Podcasts about Dixon Place

State of the Arts Episode 222: The African American Heritage Special now available on Spotify! It's a great honor to welcome comedian, dancer and pilates instructor Ariana Speight onto my podcast for this special episode at the conclusion of Black History Month. This young African American rising star in the comedy world of New York City embodies humor, creativity, ambition and resilience. As a standup comedian she has brought the house down on many open mics. She was a guest of the LGBTQIA+ comedy group The Glory (W)hole, which performed at popular Nolita venue Dixon Place. As a dancer specializing in multiple forms of dance, she recently performed as a part of a presentation of an indie film for B.A.A.D. Her amazing comedic work can also be appreciated in The Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest, which is currently being held in the West Side Comedy Club until March 2nd. On the horizon are more amazing dance and comedy performances by this engaging talent. I am so grateful for the privilege of interviewing this incredible creative for this important episode.

Olivia Daniels is a Canadian performer, director and producer. She holds a BFA in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where they studied at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and The New Studio on Broadway. Olivia also holds a minor in Philosophy. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, they co-founded Artists in Residence, a theatrical platform supporting artists' mental health by providing opportunities for connection and social engagement.  Driven by a love of collaboration and community building, they worked to create spaces where artists feel supported, seen, and respected for their individuality. With every new project, striving to embody a spirit of openness, discovery, and joy!  Ilana Khanin is a director of experimental new plays and musicals. Her work has been developed and presented at Ars Nova ANT Fest, Prelude, HERE Arts Center, New Ohio, Judson, Governors Island, The Tank, The Brick, Primary Stages, Theaterlab, Dixon Place, Samuel French Festival, and the Center at West Park. Artist-in-residence at Montclair State University New Works Initiative (2019-2020), and the Baryshnikov Arts Center (2023). She has worked as an associate director for Lila Neugebauer, Annie-B Parson, and Lee Sunday Evans at venues including Playwrights Horizons, Playmakers Rep, Abrons Arts Centre, and Carolina Performing Arts. Associate Artist with Big Dance Theater (BAM, London's Old Vic, Berlin's Deutsches Theater, among other venues). Her work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Puffin Foundation. BFA and MA: NYU. PhD candidate: University of Toronto. I Was Unbecoming Then In a high school music room in North Vancouver, twelve teenage girls assemble to practice and perfect their parts, desperate to please Bruce, the choir director.As with any group of girls -As with any choir -They are constantly listening to each otherTuning and re-tuningAdjusting to each other's movements, sounds, and rhythmsFinding dissonance and harmony.I Was Unbecoming Then is an intimate new musical mixing hormones and harmonies.

Theater is both a spiritual healing and emotional healing and even physical healing for me, and it's been my raison d'etre for most of my life, and that's been problematic, at times, because...as a professional actor there are going to be times when you're not engaged or employed in my chosen profession, but I still go back to the theater to look for sustenance, inspiration, community --all those imperatives that I cannot find anywhere else to date. Steven Hauck actor/playwright recently made his directorial debut with TOMORROW WE LOVE (co-author Jeffrey Vause) at the Chain Theater in New York. He directed that production, as well as plays and musicals at Newstage Theatre, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, Geva Theater and the Red Barn Playhouse.

ContemporaryPerformance.com and the Sarah Lawrence College MFA Theatre Program produce the SLC Performance Lab. During the year, visiting artists to the MFA Theatre Program's Performance Lab are interviewed after leading a workshop with the students. Performance Lab is one of the program's core components, where graduate students work with guest artists and develop performance experiments. Sibyl Kempson is interviewed and produced by Julia Duffy (SLC'25) Kempson's plays have been presented in the United States, Germany, and Norway. As a performer she toured internationally from 2000-2011 with Nature Theater of Oklahoma, New York City Players, and Elevator Repair Service. Her own work has received support from the Jerome Foundation, the Greenwall Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Dixon Place. She was given four Mondo Cane! commissions from 2002-2011 for The Wytche of Problymm Plantation, Crime or Emergency, Potatoes of August, and The Secret Death of Puppets). She received an MAP Fund grant for her collaboration with Elevator Repair Service (Fondly, Collette Richland) at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW), a 2018 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for American Playwright at Mid-Career (specifically honoring “her fine craft, intertextual approach, and her body of work, including Crime or Emergency and Let Us Now Praise Susan Sontag”), and a 2014 USA Artists Rockefeller fellowship with NYTW and director Sarah Benson. She received a 2013 Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation commission for Kyckling and Screaming (a translation/adaptation of Ibsen's The Wild Duck), a 2013-14 McKnight National residency and commission for a new play (The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.), a New Dramatists/Full Stage USA commission for a devised piece (From the Pig Pile: The Requisite Gesture(s) of Narrow Approach), and a National Presenters Network Creation Fund Award for the same project. Her second collaboration with David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group, I Understand Everything Better, received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Production in 2015; the first was Restless Eye at New York Live Arts in 2012. Current and upcoming projects include a new opera with David Lang for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston for 2018, Sasquatch Rituals at The Kitchen in April 2018, and The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S. Kempson is a MacDowell Colony fellow; a member of New Dramatists; a USA Artists Rockefeller fellow; an artist-in-residence at the Abrons Arts Center; a 2014 nominee for the Doris Duke Impact Award, the Laurents Hatcher Award, and the Herb Alpert Award; and a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. Her plays are published by 53rd State Press, PLAY: Journal of Plays, and Performance & Art Journal (PAJ). Kempson launched the 7 Daughters of Eve Theater & Performance Co. in April 2015 at the Martin E. Segal Center at the City University of New York. The company's inaugural production, Let Us Now Praise Susan Sontag, premiered at Abrons Arts Center in New York City. A new piece, Public People's Enemy, was presented in October 2018 at the Ibsen Awards and Conference in Ibsen's hometown of Skien, Norway. 12 Shouts to the Ten Forgotten Heavens, a three-year cycle of rituals for the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District of New York City, began on the vernal equinox in March 2016 to recur on each solstice and equinox through December 2018

In this episode, Hayley and Amy chat with playwright and producer Kelley Girod, the founder of The Fire This Time Festival and Director of New Works at the Apollo, about the vital importance of building community, uplifting the visibility of people and stories and voices we have not yet experienced, stepping into discomfort to create sustainable practices in theatre, and more! Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy AndrewsGuest: Kelley GirodMusic: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: The Fire This Time Festival The Apollo and the Apollo's Victoria Theater Frigid NYC Parity Productions - This Stretch of Montpelier National Black Theatre Guest Bio: Kelley Nicole Girod (she/her) is a playwright and producer, as well as Director of New Work at the world-famous theater The Apollo. In addition, Kelley continues to serve as Executive Director of OBIE award-winning The Fire This Time Festival, a platform for early-career Black playwrights, which she founded in 2009. Kelley is also an award-winning playwright (Parity Productions Commission, Sundance IDP Grant Recipient, Atlantic Launch New Play Commission, Sheen Center Fellow, Stein and Liberace Fellow, John Golden Fellow ) whose work has been developed/presented at Atlantic Theater Company, Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, The Fire This Time Festival, Harlem 9, Primary Stages, Project Y, Poetic Theater Productions, Classical Theater of Harlem, Frigid NYC, Planet Connections Theater Festival, The Field, Dixon Place, and Stanford University's TAPS Program. She was recently named the recipient of 2023 New York Innovative Theater's prestigious Ellen Steward Award. She was also a 2020 nominee of the prestigious Paul Robeson Award. Kelley has served as a guest lecturer at Yale School for Drama, Stanford University's Theater Department, and Cal State-Fullerton. Kelley has also held the positions of Programming Associate at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture and Producing Director at The Billie Holiday Theater. In addition, Kelley is editor of The Fire This Time Festival's first anthology of plays, published with Bloomsbury UK/Methuen Drama and titled 25 Plays from The Fire This Time Festival, A Decade of Recognition, Resistance, Rebirth and Black Theater. Kelley is a 2008 graduate of Columbia's MFA Playwriting program. Find Kelley Online: The ApolloThe Fire This Time FestivalFacebookLinkedIn Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!

Dana Aber (she/her) is an award-winning theatre performer, producer, collaborator, and creator, with a 20 year career spanning across the country and across the seas. She has been seen in NYC Off-Broadway, at The Dixon Place, NYFringe Festival, NYMF, Apollo Theatre, and FDCAC/Classical Theatre of Harlem. A strong advocate for the development of new musicals, she has been involved in countless presentations at New Dramatists, NYU Tisch, Dramatists Guild, Ars Nova, and across virtual media. Through her Big Thunder Productions company, Dana has created and helmed 8 concert-cabarets, most notably the bi-coastal #YesAllWomen Raise Your Voice concert joining artists within the movement for gender equality. As a theatre writer, Dana's autobiographical 1-woman musical, Baggage at the Door, travels her healing process from trauma-induced PTSD. Baggage at the Door was a finalist in NYC's ONEFest, and earned Dana a month-long artist residency with Elsewhere Studios in Colorado in 2018. Coming up, Baggage at the Door looks forward to its regional premiere in Virginia, and Dana's next soloshow FINAL BLOW, which explores the blame placed on boundary setting, will have its NYC festival debut in November 2021. Dana is currently collaborating with her brother, Broadway's Drew Aber (he/him), on her new play Save/Reload, about identity exploration through video games. She is a survivor and advocate, and is honored to be able to use her voice to share for those who cannot. Four consecutive Januarys with four near-death experiences...um, Happy New Year?

Shari Hazlett is a Brooklyn–based director, writer, performer, producer and media professional who works at the intersection of storytelling, comedy, and technology to inspire civic engagement and social change. Shari just finished producing, writing and directing The March, an historical comedy, which was presented by The Tank Theater (NYC) in June 2023. Shari produces and performs in The Duo Show, a monthly comedy show featuring NYC's favorite improv performers paired up for one-night-only character duos (Magnet Theater).  Shari is the co-creator and artistic director of the Social Justice Improv Project (SJIP) Collective, a media arts organization for marginalized and historically underrepresented theater and media arts creators to bring their voices to the stage and screen, and take their artistic practice out into the community (NYC/Chicago). Shari began her career as a community organizer and public health educator, from outreach to conducting HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, to program manager for the Congressional Black Caucus-funded (CBC) Medical Education Initiative, a multi-year pilot study and direct intervention to fight healthcare disparities and remove barriers to HIV/AIDS treatment. As a fellow for Equality Florida, she supported city and county lobbying efforts for workplace non-discrimination protection ordinances and statewide education and mobilization for marriage equality.  Shari has directed, produced and performed in original and scripted work at Magnet Theater (NYC); Dixon Place w/ Rubbish Comedy Collective (NYC); Tiny Cupboard (Brooklyn); QED (Queens); Upright Citizens Brigade (NYC), and at venues across NYC and beyond. A creative producer, director, and strategist, Shari has worked with NBC-Universal; SiriusXM; Comic Relief/Red Nose Day; NYC Big Apps; and the American Cancer Society, among others. Her work has been featured on WNYC and WBUR; The New York Times Live Broadcast of the DNC 2012 (Charlotte) and RNC 2012 (Tampa); The Stranger (Seattle, WA); Courier News - Election 2020 Series; and Creative Loafing, among others. Whew! That is a lot. Listen here for the details!

Danny Lavery welcomes Julia Mounsey, a director and writer whose work has been presented at Under the Radar at the Public Theater, Soho Rep, JACK, Dixon Place, and the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. Lavery and Mounsey offer advice to someone who is wondering if they should honor their mother's request to keep their abusive upbringing a secret. Another letter writer is wondering how to help a friend who is always getting in relationships that keep him unhappy. Plus, a listener's response to the letter “Grandma McGruff”. Need advice? Send Danny a question here. Email: mood@slate.com If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you'll also be supporting the work we do here on Big Mood, Little Mood. Sign up now at Slate.com/MoodPlus to help support our work Production by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny Lavery welcomes Julia Mounsey, a director and writer whose work has been presented at Under the Radar at the Public Theater, Soho Rep, JACK, Dixon Place, and the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. Lavery and Mounsey offer advice to someone who is wondering if they should honor their mother's request to keep their abusive upbringing a secret. Another letter writer is wondering how to help a friend who is always getting in relationships that keep him unhappy. Plus, a listener's response to the letter “Grandma McGruff”. Need advice? Send Danny a question here. Email: mood@slate.com If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you'll also be supporting the work we do here on Big Mood, Little Mood. Sign up now at Slate.com/MoodPlus to help support our work Production by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jennifer talks to Kati Schwartz about channeling challenging personal experience into art and more specifically, playwriting. They delve into large themes of gaslighting, the importance of trusting one's gut, and the complexities of culpability and complicity. They explore what it means to rewire memories, experience betrayal, and to trust the wrong people. They address the bystander effect, one's responsibility to respond to harm, and the gray areas of human judgment. Plus, they discuss finding joy amidst the overwhelming and relentless nature of these topics and the importance of authentic self-care. CW: #MeToo-related topics around sexual assault, grooming, parasocial relationships, & abuse. About Kati: Kati Schwartz is a New York City based playwright and actor. Kati's audio play, Bad People, is currently available on Audible and in paperback and was an Amazon bestseller for four months straight. Her play, The Coward, won the 2017 New York New Works Festival and was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, in 2017. Her play She Got Off The Couch premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2016 where it received the Producers Encore Award and was extended twice. Other plays, including The Whale Play and Caring for The Dead featuring original music by For You The Moon, have been produced Off-Broadway (The Duke Theater), as well as at theaters such as Dixon Place, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena Stage (DC), Ugly Rhino Theatre Company, Next Stage Arts Project and Alchemical Theatre Lab. Excerpts of The Coward have been published by Smith and Kraus in December 2017 as a part of their Best Stage Monologues collections. Favorite acting credits: The Wolves (Studio Theatre – Helen Hayes Award), August: Osage County (The Fulton Theatre), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Season 5. Kati's IG: @katischwartzie Kati's Website: www.katischwartz.com www.badpeopleaudioplay.com    Want to coach with Jennifer? Schedule a session here! https://appt.link/jenniferapple Monologue Sourcing Promo Link! https://empoweredartistcollective.com/podcastpromo Learn more: https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/podcast EAC IG: @EmpoweredArtistCollective  EAC TikTok: @EmpowerArtistCollective EAC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredartistcollective/ Sign up for our newsletter! https://mailchi.mp/8e72e8dcb662/stay-in-touch Check Out Our Merch! https://www.empoweredartistcollective.threadless.com/ Any thoughts you'd like to share? Email us at EmpoweredArtistCollective@gmail.com

In this episode, Jennifer talks to Melissa Moschitto and Dr. Haile Eshe Cole of The Anthropologists to discuss their unique approach to investigative theater and explore how anthropology & research intersect with storytelling & art. They share what it means to challenge assumptions, break predominant narratives, and unearth hidden histories. They also navigate leaning into gaps, asking critical questions, and embracing the transformative power of art in shaping our understanding of the world. Plus, they unpack what responsibility and accountability are when it comes to devising work and creating art in general. About Melissa: Melissa Moschitto (she/her) is a director, playwright and producer advancing the form of research-based investigative theatre. She is the Founding Artistic Director of The Anthropologists, a theatre company dedicated to the creation of devised theatre that inspires action. Her dynamic, kinetic work has been seen at HERE, The New Ohio, Dixon Place, and she has been an artist-in-residence at Abrons Arts Center. Most recently, she helmed The Anthropologists' world premiere of No Pants In Tucson, for which she received a 2020 NYC Women's Fund Grant. Melissa holds a B.A. in Theater from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is married to an engineer-slash-secret-dramaturg and the mother of two dramatic children. She resides and works in Upper Manhattan on the ancestral land of the Lenape. About Dr. Cole: Originally hailing from a small Central Texas town, Dr. Haile Eshe Cole has spent most of her adult life working and playing in Austin, TX. She has a B.A. in Sociology and African-American Studies and received both her M.A. and PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Haile has conducted research on alternatives to incarceration for mothers and their children in both Texas and New York as well as maternal and infant mortality for Black women nationally and in Texas. She is also a trained birth educator and birth companion (doula). In her free time, Haile likes to read, write, watch movies, try new recipes from the food network, and spend time with family and friends. She currently resides in the New England area with her two wonderful children. About The Anthropologists: The Anthropologists is dedicated to the collaborative creation of investigative theatre that inspires action. Fusing research, expressive movement, and rigorous dramaturgy, we create dynamic plays rooted in social inquiry. We use theatre to engage with challenging questions, to re-contextualize the present and reimagine our collective future. Founded in 2008. The Anthropologist IG: @theanthropologists The Anthropologist's Website: www.theanthropologists.org The Anthropologist's Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheAnthropologists Want to coach with Jennifer? Schedule a session here! https://appt.link/jenniferapple Monologue Sourcing Promo Link! https://empoweredartistcollective.com/podcastpromo Learn more: https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/podcast EAC IG: @EmpoweredArtistCollective  EAC TikTok: @EmpowerArtistCollective EAC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredartistcollective/ Sign up for our newsletter! https://mailchi.mp/8e72e8dcb662/stay-in-touch Check Out Our Merch! https://www.empoweredartistcollective.threadless.com/ Any thoughts you'd like to share? Email us at EmpoweredArtistCollective@gmail.com

From sumptuous feasts to the standard stew, food plays an important role in flavoring a lot of speculative fiction. But how do the people living in your invented world think about their food? What's their relationship to eating, mealtime, and their cultural delicacies? Guest Chana Porter joins us to discuss food culture and all the wonderful things it can communicate! In this episode, we consider elements of scarcity and abundance: How does a relationship to food change if it's always available versus if it's harder to come by? If you could take a pill to sustain your basic caloric needs, would you do that instead of eating? We also explore the intersection of food and status. Are the people who make food possible -- agricultural workers, cooks, wait staff -- honored in your society? Or do they get forgotten? Is there a sliding scale of food respectability? And what does how people eat, when they eat, with whom they eat as communicate status?   [Transcript TK] Our Guest: Chana Porter is a novelist, playwright, teacher, MacDowell fellow, and cofounder of The Octavia Project, a STEM and writing program for girls and trans and nonbinary youth that uses speculative fiction to envision greater possibilities for our world. Her debut novel The Seep was an ABA Indie Next Pick, Open Letters Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Book of 2020, a 2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalist, and a Times (UK) Best Sci-fi Book of 2021. As a playwright, her work has been produced and developed at New Georges, Playwrights Horizons, Cherry Lane, Dixon Place, Target Margin, and many more. She was writer-in-residence at The Catastrophe Theatre in Houston, Texas from 2017-2019. Chana is currently adapting Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed into an opera with the composer Ted Hearne. She lives in Los Angeles. Pronouns: she/they

When first I was introduced to our guest it was courtesy of our producer. At that time I was not acquainted with her work and career. Purvis is interesting in the theatre for a number of reasons, not the least of which is her equal proficiency in performance and direction as well as serious theoretical work, a breadth that is less common. Her work in the theatre takes diversity most seriously as much more than a buzzword and some of her work consists in the translations and movements between and among different cultures from around the world, one example of which is the Chaepani intercultural performance project. I found that we had an enormous amount in common intellectually and artistically and it was good to have conviviality with her on this episode. Rosalie's Bio Rosalie Purvis holds a BA in Literature and Dance from Bard College and an MFA in Theatre Directing from Brooklyn College and a Phd in Performing and Media Arts from Cornell University where her dissertation “Intimate Acts of Translation” focused on intercultural performance methods and translation and border studies in performance. Since 2000, she has worked as a freelance director/performer in New York City where work has been featured at, among others, the Atlantic Theatre's Second Stage, Theatre for the New City, the Brick Theatre, Dixon Place, the Estrogenius Festival, Teatro la Teo, the Culture Project, Teatro Circulo, 59 East 59, the Puerto Rican Traveling Company, Dance New Amsterdam, 78th Street Theatre Lab and the Brooklyn Arts Exchange. She also creates site specific works, globally. Most recently, she joined a Kolkata-based performing arts collective and together they have performed at various national borders. She has taught courses in performance, literature and writing most recently at Cornell University, Ithaca College, Presidency College (Kolkata) Jadavpur University (Kolkata), the City University of New York, Mercy College in the Bronx, Pace University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Marlboro College. She is currently serving as Libra Assistant Professor of Theatre and English at the University of Maine. Links to Rosalie's beautiful work https://www.rosalietpurvis.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mitch-hampton/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mitch-hampton/support

The SLC Performance Lab is produced by ContemporaryPerformance.com and the Sarah Lawrence College MFA Theatre Program. During the course, visiting artists to the MFA Theatre Program's Performance Lab are interviewed after leading a workshop with the students. Performance Lab is one of the core components of the program where graduate students work with guest artists and develop group-generated performance experiments. David Neumann and Marcella Murray are interviewed by Chisom Awachie (SLC 23) Marcella Murray is a New York-based theatre artist from Augusta, Georgia, Murray is a playwright, performer, collaborator, and puppeteer. Her work is heavily inspired by the observed ways in which people tend to segregate and reconnect. Her work tends to focus on themes of identity within a community and (hopefully) forward momentum in the face of trauma.  Performances include The Slow Room, a piece directed by Annie Dorsen at Performance Space New York; a workshop of Ocean Filibuster, which was co-created by the team Pearl D'Amour (Lisa D'Amour and Katie Pearl) with composer Sxip Shirey at Abrons Arts Center; the work-in-progress, I Don't Want to Interrupt You Guys, created in collaboration with Leonie Bell and Hyung Seok Jeon during RAP at Mabou Mines; New Mony, created by Maria Camia at Dixon Place; and Shoot Don't Talk at St. Ann's Warehouse/Puppet Lab, created by Andrew Murdock.  Along with David Neumann, Murray recently co-created Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed (Obie Special Citation for Creation and Performance), which opened at Abrons Arts Center in January 2020. Murray is part of an artist collective called The Midwives. As artistic director of Advanced Beginner Group, Neumann's original work has been presented in New York at PS 122, New York Live Arts, The Kitchen, Central Park Summerstage (in collaboration with John Giorno), Symphony Space (in collaboration with Laurie Anderson), Abrons Arts Center, The Chocolate Factory, and The Whitney. Advanced Beginner Group has also performed at the Walker Art Center, Jacob's Pillow, MASS MoCA, American Dance Institute, and Carolina Performing Arts, among others. Neumann has been a featured dancer in the works of Adrienne Truscott, Susan Marshall, Jane Comfort, Big Dance Theater, Doug Varone, Doug Elkins Dance Company, and in two duets with Mikhail Baryshnikov. His choreography in the theatre includes The Antipodes at Signature Theatre, Futurity with Soho Rep and Ars Nova, An Octoroon at Soho Rep, Underground Railroad Game at Ars Nova, and directing Geoff Sobelle in The Object Lesson at BAM Fischer and New York Theatre Workshop. Neumann was choreographer on Hagoromo with Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto, Home at BAM Harvey, and Sibyl Kempson's Let Us Now Praise Susan Sontag at Abrons Arts Center. His film work includes collaborations with Hal Hartley, I Am Legend with Will Smith, Marriage Story with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johanssen, and White Noise directed by Noah Baumbach. Neumann is the recipient of three New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Awards (including Best Production in 2015 for I Understand Everything Better). The third installment of the Distances... trilogy, in collaboration with theatre artists Marcella Murray and Tei Blow, will be presented in New York in 2024. Neumann has also been nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Circle Critics awards for his choreography on Hadestown. He is also the recipient of a 2019 Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Choreography of a Broadway Musical for Hadestown. Most recently, Neumann was choreographer on Swept Away, with music by the Avett Brothers at Berkeley Rep. Photo: Maria Baranova

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://thecitylife.org/2023/01/04/dixon-place-presents-the-return-of-the-village-a-disco-daydream-by-nora-burns-for-a-monthlong-run/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/support

Dance artist Carmen Caceres – passionate, driven, and inspiring! Hear what it was like for Carmen to: Move to NYC from Buenos Aires, Argentina and her deeply personal immigrant experience as a dancer and choreographer pulled between two cultures. How a childhood dream came true with an encounter with world-renowned dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. What it's like to follow your artistic voice and create important immersive creative work today. “When I'm dancing, I get to be this person that's free from all those organized structures and enjoy the moment and be present.” Carmen Caceres is a dance artist originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Caceres has been creating and presenting dance works in Argentina and NY since 2009. In 2012, she founded DanceAction, a creative platform composed of artists from multiple disciplines to produce performing artworks in collaboration and provide educational opportunities. Her works have been presented in several venues, such as Dixon Place, Green Space Studio, Triskelion Arts Center, Teatro Sea, The Mark Morris Dance Center, the Center at West Park, and the Center for Performance Research. As a performer and collaborator, she has worked with Ines Armas, Jillian Peña, Lisa Parra, Elia Mrak, Jody Oberfelder, among other artists. Carmen also works as a dance educator and program director for different art education programs in New York City, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.  Connect with Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast Instagram: moversandshaperspodcast Facebook: moversandshaperspodcast More on this Episode: themovingarchitects.org/podcast Make your tax-deductable donation to Movers & Shapers! themovingarchitects.org/support

We're in a time where we are seeing new voices, new types of voices telling their stories and people create their identity through seeing themselves reflected in work, in all Art, all literature, in any aspect. And if you don't see yourself reflected EVER then think about how that impacts your life and not only in the character, but the narratives in all its ways. And that's why I hope to continue to create not only if I can create it, but foster it in other people.  Karen Cecilia She/Her/Hers (Playwright, Screenwriter, Director) Her work has been seen in NYC at 3LD, La Mama, HERE Arts Center, Dixon Place, Theater For The New City, Theatre Odyssey, Sarasota FL, The Coalescence Theatre, Illinois and The Firehouse Theatre, Richmond, VA and Jermyn Street Theater, London England.

Beth Hyland (she/her) is a playwright and screenwriter splitting her time between Chicago and the West Coast. Her plays include Fires, Ohio, Seagulls, Killed a Man (Joking), All-One! The Dr. Bronner's Play, Clearing, Red Bowl at the Jeffs, and For Annie. She is the co-founder and playwright-in-residence of The Sound. Her work has been developed regionally in the US and the UK at Goodman Theatre's New Stages Festival, Steppenwolf LookOut, Octagon Theatre Bolton, Stephen Joseph Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville; in New York at The Hearth and Dixon Place; and around Chicago with The Sound, Jackalope Theatre, First Floor Theater, The Story Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, The Passage Theatre, and others. Beth is currently a first year MFA candidate in playwrighting at UC San Diego.

ONE & ONLY is an experimental comedy special written and performed by Sophia Cleary for an audience of one person. Using this 1:1 ratio of performer to audience, ONE & ONLY explores connection, intimacy and the shifting power dynamics in live comedy.   https://www.sophiacleary.com/ https://www.instagram.com/_sophia_cleary/ https://twitter.com/_sophia_cleary Sophia Cleary is a queer, genreless, childless & anti-disciplinary comedian, writer, and artist working with jokes, video, dance, music, and more. She has presented her work in NYC at the Center for Performance Research, Danspace Project, the Chocolate Factory, Dixon Place, The Kitchen, and e-flux and in Los Angeles at the Hammer Museum and Human Resources Gallery. Sophia co-created "Miracle," an anti-fan fiction play about Anne Geddes and GG Allin with performance artist Neal Medlyn. She is the founder and coordinator of the works-in-progress series REHEARSAL and former co-editor for Ugly Duckling Presse's performance annual Emergency INDEX. She is one-half of feminist punk band Penis, a collaboration with Samara Davis. Film playing on the Film Festival Streaming service later this month. You can sign up for the 7 day free trial at www.wildsound.ca (available on your streaming services and APPS). There is a DAILY film festival to watch, plus a selection of award winning films on the platform. Then it's only $3.99 per month. Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/ https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

Mathew Heggem is the Founder and CEO of 10kCreators.com, a social enterprise whose mission is to help ten thousand creators achieve financial freedom through mentorship, training, and access to critical resources. In his role, Mathew helps professional artists make and manage their money by serving as their business advisor, coach, mentor, and consultant. In his eighteen-plus years in the accounting industry, he has served in leadership and growth roles at various firms, consulting with entrepreneurs and small business owners. He has been a member of multiple boards, including the Sage Accounting Advisory Council, Womxn Talk Money Advisory Board, the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, and Pentacle. CPA Practice Advisor has recognized Mathew as a “Twenty Under Forty Superstar,” and he's been a featured speaker at QuickBooks Connect and Xerocon. He also has published thirty-plus articles for the Accountex Report, SmartCEO, and Entrepreneur.com. He is an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs Ten Thousand Small Business Program and has completed the Fundamentals of Transaction program with Influential U; and is currently in our Thrive program. As an artist, Mathew has eighteen-plus years of experience performing, choreographing, and teaching modern and contemporary dance and was the co-founder of two New York City-based Dance Companies. He has performed at arts festivals, cabarets, and theatres throughoug the mid-Atlantic region, including Dixon Place, the Tank, the New Dance Alliance's ‘Performance Mix Festival,' the Gloucester New Arts Festival, the Transmodern Festival, and DC's RAW Festival. Each week the Influential U Podcast is streamed live on our website, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with others. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or any place you get your podcasts. Don't be shy. Give a rating or review. We want to know what you think. Check out our show notes for links to connect with our guests – plus links to websites, books, or special downloads we talked about. This podcast is made possible by the Influential U staff, mentors, and members around the world. Special thanks to our executive producer, Tyson Crandall, and video and sound by Michael Teehee and Darryl Anderle. The Influential U Podcast is produced by Influence Ecology, LLC in Ventura, California. This episode was recorded on September 28, 2022. The podcast theme is by Chris Standring and titled ‘Fast Train to Everywhere.' If you haven't yet offered a rating or review, I ask that you take a moment go to Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice and let us know what you think. This helps us more than you know Podcast Bonuses: 10kCreators.com Mathew Heggem on LinkedIn

Learning through The Arts [as] being one of the most transformative vehicles in which we really get to a person's soul and to realize they're not alone in their feelings and that is by exchanging [ideas] and THAT is what theatre does...We have everything to gain by stories being told that we need to hear now and now more than ever. Romy Nordlinger is a NYC based Actor/Playwright and Audiobook Narrator. An award-winning bestselling Audiobook Narrator, Romy has recorded over 350 titles. Her acting roles include Guest and Co-starring roles on Bull, Manifest, FBI, Law & Order (Officer Talbor) and numerous independent films.Her acclaimed solo show PLACES (now Garden Of Alla) based on the life of trailblazing Broadway and Silent Film star Alla Nazimova, recently played at The Kennedy Center as well as 59E59, Edinburgh Fringe, Jerry Orbach Theatre Center, HERE Theater, The Jewish Museum, The Players Club, Dixon Place. 

Our last Off Season Chat is a 2-part conversation with Brinda Guha, a NYC-based multifaceted dancer and choreographer who has trained in a variety of styles including:  Kathak, Manipuri, Yorchhā, Flamenco, and Contemporary. Last week, Brinda reflected on her artistic journey, and ways to build a dance community responsibly, and the future of South Asian dance at large. This week, she elaborates on the dance community, and how we can build on the wisdom of the previous generations to nurture and hold space for the needs of today and tomorrow.   Off Season Chats is a new series in which we have intimate conversations with dancers who are forging new paths in their artistic, personal, and professional lives. Our special guests are accomplished artists whose works span across many genres of South Asian dance including: Kathak, Kandyan, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Odissi, and much more.   About Brinda Guha  Brinda Guha identifies as a non-disabled, caste-privileged, cisgender and queer South-Asian American, and is a trained Kathak dancer for over 20 years. During training and performing for years in the Kathak (Malabika Guha) & Manipuri (Kalavati + Bimbavati Devi) dance disciplines, as well as Flamenco (Carmen de las Cuevas; Dionisia Garcia) and Contemporary Fusion vocabularies, she co-founded Kalamandir Dance Company in 2010 based in the vocabulary of #ContemporaryIndian. She's choreographed for many national stages, the North American Bengali Conference at Madison Square Garden, and self-produced original feature-length dance productions which earned her artist residencies at Dixon Place (2018) and Dancewave (2019) to continue to develop work. Now, she is represented by CESD Talent Agency and is pursuing artistic direction, performance and arts education. She trains in Kathak, Manipuri, Yorchhā (est. Ananya Chatterjee), and Contemporary. Her dream of having art meet activism was realized when she created WISE FRUIT NYC, a seasonal live arts installment (est 2017) dedicated to the feminine divine and honoring select women-led organizations. For her day job, she works as the Symposium Coordinator for dance service organization based in the values of justice, equity & inclusion: Dance/NYC.  Dive Deeper Ananya Chatterjea's https://www.ananyadancetheatre.org/philosophy/yorchha/ (Yorchha™) movement practice (with video clip) Nrithya Pillai: "https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/cycles-cultural-violence-within-performance-and-scholarship-bharatanatyam-165159 (Cycles of Cultural Violence within Performance and Scholarship of Bharatanatyam.)" The News Minute. 21 June 2022. Janete Silva's https://cadny.org/ (website) Soles of Duende at https://www.jacobspillow.org/events/soles-of-duende-percussive-trio-2022/ (Jacob's Pillow) on August 5, 2022 Credits Today's episode of Off Season Chats would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of our amazing listeners and the following people:     We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering   Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo   Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr.   Liked what you heard? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and other streaming services, subscribe to the podcast, and tell your friends about us so that more people can find this show! You can also join our conversation by following us on social media at @offthebeatdance on IG, FB, Twitter, and Tik Tok or by visiting us at http://www.offthebeat.dance/ (www.offthebeat.dance). We'd love to hear from you.     Off the Beat is a passion project, and we really need your help to make this podcast a long-term and sustainable venture. Please consider supporting us on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/offthebeatdance (patreon.com/offthebeatdance) so that we can continue to bring you more content. And together, we can create a new dance future...one beat at a time!   Off Season Chats is an Off The Beat production.

Our last Off Season Chat is a two-part conversation with Brinda Guha, a NYC-based multifaceted dancer and choreographer who has trained in a variety of styles including: Kathak, Manipuri, Yorchhā, Flamenco, and Contemporary. This week, Brinda reflects on her artistic journey, ways to build a dance community responsibly, and the future of South Asian dance at large. Off Season Chats is a new series in which we have intimate conversations with dancers who are forging new paths in their artistic, personal, and professional lives. Our special guests are accomplished artists whose works span across many genres of South Asian dance including: Kathak, Kandyan, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Odissi, and much more.  About Brinda Guha Brinda Guha identifies as a non-disabled, caste-privileged, cisgender and queer South-Asian American, and is a trained Kathak dancer for over 20 years. During training and performing for years in the Kathak (Malabika Guha) & Manipuri (Kalavati + Bimbavati Devi) dance disciplines, as well as Flamenco (Carmen de las Cuevas; Dionisia Garcia) and Contemporary Fusion vocabularies, she co-founded Kalamandir Dance Company in 2010 based in the vocabulary of #ContemporaryIndian. She's choreographed for many national stages, the North American Bengali Conference at Madison Square Garden, and self-produced original feature-length dance productions which earned her artist residencies at Dixon Place (2018) and Dancewave (2019) to continue to develop work. Now, she is represented by CESD Talent Agency and is pursuing artistic direction, performance and arts education. She trains in Kathak, Manipuri, Yorchhā (est. Ananya Chatterjee), and Contemporary. Her dream of having art meet activism was realized when she created WISE FRUIT NYC, a seasonal live arts installment (est 2017) dedicated to the feminine divine and honoring select women-led organizations. For her day job, she works as the Symposium Coordinator for dance service organization based in the values of justice, equity & inclusion: Dance/NYC.  Credits Today's episode of Off Season Chats would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of our amazing listeners and the following people:    We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering  Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo  Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr.  Liked what you heard? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and other streaming services, subscribe to the podcast, and tell your friends about us so that more people can find this show! You can also join our conversation by following us on social media at @offthebeatdance on IG, FB, Twitter, and Tik Tok or by visiting us at http://www.offthebeat.dance/ (www.offthebeat.dance). We'd love to hear from you.    Off the Beat is a passion project, and we really need your help to make this podcast a long-term and sustainable venture. Please consider supporting us on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/offthebeatdance (patreon.com/offthebeatdance) so that we can continue to bring you more content. And together, we can create a new dance future...one beat at a time!  Off Season Chats is an Off The Beat production.

Dorothy James is a Brooklyn based puppeteer and maker of tiny things. She has puppeteered for Wakka Wakka (Made in China, 59E59 Theaters, FigurTeatret i Nordland; The Immortal Jellyfish Girl, FigurTeatret), Nick Lehane and Derek Fordjour (SELF MUST DIE: Fly Away, Petzel Gallery), Basil Twist (Hansel & Gretel, Michigan Opera Theatre), Molly Smith (Snow Child, Arena Stage), AchesonWalsh & Radio City (The New York Spectacular…) Unknown Mortal Orchestra (“That Life”), BBC (Moon and Me), Amazon (Patriot), and Apple TV+ (Hello Tomorrow!). As a creator, Dorothy uses table top, shadow, rod, and paper cut puppetry to create otherworldly narratives that meld the grotesque with a sense of innocence. She is the co-creator of Bill's 44th, a wordless puppet show for adults which was named a New York Times Critic's Pick and has performed in NYC at Dixon Place and in Chicago at the Chopin Theater as a part of the 2022 Chicago International Puppetry Festival. Her paper cut stop-motion film Lethologica was an official selection of Chicago's Big Teeth Small Shorts Film Festival and the Upstate NY Horror Festival. Andy Manjuck is a Brooklyn-based artist. He is a company member of Wakka Wakka ("Baby Universe," "Saga," "Made in China," "The Immortal Jellyfish Girl"), and has worked with Robin Frohardt ("The Pigeoning," "The Plastic Bag Store"), Nick Lehane ("Chimpanzee," and "Fly Away" – a collaboration with Derek Fordjour's SELF MUST DIE exhibition, Petzel Gallery), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (“That Life,” Double Solitaire), Doug Fitch ("Petrushka" with the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, and Oregon Symphony), Apple TV+ ("Hello Tomorrow!"), BYUtv ("9 Years to Neptune"), and Betty Productions ("4th Islamic Solidarity Games Opening Ceremonies," Baku, Azerbaijan, "48th National Day Celebration," Abu Dhabi, UAE). He co-founded the arts collective Eat Drink Tell Your Friends ("Lectures," "Photo & Supply). He has also designed and taught at the Peabody Institute at John Hopkin's University. Andy's most recent work, "Bills 44th" was named a New York Times Critic's Pick and has performed at Dixon Place, St Ann's Warehouse, and at the Chopin Theater as part of The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival in 2022. In this episode we chat about landing on puppeteering as a career, valuing your creative family, keeping a creative project going through tough times, Andy and Dorothy's puppet show baby: Bills 44th, and the melding of luck and hard work. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ongoingness/support

Roger Q. Mason (Playwright) (they/them) joins Black Hair in the Big Leagues with host, Salisha Thomas. They were recently touted by The Brooklyn Rail as "quickly becoming one of the most significant playwrights of the decade." Their playwriting has been seen on Broadway at Circle in the Square (Circle Reading Series); Off and Off-Off-Broadway at MCC Theatre with Carnegie Hall, La Mama ETC, New York Theatre Workshop, New Group, The Fire This Time Festival, Dixon Place, American Theatre of Actors, Flea Theatre, and Access Theater; and regionally at McCarter Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists, Steep Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, Theatre Rhinoceros, Open Fist Theatre Company, EST/LA, Coeurage Theatre, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Son of Semele, and Skylight Theatre. Roger is an honoree of the Kilroys List; the Chuck Rowland Pioneer Award; the Fire This Time Festival Alumni Spotlight; and the Hollywood Fringe Festival Encore Producers Award. Mason's films have been recognized by the British Film Institute Flare Festival, Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, SCAD Film Festival, AT&T Film Award, Atlanta International Film Festival, Webby Awards, and Telly Awards. They've screened at the British Film Institute Flare Festival, Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, Inside Out Festival (Toronto), SCAD Film Festival, Hollyshorts, Outfest and Outfest Fusion, Rio LGBT Film Festival (Brazil), Bentonville Film Festival, Outshine Film Festival, and the Pan African Film Festival.  Mason serves as an associate producer on Discovery+ docuseries BOOK OF QUEER and researcher for Freeform/Disney's HOW WE GOT HERE. Mason holds degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University. They are a member of Page 73's Interstate 73 Writers Group and Primary Stages Writing Cohort, the co-host of Sister Roger's Gayborhood podcast with Lovell Holder, and the lead mentor of the New Visions Fellowship and Shay Foundation Fellowship. Roger Q. Mason will premiere their much-anticipated play Lavender Men with Skylight Theatre Company and Playwrights' Arena in Los Angeles, August 6-September 4. Directed by Lovell Holder, this genre-pushing play courageously re-imagines one of America's most beloved historical icons, President Abraham Lincoln, through a queer person of color's storytelling lens. The production will also be accessible to a national audience via streaming performances beginning August 20. Visit www.LavenderMenPlayLA.com for more information and to purchase tickets. Follow Roger @rogerq.mason Follow Host, Salisha Thomas @salishathomas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marti Gould Cummings is an NYC drag artist, television personality, and political figure. Throughout their nearly decade-long drag career Marti has been a regular fixture in the drag world performing up to 6 regular shows a week. They have sold out concerts at 54 Below, Lincoln Centers Big Apple Circus, Dixon Place and regularly tour the world with Atlantis Cruises. You can see Marti on Fusion television's Shade Queens of NYC, on The Marti Report on LOGO, Dragged on Yahoo! and on The X Change Rate on The Build Series. On this episode of Rooted Recovery Stories, Marti talks with host, Patrick Custer, about their journey through addiction to authenticity and sobriety. Pride month occurs in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which happened at the end of June in 1969, and sparked a liberation movement for equality, freedom, and justice. All month long on this show we are highlighting the positive impact some fellow members of the LGBTQ+ and recovery communities are having on the world today through visibility and advocacy. ________________________________________ Links: // National Suicide Help Line: Phone: 800-273-8255 // Marti G. Cummings URL: www. martigcummings.com Insta: www.instagram.com/martigcummings // Patrick Custer: Insta: www.instagram.com/patrick_custer // Rooted Recovery Stories Podcast: Insta: www.instagram.com/rootedrecoverystories URL: www.rootedrecoverystories.com // Promises Behavioral Health - Help for addiction, mental health/trauma: Call: (888) 648-4098 URL: www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com Insta: www.instagram.com/promises_bh .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #addiction #gayandsober #martigcummings #patrickcuster #addictionrecovery #broadway #drag #dragqueen #dragqueens #dragrace #endthestigma #gay #healing #inspiration #lgbt #listen #localdrag #mentalhealth #nyc #nycdrag #podcast #pride #recovery #recoveryispossible #recoverystory #rpdr #rupaulsdragrace #selfcare #trauma #wedorecover

We are excited to kick off Season 2 and bringing to you a roster of incredible, every day South Asian women from across the globe who are making a difference in their communities. Our first guest today is Dancer, Choreographer and Founder of Aalokam Dance Company, Bharathi Penneswaran. We talk to Bharathi about her early days growing up in India, what led her to the world of dance and how she traversed from Delhi to New York City and the challenges she faced along the way. This episode is releasing on the heels of her maiden full-length production AVAL(SHE/HER), that is premiering in New York City at Dixon Place this May 15th . Listen to the episode to learn more about this! To our listeners, you can buy your tickets to the show here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-r-dancing-tickets-313838157377

Intro: Boz did MDMALet Me Run This By You: Will Smith and Chris RockInterview: We talk to Katharine Scarborough about The New School, Ron Leibman, Robert LuPone, Casey Biggs, the Actor's Studio, Neil Labute's Fat Pig, Harvard's A.R.T., Shakespeare & Company, Moscow Art Theatre, Biomechanics, Michael Chekhov technique, Michael Chekhov Theatre Festival, Ragnar Freidank, Mabou Mines, Dixon Place, The Brick Theater, JoAnne Akalaitis, Big Girl web series, Jean Taylor, clowning, clown burlesque, improv culture, Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy, actor branding, cultivating a good relationship with agents, One on One NYC.FULL TRANSCRIPT (unedited):2 (10s):And I'm Gina Kalichi.1 (11s):We went to theater school together. We survived it, but we didn't quite understand.2 (15s):And at 20 years later, we're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of it all.1 (21s):We survived theater school and you will too. Are we famous yet? So I think the main thing I just want to say is like, I took drugs, but we call it the medicine. Right. Everyone's like in the ma so I did, and I won't, it's still illegal because it's still in third clinical trials, but I took MTMA with a trained MTMA guide. Who's also a therapist whose name I shall not say so that she doesn't go to jail for some weird reasons. And I'm going to tell you, and you probably already know this from your, from, I know you have some like knowledge about psychiatry or about psychedelics in terms of medical use and stuff like that.1 (1m 12s):Not that you've done them, but you know what I mean? I know you, whatever the point is, I think it's going to change psychiatry. Like it's going to change2 (1m 21s):A hundred percent.1 (1m 22s):I had. Okay. First of all, I was scared shitless. So MTMA is the pure forum for people that don't know of, of ecstasy or Molly, but it's, it's, you know, pharmaceutical grade and it's whatever, it's very, you know, whatever, it's a, it's a legit medicine, but I was scared. I was like, I'm going to die. I'm going to take this. This is where for someone that has anxiety more than I have depression, I think now anyway, in my life, the fear was I'm I'm doing something illegal. This is wrong. And I'm going to suffer for it also, like that was the moralistic fear. And then the actual fear of what the fuck is going to happen.1 (2m 3s):So for people, you know, just so people know, like you're in this person, rented a house and Airbnb and had a beautiful, I was, it was just me and her and a beautiful, like, amazing bed. That was that she brings in. That's like a foam, a memory foam. It's not as shitty thing. It's like really great. And I even thought that before I was on drugs, right? Like I was like, this is a really good setup. The house was a neutral house. Meaning she picked a great thing, which was there. Wasn't the, the family of the people's art on the walls. It was like pictures of surfing and stuff and like water.1 (2m 44s):But like not a lot of people, there were no mirrors. Like I was like, is this made for this? And she's like, no, I just found this. There was no, no, the house was clean. So it felt really good. Right. But not sterile. So that was great. And she had flowers and stuff and there was like a table set up. So then you go in, you bring objects and, and pictures, if you want. And there's two kinds of MDM assisted therapy, right. There's talk therapy you could do with two therapists. I did not. This, this practitioner does not do that kind. She's a firm believer in like letting the client lead their own experience.1 (3m 26s):And at first I was like, oh, I hate that. I want you to take care of me. Like I was like, I want all the therapists in the room. Right. It was like a real, and then I said, you know, no, I'm gonna, I'm an adult. Like I can it's. Okay. And also when you have two therapists in the room, they, they, they use the music less. So what I will say is the music was, I would say 90% of what was amazing about this. I don't even like music really. Like, I'm not a music person, but you, you literally have your headphones noise, canceling headphones with th with curated music from MTMA musicians.1 (4m 7s):So people that have scientists have worked with psychiatrists and doctors to develop music specifically for psychedelic MTMA journeys it's and it's timed with the medicines. So, because they know, because they've done studies, they know the trajectory of the journey in terms of what you're going to be, what kind of thing is going to be maybe happening. So they time this music. So you put on these headphones and there's like blankets. And I brought my own blanket. And it's you do like beforehand, you say a prayer and like, not a prayer, but like, yeah, like, like a, like a meditation tension.1 (4m 47s):We said, I, and believe me, this was not something I took lightly in terms of, I for weeks have been committed to doing it. So then there's a workbook beforehand there's sessions with the therapist beforehand. So it is not a party. This is not, I cannot say this enough. It is a journey and not a party. So meaning that it's a whole thing. It's like a process it's it's therapy. It's it's medical treatment is what it is. Okay. So you have this headphones on and also the music is playing in the room as well, the same music. So that even if you take your headphones off, you hear it and okay. And you have total blackout shades on, on your eyes.1 (5m 31s):So a mask that is comfortable and soft, but really dark. And I was like, oh my God, I'm going to die. Like, this is, this is it. This is how I die. And then I was like, you know what? You have so much, like you you've done so much research. You've watched the videos, you know, this is not gonna, they're gonna kill you, but you're scared. Okay. But I just took the pill. I was like, okay, here we go. So I took the pill and then you lay down and you're like, okay, it's not working. Like none of it. And by the way, I've never taken equity in my life. I've taken throughs and I'm taking acid and obviously marijuana I've smoked and stuff and edibles, but never that. So I was like, nah, it's not working.1 (6m 12s):And then the music, okay, well, all I can say is it becomes a party for your body and the notes I will share with you in an email that she took. I said some of the funniest things that I've ever said, and also you're like still aware that you're you. So it's not the feeling because for someone like me who has trauma and panic, the big fears that you'll disappear, I will disappear. I won't have an identity and no one will take care of me. And I will, I will totally decompensate to the point of death. Like that is really the thing, this drug, this medicine, you know, you're still you like, if, if, if a police officer, God forbid came up and said, what's your name?1 (6m 57s):And you could answer all those questions. It's just, it literally turns off the part of your brain that is super judgy. So I knew what was happening sort of, but then the music, I was like, okay, this is not working. And all of a sudden, Gina, the music becomes the most beautiful music you've ever heard in your life. Like, you can't believe that humans made the music. Like I was like, this is, and I, I kept saying, this is like watching a movie with your body. So you're. Yeah. So you're like, and then, okay, so you feel, I felt great. And like, you're underwater, you can breathe under water and there's some visuals, but you're seeing nothing.1 (7m 40s):I mean, there's no, there's black, but you're seeing it. So you are kind of hallucinating. But the thing, and the thing that happens is with MTMA is that the whole principle is that inside of us, that these MTMA psychiatrists and therapists believe that there is an inner healer drive to live person who knows better inside of all of us before the trauma happens. Right. It's moved that we access that part of ourselves during the MTMA journey and you, and that's why they say trust the medicine. And I'm like, that is, fuck you. Trust them like beforehand. I was like, but you, and don't get ahead of the medicine, all these things they say.1 (8m 21s):And you're like, what? But you, you know what it means once you do it, you're like you is the most. So you're feeling good. I felt like you just feel relaxed and, but it gets you in that state. So then you can look at your trauma, so,3 (8m 38s):Oh, okay. Like making everything, just so PR conditions being perfect. Yeah.1 (8m 44s):And then you're like, oh, this is a hard song. So it feels like, oh, this is a hard song. And that's how I started to feel. This is going to be a song. And it, and I can only tell you that, like I worked through some it's, it is, it's like 12 therapy sessions in six hours in a, in a, in a, in a wonderful way in that I looked at some stuff, some crazy stuff, but it is not, we're not when we're on MTMA we're not attached to the trauma. So it's like watching a movie, but also you're feeling it.1 (9m 27s):Like I could feel fear and panic come up. So it wasn't like I had a good time all the time, but I wasn't, you can go towards it without feeling like you're going to be annihilated. I didn't think I was ever going to be annihilated by my trauma in the, in the medicine. I felt like I had the resources and I knew there, and I was curious about what the songs and the music and the drug was going to show me rather than petrified. And I have to get the fuck out of here. And like, I don't care what I do.3 (10m 6s):Did you ha did you remember things that you hadn't remembered before?1 (10m 10s):No. It was like, well, no, no. It was like different. It does it in a way that is like, not you. So the things I worked through, I can say it was like a song and the music is timed. When you're at the peak of the medicine for this, it was like some crazy, like intense, you know, soundtrack to a scary, not a scary movie, like, like, like a war movie. Right. And you're like, oh God. And at least that was my experience. But then what happened was I had a nine 11 situation where I was in the burning building is so crazy. This is nine 11. And I'm in a burning building on the 94, but I'm not panicked. I'm like, okay, this is what's happening.1 (10m 52s):And I go to a man and a woman who are dressed in business clothes, and they're sort of tattered. And we've all been through this horrible crash. And I say, you guys, we have to jump now. And they're like, fuck, you know, way to a man and a woman blonde lady. And I say, listen, I know you're really scared work on a jump together. We're together. And this is the last conscious choice we get to make as a group to do, to take, to take our lives in our own hands. I'm going to ask you now to take my hands and we're going to jump and they're like petrified and I'm like, we can do it. And then, and I'm here watching Jen, the observers, like what is going to happen, but not like I got to get the fuck outta here and clawing at my skin.1 (11m 38s):No, no, no more like we, I knew that we had to do this. And so I took their hand and we jumped and then we started flying. We flew away. So I like helped them to, and it's really me helping me. Right. So like, I get that now. But like, and so I wasn't like petrified. So that was a huge moment. But the other moment was none of the people I didn't want to come in, came in. So like your inner healer knows, like I didn't want to see my parents and I didn't want to see my sister. And I didn't. I saw my dad in the, like a field and he was young and happy. Great. We like, that was great.1 (12m 18s):But in the song, there was a, like a Tibetan song nothing's in English, which is great. So like, if there are words and lyrics, it's not an English, which is great. Unless you speak those languages, then you might know what they're saying, but I did not. And so there was a Tibetan, like guys scream, like screaming, singing, like chanting. And in my head, I was like, oh, this is the reckoning song. This is where he makes other people atone for their sins against me. He's yelling at them, all the bad things they did to me. So I don't have to do it like stuff like that comes forward where you're like, holy fuck. So, and then the other thing was the name.1 (13m 1s):And I will say this, and I will not say the name, but the name of someone I think like sexually abused me as a child came forward. And it just said, the name of your perpetrator is, and then there was the name and it wasn't scary. And it was at the end of my journey. And it was sort of like, this is just the name and it's the name I knew. And it's a name that I had questions about. And I was like, oh, okay. And it was like, not a dun dun dong. It was like, this is3 (13m 33s):Okay. Okay. Oh my God. I make so many feelings.1 (13m 37s):Oh God. Yeah. So, so that is my, so my takeaways are still, I have many sessions afterwards. I'm gonna meet with her tonight on zoom. And we it's an ongoing process. I don't know if I'd ever do it again. They say like, you just do a maximum of three, three sessions for any person, unless you have like severe, severe trauma. And then sometimes they mix it with mushrooms and ketamine and they do all kinds of things for like combat veterans and stuff like that. Or just people that are really stuck for years that are on like 40 meds. And like can't. So I will say that it's changing psycho, like it, because you are self fricking guided.1 (14m 21s):It is, I didn't make the experience about anyone, but myself and I was able to take ownership over. Like it was parts were scary. Parts were lovely. Parts were fun, but it was my experience. So like, you don't lie.3 (14m 40s):You're the protagonist in a story.1 (14m 42s):And I didn't make the therapist, the leader, or I sh she was there as a witness. So what I'm saying about MTMA therapy is if you are committed to it is one it's just like fucking having a dog or getting married or anything else. If you don't really have to, or need to do it, I would say, don't do it. But if you are someone who is in therapy, working on your shit and you feel stuck, or you feel like there is a trauma that you just refuse to touch in there, talk therapy or whatever MTMA is, is the thing. But, but I really recommend, like I took a shit ton of supplements before a shit ton of supplements after HTP, all things you can get at whole foods because your body does need to.1 (15m 29s):And I got a massage, you got to do it the right way. Like this is, I tell people it's not a party, but it's also, it's like a journey. And it's also a huge self care thing. It's like, it's all the all, and they say, the minute you commit to the medicine like that, you're going to go on a journey. The medicine starts working. So like stuff will come up before then you're on. So all this to say, what are your thoughts when you hear this?3 (15m 55s):Well, I mean, I'm, That's what I would be scared of this Learning something new about my past.1 (16m 12s):Right, right. I know. I know. It's3 (16m 17s):Afterwards. How do you feel about that?1 (16m 20s):I, I feel like she not first want to say, like, I totally get that. I was petrified and I, The worst in our life has already happened to us because we were children and we could not do anything about it. That is the worst part of the whole thing is that we were little and had no resources. That is the crime that was committed against us. Not that it, it was that we were resource lists. The thing about MTMA and how I feel. I never felt resource lists.1 (17m 0s):I knew3 (17m 2s):If I'm prepared1 (17m 3s):And in the journey, even while I was like, oh, this is going to be hard, but I never felt like D I was in danger and I never felt like a child. So trauma robs you of your adult hood. Right. So it tells you you're still five and you're still in the situation and nobody's going to help you. You don't feel like that on MTMA. I don't know about, I feel like on other drugs you might, but MTMA is like really renowned for people feeling in somewhat in control. Like I could have, I wouldn't want to drive a car, but if like I needed to, I could have been like, oh, Hey, let's get out of the house now, but I hear you.1 (17m 43s):But it is so evident in my journey that like,3 (17m 51s):We w it really helps to grow you up. Let me run this fine. Everybody has trauma that they need to look at. And that leads us into what we definitely have to run by each other, which is th this thing that happened at the Oscars and talk about trauma. And, you know, all I could see in that moment was two little boys. I saw Gina.3 (18m 30s):Exactly. I thought, oh, they're so hurt. So deeply hurt. I have no tools right now to it, especially for will Smith. It's like, he, he short-circuited somehow. And was his trauma was unable to stay under wraps and it came out in, on a public stage. And that's all I could see too, because that's my framework. That's my, that's my paradigm. Yeah. And, and, you know, of course in the information age that we're in and the, in the social media age, the, the, the, the second something like that happens, all anybody can think about is like, what are the hot takes going to be on Twitter?3 (19m 16s):Right. Okay. Well, there's a variety of takes, but they all seem to be mostly focused on who was wrong or what was wrong, you know, which to me is like, not the point, you know, like it's, who's hurt, who is hurting and what are they going to do about their hurt? You know, I said, yeah. I said, these people, all of them involved need help and support. Absolutely. They need help need shunning. They don't need, you know, I mean, and, and I don't really hear too many people talking about Chris rock, but I mean, I hope his people are checking on him because he gave his help to television.3 (20m 1s):And I just, I know that that has happened to him before. Right. I just felt like this is such a redo of his child that I don't know that it must be. And he said, you know, he's talked about everybody hates Chris. That was a joke. And he talks about getting him, getting in trouble with his mouth before, but I don't know, man. It was just so raw. And I kinda think they just, I guess they had to air it, but, and it's sort of live or whatever, but I don't know. I just, I wish there had been, I wish the grownups had come in. Well, what we need all I was telling my therapist yesterday, we need referees to say, wait, time out time, like psychological referees that are like, this is actually going into a territory.3 (20m 43s):That's not okay. So like, let's stop and regroup, but nobody, you know, it's1 (20m 47s):Capitalism and money. And nobody cares about psychology.3 (20m 49s):It's like, oh, good ratings. You know, this is getting before,1 (20m 52s):Like, fuck them. They're rich. So who cares about them? Or fuck that.3 (20m 55s):I hate that. I, that argument just really is just so tired. Like, oh, if you have money, then you're not allowed to have any other problem for life.1 (21m 4s):Well, the other thing I think is like, if we, if we live in a capitalist world, which we do, and basically the rich people run things, I want my rich people to be healthy.3 (21m 13s):Amen to that. Yes.1 (21m 16s):Yeah.3 (21m 18s):And talk about tools and resources. I mean, they, they that's, that's the one thing I will say, if you have those resources, you have a responsibility to make use of them in a way that contributes not detracts from the world and yourself and the people that you love and who love you, you know? Yeah. So it was sad. And, but at the same time, I was happy. There was theater back in the Oscars. I was happy about all of the firsts that happened. I was, I, it, it looked to me to be the most inclusive orange show I've ever seen in terms of what they talked about and hoop in the symbolism.3 (21m 58s):And I really, I really get into the symbolism, you know, when people wear certain things and do certain things, and this rep, you know, I'm sure if we could talk to the set designer, we would, we would learn a lot about what the symbolism was of the set. And so I thought that was interesting. I was wondering where they were sitting around these tables because it's not like the golden gloves are not eating meals. And then when, when these dancers got on, I thought, oh, this is for this. And, and it just felt like theater. And I just thought, yeah, okay, good. We need this. Anyway. We need, we need to get back to like, something more pure about why we all went into this because Yes. And visceral, because the other thing that occurred to me is like, wow, I never heard about this before, but it must be so tense to be at the Oscars,1 (22m 46s):Like horrible.3 (22m 48s):You're either tense about what you're wearing tense about whether or not you're going to win tense about what speech you're going to make tense about what I noticed people. I feel like I could read people's body language when they were dissatisfied with where their seat was. You know, I just felt like everybody was, everybody comes to that night with who are you going to tell me? I am. Oh,1 (23m 10s):Right. That's right. And am3 (23m 11s):I, is that going to be acceptable to me? And it's a very narrow definition of what's.1 (23m 17s):Yes. Well, yeah. It's like, yeah, it's teeny, it's impossible. It's impossible. So I think you got to go, like, I now know why, like Frances McDormand goes and she's like completely stoned or like, or like just crazy people do because it's too much pressure. That's the other thing I'm real I saw was with the, with the will Smith thing, was that the amount of, like you said, tenseness, you know, the amount of pressure they, everyone looks like ready to pop. They're so anxious and stressed out and understandably it's. So I, I know now why people don't go to those things. Like I always thought it would be so fun, but now that I'm looking at it, I'm like, that seems like a lot of work and also real tense,3 (24m 3s):Real, real tense, but that doesn't take away from the beautiful, you know, I heard some beautiful speeches and overall I think overall I hope everything that happened at the Oscars is indicative of like things moving in a better and better direction, but we're also very far away from a lot of things, a whole lot of things.1 (24m 26s):And, and then there's this, you know, and we don't really have time to talk about it this time. We're going to talk about next time maybe, but like this whole thing of like, okay, so a lot of, you know, like who gets to have a take on what went down? So like, people are, are saying, you know, I've seen members of the black community saying, you know, like no white people should talk about this. And, and frankly, I didn't feel the need to talk about it as a half white, half Latino or as a human. I also, my, I thought, I thought, oh, my framework is I come from a place of like, we're all traumatized. So like, that's what I, and I'm trained in that. And that's what I can chime in about if somebody asks my goddamn opinion, like you and I ask each other's opinion, but nobody's asking my goddamn opinion.1 (25m 13s):So I don't keep my mouth shut. If you want to ask me what I think, then we talk about it on our podcast. You know what I mean? But like, I don't need a platform Twitter to talk about will Smith and Chris rock, they, plenty of people are doing that3 (25m 25s):Where people1 (25m 26s):Covered3 (25m 27s):It's covered. It's well-covered yeah. Oh, I just have a very quick update about my fascination with those tick talks with the, the women and1 (25m 36s):They're getting ready and the coming home,3 (25m 38s):I found out they're all infomercials1 (25m 44s):For the products in there for all the products.3 (25m 47s):Yeah.1 (25m 48s):So it's actually nothing about there. They don't really do that.3 (25m 52s):I mean, who knows,1 (25m 54s):How did you find that out?3 (25m 57s):'cause my kids stole they're like, I mean, and they were, they weren't saying mom, you know, that's just infomercial. They were like, yeah, you can get all those products. If you just click on the thing you can see. And I was like, oh, so the whole thing is a commercial. And they were like, yeah, what did you think it was?1 (26m 12s):You're that it was a day in the life of a lovely lady with very many gadgets and outfit.3 (26m 19s):And it was just one of those moments like, oh, I, so1 (26m 24s):I have those all the time. I have those all where I'm like, oh, I'm truly an eater.3 (26m 29s):I'm truly so dumb. I deserve, I deserve to waste my money on these products and they don't want to get my money completely work. I did in the end, only buy one thing. Oh, you1 (26m 42s):Actually did buy what you3 (26m 43s):Buy. I bought it a egg cooker. You can, you can hardball eggs in the microwave.1 (26m 50s):Well, that's pretty good. Okay.3 (27m 9s):Today on the contest we were talking to Catherine Scarborough. Catherine is an award-winning New York city-based actress and writer. She got her MFA in acting from the new school for drama. And she's also trained with the Moscow art theater and the people's improv theater. She has a lot of interesting stories and she has a fantastic web series called , which you can find on her website, Catherine scarborough.com. So please enjoy our conversation with Catherine Scarborough.6 (27m 51s):Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. Okay.3 (27m 53s):So congratulations, Catherine, Catherine Scarborough, you survived theater school and your first new-school alone. So I I'm really intrigued by the way, by your intro here, he says, can be interesting conversation. Does that mean you had a mixed bag of a time?7 (28m 10s):Well, first of all, thank you. I, yes, it was definitely a mixed bag. It's an interesting program. Yeah. I mean, I, the training, my professors were really great. I had a lot, I really am happy with my artistic training. It was the business side of things1 (28m 32s):That7 (28m 33s):I, we went out into the world completely unprepared.1 (28m 36s):Okay. When did you graduate? You look so young.7 (28m 39s):20 13, 20 131 (28m 44s):Is recent. So we graduated and fricking long, long time ago. So, so like, like, yeah, nineties. So, so at 2013, the new school didn't really prepare you business wise. And I mean,3 (28m 59s):When did these people get,1 (29m 0s):When are we going to get prepared,7 (29m 4s):Please schools do it, to be honest with you. I think that if it's a name, if it's a school that you can walk into an audition room and they're like, oh, you're a Yalie. You're NYU. It's a different story. But like, to give you an idea, and I got my MFA, it was not a BFA program. It was an MFA program when we were getting ready or we had done our showcase maybe. And then we were doing, you know, reaching out to agents and managers, this spreadsheet that we were given, some of the people on it were dead1 (29m 44s):Or in jail or in jail7 (29m 46s):Dead. I mean, one of my classmates came back, oh1 (29m 48s):My God, these people,7 (29m 52s):They were like, I'm sorry, this person has passed away.1 (29m 60s):That's3 (29m 60s):Crazy.1 (30m 1s):I really, I really applaud that. Person's tenacity. They were like trying to get repped by a ghost. They will do like, I'll take anyone, give me the ghost, even3 (30m 10s):The ghost ghosted me. Okay. So, so you weren't prepared, but what about the straight training side of it? Like7 (30m 20s):You,3 (30m 21s):Presumably you went there saying I'm going to be a famous actress. Give me all I need to know. Did they fit the bill in that way?7 (30m 30s):Yes and no. I mean, it was, you know, again, once again a mixed bag, I had some fantastic professors. I, I was lucky enough to study with Ron Leibman1 (30m 42s):Who he, more,7 (30m 44s):Ron originated the role of Roy Cohn in angels in America. He was Rachel Green's dad on friends. He and studying with him was really a gift. I mean, and he, you know, I mean, he had done what you want to do as an actor in his career. He had Tony, can I curse? I really, You know, he had a fucking Tony. So there was no, I think sometimes with acting teachers, there is an ego part of it where they, I don't know, they want to mold you or they're frustrated and they haven't done what they want, but he had done everything that he wanted to do.7 (31m 27s):And so really he was just in it because he cared about young actors and he was tough, but he wanted you to be the best artists you could possibly be. And so that was such a gift that there were lots of professors that I really had a wonderful experience with there. Casey Biggs was my classical technique. Like Shakespeare professor. He's wonderful. He was, he's a star Trek actor. If you don't know, the Saifai world gets a lots of Shakespearian actors because they have to3 (31m 58s):Make7 (31m 58s):Sense. You know, they have to take this ridiculous material and make1 (32m 3s):And make it accessible.7 (32m 6s):Right.1 (32m 7s):So for people that don't know, obviously the new schools in New York, did you audition? How was that?7 (32m 14s):Yes, I auditioned. So it, yes, it's in New York city. It used to be where the actors studio was. And then there was this gray Bradley Cooper went to my grad school at the time that the actor's studio was still attached. And then there was this big schism actor studio went to pace. And then the new school had its own drama program run by Patty lipomas brother bobble poem. So he was the Dean1 (32m 44s):Of the school at your school?7 (32m 46s):At my school. Yeah. Bobby Lou. And so, yeah. So the audition process was I actually, they asked you to prepare a scene. So you had to find a scene partner and do a scene rather than just a monologue, which was cool. So I had a friend of mine come with him. This is funny. And a friend of mine come and do a scene with me. I did a scene from a play that I hate, but that I felt like would make me appear marketable. I did a scene.1 (33m 17s):Yeah.7 (33m 17s):I did a scene from fat pig, which,1 (33m 19s):Oh, no,7 (33m 21s):But Hey, I got into school with it. So1 (33m 23s):Yeah. You know what I always say about that play? Like I actually know Neil LaBute and that guy's a Dick. So, I mean, I've met him. I wouldn't say know him. He directed did he direct, he directed Wicker man, that my boss Nick cage, was it the second time UN he's got problems. He's a, he's like a Mormon, he's got problems with his own body size. I think as a, as a plus sized dude, he's real weird. He's real weird. But anyway, I always say about fat pig. It's like, I am always rooting obviously for the actress that takes on that role.1 (34m 6s):Especially as a plus sized lady, I'm like, yeah, you go. And, and we think, God, I hope we're writing better plays in that, but you know what? It's not the actresses deal that is doing it so good for you. So you did a scene from that pig with your friends,7 (34m 22s):And then he got asked to audition for the school himself and he got into,1 (34m 30s):I'm glad you both did because you didn't.7 (34m 33s):I know it would have been nuts. So, so we do the scene and then we find out what happens then is something called callback weekend. And I actually, I have to say, I think that the new school at that time, because the training has completely changed at the school now, since I've graduated. But their audition process was the best that I ever experienced because, and by the way, I auditioned for graduate schools, like on three different occasions. And when I auditioned for the new school, it was like the last gasp. It was the only school I applied to that season. Like I was like, I'm done with this. I'm going to open it.1 (35m 11s):No one, no one accepted you the first times. Right. Mad at them.7 (35m 17s):It was really awful. But are you1 (35m 19s):Fucking kidding me? Okay. All right. So they, you were like, fuck it. This is the last hurrah. I don't get it here. Okay.7 (35m 25s):Yeah. So the only school that I applied to that season, so you do your scene and then they have something called callback weekend where it's a whole weekend. You go and it's a surprise. You don't know what's going to happen. You go. And they have, because part of the core of the training and the new school is having playwrights directors and actors create new work together, creating your own work is a big part or was at that time a big part of the training program. And so you had to put together, we were put in groups and we put together a short play in 24 hours. And that was our, our callback.3 (36m 6s):I mean, that sounds really stressful, but also really7 (36m 8s):Fun. It was so fun.1 (36m 10s):Did you write the play,7 (36m 12s):The playwrights? Did they1 (36m 14s):Right? Yeah.7 (36m 15s):Yeah. At some point too, I did have to do two monologues and I cannot remember when that happened. I think, I think, you know what it was. Okay. It was callback weekend. I had to go and do my two monologues and do like a movement workshop. And then you found out, okay, you've made it now. You're the last round and you're doing a 24 hour play. Yeah. And so, yeah, it was really fun to be honest with you. It was good.3 (36m 42s):Yeah. I bet it was. So what about for undergrad? Were you also doing theater and under?7 (36m 48s):I did, but I didn't get a BFA. I got a BA at UMass at the university of Massachusetts Amherst. They actually have a beautiful theater program there. I had a great experience with them.3 (37m 1s):Yeah. And what was the impetus to go to grad school?7 (37m 6s):I had always, I mean, since I was a small child, like four years old, I've wanted to be an actress. I always, and I'm not, I'm not, I'm a theater nerd. Like I always wanted conservatory training. My family historically was not supportive of this. I really wanted to get a BFA and they didn't want me to do it. And so I ended up going to, you know, regular school, regular school and just getting a BA but studying theater. And so I had always wanted to have the experience of conservatory training.7 (37m 45s):After, after I got my BA at UMass, then I did a, like a training program with the Moscow art theater kind of connected. Cause I had applied for art. Didn't get in. But then the Moscow art theater reached out to me and they were like, Hey, we do this summer program. And we also do a winter program in Moscow. So I did both of those things.1 (38m 9s):Awesome. Yeah. They tell you my art story.7 (38m 12s):Oh yes, please.1 (38m 13s):Dude. I was a fucking idiot. So I, I was at taking a leave of absence from the theater school at DePaul. And I was at, I was at Shakespeare and company on the east coast. I was working there, but anyway, I thought, oh, this is a great time to audition for Harvard.7 (38m 28s):What?1 (38m 30s):I don't know what I was thinking. Like DePaul was fine. Like Harvard, like air chief was actually going to be better. But anyway, I mean, it's all the same once you get there. But so I thought, let me just audition. Sure. I had, usually I have two monologues. I had one monologue. Sure. I was also young and you didn't3 (38m 49s):Read the,1 (38m 52s):I did not understand the assignment. So I show up at a party and I'm do my monologue. And it went really well, even though it was probably a totally ridiculous monologue. It was above my head and the person the woman goes, that's great. And then I just stopped. Right. Cause I didn't have another monologue. And I said, and they said, do you have anything else you could show me? And I literally said no, but I could tell you some jokes.3 (39m 21s):See, I know it's a great idea. I think that was a great, I mean maybe he didn't know her that well, but I like,1 (39m 28s):And it was the truth and I, and they, she looked at, it was, it was, I did not get in there and I think they were all like what? She was like, what I, it was, she wasn't that I was on drugs. I wasn't, but she probably thought this child is on drugs. Like that's the only answer. So anyway, I don't know. But also they closed so no longer around. So you, okay. So you, so you did, you went to Russia?7 (39m 51s):I did. I went to Moscow and I studied like one of my teachers that I stayed with her father was Stanislavski student. I mean, it was crazy1 (40m 2s):My, oh,3 (40m 3s):Tell us everything about that program. It sounds interesting.7 (40m 6s):And I mean, considering what's going on, it's so sad in the world, but I always will hold my experience with the Stanislavski summer school and with it's my hot mess, Moscow art theater, very, very close because you know, I think as actors, NSX and students, we are delicate creatures and our confidence in ourselves and in our instrument and in our own talent is very, very delicate at all times. You know what I mean? And it really studying with them really made me fall in love with the theater and ma built me up and made me feel like, oh, this is what I'm meant to do with my life. And it just was because again, these, you know, the Russians, they, they don't give a shit.7 (40m 53s):They're all about the art. And they care about you as a, an artist. And1 (40m 59s):Did they not? Can I just say, were they not? Were they inclusive about body sizes? Oh, see, this is my problem. It's like what kid? Anybody fucking, not even in Moscow.7 (41m 11s):I mean, listen over there. It's definitely. But what I will say is my experience in classes and stuff, they just expected me to do it, you know, like,1 (41m 21s):Right.7 (41m 21s):My, my Grotowski admire hold biomechanics teachers. They were like, okay, now you will do backbend. You know? And I would just wouldn't do it. And it was like, okay, Catherine, now you will. You know what I mean? And so, and I, you know, I, we had this one teacher who re actually recently passed away. He was the most wonderful man. His name was Misha and Misha taught Michael checkoff technique, which I had never studied before I studied with them. And he was a lunatic, but like in the best, most beautiful way he would do this, this game with us called I love myself where, where he would have us run around the room, like crazy seagull.7 (42m 10s):And then while we're running around the room, like crazy seagulls, he is humming the theme to the godfather. So he goes,1 (42m 18s):It's fantastic. It's like what I did in my day program in therapy.7 (42m 24s):So he's going up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, and then he'd clap his hands and go number one. And you had to hug yourself and he goes, I love myself. And then he'd clap again. And then you have to run around again and he'd go bump up, Clap number two. And you'd hug someone and he'd go, I love my friends and Cutest. And like, he, I don't know, it was, it was a lovely experience. And I got to do Google. I was in a Google little, oh, Hey, I was in the inspector general. And I just felt seen by these teachers3 (43m 5s):Randomly, I don't know what the connection is, but they're in my town, which only has 30,000 people in it. There's a Michael checkoff like festival. Oh, I don't know if he lived here or I I'll have to look into it more Connecticut.7 (43m 24s):Is that because my grad school, Michael checkoff technique, professor Ragnar fry dog does a maybe1 (43m 34s):Greta. Steve. I bet it's gotta be connected. Ragnar and fry. Duncan7 (43m 38s):Connect,1 (43m 39s):Cover all connected.7 (43m 40s):Yeah. It might be. It might be there. It's somewhere up. I don't know. It might be,1 (43m 46s):Are you in New York city?7 (43m 47s):I am. I am in the city. Okay.3 (43m 51s):Okay. So you didn't feel prepared once you graduated. So what did you do?7 (43m 56s):Well, one thing that the new school, like I said, that they did, that was great. Was they taught us that we have to make our own work, which I think is true. I mean, I think, you know, and you know, I just been through this experience where I had to plumb all of this personal trauma to, you know, being in front of your friends to be an actor. I don't know. And there was a crisis in my family and I ended up using it and applied for an artist residency with Mabu mines. I don't know if you guys Mabee mind says1 (44m 33s):I don't, what7 (44m 34s):Is that? So Mabu mines is a theater company. That's been in New York city since like the sixties, seventies. And they're very experimental run by who has since passed away Ruth Mela check and Joanne Akalaitis and Lee brewer. Who's also, so they they're really into cookie, like experimental crazy theater. And so I got an artist residency with them right out of graduate school. And for a year developed my own place,3 (45m 5s):Something where you had to write a proposal about what you would be working on there. And, and you're, so you wrote something that was informed by a terrible thing that happened to you.7 (45m 15s):Okay. And so, yeah, I wrote a few3 (45m 17s):Minds saying anything about,7 (45m 21s):Because I wrote a play. So yeah. So I come from a very chaotic family. There's just all kinds of craziness. Always my father, who is much older, he was a doctor for nearly like 50 years, maybe 50 years. And he had this huge practice in this like shitty Podunk, back ass words, town and Florida. And he's very eccentric. He doesn't make friends, he's not politically savvy and was employing really ne'er do Wells to run his office.7 (46m 4s):And one of his nurses was writing counterfeit prescriptions1 (46m 10s):For opioids,7 (46m 11s):Opioids. So the, the, what is it? The DEA shut down his office and conducted an investigation for over a year while I'm in graduate school. This is going on. And then D couldn't get him on running a pill mill because he wasn't, but got him on insurance fraud, which I will tell you, actually, something that I do have done in the past no longer, but for a survival job, I've worked as a medical secretary. Every doctor concerns, insurance fraud and the1 (46m 50s):System, the system is set up for that. What are you7 (46m 52s):Talking about? So at the time, my 77, my in fact, my, was it my third year. Yeah. My third year of graduate school, my 77 year old father went to jail. Thank God he wasn't in there for very long, but we fought, he might be, he was held on half a billion dollars bail. Like it was insane how they went after him. And, you know, it's funny because I've been rethinking the project that I did because I was so fresh out of it. I essentially, I took because as he started me letters from jail, and then I realized he had been writing me letters since I, for like 20 years, he's a letter writer.7 (47m 37s):He himself is kind of insane. Like, he's, I love him, but he's, you know, and so anyway, I took all of that source material and I created a play out of it.3 (47m 51s):Wow. And, and I mean, presented for the public, right. Like people came to see it. How was it received?7 (47m 58s):I think it went really well. I mean, it was my first, you know, I, again, being unprepared, you know, coming out of graduate school, I didn't know a lot about promoting your own work, you know, I didn't know to write a press release and I didn't know to, but I did it with Mabu mines. And then I workshopped it in a few other places. I did it at Dixon place, which is another like incubator you're in the city. And then I did it in residency at the brick theater in Williamsburg. And that was, yeah, that was the last showing that I did1 (48m 30s):A solo show.7 (48m 31s):No, I had a hue. I unwisely had a huge cast. It was like nine all of us. Yeah. But it was like about because I'm from the south originally and it was about my family. And like the stories you tell yourself about your family versus reality versus very, yeah. It was, it was a great experience doing that. So3 (48m 55s):How have you continued to create your own work? I know you have a show, your own show, big girls. Is it called big girl?7 (49m 1s):It's called big girl. Yes, I, yeah. I really do enjoy writing and writing for myself. I think that, yeah, my experience has been more fruitful in writing for myself. Then, you know, the little parts you can get or, you know, yeah.1 (49m 20s):I want to let your, I just want to give you permission to let yourself off the hook for the publicizing of your thing. No, no. I need to tell you that I, when I did a solo show and it went to New York, I fucking paid a publicist $10,000 and they didn't do anything. So, so, so I'm just saying he, they didn't write a press release either and you were out $10,000. So was actually saying you saved $10,000. So you did good. Oh, wait. So Gina asked about like, yeah. So you have big girl is a, it's a, it's a show that is still is an ongoing, is it happening right? The second?7 (49m 56s):No, we, so we did. So the way big girl came around is that I started taking improv classes of all things. I hate improv, but I'm glad that I studied it. And I met my producers there in improv class. And I had written a play about body image and they came to see reading of it. And then we decided to do, let's do something together. We decided to write this web series. And so we, we worked on it from like 2018 through 2019.7 (50m 37s):And it's five short episodes. It's stories based on my life, but heightened about dating and just living as a plus sized woman in New York city, every episode is a different genre. So there's a clown episode, a black and white clown episode. That's episode three, which is my favorite of clowning is my favorite theatrical practice. I think I'm working on a clown show right now, actually, but clowning is my favorite. So what do you3 (51m 7s):Love about it? What do you love about coding?7 (51m 10s):I think that clowning is a way of celebrating your vulnerability and your ridiculousness. You know, I think that whatever makes you feel vulnerable is actually your superpower as a performer. It's the thing that people can see that connects us all to our, you know, terror of the abyss, right? And clowning is such a loving and gentle. Isn't the right word. It's, it's a very freeing way to just celebrate whatever is silly or weird about yourself. And if you can laugh at yourself, it gives the audience permission to laugh at themselves, you know, and it's also just really fun.7 (51m 60s):I, I have this beautiful clown professor, my clown, professor, Jean Taylor, she teaches at the Barrow group and that new school and over the pandemic, she reached out to some of us and was like, would you all like to do some zoom clown sessions? And let me tell you that saved my mental health, my like twice a month clown meeting it.3 (52m 25s):It was a picture of a clown school in zoom.7 (52m 28s):It is, I mean, we would just get into nos and we would do eccentric dance. And, you know, she would just have, she has something called go to my spot, which is like, as your clown, you find your spot. It's the whole thing. And, you know, we just made it work and it was, and we would create little, like a tubes as clowns that we would do for her. And it was, it's just, I just love it so much. It's just a, I don't know. It's like balm for the soul. It makes you feel joy.3 (52m 59s):And this is what happens when people feel left out of whatever's happening mainstream wise, as they go find a, like a little off shoot, you know, where, where any aspect of being different is is okay. Celebrated whatever. I mean, in a way it's like, okay, well, I guess that works out too, even though we'd like to be able to be included in mainstream stuff. Right.1 (53m 21s):Well, I feel like that's how all these theater companies that we adore love were made and then, you know, then it becomes something else that gets commercialized. And, but like, if you think about it, like a lot of, a lot of stuff in life, right. Comes from that. And like, I'm now writing feminist body horror. I know, I didn't even know that existed. It only happened because I just was like, okay, well maybe, maybe this. Okay. Fuck it. And then people are like, no, it's actually a genre. And I'm like, what? So like clowning was like, we can do this thing together and tell these stories. And people were like, oh yeah, that's good. And so then that it becomes a thing, you know, for years and years and years, so, okay.1 (54m 4s):So you, you, are you doing a clown show? Are you developing a solo clown show?7 (54m 10s):I have a co clown and a director and we are putting together a clown burlesque show.1 (54m 19s):I love that.3 (54m 21s):That sounds amazing.7 (54m 23s):It's going to be, I'm really excited. Yeah. It's going to be, we're just at the beginnings, like applying to festivals and things like that. And we're just about to start real rehearsals and1 (54m 35s):Oh, is it a scripted, like how does that work in terms of like, what, how what's your process like for us? So I don't know why I keep pushing you to do solo work. I keep asking if everything you do, I feel like I really need you to do a solo show. Apparently7 (54m 46s):I should do a solo show. I haven't before this1 (54m 50s):Do what you want. I just said, so it's a solo show. So you're doing your clown burlesque show. How do you write, is it scripted? Tell me about that.7 (54m 60s):That is a very good question. We are figuring that out because clown involves a lot of, I don't want to call it improvisation, but impulse it's like, you have to let your in order for it, to be honest, right? The clown clowns are my teacher put it this way. They're like cretins. They're very, they're there. Everything is very simple and they're idiots, but experts at the same time and you have to leave room for the unexpected. So our tactic right now is we're going to have a, a loose, an outline, like beats that we want to hit, let's say, but then to leave room for our clowns to play and do what they want.3 (55m 47s):I'm kind of curious about this thing you said about improv, because I also have the feeling that I hate improv, but only to say that I hate doing it, but actually if I was good at it, I wouldn't hate it. So what do you hate about it?7 (56m 2s):I am also not good at it. I get too, too in my I'm just not good at it. I get too in my head. I'm like, why are there so many rules? Why can't I ask questions? Why can't I just come up here and have fun? Why does there have to be a, what does the Harold, why do I have to go back to see the,3 (56m 22s):I mean, think that like, this is all just because a bunch of guys made up improv, right? Like what would it have been like if it was a bunch of women who, who developed the art,1 (56m 35s):It would be clowning and it would be, it would be something more beautiful. I mean, I just think the culture of improv is such garbage and I happen to love improv. I love, love, love it, but I love it because I'm scared because I do feel like you can do no wrong and improv, especially at like an improv audition for commercials and shit are my jam because there's no things to memorize and, and, and to be serious actors and not fuck anything up, but that does crossover into yeah. It, if you're in a culture and improv like school, the culture is there a lot of rules and there are a lot of stuff.1 (57m 16s):And also to be fair, you know, to be, or to be honest, there's a lot of drinking. There's a lot of drugging. It's just not my scene. And it's also really like a 22 year old white dudes see3 (57m 25s):Very fresh, very fat frat life,1 (57m 28s):But okay. So go ahead.7 (57m 30s):Wait, where was1 (57m 31s):I? Oh, no, it's me. I was just saying, go ahead. Either one of you. Cause3 (57m 36s):Well, I, I, I can't actually bring us back to what we were talking about before, but I can ask you, does new school do a showcase at the end? Can you tell us about it?7 (57m 48s):Sure. So it was, we did our showcase at playwrights horizons. We worked on our scenes for a semester and there were a lot of us in my class. So I got into graduate school, like at a time when people like right after the oh eight recession. So tons of people were applying to graduate school and they let 35 actors into our class. And so that was a big, obviously a big issue all through my graduate experience was what do we do with all of these kids?7 (58m 36s):There were, I think at least a good 10 people in my class who had no business. Like they just shouldn't have. And there were people who graduated from the most expensive. The, my school debt is so ridiculous. It's imaginary. There were people who graduated from my program who never stepped foot on a main stage.1 (58m 56s):We, why is it so fricking expensive? What's happening?7 (58m 60s):I it's the new school. I don't know. But yeah, it's the most expensive,1 (59m 5s):Never we're up. We've heard this before, by the way, at other schools Where the people never, there were people that graduated, maybe not an MFA, but like, there are people that graduated that were never in a show and I'm like, okay,7 (59m 19s):I would have, yeah. I,1 (59m 22s):Why weren't they at a show? They never got cast or7 (59m 24s):They didn't get cast.1 (59m 26s):I give him like a pity part. Like you're going to be Cinderella's step sister. And the,7 (59m 31s):I mean, they would be like in the chorus of something1 (59m 34s):That would have been me. That would have been me. I know it would've been3 (59m 38s):Me too. Me too, but was it for agents? And the showcase was for agents.7 (59m 42s):Yeah. Agents and managers. And I did two scenes from bridesmaids because bridesmaid said recently come out. So I did the airplane scene with, and then I did her, her monologue at the end about being in the CIA. I just love. And it probably wasn't wise of me to choose scenes from what, but I was like, fuck it. This is what I wanna do. I worship Melissa McCarthy. I think that she's I, if I ever met her, I would absolutely lose my mind. I just think she be,3 (1h 0m 13s):I think that was the perfect thing to do because right. Because the, the, the thing that bothered, I are always talking about that we never got is that we were supposed to think of ourselves as, you know, to be crass, like a product and what, you know, so what is our brand and what, you know, and we never did that, but that is what is required. So why is it not good to have done the Melissa McCarthy?7 (1h 0m 36s):I guess maybe I think you're right. I maybe I felt like I should have shown more range.1 (1h 0m 42s):They're not looking for range. Let me tell you something. They're looking to look at you seriously and now be in LA. I can really tell you looking at, oh, oh, she knows. She, she, she knows that we think she's going to be like the Melissa McCarthy character. Great. So let us just all get on the, the Melissa McCarthy bus with her, and then we can sell her that way. And maybe we'll all make a lot of money and be rich. Now look, I'm not saying that's a good thing. I'm just saying it was smart in terms of a business move. And please tell me you got an agent. Did you get an agent and a manager?7 (1h 1m 15s):Ah, I, I got one agent who freelanced with me for a minute and he sent me on two auditions in three years.1 (1h 1m 31s):Okay. All right.7 (1h 1m 32s):So1 (1h 1m 33s):Not good, not good.7 (1h 1m 35s):And that agent, I mean, I,1 (1h 1m 38s):What,7 (1h 1m 39s):He, it just,8 (1h 1m 41s):Eh,7 (1h 1m 44s):I'm worried because why?1 (1h 1m 46s):Okay. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. This is not about him. This is about your reaction. You don't have to, obviously don't say the name, but this is about your experience of what it was like to be that age and work with is someone in the industry. So tell it now.7 (1h 2m 2s):Okay. So from that point, yes, from that point of view, you know, number one, it, you know, I, I had one really solid audition. I didn't book it, but it was my first big audition in a big room. And I went in and I was prepared and I killed it. And I remember, oh, at PA, oh, oh wait, okay. It's back. Oh, you're1 (1h 2m 24s):Fine.7 (1h 2m 25s):Okay. Like froze for a1 (1h 2m 26s):Second. That's okay.7 (1h 2m 29s):I went in and it was Judy Henderson's office. She's a casting director. I killed it. And I had them all laughing. And I remember I walked out and I heard the director say, oh, that was really good.1 (1h 2m 43s):Yes.7 (1h 2m 44s):So that was such a win right out of an acting program. You know, I didn't get a call back. I didn't book it, but it was such a great, you know, experience. But then after that, and I emailed my agent to say, Hey, this was so great. This is what the people said, send, thank you, notes, all of that. But he like had this Facebook group for the members of the agency and he would have these mixers, Which, and I went to one and it made me so uncomfortable because it was like him. And then a bunch of like women, you know what I mean?1 (1h 3m 23s):Yeah. It's gross. That's gross. I don't know who you are, agents. So it's not a personal thing, but also that's gross.7 (1h 3m 29s):Yeah.1 (1h 3m 30s):It's weird. That's weird.7 (1h 3m 32s):And like also something that made me super uncomfortable would be that there would on the Facebook group, he would put up these statuses, like, you know, a word to the wise, never write an email to an agent like this deducted that dah, dah, and don't show up to an audition doing blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I just in my head, I'm like, why don't you go get me an audition instead of spending your time? And like, there is no roadmap for young actors. None of us know what the fuck we're doing.3 (1h 4m 4s):Well, let's do mystify something right now for people who haven't gone through this yet. Why do some agents not get auditions for their clients?1 (1h 4m 16s):Oh, I know. I feel like, I feel like for what my knowledge is of working in casting and then also working as a writer and an actor, is that agents. Okay. So like, this is my understanding. All agents get the same breakdowns, right? And a lot of times for better, for worse they're thinking is I need to, I can't possibly do everything on this breakdown. So who are the people I know that are gonna, for whatever reason are top of mind that are gonna, that have a better, good chance of booking these things. And then they sort of gravitate towards that. And then a lot of people who aren't, don't look a certain way for whatever, get pushed to the side.1 (1h 5m 2s):And then I think we're also not as actors at our schools and in the world taught how to have a relationship with an agent that is on equal footing so that you stay top. This is what I teach my kids at the theater school, which is like how to build a relationship or get out of one. When you feel like it's not on equal footing where you can't, you don't feel like you can call or email the agent and say, Hey, I'm feeling like I'm not going out. Is there something that we can do together? Because we're so scared of the agent. We never make those, but I am. I think that is what happens.1 (1h 5m 43s):And then the fear begets fear. And then you just never hear from them again. Then they drop you or whatever. So it's a matter. So that's what happens. And, and agents, a lot of times, like the rest of us are traumatized and hurt and scared. And, and it's easy to take that shit out on younger people.3 (1h 6m 3s):So it's not what I was thinking. You were going to say, which is that if the agent is unknown, they literally cannot get their client. Okay. It's not that,1 (1h 6m 15s):I mean, I feel like they, I feel like S H certain agents have better relationships than others with casting, but everyone gets the same breakdowns. It's, it's a, it's a common document. So anyone, if we, if you, and I said, now we're an agent. We would get those breakdowns and we could start submitting people. And if you send a kick ass letter that says, Hey, Catherine is perfect for this. Look at our shots. Please see her, they'll see her because they want, Cassie wants to meet new, new, fresh faces that are kick ass. Like that's their jam. So, yeah, it's a matter of top of mind. And3 (1h 6m 49s):Well, since we're on the topic, I don't know. You mentioned this thing about getting a good relationship with your agent CA well, so Kevin, do you have an agent now?7 (1h 6m 57s):I am. Now I am looking for representation right3 (1h 7m 0s):Now. All right. You're looking for representation. A lot of people who listen to this podcast are recent graduates from theater school. I have my only experience with an agent is I'm helped my son with his stuff. And so I'm, I have a relationship with his agent. I'm very scared of this person. And when he doesn't like something we did just on my stomach. So like, what, I mean, you know, what, what do you do and how do you have a good relationship with an agent? Because it seems like they're all the hassle.1 (1h 7m 31s):No, no, they, they, it does seem like that. They're not all assholes, but I feel like a lot of them are, are scary. So inherent and Gina, Gina talks about this and Catherine, I want to know your thoughts. So, so we talk about the idea that like inherent in this industry is a pear is a patriarchal and like a, a status, right. Triangle, whatever hierarchy. So that creates a dynamic where the people that have, are seemingly having the more power are, are, are a little bit mean. It can be a little bit mean. So Catherine, how do you think, I guess my question for you would be like, what is your, maybe your experience with how to work with that and what are you looking to do differently this time when you have an agent, I guess, for the youngsters7 (1h 8m 15s):Listening? So my experience with them being mean, Or I just think that there is a, in my experience, there has been a feeling of being dismissed perhaps of, you know, yeah, yeah. You know, I do a lot of in the past, I've done a lot of there's this company here in the city called one-on-one, which there's another one that's called, like actor's connection where you can go and it, it kinda sucks. It's pay to play and you pay like a little fee to do a class with a casting director or an agent, or, you know, an opportunity for like a 10, 15 minute meeting with an agent.7 (1h 9m 2s):And I have met some success with that, you know, in the past, I don't necessarily, I feel a little morally repugnant about pay to play. You know, this is such a, I mean, the other thing along with the hierarchy of this industry is that it's predatory, you know, it's very predatory on the hopes and dreams of, you know, young actors. And so I have had tons of experience going into auditions for things. And, you know, it's like, oh, you have to pay to do this, or you have to it. And it's like, okay, well, fuck you, bye. I'm not going to pay you to work. But, and then what was the second part of your question about, oh, what am I looking to do differently?7 (1h 9m 45s):I mean, I think the thing is right, I'm a character actress. I'm a misfit, certainly in the industry. And I need to find someone who really gets me, gets my work. You know, I want to find representation that isn't necessarily trying to, and this is perhaps an unrealistic dream, but I, I would like to find representation that that gets my voice as an artist, and doesn't necessarily want to pigeonhole me. You know, for example, I will never, I'm very into body justice and fat liberation.7 (1h 10m 30s):I'm not gonna even say body positivity anymore because it's been co-opted by a skinny white women, but I will never make a weight loss, commercial that's not happening. And that might be a problem for a commercial agent who meets me, you know what I mean? And so I, so yeah, I, I would like to find a team who, who gets me and really, you know, wants to, wants to see me succeed in that, in the, in that way,3 (1h 10m 59s):This relates pause to our conversation earlier, just about contracting versus expanding. And I think that my mindset for certain, and maybe other people too, is like, you know, it's like kind of like how I used to be with boyfriends. If, just, if, if anybody likes me that I have to go with them because there's not going to be anybody else that likes me. Right. When in reality, It seems like the, the way to think about it is, oh, they need me because I know what I'm doing. And I have this look and I've seen people who look like me in this kind of thing. And there'll be lucky to find me because I can solve a problem for them.3 (1h 11m 40s):That's not how I've ever thought about it. I've thought about it. Like, I hope they pick me, but they probably won't. So if anybody shows me any attention, even if I have to pay for it, then the bus. Yeah.1 (1h 11m 50s):I mean, I think that's so right on. And I will say that. And I, I, I was that way for, and I still am obviously that way, but I found a team. I love my team, but it took me a very long time. And it took me to 40, I dunno, 44 to do that or 43. And it took me going in literally and saying, this is me, here's my body of work. I look like this. I want, I came in, I went in with a list of things in a piece of paper and what I brought to the table and what I expected from a relationship.1 (1h 12m 35s):And I had to be prepared that they were going to say, no, thank you. Like, this is crazy. Fuck you. But they didn't say that instead. They said, we, we support you. We've looked at your stuff. We believe in you. And we want to work with you. And that was all right. And then I found my person at that place. And when she left, I followed her. So it really is about relationships, but it's like, it takes a long check. My therapist, this, it takes a long time to do the work. Like it is not an overnight

Rebecca VerNooy is an actor, writer, educator, and Movement Theater artist.  Her original work has been produced at Dixon Place, P.S. 122, Judson Church, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Dance Theatre Workshop, and Joyce Soho. The practice of Authentic Movement is her anchor for processing her thinking, accessing the imagination, and grounding herself in a chaotic world. Best Links: https://www.rebeccavernooy.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rebecca_vernooy/ https://www.facebook.com/rebeccavernooy.theaterartist/

Brendan Stackhouse is a director and choreographer turned teacher. He currently serves as the Resident Director for Hemlock Theatre Company on Staten Island, where he has created revamped productions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Assassins, Big Fish, Dog Sees God, and Next to Normal. Brendan has worked on Broadway as the Assistant Choreographer to Danny Mefford on the 2015 Tony-Award winning production of Fun Home. Off-Broadway, he was the Assistant Director for the Transport Group revival of Once Upon a Mattress, starring Jackie Hoffman. He was also the Associate Director for the 2016 revival of The Marvelous Wonderettes at Theatre Row. He has developed new plays and musicals at Dixon Place, NYTB Choreographers Lab, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Hudson Guild Theatre, The Little Victory Theatre, and through student organizations at Wagner College. Have you ever listened to Zombie Prom? Do yourself a favor and check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCBA2E5CCC1EC582D Follow us on Instagram! Questions? Comments? Send us an email at castpartyshow@gmail.com! Help support the show by donating at https://anchor.fm/michael-busani/support Editing and mixing by Ben Seaman --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michael-busani/support

“The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter” from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Yianni Papadimos. “The Diogenes Club is the queerest club in London, and Mycroft one of the queerest men.” Yianni Papadimos is a Greek-American actor and writer. His favorite credits include Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Barnstormers Theatre), Matt in Swimming Upstream (Detroit Repertory Theatre, World Premiere), and Ira Stone in Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Barnstormers Theatre). Onscreen, Papadimos has been featured in projects that have premiered across the country. Favorite credits include The Tankhouse Theatre (2018 SeriesFest) and Better To Live (2015 TriBeCa Film Festival). His first full-length musical, co-written with Ben Chavez (The Cobalteans), was an official selection of the 2015 New York Musical Festival. He received awards for Outstanding Book and Outstanding Lyrics. Elysium: An American Fable, the team's second full-length musical, has been developed at the Village Theatre (Issaquah, WA), Ohio Northern University (Ada, OH), and the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival (Auburn, NY). Their work has been featured at NYC venues such as Feinstein's/54 Below, The Musical Theatre Factory, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Dixon Place, and Don't Tell Mama. He proudly holds a BFA in Drama and English Literature from NYU. Content warning (and spoilers because this is a doozy!): Kidnapping, torture, violence and threats of violence, and general nasty behavior. Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/improbablepod

Capítulo 021: On this episode of Ocu-Pasión we are joined by Dancer and Performance Artist Salomé Egas. Listen in as we discuss exploring intersectional identities, action driven artwork, and venturing beyond the traditional theatre landscape to engage with audiences head on. SALOMÉ EGAS is an Ecuadorian mestiza performer, educator and entrepreneur who is permanently questioning her identity through dance, theater, film and textile arts.  As a solo performer and a member of The New Latinx Art Collective, Salomé incorporates radical self-love and indigenization as tools to empower the ancestral knowledge carried by femme bodies of color. Her solo “Reflejo'' has been supported by The Greenwich Arts Council (2021), The Immigrant Artists Biennial (2021) and the Exponential Festival (2020); her solo “(Up)rooted”  was commissioned by Skidmore College's Tang Museum (2019). She's performed nationally at Abrons Arts Center, LaMama, Dixon Place, NYTW, Joe's Pub, among others. Internationally, Salomé has performed in Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina and Canada. She participated in 2019-20 Creative Capital's Latinx Artist Workshop and EmergeNYC (2018). As an arts educator, Salome has taught and created curriculums in Dance, Theater and Spanish for different public and private institutions in NYC and Ecuador. Salomé recently started dabbling in Bilingual Children's Literacy and is happy to release her first children's book in March 2022! She is also the founder of “BY SALO,” an online brand that focuses on making sustainable clothing and accessories through recycled, upcycled and/or hand-sewn, hand-dyed materials. Salomé obtained a Master's in Performance, International Education and Mythologies from NYU (2018), and a Dance-Theater degree from Skidmore College (2014).Salome's website: https://www.salomeegas.com/Salome's instagram:https://www.instagram.com/salomeegas/By Salo's website: https://bysalo.com/By Salo's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by_salo/By Salo Books instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bysalo_books/The New Latinx Collective instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newlatinxartcollective/Ocu-Pasión Podcast is a heartfelt interview series showcasing the experiences of artists and visionaries within the Latin American/ Latinx community hosted by Delsy Sandoval. Join us as we celebrate culture & creativity through thoughtful dialogue where guests from all walks of life are able to authentically express who they are and connect in ways listeners have not heard before.Delsy Sandoval is the Executive Producer of Ocu-Pasión. If you want to support the podcast, please rate and review the show here. You can also get in touch with Delsy at www.ocupasionpodcast.comFollow Ocu-Pasión on Instagram: @ocupasionpodcast www.instagram.com/ocupasionpodcastJoin the Ocu-Pasión Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/5160180850660613/Visit www.ocupasionpodcast.com for more episodes.https://linktr.ee/Ocupasionpodcast

Chris sits down with Patrick Roche, author of A Socially Acceptable Breakdown (Button Poetry), for a one-on-one conversation about passions, process, pitfalls, and poetry! Patrick Roche (he/him) is an award-winning poet, performer, mental health advocate, and Carly Rae Jepsen enthusiast from New Jersey. Videos of Patrick's work have amassed over 9.5 million views on YouTube, making him one of the most popular spoken word poets. Patrick has competed or been featured at multiple national and international competitions and festivals, including placing 3rd in the world at the 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam, 2nd at the 2017 Capturing Fire national queer slam, 9th at the 2017 National Poetry Slam as part of the Bowery Slam Team, and 3rd at the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI, the national collegiate slam) representing Princeton University. Patrick serves nationally as an ambassador for the JED Foundation, promoting mental and emotional health, suicide prevention, and substance abuse awareness. In recognition of his work as a touring speaker and performer, Patrick was named the 2020 Spoken Word Artist of the Year by APCA (the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities), and he has featured at numerous conferences and conventions including the national conferences for both APCA and NACA (the National Association for Campus Activities). His solo stage show debuted in 2020 and was featured on BroadwayWorld. It was then selected for Dixon Place's HOT! Festival, the longest-running festival of its kind celebrating LGBTQ theater and art. Patrick is the author of the full-length poetry collection, A Socially Acceptable Breakdown (Button Poetry, 2021). He has also written two chapbooks: Wait 30 Minutes (self-published, 2015) and An Exercise in Necromancy, winner of Bowery Poetry Club's inaugural chapbook competition (Bowery Poetry/The Operating System, 2017). His work has appeared in or been published by Button Poetry, UpWorthy, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, NBC LX, MSN, Beech Street Review, Gal Pals Present, Freezeray Press, Voicemail Poems, and his mom's fridge. He has shared stages with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of RUN DMC, Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow, Everybody Hates Chris and The Walking Dead star Tyler James Williams, and Olympic Gold Medalist Chamique Holdsclaw, among others. His work explores mental health, grief, sexuality, body image, disordered eating, family, memory, love, joy, pop culture, and everything in between. Patrick is a 2014 graduate of Princeton University, where he studied Classics (specifically Latin and Greek poetry) and Education. He loves his dog very much. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Capítulo 005: On this episode of Ocu-Pasión we are joined by Angela Ramos, a Colombian-Caribbean multi-disciplinary artist that strives to produce thought-provoking work that challenges the status quo in order to open avenues of expression to those whom history has silenced. Listen in as we discuss acting, songwriting, performance writing, and theatre-making with a focus on social activism.Angela has performed and debuted her creative writing and music Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway for the Vineyard Theatre, Dixon Place, TADA Youth Theatre and the Five Angels Theatre. As a writer, she has been commissioned to write and perform her original writing for the National Abortion Campaign in Colombia, the Nobel Women's Initiative and for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She is a proud alum and former moderator of the BIPOC Critics Lab of Jose Solis hosted by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her artistic administration experience includes: Broadway and Off-Broadway work as a Production Fellow for The Public Theater, Artistic Operations Fellow at Girl Be Heard, and as a Production Management Intern for Manhattan Theatre Club. In Colombia, she was a Production Management Fellow for Teatro R101, an affiliate of the National Theatre of Colombia.Follow Angela: @angelaramss on instagram, or linktr.ee/angelarams or Twitter @anramssAnd Caesura Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6b6D63fpVNQg5QzpVNkGIh?si=c62b9ad376934dceOcu-Pasión Podcast is a heartfelt interview series showcasing the experiences of artists and visionaries within the Latin American/ Latinx community hosted by Delsy Sandoval. Join us as we celebrate culture & creativity through thoughtful dialogue where guests from all walks of life are able to authentically express who they are and connect in ways listeners have not heard before.Delsy Sandoval is the executive producer of Ocu-Pasión. If you want to support the podcast, please rate and review the show here. You can also get in touch with Delsy at www.ocupasionpodcast.comFollow Ocu-Pasión on Instagram: @ocupasionpodcast Join the Ocu-Pasión Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/5160180850660613/Visit www.ocupasionpodcast.com for more episodes.

In the first part of our conversation with Zhailon Levingston, Director of Chicken & Biscuits, we chat staging in the round, staging on a budget, his hopes of having a "Joe Mantello situation", and so much more! If you are listening to this on Apple Podcast, we'd love it if you could share your love in a review! ABOUT ZHAILON LEVINGSTON is a Louisiana-raised director and storyteller specializing in the development of new plays and musicals. He is making his Broadway debut with Chicken & Biscuits, as the youngest Black director in Broadway history. Other credits include Neptune at Dixon Place and the Brooklyn Museum, The Years That Went Wrong at The Lark and MCC, The Exonerated at Columbia Law School, Chariot part 2 at SoHo Rep for The Movement Theatre Company and Mother of Pearl at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. He is the co-director of Reconstruction with Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin. He is the director of industry initiatives for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition and the resident director at Tina—The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway and the associate director of Hadestown in South Korea. Thank you, Shannon Levingston and Louella Levingston, for giving me the consent to dream the biggest dreams. Connect with Zhailon! @zhailon MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Chicken & Biscuits on Instagram: instagram.com/chickenandbiscuitsbway Chicken & Biscuits on Facebook: facebook.com/chickenandbiscuitsbway Get Your Tickets: chickenandbiscuitsbway.com --- Come say hi to us! Facebook: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Instagram: @PageToStagePodcast @TheMaryDina @BrianSedita @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Twitter: @TheMaryDina @BwayPodNetwork YouTube: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork #PageToStagePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first part of our conversation with Zhailon Levingston, Director of Chicken & Biscuits, we chat what it takes to direct a comedy, asking questions from new work, casting unicorns and so much more! If you are listening to this on Apple Podcast, we'd love it if you could share your love in a review! ABOUT ZHAILON LEVINGSTON is a Louisiana-raised director and storyteller specializing in the development of new plays and musicals. He is making his Broadway debut with Chicken & Biscuits, as the youngest Black director in Broadway history. Other credits include Neptune at Dixon Place and the Brooklyn Museum, The Years That Went Wrong at The Lark and MCC, The Exonerated at Columbia Law School, Chariot part 2 at SoHo Rep for The Movement Theatre Company and Mother of Pearl at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. He is the co-director of Reconstruction with Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin. He is the director of industry initiatives for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition and the resident director at Tina—The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway and the associate director of Hadestown in South Korea. Thank you, Shannon Levingston and Louella Levingston, for giving me the consent to dream the biggest dreams. Connect with Zhailon! @zhailon MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Chicken & Biscuits on Instagram: instagram.com/chickenandbiscuitsbway Chicken & Biscuits on Facebook: facebook.com/chickenandbiscuitsbway Get Your Tickets: chickenandbiscuitsbway.com --- Come say hi to us! Facebook: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Instagram: @PageToStagePodcast @TheMaryDina @BrianSedita @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Twitter: @TheMaryDina @BwayPodNetwork YouTube: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork #PageToStagePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join my conversation with Jean Marie KeevinsJean Marie Keevins is a NYC-based, multi-hyphenate creative and business expert. Known in the arts as an Emmy-nominated supervisor, award-winning producer, writer, puppet artist and designer she is most proud of her role as an all around cheerleader and coach for those who work outside of the box and are on a mission. At her production company, Jean Marie serves as chief creative visionary, business planner and team coach. She has gained a wealth of knowledge gained with companies such as Apple, Sesame Workshop, Disney and the like. However it is her work in the theater that still brings the largest creative pull. Jean Marie has produced award winning productions with Ibex Puppetry, James Godwin (Lunatic Cunning and The Flatiron Hex), Martin P. Robinson (All Hallows Eve) and so many more. Her personal and collaborative work has been supported by the Jim Henson Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, Space at Ryder Farm, the Orchard Project and more. Premiering works at Dixon Place, Art NY and beyond, Jean Marie finds her creative home at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center where she has served as the Associate Artistic Director of the National Puppetry Conference. When Jean Marie is not on set, on stage, in the rehearsal or the studio, Jean Marie can be found coaching creatives and executives alike. As a natural space holder, Jean Marie's coaching practice brings her equal joy to that in the arts. "There's nothing like helping someone craft their new narrative". Her new ebook, "52 Simple Weekly Meditations to Guide You Through Life's Transitions" is now available at ibooks and barnes&noble.comJeanMarieKeevins.com@JeanMarieNYSpecial thanks you to Marcus for podcast music Sunday Coffee. You can reach him at: https://linktr.ee/mrcxsIf you like to be a sponsor, send email request to:livingthelifepodcast2020@gmail.comSubscribe and share and like:IG: @livingthelifepodcastFB Page: Living the Life Podcast Twitter: LTLpodcast2020Website: https://living-the-life-podcast.square.Support the showNwanneka Tesy is the Host and Creator of Living the Life Podcast

Preston Burger is an actor, advocate, and educator hell bent on leveling the playing field for people with disabilities in all societal domains he can. A performer and creator since childhood, Preston has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus (1998-1999 season); served as Dance Captain for Rachel Klein in her delightfully ghoulish dance-theater work The Tragedy of Maria Macabre at Dixon Place; danced a lead role in indie music video Fire To The Ground (The Forms, feat. Matt Berninger of The National); and had his original work selected for the Roundabout's Reverb Arts Festival (under the mentorship of Jerron Herman). Currently, Preston is on the Advisory Board of EPIC Players Neuroinclusive Theater Company (where he also participates as an actor and a mentor) and the Disability Advisory Council for BEAT Global. Outside of his artistic work, Preston is the Recruiter and Candidate Success Specialist for Integrate Autism Employment Advisors, a national nonprofit staffing and recruiting agency that helps Fortune 1000 companies build autism hiring programs. Before this, he served as the CUNY LEADS (Linking Employment, Academics, and Disability Services) Advisor at Bronx Community College for 5.5 years, a role in which he supported CUNY students with disabilities. While at BCC, Preston helped start the campus's chapter of the CUNY student advocacy group, the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities (CCSD). Preston has been featured on PunkinFutz's Wednesdays Live! FB Live series; BronxNet's OPEN program; Manhattan Neighborhood Network's Disabilities Redefined with Dr. Vaigneur; and Access Champions podcast. Preston earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Theater & Dance from Princeton University; his Master of Science in Education from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus; and his Advanced Certificate in Project Management from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

The boys have some big changes in their lives! Jack has hired a professional matchmaker, and walks JJ through his decision to do so in the first segment, then after the break JJ reveals that he has finally gotten a Scruff profile. LGBTQ+ musician and variety show host Billy Mick trade their worst performance stories. To close out, JJ gives love and light to "me time" and Jack picks a fight with Dixon Place.Follow Billy: https://www.instagram.com/billymickmusicTalk to us: www.instagram.com/dyingalonepodcast www.instagram.com/jacktracyofficial www.instagram.com/jjbozemanGive us money: www.paypal.me/necessaryoutletJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/necessaryoutletGet more content: www.youtube.com/necessaryoutletThis episode was brought to you exclusively by Satisfyer (www.satisfyer.com). Check the episode for the 30% discount code for app enabled devices! (listen for details)

follow David! @perezident follow La Mezcla! @lamezclapod follow Adrián! @adrian.burke About our guest: Hi! I'm David! I am Brooklyn based writer, performer, comic, and homosexual Mexican man. I was a performer at UCB Theater NY (RIP) and my work has been seen at Steppenwolf Theatre, Littlefield, Dixon Place, Joes Pub, and The Exponential Festival. My writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Contagious Magazine and an essay of mine will appear in this fall's "Kweendom" Anthology. My pilot “1993” was a Semi Finalist in the Screencraft competition, and won 1st place in the Fresh Voices ½ hour pilot competition. Before the world became poo poo, I hosted the popular monthly show “Hail Mary: Our Queer Saints.” I have a BFA in Acting, and a PHD in gossip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jack and JJ own the awkwardness of being attracted to someone you're dating's friend. They also consider the reverse, what happens when someone you like likes one of your friends. In segment two the boys have a philosophical debate about the expectation of privacy when sharing nude pictures on the hookup apps. Today's special guest is NYC-based recording artist Benji Bradshaw, who joins the boys to discuss red flags. Finally, Jack leaves love and light to DIxon Place, and JJ picks a fight with lube...AGAIN! Follow Benjy: https://www.instagram.com/benjybradshawTalk to us: www.instagram.com/dyingalonepodcast www.instagram.com/jacktracyofficial www.instagram.com/jjbozemanGive us money: www.paypal.me/necessaryoutletJoin our Patreon: www.patreon.com/necessaryoutletGet more content: www.youtube.com/necessaryoutletThis episode was brought to you exclusively by Satisfyer (www.satisfyer.com). Check the episode for the 30% discount code for app enabled devices! (listen for details)

Interview and conversation with Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, choreographer, writer, dancer, and curator as he prepares for the upcoming The Gemini Show: An Evening of Daring Dirty Duets, on Thursday, June 9 and Friday June 10th, at thefidget space in Fishtown. Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, a 2011 Fellow at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and an inaugural member of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University, is a poet, choreographer, performance artist, curator, experimental vocalist, and comedian. He is the Executive Producing Director at The Philadiction Movement, a Philly based performance company. His work has received support from The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through Dance Advance, Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative, The Joyce Theater Foundation, and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund among other agencies. His work in dance theater has been shown at Joyce SoHo, Dixon Place, Dance Theater Workshop, Bennington College, Danspace at St. Mark's Church, the CEC Meeting House Theater, Painted Bride Arts Center, among others. He has performed with Kate Watson-Wallace/anonymous bodies, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Keely Garfield Dance, Miguel Gutierrez and The Powerful People, Headlong Dance Theater, Leah Stein Dance Company. He's been published in The American Poetry Review, The Dunes Review, The Interlochen Review, The Broad Street Review, Silo Literary and Visual Arts Magazine, and Poems Against War. Mostly recently Kosoko published his newest poetry collection, Notes on an Urban Kill-Floor.

For Jeanette. 11/11 William Burke is a playwright, director and curator living in BrooklynHis productions include "the food was terrible" (The Bushwick Starr), Is it Supposed to Last(Playco) PIONEERS!#goforth (JACK), COMFORT DOGS: Live from the Pink House (JACK) and FURRY! (JACK) FURRY!/LA FURIA! (The Bushwick Starr). With Target Margin Theater: I Made a Mistake, EXPLODITY! and DAY!Night?fuck (The Stahl Center at Stony Brook University. Co-Chair of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab with Jackie Sibblies Drury, Head of Artistic Development and Co-Curator of the Starr Reading series at The Bushwick Starr, and a co-curator for Little Theatre at Dixon Place. William studied playwriting at Brooklyn College with Mac Wellman, Anne Washburn and Erin Courtney.

How are ticket prices determined for Broadway shows? Marc Jablonski shares his insights on ticket prices, digital marketing, streaming marketing, A/B testing, and more! Thank you for taking the time to listen to our chat with Marc Jablonski! If you are listening to this on Apple Podcast, we'd love it if you could share your love in a review! About Marc Jablonski: Marc Jablonski is an arts and culture researcher at AKA NYC, where for nearly 5 years he has focused on turning data into actionable insights for over 60 theater and arts clients including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Met Museum, The Sound Inside, Sea Wall / A Life, Sweeney Todd at Barrow Street, and Be More Chill. Working with sales, pricing, digital, and media analytics as well as market research, he helps clients understand and grow audiences. Marc is also a writer and composer with work heard at venues including The Drama League, Dixon Place, HERE, The New Ohio, and the NJ Rep. Resources from this episode: AKA NYC: www.aka.nyc  "Razzle Dazzle" by Michael Riedel The Edge at Hudson Yards --- Come say hi to us! Facebook: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Instagram: @PageToStagePodcast @TheMaryDina @BrianSedita @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Twitter: @TheMaryDina @BwayPodNetwork Youtube: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork #PageToStagePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Art Bell and Vinnie Favale discuss the early days of the Comedy Channel and interveiw writer/producer Scott Carter about develooping and launching "Night After Night with Alan Havey" and "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" for the Comedy Channel and Comedy Central. - Scott Carter has been Executive Producer/Writer for “Real Time with Bill Maher” since it debuted on HBO in 2003. He produced the first 1,100 episodes of “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher” from its 1993 Comedy Central debut to its 1997 move to ABC. While at “P.I.”, Carter received eight Emmy nominations and three consecutive CableAce Awards for Best Talk Series. He has served as creator, producer or writer for “Root Of All Evil With Lewis Black” (Comedy Central, 2008), “Earth To America” (TBS, 2005), “The Conspiracy Zone With Kevin Nealon” (Spike, 2002-3), “Exhale With Candice Bergen,” (Oxygen, 2000-1). In 1997, Variety named him one of the “50 Creatives to Watch.” In 2007, he was a co-recipient of the Producer’s Guild of America’s Johnny Carson Award for “Real Time.” A former stand up comedian, Carter has written and performed two full-length monologues, “Heavy Breathing” and “Suspension Bridge,” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Aspen Comedy Arts Festival, The Kilkenny (Ireland) Murphy’s Cats Laugh Festival, the Cleveland Performance Festival, Dixon Place, Primary Stages, Manhattan Punchline, etc. He is former Producing Director and a founding member of The Invisible Theatre, now in its 42nd season in Tucson, Arizona. Carter lives in Los Angeles with his wife, interior designer Bebe Johnson.

NYC drag artist, television personality, and political figure. Throughout a near decade long drag career, Cummings has been a regular fixture in the nightlife world performing up to 6 regular shows a week. They have sold out concerts at 54 Below, Lincoln Centers Big Apple Circus, Dixon Place and regularly tour the world with Atlantis Cruises. Cummings's album A Very Mary Holiday features some of Broadway's brightest stars including Tony Award winner Cady Huffman and Tony Award Nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega. Cummings also appears on Fusion Television's “Shade Queens of NYC,” on “The Marti Report” on LOGO, “Dragged” on Yahoo! and on The X Change Rate on “The Build Series.”

Check out www.DanceConnectSeries.com for more information on each guest! Instagram: @danceconnectseries -------- Mary Grace McNally (she/her) is a dance performer, choreographer and teacher, originally from Massachusetts. In June 2018, she self-produced, directed and choreographed her first evening-length work, Not For Picking, which premiered at Theaterlab NYC. Mary Grace is honored to be the winner of the 2018 Capezio A.C.E. Award. She was also announced as ADA's National Choreographer of the Year in 2016. Mary Grace's work has been presented at The Joyce Theater, The Dance Gallery Festival, Dixon Place, Young Choreographer's Festival, Centre National de la Danse in France, and deSingel in Belgium. She has studied with artists such as Medhi Walerski, Jesse Zaritt, Adi Salant, Jermaine Spivey, Spenser Theberge, Tilman O'Donnell, and has performed the works of Doug Varone, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Katie Swords-Thurman, Emma Portner, Erica Sobol and Ryan Spencer. Most recently, Mary Grace was a featured dancer at Madison Square Garden for Phish's 2020 NYE concert, choreographed by Jon Rua. She also created new works for Divinity Dance Company (UT) and East Carolina University (NC). Mary Grace is the Artistic Director of MG + Artists, a project-based dance collective. In January 2020, she premiered her newest work, WHEN IT FALLS, at The Montalbán in Los Angeles, produced by Break The Floor. Mary Grace is a guest instructor and choreographer at competitive dance studios, workshops and universities across the country, as well as Guest Faculty at Peridance Capezio Center and Broadway Dance Center. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts in 2015. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Check out www.DanceConnectSeries.com for more information on each guest! Instagram: @danceconnectseries -------- Catie Leasca is a dance artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. With roots in Massachusetts, she has traveled and danced abroad in Israel, France, Belgium, and Germany. Catie has been a resident artist in NYC at Gibney Dance through Work Up 5.0, Brooklyn Arts Exchange as a 2019 Space Grant Recipient, New Dance Alliance as a LiftOff artist, CPR as part of UArts/Chez Bushwick Creative Exchange, and has shown her work at Movement Research through Judson Church, Dixon Place, createART, Dance in Bushwick, The Woods, and STUDIO4. She has danced professionally with Netta Yerushalmy, Helen Simoneau Danse, Jessie Young, Janessa Clark, Sophie Tibiletti, Bryn Cohn + Artists and is a founding company member of MG+Artists. Her film work has been presented at Screendance Miami through Miami Light Project and Philadelphia Screendance Festival. She has curated and produced her own publication ideasinisolation, in response to COVID-19 and gather / an evening of fall dances, a free community performance in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Most recently, she was awarded the Masterworks Foundation Choreographic Award. Catie has taught in NYC at Gibney Dance, FAILSPACE and Bridge For Dance. Her writing has been published in DanceGeist Magazine. Catie graduated with her B.F.A. in Dance from the University of the Arts, with the Dean's Award for Excellence and the Sustainability award. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Check out DanceConnectSeries.com for more information on each guest! Instagram: @danceconnectseries -------- Inger Cooper is a freelance performer and choreographer in the NYC. After graduating from University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Dance in 2015, Inger began her own project based group, ingercooper|dancers, and was commissioned by the Barnes Foundation to create work for Fall 2015. Inger and her company have since performed through various organizations and spaces in the NYC And Philadelphia area, including KYL/D's InHale, Koresh Dance Company, Philly Fringe Festival, REVERBdance, Triskelion Arts, WAXworks, Dixon Place, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Arts on Site. In 2019, she worked with members of Peridance Dance Company in producing a music video for Cardboard Rocketship. Inger has also presented work at the CND in Paris and Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp. Inger currently curates The Craft, a monthly performance series, in Brooklyn, NY [now virtual] and is a 305 Fitness Certified Instructor. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, I speak with Jessica Irons, founder and Artistic Director of Theater O, an independent theater school for kids in Ossining New York. She discusses the struggles of finding her purpose and then serving that purpose during a pandemic. She gives us the perspective of an artist and educator with the daunting task of trying to keep kids connected to their creative spirit while remaining safe. Jessica, an Ossining resident, and sits on the boards of the Ossining Arts Project (The Village Art Committee) and Bethany Arts Community.  She sat on the Board of Ossining MATTERS for 6 years and was president for 2. For 10 years she was the Artistic Director of the award-winning , NYC based Andhow ! Theater Company where she fostered new plays from a seed of an idea through to full productions. She directed Off & Off Off-Broadway at the Flea, The Ohio, HERE Arts Center, 78th Street Theater Lab, The Connelly Theater, Dixon Place, The Blue Heron Arts Center, The Ontological at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery  New Georges and adobe theatre company. She was the Associate Artistic Director of adobe theatre company and the Artistic Associate at Adirondack Theater Festival. As an educator she has directed/taught in Newark NJ, Redhook, Brooklyn, for the 52nd Street Project in Manhattan, Allan Stevenson, Fordham University, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester and elsewhere throughout the tri-state area. She was the original therapeutic arts director at Children of Promise, NYC in Bedford Stuyvesant, where she developed and implemented therapeutic art & theater curricula for children of incarcerated parents.  Jessica studied theater at Skidmore College (BA) and Creative Arts Therapy at the New School.Thanks so much for joining me today for A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice. If you connected with what you heard here, and you want to work with me, go to my website, rebekahshackney.com and send a message through my contact page. And if you have enjoyed what you've heard here, please subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.To learn more about DBT group therapy with Rebekah Shackney LCSW, go to https://rebekahshackney.com/groups