Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch
Episode: Jenny Steingart and Heather Christian: Inspiration from the Other Side
Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Rachel Dratch
Guests: Jenny Steingart (Ars Nova co-founder/producer), Heather Christian (composer, librettist)
Co-host: Irene Bremis
Episode Overview
This engaging episode dives into the uncanny, heartfelt, and sometimes unexplainable intersection of creativity and the supernatural. Rachel Dratch welcomes theatre producer Jenny Steingart and composer/playwright Heather Christian to share profound personal stories regarding spirits, family, and inspiration from “the other side”—specifically, the spirit of Jenny’s late brother Gabe and his mysterious influence on both Ars Nova Theatre and Heather’s acclaimed piece, "Oratorio for Living Things." The conversation offers deeply moving anecdotes, artist-to-artist insight, and supportive skepticism, all set in Woo Woo’s signature balance of heart, humor, and curiosity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Setting the Stage: Personal Backgrounds & The Ars Nova Connection
[02:42 - 04:28]
- Rachel introduces Jenny Steingart, co-founder of New York’s influential Ars Nova Theatre, and Heather Christian, known for "Oratorio for Living Things."
- Jenny shares the origin story of Ars Nova, rooted in honoring her late brother Gabe—a brilliant musicologist, whose death inspired the theatre's founding. Gabe had planned a studio in a small building on W 54th St., which instead became Ars Nova.
“Just taking a really shitty situation and turning it into something that at least was additive and supportive of artists.”
—Jenny Steingart [06:37]
- The theatre’s mission emerges: fostering emerging artists and giving them a space to risk and fail.
2. Gabe’s Presence in the Ars Nova Building
[08:04]
- Jenny explains that although the Ars Nova building was newly constructed, many artists and staff reported sensing a benign but powerful “presence.” Some even joked about Gabe still inhabiting the space.
- Such stories became part of the theatre’s lore—sometimes playful, sometimes deeply meaningful, especially for Jenny.
3. Heather Christian’s Mystical Lineage & Her Ars Nova Experience
[12:43 - 16:35]
- Heather outlines her family’s history of “woo woo” women—migraines, musical talent, and mediumship, skipping her mother but affecting her, her grandmother, and great-grandmother.
- Upon her arrival at Ars Nova as a commissioned artist for what would become "Oratorio for Living Things," Heather experiences physical symptoms and an overpowering sense of “something else” in the writing loft.
- Unaware of Gabe’s story, Heather brings in palo santo to smudge the space, honoring the presence as a sacred rather than threatening entity.
“Sometimes when I’m writing a song, it feels like something else is talking to me… That's how it comes.”
—Heather Christian [14:17]
4. Artistic Collaboration Across the Veil
[17:24 - 18:38]
- Heather describes a pivotal moment: listening to Carmina Burana one day, she’s inspired to shape her work as a classical oratorio, and suddenly creative blockages dissolve.
- She feels both buoyed and pressured by a presence she likens to a demanding, opinionated guardian angel who pushes her to daring artistic heights—later revealed, shockingly, to be Gabe.
“Whatever this… spirit was that was in Ars Nova was like, yes, yes, yes. Let's go, let's go. Let's do classical music. Let's do it.”
—Heather Christian [17:54]
“For people listening in theater, that is like lightning speed.”
—Jenny Steingart [18:17]
5. The Night of the Oratorio—A Tangle of Synchronicities
[21:58 - 29:17]
- Jenny recounts attending "Oratorio for Living Things" and, notably, finding an inexplicable empty seat beside her in a sold-out house. She feels and smells Gabe’s distinct scent—a sign of his presence.
- The oratorio includes a prominent section on “entropy”—a word Gabe first introduced her to, and a concept linking cosmic and existential order and chaos.
- Additionally, a theme of sibling love runs through the piece, echoing Jenny and Gabe’s bond.
“I felt and smelled Gabe all of a sudden. And it was as if that empty seat was for Gabe and that he had come to watch it with me.”
—Jenny Steingart [28:25]
6. Postscript: Shared Realization of the “Haunting”
[34:55 - 39:31]
- The two artists discover, only after the performance and a further show by Heather ("Animal Wisdom"), the full overlap of their stories. Neither had told the other about their supernatural experiences with Gabe’s presence, leading both to a sense of awe at the “parallel” nature of their connection.
- Rather than fear, this haunting is depicted as playful and inspiring—a beneficent force sustaining Ars Nova’s mission.
“The idea that Gabe had a hand in some way, whether it was really just inspiration for Heather … I believe for all artists, they channel at times anyway.”
—Jenny Steingart [41:17]
7. The Nature of Artistic Channeling & Gabe’s Personality
[45:03 - 51:34]
- Rachel inquires if Heather ever felt direct creative transmission from Gabe. Heather shares that Gabe’s presence was more about emboldening her, demanding she own her talent and vision.
- Jenny confirms the accuracy of Heather’s sense of Gabe: “He did not suffer fools lightly ... He was full of opinions ... Really challenging in lots of ways.”
- Both recognize how rare it is for “nerds about Latin and physics and music” to find each other—implying the “match” was spirit-guided.
8. Epilogue: Fated Connections, Spirits, and Family Organs
[59:17 - 62:49]
- The hosts and guests marvel at the seemingly destined sequence of their collaboration. Jenny relates a parallel story of manifesting a stranger next to her on a plane: “What are the chances? … 100%.”
- A final jaw-dropping revelation: Heather grew up in a haunted house built by an organist; Jenny’s family managed a memorial organ concert series for Gabe in his honor. A “fated” connection is delightfully unearthed.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On turning grief into creation:
“It was a way of taking… the biggest lemonade stand you could find…”
—Jenny Steingart [06:37] -
On inherited 'Woo Woo':
“I am the next on a matrilineal line of migraine suffering musicians who all talk to dead people.”
—Heather Christian [13:32] -
On spirit collaboration in art:
“Sometimes when I’m writing a song, it feels like… something else is talking to me.”
—Heather Christian [14:17] -
On Gabe’s presence in the theater:
“It was as if that empty seat was for Gabe and that he had come to watch it with me.”
—Jenny Steingart [28:25] -
On the feeling of serendipity vs. fate:
“‘What are the chances that we would have been seated next to each other…?’ And she just looked at me and she went, 100%.”
—Jenny Steingart [57:42] -
On artistic bravery imposed by the spirit:
“There was something about Gabe's… channel was Gabe going, like, you're a big deal. …deal with it.”
—Heather Christian [47:25] -
On the “haunted” but inspiring Ars Nova building:
“It's never been like a scary thing. It's always been sort of a playful, comforting thing, I think.”
—Jenny Steingart [39:31]
Important Timestamps & Segments
| Timestamp | Segment/Quote | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:42 | Rachel introduces Jenny and Heather, origin story of Ars Nova | | 04:28 | Jenny's tribute and connection to brother Gabe | | 08:04 | Sensing Gabe's presence in Ars Nova | | 12:43 | Heather’s family lineage of mediums/migraines | | 16:35 | Heather brings palo santo, recognizes a spirit in the writing loft | | 17:54 | “Yes, yes, yes! Let’s go…”—Heather’s revelation and creative breakthrough | | 21:58 | Jenny attends Oratorio, finds inexplicable empty seat, feels Gabe’s presence | | 28:25 | “It was as if that empty seat was for Gabe…”—Jenny reflects on the moment | | 34:55 | Jenny & Heather realize the overlap of their “haunting” stories | | 41:17 | Art as channeling, artists as open receivers | | 47:25 | Heather describes Gabe’s spirit as assertive, creatively emboldening | | 53:43 | Shared sense of the fated connection/friendship | | 59:17 | 100% serendipity story from Jenny | | 60:37 | Shocking organist connection; Heather’s haunted childhood piano/organ story |
The Woo Woo Epilogue: Pendulum Readings
[66:00 - 68:53]
- Jenny and Heather both participate in the closing ritual—yes/no pendulum questions.
- Jenny asks, “Are people going to buy tickets to see Oratorio and Ginger Twinsies?” Both pendulums say yes.
- Heather asks if her parents will sell their notoriously haunted house next year; pendulums say yes, though the house’s history looms.
Takeaways & The Woo Woo Factor
- The conversation demonstrates how grief, creativity, family, and the supernatural intertwine—sometimes in ways that feel undeniably “meant to be.”
- Both Jenny’s and Heather’s stories reinforce the idea that art can act as a vessel for things—people, feelings, even spirits—that persist beyond the veil.
- The episode’s tone skillfully balances skepticism and openness, humor and awe—capturing the ethos of “Woo Woo” perfectly.
Where to Experience the Magic
- Oratorio for Living Things returns to Signature Theater (previews from Sept 30, opens Oct 16, runs through Thanksgiving).
- Ginger Twinsies runs at the Orpheum Theater, offering comic counterpoint to the oratorio’s profundity.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re an ardent skeptic or spiritual seeker, this episode offers a moving meditation on how the presence of lost loved ones—and the mysterious currents of the universe—can continue to inspire, provoke, and sustain art and life. Both funny and deeply touching, this is a must-listen for anyone who’s lost someone, made something beautiful out of grief, or just likes their podcasts with a healthy dose of the unexplainable.