West Side Story Episodes

On this episode I talked with Jordan about discusses his journey to becoming an actor, including his inspiration from watching conductors in shows like Wicked, his Broadway debut in West Side Story, how he became the standby for Tony, why he chooses to advocate for the normalization of having alternates and covers for roles on Broadway, working on the Maestro with Bradley Cooper and how his background in theater helped him adapt to screen acting, his experience playing Orpheus in Hadestown and h...

On this episode I talk with Jess about the moment he knew he wanted to be a performer, making his Broadway debut in The Boy From Oz as a kid and Hugh Jackman bringing the curtain back up so Jess could bow one more time, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas on Broadway breaking Wicked’s box office record at one point while he was in the show, what made him want to audition for So You Think You Can Dance and whether he ever thought he’d make the top 8 on the show, what touring with SYTYCD was like, his ...

On this episode I talked with Ilda about how she got involved in the entertainment scene while growing up in Panama, how she has become a well-rounded performer, Dancing With The Stars Panama and what her experience on the show as professional dancer taught her, the reason she chose to go to New York Film Academy to study theatre, the opportunity she had to be an associate choreographer in Carousel and Chess at NYFA, West Side Story at Paper Mill Playhouse, Signature Theatre, and on Broadway, wh...

On this episode I talked with Shereen about what is what like to make her Broadway debut at age 9 as Young Nala in The Lion King and how magical it is to step into the world of a classic movie you’re a fan of, what being on a Broadway stage at such a young age taught her to help her go forward in the world of theatre, why she made the decision to go to Julliard School and what her audition process for getting into Julliard was like, her audition for the West Side Story Revival on Broadway, what ...

On this episode I talked with Anthony Festa about the moment he had to choose between sports and theatre and why he chose theatre, the moment he realized he could sing and that he could make a career out of performing on stage, why he chose to study theatre at Cortland State University, his first professional audition, going on tour in Europe as Tony in West Side Story, what international audiences are like, his audition experience for Wicked, prior dance experience that helped him when it came ...

On this episode I talked with Jonalyn about growing up in a family that was very into theatre, going to school for theatre at Syracuse University, what it takes to be a Broadway understudy or swing, her reaction when she found out she was making her Broadway debut in Bullets Over Broadway, her experience not only being in the ensemble of Mean Girls on Broadway, but also understudying Regina, Karen, and Cady, finding out she’d be lead Karen Smith on the Mean Girls tour, teaching dance lessons wit...