design”—making this production feel particularly definitive.

8. Debt Gala: Activism through Art

[09:08–10:49]

• Tom is also co-founder of the Debt Gala, a counter-event to the Met Gala raising money for medical debt.

• The idea was born in 2022 during post-pandemic reflections on industry ethics and accessibility, aiming to support those “most punished by our healthcare and financial system.”

• The Debt Gala’s overwhelming community response has seen it become an annual staple.

  “We were expressing that so many things felt like they were the same…We were sitting there saying like this could be great if this event were actually open to the people and it was fundraising for people who really need to pay their bills.”
  — Tom Costello [09:33]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On collaborative synchronicity:

  “They talked through a sequence of things that they would do, but then they did it. And they also did everything synchronized. They already knew, without explaining it, what the beats were going to be.”
  — Tom Costello [03:31]

• On the uniqueness of Chloe and Natasha’s clowning:

  “Their transgression is tenderness. Whatever world Chloe and Natasha are building, we need to see more of it.”
  — NYT, quoted by Lauren Klasschneider [07:07]

• On the spontaneity and drive behind the Debt Gala:

  “We just want it to exist. And so we spent the whole year figuring out how to throw a gala like this…and just have had such a massive response from so many people who are so grateful for it that we’ve kept it going.”
  — Tom Costello [10:20]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:51] — Introduction to Tom and the context of “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down”
• [01:26] — Backstory of meeting and creative collaboration
• [02:52] — Inside the rehearsal process; co-directing dynamics
• [04:08] — Choreography as dramaturgy; mirroring and physical storytelling
• [05:49] — Collaboration with set designer; immersive world-building
• [07:07] — New York Times quote and show extension news
• [07:32] — Next project: “Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half”
• [08:15] — Considering future productions by other companies
• [09:33] — The origins and purpose of the Debt Gala

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Conclusion

This episode offers a rich look at the collaborative magic and metatheatrical ambition of “And Then The Rodeo Burned Down,” while also illuminating Tom Costello’s vision as both a director and activist. The candid insights into rehearsal methodology, dramaturgical choices, and scenic design—coupled with details on future projects and community engagement—make this an essential listen (or read) for fans of innovative theater and new work development.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Lauren Klasschenyder with class notes for Broadway radio. I'm here with Tom Costillo who along with Chloe and Natasha directed and then the Rodeo Burndown at Ars Nova. Hello.

[C]

Hi Lauren.

[B]

Well, thanks for being here as we talk about this physical, brutal, ruthlessly funny and weirdly tender. It's with Edinburgh Fringe Festival winners Chloe and Natasha. It's a rowdy, lightning fast story of ambition, heartbreak and the cost of pursuing the thing you love. Fake cigarettes, real fire. Now I have to ask you, these two extraordinary creators and performers have been working together since their high school days in Maryland. How did you become associated with them and are you a relative newcomer?

[C]

Lolly and Natasha and I have been working together since the fall of 2024. I went to Fringe that year with a handful of shows both as a producer and the director. But there's one that I co created with my friend and collaborator Serena Frida, this show called no, no, no, please no, God no, Never Mind, I'm Fine. Which also uses a lot of physical comedy and clown and is also a pretty ambitious piece of storytelling that heavily used design. And Chloe, Natasha already knew Serena and so we had been in conversation with them over the course of our year and they'd given us some advice and after they saw that show and after we'd been in some similar rooms of collaboration, we had a dinner together after Fringe in London and they proposed the idea of working together and I had sort of been curious to know if they wanted to work together and then we started for that and that really then that the first things we did together were the Soho Playhouse run of Letters. Lyndon Johnson or God, whoever reads this first or lbj.

[B]

Another, another extraordinary show. I love how you all came together and it was somewhat recently, you know, in proportion to how relationships develop this way with them as creators and co stars. How do you work with them as a co director and if you could maybe even give us an example or two of what, what takes place in the rehearsal room.

[C]

Yeah, that's A great question. On the shows. On their three shows that they brought to Fringe from 2022 to 2024, which is LBJ, their show. What if they ate the baby and the current show and then the rodeo burned down? All of those shows really have been remounts, so they built them without me. However, especially with Rodeo that's running now, we actually got to have a full rehearsal process where we got to be in the room together. And so after, yeah, about a year and a half of working together, we finally actually. It was the first time we actually really got to be in the room. We were like, let's take this apart. There was some new text for this production, and there was some new staging. We therefore had to figure out. And usually the process has been that they will probably build something, though. They have such a deep working relationship. And so their conversational. They have such a deep working relationship that their conversation is almost shorthand in many ways, like, oh, I'll do this and you'll do that, and then I'll do this thing. And they're quite remarkable. I remember there was a. Something we were trying to do. We were re choreographing one of the numbers in rodeo, and they talked through a sequence of things that they would do, but then they did it. And they also did everything synchronized. They already knew, without explaining it, what the beats were going to be.

[B]

I mean, sitting in the audience, you almost get that sense. But hearing you talk about it just confirms it. And the work is so physical and the movement is so unbelievably specific. How did it all get choreographed and put into, like, to codify it, to know it's gonna happen again night after night?

[C]

There's a real dramaturgy to the gestural language that happens in the show. The times in which there is synchronized movement, there's many times people that haven't seen it. There's many times one character speaks and makes a gesture and the other character mirrors it. And that often is coming through because one character is the other character's shadow. And so there are. I think they kind of figure. I think there's part of it. It's just rhythmic that they figured out what's the what. What feels like the right frequency for that. But there's also a dramaturgy to the language and the words that get drawn upon. And there's gestures that have to do with the rodeo being the best place in the world. And some of the things that Dale, the rodeo clown, feels most strongly that the shadow is picking up on kind of statements of meaning. And I think that that also is how a lot of the. That gets built in terms of the framework. And then they really have figured out that before I came along, I think, like, what gesture wants to go when and what things will mirror. Well, and there have been times that we've built that together, but it's. It feels like choreography. It feels like choreographing a dance in terms of language and rhythm and meter and visual storytelling.

[B]

From the moment an audience member walks into the theater environment, you're transported to a different time and place. The set designer is Emmy Finkel. Will you talk about the collaboration process to arrive at where you arrived?

[C]

Yeah. We were really excited to bring people into a rodeo clown tent space, but also feels in some ways like a rundown. There has elements of, like a rundown sort of Vegas feel to it. There's many things that we've done that actually, like in terms of color and saturation and things like that and aging. That also gives a sort of rundown, old school, kind of middle of 20th century theater feel. We really wanted the space to tell a story without revealing too much about what happens in the play. But there is. There's a sort of middle of the show unfolding that happens, and we wanted to help sort of frame that and tell that story so that when it does happen to the audience, that some things that may have been sensed on a subconscious level will then have. Have more meaning to them in hindsight. So we really wanted to invite people into a room that felt like. That felt like a theatrical event that feels like in the way that a rodeo does, but also help welcome them into a world that would reflect some of the larger metatheatrical things that happen as the show goes on.

[B]

Well, it's beautifully designed and executed. May I quote the New York Times?

[C]

Sure.

[B]

These sweethearts of the rodeo stand out in a competitive clown scene because they don't go for shock value, and their transgression is tenderness. Whatever world Chloe and Natasha are building, we need to see more of it and to plug the show a bit. It's extended through July 2nd. Do you know if there are plans after that?

[C]

We're hoping that we get to extend further. We'll probably know that in the next week after that. We don't know what's gonna be next for rodeo, but we do know that the next show we're gonna do together is a play that we're just going into rehearsals for now called Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half. I saw it. Which Will first go to Edinburgh Fringe. We'll be at the summer hall venue at Edinburgh Fringe for the month of August and then we'll go right down to London to the Soho Theatre for the month of September and then it will come back to Soho Playhouse in the fall.

[B]

Oh, that sounds great. I'm very curious. With Chloe and Natasha as creators and performers, is there ever consideration for anyone else to perform in this particular piece?

[C]

There has been conversation about at what point maybe these plays would get published to allow someone else to perform them and they're interested in it. But I think that, I think that will happen. I think that the moment that that wants to happen, I think will present itself. It hasn't been yet, I think because for these shows, I mean this feels like the first. It's the first time Chloe, Natasha have got to do a show with a full set design. And so this is, this feels like the first production of theirs that has had at least that degree of a production that really we were able to invite people into, let them see the full realization of the visuals of their show. Especially because many of their shows have all been performed at Fringe either in the round or in a thrust. I think once those shows probably have kind of lived out that full life with them performing it, there will be some moment in time where the opportunity for other people to perform it. I would guess we'll have a chance to do it based on the conversations we've had.

[B]

Well, that's good to know. To conclude, let's talk a little bit about another role that you play as the co founder of the Debt Gala. And for those who don't know, it's an alternative fashion event that takes place the night before the Met Gala to raise money for medical debt related causes. So Tom, where did the idea come from and how do you pull it off?

[C]

A couple friends of mine and I were sitting in a bar together in 2022 and we were just talking, you know, was the associate director on American Buffalo on Broadway and that show had been delayed for two years. We opened on the same date that we were meant to premiere in 2020 and it was just in the weeks after that opening. We were sitting at the bar talking about how so many things that people had talked about changing when we had this moment of pause during COVID that we were trying to make the industry more ethical and things be different and we were expressing that so many things felt like they were the same. And it was right around the time of the Metco. I think we're looking at images of what had happened that week. And so we were sitting there saying like, this could be great if this event were actually open to the people and it was fundraising for people who really need to pay their bills. And we very quickly came up with an with the name and then figured out actually like that medical debt would be a great way to cut across all demographics and help people who are most punished by our health care system and financial system. And so then we just set out to try to do it as like we were like, let's just make it happen. We just want it to exist. And so we spent the whole year figuring out how to throw a gala like this and get people to come and what it wanted to be. And just have had such a massive response from so many people who are so grateful for it that we've kept it going. This is going to be our fifth year next year.

[B]

Wow. Well, congratulations. And congratulations on rodeo.

[C]

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we're very excited and really grateful. It's been an incredible team of humans that have put this together and yeah, we're really grateful to share it with everyone.

[B]

I'm Lauren Klasschneider with Tom Costello who along with Chloe and Natasha directed and then the Rodeo burned down at Arjunova. Thank you.

[D]

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