The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Lorin Latarro is a director and choreographer, who also has fourteen Broadway credits to her name as a performer, including Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out, Fosse, Swing!, Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line, Spamalot and Man Of La Mancha. She choreographed Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire, Waitress, Les Liasons Dangereuse, Waiting For Godot with Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stuart, Merrily We Roll Along for Roundabout, La Traviata at The Met Opera, and was the Associate Choreographer for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and American Idiot. Her choreography has also been seen at The Public Theater, The Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, City Center Encores!, and the Old Globe. Lorin is a Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Chita Rivera Award nominee, and recently directed Candace Bushnell’s one woman show, Is There Still Sex In The City, which became a NYTimes Critic’s Pick. Lorin dives right into a conversation about her love for neuroscience and how it relates to the body (specifically dance), her obsession with the idea of how a collective experience (like watching live theatre) changes your brainwaves, and why she almost left the entertainment industry to create her own business. She opens up about why choreographing and directing suit her more than performing, and talks about her road to becoming a successful choreographer. Lorin also speaks about working on her newest Broadway show, Mrs. Doubtfire - how and why she integrated many different styles of dance, and how she carried out her vision. In this episode, we talk about:  Deciding she was going to be a dancer at 4 years old  Being married to a brain surgeon  Studying dance at Julliard  Her upcoming projects: Almost Famous, and The Outsiders Founding ArtAmmmo.org - Artists Against Gun Violence Connect with Lorin Twitter: @lorinlatarro IG: @latarro https://mrsdoubtfirebroadway.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

A seven-time Tony Award nominee, actress and singer Kelli O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of The King and I. She has also received Tony nominations for her performances in The Light in the Piazza, The Pajama Game, South Pacific, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Bridges of Madison County, and Kiss Me, Kate. Kelli made her opera debut at The Metropolitan Opera in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow in 2014. She also has many TV and film credits including Masters of Sex, 13 Reasons Why, Blue Bloods, and All My Children, and can currently be seen on TV in The Accidental Wolf and the new HBO series The Gilded Age. Kelli may have studied opera at Oklahoma City University, but she opens up about why her true love is and always was Broadway, and how she often set herself into an “unusual size box” on Broadway in order to sing the way she felt most comfortable. She notes how performers are starting to take better care of themselves through both action and words, and shares why the shift to sharing roles more often with understudies, swings, covers, and standby’s sounds “delicious”. Kelli also chats about all things The Gilded Age, from lessons in using cutlery appropriately for the period, to where they filmed, to why she feels the shooting schedule is supportive of a family. In this episode, we talk about: Differences between Broadway and Opera performance schedules   Having two babies while starring on Broadway  Working on The Gilded Age with other seasoned Broadway performers  Her children's artistic talents and interests Connect with Kelli Twitter: @kelliohara IG: @kelliohara Watch The Gilded Age on HBO 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

Actor Brad Oscar has earned two Tony Award nominations for his performances in The Producers and Something Rotten!, and has additional Broadway credits which include The Addams Family, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Spamalot, Jekyll & Hyde, and Big Fish. Off-Broadway and Regional credits include Damn Yankees, Forbidden Broadway, Sweeney Todd, and both the Phantom of the Opera and Young Frankenstein national tours. You've seen him on TV in The Good Wife, Submissions Only, Madam Secretary, and Smash. Brad can currently be seen as Frank Hillard in the Broadway musical Mrs. Doubtfire. Brad takes us on his journey with Mrs. Doubtfire, from the first table read of a very different iteration in 2015, to auditioning for the project in 2019, and the joy of working with the production’s creative team and cast. He opens up about his love and reverence for Stephen Sondheim, the man and his work, and about overcoming his fear of breaking the fourth wall in order to be a part of Barrow Street Theatre’s immersive production of Sweeney Todd. Brad also chats about the roller coaster of being part of a Broadway show in the time of COVID, and looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.In this episode, we talk about:  Growing up in DC around theatre  Working with Jerry Zaks, and Rob McClure Memories of Stephen Sondheim at Barrow Street  Which musicals he calls his “touchstones”  Performing professionally in his hometown for the first time Get your tix for Mrs. Doubtfire's return: IG: @bradoscar64 https://mrsdoubtfirebroadway.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

Actress Kiera Allen was named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of their breakout stars of 2020, due in no small part to her performance opposite Sarah Paulson in Hulu's psychological thriller Run. She is the first wheelchair user to star in a major thriller in over 70 years, which has advanced the conversation about disability representation in the industry. Kiera has a collection of regional theater credits, including the world premiere of Bekah Brunstetter’s Girl #2, and is currently studying Creative Writing at Columbia University. She can now be heard as Pansy Freehold in the Broadway Podcast Networks’s new original radio comedy TWITS, starring opposite Michael Urie and Christian Borle. Kiera talks about being exposed to the world of theatre from a young age, and how as a result of growing up around creatives, she learned about the hard work and dedication required to succeed, as well as to have respect for the process. She speaks candidly about holding space on social media for important conversations pertaining to the disability community, and shares her thoughts on being called “an inspiration”. Keira also chats about working on TWITS, and why she is proud to be a part of the project.In this episode, we talk about:  Finding inspiration from the new Beatles documentary  Mental health, and why she finds acting and writing therapeutic  Being in a writer’s group with Tom Alan Robbins  Booking her debut feature film role opposite Sarah Paulson Changes she hopes to see in the industry pertaining to disability and representation  Connect with Kiera: IG: @kierajallen Twitter: @kierajallen Listen to TWITS on Broadway Podcast Network Watch Run on Hulu 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

Major Attaway has over 20 years of experience as an entertainer, actor, singer, and voiceover artist, and may be best known for playing the Genie in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway for the longest amount of time (three years). He also debuted in Mack and Mabel as Fatty Arbuckle at NY City Center Encores in 2020, and his regional credits include Hot Mikado, Hands on a Hardbody, Little Shop of Horrors, and Ain’t Misbehavin. An accomplished Voice Actor and Twitch Streamer, Major has lent his voice to numerous projects including One Piece, Bread Barbershop, Fairy Tail, Battleborn, Borderlands 3, and more. He can be seen in an upcoming HBO series as well as in The Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, and is currently revamping his Disney based cabaret show, Genies Jukebox, for an upcoming 54 Below performance. Major shares how singing led him to musical theatre, and the life lessons he learned as a child while performing at Casa Mañana Theatre in Ft. Worth, Texas. He chats about continuing his growth as an artist through voiceover work, and how he gets into character for those roles. Major also talks all things Genie on Broadway, as well as his cabaret, Genie’s Jukebox, where he delves into Genie's life before/after Aladdin by exploring questions like: What if the Genie had villain friends? - Maybe he used to be friends with Ursula. How does Genie spend his free time? - Maybe he takes magic courses. Major calls the show a combination of his dream of being a Disney villain, and a love letter to Disney. In this episode, we talk about:  Working on the Netflix Pokemon movie  Finding peace in art  Receiving his first standing ovation Standbys and swings as unsung heroes Being the voice of NuCalm Connect with Major: IG: @majorattaway Twitter: @majorattaway Facebook: @BigTexGenie 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

Stephanie Styles is an actress, singer, and dancer who made her Broadway debut in the recent Roundabout Theatre revival of Kiss Me, Kate, opposite Kelly O'Hara, Will Chase, and Corbin Bleu. Other credits include Katherine Plumber in the national tour of Newsies, The Sound of Music national tour, and Kingdom Come at Roundabout Underground’s Black Box Theatre. On TV she may be best known as Autumn on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, and can also be seen as Kate in the Netflix series Bonding. Her film credits include Bombshell, and Booksmart. Stephanie can now be heard on the original studio cast album of Goosebumps The Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium, available wherever you get your streaming music.Taking us back to the beginning, Stephanie shares her story of seeing The Phantom of the Opera for the first time at four years old (two nights in a row), and how it set the course for the rest of her life. She opens up about her love for all things Disney, and why she thinks both children and adults alike are drawn into Disney’s “sense of imagination, innovation, and hope”. Stephanie also chats about what it means to be part of the new original studio cast album of Goosebumps The Musical, and her experience singing and recording during COVID. In this episode, we talk about:  Being a D23:The Official Disney Fan Club charter member  Horoscopes, and being a Libra  What type of music she is drawn to singing  Disney Theme Parks  Her love for Broadway and musical theatre  Connect with Stephanie: IG: @bystyles Web: stephaniestyles.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

Glynn Turman is an Emmy Award winning actor, writer, director and producer, who made his Broadway debut at 12 years old originating the role of Travis Younger in A Raisin In The Sun. With a successful TV and film career spanning more than 50 years, Glynn has had notable roles in films including Cooley High, The River Niger, Gremlins, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Men of Honor, Justine, The Way Back, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His TV credits include Peyton Place, Matlock, The Wire, In Treatment, House of Lies, How to Get Away with Murder, Mr. Mercedes, Fargo and many, many more. Glynn has also directed episodes of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, A Different World, and The Wayans Bros. He is now the newest face for Beyonce’s new Ivy Park denim line, and can also be seen starring opposite Tony award winner Adrienne Warren in ABC’s new limited series Women of the Movement. Glynn credits his mother for getting him into theater and acting, and talks about what life was like growing up in NYC's Greenwich Village in the 50’s and early 60’s, immersed in a bohemian lifestyle. He chats about his love for all things horses and rodeo, and tells the story of a dinner with Beyonce that led to him becoming a spokesperson for her new Ivy Park line. Glynn also reflects on his career and the opportunities that have led to where he is now - “I’m glad that I’ve lived long enough to see that we as a black people have gotten the opportunity to tell some of our stories from our point of view”. In this episode, we talk about:  Auditioning for playwright Lorraine Hansberry, a friend of his mother’s and the creator of A Raisin in the Sun Skipping school to spend time with the horses in Central Park Getting into character as Mose Wright for Women of the Movement Auditioning to be the original Han Solo, and booking it  Acting icons James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Sidney Poitier, and Ruby Dee Connect with Glynn: Twitter: @GlynnTurman Learn more about Women of the Movement 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

Debra Sperling is a professional voiceover artist with over 26 years of experience. Throughout her career, Debra has been the voice of dozens of national television campaigns such as Charmin, Cascade, Pampers, Maybelline, Listerine, Walmart, Folgers, Kellogg’s, Olive Garden, Johnson and Johnson, Band-Aid, and many more. Debra is a big player in the Promo world as well, having been the voice of The Oxygen Network and the voice of WEtv, with ongoing promo spots for many networks including NBC, National Geographic, USA, Investigation Discovery, A&E, Animal Planet, and HBO. She is also equally passionate about teaching and coaching, and her renowned "Authenticity in Voiceover" class has helped students worldwide.After attending the High School of Performing Arts, Debra went on to earn her BA in Theatre, her MFA in Acting, and has “been an actor since”. Although she makes her living as a voiceover artist now, she speaks candidly about how her journey began, noting she didn’t really know what voice overs were when she first started out. Debra talks about her approach to acting for theatre, TV or film compared to acting for voice overs: why “it is the same thing” for her, and how it starts with bringing your authentic self to the microphone, stage, or set. She also opens up about her love for teaching and coaching, and shares why she feels like leading her voice over class on Zoom during COVID saved her. In this episode, we talk about:  The culture shock she felt while attending her first show in London  Morgan Freeman’s voice  Why she tells people to “stop acting words”  Stephen McKinley Henderson as a mentor and teacher  Missing the collaborative aspect of voice over work due to COVID Connect with Debra: Web: debrasperling.com/about IG: @debrasperlingvo 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

We've successfully completed yet another year around the sun (sorry flat Earthers, the truth hurts), this time with only about 4 months of Broadway theatre to talk about, and we're already seeing more shows permanently closed than expected due to Omicron breakthrough cases. Sheesh.Ayanna Prescod, a Broadway producer, critic, writer, and creator, and host of What's Up Broadway joins us for this final episode of the year as we discuss our favorite moments, shows, and what we're looking forward for in 2022.A big shout out to all the shows of 2021 that closed too early: Is This A Room Dana H Chicken & Biscuits The Rockettes Radio City Christmas Spectacular Diana, the Musical Thoughts of a Colored Man Jagged Little Pill Waitress Beautiful Ain’t Too Proud Connect with Ayanna: Twitter: @AyannaPrescod Web: OurBKSocial.com Listen to What's Up Broadway: bpn.fm/wub 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

Ilda Mason is a Panamanian actress, singer, and dancer who began her career in productions including Peter Pan, The Beauty and the Beast, A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly, and Legally Blonde. She performed as a professional dancer on Panama’s Dancing with the Stars for two seasons, and made her Broadway debut in Ivo van Hove’s adaption of West Side Story in 2020. Ilda has also performed in two other productions of West Side Story: at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, and at Paper Mill Playhouse. Ilda can now be seen as Luz (a Shark) in Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation and remake of West Side Story, now in theatres. Born and raised in Panama, Ilda talks about moving to NYC 8 years ago to study musical theater and acting for film, and the “feeling” she had in high school that even though she didn’t know how she was going to do it, she was going to be a performer. She details how she found out about auditions for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, the audition process, and booking the role of Luz without an agent or a manager. Ilda also opens up about why acting matters to her, and why it is her dream. In this episode, we talk about:  Studying structural architecture as a plan B  Writing imaginary essays to Steven Speilberg  Taking stock of her accomplishments, and enjoying the moment  Her love for movie trailers  Working with Stephen Sondheim  “The Movies That Made Us” series, and Jurassic Park  Connect with Ilda: IG: @IldaMason Twitter: @liveMariana 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