The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of eating disorders.At the age of 25, Eva Noblezada is a two time Tony Award nominee, a Grammy Award winner, and a WhatsOnStage Award winning actress and singer. She starred as Kim in Cameron Mackintosh’s London revival of Miss Saigon when she was 17 years old, and shortly after played Eponine in the West End revival of Les Misérables. Eva later reprised her performance as Kim in the first Broadway revival of Miss Saigon (also her Broadway debut). In 2019, she made her film debut in Yellow Rose starring alongside Lea Salonga, who originated the role of Kim in Miss Saigon. Eva originated the role of Eurydice in Hadestown on Broadway, and it's in Hadestown where she continues to lead, and take audiences “way down under the ground”. Eva speaks candidly about her past toxic relationship with the word “perfect”, how it affected her life as a 17 year old all on her own abroad, leading Cameron Mackintosh’s London revival of Miss Saigon, and why she felt like she was “falling for years”. She opens up about living with anxiety, panic attacks, and body dysmorphia, and how she’s learned to come back to herself at those times, and ask the important questions - “Are we in danger? - We're okay”. Talking about Hadestown, Eva shares her thoughts on Eurydice (and playing Eurydice), and her love for the “extra layer of consciousness” that can be seen throughout the whole show. In this episode, we talk about:  Growing up Filipino Mexican, and discovering musical theater  A strong work ethic, instilled by her father  The mental and physical toll of an 8 show schedule  Meeting Tara Rubin at the Jimmy Awards Pole dancing as fitness, and how society sexualizes women  Her “all or nothing” way of life  Connect with Eva: IG: @livevamaria Twitter: @EvaNoblezada Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Telly and Cameron discuss the inspiration behind the documentary Ensemble, the catharsis of filming it, and ​​the resilience of the 13 very diverse people in different stages of their life and career who are featured on screen. They share thoughts on George Takei’s legacy as an artist, activist and producer, and how his career encouraged and cleared a path for so many after him. Telly and Cameron express their support of “call out culture” in order to take time for yourself physically and mentally, and reflect on the old adage “the show must go on”. They also open up about what they hope people walk away with after watching their new documentary, Ensemble which dropped on March 11th on Broadway On Demand. Telly, as the producer, and Cameron, as a featured performer, are part of this brand new documentary, which gives an inside look at the private lives of Broadway ensemble members a year after Broadway shut down. Telly Leung made his Broadway debut in the 2002 revival of Flower Drum Song, and was named one of 12 Faces to Watch in 2012: Dance, Theater, Architecture, and Art by the Los Angeles Times. He boasts an extensive resume on both stage and screen, and other notable roles include Aladdin in Aladdin on Broadway, the Broadway revival and national tour of Rent, Godspell, The Secret Garden, and In Transit. Cameron Adams has over a dozen Broadway credits on her resume after making her Broadway debut in the 2000 revival of The Music Man, and she will return to Broadway and her role in Mrs. Doubtfire when the show re-opens for the second time post COVID. In this episode, we talk about:  COVID compliance while shooting a documentary  Looking back and seeing how far you’ve come  Diversifying the power structures of broadway  The mythology of Broadway  The necessity of becoming a “multi-hyphenate artist”  Connect with Telly and Cameron: Watch Ensemble on Broadway On Demand IG: @tellyleung & @cameron.nyc Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes the heart, soul, and sound of Hermes? Ask three different Hermes u/s and get three different answers. That speaks to the brilliance of the Hadestown creative team, and their encouragement to anyone who steps into the winged shoes of Hermes to bring their actual selves to the role. With us in this episode are T. Oliver Reid, Trent Saunders, and Eddie Rodriguez (two Broadway and the national tour understudies respectively), three uniquely different individuals who are all joined together in their privilege of being to play Hermes, the messenger. Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Swing, u/s Hermes) is a proud Puerto Rican performer who has lived and worked as a professional artist since he was 14 years old, starting with the folkloric dance company Gíbaro de Puerto Rico traveling the world representing his culture. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón with a specialty in telecommunications and theater. He’s collaborating with different Broadway artists to bring musical theater workshops to the artists living in Puerto Rico. Eddie is thrilled, honored and grateful to be in his second national tour with the family of Hadestown. Tour: On Your Feet! (Emilio). Regional: Godspell (Jeffrey), Man of la Mancha (Dr. Carrasco), La Cage Aux Folles (Hanna), Footloose (Willard), Rent (u/s Roger), Piaf (Ensemble), Hair (Ensemble).T. Oliver Reid (Swing, u/s Hermes, u/s Hades) Broadway show #13 for this award-winning artist. Broadway: Kiss Me, Kate; Follies; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Never Gonna Dance; La Cage Aux Folles; Chicago; The Wedding Singer; Mary Poppins; Sister Act; After Midnight; Sunset Boulevard; Once on This Island. TV/Film: The Sixth Reel, “Sex & The City,” “The Blacklist.” Educator Trent Saunders (Worker, u/s Orpheus, u/s Hermes) is grateful for the chance, joining this incredible company. He has been building some exciting things with his cohort and family of collaborators, The Saunders Collective (thesaunderscollective.com). Favorite credits: Evita (Che), Aladdin (OBC), American Idiot (St. Jimmy). Love to Tree, the Delfinitas, Mike, the family and all of you. Let’s tell the story!In this episode, we talk about: How majoring in telecommunications helped Eddie make it to Broadway Why their unique differences help unify them in the role of Hermes The stress of the vocal ranges required for covering multiple tracks How do get over that "I HAVE TO PEE!" feeling before going on stage Representation of 3 different guys being the same character Connect with Trent, T., and Eddie: IG: @eddienoelr, @toliverreid & @trensaun @nyugradacting @columbiamfaacting @ridermusicaltheatre Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A professional percussionist, Mauro Refosco has performed and recorded with artists such as David Byrne, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Thom Yorke’s Atoms for Peace. After beginning his touring career in 1994 as Byrne’s percussionist, he returned to NYC and joined cult creative ensemble The Lounge Lizards, playing experimental punk jazz. He formed his own band, Forro in the Dark, which has recorded four full-length albums and performed at major domestic and international festivals. He’s also composed music and soundtracks for movies, television, fashion shows and Off-Broadway plays. You can now find him walking around barefoot, on Broadway, in American UtopiaBorn in Brazil, he found his way to NYC and ultimately the professional touring world of music. His career exploded alongside other music legends. Once he began to embrace what makes him unique and different, he found his tribe after a short stint bring a NYC-based street performer in Central Park and in the subway. He found his way to an audition for David Bryne, which resulted in an interview(!). The rest, as they say, is history. In this episode, we talk about: How his love for soccer led to his professional career as a percussionist  How the album “American Utopia” made its way to Broadway as a show The difference a percussion player and a drum player Why Ted Lasso is the greatest show ever Being a NYC busker Why he decided to stop singing backing vocals for David Byrne Connect with Mauro: IG: @MauroRefosco Web: MauroRefosco.com Listen to Jomoro (and Blue Marble Sky) Get tickets for American Utopia on Broadway Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Malcolm Armwood made his Broadway debut as a swing in Hadestown, and can currently be seen playing one of the workers. He previously starred in the national tours of Motown: The Musical and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and other credits include Grease, Ragtime, Hairspray, and Showboat. Kay Trinidad is part of the original Broadway cast of Hadestown, and has continued her role as one of the Fates since Broadway’s reopening. Kay made her Broadway debut in the original cast of The Little Mermaid, and additional credits include the world premiere of Lempicka (Williamstown Theatre Festival), the New York Premiere of BARE: A Pop Opera, Children of Eden in concert at The Kennedy Center, The King and I, and Beauty and The Beast. Not only do Kay and Malcolm have a Broadway show in common, they reveal both performing as kids at home in front of their families, and recall memories of each of their early interests in the performing arts. Chatting about the heightened importance of theatre and the arts in the midst of a pandemic, Kay and Malcolm share their thoughts on what they find so compelling about Hadestown, and storytelling in general. They also chat about working with the “powerhouse” creative team behind Hadestown, including the collaboration between cast and crew that went into creating the final product. In this episode, we talk about:  Singing in front of crowds  Why they’ve stuck with Hadestown Missing post-performance stage door visits during COVID  Their favorite moments of the show  Call out culture, and self care Connect with Kay and Malcolm IG: @kaytrinidadkarns & @marmwood214 Twitter: @kaytrinidad1 And get your tickets to Hadestown! Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tara Jackson and Sayo Oni, both triple threats, recently made their Broadway debuts in Hadestown. Originally from Canada, Tara Jackson was previously part of the Hadestown Canadian premiere, and is now assistant dance captain, a swing, and an understudy for The Fates in Hadestown on Broadway. Sayo Oni recently completed his junior fall semester at Elon University, and can now be seen in Hadestown as a swing and an understudy for Orpheus. Tara (who covers 8 tracks) and Sayo (who covers 6 tracks) chat about their experiences as swings and understudies - the unpredictability, the excitement, and the documents they both created to keep all their tracks mapped out. They recall what they were doing professionally when COVID shut the industry down, Tara with a flight booked to join the Broadway cast, and Sayo in his freshman year of college, and share how it affected their lives and careers. Tara and Sayo also take us back to when they were first bitten by the theater bug, and how they found their way to Broadway. In this episode, we talk about:  Joining the Broadway cast of Hadestown  Learning choreography by osmosis  Finding theater in high school and college  Forming a dentist voice lesson company  Family reactions to their career choice  Connect with Tara and Sayo: IG: @taraatee && @sayo.oni Twitter: @taraatee && And get your tickets to Hadestown! Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alysia Reiner and David Alan Basche are a power couple of TV, film and theater. Alysia may be best known for playing Natalie “Fig” Figueroa, a warden on Orange is the New Black, and has a plethora of additional credits including Better Things, The Deuce, Masters of Sex, How to Get Away with Murder, 30 Rock and the upcoming production of Mrs. Marvel. David may be best known for his five seasons starring in the TV Land original series The Exes, and for his portrayal of Todd Beamer in the film United 93. His own string of credits includes Royal Pains, Blind Spot, Frasier, 30 Rock and Lipstick Jungle. Alysia and David are co-producers, co-creators, and co stars, who can now be heard in the podcast original Around The Sun. As collaborators, Alysia and David share how they decide which projects to work on together behind the camera, as well as their experiences working together on camera. They dive into the realities of living with a fellow actor and artist, including how they balance their careers, handle jealousy or envy, and how they curb self-doubt. And as actors who have to engage in intimate scenes with others, Alysia and David also share their philosophies on the importance of trust as a couple, and thoughts on the dichotomy of being actors whose job it is to “get caught up in what’s not real” for a role, but also acknowledging that it’s a lie.In this episode, we talk about:  Meeting during a summer stock production of Twelfth Night  Love for voiceover work  Self-taping auditions for each other  The process of letting your character go at the end of the day  Working on Around the Sun Connect with Alysia and David: Listen to Around the Sun (episode 105 here) IG: @alysiareiner && @davidalanbasche Web: socialenterprisegiftguide.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me live on the red carpet for the opening night of The Music Man! In this episode we hear from Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, Jerry Zaks, Warren Carlyle, Jayne Howdyshell, Jefferson Mays, Daniel Patrick Russell, Drew Minard, Eloise Kropp, Kammie Crum, Marie Mullen, Jordan Beall, Maria Briggs, Phillip Boykin, Ronnie S Bowman, Sherisse Springer, Garrett Long, and Lance Roberts.There are even special cameos from Seth Meyers and Randy Rainbow. #justsayin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Schneider is one of Feinstein's/54 Below original programming producers, a freelance director, and co-host of the popular podcast Behind the Curtain: Broadway's Living Legends, the official podcast of BroadwayWorld. Some of his favorite directing credits include Memphis (Regional Premiere), Rock of Ages (Millbrook Playhouse), The Last Five Years (Fuse Productions), Good People with Tony Award winner Johanna Day, and City of Angels (Young Artists Ensemble). Robert is also the Artistic Director for the J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, which just began its second season. Robert is currently on the faculty of both Penn State University and the New York Film Academy, and has a new book coming out on March 31st, called Fifty Key Stage Musicals, now available for pre-order. Robert shares how the J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company was born through connections fostered while working at 54 Below, and recalls memories of the day the pandemic shut them down. He talks about the wisdom accrued and lessons learned from his guests as one of the co-hosts of one of the industry’s favorite Broadway podcasts, one of the most noteworthy being the validation that there really is no security in this business for anyone. Robert also gives us an inside look to his new book, Fifty Key Stage Musicals, including how they decided which shows to include, and what kind of healthy debate he hopes it inspires. In this episode, we talk about:  How musical theater has always been in his DNA His dad, the private investigator  A common consensus on Danny Kaye  Why he hopes to see an end to open call auditions  What types of show’s he thinks we’ll see more of in the future  Connect with Rob IG: @robwschneider IG: @j2spotlightnyc Listen to his podcast BEHIND THE CURTAIN Check out J2 Spotlight Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lynn Nottage is a two time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, and the first and only woman to win the category twice, for “Ruined” and “Sweat”. She's a screenwriter, a Tony nominee, a producer, the recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant fellowship and was included in Time magazine's 2019 list of the 100 Most Influential People. Lynn’s work can currently be found on 2 different Broadway stages: “Intimate Apparel” the opera at Lincoln Center Theater (Libretto), and “MJ” a new Broadway musical at the Neil Simon Theater (Libretto). She's an activist working with the Art for Justice Fund, among others, and is an associate professor of playwriting at Columbia University. Lynn opens up about one of her main reasons for going into teaching, noting the importance of nurturing and mentorships, and being invested in the success of her students, particularly her students of color. She talks about getting involved with the Art for Justice Fund specially through her play “Clyde’s”, a not for profit invested in how art can be used to help people who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated tell their stories and “transcend their circumstances”. Lynn also chats about one of her newest projects, the new opera “Intimate Apparel”, and why it’s considered a brand new show rather than a revival.In this episode, we talk about:  Almost becoming a journalist instead of a playwright  Researching and conducting interviews for her plays  Creating Broadway industry internships through the Art for Justice Fund  Reimagining her great grandmother's life to write Intimate Apparel  Working on MJ the Musical Connect with Lynn Twitter: @Lynnbrooklyn IG: @lynnnottage Web: http://www.lynnnottage.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices