call and response podcast

Happy 30th Anniversary to Beauty and the Beast! 30 years ago today, Disney’s first musical premiered on Broadway and we are celebrating with a special episode. In honor of the milestone, we chatted with three Black actors who have played Belle: Briana Brooks from ZACH Theatre’s 2018 production (Austin, TX), Jade Jones from Olney Theatre Center’s 2021 and 2022 production (Olney, Maryland), and Ashley Blanchet from The Muny’s 2023 production (St. Louis, Missouri). It’s a tale as old as time, but how is it elevated with different identities? Be our guest as we dive into this fascinating discussion.

After a long hiatus, we are BACK for a special holiday episode! We take you inside the creation of Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker, the jazz-steeped reimagining of the classic ballet that runs at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre this month. We talk with producers Ron Simons and Valencia Yearwood, conductor and pianist Harold O'Neal, and dancer Alicia Mae Holloway about their experience bringing this new adaptation to the stage.

For the season five finale of call and response, we celebrate FREEDOM. In a time where fear and scarcity feel wide-spread, how can we claim freedom, abundance, and liberation for ourselves? We talk with five artist-creators about what artistic freedom means to them. Hear from actor and multidimensional storyteller Ja'Michael De'Shawn, director Miranda Haymon, actor, musician, and singer-songwriter Tayler Harris, Broadway ad agency account executive Stevie Coleman, and Broadway photographer Marc J. Franklin.

For season 5's penultimate episode, we talk with artivist Britton Smith, who you’ve seen on Broadway in Be More Chill, Shuffle Along, and After Midnight, about how he learned to embrace his authentic self, what he’s learned from his work with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, and why he started his funk liberation band, Britton & The Sting.

We are so hype, so thrilled, and so excited that call and response podcast has hit of 100 episodes! To celebrate the milestone, we’re looking back at the previous 99 episodes, highlighting and reliving some of the best moments—the joy, the tears, and the thought-provoking conversations on what it means to exist at the intersection of Blackness and performing arts.

We talk with Gerald Caesar, soon to be seen in the Dear Evan Hansen movie adaptation, about making his Broadway debut in A Bronx Tale, performing with Choir Boy on the Tony Awards, and navigating social media pressures and nuances.

We talk with Tony winner Tonya Pinkins about what she learned from starring in Caroline, or Change, why she initially didn’t want to move to New York City, and how she grew from her experience as the writer-director-star of the award-winning socio-political horror film Red Pill.

We chat with Ain’t Too Proud star Jawan M. Jackson about how his support system encouraged him to pursue music, what his journey to New York City was like, and why he is committed to giving back.

We talk with the leadership team of the Obie-winning The Fire This Time Festival—executive director and founder Kelley Girod, producer Julienne Hairston, associate producer and director of TFTT New Works Lab A.J. Muhammad, and artistic director Cezar Williams—about how the festival has cultivated the feeling of family, why freedom of voice is essential for Black playwrights, and what has changed for them as an organization and as individuals in 2020.

We chat with Broadway performer Zurin Villanueva about what she gained from attending Howard University, how she felt performing in the musical adaptations of the iconic movies Clueless and Mean Girls, and why learning from Savion Glover in Shuffle Along changed her dance game.

We talk with The Lion King and Kiss Me, Kate star Adrienne Walker about studying vocal performance at Spelman College, fighting assumptions as a Black soprano, and launching her multimedia series 32 Bar Cut.

We chat with Ty Jones, the Producing Artistic Director of Classical Theatre of Harlem and an award-winning stage actor (NAACP, OBIE) about rebuilding the organization to make an uptown impact, finding inspiration for programming, and creating theatre that is all about the people.

We talk with Tony-nominated producer and recently named Global Producer of the Year Brian Moreland about the producer contributions to diversifying audiences, the need to break free of hamster-wheel conversations, and the necessity of rediscovering the North Star of Theatre.

We talk with The Muny’s Director of Education Tali Allen about when she fell in love with music education, what her Gen Z students have taught her, and why being “the only” can feel both exhausting, yet rewarding.

We chat with actor-musician and Howard University’s BFA Musical Theatre Coordinator Marty Austin Lamar about the dare that led him to musical theatre, the power of education in the pursuit of equity, and the lessons he brings from his acting career to the classroom.

We talk with award-winning playwright, author, and University of Texas professor Dr. Lisa B. Thompson about why theatre is like a postcard, the importance of intergenerational connections, and how her work in academia and the theatre world inform each other.

We chat with marketing executive and entrepreneur Khalilah Elliott about finding mentorship as Black women in the performing arts space, working at iconic institutions like the Apollo Theater and Disney Theatrical, and forming her own company, Gafford Communications.

We talk with talent manager and entrepreneur ChiChi Anyanwu about her game-changing experience at the McCarter Theatre, the origin story of creating her own management company, and the important three C-words that inform her work with her clients.

Welcome to the land of Kyle Taylor Parker! We talk about his liberating experience in Kinky Boots, infusing his truth into his work, and producing his solo album Broadway Soul, Vol. 2 during the time of the ‘Rona.

We chat with Jhanaë Bonnick about her journey to and life as a Broadway stage manager— the lighting cue that made her fall in love with it, three skills she recommends for success, and the important foundation she considered when building Slave Play's stage management team.

We talk with Memphis Symphony’s assistant conductor Kalena Bovell about finding her love of music by accident, inspiring the next generation of classical musicians, and collaborating with Rob McClure on the Ragtime-themed Conductor Cam music video.

After a tumultuous and unpredictable year that completely shook up the world, we’re back at the mic and looking to the future! The season five premiere episode kicks off with Nick Daly, a musical theatre and playwriting student at the University of Michigan and the winner of Playbill’s Search for a Star contest. We discuss his experience of performing in the first high school production of The Scottsboro Boys, rising to TikTok fame, and protesting in Kenosha this summer with a Gen Z perspective.

It’s call and response’s season four finale and we want the world to know! Kick off the final Friday of Black History Month with Candice Marie Woods. We chat about immersing themselves in queer culture, addressing misconceptions about trans and nonbinary folx, and navigating crossover appeal like their onstage counterpart in Ain’t Too Proud, Diana Ross.

Episode 81, go! In season four’s penultimate episode, we talk with Broadway production stage manager Cody Renard Richard all about stage management life—from his favorite part of putting up a show to what skills will help you succeed to what myth about the job he’d like to bust.

We talk with director-choreographer Raja Feather Kelly about why he started the feath3r theory, what he finds rewarding about his work at the intersection of theatre and dance, and what he’s accomplishing with We’re Gonna Die, currently playing at Second Stage Theater.

We chat with Stevie Coleman, an account executive at SpotCo! She breaks down what it’s like to work at a Broadway advertising agency, how she merged her two passions of theatre and marketing, and her most memorable opening night experience.

We’re kicking off Black History Month a day early with a THREEPEAT! For Call and Response’s third live show at BroadwayCon, we chat about the intersection of blackness and Broadway with Tina Turner Musical’s Destinee Rea, We’re Gonna Die’s Janelle McDermoth, Ain’t Too Proud’s Jelani Remy, Head Over Heels’ Taylor Iman Jones, and SURPRISE GUEST: Frozen’s Aisha Jackson!

Give five hurrahs and twelve hip-hips for Kevin Curtis! We dive into his experience (and the optics of) playing LeFou in Beauty in the Beast, his first two TV appearances on Pose and Younger, and how his Grandma inspired him to start performing.

We talk with award-winning actor-producer-writer-creative Eric Lockley about creating work that is meaningful, winning Apollo Theater Amateur Night (THRICE), and uplifting voices with The Movement Theatre Company and Harlem 9.

Kick off the new decade with a double-dose of Capricorn energy in this very special episode as Felicia lives out her fan-girl dreams with Ain’t No Mo’s Jordan E. Cooper! We chat with the award-winning playwright and actor about creating theatre as a kid in Texas, writing for television, and providing a hopeful space for black theatregoers. Plus, an exclusive performance of Ain’t No Mo’s powerful “Easy” monologue.

It's call and response's final episode of 2019 and the DECADE (but don’t worry, there’s more episodes for season 4 ahead!). We talk with musical storyteller Zeniba Now about her experience with Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal’s BARS Workshop at the Public Theater, the differences between the West and East coast, and her mystical epic The Loophole.

After a chance meeting outside of Broadway Dance Center, we chat with James Roberts IV about finding his way back to performance after majoring in marketing, creating his own content, and reenergizing yourself as an artist.

We chat with ART/NY’s Director of Operations and TedxBroadway alum Jim Joseph about his journey to theatre, the rewards and challenges of working in arts administration, and NFL’s Rooney Rule that inspired his TedxBroadway talk.

Before you go and dig those holes, listen to our latest episode as we chat with actor-entrepreneur Khleo Thomas about working on the iconic Disney movie Holes, transitioning to telling stories through music, and evolving into a multi-faceted identity.

We chat with Jasmine Cephas Jones about her favorite Hamilton memories, her childhood in the downtown theatre scene, and the lessons she learned returning to the stage in the musical adaptation of Cyrano, currently playing Off-Broadway.

We talk with Michael Benjamin Washington about transitioning from Texas to New York City, preserving black and queer history through his writing, and finding specificity for the 28 characters he plays in the revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror, currently playing at Signature Theatre.

We chat with Marchánt Davis about the importance of finding abundance as an artist, the magic created in the Ain’t No Mo’ rehearsal room, and the dramaturgy for his role in The Great Society, currently running at Lincoln Center Theater.

Ready for some Big Virgo Energy?! We talk with director Miranda Haymon about investigating conclusions in the rehearsal room, operating in all-white spaces, and promoting Diversity with a capital “D.”

We talk with Susan Stroman Award-winning director and creator Whitney White about finding rhythms within scripts, code-switching within predominantly white spaces, and discovering the dynamics within for all the women who thought they were Mad, currently running at Soho Rep. Also check out the other show Whitney recently directed, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, currently running at Second Stage.

The Phantom of the Opera is here! We talk with Derrick Davis, the titular star of Phantom’s national tour about the cosmic journey to fulfill his Phantom destiny, the nuances of playing Carousel's Billy Bigelow as a black man, and the importance of sharing truthful stories of black experiences.  

Let us be glad and let us be grateful, because we are BACK for season four, y’all! For our premiere episode, we talk with Brittney Johnson about the nuances of making history as Wicked’s first black Glinda, the freedom in not limiting yourself, and the importance of finding a character's essence.

And like that, another call and response season is complete! For the season three finale, we talk with two-time Pulitzer Prize winner (and one of Felicia’s personal heroes) Lynn Nottage about approaching every play in a new way, ignoring the restrictions put on black women writers, and tapping into her musical roots for her current project, Secret Life of Bees, at Atlantic Theater.

For season three’s penultimate episode we talk with Jelani Alladin about originating the role of Kristoff in Frozen on Broadway, exploring identity through writing, and acknowledging an artist’s superpower to change the world.

Get ready, 'cause here they come! With just a week away from the 2019 Tony Awards, we got to celebrate the 12-time Tony-nominated Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. Hosted LIVE at Lululemon, we talk with Jarvis Manning Jr., Jahi Kearse, Edgar Godineaux, and Esther Antoine about bringing The Temps to the stage, navigating "cross-over appeal," and connecting moments from 1960s to now.

We talk with Glory about finding her way to stand-up comedy (and back again), embracing moments of failure, and pushing back against racism and sexism in the comedy industry through her shows Strawberry Milk and Pretty Funny Friends.

We talk with award-winning writer Chisa Hutchinson about fighting assumptions, working as Lynn Nottage’s assistant, and exploring her sense of duality in her new Audible-commissioned play Proof of Love, currently running at Minetta Lane.

Get ready for a full-circle moment that was eight years in the making! We chat with NYU Tisch New Studio on Broadway’s Founding Director and professor (who is also a full-time director!) Kent Gash about navigating between academia and the professional theatre world, creating a safe space for students in higher education, and examining (and humanizing) the world of incarceration.

We talk with Tiffany Denise Hobbs about acting in Donald Glover’s Atlanta on FX and Sara Bareilles’ Waitress on Broadway, overcoming the feeling of being an outsider as the only black student in ballet class, and accessing your ancestral home through art.