Wicked Episodes

From making his Broadway debut in Chicago after seeing it as his very first Broadway show to starring in productions like Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Wicked, Falsettos, and Drag: The Musical, Nick reflects on the career moments that shaped him as a performer. We also dive into Into the Woods at Cape Playhouse, where he shares his approach to playing Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, the magic of Stephen Sondheim's storytelling, and why this production and this cast have been such a special ex...

Backstage With Becca B. Episode 172 with David Schubert, the guest experience manager at the @civilianhotel is now LIVE on Youtube. On this episode I talked with David about travel tips for visitors to New York City, the hotel’s bustling holiday season, the unique atmosphere at The Civilian Hotel where staff members are encouraged to express their individuality, creating a welcoming environment by having genuine interactions with hotel guests, why it’s important the Civilian Hotel serves as a hu...

On this episode I talked with Carly her early experiences in theater, starting at age ten with a role in a YMCA production of "Alice in Wonderland," which ignited her passion for performing, her role as Annie in a community theater production, which solidified her desire to pursue a career in the arts, her diverse musical skills which she credited to her parents' encouragement to explore different instruments and styles, being part of workshops for “Anne of Green Gables” and “Sweetwater” and wha...

On this episode I talked with Madison about her journey in musical theater, her family's artistic background and the importance of practical experience, attending a performing arts middle school, landing her first professional role at 16, the way pro shots help to make theatre more accessible, her experiences with Off-Broadway productions such as The Fantasticks where she starred as Luisa, joining long-running shows and the creative freedom offered by small theatre’s, the influence of audience p...

On this episode I talked with Erica about her journey into theater, being inspired by magical worlds in books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, her desire to perform, being influenced by memorable performances like Meryl Streep in "Mamma Mia!”, seeing "The Lion King" tour in Honolulu as a child, her school trip to New York in middle school, where she saw both "Memphis" and "Wicked,” the influence Jennifer Lawrence’s acting in The Hunger Games had on her and wanting to play Katniss if The Hung...

On this episode I talked with Austen about her upbringing in a theater family and her initial hesitance to pursue a career in the arts, despite her passion for world-building, pivotal moments from her high school years that solidified her love for theater, influenced by iconic productions like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Wicked’, the significance of experiential gift-giving, her transformative experience studying Shakespeare in London which deepened her understanding of acting and the relevance ...

On this episode I talked with Natalie about her passion for acting and childhood memories, the importance of regional theater in providing opportunities for aspiring actors, her audition experience for Wicked, the emotional rollercoaster of waiting and self-doubt during the process, how she prepared to make her Broadway debut, self-confidence, maintaining a healthy lifestyle while performing 8 times a week on Broadway, performing on a raked stage with a wheelchair, the intricacies of Nessarose’s...

On this episode I talked with Jordan about the path that lead him to musical theatre, the first show he saw as an audience member, being a competitive swimmer at Fresno Pacific University, making it to the 2012 Olympic Trials, how having the mentality of an athlete has helped in theatre, his favorite regional theatre show he’s been in, learning to play the guitar when he starred as Captain von Trapp in Fresno Pacific University’s production of The Sound Of Music, performing at shows in Walt Disn...

On this episode I talked with James about when he first discovered his love for theatre, the first theatre show he ever saw, his favorite regional show he’s been a part of and why, how going to Arizona State University helped him jumpstart his career, his decision to move to Nashville after college where he recorded an EP with a 53 piece orchestra, the National Tour of Les Miserables where he understudied Enjolras, playing a real life person, Gerry Goffin in Beautiful The Carole King Musical, ma...

On this episode I talked with Tara about what made her realize she wanted to be a performer, the first show she saw that really inspired her, becoming a well rounded performer, what lead to her deciding to go to the University of San Diego and the most valuable lesson she learned there, her favorite regional production of a show she’s done, the several shows she’s been a part of on the Disney Cruise Line and the challenges when it comes to performing on a moving ship, her favorite Disney charact...

On this episode I talked with Ioana about the moment she knew she wanted to perform on stage, dancing on stage with people like Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, her favorite non-Broadway piece of choreography, working with Emmy winner Mia Michaels, making her Broadway debut as an original cast member in Wicked and how she got involved in Wicked, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 on Broadway, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ on Broadway and why more shows like Dancin’ should continue to be showcased on Broadway in the fu...

On this episode I talked with Kristine Reese about the moment she knew she wanted to perform on stage, why it’s never too late to discover your passion for something, getting to teach up and coming performers all that she’s learned through her experiences performing on National Tours, Broadway stages, and regionally (check out https://www.kristinereese.com/coaching/ for more), her national tour debut in Mamma Mia and getting to step into the shoes of an iconic character like Sophie Sheridan on s...

On this episode I talked with Chelsea about when she knew she wanted to be an actress, sing, and perform, the first show she ever saw, why she chose to go to the University of Michigan and what the most valuable thing she learned there was, her favorite regional show to be a part of and why, playing Minnie Fay on the tour of Hello Dolly!, preparing to join a National Tour for the first time, her audition for Wicked, her reaction when she found out she’d be in Wicked and was an understudy for Gli...

On this episode I talked with F. Michael Haynie about when they first realized theatre and performing was for them, their Broadway debut in Wicked, their first Glinda and Elphaba in the show, bootlegs and why/how bootlegs of shows don’t always show the best version of a show, self confidence in the theatre world, auditioning for Frozen, their rehearsal process for Frozen and how long it took to master puppetry, how their portrayal of Olaf has changed from pre-pandemic to now, life on the road, t...

On this episode I talked with Lissa deGuzman about when she discovered she was passionate about theatre and performing, how her older brother inspired her growing up, the first show she was ever in, why she decide to go to Belmont University and her most valuable takeaway, her audition for the Aladdin tour, getting to tour the country doing what she loves with her brother, how many tracks she covered as a swing, learning all her tracks plus being prepared to understudy Jasmine, becoming the assi...

On this episode I talked with Marie about balancing sports and theatre when she was a child and when she realized she wanted to concentrate more on theatre, the first theatre show she saw and how it inspired her, being a performer on the Disney Cruise Line, how she became part of Full House The Musical (off-Broadway) where she starred as DJ Tanner, the first cast she saw on stage when she saw Wicked, her audition process for the 2nd National Tour of Wicked, where she was when she got the call th...

On this episode I talked with DJ about what made him want to be a theatre performer and when he realized he could make a career out of it, what the first show he ever saw was, the regional roles he tackled as a kid which helped him to become a well rounded theatre performer, why he chose to study musical theatre at University of Cincinatti and what the most valuable lesson he learned there was, what makes regional theatre productions worldwide so special, getting to perform as Flounder in The Li...

On this episode I talked to Sara about when she first discovered her love for theatre, how she worked on becoming a well-rounded theatre performer growing up, why when it came time for college she chose to study at Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts, the valuable lessons she learned from the program at Webster, her favorite regional show she participated in pre-Wicked and why she loves regional theatre, her audition process for Wicked, her reaction when she got told she had been cast in the sh...

On this episode I talked with Hayley about when her interest in theatre began, what it was like making her Broadway debut at age 12 when she was cast as a standby for both Louisa and Brigitta in Sound Of Music, finding out what a standby was and what the pressure for a child is like when covering not one, but two roles in a show, being involved with just about everything Hairspray from the National Tour, to Broadway, to the movie, understudying Penny and Amber in Hairspray and making those two v...

On this episode I talked with Daniel about where his passion for theatre stemmed from, how he became a triple threat performer, how studying at Rockford College benefited him going forward in the industry, getting the part of Mungojerrie on the National Tour of Cats, learning how to “act like a cat” on stage through dance, learning how to paint his face for the show, his journey with Wicked and Newsies, the process of memorizing not only his ensemble track in Wicked and Newsies (‘Race’), but als...

(Note: this episode is in TWO PARTS). On this episode I talked with Chelsea about when she knew that she wanted to be a performer, being part of a theatre loving family, her family trip to NYC on which she show 11 SHOWS IN 10 DAYS, how she has worked on becoming a well rounded performer and consistently built her resume in Los Angeles, her audition for Frozen at The Hyperion, how she makes the role of Elsa her own, a memory with an audience member from Frozen at The Hyperion that she holds close...

(Note: this episode is in TWO PARTS). On this episode I talked with Chelsea about when she knew that she wanted to be a performer, being part of a theatre loving family, her family trip to NYC on which she show 11 SHOWS IN 10 DAYS, how she has worked on becoming a well rounded performer and consistently built her resume in Los Angeles, her audition for Frozen at The Hyperion, how she makes the role of Elsa her own, a memory with an audience member from Frozen at The Hyperion that she holds close...

On this episode I talked with Megan about her childhood dream to be a popstar like Britney Spears, the moment she saw her first theatre show and realized she could live out those popstar dreams in a way and perform for an audience on stage in musicals, her experience in the theatre department at Brigham Young University and what made their theatre program appealing to her, getting cast in Wicked as Nessarose shortly after graduating, the first cast she ever got to see in Wicked (Eden Espinosa as...

On this episode I talked with Donna Vivino about making her Broadway debut at only eight years old when she originated the role of Young Cosette on Broadway in Les Miserables, what goes through a young kid’s mind when they’re making their Broadway debut, her experience being the youngest in the cast of Les Miserables, her favorite Hairspray moments, her audition experience for Wicked, the number of times she played Elphaba in Wicked (comment below if you know the exact number), how she’s similar...