Backstage with Becca B.

On this episode I talked with Jordan about when her passion for theatre and performing started, the moment she knew she wanted to make theatre a career for herself, growing up on the east coast and whether she went to theatre shows often, becoming a well-rounded performer, playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid at B’way Method Academy, workshopping shows, what peaks her interest when reading a script for a play or musical, playing Kizette in Lempicka at La Jolla Playhouse, her audition process for Younger Allie in The Notebook, her experience premiering the show at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, when she found out out that the show would be transferring to Broadway, the preparation that goes into making one’s Broadway debut, making the role of Allie her own, developing chemistry for the show, funny moments on stage, and MUCH MORE!

On this episode I talked with Amelia about her journey to becoming a theater performer, growing up in Taiwan, the influence of "Phantom of the Opera" on her career, her move to NYC and going to school at AMDA, working at the Majestic theatre as an usher and the first time she heard about the show “How To Dance In Ohio”, auditioning for "How to Dance in Ohio,” connecting to the character of Caroline who’s based off of a real life person, the complexities of Caroline’s storyline in “How To Dance In Ohio”, how connecting with the real Caroline who inspired the stage character Caroline inspired her, the chemistry and close-knit bond the “How To Dance In Ohio” actors shared, the importance of embracing one's identity and the need for more representation when it comes to autistic actors in tv, film, and theatre, dream roles, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Delaney about her early experiences in theater, the impact youth theatre had on her life, the challenges of college auditions, her audition for Les Misérables, getting cast as Cosette, the emotional experiences of portraying roles in Les Misérables, the Broadway caliber talent on the @lesmizus tour, vocal care and health while on tour, working on self-confidence in the industry, her dream roles, Delaney's new musical she’s writing, "Stone Cold," and much more!

On this episode I talked with Kate about when she realized she could work professionally as a theatre performer, choosing to go to school at OCU to study theatre, her most valuable takeaway from going to school there, playing Grizabella in Cats The Musical on a Cruise, joining the 2016-2017 tour of “Into The Woods”, working with actors and actresses she admires, the intricacies of playing characters in "Into the Woods" and "Les Misérables," focusing on the emotional depth and vulnerability required for characters such as The Baker’s Wife and Fantine, her audition journey for the role of Rachel in MJ the Musical, the personal growth and enriching experience she continues to gain from being a part of the cast of MJ The Musical, the importance of enjoying performances, the unique perspective she brings to the MJ The Musical as Rachel and how it resonates with non-theater-going audiences, the perseverance and dedication required to navigate the performing arts industry, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Jordan about discusses his journey to becoming an actor, including his inspiration from watching conductors in shows like Wicked, his Broadway debut in West Side Story, how he became the standby for Tony, why he chooses to advocate for the normalization of having alternates and covers for roles on Broadway, working on the Maestro with Bradley Cooper and how his background in theater helped him adapt to screen acting, his experience playing Orpheus in Hadestown and his favorite song to perform, his role in the Neil Diamond musical, A Beautiful Noise, and how he arranged and sang the song "Shiloh" on the cast recording, working with Andrew Lloyd Webber on Bad Cinderella, the close-knit cast of the Bad Cinderella, meeting Audra McDonald, and much more!

On this episode I talk with LA theatre legend Dionne Gipson about when she knew she wanted to be a performer, the moment people discovered she could sing growing up, her music inspirations like The Clark Sisters, Donny Hathaway, Whitney Houston, Prince, and more, what inspired her to go to graduate school for theatre, booking Dream Girls at 14th St. Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia, going on tours with artists like Keith Sweat, signing to a major music label with her rock band ‘Edith’s Wish’, what brought her to Los Angeles, how she got involved with LA theatre, finding out about and joining the group of @ftrlive talent, getting to watch and be a part of For The Record Live’s growth in the LA community, how she met Bradley Bredeweg and got involved with his shows Invincible and Scissorhands Musical, why Scissorhands Musical is able to successfully reopen every holiday season in LA since 2019, what makes Scissorhands Musical a good show to see this holiday season, and MUCH MORE! 

On this episode I talked with Vaughan Reilly about the moment she realized she wanted to be an actress, how her mom inspired her growing up, her roles on stage in regional theatre productions, some of her absolute favorite shows including Beetlejuice which she one day hopes to star in, her audition process for The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the preparation process for a movie as big as The Hunger Games, how the cast bonded on set, singing LIVE in the movie, why Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a MUST SEE, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Grant Reynolds about when he knew he wanted to be a theatre performer, the first professional theatre show he saw, his favorite style of dance, why he chose to study at Carnegie Melon University and what his greatest takeaway there was, why he likes being in shows that challenge traditional theatre, performing at The Muny, his audition process for Sky in Mamma Mia, how quickly the cast managed to bond during rehearsal and how that bond strengthens their performance on stage, his favorite ABBA song, why theatre fans should come see Mamma Mia in a city near them, his Broadway bucket list, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Amaya about making her Broadway debut at age 10 as July in Annie, being a part of the prestegious Broadway cast of The King & I at Lincoln Center and soon after toured with The King & I, her singing group with her two sisters called The Braganza Sisters and how they came up with the idea to form a group, her audition process for Hadestown on tour where she is the second Filipino to play the part of Eurydice, seeing Eva as Eurdyice before being cast in the show and how seeing Eva in the show inspired her, walking on a turntable in the dark, making the character of Eurydice her own, the blue in Amaya’s Eurydice wig, dream roles she has, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Izaiah about the moment he realized how much he loved performing, how he became a well-rounded performing and dancer growing up, Studio One Dance, realizing tap dancing is connected to musical theatre and performing at Chicago High School, being involved with Riverdance, what Riverdance is about for those who don’t know, why Riverdance is such an extraordinary show to see, his first audition for Funny Girl on Broadway where he actually saw Jared Grimes, booking the role on tour and getting to bring the infectious energy of Eddie Ryan to stages across North America, stepping into the rehearsal room for a national tour, why people should come see Funny Girl on tour, dream shows that’d he’d love to be a part of, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Jonny about first discovering his passion for the performing arts, theatre, and playing piano, the first show he saw growing up, who inspires him, how he got involved with the LA theatre community and what makes the LA theatre community so special, where the idea to start recording himself playing the piano for TikTok came from, his favorite person on TikTok who has ever done a duet with him, Tramp Stamp Granny’s and bringing a bit of theatre to the night life in Los Angeles, How To Dance In Ohio coming to Broadway on November 15th which will mark his co-producing Broadway debut, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Leana about going to military school for six years, joining a dance conservatory during her sophomore year of school which led her to audition for a production of Hairspray and falling in love with the feeling of being on stage, becoming a well-rounded performer, the first theatre show she ever saw, workshopping the world premiere Rattlesnake Kate at Denver Center for Performing Arts, getting to share a story that takes place in Colorado on stage in Colorado and how audiences reacted, the music in Rattlesnake Kate written by Neyla Pekarek, workshopping Romy and Michele where she played Michele, how she thinks not being familiar with Romy and Michele helped her play the part of Michele during the workshop process of the show, her audition for Merrily We Roll Alone and finding out she booked the New York Theatre Workshop engagement, learning who her costars were for the show and stepping into the rehearsal room for both the NYTW production and the now Broadway production of the show, the camaraderie the cast has, learning she’d be making her Broadway debut with the show, why people should come see Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway, and MUCH MORE! 

On this episode I talked with Jordan about the path that lead him to musical theatre, the first show he saw as an audience member, being a competitive swimmer at Fresno Pacific University, making it to the 2012 Olympic Trials, how having the mentality of an athlete has helped in theatre, his favorite regional theatre show he’s been in, learning to play the guitar when he starred as Captain von Trapp in Fresno Pacific University’s production of The Sound Of Music, performing at shows in Walt Disney World, his audition process for the National Tour of Wicked, getting to be part of the cast that reopened Wicked post-pandemic in Dallas, how watching Curt Hansen’s performance as Fiyero ultimately inspired him, navigating tour life, making his Broadway debut in Wicked as Fiyero, Broadway vs. Tour audiences, his dream roles, his interactions with Norm Lewis, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Nicole about the moment she knew she wanted to be a theatre performer, her mom’s involvement in theatre and on Broadway and being exposed to theatre from an early age, getting cast as the lead in Thoroughly Modern Millie in school and why that role and show is so important to her, how Sutton Foster inspires her, how going to an arts school prepared her for the professional world of theatre, her favorite regional production she’s been a part of, her audition for Les Miserables where she covers 8 track and understudies Eponine, her first Eponine show, getting to perform at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, and MUCH MORE.

On this episode I talked with James about when he first discovered his love for theatre, the first theatre show he ever saw, his favorite regional show he’s been a part of and why, how going to Arizona State University helped him jumpstart his career, his decision to move to Nashville after college where he recorded an EP with a 53 piece orchestra, the National Tour of Les Miserables where he understudied Enjolras, playing a real life person, Gerry Goffin in Beautiful The Carole King Musical, making his Broadway debut as Fiyero in Wicked and how he made a role like Fiyero his role, plus Encores! NYCC’s recent production of The Light In The Piazza that where he played Fabrizio, working Ruthie Ann Miles, and more! 

On this episode I talked with Vanessa about the moment she knew she wanted to be a performer, becoming a well-rounded performer, building a theatre resume in Canada where she grew up, her favorite regional production of a show she’s been in and why, the Canadian premiere of Kinky Boots where she starred as Nicola, winning awards for her performances like the Dora Awards and why the awards she’s won in Canada are so special to her, auditioning for shows in New York, her audition for New York, New York on Broadway and the process of moving to New York, how she relates to Francine Evans and what made her excited about stepping into the role, her job as a standby, the day she made her Broadway debut, her dream roles, and MORE! 

On this episode I talked with Tara about what made her realize she wanted to be a performer, the first show she saw that really inspired her, becoming a well rounded performer, what lead to her deciding to go to the University of San Diego and the most valuable lesson she learned there, her favorite regional production of a show she’s done, the several shows she’s been a part of on the Disney Cruise Line and the challenges when it comes to performing on a moving ship, her favorite Disney character to play and her dream Disney character to play, her audition for Wicked plus the first cast she ever saw in Wicked, the rehearsals and preparations pre-making her Wicked debut as Nessarose, how she goes about making such a 3-dimensional character like Nessa her own on stage, what makes Wicked successful, being a vacation swing for the Aladdin national tour, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Jackera about the moment she knew she wanted to be a performer growing up, her favorite regional/educational show she’s ever done, the most valuable lesson she learned at Sam Houston State University where she earned her BFA, her audition process for Beetlejuice, what her reaction was when she heard she’d been cast as the Girl Scout and an understudy for Lydia, preparing to go on a tour, how intricate the Beetlejuice set is, how she makes her track and Lydia her own, what representation on stage means to her, her inspirations, advice for young performers, and more!

On this episode, I talked with Drew about where his love for theatre and performing stemmed from, what helped him become a well-rounded performer, studying at Elon University and what he learned at Elon that helped him further his career the most, getting involved in workshops and labs such as Chasing Rainbows and The Outsiders, Casey Nicholaw’s Mean Girls and The Prom, why comedy is important to tackle as an actor, his current show New York, New York, understudying three roles in the show, why people should buy tickets to see New York, New York on Broadway, and MORE!

On this episode I talked with Zurin about when she first knew she loved performing, her first Broadway show Shuffle Along in 2016 and how she got involved, being a part of an iconic show like The Lion King on Broadway, understudying both Gretchen and Karen in Mean Girls and her process for learning two roles in one show that are so different, the national tour of Tina Turner The Musical where she currently plays Tina Turner, making the role her own while staying true to Tina Turner’s story, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Ioana about the moment she knew she wanted to perform on stage, dancing on stage with people like Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, her favorite non-Broadway piece of choreography, working with Emmy winner Mia Michaels, making her Broadway debut as an original cast member in Wicked and how she got involved in Wicked, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 on Broadway, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ on Broadway and why more shows like Dancin’ should continue to be showcased on Broadway in the future, how Bob Fosse’s choreography has influenced and inspired her as a performer, and MUCH MORE!

I talked with Tony about when he made his national tour debut in Beauty In The Beast as LeFou, his experience in Kinky Boots on tour and what it means to him to see LGBTQA representation on stage, keeping his stamina up when touring + singing and dancing eight times a week, his reaction when he got cast on the Hamilton tour and if the energy of the audience at shows like Hamilton affects his performance, his favorite memories playing Mungojerrie in Cats, his recent Broadway debut in Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with University of Cincinnati Graduate Max Chernin about the moment he knew he wanted to be an actor/performer, what attracts him to the shows he’s been in both regionally and on Broadway, how he’s become a well-rounded performer, making his Broadway debut in Steve Martin’s Bright Star as Max, preparing to make a Broadway debut, New York City Center and Broadway’s revival of Sunday In The Park With George, learning the pacing for the show Sunday In The Park and acting with facial expressions while playing the second soldier, working with Jake Gyllenhaal, why Sondheim shows continue to inspire in the theatre world, his current show, the revival of Parade on Broadway, where he plays Mr. Turner and is a standby for Leo Frank plus an understudy for Hugh Dorsey, making characters he understudies his own, and MUCH MORE!

On this episode I talked with Daniel about his first introduction to theatre and when he fell in love with live theatre, growing up close to NYC and Broadway, when he realized that performing on stage could be a career for him, deciding where to go to college and what he learned in college at Rider University that has helped him since, his favorite regional shows he’s been a part of: Newsies and Next To Normal, his audition for & Juliet on Broadway and whether he had previously heard about the hype the show has overseas in London, preparing mentally to make a Broadway debut as a performer, his process for learning multiple tracks in a rehearsal room, understudying Romeo and how he makes the role his own, his dream role, and MUCH MORE!

On this episode I talked with Jason about the moment he fell in love with theatre and performing, the most valuable lesson he learned in college that has helped him as a professional in the theatre industry, his audition for Les Miserables, making his Broadway debut in Les Miserables in 2014 after touring with the show, how he made the iconic character Enjolras his own, joining Phantom Of The Opera on Broadway as a vacation swing, what the job of a Broadway vacation swing entails, opening Into The Woods as the Baker at the famous New York City Center and later being a standby for four male tracks in the recent Broadway revival of Into The Woods, his process for learning four tracks in a show, what keeps shows like Phantom and Into The Woods new for him even after being part of the show(s) for a while, why people should buy tickets to come see him on the Into The Woods tour, and MUCH MORE!

On this episode I talked with Emily about when she fell in love with theatre and realized she wanted to perform for a living, the first show she ever saw, working on becoming a well-rounded performer while growing up, joining Wicked’s 2nd National Tour as an Elphaba standby, her audition process for Wicked on tour and her reaction when she booked the show, learning about a standby’s job through becoming a standby in Wicked, her favorite Elphaba song to sing, why she believes Wicked has been open for as long as it has been and is one of the longest running Broadway musicals, life on the road, getting the chance to be in Bat Out Of Hell in North America as Raven for a short time, what interested her most when it came to Bat Out Of Hell, joining the cast of Almost Famous as Anita Miller during it’s beginning stages and getting to perform at The Old Globe in San Diego, making her Broadway debut this year with Almost Famous, making the role(s) she plays in Almost Famous her own on stage, why people should come see Almost Famous before January 8th, and MUCH MORE! 

On this episode I talked with Jade about the moment they knew they wanted to perform onstage in theatre for a living, the first professional show they ever saw, when they came to the realization that they could sing, friends who have supported them throughout auditions, Jade’s favorite show they’ve performed in regionally and why, why regional theatre is special to them, Stage West Calgary in Canada, their audition process for Jagged Little Pill on tour and the hype surrounding the cast announcement for the tour, getting to rehearse alongside the entire cast, non-binary representation in the theatre industry + onstage, how they make the character of Jo authentic and relatable, singing You Oughta Know by Alanis eight times a week, their dream roles which include Orpheus in Hadestown and Elphaba in Wicked, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Kristine Reese about the moment she knew she wanted to perform on stage, why it’s never too late to discover your passion for something, getting to teach up and coming performers all that she’s learned through her experiences performing on National Tours, Broadway stages, and regionally (check out https://www.kristinereese.com/coaching/ for more), her national tour debut in Mamma Mia and getting to step into the shoes of an iconic character like Sophie Sheridan on stage, why touring with Mamma Mia was so memorable for her, playing Donna in Mamma Mia at City Springs Theatre, booking the first National Tour of Wicked and portraying Nessarose, her favorite Nessarose moments in the show, Wicked Witch Of The East, what makes Wicked such a successful show to this day, her Broadway debut in Les Miserables, her dream to play Fantine in Les Mis, advice she would give to young performers, and MUCH MORE! 

On this episode I talked with Grace about when she first knew she wanted to be a theatre performer, playing Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz in Kindergarten, the first professional show she ever saw, how she worked on a well-rounded performer growing up, changing her major to theatre during her junior year of college, how everyone’s journey and career path is different, performing in Into The Woods at The Hollywood Bowl where she played Florinda, advice she got from Patina Miller while working with her in Into The Woods at The Hollywood Bowl, touring with A Christmas Carol in 2021, her introduction to the world of understudying, her audition for Hadestown on Broadway, the day she made her Broadway debut in Hadestown, her process for learning multiple lead roles in Hadestown (Eurydice and two fates) as well as her track in the workers chorus, why Hadestown is as successful of a show as it is, her goals and her bucket list, Quinta Brunson’s inspiring Emmy speech, representation, her friends’ business “Homemade Thursdays”, and more.

On this episode I talked with Chelsea about when she knew she wanted to be an actress, sing, and perform, the first show she ever saw, why she chose to go to the University of Michigan and what the most valuable thing she learned there was, her favorite regional show to be a part of and why, playing Minnie Fay on the tour of Hello Dolly!, preparing to join a National Tour for the first time, her audition for Wicked, her reaction when she found out she’d be in Wicked and was an understudy for Glinda, the first cast she ever saw in Wicked, the day she made her Glinda debut, using her knowledge in dance + theatre to offer wisdom and teach young performers, and more!

On this episode I talked with Erica about how she first got into theatre and performing, the moment she realized that she performing on stage was an actual career path, the first theatre show she ever saw, how dancing helped her become a well-rounded performer, making her Broadway debut in Matilda where she was a swing and understudied Lavender and Amanda, stepping into a rehearsal room for a Broadway show as a young performer, what she remembers from the day she made her Broadway debut, performing in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, dancing with Meghan Trainor at The Halo Awards, her audition for Mean Girls on Tour, how she prepared to hit the road and go on tour with the company of Mean Girls Musical, being the youngest in the cast, mastering difficult choreography in Mean Girls, who inspires her, and much more! 

On this episode I talked with Jalen Harris about when he knew he wanted to perform on stage and sing for living, becoming the well rounded performer he is today, auditioning for American Idol at age 15 and what made him want to audition, his experience on American Idol and what he learned from being on the show, his audition for the National Tour of The Lion King, getting cast in the ensemble and as a Simba understudy on his first National Tour and then becoming lead Simba on the tour, how he brought himself to the character of Simba on stage, why The Lion King is the longest running Disney show on Broadway, the current tour he’s on: Ain’t Too Proud where he portrays Eddie Kendricks from The Temptations, stepping into the role of a real life person and finding the balance between playing that real life person accurately while making the role in the show his own, the most fascinating thing he’s learned about Eddie Kendricks and The Temptations from doing research from the role, singing and dancing simultaneously, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Delphi about whether she’s always known she wanted to perform in theatre/on stage, about living in various places around the world and continuously finding theatre in all those places, what the first show she ever saw was, her favorite regional shows she’s participated in and why, Shakespeare, getting to be a part of the National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella where she understudied Ella, the magic of playing a well known character like Ella on stage, tour life and staying healthy on the road while performing in 8 shows a week, getting to play Belle and Ariel on stage plus why representation is so important, auditioning for Into The Woods on Broadway where she understudies four roles including Little Red, Lucinda, Florinda, and Rapunzel, and sometimes is the Milky White puppeteer, making history as the first Asian American Little Red on Broadway, working alongside Sara Bareilles, Joshua Henry, and more, her dream show to be in, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Jack about the moment he knew he wanted to perform on stage and do theatre, the first show he saw was that made him realize theatre was what he wanted to do, finding regional theatre in Chicago to participate in and winning the 2016 Broadway in Chicago Illinois High School Musical Theatre Award for best actor which led to a Jimmy Awards Nomination, his most memorable moment getting to participate in the Jimmy Awards, his audition for the Moulin Rouge tour, finding out he’d be on the tour as a swing and understudying Christian PLUS The Duke on the tour, the rehearsal process for tour before hitting the road, his Christian debut, why fans should come see Moulin Rouge on tour, and MUCH MORE!

On this episode I talked with English about her first introduction to theatre, how studying ballet at City Ballet in North Carolina helped her and still helps her when it comes to performing and singing, getting nominated for and participating in the Jimmy Awards in High School, the most valuable advice she received from guest mentors at The Jimmy Awards, getting the opportunity to workshop the Pasek/Paul/Levenson Project, now known as Dear Evan Hansen, booking the tour of If/Then and learning the ins and outs of tour life in 2015-2016, why If/Then is still a show that holds relevance, whether she knew going into audition for Mean Girls that she would be standing by for three lead roles: Cady, Janis, and Regina, her process for learning all three roles and how she made the roles her own, when she found out she’d be leading the tour as Cady and how her portrayal of Cady has changed over the years, her dream roles, and much more!

On this episode I talked with F. Michael Haynie about when they first realized theatre and performing was for them, their Broadway debut in Wicked, their first Glinda and Elphaba in the show, bootlegs and why/how bootlegs of shows don’t always show the best version of a show, self confidence in the theatre world, auditioning for Frozen, their rehearsal process for Frozen and how long it took to master puppetry, how their portrayal of Olaf has changed from pre-pandemic to now, life on the road, their solo show coming up on July 30th at 54 Below (and via live stream), what it’s like to put a solo show + a setlist for said solo show together, being part of a cast as special as the Frozen Tour cast is, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Dylan about when he fell in love with acting and performing, what the first show he was ever in was, choosing to go to Carnegie Mellon for college and what the most valuable lesson he learned at the school was, his audition process for Beautiful The Carole King Musical, how he made the Gerry Goffin his own on stage while sticking to the true story of his life, getting to meet Carole King, starring as Danny Zuko in Grease in Toronto and learning the choreography for the role, his first Broadway show Betrayal in which he was an understudy for three roles in the show, how the cast of Betrayal inspired him, his new show Leopoldstadt coming to Broadway this fall, his process for learning the lines of multiple characters as an understudy, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Ellen about what her first introduction to acting was and when she fell in love with acting and performing, the first theatre show she remembers seeing, the first theatre show she was ever in, going to an open call for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and booking the role, making her Broadway debut as a child when she played Jemima in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, what life as a Broadway kid was like, her audition for The Clique and knowledge of The Clique books, when she knew that The Clique would become a hit movie in 2008, playing a role that was so 3-dimensional, touring as a swing with Kinky Boots, understudying Lauren and Nicola in the show, her audition for Frozen on Broadway and her fondest memories of being part of the cast of Frozen on Broadway even for a short time pre-pandemic, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Alexa about when she fell in love with performing and musical theatre, when she started dancing and how dancing helped her become a well-rounded performer, her experience performing at Theatre Under The Stars in Houston, Texas and what made her enjoy performing there, performing with Lythgoe Family Panto, how an audition for Mean Girls led her to getting cast on The Prom Tour, her reaction when she learned she booked The Prom, how she prepared to go on tour, mastering the choreography in the show, her favorite song in the show and favorite dance number, how she’d convince theatre fans to come see The Prom on tour, and much more!

On this episode I talk with Alex about his first role as Frog #1 in Narnia: The Musical, when he fell in love with musical theatre, choosing the University of Michigan to study at and what the most valuable lesson he learned there was, booking the National Tour of Legally Blonde right after college, his audition process, what it was like taking a show with as much popularity as Legally Blonde on tour across North America, portraying Riff in West Side Story’s International Tour in Paris, how audiences in Paris are different from audiences in the United States, his Broadway debut in Hadestown and what he knew about Hadestown pre-auditioning, understudying Hades and making the role his own, his bucket list, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Lissa deGuzman about when she discovered she was passionate about theatre and performing, how her older brother inspired her growing up, the first show she was ever in, why she decide to go to Belmont University and her most valuable takeaway, her audition for the Aladdin tour, getting to tour the country doing what she loves with her brother, how many tracks she covered as a swing, learning all her tracks plus being prepared to understudy Jasmine, becoming the assistant dance captain for the Aladdin tour, getting bumped up to lead Jasmine on tour, making her Broadway debut in King Kong and why it was such a special experience, auditioning for Wicked and her reaction when she was told she’d be going on tour as Elphaba, vocal stamina while on the road singing Elphaba songs EIGHT TIMES a week, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Joey about when he first realized he had a passion for theatre, how he became a well-rounded theatre performer growing up, enrolling in Grad School at NYU for musical theatre writing, his favorite regional theatre shows he’s performed in, his audition for the tour of Newsies, what makes Newsies a fan favorite show, joining the tour of A Bronx Tale as Calogero, how A Bronx Tale and Newsies are similar and how they’re different, his favorite city he’s toured in, his dream role, self confidence, and much more. 

On this episode I talk with Jess about the moment he knew he wanted to be a performer, making his Broadway debut in The Boy From Oz as a kid and Hugh Jackman bringing the curtain back up so Jess could bow one more time, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas on Broadway breaking Wicked’s box office record at one point while he was in the show, what made him want to audition for So You Think You Can Dance and whether he ever thought he’d make the top 8 on the show, what touring with SYTYCD was like, his audition process for Newsies, when he realized how popular a show Newsies was, the Newsies 10th Anniversary, the makeup in Cats (in which he played Mungojerrie), his dream roles, his upcoming GreenRoom 42 solo show, and more!

On this episode I talked with Chibueze about when he discovered his passion for music, why music and telling stories through music means so much to him, the moment he realized he wanted to be a theatre performer, how he worked on become a well-rounded performer while growing up, what made him choose to study at NYU Tisch University and his most valuable takeaway, why Once has been his favorite regional show, his audition for Hadestown on tour, how he first heard of Hadestown and what made him want to audition for the National Tour, the rehearsal process before heading out on the road, what makes Hadestown a show musical theatre fans should come see, what advice he would give Orpheus, his dream role, and much more!

On this episode I talked with Maya about falling in love with dance at a young age, her favorite dance style, when she discovered she also had a passion for theatre, her favorite regional show she’s been in and why, what makes regional theatre special, how she decided to go to Point Park University for school and what her most valuable takeaway was from Point Park’s dance and musical theatre program was, her audition process for Moulin Rouge on Broadway, whether she ever expected to be auditioning for Broadway so soon after college, audition tricks and tips, learning the dances for the audition process, what the day she made her Broadway debut was like, her favorite dance number in Moulin Rouge, her favorite costume in the show, why theatre fans should come see Moulin Rouge on Broadway, her dream show, and MUCH MORE!

On this episode I talked with Charlie about the moment he knew he wanted to be a theatre performer, how he became a well-rounded performer while growing up, getting to be Dickens in his dream show “The Secret Garden”, auditioning for and booking his first Broadway show, Bridges Of Madison County, while still in college, what being part of the rehearsal process as an original Broadway cast member is like, the day he made his Broadway debut in Bridges of Madison County, getting cast in Book of Mormon on Broadway and whether he was a fan before auditioning for it, why Book of Mormon is as popular as it is on Broadway, his audition process for Tina, what he learned about Tina’s life while reading the script during the rehearsal process that he found most fascinating, how he has gone about making a real life person, Roger Davies, his own, why theatre fans should come see Tina on Broadway, how he works on self confidence, and MORE!

On this episode I talked with Ilda about how she got involved in the entertainment scene while growing up in Panama, how she has become a well-rounded performer, Dancing With The Stars Panama and what her experience on the show as professional dancer taught her, the reason she chose to go to New York Film Academy to study theatre, the opportunity she had to be an associate choreographer in Carousel and Chess at NYFA, West Side Story at Paper Mill Playhouse, Signature Theatre, and on Broadway, what keeps the show West Side Story fresh time and time again, how West Side Story continues to stay relevant, her audition process for Luz in the West Side Story movie, how she stayed calm and composed going into the audition knowing that Steven Spielberg would be directing the movie, the rehearsal process for a movie musical with lots of choreography, the most challenging dance number in the movie to film, the set design of West Side Story, her dream role, self-confidence, and more!

On this episode I talked with Tasia Jungbauer about when she fell in love with theatre vs. when she realized she could perform on stage as a career, why a regional show in her hometown left her inspired, how she ended up choosing to go to Pepperdine University to study theatre and the valuable takeaways that came from Pepperdine’s theatre program, the first Broadway show she ever saw in New York, her audition for Moulin Rouge The Musical and whether or not she knew at the time of her audition that there was interest in her covering three roles, what prepared her most when it comes to being a swing on Broadway, the day she made her Broadway debut, why theatre fans should come see Moulin Rouge on Broadway, what makes swings and understudies such a vital part of Broadway shows, her dream show to be in, her television debut in AppleTV’s WeCrashed happening this year, and MUCH MORE!