The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

When he’s not pursuing his dreams onstage, this performer spends his spare time translating musicals like Hamilton from English to Japanese, on a mission to bridge the gap between Japanese and American musical theater audiences. Gen Parton-Shin is a Japanese-British actor who made his professional debut as Angel in the Official Japanese cast of Rent in 2008. While pursuing his dreams in the US, he furthered his career with leading roles in Japan's official Broadway productions of next to normal (Gabe), Dracula (Jonathan), Bare (Jason), and Rocky Horror Show (Rocky). Gen also played the lead role in an original Japanese musical Mitsuko ~Love Crosses All Borders~ in 2010, composed by Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll and Hyde, The Civil War). He has been a part of numerous musical/play readings in NYC, including Other World (directed by Gabriel Barr and written by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen of Title of Show), off-Broadway’s K-pop, and Mafatu (produced by Broadway veteran Telly Leung). He co-founded a company called Broadway in Japan, which introduced Broadway musical theatre faculty to Japanese aspiring musical theatre performers, offering invaluable education opportunities in Japan. Gen has also appeared on TV, including roles on Season 4 of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and The Other Two on Comedy Central. In addition, Gen has self-produced three solo cabaret shows, and in the latest one he translated and performed “My Shot” from Hamilton in Japanese. During our conversation, Gen describes his musical theater journey which has taken him from the stages of Japan, to those of New York. He shares that while performing in Japan, he wasn’t always satisfied with the translations they were given to work with; thus sparking his drive and desire to see if he could do the job himself. Gen has now translated about three fifths of Hamilton into Japanese, comparing the process to completing a puzzle which he really enjoys. He also shares that one of his life missions is “to bridge Japan and the U.S.”, which he has begun to do with his foray into translation, hoping to make American musical theater easier for Japanese audiences to listen to and process. In this episode, we talk about: Why he identifies as a Third Culture Kid Completing the One-Year Conservatory program at T. Schreiber Studio on a tourist visa How he was inspired to start translating musicals into Japanese The intricacies of translating English to Japanese Why he thinks musical theater is so popular in Japan Takarazuka Revue - the all female musical theater troupe in Japan Connect with Gen and watch two of his Hamilton translations: Watch Hamilton's "My Shot" Watch Hamilton's "Helpless" Check out 35mm, A Musical Exhibition IG: @GenPartonShin Twitter: @GenPartonShin Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From The Land Down Under to The Big Apple, this singer-songwriter, pianist, writer and comedian just released his new album, Beetlejuice: The Demos! The Demos! The Demos!, and is showing other Australians that it’s possible to make the leap and find yourself working on a Broadway musical (or two). Eddie Perfect is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, comedian, writer and actor. He is now also a Tony Award Nominee after receiving a nomination for best original score for Beetlejuice the musical. During the same season, Eddie also wrote songs and vocal arrangements for King Kong on Broadway. Eddie is a four time nominee and two time Helpmann Award winner for his work in Australia. In 2009, his biographical musical comedy Shane Warne: The Musical won the 2009 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work. This production also received a Victorian Premier's Literary Award and a Green Room Award. Eddie has recorded solo albums and written and performed in numerous cabaret shows, including Songs from the Middle with the Brodsky Quartet. Following his songwriting career on Broadway, Eddie returned to Australia where he waits to star as Franklin Hart Jr. in Dolly Parton's musical 9 to 5 once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. And most recently he released his fifth album, Beetle Juice: The demos! The demos! The demos!, a new album of demos created for his Tony-nominated score to Beetlejuice. The album also contains 17 cut songs that will be new to everyone's ears. During our conversation, Eddie candidly talks about his process for creating. He describes “kind of a weird trance I go into when I make stuff, where I really think about what it would be like to be in the audience watching it.” He focuses on what he wants an audience to think, feel, or learn in a particular moment. Reflecting on the process for Beetlejuice, Eddie shares that he wrote the opening number for the show over a 5 year period. He also recalls it was during their first previews that Beetlejuice really started building it’s cult like fan base. And it was this fanbase that served as some of the inspiration behind releasing the Beetlejuice demos in the first place. Eddie was blown away by the unique creative responses many fans of the show have had, saying he’s “never experienced anything like that.” His new demo album serves to broaden the universe of Beetlejuice a little bit “for those fans that do really riff off the work.” In the episode, we talk about: The intense Beetlejuice fandom The Beetlejuice preview when they knew the show had struck a chord with people Reading the reviews of the original 1988 film to cheer them up after their DC reviews Australia being an importer of Broadway shows Being in a period of his life now where he is confident with his writing and his process Working with the cast and creatives of Beetlejuice Juggling work on Beetlejuice and King Kong simultaneously Connect with Eddie: Listen to Beetlejuice: The Demos! The Demos! The Demos! @TheEddiePerfect on Twitter @EdmundPerfect on IG Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Riedel is an American theater critic, broadcaster, and columnist. He has been a controversial yet very influential Broadway columnist in the NY post for over 20 years. Michael is also the co-host of “Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning” on 710 WOR in New York City, weekdays from 6-10am. Michael’s book Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway won the 2015 Marfield Prize for arts writing and is widely considered to be the successor to The Season, William Goldman's classic 1967 book about Broadway. His next book, Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, arrived November 10, 2020. Get the book here: https://amzn.to/3jXpHhz. During our conversation, Michael shares how he carved a unique path for himself as both a critic and columnist - how he managed to be a reporter, as well as get his opinion out there. Being a traditional critic, seeing show after show and writing reports, never appealed to him. Rather, he enjoyed hanging out with theater people and getting to know them, “collecting the gossip, and putting it all together”. After life as a columnist, or a “sprinter” in his words, Michael opens up about the initial doubts and panic he had about writing his first book. And that it was during all of the research and interviews when he discovered the narrative he wanted to share, and found joy in putting together all the pieces of the puzzle. Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway has since received interest from TV networks. Michael also takes us through the inspiration and story behind his newest book "Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway", chronicling Broadway through the 90’s and its recovery after September 11th, 2001 - illustrating how Broadway rallied and “showed the world that New York could not be brought to its knees”. In this episode, we talk about: The story behind Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, and the forward he added in light of COVID-19 How Rent ushered in a new era of broadway after years of British dominance Fixing Alan Rickman’s air conditioner while working for Elizabeth I. McCann Maintaining friendships and relationships with people you’ve written about How he conducted interviews for his newest book Seeing The Lion King for the first time, recalling “pandemonium” in the theater His writing process Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeanna de Waal originated the title role of Diana, Princess of Wales in Diana at La Jolla Playhouse and at the New York Stage and Film Powerhouse Theatre reading at Vassar College. Her previous Broadway credits include starring as Lauren in Kinky Boots and Heather in American Idiot. Jeanna originated the role of Dawn in the A.R.T. production of Waitress by Sara Bareilles, and the role of Mary Barrie in the A.R.T. production of Finding Neverland, both directed by Diane Paulus. She has previously appeared off-Broadway in Orwell in America at 59E59 Theatre, and played Chris Hargensen in MCC Theatre's reimagined production of Broadway's Carrie. Other notable credits include her West End debut in the Queen musical We Will Rock You, Glinda in the National Tour of Wicked and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show at The Old Globe. In addition to the stage, she can be seen in the recurring role of Sophia in the Netflix/Marvel series Iron Fist. Jeanna is also an amazing entrepreneur, and is the founder Broadway Weekends, the first theater camp for adults led by Broadway performers. Amid the COVID-19 shutdown, her company pivoted and became Broadway Weekends At Home. They continue to host theater classes virtually for people of all ages. Nonetheless, performing was surely in the stars for Jeanna. Her first professional job out of school was the Queen musical We Will Rock You on the West End. During this production, Jeanna became friends with cast members of Broadway's Hair, in London at the time, and simultaneously she finally received her green card. Suddenly she knew it was time to go to New York. Jeanna shares with us the journey that took her from attending open calls in Times Square, landing her her Broadway debut role in American Idiot, to working consistently from the time she was 21 to 27 years old. Jeanna later opens up about leaving Kinky Boots behind, and her commitment to booking a show in which she could originate a lead role. It was during this period of down time, when she was without a schedule and a “purpose”, that she was inspired to found Broadway Weekends with her sister. These days, the classroom may be virtual (temporarily), but until Diana is able to open on Broadway next year, Jeanna is getting a kick out of bringing to others all the things she gained from her own education in theater - friendships, freedom to trust your body, self-confidence, camaraderie, and more. In this episode, we talk about: The inspiration and motivation for founding Broadway Weekends Growing up in England and attending a performing arts boarding school What attracted her to theater in the first place Her journey from performing on the West End, to her Broadway debut Re-discovering her purpose and self worth after leaving Kinky Boots The spiritual nature of theater Her journey so far with Diana, the new musical Connect with Jeanna: IG: @thebigdewaal Twitter: @thebigdewaal BroadwayWeekends Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hailed by the New York Times for her “attractive soprano voice,” and for having “total control of the stage,” (Broadway World) coloratura soprano Meghan Picerno currently stars as Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. In 2017 Meghan collaborated with legendary director Hal Prince as Cunegonde in his production of Candide at the New York City Opera. She quickly became one of the most sought-after Cunegondes in the world and reprised the role at San Francisco Symphony, Princeton Symphony, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Meghan next took on the role of Christine Daae in the US Premiere and 1st National Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies. She has represented Andrew Looyd Webber’s body of work by special invitation in performances on the ITV Television broadcast of the Classic BRIT Awards in 2018, making her Royal Albert Hall debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a guest appearance on the Live at Chelsea Concert Series honoring his 70th birthday. After Love Never Dies, Meghan joined The Phantom of the Opera family as Christine on the World Tour, premiering the iconic piece in Tel Aviv, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. This past fall she made her Broadway debut as leading lady, Christine Daae, in The Phantom of the Opera, and was hailed as one the Top Broadway replacements of 2019 by BroadwayBox. Like many people during COVID-19, Meghan is back home spending time with her parents. In this episode she shares how she dealt with the initial blow when Broadway was shut down - finding herself in a bit of an identity crisis not being able perform and sing, the one she thing she loves more than anything else in the world. She talks candidly about coming out the other side, and feeling now like she is awake again - “it’s kind of magical,” she shares. Meghan also takes us on the whirlwind journey that began by meeting Hal Prince and landing a leading role in Candide, to touring with Love Never Dies and Phantom of the Opera as Christine, to making her Broadway debut in The Phantom of the Opera this past fall. Until the curtains on Broadway rise again, she is finding time to give back and help people, “one part of theater” she really loves, by hosting workshops, master classes, and private voice lessons, and getting inspired by her students. In this episode, we talk about: Adapting to the new virtual normal as a performer Music as an emotional outlet The plans she has for her future Working for Renee Fleming in grad school Her time living and studying in Vienna, Austria Competing in Plácido Domingo's Operalia, The World Opera Competition Working with Hal Prince, and Andrew Lloyd Webber Connect with Meghan: IG: @meghanpicerno On the web: https://www.meghanpicerno.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Veneziale, also known by his stage name ‘Two-Touch’, is the conceiver and co-creator of the improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group Freestyle Love Supreme, as well as the FLS Academy. He has been performing and teaching improv for more than 20 years and is a leader in the field of musical improvisation. Anthony has used these techniques for endeavors with names such as Tommy Kail, Lin Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, and numerous others. He co-founded Speechless Inc, an “an improv thinking company that helps humans create, collaborate, and find their authentic voice”. For several years Anthony has worked with, and been involved in studies by, Dr. Charles Limb out of UCSF Sandler Center, who is renowned for his research on brain activity during musical improvisation. Anthony was most recently seen on Broadway in the limited run of Freestyle Love Supreme, and has appeared on TV in Sex and the City, All My Children, Looking, Bartlett, and the Hulu documentary We Are Freestlye Love Supreme, which documents the groups 15 year history. Never once did Anthony think he could make a living out of doing improv. But, he says, “I loved it so much that I continued to do it until people paid me for it”. During our conversation, Anthony reiterates how interested he is in the affects improvising has on people's brains. This is evident in his creation of and work with the companies Speechless Inc., and Freestyle Love Academy. Even more so, he is interested in the affects improv can have on a community. In their classes at FLS Academy, they work to create an environment where people feel authentically themselves, where they are seen and recognized as their authentic selves, and are then able to encourage others to do the same. Improv has proved to be “a fabulous tool to help people do that”. Anthony also shares more on the work he has been a part of with Dr. Charles Limb, who uses an fMRI machine to create 3D models of the brain, and identify when subjects are in a “flow state”. For some, this flow state is a “runner’s high” while running, and for others, improv is the key. In this episode, we talk about: The parts of the brain associated with a “flow state” Discovering hip hop music when he was 10 years old Auditioning for his college improv troupe How he got his stage name, Two Touch The mission and work of Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, and Speechless Inc. How isolation during COVID affects our brains Alan and Anthony play an improv game called Convergence Connect with Anthony: IG: @freestylelovesupreme, @FLS_Academy Twitter: @AnthVeneziale, @freestylelove, @FLS_Academy Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to a quick discussion about the 74th annual Tony Award nominations that were announced yesterday for the shortened 2019-2020 Broadway season. While COVID-19 and the resulting Broadway shutdown did ensure that shows like SIX, Company, and Sing Street would not yet see their opening nights, the shows that were able to make the eligibility cutoff - Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, Tina, and a handful more were each able to walk away with a hefty number of nominations. Slave Play, with its 12 nominations, just became the most nominated play ever. Special guest co-host Lauren LeBeouf joins me for this quick episode to discuss what the nominations mean to us, the possible complete lack of a 2020-2021 season, and so much more. Find complete info about The Tony Awards via TonyAwards.com. Connect with Lauren IG: @LaurenLeBeouf IG: @stuck_theseries Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isabella Rossellini is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, filmmaker and model. She is the daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini. A Golden Globe and Emmy award nominee, she started out her career as a successful model, appearing on the covers of numerous magazines such as Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. She is also noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme model and spokesperson. Isabella has worked as an actress in films directed by extraordinary talents such as Robert Zemeckis, David O’Russell, and David Lynch, to name a few. Some of her most notable American films include Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, White Nights, Cousins, Death Becomes Her, Fearless, Big Night, Crime of the Century (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), and most recently, Joy. She has also appeared Off Broadway in many performances. Isabella holds a masters degree in animal behavior and conservation, which has lent itself to her many award winning short films about animals and sex. Her latest project, Sex and Consequences, follows suit as a one-of-a-kind, 40-minute comedy about biodiversity and the multiple ways animals reproduce, which will be live-streamed from her farm 60 miles outside New York City beginning October 16th. During our conversation, Isabella gives us an in depth look on how her hit series Green Porno came about. Robert Redford had been re-inspired by short films, and reached out to a series of people in his universe about creating films focused on the environment for the Sundance channel. She remembers having a light bulb moment - she could make a “very comical” film by transforming herself into different animals and showing how they mate. Thus, Green Porno, a series of short films on animal sexual behavior, was born. She credits her time studying costume design with giving her the ability to envision the costumes for each animal. And her newest show, Sex and Consequences, will explore similar ideas. With in person live performances limited due to COVID, Isabella is hoping to reconnect with audiences through her live-streamed Zoom performance, a method that many singers and musicians have found success with during this time. Although Isabella’s family is Hollywood royalty, to her her parents are still “Mama’ and “Father.” And towards the end of our conversation, Isabella reflects on the gift they gave to her and her siblings - “If our parents gave us a gift it was to always try to do what was interesting to us… It was always try to, follow your curiosity, follow your interest… They did and we’re doing it too. In this episode, we talk about: How an interest in short films, and the advent of YouTube, provided an opening for Green Porno The reason she enjoys exploring sexuality in her work The makings of Sex and Consequences What appeals to her about storytelling How her parents, Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, met and fell in love, and the way Hollywood reacted Celebrity in Europe versus America Her thoughts on working for, being let go by, and being re-hired by Lancôme How the ideas of self expression and beauty have changed over the years Connect with Isabella: IG: @isabellarossellini Get tickets for SEX AND CONSEQUENCES Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amber Ardolino is a dancer, singer and actress who made her Broadway debut in Hamilton, and was also in the original Chicago company. She is currently part of the Broadway cast of Moulin Rouge!. Amber has previously been seen as Mopsa in Head Over Heels on Broadway, Sherrie in Rock of Ages in Las Vegas, as well as on national tours of Flashdance, West Side Story, Legally Blonde, and both the Philip and Eliza tours of Hamilton. She recently sang a duet with former Head Over Heels co-star Bonnie Milligan on the new concept album Within Earshot, a new musical with music and lyrics by Jackson Teeley, and a book by Sarah Galante. The album is now available on all streaming platforms. When Broadway returns, Amber will reprise her roles in Moulin Rouge! as a swing, and the understudy for Satine, Arabia, and Baby Doll. Amber covers 10 tracks in Moulin Rouge! including Satine, Arabia, Baby Doll, La Chocolate, and the Can-Can girls. During our conversation, Amber delves into what life is like as a swing, revealing that she started covering La Chocolate after someone was injured on stage, and that when she actually made her initial Moulin Rouge! debut, she went out in a costume she had tried on once, wearing no make-up, and her hair thrown up into a wig. If it sounds chaotic, it’s because it can be. But Amber says that’s kind of the most exciting part and what she enjoys most about swinging, “you could go on at any moment.” She also gets candid with us about what life has been like as a performer during the pandemic, sharing there was a moment when for the first time ever, she doubted being in musical theater. But after opening up about her experience with anxiety and depression, she shares that the most important thing this pandemic has taught her is how important it is to take care of yourself. In this episode, we talk about: Building stamina as a swing Being on stage with Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo Her decision to pursue musical theater Creating content on instagram, and why she loves TikTok Being authentic on social media Spending 3 years performing with Hamilton The Within Earshot concept album Her experience navigating depression and anxiety Connect with Amber: Listen to Within Earshot IG: @amberardolino Twitter: @ArdolinoAmber Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Lloyd Young is a multi-award winning performer, who originated the role of Frankie Valli in Broadway’s Jersey Boys. He is the only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Theatre World Award for a Broadway debut. John also starred in Jersey Boys on London’s West End, and was hand-picked by director Clint Eastwood to reprise his role in the Warner Bros. film adaptation. As a concert artist he has played to sold-out crowds at the Hollywood Bowl and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, Café Carlyle, and with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. John served as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, appointed by Barack Obama, and as a member of the Committee, Young represented the United States on the first U.S. Cultural Mission to the Republic of Cuba. John’s five-star-rated solo album of classic R&B, My Turn..., debuted as a best-seller on Amazon. And next up, he can be seen online when his concert “John Lloyd Young’s Broadway” streams live from The Space in Las Vegas on October 3rd. Throughout our conversation, John comes back to the importance of and the reverence he has always had for what he believes to be the most important element of a Broadway show - the audience. What he has learned to be true is if you invest in your audience, they’ll stay and be with you even in hard times. John shares how he found other creative outlets in the “dicey years” after Jersey Boys ended, and hopes that when the smoke from the pandemic clears, and audiences and performers alike are allowed back inside theatres, “hopefully we’ll be a little more humble and appreciate the privilege” of being able to be creative for a living. In this episode, we talk about: Working on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities under Barack Obama The importance of investing in your audience as a performer What he’d like his return to Broadway to look like The choices you have when you get pigeon-holed as a particular role The moment when he knew Jersey Boys would be a hit The lessons he hopes creatives will take away from this pandemic His visual arts career Connect with JLY: IG @JohnLloydYoung Twitter: @GenuineJLY JohnLLoydYoung.com/live (to get tix to his events!) Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mo Brady is a jack of all trades - a broadway actor turned social media specialist turned podcaster. After working for many years as a performer in Seattle, Washington, Mo made his Broadway debut in The Addams Family musical in 2010. He later landed work as a recurring character on the second season of the NBC TV hit show Smash. These days, Mo works as the Communications Project Manager for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, and continues to host a wildly popular podcast, which he also co-created, called The Ensemblist. Amassing a following over the years, The Ensemblist has become an “online advocate for the talented artists working in theatre ensembles.” Now boasting not only a podcast, but a website and a social presence as well, they are “creating conversations about what it means to be a successful artist in the theatre.” Mo spent a few years working as a full time performer in Seattle, including in shows at The 5th Ave Theatre. In 2010, he made the jump to New York City, and six weeks after his arrival, he had landed his first Broadway show - The Addams Family musical. After a year on Broadway, Mo shares how his offer to volunteer for Broadway Cares turned into a full time job, and how he at one time was balancing working this full time job with filming episodes of Smash in Long Island City at the same time. When Mo later realized he didn’t really love being an actor in NYC the way he had in Seattle, and that he wasn’t feeling as fulfilled, he decided to let his agents go and focus on his Broadway Cares job. In doing so, he was also able to revisit his initial idea for The Ensemblist, which had struck him while in The Addams Family. He loved the people he had performed with, and wanted to share their stories - the stories of the ensemble. These days you can catch Mo twice a week on The Ensemblist podcast, proudly championing Broadway’s underdogs, by visiting BPN.fm/theensemblist. In this episode, we talk about: Finding community in the theater His hands on experience at Whitman College Working as a performer in the Seattle theater scene Being a part of The Addams Family musical Why and how he decided to let performing go (for now) The inspiration behind The Ensemblist, and how it has grown since the beginning Being a dad, and what the surrogacy process was like Connect with Mo: IG @theensemblist IG: @daddy_papa_and_me_make3 On the web Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alice Lee is an actress, singer and musician who made her Broadway debut in 2008 when she joined the cast of Spring Awakening. Her other New York theater credits include Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark on Broadway, as well as Off-Broadway productions of Bare and Heathers: The Musical. While she is no stranger to the stage, she is also no stranger to the screen. Alice was a contestant on the ABC reality TV show Rising Star in 2014, with other television credits that include Smash, The Mindy Project, Switched at Birth, 2 Broke Girls, Take Two, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, and many more. She can also be seen in the Netflix film Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and last year's hit indie movie Brittany Runs a Marathon. While she lived in NYC, Alice performed in numerous concerts at Rockwood Music Hall, where she frequently debuted original material. Coming up next she can be seen online performing through the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series. Alice was born and raised in the north suburbs of Chicago, the only child of parents who immigrated from South Korea. She shares that music entered her life at a very early age, and recalls learning to play instruments and sing long before she knew she wanted to be a performer. Her dad is also a great singer, and when Alice was young they would sing karaoke together. While she dabbled in the drums and clarinet, the two instruments she still plays today are the piano and guitar. When deciding what course of study to pursue in college, Alice researched the programs at NYU. And feeling like she didn’t quite fit into either the musical theater or the classical vocal performance categories, she opted to earn her BM in Music Business. It was while she was a freshman at NYU that Alice attended a performance of Spring Awakening, and in her own words, became “obsessed”. So when she found out they were holding open calls for replacements, Alice went and auditioned - and booked her first Broadway show. In our conversation, Alice candidly talks about growing up and feeling different, but so badly wanting to fit in. And while she and her parents never had any conversations specifically about race, she recalls that she was always aware of the differences, and of other people's attitudes towards them. Alice also lovingly recalls visiting family in South Korea every two years as she grew up, memories which she holds onto and celebrates as part of her identity. Shortly after quarantine began this year, Alice left her apartment in Los Angeles where she lives alone to go spend time with her parents outside Chicago. While there Alice shares she has been spending her time writing, recording demos and making pop music. “This is my frickin destiny” she realized this summer, affirming her vision for her next big dream - to become the first big Asian-American pop star. In this episode, we talk about: Deciding to major in Music Business Why she moved from NYC to LA about 5 years ago Her experience on the reality TV show Rising Star on ABC Being recognized in public for her performances Activism on Instagram Growing up the child of immigrants The joy she finds in writing and making music Connect with Alice: IG @aliceheyalice Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This multifaceted, multi-talented performer takes us on a trip into her psyche, sharing how she lives by the idea that “competence breeds confidence”, which encourages her to continue to learn and grow even after achieving great success. Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer is a Cuban-American actress, author, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She performed as Cha Cha in Fox’s Grease: Live, Vanessa in the 1st Broadway National tour of In the Heights, and currently as one of the Fates in the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown on Broadway. Yvette has starred in stage productions of West Side Story, Much Ado About Nothing, and 3 Mo’ Divas, and won a Craig Noel Award in the category of Outstanding Female Lead. On television she has appeared as Kiki in the Emmy Award Winning Nickelodeon TV series The Fresh Beat Band, and Soleded Penagos on Madam Secretary. As a singer and songwriter, Yvette won the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and her songs have been heard on Sirius XM and in a variety of films and TV shows, including the feature film Life Itself and television’s NCIS: Los Angeles. Yvette has performed at prestigious venues like Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, toured around the globe with a variety of artists, and can now be seen online performing through the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series. In our conversation, Yvette lovingly articulates what it is she finds so addicting about performing. There is something to be said about losing yourself in a character, she says, about losing “myself in what I’m doing”. She shares that she finds a liberation and a freedom on stage, which then almost becomes like mediation. Yvette is also a firm believer in continually working on your craft, and always continuing to learn. She puts her money where her mouth is too, taking guitar lessons during quarantine, because in her own words, “competence breeds confidence”. Yvette is missing performing, and was excited to share some of her own original music through the Broadway Busker’s Concert series. In this episode, we talk about: The story behind of the origin of her last name “Nacer” The violin her mother made her when she was 1.5 years old Being bullied in elementary school, and how drawing became her escape What she finds so liberating about performing The inspiration behind her music single “Quicksand”, and who she originally wrote it for The power of positive thinking The importance of not staying silent about the things that matter Connect with Yvette: On the web Twitter: @YvetteNacer Instagram: @YvetteNacer Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Montego Glover is an actor, singer and voiceover artist who made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway production of The Color Purple as Celie and Nettie. She went on to create the role of Felicia Farrell in the Broadway musical Memphis, for which she received a Tony Award Nomination, and won both the Outer Critics’ Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award. Montego also received acclaim for her performances in The Royale at Lincoln Center Theater, and All The Natalie Portmans produced by MCC Theater. She starred in the 2016 Broadway revival of Les Miserables as Fantine, and most recently, Montego completed a run as Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago Company of Hamilton. On television she can be seen in Bull, Black Box, The Following, Hostages, Smash, Golden Boy, The Good Wife, White Collar, NYC 22, Law & Order, and Memphis on Broadway for PBS. Montego has lent her voice to many video gaming projects which include: Battlefront, Renegade Squadron & The Old Republic all for the Star Wars franchise. And in the world of animation she can be heard voicing characters for Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go. We will soon see Montego in a new show called Inventing Anna on Netflix. After moving to New York City to pursue her career, Montego gave herself a month to learn her new home - to get acquainted with the city, the subway, and catch up with old friends. During this month, she told herself she wouldn’t worry about auditions. However, two weeks after her move, she received a phone call from a fellow FSU alumni who was in a show downtown, and they’d just lost their leading lady. She auditioned and landed the job on the spot. Montego began working steadily in theater, but soon added commercials, television, voice-over projects, and guest spots with symphony orchestras to her repertoire. In her own words, the current pandemic has “changed the game”, and Montego shares with us how she is continuing to take care of her heart and her spirit, allowing her to keep showing up for herself, her career, her family, and her chosen family. In this episode, we talk about: How she is staying busy and sane during quarantine One of the things she loves most about Theater Her “toolbox” Playing a woman with “a darkness” inside in All the Natalie Portman’s How she recovers after a deeply emotional performance Stumbling upon her first acting class in school when she was young Her BFA program at Florida State University Her views on abundance Connect with Montego: On the web IG: @montegoglover Twitter: @montegoglover Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Pascal is an actor, singer, and musician most widely known for originating the role of Roger in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway. Rent was not only his Broadway debut, it also earned him a Tony Award nomination, a Theater World award, and an Obie Award. He went on to originate the role of Radames in Aida, as well as play the Emcee in the 1998 revival of Cabaret, Huey Calhoun in Memphis, Billy Flynn in the revival of Chicago, Chad in Disaster!, and William Shakespeare in Something Rotten! Adam reprised his role as Roger in the 2005 movie version of Rent, as well as the Broadway tour in 2009. He also performed in the London concert version of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall in London, alongside his Rent co-star and friend, Idina Menzel. Adam has two solo rock albums to his name, Model Prisoner (2000) and Civilian (2004), as well as a collaborative rock album called Blinding Light (2008) with pianist Larry Edoff. Most recently Adam has been seen onstage in limited engagements of Pretty Woman. And soon he can be seen virtually as part of the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series. During our conversation, Adam shares how growing up and becoming a responsible adult was a challenge after having had his first audition experience lead to such success so early on. Amid this initial success, Adam recalls still being one hundred percent focused on playing in a rock band one day. When he started getting offers to audition for starring roles in Hollywood, what he really wanted was a record deal. This disconnect led to him making some “bad decisions” based on his ego, which he then spent years working on scaling back. Rent began the long journey of accepting the harsh realities of the career in which he found himself, but it also gave him a sense of safety. It gave him the overwhelming feeling of comfort whenever he walked out on stage. The feeling of being home in a way that playing in a rock band had never given him. He finally felt like he was where he belonged. And 25 years later, he’s still going strong. In this episode, we talk about: Which movie musicals had an influence on him as a child How his friendship with Idina Menzel led to his audition for Rent The struggles that came with early success and recognition How he helped open the door for different types of voices on Broadway Why he prefers playing pre-existing roles to originating a character His desire for a record deal, and finally getting one What he would want to talk to Jonathan Larson about today Connect with Adam: Listen on Spotify IG: @adampascal Twitter: @adampascal20 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A go-getter spirit at heart, a spirit which has taken her from singing in church to singing on a Broadway stage, this Broadway veteran shares how she is finding new focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how her Girl From The North Country Family is helping sustain her. Jeannette Bayardelle is a Broadway veteran seen most recently as Mrs. Neilson in the new Bob Dylan musical Girl From The North Country. Her other Broadway credits include the revival production of HAIR as Dionne, and The Color Purple as Celie. Jeannette originated the role of Celie on the First National Tour of The Color Purple where she received an NAACP award for best lead actress in a musical. Other stage credits include the 10th-Anniversary production of Rock of Ages, touring productions of Rent and Deaf West’s Big River, as well as many other regional credits. Jeannette is the first Broadway actress to write the book, music, lyrics and star in her own musical, entitled SHIDA, which premiered Off-Broadway in NYC and went on to have successful runs at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge MA, The West Angeles Theater in Los Angeles, CA, as well as in London. Her success has landed her television appearances with Oprah and Live with Regis & Kelly, the opportunity to perform for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and work on Disney’s Princess and the Frog. Jeannette also created and stars in the new web series “I Take Thee Zoe". Jeanette shares with us how her experience with The Girl From The North Country has changed her life - from workshop, to the Public Theater stage, to Broadway - and refers to the show as her “church”. She couldn’t have known that when the Public Theater called saying they wanted her to be a part of this project, at that time just a reading, the Girl From The North Country family would be the one with which she would experience the COVID-19 pandemic. Believing there will be a renewed appreciation for live theater when it finally comes back, Jeanette is now patiently awaiting the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine so that she can share in this revival of theater when Girl from the North Country and Broadway return. In this episode, we talk about: Meeting and hanging out with Bob Dylan in his dressing room at the Beacon How she began preparing for COVID back in February How COVID is creating opportunities for change, both personal and societal The differences in the rehearsal process for Girl From the North Country from other shows she’s done The inspiration behind and process of creating SHIDA - her one woman musical How her cast mates inspired her to learn guitar, and what the instrument has taught her about herself Connect with Jeannette: IG: @jbayardelle Twitter: @jbayardelle Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Potter is not only a Broadway veteran, she is also an accomplished Nashville recording artist. She made her Broadway debut in 2010 as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, and originated the role of the Mistress in the 2012 Tony Nominated revival of Evita, starring Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris. Rachel has also toured with the smash hit, Wicked, where she understudied Glinda. Rachel’s television appearances include MTV’s Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods, where she placed in the top 15, and season 3 of FOX’s The X Factor as a Top 12 finalist. Rachel has been a guest soloist with many symphony orchestras, and enjoys a fruitful solo career, having released 2 solo albums and multiple singles. Recently, she released a new EP as Rachel Potter & Steel Union, a fresh country trio, made up of herself, Josh Matheny and Donny Fallgatter. And she can now be seen virtually as part of the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series. Rachel shares with us her experiences flying back and forth from Orlando to New York CIty to attend EPA’s and ECC’s after graduating college. She recounts meeting Pat Goodwin at an open call for Leap of Faith, which led to Bernard Tesley helping her get an audition for MTV’s Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods. She shares how finding her voice while singing in a wedding band helped sustain her until the audition that would lead to her booking the National Tour of Wicked. It was on this tour that she received the call to audition for Wednesday Addams, the role that would mark her Broadway debut in The Addams Family. And all the while, Rachel continued to write and explore her love of country music. A love which would eventually land her in Nashville, where she would successfully record 2 solo albums and multiple singles. In this episode, we talk about: The first album she recorded when she was 15 Growing up in the Baptist Church, and the events that lead to her leaving How working for Disney opened her eyes Discovering her voice while singing in a wedding band The Glinda audition which booked her the job Driving to the airport in a blizzard to get to her The Addams Family audition The pull she felt to move to Nashville The X-Factor experience she still recalls as traumatic Connect with Rachel: IG @therachelpotter Twitter: @therachelpotter Watch the Broadway Buskers: TSQ.org/BroadwayBuskers or on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/TimesSquareNYC Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Harkness is a Broadway veteran, as well as a best director nominee, and award winning choreographer, and a songwriter. He made his Broadway debut in AIDA in 2001, and has been on a roll ever since. He is currently starring as Paul Williams in Ain’t Too Proud - The Life And Times Of The Temptations, and previously could be seen in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Other Broadway credits include Chicago and The Color Purple, as well as the Dreamgirls national tour. In 2017, James wrote and performed his debut show, Fragments of Me, at the Metropolitan Room in New York. And on August 4th, he can be seen online performing more of his original work through the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series. Originally from El Paso, Texas, James grew up constantly bouncing around and jumping “off all the things” - including the roof of his single-story childhood home. He recalls his mother always singing and dancing around the house, and is sure he learned to move by watching her. But it wasn’t until high school that he encountered structured dance classes, which changed his life. He had found a place that made him “100% happy”. After graduation, James joined the Navy and was stationed in San Diego, and it was there that dance came back to him. Throughout his career in the Navy, James would spend his days working on a ship, and then attend dance classes in the evening. When he left the military behind, James started going on regular job interviews. He signed up with a temp agency, and got an office job. But, he also continued going on dance auditions. James shares with us how a one-off audition for Whitney Houston’s concert tour led to him signing with an agent, auditioning for Debbie Allen, and finally meeting Kenny Ortega at an audition to dance for Michael Jackson on tour. While he didn’t tour with Michael Jackson, James would spend two and half years on tour dancing for Puerto Rican Latin pop singer Chayanne. And after continuing to pursue a career as a commercial dancer in LA, he was pulled to Las Vegas by work and friends. It was in Las Vegas he would book his first job singing and dancing as the lead in a show - “one of the best things that has ever happened” to him. And a little while later, when Broadway came calling - it called twice. James simultaneously booked Saturday Night Fever and AIDA, all without an agent. And he has been gracing stages in New York City ever since. In this episode, we talk about: The nickname his AIDA cast mates gave to him How he came to find dance again when stationed in San Diego The Whitney Houston concert tour gig he was offered, but couldn’t take Shaking Debbie Allen’s hand What a typical audition day looked like for him between LA and San Diego The theater experience that convinced him to move to Las Vegas The honor and responsibility he feels in portraying Paul Williams in Ain’t Too Proud Connect with James: Twitter: @ijamesharkness Instagram: @ijamesharkness Watch the Broadway Buskers: TSQ.org/BroadwayBuskers or on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/TimesSquareNYC Le James Cafe with The Wiggles Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa Goldberg is the founder and owner of LSG Public Relations in New York, Los Angeles and London. She represents talent and creatives all across the board in film, television, theater and music, as well as in charity work, at bars and for red carpet events. Her clients have been nominated and won Emmy’s, Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Grammy’s, Independent Spirit Awards and Tony Awards, and participated in campaigns for multiple Oscar nominated films. Lisa maintained a successful career in the theater for a while, but then she suddenly started getting sick. After struggling with an autoimmune disorder which made her unable to perform, she had to move back home with her parents in South Carolina for a few years to seek treatment. But New York City was still calling her name, and once she was in remission, she packed her bags, went back, and “had to figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up.” Lisa shares how a chance offer to do in house PR for one restaurant eventually turned into two restaurants, which turned into phone calls with George Clooney’s publicist. A publicist who would later become her mentor, and recommend she start her own firm. So she did, and continues to work successfully almost 14 years later. In this episode, we talk about: When her parents had to convince her to go to college, rather than NYC right out of high school The curve ball her autoimmune disorder threw at her Chasing down George Clooney’s publicist after beginning PR work for a restaurant How she made connections and gained clients early on in her PR career How her experience as a publicist has changed amidst COVID-19 Losing client and friend Nick Cordero to COVID-19 Why she enjoys and continues working for herself, rather than joining a larger firm Connect with Lisa: IG: @LisaGoldbergPR Twitter: @LisaGoldbergPR Web: LSG Public Relations Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special LIVE panel discussion, moderator Erika Alexander (Living Single, The Cosby Show, Get out, John Lewis: Good Trouble) will be guest hosting the 100th episode of The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales, exclusively on the Broadway Podcast Network. This panel, composed of prominent BIPOC Broadway performers, will discuss how to move forward from where we are and create an equitable, anti-racist, and safe Broadway community. If the industry is torn down, there will be nowhere left to work. We must help create the world we want to live in. Panelists: Tony-winner Karen Olivo (Moulin Rouge, West Side Story), Tony-winner James Monroe Iglehart (Freestyle Love Supreme, Aladdin, Hamilton), Nik Walker (Ain’t Too Proud, Motown, Hamilton), Adrianna Hicks (The Color Purple, SIX), & Brittney Mack (SIX). Moderator: Erika Alexander (Living Single, The Cosby Show, Get out) who most recently produced the documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble. A roundtable discussion designed to bring to light the inequality and racist behavior towards Black people and people of color in the theatre and wider entertainment industries, presented in a way that offers an open-discussion for BIPOC performers to discuss their experiences and their hopes for the future. Watch the video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKVK-LmwZA0 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales This episode is released in a time of crisis and mass awakening. Black Lives Matter. Please consider donating to any of the following: George Floyd Memorial Fund Minnesota Freedom Fund Reclaim The Block National Bail Out Black Lives Matter The Bail Project Black Visions Collective Campaign Zero National Bail Fund Network The Innocence Project Run with Maud Justice for Breonna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s first incarnation may have been 10 years ago, but in a surreal case of art mirroring life, their show which takes place in a world where it's too dangerous to go outside is more relevant than ever. Harris Doran, Jason Schafer, and Arthur Bacon are well known individually for their own bodies of work. But their most recent collaboration, Bleeding Love (a brand new original musical podcast radio play on The Broadway Podcast Network) is truly one of a kind. Recorded completely during quarantine, the World Premiere Podcast production of Bleeding Love is directed by Harris Doran, based on a story by Jason Schafer, suggested by Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale “The Nightingale and the Rose” with a book by Jason Schafer, music by Arthur Lafrentz Bacon, and lyrics by Harris Doran. Not only does the show feature an all-star cast of Broadway veterans, it is the same cast of performers who participated in the original demo recordings for Bleeding Love 10 years ago. Jason Schafer’s inspiration for Bleeding Love started as a small idea while he was an undergrad. He shares that it was not a quick process, as the show evolved over a number of years. “It was a back-burner project” through many of his other projects. Eventually Schafer came to know Harris Doran, who started his career as an actor, and performed in some of Schafer’s work. Doran later met Arthur Bacon at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, a prestigious workshop in New York for musical theatre composers, lyricists and librettists. The trio began working together on Bleeding Love in 2010, and after recording demos, Bleeding Love had its premiere at NAMT (National Alliance for Musical Theatre) in 2012. It went on to have a successful world-premiere run in 2015, live on stage in Denmark at the Fredericia Teater. A few years passed and the fate of Bleeding Love was unclear. After being approached by The Broadway Podcast Network early this year, they questioned how they felt about revamping the show to be an audio-only experience. But less than a week later, COVID-19 changed everything. And a week after that, they began recording. Make sure to listen to all of Bleeding Love via bpn.fm/bleedinglove In this episode, we talk about: What inspired Jason Schafer to write this story, and how he did it How Harris Doran and Arthur Bacon met, and what their writing process looks like What it’s like collaborating on a new musical The ways in which the script had to be altered in order to suit a podcast production Harris Doran’s experience editing the final product What inspired them each to become involved in the performing arts in the first place Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales This episode is released in a time of crisis and mass awakening. Black Lives Matter. Please consider donating to any of the following: George Floyd Memorial Fund Minnesota Freedom Fund Reclaim The Block National Bail Out Black Lives Matter The Bail Project Black Visions Collective Campaign Zero National Bail Fund Network The Innocence Project Run with Maud Justice for Breonna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Vincent is a recording artist, actor and producer, widely known for his appearance as a finalist on the second season of NBC’s The Voice. While in college, he started his own record company, Adobe Flats, writing and producing the EP Love Falling Down. And made his Broadway debut in 1998 playing Roger in Rent, after playing the same role on the first national tour. Tony originated the role of St. Jimmy in the Green Day Rock Opera American Idiot, appeared as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar, and was most recently seen on Broadway in Rocktopia. He originated the role of Galileo Figaro in the rock band Queen’s We Will Rock You on London’s West End and has also fronted the band multiple times, including a performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. He has independently released two albums, A Better Way, produced by Adam Anders (Glee, Rock of Ages), and the self-produced In My Head, following his appearance on The Voice. Tony can currently be heard as Puppy in Bleeding Love, a brand new original musical podcast radio play on The Broadway Podcast Network. In this episode, we talk about: His enthusiasm for becoming a drummer What he thought about Van Halen as a kid Why he’s always been a solo artist The impact David Bowie has had on his life The thrill of originating roles onstage His enthusiasm for recording records His experience on NBC’s The Voice Connect with Tony: IG: @theofficialtonyvincent Listen to Bleeding Love www.tonyvincent.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales This episode is released in a time of crisis and mass awakening. Black Lives Matter. Please consider donating to any of the following: George Floyd Memorial Fund Minnesota Freedom Fund Reclaim The Block National Bail Out Black Lives Matter The Bail Project Black Visions Collective Campaign Zero National Bail Fund Network The Innocence Project Run with Maud Justice for Breonna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Naomi Jones is an actress and a singer who made her Broadway debut in 2008 when Passing Strange transferred from it’s Off-Broadway run. She went on to create the role of Whatshername in the Green Day Rock Opera American Idiot, which opened on Broadway in 2010. In 2012 Rebecca played the Narrator in Manhattan Theatre Club's Off-Broadway musical Murder Ballad, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress. Her other Broadway credits include replacing Lena Hall as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2015, a starring role in Significant Other in 2017, and Laurey Williams in Daniel Fish’s revival of Oklahoma!, a role for which she earned a Drama Desk Nomination after appearing in the original production at St. Ann's Warehouse. Rebecca has also appeared in National Tours of Rent and Caroline, or Change, and starred in the film adaptation of Passing Strange. In 2014, she was awarded the Lilly Award, a prize designed to honor women in theater. Rebecca can currently be heard as Lolli in Bleeding Love, a brand new original musical podcast radio play on The Broadway Podcast Network. Rebecca was born in New York City to bi-racial parents, her mother Jewish, and her father African-American. She shares that growing up in NYC and “being mixed is a different thing than growing up in other places and being mixed,” and wasn’t made aware of how unique that was or how complicated it can be for people until much later. Rebecca is no stranger to the New York Stage. But doesn’t mean she is immune to performance anxiety. In our conversation, Rebecca opens up about her first encounters with anxiety and panic attacks in 2015, attacks that would linger even as she was performing on stage during Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She shares that during the run of Oklahoma! she kept up a regular meditation routine so she could prepare herself “for the fear”. In this episode, we talk about: Her inner demons that come out when she is gaining recognition or awards for her work Her memory of the first time she experienced a panic attack How performing to a house full of people with the lights on during Oklahoma! tested her Her experiences practicing and performing opera with the children's choir at The Met The trial and error of recording Bleeding Love Some of the film and TV work she has done, and why she finds this work so exciting and thrilling Connect with Rebecca: IG: @onerebeccajones Twitter: @rebeccasername Listen to Bleeding Love Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales This episode is released in a time of crisis and mass awakening. Black Lives Matter. Please consider donating to any of the following: George Floyd Memorial Fund Minnesota Freedom Fund Reclaim The Block National Bail Out Black Lives Matter The Bail Project Black Visions Collective Campaign Zero National Bail Fund Network The Innocence Project Run with Maud Justice for Breonna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taylor Trensch has been a familiar face on Broadway since 2012, when he made his Broadway debut in Wicked as Boq. He originated roles in the Broadway debut productions of Matilda The Musical, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time. Some of his more recent roles include Barnaby Tucker in the revival of Hello Dolly!, the title role in Dear Evan Hansen, and starring next to Ed Harris as Dill Harris in To Kill A Mockingbird. Taylor can currently be heard as Sweet William in Bleeding Love, a brand new original musical podcast radio play on The Broadway Podcast Network. Taylor has been spending his time in quarantine in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, but was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. He shares that he grew up in the same house his dad grew up in - had the same childhood bedroom, as well as the same seat at the family dinner table. When Taylor was 5 years old he performed in his first community theater show - The Wizard of Oz. He loved the movie as a child and begged his parents to take him to the audition. He says he peed his pants opening night, and “from then on I couldn’t be stopped.” Growing up, Taylor had severe allergies and asthma, which deterred him from spending a lot of time outside. When he discovered theater, the immediacy of a group of people being in a room together, getting laughs and applause, he was hooked. He shares that by the time he was in middle school, he knew he was gay. And by doing community theater, he started to become aware of the gay and queer adults who were also there, and began to see himself in them. Playing Sweet William in Bleeding Love is a bit of a throwback for him, as Taylor took part in the original demo recordings that took place in 2016. But the main difference, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, is that no one in the cast can actually be together. Taylor records his songs, and one off lines from the bathroom in his apartment. He describes what a unique challenge it is, calling it “bizarre to try to make a specific, honest choice” as an actor, with sort of no context or ability to play off his fellow actors. There is inherent energy between cast members when they are performing together, they fuel one another. Taylor shares that part of this experience is creating that energy for yourself. Bleeding Love is a show about being in quarantine, but it was written years prior to our current pandemic. And it seems it was rediscovered at precisely the right time. In this episode, we talk about: His failed attempt to escape NYC during quarantine The personal catharsis he experienced while playing the lead in Dear Evan Hansen The two versions of self he believes are inside every theater artist Grounding himself in his life, while having Ben Platt on speed-dial and being buddies with Ed Harris Performing with his boyfriend in Dear Evan Hansen The end of the recent CATS film His idea of what the theater may look like when quarantine is over Connect with Taylor: IG @knucklesandwich Listen to Bleeding Love Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales This episode is released in a time of crisis and mass awakening. Black Lives Matter. Please consider donating to any of the following: George Floyd Memorial Fund Minnesota Freedom Fund Reclaim The Block National Bail Out Black Lives Matter The Bail Project Black Visions Collective Campaign Zero National Bail Fund Network The Innocence Project Run with Maud Justice for Breonna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc Kudisch stars off the Bleeding Love musical podcast takeover, a brand new completely original musical podcast set in a post-apocalyptic future where it's not safe to go outside. Marc is a 3-time Tony Award nominee for his work in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and 9 to 5. He is a Drama Desk Award winner and two-time Outer Critics Circle Award Nominee. Some other Broadway highlights include Finding Neverland, Hand to God, Assassins, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and Beauty and the Beast. You also might recognize him from TV and film credits such as The Tick, Billions, Mindhunter, Limitless, House of Cards, Unforgettable, Person of Interest, Gossip Girl, Blue Bloods, SMASH, and even Sex and the City. He recently starred in the off-Broadway production of Girl from the North Country and is now reprising the same role -- once Broadway returns, of course! However you can catch him right now in a brand new way as both the Super and the narrator in the original musical podcast Bleeding Love. Connect with Marc: IG: @marckuds Twitter: @marckuds Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales This episode is released in a time of crisis and mass awakening. Black Lives Matter. Please consider donating to any of the following: George Floyd Memorial Fund Minnesota Freedom Fund Reclaim The Block National Bail Out Black Lives Matter The Bail Project Black Visions Collective Campaign Zero National Bail Fund Network The Innocence Project Run with Maud Justice for Breonna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi everyone, over the last year and a half, I have released at least one episode of The Theatre Podcast every single week without fail. Today, I have decided to break this tradition. I am purposely postponing the next episode in order to release this statement. Black Lives Matter. Please know that I see you, I hear you, I stand with you, and I recognize that the current movement is a response to hundreds of years of systematic racism having permeated our culture. I realize that it is no longer enough to be against racism as we all must strive to be anti-racist, and actively take steps to stop racist behavior in a non-violent way. Every journey begins with a first step and for many of us, now is the time. Available below are links to places where you can lend your support. I have done the same. Allow those who are doing their best to be supportive to continue to grow and learn. Remember, fighting your ally only strengthens your enemy. In a few days I will continue to release my episodes as normal, as I feel that art can be used as a tool to heal, and must continue to be created. Everyone please stay safe and care for one another. Antiracism Center Audre Lorde Project Black Lives Matter Black Visions Collective Black Women’s Blueprint Color Of Change Justice for Tony McDade Justice for Breonna Taylor I Run With Maud Equal Justice Initiative (EJI NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund) RAICES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this interview, please click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Courtney Monsma is an actor, singer and dancer from Queensland, Australia. Most recently Courtney performed in the Australasian tour of Disney’s Aladdin, and also appeared in the Australian tour of MAMMA MIA! understudying the role of Sophie. During her years of training, Courtney played Charity in Sweet Charity, Carmen in The Life; toured with the production of I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change, and in her final year played Maria in West Side Story. She appeared in Opera Queensland’s Kiss Me Kate and was a 2018 finalist for the prestigious Rob Guest Endowment Award. Courtney is currently playing Katherine Howard as part of the original Australian cast of SIX the Musical. While Courtney was born in Adelaide, Australia, she relocated to Queensland when she was fairly young, and currently resides there. Courtney started as a dancer at a young age, and after seeing her sister perform in a community theater production when she was 8 years old, she quickly followed suit. This is also when she discovered singing, and finally felt, ‘ah yea, this is for me” - she knew this was what she wanted to do with her life. “There’s nothing that compares to the feeling I get when I sing,” she told us. Courtney quickly became involved with the community theater scene, and upon graduating from high school sought a way to hone her skills and pursue performing as a career. She found herself at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and graduated with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre. Portraying Katherine Howard in SIX the Musical is not for the faint of heart, and Courtney reflected on how much she’s grown and learned throughout a journey that's included auditions, rehearsals, and performances. She shares how Howard taught her about getting rid of the white noise in her head, and that there is no time for feeling down on yourself because it only holds you back. Throughout auditions and rehearsals the queens were instructed to never do anything that wasn’t authentic to themselves as individuals. As a result, she has also gained a lot of confidence - confidence that will carry her into her next starring role as Anna in the Australian tour of Frozen. Courtney shares that if it hadn’t been for SIX, she doesn’t think she’d be ready for Frozen. “SIX taught me so much about myself”, she says, both personally and as a performer. In this episode, we talk about: Realizing at a young age that performing was what she wanted to do with her life Starting SIX and being in a room full of performers she’d always admired from afar Her reality living with anxiety as a actor Her love for NYC, and being there the week SIX was supposed to open The new sort of pressure she feels as she prepares for Anna in Frozen The time she was able to spend chatting with Patti Murin (Frozen on Broadway’s Anna) Connect with Courtney: IG: @courtneymonsma Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Brittney Mack is a performer from Chicago, Illinois, who was most recently seen as Anna of Cleves in the North American Tour of SIX the Musical. Her other credits include Rent, The Wiz, Hairspray, Avenue Q, Shrek, In the Heights, Ain’t Misbehavin’, All Shook Up, and Little Shop of Horrors, as well as the national tour of Memphis. She has performed on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and has been seen on the FOX television show Empire. Brittney is making her Broadway debut with her portrayal of Anna of Cleves in SIX the Musical. Born on the south side of Chicago, Britney was one of 5 raised by a single mother and “an incredible tribe of friends.” She shares that one of her favorite things to do as a kid was listen to late night story times - full stories and plays - on the radio. She recalls one show in particular called It’s Your World!, a modern day radio soap opera that played on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which she would wake up at 5 AM to listen to before school. She believes it was these radio shows that helped spark her imagination. Her mother was always supportive of her dreams to perform, and Britney says, “My mom is the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing.” Brittney attended the Chicago Academy for The Arts, a college prep high school, and later went on to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) both in Los Angeles and New York City. Brittney shares that as an artist she has always been blessed to find steady work. Throughout a performing journey that has taken her all over the world, she recalls revisiting her storage unit in between contracts in order to swap out some clothes and head out for the next production. Brittney had been out to sea on her contract with Royal Caribbean when her grandfather became ill, after which she relocated back to Chicago to be closer to her grandmother. And it was after being on the road with the national tour of Memphis that she found herself in a general audition for Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She shares that it wasn’t until about her 4th audition for them that she really even knew what SIX was all about. She is grateful for this in retrospect, as it could have added unnecessary pressures in the audition room. “It was a blast being in the room,” she said, as they all auditioned in front of and with each other. It was an audition experience like none other, and she’s pretty sure she’ll never have another like it. In this episode, we talk about: How she’s been spending her time in quarantine The time she told her mom she wanted to be Gary Coleman in Shirley Temple Paying for her first year of school at AMDA Being shot by a paintball gun when she first moved to NYC The intensive audition process for SIX the Musical Her feelings on having a social media presence, and the SIX fan base Connect with Brittney: IG: @brittmack8 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UPDATE 2021, March 19: Congrats to Chloé who just opened Hamilton in Australia as Eliza Hamilton!! To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Chloé Zuel is a singer and performer who has worked as a lead singer across Australia and Internationally including two years at Universal Studios Japan and three months at The Venetian, Macao. She was most recently seen as Anita in West Side Story, and as Sarah in Ragtime. Chloé’s other various credits include the Australian premier production of Beautiful; The Carole King Musical, Hairspray, Legally Blonde the Musical, The Mikado, Les Misérables, Rent, the Australian tour of Little Shop of Horrors and Porgy and Bess. She is currently part of the original Australian cast of SIX the Musical as Catherine of Aragon. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Chloé’s mother had her when she was young, and up until she was 8 years old it was just the two of them. Chloé speaks of her mother with awe and appreciation, as she single handedly supported her early performing arts dreams. She started taking dance classes at age 5, competed regularly in dance competitions, and began singing when she was 12 years old. Chloé calls herself that kid who put all her eggs into one basket - it was always clear in her mind that performing was all she wanted to do. She shares that she used to put on a CD every night and would fall asleep to music. Chloé went on to study and graduate from ED5 International, Australia’s premiere Performing Arts Training Facility, and has been lucky enough to be working steadily ever since. Chloé opens up to us about living with terrible anxiety as a performer. For a little while she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue performing - she forgot why she loved it and why she did it. She says, “When you have anxiety, performing everyday, performing every moment” can be hell. She recalls having panic attacks in the wings during performances of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. As someone who struggles with anxiety, she tells us that she found the audition process for SIX really difficult, as a lot of it required singing, dancing and performing in front of everyone else who was also auditioning. But also shares that from the get go - from auditions - the environment created was always one which was about supporting each other, cheering each other on; about being unique, and appreciating everyone else’s unique qualities. She recalls getting butterflies at their initial launch for SIX, realizing what a special project she was now a part of. And now they are a family. Chloé shares, “There’s a really deep love and respect that we have for each other, and an understanding”. In this episode, we talk about: Her whirlwind journey from West Side Story, into Ragtime, into getting married, back to West Side Story to close it out, and starting SIX rehearsals the next morning Why she and her husband decided to spend this time in Tasmania Why she loves performing, and what she feels she gets from it’s magic Her experience with the other queens on launch day for SIX in Australia How her anxiety has affected her performing Her admiration for the writers of SIX, and why she finds it so clever Her peanut butter addiction Connect with Chloé: IG: @chloezuel Twitter: @chloezuel Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Vidya Makan is a composer, singer, actor, and musician based in Melbourne, Australia, and most recently starred as Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George. Vidya’s other credits include: Lady Capulet in Romeo And Juliet, Green Day’s American Idiot, Merrily We Roll Along and Little Inez in Hairspray. As a composer, Vidya is currently working on My Home Too, a song cycle about Australia and home, while her debut full length musical Woman, inspired by the lives of bohemian artists Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe is also in development. She is currently part of the original Australian cast of SIX the Musical as Catherine Parr. Vidya’s parents grew up in apartheid South Africa, later moving to Australia in the 1990’s to get away and start their family. She remembers going to the theater frequently with her family as a child, and when talking about her parents, calls her mom an “absolute arts nerd”, while her dad has a “beautiful” singing voice. Vidya started playing the piano when she was 3, and began singing in choirs when she was 5 years old - but was also a self-declared “tom-boy”. Her first dream was to play soccer for Australia, and at 15 years old Vidya received a scholarship to train at the Manchester United Soccer School in England for a week. While in England, she and her father attended a performance of Wicked, and Vidya recalls, “There was something about that show that just got under my skin.” They returned home to Australia, she auditioned for the school musical for the first time - The Wiz - and landed the role of Dorothy. And that was it! From there it was ‘goodbye soccer, hello theater’. Vidya went on to study musical theatre at The Queensland Conservatorium’s Griffith University. During our conversation, Vidya talks with us about the journey of finding her place in the performing arts industry in Australia. As a woman of color she “hasn’t had the cookie-cutter career because she isn’t the cookie-cutter performer” - as successful musical theater shows that transfer from America to Australia aren't necessarily crafted to showcase more ethnically diverse performers. She shares that a large part of her journey has been about finding those companies (usually with younger people at the helm) where she can be seen just as a woman, outside of type or ethnicity or race. And so it seems SIX the Musical is very naturally the next step in this journey, as casting was “not about anything else other than getting the right person for the role”, boasting diverse casts across all its productions. In this episode, we talk about: How the postponement of the Australian production of SIX affected her The outpouring of love and support they have received from the SIX fan base The importance of being a role model now that she’s in the spotlight How English actress Jameela Jamil’s social media activism against female body shaming has changed her life Taking the sexualization of women in pop culture/music and turning it on its head in SIX The differences in the performing arts industry in Australia versus America What she calls a “Muggle Job” Composing her own music, and working on creating an original musical of her own Connect with Vidya: IG: @vidyamakan Web: vidyamakan.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Kala Gare is a singer, actor, musician and songwriter based out of Melbourne, Australia. Her stage credits include Alice in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maureen in Rent, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Anastasia Steele in 50 Shades!. She is also a classically trained musician with musical direction credits, and is the lead singer of an up and coming band called Legacy, which won Best Emerging Band at the Emergenza Festival in 2017. Kala is currently portraying Anne Boleyn in the Australian and New Zealand Tour Production of SIX the musical. Kala, born and raised in Melbourne, grew up in a very musical family. Both of her parents are opera singers, who met at the same university where Kala would eventually find herself studying musical theatre. Kala shared that her parents harbored the love and excitement she has for music because it was “just everywhere” growing up. Kala first trained classically as a vocalist, honing her legit sound, and as she continued with theater, developed other parts like her belting technique. She earned a B.F.A in Music Theatre from the Victorian College of the Arts, where, she shares, she had a love for “cross training” her voice. Kala shares with us that its a “whole new world” once you become a part of the SIX the Musical family. Both on stage and off, SIX is teaching her lessons. She shares, “SIX taught me about standing in your own power as well as standing with other people in their own power, and how we can do that” without competition. In performance, Kala and her cast mates learn to deal with new stimuli every night as they constantly break the fourth wall and interact with the audience. And we also hear from Kala about the challenge of maintaining 100% energy for each of the 9 shows they perform in a week. But through it all, you can hear it in her voice and her words when she shares, “it’s hard to not have a very fun time on that stage.” In this episode, we talk about: The influence music began having very early on in her life Realizing the true power of theater, and feeling it is exactly what she is meant to be doing How they spent their for rehearsal for the SIX tour The upsides and downsides of having so many fans of the show How the cast and crew adjusted to the stage door experience Her music writing process Connect with Kala: IG: @k.gare_ Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Adrianna Hicks is no stranger to the Great White Way, as she returns to Broadway as Catherine of Aragon in SIX the Musical. Her other Broadway credits include the revivals of The Color Purple and Aladdin. Adrianna has performed in regional and touring productions of The Wiz, Ragtime, Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, and The Color Purple Revival Tour. Internationally she has performed in productions of Sister Act and Dirty Dancing in Germany, and Legally Blonde in Austria. While in college, Adrianna also landed the opportunity to perform with Michael Buble in his Call Me Irresistible Tour whenever it came through Oklahoma City. Adrianna was born in California, but was raised in Texas where her family relocated to when she was four years old. She remembers being “that kid” who would go to her room, close the door, put on Aladdin, and “perform Princess Jasmine”. She loved singing, dancing and acting, and by participating in the International Thespian Society in high school, she discovered that she could make a career out of doing all three together. Adrianna earned her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Oklahoma, and after graduating spent over 3 years living and performing in Germany and Austria. Adrianna shares that she never really had a desire to go to New York City. She loved traveling, and having the opportunity to perform overseas. But as she was preparing for her next role in Europe after Dirty Dancing, both of her parents became ill. So she made the decision to come back home after three and a half years, to be with and help take care of her family. It was upon returning home that she had the opportunity to audition for The Color Purple - the show that would finally take her to New York City, and eventually, help her find her way to Catherine of Aragon in SIX the Musical. In this episode, we talk about: Her whirlwind memory of the day that their Broadway opening night was cancelled How she has been spending time in quarantine with her brother in Atlanta Her thoughts on her social media presence The journey that took her from the stage in Oklahoma to the stage in Germany How watching Beyonce’s concerts as a child came in handy for her SIX audition Why performing in The Wiz was an “ah ha” moment Connect with Adrianna: IG: @missadriannahicks Twitter: @msadriannahicks Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Andrea Macasaet has appeared in each North American iteration of SIX the Musical, including productions at the American Repertory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Ordway Theater, and Citadel Theatre. Throughout Canada she has also performed in productions of Heathers: The Musical, Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Miss Saigon. While she is no stranger to playing Anne Boleyn in SIX the Musical, this production will mark her Broadway debut. Andrea was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She shares that her childhood was full of Filipino singing competitions, where she would use karaoke tracks and her mother would direct her - “Now walk over here and make sure you look at them in the eye.” In the 4th grade, Andrea was first introduced to musical theater when she performed in a local production of The King and I. It was after this production that Andrea began pursuing acting, singing, and dancing. She became a competitive dancer, performed in local theater productions throughout high school, and upon graduation went to study the performing arts in Victoria, British Columbia. Andrea opens up to us about her life around 2016-2018, what she recalls as a really hard few years. Without an agent, and constant rejection, Andrea decided to take a break from theater because she didn’t want her “heart broken anymore”. She had been an employee on and off between shows at LuluLemon for a while, and decided to pursue a career with the company. She went back to school to earn a diploma in Human Relations. But an ad for SIX the Musical on Facebook changed her course. In February 2019, Andrea signed up for an open call for the show in Toronto, and the rest is history. In this episode, we talk about: The moment in high school which made her realize she wanted to pursue a career in theater Why she decided she needed a break from theater at one time Her experience working for Lululemon, a company she shares was supportive of her The whirlwind that was auditioning for and landing a role in SIX the musical What it’s like working with creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss The time they watched the Beyonce concert as a cast for research purposes Connect with Andrea: IG: @andrea.cesyl Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Listen to the SIX studio cast recording, or grab the sing-a-long edition! Samantha Pauly has been performing regionally on stage since 2010, including roles in Honeymoon in Vegas, Elf The Musical, Suessical and Godspell. She has played the title role of Eva Peron in Evita three times, one of which allowed her to make her West End debut last year in Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. In 2018 she appeared as Valkeryrie in Bat Out Of Hell, before landing her current role as Katherine Howard in SIX the Musical on Broadway. Samantha was born and raised in Iowa, and attributes her love for singing to watching Disney Movies as a child. But while she loved singing, Samantha didn’t catch the musical theater bug until her junior year of high school. It was this year that she went on a trip with her school choir to New York City, and saw her first shows on Broadway - The Drowsy Chaperone and Wicked. It was also this same year she auditioned for her first school show, The Pajama Game. She began seriously considering pursuing theatre in college, and after winning a scholarship at the Iowa Thespian Festival, she went on to attend Viterbo University and earn her BFA in musical theatre. In recounting the journey that brought her to SIX the musical, Samantha recalls her experience with the National Tour of Bat Out Of Hell in 2018. After 5 weeks of rehearsals and a successful run in Toronto, the tour was abruptly cancelled before they set out on the road. She shares that upon returning to Chicago where she lives with her husband, she became depressed and stopped auditioning for a few months. It was during this break that SIX the musical started reaching out to her. It was also this break that taught her everything happens for a reason. In this episode, we talk about : How she is handling her time in quarantine with her sister nearby The bright side of having this break from performing in SIX the musical What it’s like to be performing eight shows a week during previews, while also continuing rehearsals during the day Why she decided to call Chicago home How she ended up performing the “Single Ladies” choreography in an audition for Moulin Rouge! The Musical Her experiences at the Broadway stage door post show Connect with Samantha: IG: @sampauly Web: https://www.samanthapauly.com/ Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His favorite four-letter word, in response to both success and failure, is “next”. After recovering from COVID-19, and with his career on pause, this Broadway publicist talks about the future of Broadway. Keith Sherman operates Keith Sherman and Associates, a Times Square Public Relations firm which he founded in 1989. He has an extensive background in theatre - 300 plus shows including, recently, Be More Chill, We Will Rock You and Mike Birbiglia: The New One, as well as the Tony Awards for 18 years. Keith previously represented the New York Times for a decade, and over the years his clientele has expanded to film, TV, music, major global events, organizations, award shows, individuals, fine art, brands and Olympic sports. When asked how he became interested in publicity, Keith recalls Christmas when he was 8 years old, a Jewish boy in New Jersey living next to a Christian family. He received two LP records that year by The Supremes, and fell in love. By age 12 he was reading Variety magazine every Thursday to see what nightclubs The Supremes were playing in around the country. Keith later became an intern at the new Roundabout Theatre Company while in college, eventually accepting a job offer as their Marketing Director. He spent years bouncing around jobs in various press offices, when he finally decided “he could build a better mousetrap”, and founded his own company in 1989. He had found his calling. Keith opens up about his new reality amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the head of a PR firm for the entertainment industry. What will Broadway look like when it reopens? Keith believes the theater will survive, it will come back, but thinks it “will come back in a different form.” Not only is his career on pause, having had to furlough his employees as well, Keith and his husband have also both recently recovered from the coronavirus. And in light of it all, he remains an optimist. Connect with Keith @keithshermanassociates Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Thacker a 5 time Emmy nominee for his work on So You Think You Can Dance. He is the show’s executive producer, and has been with it since day one when it first aired back in 2005. Now 252 episodes later, the show is still as strong as ever. Helping with the casting of contestants, judges, and choreographers, he’s partially responsible for making the careers of some of the biggest names on Broadway today. We speak about how the divide between Broadway and TV has shrunk because of programs like SYTYCD and how choreographers are now known just not for what they do but ‘who they are’. So many choreographers have become household names because of Jeff's work on SYTYCD, and he has helped feed the Broadway community by raising the visibility of both choreographers and aspiring dancers -- some of which have made it through to star on the Great White Way. Jeff and I were originally supposed to conduct the interview in person here in New York City as he traveled here to conduct auditions for this fall's season of SYTYCD, but #socialdistancing has forced him and the team to re-think their audition process. Not deterred by the fact that we cannot be together in person, and using the internet to his aid, they continue to "hold auditions" and are still hopeful that we will have live shows in front of live studio audiences come this fall. Connect with Jeff: IG: @jeffthacker Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura Osnes is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her roles as Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde, and Cinderella in Roger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. After winning NBC’s 2006 reality TV show You’re The One That I Want, she made her Broadway debut as Sandy in the 2007 revival of Grease. Other Broadway credits include starring roles in South Pacific, Anything Goes, and most recently Bandstand. You can also see her on TV as Shirley McClaine in Fosse/Verdon, and the Hallmark movie In the Key of Love. As a child growing up in Egan, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, Laura always gravitated towards music and theatrics. She listened to musical soundtracks and acted them out in her living room, danced competitively for 13 years, and started working professionally in Minneapolis when she was in middle school. After attending the University of Wisconsin for a year studying theater, she got offered a job as a performing apprentice at a theater in Minneapolis, and said “yes” to the opportunity. Instead of going back to school, Laura then found herself in Los Angeles competing on a reality TV show for a starring role in Grease, and shortly after, arrived in New York City for her Broadway debut. Laura shares with us her thoughts on the culture shock she experienced upon moving to LA from Minnesota. As a self-declared introvert, she admits she most enjoys becoming a character onstage - transforming into someone else, and working with a cast of people. Laura says performing is the one thing she always wanted to do - the thing she knew she was always meant to do. To watch the video version of this event, click here. In this episode, we talk about: How she is spending her time during quarantine Why she Googles herself sometimes What the experience of filming her first Hallmark movie taught her Why she turned down the National Tour of Grease A day in the life of being a Tony nominee How she approaches creating her roles How she is keeping busy by teaching online classes Connect with Laura: IG: @lauraosnes Twitter: @lauraosnes Laura teaches online master classes via A Class Act (@ AClassActNY) - Register here: https://aclassactny.com/virtual-classes/ And Broadway Artists Alliance (@BAAofNYC) - Register here: https://www.broadwayartistsalliance.org Follow the Broadway Princess Party on IG at @bwayprincesspty and keep up to date with concert dates and new merch items here: www.broadwayprincessparty.com #RHGoesLive: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s #RHGoesPop initiative comes live to your living room via YouTube live stream performances with Bway stars, hosted by Laura Osnes! Subscribe to the R&H YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode! https://youtu.be/AnkBNI1lMlM Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ashley Loren is currently the standby for Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical! She has worked with artists such as Kathleen Marshall, Bono of U2, and Yoko Ono; and has sung backup for artists like Carly Rae Jensen, Melissa Etheridge and Iggy Azalea. She made her Broadway debut in the revival of Jekyll and Hyde, and followed it up with the national tour. You may have seen her on American Idol season 8, or season two of NBC’s This is Us. She currently has a film in post production called Be The Light. Ashley was born and raised in Central Jersey, where she started her journey in musical theater at the age of 6, at summer camps, and in community and regional theater. She signed her first production contract as a solo artist in middle school, sang at open mics in NYC throughout high school, and deferred her acceptance to Berklee College of Music to sign with Universal and record music. Ashley went on to work and tour with Carly Rae Jepsen, calling it “one of the most transformative” things she’s done. Ashley opens up about her chronic Lyme Disease diagnosis as a child, and the neurological complications she dealt with as a result. She stresses the need for more common knowledge about this tricky, complicated, and multi-faceted illness. But she also says her struggle led her to a life in the arts, as theater and music became her outlets. Connect with Ashley: IG @ashleyoren Twitter @msashleyloren Ashleyloren.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Rokicki is an actor, music director, composer, and lyricist whose shows have been nominated for Drama Desk, Lortel, and Off-Broadway Alliance awards. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Actor's Equity, and an alum of the Tony Award-winning BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing workshop. He wrote the music and lyrics for the critically acclaimed Broadway musical THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL, which recently finished up its limited Broadway run. Growing up in the Colorado plains, he listened almost exclusively to classical music. The acquisition of a boombox exposed him to rock music for the first time, which morphed into a love for the rock musical genre. In addition, this episode covers: His natural affinity towards monsters (maybe since he was born on Halloween?) His theory that "real life" is just high school with more money -- adults are still living scared and trying to win their parents' affection Working with Joe Tracz on The Lightning Thief long before Be More Chill ever surfaced The story of how The Lightning Thief went from a non-equity, hour-long touring production to a full-fledged Broadway production Monster Songs: Rob's graphic novel you also listen to (stories told from different monsters' point of views) Connect with Rob: http://www.lightningthiefmusical.com https://robertrokicki.com/ Twitter/IG: @rrokicks Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Kathryn Gallagher is an amazing singer/songwriter who made her Broadway debut in 2015 in the Deaf West revival of Spring Awakening. She stars as Annika Atwater in the show YOU on Netflix, and is currently starring as Bella in Jagged Little Pill on Broadway! This interview was filmed entirely on the floors of our respective houses during the #socialdistancing COVID-19 outbreak. In her own words, she’s been “preparing for quarantine her whole life.” Aside from discussing the obvious, we go deep into her own psyche, how playing Bella has helped her work through her own past trauma, and how Spring Awakening also fell in her lap, thus changing her life. At a young age, Kathryn was always performing -- she put on "shows" for her invisible audience while brushing her teeth as a child (and maybe even last week!). In this episode, we talk about: How the #metoo movement and sexual assault awareness began while they were workshopping JLP, thus changing the core character breakdown How her photo shoot with Tyler Shields helped her regain a decade of lost body image confidence The incredible story of [almost not] booking her Broadway debut in Spring Awakening (2015) Her love/hate relationship with social media Why she puts mushrooms in her coffee The catharsis that is her experience working through her own past trauma in Jagged Little Pill Connect with Kathryn: IG: @kathryngallagher Twitter: @kathryng Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Len Cariou is a three-time Tony Award nominee and Tony Award winner for title role in Sweeney Todd. Working steadily his entire career in theatre, film, and tv, he was on the popular television mystery series, Murder, She Wrote opposite his good friend and former Sweeney Todd co-star Angela Lansbury. With 85 additional TV/film credits including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and 80 stage credits, he is currently starring on Blue Bloods on CBS opposite Tom Selleck, Donny Wahlberg, and Bridget Moynahan. He was most recently seen on the off-Broadway stage opposite David Lansbury in the new play Harry Townsend’s Last Stand at City Center Stage II. Len is a member of the Order of Canada (similar to being knighted in the UK) and in 2004 was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. In this episode we talk about: Breaking the news of him being cast in the upcoming film adaptation of Tick, Tick... Boom! Being well-known as a child in his neighborhood for walking home and singing every night The honor it is to become a member of the Order of Canada and how it feels to be inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame Working on the film Secret Window opposite Johnny Depp, and then watching Johnny go on to portray Sweeney Todd on film His career working with such icons as Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, and more Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an unprecedented move to help contain the spread of COVID-19, aka Coronavirus, Broadway has just gone dark for weeks. Julia Hobsbawm, a social health expert, entrepreneur, and author of a new book called The Simplicity Principle: Six Steps Towards Clarity in a Complex World, I felt the need to discuss the effect of this mandatory social distancing. For people both on and off stage, Broadway and theatre in general feeds our social health, but without that outlet now, what can we do? How do we adapt? How do we use technology without getting sucked into it? As it relates to Broadway, the shutdown, and the Coronavirus, Julia and I tackle all of these questions and more... when at the end of the day, we find out that this simplicity and isolation may actually be a good thing. Connect with Julia: Get her book: The Simplicity Principle IG: @itsjuliahobsbawm Twitter: @juliahobsbawm www.juliahobsbawm.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samuel H. Levine is making his Broadway debut currently starring in the production of The Inheritance. He was last seen performing in The Inheritance’s West End production - which won the Olivier Award for Best New Play. He’s just wrapped a currently untitled feature film opposite Jennifer Lawrence, and can even be seen on TV in the CBS productions of Instinct, Bull, and Elementary. Samuel was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, not far from Broadway. But it wasn’t until he found his way to the drama department at his public middle school that something about performing “just felt right.” He went on to graduate from LaGuardia High School, and then headed west to attend California Institute of the Arts. He was only there two years, when upon landing his first professional job in NYC, he dropped out. Reflecting on the two and a half year journey that The Inheritance has taken him on, Samuel talks about the family it has given him, the importance of teaching and learning queer history, and the challenges and rewards of playing two different characters in the same play. He also shares his thoughts on how he is preparing to let go of the characters who have very much become a part of himself. Connect with Sam: IG: @samhlevine Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natalie Weiss gained an international following from her performance videos and popular YouTube web series, "Breaking Down The Riffs," which have collectively reached over 4 million views. She’s an actress, singer, private vocal coach, master class teacher, and is one of the most sought-after voices among new musical theatre writers. She is currently starring as Construction Worker emoji in Emojiland the Musical. Connect with Natalie: IG: @thenatalieweiss Twitter: @thenatalieweiss Facebook YouTube Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny Burstein is a six-time Tony Award nominee who made his Broadway debut in 1992 and now has 18 Broadway credits including Company, Titanic, The Drowsy Chaperone, South Pacific, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Follies, Fiddler on the Roof, and most recently My Fair Lady opposite Laura Benanti. He can be seen all over the small and big screens, currently as D.A. Lewis Cormier on the CBS TV series Evil, and can even be heard lending his voice to video games such as Grand Theft Auto and more. He is now on stage as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge the musical. After deciding at a young age that performing was for him, he attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York, Queens College, and then University of California, San Diego to take an MFA in Acting. Throughout his highly acclaimed career, he almost said no to the offer of what then came The Drowsy Chaperone. While performing 8 times a week, he also makes the time (often at the expense of sleep) to also maintain an active TV, film, and voice over career. On a more serious note, we discuss Rebecca Luker's (his wife) recent diagnosis of ALS, more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He is candid and emotional about the toll it has taken on both of them in addition to the incredible drive and strength Rebecca has to stay well. Please visit http://prosetin2020.org/ to donate to further research and test an ALS drug candidate that Rebecca will be trying. Connect with Danny: IG: @dannybur Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Morgan Marcell is an actor, dancer, choreographer, and director with Broadway credits ranging from the original Broadway cast of Hamilton to the original Broadway cast of Bandstand to Fosse Verdon. She is now on stage in the original Broadway cast of Moulin Rouge, the musical. A San Diego native, she originally planned on going to law school, she eventually found her way back to LA as a trained dancer. Soon after performing with the In the Heights tour, she took over for the dance captain after just 8 months. Working her way through just a handful more gigs, she has even contributed to the TV scene as an Assistant Choreographer for Fosse Verdon. With other members of the Hamilton family, Morgan and Philippa Soo co-founded The Eliza Project, a philanthropic endeavor led by Hamilton cast members to lead artistic workshops and create new works with the students at Graham Windham, the orphanage created by Eliza Hamilton herself. I addition, she has recently made her directorial debut with Sharing Our Stories: The Eliza Project. It is a 10 minute Short Documentary about the inception, purpose and hopeful legacy of The Eliza Project, featuring Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Lin-Manuel Miranda & the students of Graham Windham. Connect with Morgan: IG: @morgankei Twitter: @morgankei MorganMarcell.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karen Olivo is a Tony-Award winner who made her Broadway debut in Rent before going on to roles in Brooklyn, the Musical, In The Heights, and West Side Story (which is where she won her Tony!). She is now amazing audiences, critics, and everyone in between 8 times a week as Satine in Moulin Rouge the Musical. Karen was born in the South Bronx before moving to Central Florida. Although far from Broadway, performing was still in her family. Her dad was a director and mom worked lots of jobs in the theatre. After her dad started his own troupe, she found herself on stage at the age of 6, where she discovered a sense of power and belonging. The stage gave her balance and was a safe haven to escape the troubles of youth. After bouncing between a performing arts high school and "regular" high school, she found herself at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) -- but never graduated. She went to her first open call [for Rent]... and booked it. The rest, as they say, is history. Connect with Karen: IG: @karenolivo76 Twitter: @karenolivo http://karenolivo.com/ Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonya Tayeh made her way from the city of Detroit to New York City to find herself choreographing for some of today’s biggest names including Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Florence and the Machine. She’s been nominated for two Emmy Awards for her work on So You Think You Can Dance, and won the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for “Outstanding Choreography” for her work on David Henry Hwang’s dance-play Kung Fu, for which she also received a Drama Desk nomination. She recently made her Broadway debut as choreographer for the smash hit Moulin Rouge the Musical and is also working on the upcoming production of Sing Street. Sonya's process may be unique - sometimes she has to dance in silence before adding the music back in so that she makes sure she doesn't get trapped in the music because "If it's interesting without music it will be interesting with music." In all her work, she utilizes the ensemble to push the story along and doesn't just have them dance because they're there. In Moulin Rouge, the story progression relies heavily on the ensemble and the dancing. Connect with Sonya: IG: @sonyatayeh Twitter:@sonyatayeh sonyatayeh.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Broadway's favorite bad boys, Tam Mutu is The Duke in the smash Broadway hit Moulin Rouge, the Musical, You may also recognize him from his TV appearances on The Walking Dead, Bluebloods, and Sherlock, or from being on stage in Doctor Zhivago on Broadway and Love Never Dies in London. After a successful time playing football... er, soccer... something called to him to start performing on stage, and the rest was history. After years working in the UK and the West End, he was supposed to make his Broadway debut in the infamous show Rebecca, which was riddled with scandal and never saw its first curtain. Think his personification of The Duke is something to laugh at? Think again, as his portrayal is different, dark, and more real than we've seen before. Connect with Tam: IG: @tammutu Twitter: @tammutu Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LIVE from BroadwayCon 2020 in New York City, here is the main stage panel for BEETLEJUICE with Alex Brightman, Kerry Butler, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Jenny Gersten and Callie Goff. We talk all things TikTok, cosplay, social media, audience reactions, and even conclude the event with BroadwayCon's largest selfie, ever! Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices