Find Your Light

Venus-Tyané studied Musical Theater in Berlin, Germany. She has worked as a performer for many US productions, including Nickelodeon and Stories that Soar! She has performed in various large productions internationally, from  Friedrichstadtpalast to Jazzclub Neukölln. Venus-Tyané worked as the Musical Director for the performing arts school JMEM Berlin, and the subsequent touring production. She has toured throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Czech Republic, India, South Korea and Japan. She has a passion for the arts and people's stories as expressed through their various cultures and is dedicated to making a positive impact that has a world ripple effect.   Host: Emily Stamets podcast@emilystamets.com @theEmilyStamets on every social channel

Dr. Kate Busselle is Founder of Heartland Intimacy Design & Training, which offers academic, accessible, and affordable intimacy training entirely online through self-paced asynchronous modules. She is also Assistant Professor of Movement and Stage Combat at the University of Oklahoma and is an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. As a researcher, Kate is an expert in de-roling and debriefing techniques, staging sexual violence, intimacy in new play development, and theatrical intimacy pedagogy.    Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/heartlandintimacydesign Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlandintimacydesign/ Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Twitter: https://twitter.com/Heartland_ID Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Website: https://www.heartlandintimacydesign.com/ My website: https://www.katebusselle.com/   Your host is Emily Stamets. Find me on all the socials @theEmilyStamets, or email me: podcast@emilystamets.com  

Ebony Madry currently works for Brite Ideas CTS as a Lighting Designers and Project Manager. Prior to COVID-19, Ebony oversaw the installation of audio, video, and lighting for corporate and exclusive events. Ebony has been blessed to make the shift to virtual and hybrid events with Brite Ideas CTS. Ebony Madry is a graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a MFA in Lighting Design. Ebony also received a BFA in Design from Texas Tech University. Additionally, Ebony worked as an electrics assistant for The Arkansas Repertory Theater for their 2013-2014 season. Ebony began working in theater during high school, after falling in love with Broadway Tours like The Wiz, The Color Purple, and The Lion King. ​ Most importantly, Ebony Madry understands that the representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) is invaluable. Therefore, she loves to dedicate her energy and work to collaborate with artists, designers, and productions that feature and uplift those populations. In addition to her dedication to diverse projects, Ebony actively mentors other female BIPOC students. She has served on several diversity panels including the “Queer People of Color Festival” at UC, Irvine and USITT/Live Design “A Conversation on Diversity and Anti-Racism in Entertainment”. ​ Ebony Madry has worked with several notable artists including Matthew Morrison, Michael Franti, Brandi Carlisle, Melissa Etheridge, Christian Vincent, Leslie Ishii, and Paul Barnes.

Cindy Cooper (who also writes as Cynthia L. Cooper) often addresses topic of justice, women and human rights in lightly stylized plays that use a blend of drama and comedy.  Her plays have been produced in New York at Primary Stages, The Women's Project, Wings, Lincoln Center's Clark Studio, MultiStages, New Circle Theatre Co, WOW Café, Museum of Tolerance, and many other venues, as well as in Chicago, Minneapolis, DC, Philadelphia, Boston, L.A., Montreal, Budapest and Jerusalem. A two-time Jerome Fellow, her plays are in 17 volumes and she has won awards from Pen & Brush, Samuel French, the Malibu International Festival, Quixote Foundation, and others. She is the founder of ReproFreedomArts.org, a theater group that has travelled to 20 states to open up conversations about reproductive rights, and she is one of four artistic instigators of StatueFest, a new theater project about women who deserve statues. Cindy is also a journalist and an author; her book, ‘Mockery of Justice,' was made into a CBS-TV movie. Prior to becoming a playwright, she worked as a lawyer for underserved clients. She is on the Executive Committee of Honor Roll Playwrights and lives in New York City.   FIND HER HERE: www.cyncooperwriter.net FB: Cynthia L. Cooper TW/Insta @cyncooperwrtr Also: www.ReproFreedomArts.org   Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

In this conversation with improv artist and commercial airline pilot Laura McGhee (she/her), we talk about staying calm under pressure, the power of resilience, and how bringing a little humor to the table can save lives. In addition to being a proud alumna of The Second City Theater Toronto, Laura has an Honors Bachelor of Arts Degree from The University of Western Ontario. In Canada, Laura has written and performed on CBC RADIO and at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. In 2002, Laura became the first person ever to script an entire show for The Second City. It was called Students Rule and toured public and secondary schools across Canada. She has also written and performed in 8 shows of her own. Her one-act play, entitled Joyride, won the Special Merit Award in the 7th Annual National Playwriting Competition. It has been performed in Vancouver, Orlando and Chicago. Another international credit for Laura was an all-female stage version of Reservoir Dogs entitled, Reservoir Bitches. Reservoir Bitches premiered in Toronto and then played at the DR2 Theater in New York City. Reservoir Bitches received a Canadian Comedy Award Nomination for Best Play and has since been produced by theater companies in Halifax and Minneapolis. Laura’s television writing credits include the 2001 Canadian Comedy Awards – which aired on THE COMEDY NETWORK and CTV. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for this project. She has also written for the show, Eleven Cameras, which was developed by the CBC. And her screenplay, Breadwinners, made it through to the quarter-finals – out of thousands of entries - in the Scriptapalooza Writing Competition here in the U.S. She has also appeared in Canadian and American television commercials, on numerous shows for THE COMEDY NETWORK and CTV as well as the critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME film, Common Ground, with Brittany Murphy. Several years ago, Laura decided to begin a second career in aviation. She took some time away from entertainment to train to become a pilot. Laura became an Instrument and Multi-Engine-Rated Commercial Pilot as well as a Certified Flight Instructor. This past year, she acquired her Airline Transport Pilot certification and is type-rated in an Embraer 175 and presently flies for United ExpressJet Airlines. In Los Angeles, Laura was accepted into the PlayGround –LA Writers Pool at the Zephyr Theater for their 2015/2016 season. Her play, A-Types, premiered at The Second City Hollywood the next year. Laura has also taught and directed improv and sketch comedy at The Second City Hollywood for the past 5 years. And she created and hosts a monthly improv show there called HIT Show – Historical Improv Theater. Laura’s latest creative endeavor is an amalgamation of her two loves – writing and flying. She has a Web series about her flying experiences as a flight instructor, entitled Lady Pilot – www.lady-pilot.com … “We’re not lady pilots. We’re just pilots”.   Host: Emily Stamets

Dr. Kate Browne (she/her) helps changemakers learn to love the spotlight. She is a speaker coach and personal brand expert with a background in theatre education and writing pedagogy. Kate holds a PhD in autobiographical rhetoric (or, how people write and speak about themselves) and her writing about body image and popular culture has appeared in Runner's World, Refinery29, FabUPlus, and Girls Gone Strong. Kate is also the lead speaker coach for TEDxNormal, a communication workshop facilitator and a singer. Follow Kate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @drkatebrowne Host: Emily Stamets (she/her) @theemilystamets

In this episode, I talk about Theatre for Young Audiences as a profession, how working at Payless Show Source can change your life, and the value of authentic kindness with Lynne Childress.    Lynne Streeter Childress (she/her) is a playwright, actor, teaching artist, singer, director, and the founder and artistic director of Building Better People Productions, a professional theater company based in Annapolis, MD, that does shows for young audiences all based in themes of kindness, respect and the things that make us all better people. Her show, “We Got It!: A Show About Empathy”, is among several of BBPP’s shows that are currently traveling to schools in Maryland and surrounding areas. This is her 25th year in professional theater, with much of that experience in theater for young audiences.  This includes performing at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and Adventure Theater, and teaching for institutions like the Folger Shakespeare Library. Through all those experiences, Lynne has seen firsthand how theater can communicate the most important things in the clearest and most interesting of ways, especially to young people. Lynne lives in Annapolis, MD with her husband and son.   Host: Emily Stamets

Personalized money, the value of flexibility, and how to pursue your artistic dreams and the lifestyle you want (it's possible!). Rhianna Basore (she/her) is an award-winning actress, director, and writer.  She has been performing professionally for over 20 years in in stage, film, and TV, both here in the US and abroad.  Her work as a content creator and director/producer includes CRAPSHOOT! (scheduled to headline the 2020 Marfa Fringe and will be featured at the Reykjavik Fringe in July).  Her love of the creative life and its pursuits has sparked a passion for helping artists build financial stability.  She believes that better creative work comes from a healthy relationship to money.  Her background managing small nonprofit organizations creates a unique but flexible point of view that helps creatives ebb and flow with the tide of today’s gig economy.   Www.Rhiannabasore.Com Www.Selftrustfund.Com   Host: Emily Stamets

In this episode, I speak with Margaret Dilloway (she/her) about using improv to work through social anxiety, the connections between performing and novel-writing, and the value of YES, AND. Margaret Dilloway is the author of 8 novels for adults and children, including the American Library Award-winning MOMOTARO: XANDER AND THE LOST ISLAND OF MONSTERS and THE CARE AND HANDLING OF ROSES WITH THORNS. She writes in the genres of contemporary and historical women’s fiction; middle grade fantasy; and middle grade contemporary.  Descended from samurai and coal miners, Dilloway incorporates themes about the intersections of race, class, and culture within families and communities, as well as invisible disabilities. In her spare time, Dilloway loves performing long-form improv, hiking, baking, and trying to achieve a pull-up. She lives in San Diego with her family.   www.margaretdilloway.com  https://www.facebook.com/margaretdillowayauthor/   Host: Emily Stamets Original Music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Why is that you can start a project with tons of excitement and energy, but then you get halfway and UGGGHHHH it's suddenly so much harder??? Join me in this session of the Green Room where we chat about why that happens, and wtf to do about it.   Join future Green Room sessions live: emilystamets.com/greenroom   Host: Emily Stamets (she/her) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor (she/her) Graphics: Tiffany Spense (she/her)

I chat about seeking creative routine, being a "rehearsal-forward designer", and balancing light and dark with Isabella Byrd (she/her).   Isabella is a lighting designer based in Brooklyn, New York. She was recently awarded an Obie for her design of Light Shining in Buckinghamshire at New York Theatre Workshop. (Check out the current / news page for the latest highlights.) Her design collaborations have been presented in New York City and regionally across the United States.  With a special interest in developing new works, her process pivots/activates/blooms around design dramaturgy, musical movement, and color composition. Her work favors architectural impulses and shadow play. Isabella was a Design Editor and creative producer at Chance Magazine.  Aside from curating content for the magazine, she was invited to lead a symposium and seminar at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial, exploring the fertile encounter of photography, theatrical design, and thought artifacts. Isabella was the Creative Producer for 13Playwright's archival website www.13p.org. In 2012, the Obie Award-winning downtown collective completed their producing mission and 'imploded' into the interactive time capsule. Isabella is a proud member of USA-829, and interested in expanding her creative interactions to redefine the theatrical bubble. Do not hesitate: say hello.   https://www.isabellabyrd.design/ https://www.instagram.com/isabelllaa/   Host: Emily Stamets (she/her, @theemilystamets) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Amanda Hibschman (she/her, @amandathedietition) is an award winning San Diego based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who is passionate about making food FUN! From cooking in clients homes, to developing menus, to teaching culinary techniques, to working with clients 1:1 to develop a healthy relationship with food. Amanda loves helping others find peace with food through mindful and intuitive eating techniques and provides weight neutral medical nutrition therapy for various conditions, including diabetes, renal disease, eating disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders. Amanda works with Athletes and Artists fuel themselves to reach peak performance while loving and honoring their bodies. When Amanda is not in the kitchen or the office, she enjoys singing, dancing, and acting. Amanda regularly performs throughout San Diego with Encore Vocal Ensemble and is an accomplished marathoner who runs with the Potterhead Running Club (a Harry Potter themed virtual running club).   Host: Emily Stamets (she/her, @theemilystamets) Original Music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

You know you're ready to play big, but you keep holding yourself back. If you have thoughts like, "I can't talk about my accomplishments or no one will like me," "If I try, I'll fail and that would be the worst possible thing to happen to any human being ever," or, "Don't get too big for your britches, self!" then you might be suffering from Toxic Humility.   The Green Room is free! It's my gift to our amazing creative community. To see the schedule and learn how to join, visit EmilyStamets.com/GreenRoom

Emily Rollie (she/her,@emilyrollie) is a passionate artist-scholar and freelance yogi-director, Emily Rollie (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor at Central Washington University, where she teaches theatre pedagogy, dramatic literature, theatre history, directing, acting, women's and gender studies, and yoga. Her primary research areas are directing, feminist theory and performance, Canadian theatre, and the relationship between mindfulness, yoga, and creativity. In addition to her scholarly and teaching endeavors, Emily also is a freelance theatre director and an associate member of the SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers Society), for which she also serves as the associate book review editor of the SDC Journal Peer-Reviewed Section. Emily is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and maintains a regular home practice in the Ashtanga yoga method. She teaches a variety of yoga classes in several local studios as well as travels around the country leading workshops on yoga and creativity for artists.   Host: Emily Stamets (she/her, @theemilystamets) Original Music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Q: Why isn't your art (or your career, or your family) making you feel fulfilled, even though you're pouring everything you've got into those pursuits? A: IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO. In this recording of Emily's Green Room group coaching session, we dive into WHY this is happening, and WTF to do about it. See details about the Green Room HERE; it's free to pop in! cw: adult language host: Emily Stamets (she/her, @theemilystamets) original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor graphics: Tiffany Spence

cw: rape, sexual violence Manjula Padmanabhan (she/her), is an author, playwright and cartoonist. Her play HARVEST won the 1997 Onassis Award for Theatre. Her weekly comic strip SUKIYAKI appears in Business Line, in Chennai, India. Her two most recent novels ESCAPE and THE ISLAND OF LOST GIRLS, are set in a brutal future world. She lives in the US, with a home in New Delhi. Host: Emily Stamets (she/her, @theemilystamets) original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor graphics: Tiffany Spence

Hands up if you want something different for your life than what you've got now

cw: adult language, religious trauma, eating disorder Bridget McCarthy (she/her,@SomethingWittyPlease) is an actor, playwright, teaching artist, and community theatre maker.  In 2013, she stepped into a men’s prison for the first time and witnessed a theatre making circle. She fell in love with theatre as a tool of amplification, empowerment, and connection. Since then, she’s worked with the American Shakespeare Center, Elm Shakespeare, Pigeon Creek Shakespeare, Cincinnati Shakeapeare, and is now in residence at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company.  Bridget’s greatest bliss is using theatre as a tool of amplification for unexpected voices. She has devised new theatre pieces with her neighbors experiencing incarceration, homelessness, folks who are reintegrating into life after sexual slavery, with those battling addiction, and with brave new Americans who came to us as refugees.  In addition to community work, she is an advocate for eating disorder awareness and mental health destigmatization. Her one woman show is called Fat Juliet: One Woman’s Unsolicited Thoughts About Eating Disorders, Christian Extremism, Shakespeare, and AC/DC. It premiers this summer in Atlanta and is available for booking starting this fall.    Host: Emily Stamets (she/her), @theemilystamets Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

In this episode, we talk about theatre as personal growth, the challenges of retiring from a 30 year teaching career, and what it's like to watch your kid perform on Broadway. Robin Murphy (she/her) has spent a life in the theatre as a teacher, director, producer, and performer. She has spent 30 years teaching high school theatre and has directed over 100 productions. Robin has also been published in the Educational Theatre Associations professional journal. She has raised 4 children, and has two daughters in the industry. She also played Brutus in Julius Caesar in 6th grade, and wrote and directed a version of The Aristocrats in her 4th grade class. IG: @robinroams robinandroaming@gmail.com Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

In this week's episode, I talk self care, applied theatre, and what it means to be a parent AND artist with Kristel Jelinek Brown.   Kristel Jelinek Brown (she/her) is an actor, teaching artist, and mama. She is currently the Director of Voice, Theatrical, and Specialized Programming at Parlando School of Musical Arts. A Colorado native and NYC transplant of seven years, she holds a Masters Degree in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York as well as a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Colorado. Most recently, she was seen in Lysistrata Jones (Cleonice) at the Aurora-Fox, and as principal vocalist both for Norwegian Cruise Lines and Harrah’s Showboat Casino in Atlantic City. Kristel currently resides in Lafayette with her husband, Darin, and two children, Charlotte and Bodie.   The actor whose last name I can't remember during the interview is Howie Seago.   Organizations we mention (some were edited out, but all are worth looking at): Athena Project VSA Phamaly Theatre Oregon Shakespeare Company       Kristel's email: krissyjelbro@gmail.com   Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets)   Graphics: Tiffany Spence   Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor

Jessica Hanna (she/her) is a Los Angeles based Theater Maker and Artist in Residence at Thymele Arts. She is new member of The Kilroys, an activist artists group working for gender parity in the American Theater through guerilla actions. She has worked as an actor, director, choreographer and producer all over Los Angeles with many companies and spaces including, Open Fist, Sacred Fools, Evidence Room, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Greenway Court, Abundant Sugar, Occidental College, Atwater Village Theatre, Furious Theatre, Mine is Yours Theatre Co., B-Flat Productions, Center Theatre Group, Mutant Collective and Circle X. She has also had the pleasure of working with Anne Bogart and the SITI Co. as an actor at the Getty Villa twice. She has trained in Suzuki & Viewpoints since 2002. In June 2006 she co-founded Bootleg Theater and was the Producing & Managing Director through 2018.  Her focus as a freelance director & producer has been on new work development. Recent directing credits include: Lisa Dring's DEATH PLAY, for the Son of Semele Solo Creation Festival and Circle X Theatre (full production). NO HOMO, at Hollywood Fringe (Winner Best Director, Ensemble Theater, World Premiere and Golden Playwright), New York Fringe and Atwater Village Theatres, FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN by John Ross Bowie at Bootleg, I CARRY YOUR HEART by Georgette Kelly at Bootleg, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, the musical, at Celebration Theatre (Winner 2019 Ovation Award Best Production of a Musical, 7 Nominations), THE WILLOWS by Kerri-Ann McCalla and BLUE GOLD & BUTTERFLIES by Stephanie Batiste, both at Bootleg. Most recently she was at CalState University Long Beach guest directing Lauren Gunderson's THE REVOLUTIONISTS. Find Jess on most social media @jessessa photo credit for Jess's headshot: Peter Konerko Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Julie Ouellette (they/them, @officialjulieo) is an actor, writer, director, and producer whose work focuses heavily on empowering queer artists. As the Producing Artistic Director of The Commons Los Angeles, they strive to create work that challenges our artists, our audiences, and our industry. Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets) Original music by Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics by Tiffany Spence

Xemiyulu Tapepechul (she/ella, @XemiNeSiwayul) is a Two-Spirit actor, playwright, author, playwright, and educator. In 2015, she founded Nelwat Ishkamewe, a Two-Spirit (Native American Transgender, Intersex, Asexual, Queer+) collective of artists, healers, educators, and advocates, uplifting Two-Spirit Nation through art & land justice. She trained at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and has been featured on various DC Theatre productions, including Nelwat Ishkamewe's The Cosmic Twins, Protect & Preserve, and Siwayul (Heart of a Womxn). She is the 2018 Champion of the Ask Rayceen Show Annual Poetry Slam Competition, the 2018 "Hispanic Heritage Legacy Award" from the Latino GLBT History Project, the 2019 "40 Under 40: Queer Women of Washington" by the DC Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the DC Mayor's Office of Women's Initiatives, and the Washington Blade, and the 2019 Engendered Spirit Award from the Capitol Pride Alliance. Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets, emilystamets.com) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Chelsea Pace (SDC, @professorpace, she/her/hers) is a Baltimore-based intimacy choreographer and co-founded Theatrical Intimacy Education with Laura Rikard. She choreographs and consults on best practices for staging intimacy, nudity, and sexual violence for professional and educational theatre companies and programs across the country. In addition to theatrical intimacy, Chelsea specializes in stage combat, devised work, and physical theatre. She is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and she is currently completing her book, Staging Sex, expected this fall from Routledge Publishing. www.facebook.com/theatricalintimacyedwww.chelseapace.comwww.theatricalintimacyed.com The show I couldn't remember the company for was The Method Gun by Rude Mechs, produced at the Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theater as part of RADAR LA, June 14-26, 2011. Host: Emily Stamets (emilystamets.com, @theemilystamets) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Autumn Jessica Mitchell (she/her, Facebook: ajmitchell26) is a freelance stage manager and aspiring production manager hailing from the historic city of Savannah, Georgia. Autumn is currently the Assistant Stage Manager for Man of Destiny and Fences at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Recent stage management credits include The Better Half (Lucky Plush Productions), Acis and Galatea, Face on The Barroom Floor (Central City Opera), Don Giovanni, and November Dance 2017 (University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign). Autumn holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Stage Management and Technical Theatre from Alabama State University. While in Alabama, she stage managed for The ASU Dance Company and The Montgomery Ballet.   Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets, emilystamets.com, podcast@emilystamets.com) Original Music by Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics by Tiffany Spence

Rosie Glen-Lambert (@ringaroundro_z) is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Attic Collective and serves as the Literary Manager at Inkwell Theater. She has collaborated as a Director and Producer with a number of different theaters in Los Angeles including Sacred Fools, Inkwell Theater, Theater Planners, Bootleg Theater, Son of Semele, Occidental College, and MutantCollective. Rosie is thrilled to return to the Hollywood Fringe Festival to direct “The Last Croissant”! Her prior fringe project, “Dead Dog’s Bone: A Birthday Play” won the 2015 Encore Producer’s Award and earned her a nomination for best direction. Rosie is passionate about new and engaging theatre and continues to be inspired by the Los Angeles Theatre Community.     Veronica Tjioe (@verotjioe) received an MA in Theatre Arts from UC Santa Cruz and is an actor, sewist, and playwright. Her first work, “Dead Dog’s Bone: A Birthday Play”, won the Dharma Grace Award in 2012, the Hollywood Fringe Encore Producer’s Award in 2015, and made its East Coast debut at Nu Sass in DC this March. Her plays have had readings and full productions in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC. Veronica is a proud member and literary manager of TheAttic Collective.   https://www.theatticcollectivela.com/ Instagram: @theatticcollective_la Facebook: @theatticcollectiveLA   Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets)   Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor   Graphics: Tiffany Spence   Updated May 21 to fix a weird 3 minute gap in space-time (aka my editing skills are getting better and better ;) )  

Alana Clapp (General Stage Manager – Mystere by Cirque du Soleil) Alana began her career with Cirque du Soleil in 2009 with the show O at the Bellagio. She joined the Stage Management team of Mystère in 2012, and is currently the General Stage Manager for the company's longest running Las Vegas production. An advocate for arts educational programs and youth mentorship, Alana has presented at various universities throughout the country including Chapman University, University of California – Irvine, and Carnegie Mellon University, her alma mater. In addition to her work with Cirque, Alana is a guest lecturer at the College of Southern Nevada, instructor for the USITT Elite Stage Management training program, advisory panel member for the Stage Craft Institute of Las Vegas, mentor with the USITT Stage Management Mentorship Project and has worked on a  number of events for film, television, and comedy specials. Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets or emilystamets.com) Original Music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Lucy Wang is a playwright, performance artist, professor, editor, public speaker, and comedienne... with an extraordinary laugh! We chat about writing for youth, writing for diversity, and the impact that one teacher had when he told her a Chinese girl couldn't be in Li'l Abner. Find her on social media @sensuousgourmet, or her website: https://sites.google.com/site/chickfillet/ Host: Emily Stamets, @theemilystamets, emilystamets.com Original music by Jaclyn S. O'Connor

KAJA DUNN (@KajaDunn) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and teaches acting at the University of North Carolina Charlotte as well as being an actor, director, and activist. Her research targets reshaping pedagogy for theatre students of color as well as Decolonization and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion issues in theatre and their application in academic, professional and corporate settings. This year she is joining Theatrical Intimacy Education as an Associate Faculty specializing in EDI Issues.  She has performed in over 40 shows and was an associate artist at both Moxie Theatre and Lamb’s Players in San Diego. She has performed or directed at Tri-Arts (Chicago), Alder Danztheatre (Chicago), Pacific Theatre (Vancouver), Lamb's Players Theatre (San Diego), Moxie Theatre (San Diego), Kaiser Educational Theatre (Los Angeles), Amigos Del Rep (San Diego), San Diego Rep., Cygnet Theatre (San Diego),  Ya Tong Theatre (Taipei), Playmakers Rep. (Chapel Hill), and Black Ops (Durham).  Host: Emily Stamets @theemilystamets Original Music by Jaclyn S. O'Connor

Carolyn Gage is a playwright, performer, director, and activist. The author of three books on lesbian theatre and seventy-five plays, musicals, and one-woman shows, she specializes in non-traditional roles for women, especially those reclaiming famous lesbians whose stories have been distorted or erased from history. She also specializes in plays about survivors of sexual violence. She is perhaps best known for her one-woman show, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, which toured for over 20 years. cw: incest, child sexual abuse Host: Emily Stamets Music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor contact: podcast@emilystamets.com

Catie Osborn is the Entertainment Director of the GA Renaissance Festival, knows 99.7% of what there is to know about Shakespeare, and is adamant that we should do all the weird shit we think we might some day want to learn how to do.

Welcome to Find Your Light! This mini episode tells you what the heck this podcast is about, along with a Voices from the Ensemble segment, where we hear from listeners just like you! Host: Emily Stamets Composer: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence