The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Megan Hilty is a Tony Award nominated actress and singer who may be best known for her portrayal of Glinda in Wicked. Other credits include Broadway’s 9 to 5: The Musical as Doralee Rhodes and Noises Off as Brooke Ashton (which also earned her Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations), as well as Annie Get Your Gun and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at New York City Center. She became a worldwide triple threat known as Ivy Lynn on NBC’s musical drama Smash, with other television credits including Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce, The Good Wife, BrainDead, Sean Saves the World, Louie, Desperate Housewives, and Ugly Betty among many others. Megan has performed across the globe to sold out houses, including concerts with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. She's recorded three albums of her own and is now making her 54/Below debut with a six show series running from November 2-7th. Growing up outside Seattle, Washington, Megan was an avid singer and a veteran performer within her local community theater. She chats with us about what first drew her to theater as a child, and what keeps her coming back to the stage even with a successful film and tv career. While in LA with Wicked, Megan recalls realizing the need to diversify her career, and shares how she began her journey into the TV and film world. She reflects on the heartbreak of closing 9 to 5: The Musical, and speaks candidly about leaving NYC, pounding the pavement in LA, and finding herself in an audition room for Smash. Megan also gives us an inside look at her upcoming 54 Below debut, which she calls “a huge pinch me moment”. In this episode, we talk about:  Almost going the opera singer route  Being inspired by Bernadette Peters’ career Landing Wicked in NYC right out of college  The reality of the harsh comparisons and criticisms actresses endure  Performing with Brian Stokes Mitchell  Connect with Megan: Get tix to her 54/Below event IG: @meganhilty Twitter: @meganhilty Subscribe to the 54/Below Podcast: bpn.fm/54below 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

Gavin Creel is an actor, singer and songwriter who received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly!, starring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce. He made his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which he received his first Tony Award nomination, and has additional Broadway credits that include La Cage aux Folles, She Loves Me, Mary Poppins, Waitress, and Hair, which earned him his second Tony Award nomination. Gavin originated the role of Elder Price in the West End production of Book of Mormon (earning an Olivier Award), and reprised the role on Broadway and the US National Tour. On television he co-starred alongside Julie Andrews in ABC’s Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, and stars in Ryan Murphy's new spin off American Horror Stories. Next up Gavin can be seen as part of the upcoming Halloween special “I Put A Spell On You: The Sanderson Variant”, which streams on Thursday, October 28th, with all proceeds going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.From conservative Ohio, to the lights of Broadway, Gavin is a proud member of the theatre community, but also talks candidly about the mental, physical and emotional toll of a life on the stage. He reflects on the last few years through the pandemic, how he went “inward” in a way he never has before, and opens up about the ways in which therapy - “unconditional acceptance” and support - have helped him. Gavin talks about using his voice to support activists/activism, and shares the story of his involvement in getting the green light for the Broadway’s Hair to miss a show and join the National Equality March in Washington, D.C in 2009. He also chats about the history of Broadway Bares, and the magic of “I Put A Spell On You: The Sanderson Variant”. In this episode, we talk about:  His friendship with Jay Armstrong Jones  The format for this years I Put A Spell On You event  Learning to set boundaries for your mental health  Activism through theatre and the arts  The new show he is writing through MetLiveArts Connect with Gavin: More info about "I Put A Spell On You: The Sanderson Variant" Get tix to his MetLiveArts event On the web: gavincreel.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

Cassie Beck is a star of stage and screen whose previous credits include the Broadway revival of The Rose Tattoo and the original cast of The Humans on Broadway. Other stage credits include The Norman Conquests (Broadway), The Drunken City (Playwrights Horizons), Happy Hour, and Oohrah! (off-Broadway). Her TV credits include Pose, Elementary, Connecting, and Chicago Med. Cassie is the former Artistic Director of Crowded Fire Theatre Company in San Francisco where she also appeared in several productions. She is currently on the road leading the national tour of What The Constitution Means To Me, and can also be seen in the Amazon Prime series I Know What You Did Last Summer, as well as opposite Mark Wahlberg in the feature film Joe Bell. Cassie grew up a dancer in Redlands, California, until high school when she did her first musical. She shares memories of catching the acting bug as a teenager, and finding her way to the bay area after college where she joined the ensemble of Crowded Fire Theatre Company in San Francisco. She opens up about her experience in The Drunken City at Playwrights Horizons (her first professional performance in NYC, and only her second time ever in the city), and reflects on the opportunities that followed after deciding to move to New York when she was 30. Now leading the national tour of What The Constitution Means To Me, Cassie chats about her relationship with playwright and actress Heidi Schreck, how the play continues to adapt to changes in the political climate, and the impact of having young people take part in the show every night. In this episode, we talk about:  Her first electric moment back onstage after 18 months  Her initial hesitancy to take over Heidi’s role  Training post college in South Carolina and San Francisco Having no experience with on camera work when she moved to NYC Working with Patti LuPone  Connect with Cassie: IG: @cassiebeckster Twitter: @cassiebeckster Check out the Constitution tour schedule 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

The smash hit Broadway play Is This A Room opened at the Lyceum Theater on Oct 10th, 2021. Guest podcast host Beatriz Westby takes us down to the red carpet to talk to Tina Satter, Amanda Villalobos, Andy Grotelueschen, Blyth Adamson, Chris Giarmo, Deirdre O'Connell, Frankie Grande, Judy Kuhn, Lee Kinney, and Steven Sater.Get tickets and info to Is This A Room and Dana H via thelyceumplays.com/Follow Beatriz Westby on the Instas: @biaizidoroConnect 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

Tarik Davis is an actor and writer based in New York City with a 20 year history of acting, performing improv and writing comedy. Past experience includes performing for The Upright Citizens Brigade in NY, Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, and The Second City in Chicago. He is a member of the longest running improv team at The PIT, The Baldwins, and also performs with Baby Wants Candy and Shamilton at UCB in Hell's Kitchen. Tarik is a founding member of the monthly improv show Comedy People’s Time that features writers and performers from shows like Late Night with Seth Meyers and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. He made his Broadway debut in Freestyle Love Supreme, which just returned to Broadway on October 7th, and is well known as the sidekick and announcer on The Amber Ruffin show on Peacock.A self proclaimed theater nerd, Tarik reflects on his recent Tony Award’s performance with Freestyle Love Supreme, calling it one of the best days of his life. He describes the fill circle moment he experienced as he held hands with Wayne Brady on the Tony’s stage, and shares that it was Brady’s performance on Whose Line Is It Anyway? that encouraged him to stick with improv years ago. Tarik opens up about the high’s and low’s of imposter syndrome, and learning to embrace life as an improviser, and say “yes”. He also takes us behind the scenes of his audition for Freestyle Love Supreme, how it played out, and what made it different from other auditions. In this episode, we talk about:  How the FLS Tony Awards performance was crafted  When he realized 20 years of improv had prepared him for FLS What he learned from years of small black box performances in NYC Following your passion, and betting on yourself  The importance of comedy Connect with Tarik: IG: @tarikdavis Twitter: @tarikdavis Get tickets to Freestyle Love Supreme 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

“If you can do something that makes you happy and that you really feel passionate about, it's not going to feel like work, it's going to feel joyous.”Two-time Tony Award winning theatrical producer Jill Furman is part of the driving force bringing Freestyle Love Supreme back to Broadway this month, after having originally brought it to Broadway in 2019. She is also currently producing six productions of Hamilton, including one on Broadway and one in London’s West End. Additional Broadway credits include In the Heights, the 2013 revival of Cinderella, The Heiress, Seminar, West Side Story, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox, and Fortune’s Fool. Jill grew up in New York City going to the theatre with her parents, reading Variety magazine with her father, producer Roy Furman, and always knew she wanted to be in entertainment. She chronicles her journey from NYC, to LA, and back again, through college, grad school, and starting her own production company. Jill shares how she became involved with In the Heights very early on in 2003 after watching Lin Manuel perform in the basement of the drama bookshop; and how later the same year, she witnessed Freestyle Love Supreme for the first time. Jill also opens up about how she chooses projects to work on, highlighting the importance of her shows having a positive impact on an audience in some way. In this episode, we talk about:  The special Tony Award given to Freestyle Love Supreme  Deciding when and how to bring shows back post-shutdown  The thought process behind remounting FLS on Broadway  Her preference for working in theatre v. film  Two new projects she has in development  Connect with Jill:IG: @jillfurman 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

To celebrate it’s reopening on Broadway next month, the acclaimed director of Freestyle Love Supreme joins one if it’s first company members to talk about all things past, present and future for their show, and for FLS Academy.Tommy Kail is a director and producer known for his amazing work on Hamilton, In the Heights, Grease Live!, and Fosse/Verdon. James Monroe Iglehart just reprised his role as Lafayette/Jefferson in the newly reopened Hamilton on Broadway, originated Genie in Disney's Aladdin, and has other Broadway and TV credits including Memphis, Spelling Bee, Netflix's Maniac, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the Tangled animated series. Both Tony Award winners, Tommy (director) and James (one of the first members to join FLS) are set to bring their hit show Freestyle Love Supreme back to Broadway next month for a limited run beginning on October 7, 2021. Tommy and James recall their first meeting at James’ audition for Freestyle Love Supreme, where James was hired on the spot. James shares how he met, performed, and became friends with Chris Jackson, who later introduced him to Freestyle Love Supreme in its early years. Tommy gives us an inside look on what it’s like directing an improv show like FLS, comparing it to being the coach of a basketball team, and describing how important it is for him to find new members whose energies vibe with the rest of the group. They also open up about what makes FLS so unique and different from any other show they’ve worked on, highlighting the unfailing affection and admiration each company member has for the other. In this episode, we talk about:  How Freestyle Love Supreme was born  The family they’ve created, and why they always return Discovering new member Aneesa Folds at the FLS academy  The impact of the audience storing their phones during the show  What Tommy looks for when casting a show like FLS  The future of Freestyle Love Supreme Connect with Tommy: Good luck! He's not on social media! Watch We Are Freestyle Love Supreme on Hulu Connect with James: IG: @jmiglehart Twitter: @jamesmiglehart 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

Jenny Steingart is a powerhouse producer for theater, film, and television. She has worked alongside some of the greatest names in the industry, including Tina Fey, Joel Grey, Sir Patrick Stewart, Josh Groban, and Lin Manuel Miranda. Recent productions include Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway, a limited engagement of Sir Patrick Stewart's A Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, Mean Girls and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. She most recently produced the documentary We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Jenny is the co-founder of Ars Nova, New York City’s premier theater for emerging artists and new work. She has also co-founded a Japanese animation studio called Ultra Super Pictures. Jenny grew up in a creative household, where her mother, a singer and musician, and her father, a broadcaster, strongly encouraged her to pursue her passions. A theater kid, initially not able to conceive of doing anything else except acting, Jenny takes us back to her post college days when she realized performing was actually not going to be for her. She recounts her introduction to producer Margo Lion, for whom she became an assistant, and details how she began her own journey to producing. Jenny chats about the years she has happily devoted to the development and production of FreeStyle Love Supreme, and also candidly speaks about how the pain and grief of losing her brother became a catalyst for founding Ars Nova. In this episode, we talk about:  The advice her father always gave her  Having powerhouse female producers as role models  Her oldest son’s interest in the performing arts  How failing is an essential part of any creative process Her favorite game in Freestyle Love Supreme  Connect with Jenny:IG: @jennysteingart 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

He began his career working as a cinematographer alongside the Coen Brothers, made a name for himself as a director, and now reflects on much of the journey which brought him to Schmigadoon, and a new memoir: Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother.TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains talk of child sexual abuse and molestation. Barry Sonnenfeld is a filmmaker and writer who broke into the film industry as the cinematographer on the Coen brothers first three films: Blood Simple, Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing. He was also the Director of Photography on Throw Momma from the Train, Big, When Harry Met Sally and Misery, among others. Barry made his directorial debut with The Addams Family in 1991, and went on to direct more films including Addams Family Values, Get Shorty, Wild, Wild, West, and the first three Men in Black movies. His television credits include Pushing Daisies, for which he won an Emmy, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and most recently, Apple TV’s Schmigadoon. The paperback version of his book, “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother”, is available now.When Barry decided to go to grad school for film, it wasn’t out of any love for film, but rather as a way to avoid spending three more years trying to figure out what to do with his life outside of school. He chronicles how his background in still photography set him up for a chance to work as a cinematographer with the Coen Brothers, who were also just starting their own careers. In talking about the subject matter and process for writing his new book, Barry opens up about his tumultuous childhood and the age-old question - did he become who he is because of or in spite of his parents? Barry also candidly shares what led him to direct Schimigadoon, despite his general dislike for the musical theatre genre, and chats about what filming was like.In this episode, we talk about:  His complicated relationship with his parents  Turning his teenage bedroom into a darkroom How all comedy is hiding pain  Meeting and working with the Coen Brothers  Almost directing Forrest Gump  The fun of pre and post production Connect with Barry: IG: @bsonnenfeld Get his book Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother 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

“I feel like, as an artist, and doing my art, that is how I am seen... and I want to do that for others by creating a safe space for them”. Ciara Renée made her Broadway debut in 2013 as The Witch in Big Fish, before joining the Broadway revival of Pippin as the Leading Player. She also starred as Esmerelda in the Hunchback of Notre Dame at Papermill Playhouse and La Jolla Playhouse. Ciara can be seen on TV as Hawkgirl in the CW series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, a spin-off of Arrow and The Flash, and has additional credits which include Law & Order, Master of None, and The Big Bang Theory. She was most recently seen on Broadway as Elsa in Frozen, and can now be heard as one of the leads on the new studio cast album IN THE LIGHT, A Faustian Tale. Originally from small town, Pennsylvania, where she felt like she never fit in, Ciara knew early on it was “music or nothing”. She opens up about being one of the few people of color in her town as a child, which led to feeling “in between worlds”, but also to embracing musical theatre. She takes us back to the days she spent simultaneously training and preparing to play the Leading Player in Pippin, while performing in the final lab of Hamilton before it moved to The Public Theater. Ciara also speaks candidly about her short but sweet time playing Elsa in Broadway’s Frozen, and the opportunity it provided for little girls who look like her to see themselves as Queens. In this episode, we talk about:  How her duel passions, psychology and theater, go hand in hand  Why theatre speaks to her more so than other mediums  Training to do 20 pull-ups, and fly on trapeze in Pippin Choosing Esmerelda and a TV show, over Peggy in Hamilton  Joining the cast of IN THE LIGHT, A Faustian Tale Connect with Ciara: IG: @CiaraRenee8 Twitter: @CiaraRenee8 Listen to In the Light 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