Breaking Broadway with Kerry Butler

In this episode we talk to Sammi Cannold about her journey to becoming a director - from putting on shows with shampoo bottles as a kid, to going to Stanford to study theater, to landing on Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in Hollywood and Entertainment list. Listen to Sammi discuss what she looks for at auditions, her process as a director, and the fresh take she’s been bringing to the industry through site-specific musical theater. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @kerrybutler1. For coaching and teaching, visit my website at kerrybutlercoach.com or email me at [email protected]. Learn more about Sammi: Twitter: @sammicannold Instagram: @sammi.cannold sammicannold.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features more of my conversation with my friend from Beetlejuice, Presley Ryan, and her mom Kim about getting into the business as a kid and what it’s like being the youngest person in the room. We also have some VERY special guests. Spoiler alert - it’s my parents! This episode is for all the child and teen actors out there (and your parents!) As always, you can follow me on Instagram @kerrybutler1. For coaching and teaching, visit my website at kerrybutlercoach.com or email me at [email protected]. Follow Presley @prezryan and learn more at prezryan.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I ask my friend from Beetlejuice, Presley Ryan, and her mom Kim all about getting into the business as a kid and what it’s like being the youngest person in the room. This episode is for all the child and teen actors out there (and your parents!) As always, you can follow me on Instagram @kerrybutler1. For coaching and teaching, visit my website at kerrybutlercoach.com or email me at [email protected]. Follow Presley @prezryan and learn more at prezryan.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we're joined by Schele Williams, director of the upcoming revival of AIDA. We explore looking at the world and theater through a post-COVID lens, talk about her children’s book Your Legacy, in which she looks at slavery through a new lens - and as always we get some great audition advice. Follow me on Instagram @kerrybutler1. For coaching and teaching, visit my website at www.kerrybutlercoach.com or email me at [email protected]. Learn more about Schele Williams on Instagram: @schelewilliams @yourlegacybook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue our interview with Kaitlin Hopkins from Bat Boy fame and currently the head of the Musical Theatre program at Texas State University. In this episode she talks about the mental wellness program that she founded and shares with universities around the world. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @kerrybutler1. For coaching and teaching, visit my website at www.kerrybutlercoach.com or email me at [email protected]. Learn more about Kaitlin: IG: @Hopkinskaitlin kaitlinhopkins.net LivingMentalWellness.com FontusDryMouth.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask and you shall receive! This episode is all about going to college for theater. Kaitlin Hopkins created the BFA Musical Theatre program at Texas State University, ranked in the top 10 musical theatre programs in the nation. She also starred as my mom in Bat Boy - “Shelly nooooo!” (Insider joke). Kaitlin shares great insight and information on the college admissions process and tells you everything you can get from a theater education. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @kerrybutler1. For coaching and teaching, visit my website at www.kerrybutlercoach.com or email me at [email protected]. Learn more about Kaitlin: IG: @Hopkinskaitlin kaitlinhopkins.net LivingMentalWellness.com FontusDryMouth.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turn those no’s into yes’s and make your own work. Scott Coulter tells us how he started his own company spot-on entertainment, and now produces concerts around the country. He explains how you can use your voice and passion for performing in other ways outside of broadway. Learn how to take control of your career the way Scott did. Resources mentioned in this episode Spot-On Entertainment Feinstein's/54 Below Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded LIVE at BroadwayCon 2020 Find singing jobs while you wait for your broadway break; or create your own door to broadway through cabaret and concert work. Sierra is such a positive force in this world! The topic is concert work, but we really discuss finding your purpose, and living the life you were meant to live. She speaks my language, I loved having her as a guest! Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the episode I have been waiting for. If the doors to Broadway aren’t opening for you, find a window! YouTube sensation Todrick Hall is so inspiring. He talks about how he created his own opportunities using social media. Learn how to make social media open your window to Broadway!! Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you get in on the ground level of a new Broadway Show? Readings and workshops for no money of course! Think of it as an investment. We have Joey Mazzarino and Aron Arcurso on talking about the process of creating their new show Seeing Red, and how people can get cast in readings and workshops. Joey is an award winning writer, director and puppeteer. Worked on Sesame Street for twenty five years, and is currently writing on Kidding starring Jim Carrey. Spoiler alert- he is my husband and wrote this show for me. Aron is also an award winning writer snd composer. He has been the musical director, arranger, and conductor for many broadway shows- currently working on Aladdin. Resources mentioned in this episode Broadway Inspirational Voices BMI workshop @iamallenlouis Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Caplan is one of the most sought after vocal teachers in New York. She is even hired by broadway shows to help the company. We discuss how to do 8 shows a week healthily and even give you all the tricks on how to sing over a cold, or tears or even scream on stage. Ever wonder how Ben Platt sang that song at the end of Dear Evan Hansen while sobbing? Tune in to this episode! Resources mentioned in this episode Dr. Dahl App Store app: Liz Caplan Vocal Coach Cures for voice and inflammation Ester C Garlic Navage Netty pot Zycam Apple cider vinegar Oregano oil Peppermint oil Sinu-orega Cucumber- cantaloupe Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award winning director Alex Timbers whose work is currently represented in three broadway shows- Beetlejuice, Moulin Rouge and American Utopia gives audition advice, and tells what he looks for in actors. Resources mentioned in this episode Williamstown Theater Festival Vassar New York stage and film Berkshire Theater Festival ARS NOVA Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) The Flea Theatre Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the best song to sing for your audition? Seth Rudetsky helps to find the right song and 16 bar cut. He also gives great advice on performing the song, and his audition pet peeves. Resources mentioned in this episode Seth’s Twitter and Instagram accounts Seths Broadway cruises Sarah Lazarus Oberlin Faith Prince - Also Teaches The Town Hall - Seth’s Sirius XM show Volunteer singing - Hearts and Voices Jack Plotnick affirmations Michael Lavine YouTube Ed Sullivan Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barrett Weed gives insight into how to deal with anxiety and the nerves that go along with auditioning and performing. Connect with Barrett via Instagram: @barrettweed Resources mentioned in this episode Elon College Walnut Hill Opera Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actress & coach Annie Meisels gives advice on how to get voice work: voice overs, cartoons, audiobooks, and video games to help pay the bills while you wait for your big break on Broadway. Connect with Annie on IG: @AnnieMeisels or via email: Annie [at] apowerfulvoice.net. Resources mentioned in this episode Garage Band Audacity Ithaca College Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are EPA’s and how do you find them. This episode we discuss the actors union Equity and whether or not you should join, how to find auditions, and advice from choreographer/actress Jen Cody on how to stand out in dance calls. Connect with Jennifer Cody Jen Cody is an actress, leader, and Disney princess. She is “Maggie” on Mickey And The Roadster Racers. She began dancing at an early age before studying acting at Fredonia State University. She and her husband, actor and occasional co-star Hunter Foster, still maintain that show live in New York City. She also happens to be the 2nd Vice President of Actors Equity Association. Twitter: @jen__cody Connect with Margot Margot Plum originally wanted to be a dermatologist, but after seeing her first Broadway show, Beauty and the Beast, it was all singing and dancing from that point onward. It soon became a vehicle for her to unite theatre goers who didn’t expect to walk away with a deeper understanding of empathy, sensitivity, and the world around them. As someone literally breaking into the business right now, Kerry will check in with Margot from time to time to get her advice, and hear her stories. IG: @margyplum Online: www.margotplum.com/ Theaters mentioned in this episode Music Theater North Wagner College Opening Doors Production Red House Theater in Syracuse Theaterworks USA Resources mentioned in this episode Backstage Playbill Actors Access Disney Cruise & Disney World auditions Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Breaking Broadway we welcome award winning broadway casting director Rachel Hoffman. She works at one of the top casting offices in NY, working at Telsey and Co, who has cast hundreds of broadway shows. This season alone, Rachel is represented on broadway in Beetlejuice, Frozen and Come From Away. Rachel gives great advice on everything from headshots to how to approach auditions. I actually learned the most from this episode! Resources mentioned in this episode Telsey and Co website Telsey and Co IG: @telseyandco Telsey and Co Facebook Rachel Hoffman CSA, has worked in casting since 1999. Current and upcoming Broadway and Tours include Beetlejuice, Frozen, Come From Away (for which she won an Artios Award), Diana, and MJ. Past Broadway/Touring productions: Escape to Margaritaville, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, An American In Paris, The Sound of Music, Memphis, Bring It On, Hands On A Hardbody (Artios Award), First Date, Rock of Ages, Spider-Man, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Regional/Off-Broadway productions include: The Bedwetter (Atlantic Theater Company; upcoming), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (The New Group), Becoming Nancy (Alliance Theatre), Love In Hate Nation (Two River Theatre), Found (Atlantic Theater Company), Brigadoon, The Music Man, and The Jungle Book (Goodman Theatre), Guys & Dolls and Candide (Carnegie Hall), and The Great American Mousical (directed by Julie Andrews at the Goodspeed Opera House), Bat Boy: the Musical (Off Broadway production), Altar Boyz, and Godspell (2000 Off-Broadway Revival). Regionally, she casts productions for Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York Stage & Film, La Jolla Playhouse, The Goodman Theatre, St. Louis Muny, and the Paper Mill Playhouse. She previously served on the board of the Casting Society of America, and is currently a faculty member at Ball State University, at the University of Michigan’s summer musical theatre program MPulse, and the Broadway Dreams Foundation. She received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features Riza Takahashi, who gives us tips on how to book a Broadway show from an open call! Riza is a New York based actor/singer/dancer who can currently be seen as “Sophie Kawachi” in the ensemble of “Mean Girls” at the August Wilson theatre. Originally from Itami, a small town outside the city limits of Osaka in Japan, Riza fell in love with musical theatre at a young age. The idea of someday performing on Broadway quickly became an all-encompassing dream. After years of hard work and exhausting all the performing opportunities in her hometown, she realized if she wanted to make her dream a reality she would have to learn English and eventually make her way to North America. At the age of 16 she said goodbye to her family in Japan and landed in Langley, British Colombia. She was accepted into a Canadian Performing Arts High School where she taught herself English and was able to concentrate on her training. After high school, she went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School in Connecticut. Resources mentioned in this episode Riza’s Instagram: @rizatakahashi Find Equity chorus call The MUNY Pasadena playhouse 5th Ave Theatre Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manager Jen Namoff of Soffer/Namoff Entertainment and Talent Agent Tim Marshall (who is actually Kerry's agent!) join Kerry for this first episode to answer the question she is asked most on Instagram - "How do I get an agent?" This episode covers what both Jen and Tim look for when looking for new clients as well as providing additional insider tips and tricks to help you find representation. Resources mentioned in this episode Actor's Connection - https://www.actorsconnection.com/ One on One - https://www.oneononenyc.com/ IMDB Pro - https://pro.imdb.com Produced by Dori Berinstein and Alan Seales A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder how to break into the business of Broadway? From how to get an agent to how to navigate open calls, we cover it all. This podcast is an insider’s roadmap to making it on Broadway. Kerry Butler is a Tony nominated actress who made her Broadway debut in 1993 in Blood Brothers, before starring in shows such as Beauty and the Beast, Le Mis, Hairspray, Little Shop, Xanadu, Rock of Ages, Catch Me If You Can, Disaster!, and Mean Girls. She has numerous on screen credits such as 30 Rock, Cupid, The Mindy Project, Blue Bloods, and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. She is now staring as Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice on Broadway. Connect with me online:Instagram: @kerrybutler1Twitter: @kerrybutlernycBroadwayPodcastNetwork.com/BreakingBroadway Produced by Alan Seales and Dori Berinstein. A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices