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Next Act with Jeff Ornstein
A designer exploring a new path in acting and Hollywood. Join Jeff Ornstein as he shares personal experiences, lessons learned, and conversations with others making big career shifts in the entertainment industry. Practical insights, honest stories, no fluff, just the journey of breaking into a new world.
Next Act with Jeff Ornstein
Douglas Chang – Emmy Award-Winning Producer & Director, PEAK Performances
Douglas Chang has spent over two decades bringing the performing arts to millions, from Emmy-winning productions like Live from Lincoln Center’s Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thompson to PBS specials and cutting-edge dance performances at Montclair State’s PEAK Performances. On this episode of Next Act with Jeff Ornstein, Douglas shares his non-linear career journey, the “happy accidents” that shaped his path, and how his experience across theater, dance, film, and television has honed his creative instincts. He also opens up about his new work as a playwright, including the Charles M. New Play Award-winning drama Burr, and shares his vision for future projects that explore American life and culture through the performing arts.
Tune in to hear Douglas reflect on risk-taking, creative intuition, and the joy of storytelling in every medium.
00:00:00 – 00:00:27
Jeff Ornstein:
Okay. Today we're joined by Emmy Award-winning producer and director Douglas Chang from Live from Lincoln Center, star-studded Sweeney Todd with Emma Thompson and Bryn Truffle, to PBS specials like Salute to Service with the U.S. Army Field Band, to capturing cutting-edge dance and theater at Montclair State’s PEAK Performances. Douglas has spent two decades finding inventive, equitable ways to bring the performing arts to millions on public television and beyond.
00:00:27 – 00:00:36
Douglas Chang:
He's an award-winning playwright. His drama Burr just took home the 2025 Charles M. New Play Award. Douglas, welcome to the show.
00:00:36 – 00:00:38
Douglas Chang:
Thank you, Jeff.
00:00:38 – 00:01:06
Jeff Ornstein:
Thank you. I got to tell you, we're so excited you agreed to come on and speak with us because you embody exactly what this podcast is about—people who take on different endeavors across their careers, and the summation of all those endeavors becomes the springboard for what comes next. You’ve had such a rich fabric of experiences, and I’m delighted to learn more about them from you.
00:01:08 – 00:01:25
Jeff Ornstein:
Can you talk about a happy accident in your career?
00:01:25 – 00:03:02
Douglas Chang:
Oh, there are so many happy accidents, and some unhappy accidents that turned out to be happy. I started thinking I was going to work on stage and behind the camera. My family loved theater and movies, but we had little context for the industries, so I felt my way through, made mistakes, bounced around, worked for documentary film companies, which led me to PBS, Hollywood, Los Angeles, then back to New York, where I started filming a jazz-musician fiction film. One day I got a call from the new executive producer of Live from Lincoln Center—what started as freelance work turned into a producer role, and I tried my best to earn it.
00:03:02 – 00:03:32
Jeff Ornstein:
Was Sweeney Todd one of the projects you worked on there?
00:03:05 – 00:03:46
Douglas Chang:
Yes, it was. I was there eight years, filming 6–8 shows a year, ranging from dance, theater, concerts like the Philharmonic, chamber music, and cabaret. It was a wonderful place to land, working with some of the greatest artists in the world.
00:03:46 – 00:04:22
Jeff Ornstein:
Obviously, you rose to the occasion. Your career path seems non-linear, which is exciting because it shows you didn’t become sedentary but instead expanded into new creative endeavors.
00:04:22 – 00:05:01
Douglas Chang:
I’ve always been drawn to classic theater, dance, music, but also wanted to find new ways of presenting things. My career feels like a performance art piece, where I’ve marched into situations I wasn’t sure about, sometimes falling, sometimes finding opportunities I had to figure out.
00:05:01 – 00:06:16
Jeff Ornstein:
Fortune favors the bold. Is there a project of yours that you felt deserved more recognition than it got?
00:06:16 – 00:09:04
Douglas Chang:
I was Emmy-nominated twice. Winning for Sweeney Todd was satisfying, but the other nomination, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, felt magical. Everything clicked—the artists, the music, the direction. It was a concert production with immense creativity. We were the “little guy” compared to larger productions like Olympic ceremonies or award shows, but the experience itself was immensely rewarding.
00:09:04 – 00:11:06
Jeff Ornstein:
You’ve worked across opera, dance, film, television. Did any medium sharpen your instincts more than the others?
00:09:58 – 00:11:06
Douglas Chang:
I learn by combining elements from each. Theater is musical, dance is like moving photography, and cinema is about juxtaposition. My checkered career allowed me to combine all of these to create something emotionally moving.
00:11:06 – 00:11:40
Jeff Ornstein:
Tell us about winning the Charles M. New Play Award for your play Burr.
00:11:19 – 00:13:03
Douglas Chang:
During a rough patch at Lincoln Center and the COVID shutdown, I started writing plays again. Burr is a fictionalized meditation on Harper Lee’s life and legacy. Winning the award from the Southeastern Theater Conference, with their focus on Southern voices, was a great surprise and joy.
00:13:03 – 00:14:39
Jeff Ornstein:
Harper Lee was private—was your research challenging?
00:13:11 – 00:14:32
Douglas Chang:
Yes, but it was fascinating. I fictionalized her story to explore the themes she touched on, including her impact on literature and society. It also resonated with my own scattered career, giving me a sense of connection.
00:14:39 – 00:16:05
Jeff Ornstein:
What’s your next project?
00:14:45 – 00:16:05
Douglas Chang:
I aim to create series and plays representing the challenges everyday Americans face, highlighting periods from Kennedy to Reagan. I want to give people a sense of agency and representation in the arts.
00:16:05 – 00:16:53
Jeff Ornstein:
Theater used to be about escapism, but your work brings social issues to the forefront. You’re well-positioned to tell stories that resonate deeply. I’m impressed and grateful for your insights.
00:16:53
Douglas Chang:
Thank you very much, Jeff.
