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Episodes

89
June 17, 2021

Ep. 89 with Wicked's DJ Plunkett

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...
88
June 9, 2021

Ep. 88 with Kinky Boots' Delaney Westfall

On this episode this episode I talked with Delaney about what made her fall in love with theatre, the first show see saw and the first show she was in that made her realize that acting and being on stage was in fact a career path she could take, how she worked on becoming a well rounded performer growing up, college auditions and what made her choose to go study theatre at BYU, getting to star as Christine in a production of Phantom Of The Opera while at BYU, how she got her audition for Side Sh...
87
June 1, 2021

Ep. 87 with The Lion King's Adrienne Walker

On this episode I talked with Adrienne about when she realized she loved performing, her passion for opera that led her to studying opera, participating in Porgy and Bess at Court Theatre in Chicago and deciding she instead wanted to pursue musical theatre, what prepared her for a career in musical theatre and how she became a well-rounded performer, what makes regional theatre so special, how her audition for The Lion King came about and what it was like, what stepping into the world of The Lio...
86
May 28, 2021

Ep. 86 with Wicked's Sara Gonzales

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...
85
May 16, 2021

Ep. 85 with Broadway's Hayley Podschun

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...
84
May 12, 2021

Ep. 84 with Broadway's JJ Niemann

On this episode I talked with JJ about how growing up in a family who was involved in theatre and watching his sisters perform on stage made JJ realize that he wanted to be a performer too, how growing up he worked on becoming a well rounded performer, how he managed to balance a million and one different things (including theatre) while in high school, auditioning for colleges and why he chose to study theatre at Elon University, the many regional shows he’s been a part of, his love for the sho...
83
May 2, 2021

Ep. 83 with Dear Evan Hansen's Jared Goldsmith

On this episode I talked with Jared about how he’s always been into entertaining people since he was little, why he chose to study theatre at Elon University and how earning a BFA in Musical Theatre from Elon kickstarted his career, making his National Tour Debut in Dear Evan Hansen almost immediately after he graduated from college, what the audition process for Dear Evan Hansen was like for him, what he knew about how popular Dear Evan Hansen was before taking the show on it’s First National T...
82
April 26, 2021

Ep. 82 with Broadway's Ali Ewoldt

On this episode I talked with Ali about when she knew she wanted to have a career in theatre, why she fell in with theatre when she saw her first theatre show ‘A Chorus Line’ live as an audience member, why she decided to go to Yale University and study psychology instead of auditioning for a musical theatre program, how studying psychology helped her better understand the characters she’s played in different shows over the years since, her experience working at Disneyland, her Broadway debut as...
81
April 21, 2021

Ep. 81 with Newsies' Dan DeLuca

On this episode I talked with Dan about how his love for theatre stemmed from when he saw Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan in Pittsburgh, how he learned as much about theatre as he could growing up and became a well rounded performer, his favorite regional show he’s performed in, what makes regional theatre so special and why he likes to be a part of regional theatre shows, what his audition process was like for Newsies and why he wanted to audition for the role of Jack Kelly in the show, what the rehea...
80
April 6, 2021

Ep. 80 with Arts For Autism's Jacque Carnahan & Michael Holzer

On this episode I talked with Jacque Carnahan and Michael Holzer about when their interest in theatre and the arts started, what kickstarted their interest in theatre, how Jacque’s experience performing on stage in theatre helps her when it comes to working behind the scenes, her one woman show “Main Street to 42nd Street”, what lead Michael to discover the theatre industry after getting a degree in computer science, whether he ever saw himself working in theatre and the arts, Jacque’s company B...
79
March 31, 2021

Ep. 79 with Mean Girls' Adante Carter

On this episode I talked with Adante about when he first realized he loved performing, when he realized he could make a career out of performing, his move from South Dakota to Los Angeles, why he chose to go to school at AMDA and how AMDA helped him further his career in musical theatre, getting cast in the Los Angeles revival of Carrie: The Musical, being part of an immersive theatre show, his audition for “Mean Girls: The Musical”, his reaction when he got the role, getting to play Aaron Samue...
78
March 25, 2021

Ep. 78 with Broadway's Shereen Pimentel

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 ...
77
March 20, 2021

Ep. 77 with Broadway's Daniel Switzer

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...
76
March 17, 2021

Ep. 76 with Frozen's Hannah Jewel Kohn

On this episode I talked with Hannah about how she really got into theatre and discovered her love for theatre, why regional theatre though often under appreciated is so special, the moment she realized that she had the talent and could in fact make a career out of theatre, her audition process for the Frozen tour, her reaction when she was cast to be in the show, how rehearsing for a show at it’s beginning helps build believable chemistry between cast members of that show, which choreography in...
75
March 12, 2021

Ep. 75 with Wicked's Chelsea Emma Franko

(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...
75
March 12, 2021

Ep. 75 with Frozen at The Hyperion's Chelsea Emma Franko

(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...
74
March 7, 2021

Ep. 74 with Broadway's Chilina Kennedy

On this episode I talked with Chilina about her impressive resume, making her Broadway debut as Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar, how she put herself in Mary’s shoes and put her own spin on the character, staying positive in one’s own life while playing such an emotional role, what makes fans love Jesus Christ Superstar, her audition Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, how she portrayed Carole King’s growth and journey on stage, what she learned about Carole King’s story that she previou...
73
Feb. 28, 2021

Ep. 73 with Mean Girls' Megan Masako Haley

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...
72
Feb. 22, 2021

Ep. 72 with Dear Evan Hansen's Gabrielle Carrubba

On this episode I talked with Gabrielle about how performing on stage as always been her passion, getting to go on the 30th National Tour of Annie as Kate where she understudied Annie as kid, auditioning as a kid vs. auditioning as an adult and how it’s different, the reason she chose to study theatre at Boston Conservatory and why she loved the program there, auditioning for Dear Evan Hansen and eventually being brought in as a vacation understudy for Zoe and Alana then getting bumped up to the...
71
Feb. 17, 2021

Ep. 71 with Miss Saigon's Anthony Festa

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 ...