REISSUE - The Spirited Actor - David M Sheppard & Debi B Jackson (11/14/23)

Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New Jersey Drive with executive producer Spike Lee and director Nick Domez. I auditioned every rapper from Biggie Smalls to Tupac, and I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help

Most importantly, we have prayer.

Whenever you get to a stressful time in your life or when you think you can't get through it, know that prayer is your refuge.

Whether you're on your knees, whether.

You're sitting alone in a hospital room, close your eyes, ask for your angels to embrace you and give you the strength that you need and that's deep inside of you to get through this moment, to get through this time. And trust me, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Today I will.

Only see the light at the.

End of the tunnel.

Before we get started, I'd like to remind everyone to look out for my new show, Inside the Black Box. I'll be co hosting with the great Joe Morton. We'll be on Crackle Network real soon. I'll keep you posted. Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore.

I am so excited for this show.

Now, I know you guys know me, and I'm excited about every show, but I'm super excited about this because my guests mister David Shepherd.

Wait, David M. Shepherd. This David used.

To always tell me, you guys in classes, that he was my favorite student.

He would tell me that was like the best pay ever.

He would say, Tracy, you don't have your favorite. To this day, David still said to you guys. And it's been a lot of years. I had so much fun with David M. Shepherd in my class. His spirit, his energy, and he's like a great hype person because he used to get on my students. I thought I got on him, but you know, I'm rainbows and butterflies.

But he would get on students.

This man so talented, so well connected, and one of the reasons why, you know, there's several reasons why he's on the show. So get ready for your treasure chest to he's going to drop some diamonds and jewels for you guys.

However, he took the initiative, you.

Guys, and he had a production company coming to the table, so he wasn't jaded in my opinion, as actors are sometimes there's stressed financially, there's just overall stress, just stuff. He came into the class confident, peaceful, assured because way back then he knew what it meant to own his own stuff, to be in control of his own path, creativity, productions.

So, ladies and.

Gentlemen, I just I want him to talk. Please put your hands together for David M. Shepherd.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate that so much. And and the check is in the mail.

All right, you guys, he has a strong background in comedy.

Okay, I just want to say he is a strong background.

But we're also blessed you guys that you two to put your hands together. And I asked David to give you this introduction because just hearing him a few minutes ago. Yes, about that, ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together. Legend. We have another legend here, Debbie B. Jackson.

All Rightbebi, thank you, David.

Listen, favorite introduction that I feel is worthy by please okay.

Wieb is her affectionate name.

Her name is Wi B. Jackson, but affectionately called de wie B, and that was given to her by her late husband. The legendary radio personality mister Howe Jackson, who with him and Percy Sutton created WBLS and w l i B. And I'm gonna tell you something about that creation of that radio station. Back in nineteen seventy one to seventy three, I was driving a yellow cab in the evenings and going to Bronx Community College during the day.

Percy Sutton. Wow, Percy Sutton.

Had the means and the know how and the connections, and how Jackson was the executive producer of putting things together, had the money to put everything together. And Debbie was his wife and her first time on the radio. How asked her to read a commercial and she said, you want me to read this?

She said, yeah, I want you to read it.

So then she read her commercial and then from then she started doing it everything for the last thirty years. I mean she's been retired now, think about eight or nine, eight years now. But that's her story and my story with you. Well, when I met you, Tracy, you had a lot of energy. I said, this lady is full.

Of energy man, always smiling, always encouraging.

And it made me feel a lot even more comfortable because I was kind of it wasn't that child a little bit, not that much.

But I enjoyed your encouragement.

I enjoyed the classes, and I especially enjoyed when you asked me to do a monologue at Martha's Vineyard with this other young lady who is your other top student. I think, I can't think of it. And she was out of Chicago. Oh the house ye work with her? Yep, And you told us to come out to uh Martha's Vineyard and and to do a monologue.

We had a good time out there.

Yeah, so much fun.

And that was the Martha Vineyard, my friend's film festival, and I became oh my god, oh my god. I became friends with Tim Reid and Daphne Reid. Daphne was doing a workshop with me. You guys performed in front of Daphane and I became.

Friends with her.

To this day, we're still friends. I was so amazing. I want to say, well, I want to welcome you w B. Jackson to the show, and I also just in I'm going to go back and forth with the two of you. But I wanted to ask you, Debbie, because we're living in a different time and you know, I'm gonna tell you David talks about my energy, but.

I'll talk about his work ethic.

That's what I saw immediately with him, was his work ethic. It was different from the other actors that you know, turning in homework and things like that. I just wanted to ask you, what's your view today on radio? You know, serious versus because I when I tell you, Jeff Fox and Sheila are friends of mine and talent when they were on the air, I used to come on the show and I've coached talent before.

I uh.

A story about talent.

I'll tell you later, Okay, A good story, I say it, I talk about it later.

Okay, good, But what's your take on today twenty twenty three?

Music?

Things?

Things have changed considerably when I was doing radio and I was doing it for thirty years. It was personality radio, and you would turn in because you'd like to. You'd like Frankie Crocker, you know, you would tell you to put on the candles and run a bath, and you know, and then enjoy the music that is all gone green, yes, yes, and it's all gone. It's all gone. What they do now is they pick music, they put it on. There's I mean like when Hall and I did music, we

You know.

People now, especially since COVID, people are now doing radio from home and reading from a piece of paper saying that you just heard you know, Evelyn Champagne King and and there's there's no story behind it. Music has changed, and there used to be a story when you heard a song. It was a story that went on with

Right, I mean, I'm from that generation and I feel the same way.

I mean I think that.

You know, for you, David, one of the reasons why I followed and shared your information because you have stayed consistent in you know, honoring the talent and keeping the talent. And we can go into the show from this because the show is, oh my god, stellar headlines you guys got. But how do you feel in terms of the shows that you are promoting?

How you know, are there challenges.

In the relevance of some of these artists, Like.

I don't know that world, but I know that for me, you.

Know, music was different growing up now, like Debbie says, I don't feel a message, I don't feel forget about a story.

I don't know how they do music videos now.

So how does that How has that affected you know or has it affected your production company? And you promoting all these shows that you work on.

Well, I try to deal with shows that are from my eraror because I have a following of people who are in my general age bracket.

So I have my I have a blue and white party once a year for me and old meals.

I'm a Leo and it's a grown party. It's a grown and sexy party. And I was going to stop when I reached seventy. I'm seventy one. I had my I'm seventy one. Yes, anyway, it's the Vasco Lan.

Okay, well here, Tracy, I'm seventy three. I'm done. The show is over. Thank you for coming to the Spirit of Actal podcast with me. You got Oh my god.

I was going to give my last party blue and white party. I like blue is my favorite color, and I mixed it with white. I started giving blue and white parties when I was sixty and all the way up to seventy. I was going to be that was going to be my last party. But everybody and when I told him that, people said, Dave, listen, you can't. This can't be your last one. Man, You're still able to do. We still want to come. There's no place

They want to do this. Dave, you got to keep doing this.

So I'd listened to my people, my friends, my relatives, and I had another one last year seventy one, and I'm going to have another blue and White party seventy two. I already have the date, July twenty seventh on a Saturday at the al Humber. This is shameless plug, No, I.

Want to be there. I want to be there for this one. Because you said you were giving up. I want to be there for this month at.

The al Humber Ballroom in Halem. You will definitely know about it.

I love that place.

Okay.

This will be my third party there, and it's a black owned business.

We have a very good relationship. Okay.

But getting back to giving shows and events, Debbie and I met through Vaughn Harper. I was giving, I was giving. Yeah, Von Harper's been my buddy for twenty years. Von Hopper came to a show at the Dugout in the Bronx where I had Mark Adams and Tom Brown funking to funking to Jamaica, and I had I had what's the guy's name, I can't think of his name as the drummer anyway, Vaughn came in and he said, Dave, I like the show you gave here.

Can you bring this show to Holland, I said, of course. He said, yes, there's a new place called Mist which is on one hundred and sixteenth Street.

We were the first there and we brought and I brought that same show to him, minus one artist. I'm not going to say his name, but we gave that show. And Vaughn had a stroke years prior to that, so he wasn't into hosting shows anymore. So I hosted the show. That's what I do. So I hosted the show and Debbie and Vaughn's wife was sitting in the front row.

Wait a minute, Wait a minute. Fired to the show. It was Valentine's Day. Was on a Valentine's Day, So I told gone, because hal had passed in May and that was February. Is valentine'sd A is my first Valentine'sday? And I said, Bonne, I don't have a Valentine, So can I be a Valentine with your wife? And he said so his wife and I came, go.

Ahead, Dave, Oh Tracy.

As I was hosting the show, Debbie had this gigantic smile on her face and I'm saying to myself, I said, Debbie, Jack, I had met a price I said, Debbie Jackson is cute.

Are you there, Tracy, Yeah, I'm here.

I see you this story.

So I said Debbie Jackson is cute on the mic, so Vaughn's wife said, Debbie thinks you're cute too, but I didn't hear that. So when the show ended, I'm taking pictures of all the artists and people and everything. So Debbie will up to me with this gigantic smile and says, why don't you get into the picture?

And I looked at it. I was possessed by the smile.

So I walked over there like a little puppy dog and turned around so she could take my picture.

But here's the thing of Tracy.

When everything was all over and everybody was congregating in the lobby, there's a small space between the lobby and the staging area. I walked into that space. Debbie was right there and I tripped.

He tripped.

So are you falling for me? Ah?

So Tracy, I know how to take a hint. So I put my my really deep Vonn Harper, very white, you know, voice on her and said baby I am. And then we had a short conversation of finding out that she was born in Harlem hospital. So was I, and we lived in Harlem. We both families moved migrated to the Bronx. I'm in entertainment. She was on the radio, but I didn't know at what capacity. So she gave

So I said, okay.

He said, no, Dave, you don't understand Debbie don't ask about anybody. I said, okay. He said, do you know who she is? I didn't know who she was. He said, that's Debbie b from WBLS. That's how Jackson's widow. So Tracy, I was intimidating. I didn't call her for three weeks.

Oh my god, Hey, von.

Vonn kept saying, damn, Dave, when you're gonna call Debbie, when you.

Gonna call it?

Deaf?

I was intimidating Tracy that this was the wife of the legend, and she was still on the radio. She was a person radio personality, you know. So I'm a retired correction officer trying to get a nut.

Right, Well, let me tell you about I don't even know Debbie, but what I can tell you is that she still has hearts of flutter turning butter so in that smile. So Debbie is still a person. All that other stuff is that. That's I honor that. But I'm saying, in this moment and seeing this story, Debbie was Debbie. Oh my god, you're right.

You're right.

If if I did not have that brief conversation with her in the whole way, I would not have called her. Because sometimes when you meet people that are in that light and quote, they attract so many different people. Sometimes they put up a little God, you know, I don't, I don't, I don't know. I don't want to meet you know what I'm saying.

Not all of them. Some of them do. But she did not, And that's.

I'm about to write this love story because.

She did not, and she gave signals you just were not paying attention.

Thank God, when did you wake up?

What?

So three weeks later did what happened?

I'm gonna tell you what happened. Three weeks later, I'm gonna tell you what happened, Tracy. I spoke to a childhood friend about what I went through about Debbie, and Vaughan came back.

So he told me.

He said, Dave von Harper knows Debbie and a husband for years.

If he's telling you to call her, there's a.

Reason why he feels that you two might be right for each other.

And it's been ten years now. It's been ten years now.

Oh, chraiz God, thanks three weeks three week two. I would be like forget it, but thank you for hanging it is Debbie, because he's a great guy.

He really is. Seriously, he has always been a great guy.

I wanted to ask you, Debbie, because the climate now.

Okay.

I was having a conversation yesterday with an actor, a man, about how my challenge in the acting today is that women are so strong, so bosses that they don't have I'm teaching vulnerability in my class. I'm teaching flirtation in my class. And he said to me, he said, oh my god, that is the big thing in social media now is that women don't know how to flirt. They think they're flirting men. He told this is a situation. He told me, there's a meme or something on the

He didn't.

I'm done with men. I'm done with men, and that's the whole story. And I'm like and so he was saying to me. But in my experience, women don't don't know that sensuous, that femininity side, and I'm.

Finding that in acting.

So my question to you is, in this climate, you know, and women the aggression behind some of the music, especially in rapping, you know, and I'm missing my R and B.

You know, do you think that there's a.

Way for us to come back to that or you know, can we incorporate some of that, because I in my experience as an acting teacher coach, I see I feel like I'm chiseling women and trying to get these armors and things off of them.

I really don't know, you know what, I've always been me and things have changed considerably because I mean, you look at the way that that young girls dress. They're showing everything, so what is there to show later? You know, I really I don't have an answer for it because I know, like with myself, I think that fast day, I think I still have my sensuality, sensuality, sensuality about which I've never lost. Uh. And I mean like that time when when he came walking in, I said, are

You know, I gotta think about men's shoot too, But so I I couldn't tell you.

I mean, if you're saying, chiseling it out of them? See, that's just like with talented teams. Well, we were teaching them was how themselves on stage and how to how to speak, how to stand up straight, how to you know, how to present themselves. Women, they don't have the training, the kind of training they had a fill your divorced, Yes they had. They had mother and father taught you.

You know that you hit right on the nose that I think it comes with home training. Yeah, teaching kids watch their parents right. And there's so many parents out here that are like fifteen sixteen if they don't know and they're raising these little girls, and they watch their mother and father. And that's where you can't go into anybody's house and tell them how to raise their children.

It's in you. Yes, you're chiseling them, you're trying to chisel it out, but it ain't gonna be there.

Well, what I'm saying is there's this wall. Right, this is I'm gonna give you an example. You know, Senses Rose her monologue eighteen years stand here eighteen years, right, So most women approach that monologue wearing up on Troy.

I've been here eighteen years.

You know all of this, And I'm like, first of all, it's nineteen fifty five.

You didn't do that, No, you didn't.

You got to study your history and the roles of nineteen fifty five.

And this is the first time.

That you've used your voice because women didn't have a voice in.

Nineteen fifty five.

So here you got all these cobwebs and this stuff has been inside.

Of you, like, oh, I can't stand whatever. So there's vulnerability there.

Women.

But the vulnerability is what I do not I see.

I'm a boss. I could take care of myself.

I don't need a man, and I'm like, okay in your personal life. But characters do right right and they have relationships.

You know, So that has been a challenge.

And then and you know, in some of my experiences, women don't want to show all of the vulnerability of their character, not of you, but of your character because there's you know, labels week and this and that, and it's like, no, this is the truth of the character's journey. And as an actor, you embody that you know. And I think that I've been influenced like all my life in music, all of my life, like I learned about life through Gladys Knight, Chuck Kahn, earth Wind and Fire like that was.

Marvin Gaye berry White. That was my life.

And people were saying something, they were using their words or their experiences. And then I moved from San Francisco to New York in eighty three and landed in the whole rap scene and married a man who managed.

Full Force Lisa Lisa and called Jam Sheryl, Pepsy Riley Full Force, and so then I was there.

And then now just the other day, one of my clients like, oh, Tasey, there's this really great song. And I was like, you know what, honestly, because.

If I can't hit.

WBLS or if I can't hit like, I don't know what's out here anymore, you know.

But I wanted to say, just in terms.

Of your company, you know, well, let's talk about the show that you guys have coming up, because you know, twenty eight minutes flies on this show, so please tell us about this event.

Well, the event is going to happen on Thursday, oh, right around the corner, huh, at sven Peck in Englewood, New Jersey. What it is is a fundraising concert. It's it's a hot R and B old school kind of show. We have Howard hewittt. We have the Ladies of Sky, we have Melissa Morgan and Jeff Red and we also have the Bell's two point oh. The Bell's two point oh as a husband and wife team. They do duets like Ashford and Simpson, oh yeah, and the Peaches in Her.

And you know.

So it's a fantastic show and it's to raise money for the Youth Development Foundation. We no longer have Talented Teams. Talented Teams was in existence from the early seventies. Over five decades. We have the Youth Development Foundation where we award scholarships to five young ladies. We give them a college shower as opposed to a baby shower to help them, you know, in their first semester of college. We buy them comforters and pillows and all that kind of stuff,

Well, we salute that and we want to keep it rolling by letting people know about this event and also supporting you guys.

In any way we can.

And I donate time in sessions, so I'm just throwing that out there.

Yeah.

I have just recently a friend of mine, she has an organization with young teen women, and so I donated an hour one on one private session. And then at my church, I just donated a session there. So I love doing stuff like that. So you can you know understood that's giving.

That that's giving.

Me I love I mean, And David, you know, I know you said that allegedly you were retiring, and neither you are.

Debbie, you look like y'all have retirement age. I need to know what you guys are putting on your face as a drink.

But like in terms of DMS productions, like and look, we got five minutes to go.

I want you, yes, I told you it flies.

I want you David to just give some words of encouragement and also, Debbie after David, to these actors, these young people who are looking for inspiration, motivation and guidance and don't know where to start or where to tap into.

So you just read, well, the first thing, you have to set up a plan as to what you want to do, and if you're dealing with people. You have to be humble, and you have to be open, and you have to make yourself accessible to people in order to get them to see you, to learn what you're doing, or come to anything that you're putting together. I've been fortunate enough to belong to a number of different organizations, so I have a lot of contact with different people.

We started a Old Timers Day.

Okay, let me let me start in the beginning nineteen seventy six, my brother won the gold medal and they had a big event in the park for him. So we put together an Old Timers Day and Edenwall's Day together. We had Edenwall Day and Old Timers Day was in the same day. Edenwell Day was for everybody including the children, men and women. Old Timers Day was old timers playing basketball in the park.

So bill exists every every year. We have Edenwall Day.

The second Saturday of August for the last thirty something years. So with that and just being you know, approachable and being yourself treating people, the way you want to be treated, and you know you people gravitate towards you, and then you you put me in be kind rewind.

Oh, I haven't heard you.

Danny Glover, mea Farrell, Jack Black, Most Death, they were all in that movie and that movie is still playing. And Tracy that the director of that movie was a French guy. He had me say something to Most Death in the store and then he put up his fingers like this that that's money, I said, so listen. They never they cut that part, but they still gave me checks for the left, so I don't know.

Eight nine years wow, and that's what they would do.

That's exactly.

And you know what that was Actually Melicent Diane called me up for that she was casting, and that's when I recommended you to.

Yes, yes, yeah. But before that, I was in Milchael Mix. That was my first movie.

I was going to.

Tracy Vilar wins Sinclair.

Yeah. But you know I did a play, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That was the first time she ever saw me act. And I really liked that play because he wrote it for me. He wanted my people to come to the show, so he said, if I put you in it, were you promoted I said, heck, yeah, yeah.

So he said, the next one you do, you gotta let us know so we can.

Promote it and also be there to support you, because you know, I get out as much as I can and support my people.

Debbie, I'm gonna.

Let you have the last word on give and some words to the actors, and then I'm going to open it.

Up for questions. Okay, Well, I would say, if you want to get better at something, you have to do it, and you have to be hyper intentional. You have to practice, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more. Do a lot of reading, listen to what people are saying to you. And if you have a dream, go for it. Don't let anyone take your dream away.

Wait.

My motto smile at the world, and the world will smile back at you. If you walk down the street and you smile at someone, they'll smile at you.

You know.

So that's me anyhow, and that's what we lead. We need smiles.

And this morning this doctor said we need at least six hugs a day. So yeah, scientific fact that it's something about when we embrace someone and feel good about it, all the endorphins are excited. So the physical aspect of it, but mentally a hug, reassuring, comforting mo.

All of that. He broke it down.

I was like, my granddaughter woke up this morning and she was like headed towards the restroom and I said, nope, I need my hug. Six of them, so this is one today.

So yeah, so that's important. Well, you guys, hang on.

I have two spirited actor alumnis who are going to come on.

I have Leah Chaney. You guys can.

Turn on your cameras and unmute yourself. And also Brindey Jackson, Hey, Britdany, both of my favorites.

You guys, I haven't seen that. These are my people.

Everyone.

Oh you guys, so let's start with you.

Leah.

You have a question for David or for Debbie b both.

Yeah.

I liked how you guys were talking about just kind of how it feels like. I think that authenticity and that rawness and that vulnerability is miss think from art from different you know, genres, music and acting. I think, what do you think, how do you think we got to that point and how do you think that we can kind of cultivate it more as a as a community, as a culture, and as actors and artists individually.

That's a good one, Oh, very good one.

How do you cultivate it? I don't know. It's just you know, you have to go within. You have to find it within yourself. If it's in there, it's going to come out. Look within and find who it is that you are and who it is that you want to be and become that person the person who uh who like with me? I am a smiler and a hugger. Oh that's me.

I can't help it.

It's just me, me too, And I think that that's important. And I also think what you guys said earlier about you know, it stems from your home.

Everything of who we are evolved from our home.

And so you know, well I didn't get the hugs and kisses and I love you in my home, But when I stepped out and saw it in other homes, That's how I knew I needed to incorporate it. When I was a mom, so my children say I love you before they walk out the door, hang up the phone, anything.

So I agree, it's in It starts here first.

And be tied.

And you have to stay true to yourself, you know, and and just stayed the same all the time and and not change up and uh, you know, treat people like you want to like you want to be treated.

That's that's basically do unto others as you would have them do until. That's something that my parents taught me. You know, treat people the way that you want to be treated, right, right, and treat everyone the same. You know, some people have this thing that if a person's a janitor, oh man, all they do is they sweep floors and stuff.

Right, they got a job. They're not breaking into your house. I'll say that I'd rather you sell that water on the street and be breaking in my car. So I mean, here's that dollar for that water.

Excellent.

Okay, We're gonna go over to Britney Jackson. Hi, Britty hik.

Tracy, how you doing?

Oh good?

Thank you your question?

Well, first I want to just I appreciate I'm all about this conversation with black love and light. It's just it's stilling my cup so much today. And Tracy, all the things you said about just because I grew up, I'm nineties, R and B, tried and true, and that is missing. So if it's not, then I don't listen to anything new now because I can't find that same connection. So my question for you both is in the connection

How do you?

How do you and how have you? How have you handled working with people in the business who aren't moving in that same light without losing yourself?

I just keep moving forward, Yes, moving forward and doesn't take no for an answer. With one door closes, this one hundred more that you can walk through.

That's so true, so true.

And then you learn to separate yourself from the negativity and only think about the positive end of what you're doing and deal with that. And if you find that you can't handle it, step away and move on, go someplace else.

That's it.

You know, it doesn't make sense to stay in a bad relationship, whether it's a personal relationship or a business relationship, it doesn't make sense to stay in that.

Light. And you know when it's bad, you'll feel it, you'll see the red flags, and you have to listen to yourself.

I have to say this too, the wiser you get an age, and a lot of people fear getting older, but I'm telling you I embrace it with love and wisdom. Oh my god, but I'm gonna tell you and I and you've heard this and I heard this growing up in different ways. But we spend too much time on the small stuff. And it's all small stuff. If I've learned anything at this point my life is like, oh my god, the time and we take this time that

To keep moving forward. Who cares, Well, that's their thing, that's not mine. I don't own their stuff.

Right right, that's true.

Own your own and.

Keep going like and this is man, this is I'm gonna have to do a Wisdom Wednesday something because this is no because the move again, the wiser I get and I tap into my friends, I'm like, we're all on the same plane.

You just maybe that's time for all of that. What created wisdom Wednesdays.

You just created it right now, Wisdom Wednesdays.

They got to do it.

I gotta do it because it's like I learned, and then you know, I talked to I know Saraia is just ten, but I try to get it.

Into her brain, like you know, when we're waiting.

For the bus, I'm giving her nuggets right and I'm.

Like, oh please, But then She'll turn around and say something.

I'm like, she really was listening. There's hope. So we got to turn all this around.

Ladies, Leah and Brittany, thank.

You so much for your great questions. And these are two women who also.

Leah has taken her own career by her own hands, created her own project.

I'm talking no, I'm talking about.

A full fledged TV project, pilot finance wrote, put.

Up the sets shot, she's the actress in it.

She entery traumatic. How don't we want to talk about?

Where can my resume?

But you know what, but you know what, this is the thing, Leah, I can tell you this too, and holding on eighteen years to inside the black Box and now you know we have we're moving in to see and three when this strike's over, it has to be that that's the only way that we see the light at the end of the tunnel. That's where we see the joy and the journey, that's where all the light is.

Because we got to get through that act as.

They were like, you are not going to have to go through that again. You will, but it'll be a different mentality.

And a different run. Let me give you a little story about my late husband, Hal Jackson. In nineteen thirty nine, before any of us were even thought about, he went to a radio station in DC and told them that he wanted to do a radio show. They said, no, n word, will ever go on this station. You couldn't tell him no. He left. He got a white advertising agency to call the station, and by time they bought time, he walked in there with doctor Mary macloud, Bethune and

Is so, and Brittany as well, like they take They understand that, yes, we're part of the entertainment business, but we can create our own lane is You have to.

You have to, you have to never never give up, never ever give.

Up exactly, keep moving forward.

That's right, hey, Ben, you.

Got the words today, all right?

Ladies.

So, David and Debbie, our next segment is class and Session when we come back and these two ladies are doing the scene for you, so yes, and you got could give your feedback and you know, whatever constructive criticism you want to give them. So when we come back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and we're still blessed to have David M. Shepherd and Debbie B. Jackson with us. So don't go anywhere, We're coming right back.

I will read the narrative. So ladies, are you ready ready? Guys man, Okay, here we go.

The title Dad's Funeral by Lean Amado Interior Funeral Home Night. Cassie sits heavy but still with tissue in hand, in an almost vacant room with her father's in front of her in a casket.

Her lifelong friend.

Veronica enters the room and sees her sitting there alone. She hesitates, but forces her way towards Cassie be Cassie looks up at her. Her face goes blank.

I'm so sorry.

I would have come sooner, but I just found out.

Cassie just nods her head. She listens. Veronica takes a seat next to her.

You don't need to sit, seeze, I want to.

There's an awkward, eerie silence.

You would have known sooner had you pick up the phone and called me for once.

You're right, and I feel terrible and just so guilty.

Yet please be let this will not be about you.

Veronica sinks lower in her seat silence.

You don't know what I've been going through.

It happened so fast that I didn't even have a moment to blink and realize that I was alone, and I'm tired. And when I find when I finally had to let him go, the one person that I needed to be there was too busy, didn't even know what.

Was going on, nothing to say.

And when my mom died and you were working, I was understanding.

But this.

You didn't realize that it happened days and you hadn't heard from me.

The big cast.

But I was.

So wrapped up in a bad thing, and and and then too busy to realize anything else.

And I but.

No, excuse, Casey. Cassie looks at her.

He left.

Again. Good.

Cassie puts her hand on Veronica's side of the comfort.

I'm sorry, b I know how bad you wanted.

It to work, right, Doronica shifts her eyes towards ahead.

Your dad was my dad.

God, I'm so sorry.

Sorry.

He would tell me to be easy on me.

They smirk.

I'm really gonna need you now going anywhere.

Veronica wraps her arm around Casey and holds her see hey, child, ladies.

Okay, So David and Debbie.

Whatever you feedback you want to give them, this is the opportunity.

To do it.

You want to go first day?

Wow, that was really touching.

You.

Oh wow, yo making me cry? That was really really good. How long have you guys been rehearsing.

That they just got it last night or no this morning?

Oh this morning?

Yeah, they don't get an opportunity to really work on it.

We give it.

Yeah, the let's let let me say this.

I pay attention to what how they feel when they're saying something. When they're saying it, I see the feeling. But what's more important to me is the inner dialogue that they both have.

Yeah, they're not speaking.

That is so important, And they both have it inner dialogue when you're not saying anything and you're making the face. And that's so important because some people say their lines and then forget about what the moment that they're in. But you both have good inner dialogue, which is so important.

Yeah.

So Brittany, you know, like you kind of moved out before we even got started to get yourself into that.

But she did do that. Yeah, she took a deep breath and went over there saying, I'm doing this.

You don't know nothing about acting. Okay, you ladies are fantastic.

Wow.

Well, what I will tell you, Debbie B is that you do you know talent and you know what I mean. So that's that's the bottom line.

Because if it makes you, if it resonates with you like that, you're gonna walk away and you're gonna remember Brittany and you're going to remember Leah. So that's what's important. And David, I couldn't I agree with you one thousand percent it's not what they're saying.

Is what they're not saying that.

Engages us and resonates with us as an audience. So I say bravo to both of them, and I stand right beside them.

They don't want to.

Ladies and gentlemen and Leah Brittany, let's put our hands together for our rivity. I just feel like I had a rivity conversation with David M. Shepherd and Debbie B. Jackson, new to our Bearded active family. Thank you, thank you so much for being on with us today.

You guys were amazing. Oh and so you Oh my god, I didn't know that we were going to be doing this kind of stuff. Oh well, this kind of stuff.

Listen, we do all kinds of stuff so you can come back for more stuff.

You guys are doing something so that we can promote it.

When I told her I was doing this with my old acting coach, she said, well.

If you don't want like for real.

And maybe it was because David and I we were of a certain age. However, we did click immediately, and when he said he was my favorite student, I was like, David Shepherd.

Really is my favorite suit.

So I'm glad he said it, but he does say it. And every time he calls her or text whatever, he's like, Tracy is your favorite student, like David m zephyr Goa's David, thank you so much? Amazing.

All right, you guys.

When we come back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, I'm going to give you guys some love because I've been inspired.

Hey, we are here at Kudos.

Corner and at Kudos Corners, this is where we celebrate our Spirited Actor alumni. So proud of them whether they're writing, directing, or performing themselves. So today we are celebrating Vanessa McNair.

Vanessa plays Adrian in.

The TV series Hush that's on the All Black Network, which films in second season right before the strike. She also played Tanya in the play King Hedley the Second in November twenty twenty two, and she is a recent graduate of her Masters of Engineering for Cyper Security. Upcoming roles, She's in a play Wednesdays in Mississippi, which is going to be November tenth through the nineteenth, playing at Joe's Movement and that's Joe's Movement Emporium in Maryland. And then

Don't forget to look out for us.

On our new show, Inside the black Box, my co host will be Joe the Legend Morton. It's going to be The Spirited Actor Podcast on Steroids we'll be streaming on the Crackle network.

I'll keep you posted.

Thank you for joining us on the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I look forward to our next Spirited podcast.

Thank you,