The Tonys have all been handed out and another Broadway Season comes to a close. While the trophies themselves are the main attraction, it was really the speeches and heart of the awards ceremony this year that captivated my attention and truly moved me. I talk about some inspiring acceptance speeches from winners like Andre DeShields, Rachel Chavkin, and Ali Stroker as well as the acceptance speech Sam Mendes never gave. Then, I give some background to one of the names In Memoriam that was a fi...
Jun 10, 2019•22 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Welcome to WINMI's first international episode! Joining me on the show today is Sherryl-Lee Secomb from Australia. With over thirty-five years on stage, creating roles in musical theatre, farce and dramatic works, she began working as a freelance theatre director, creating large scale musical theatre productions in her home town of Brisbane, Australia. In 2011, she was appointed as Communications & Online Marketing Manager to Savoyards Musical Comedy Society , a large community-based theatr...
Jun 03, 2019•55 min•Season 2Ep. 41
The third and final Awards Season Bonus Episode features Kelvin Moon Loh of BEETLEJUICE, nominated for eight Tony Awards. We discuss his audition for the role of Otho...or rather lack of an audition. Then there's the other fellow performers who Kelvin simply gushes about, sharing his love and gratitude for such a wonderful group to perform with. But we also delve into the business itself and what keeps us going and how to treasure the moments along the way. It's wonderful and far-reaching chat a...
Jun 01, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Broadway is all abuzz with the latest shows and performances making all the headlines. But theater in New York is so much more than what happens on the great white way. There's important and significant work being done off-Broadway and by theater companies around the city. One such company is Leviathan Lab, and today I'm talking to Ariel Estrada . . . an actor, singer, arts advocate, producer, and Founder of Leviathan Lab. They are an award-winning not-for-profit creative studio whose mission is...
May 27, 2019•59 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Having already won the Best Musical award from the Outer Critics Circle. James Monroe Stevko and the entire FIDDLER cast and crew wait to see if their winning continues with the upcoming Drama Desk Award. But before becoming the rabbi's son, James was an instrumental musician and at the age of 18 decided to become a dancer. Transforming himself into a dancer through college, he landed his first job before graduation in Milwaukee Ballet II. And he's continued to become a successful storyteller th...
May 25, 2019•51 min•Season 2Ep. 38
The job of a stage manager may be behind the scenes, but all that they do makes its way into each and every performance we actors give onstage. Matthew Stern joins me today to explain the very nature of their work, giving insight into the art and craft of stage management. He recounts of his time with LES MISÉRABLES, 700 SUNDAYS, SPIDER-MAN, and other shows in New York and on the road. This is a must-listen for any actor wanting to know more about what SMs do and all the grunt work they go throu...
May 20, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 37
The first Award Season Bonus episode of 2019! And it's a musical that's tied for the most Tony nominations with 12, including Best Musical. (A full list of those nominations can be found here .) Joshua Morgan plays Shelly Berger, who was the real-life manager of the Temptations as well as The Supremes and Jackson 5. Josh is no stranger to Broadway as he was in the closing cast for the most recent revival of LES MISÉRABLES, which played at the same Imperial Theater. I first met and worked with Jo...
May 18, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 36
You're not likely to hear a more infectious laugh than on today's episode with Lothair Eaton. His joy of life and performing shine through in this engaging conversation about life on tour with STARLIGHT EXPRESS, the struggles of finding work here in NYC, and how we learn and grow as performers. Lothair was also seen in the ’95 UK Tour of 5 GUYS NAMED MOE. Throughout Germany and the UK Lothair has performed in many Musical Galas and events, as well as his own Cabaret shows to rave reviews! In New...
May 13, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 34
After our great discussion of Broadway history, Tony Awards, and Dorothy Fields, Kristin was a sport enough to take on some trivia questions...and some of them were doozies. I didn't even know most of them before looking them up. So test your own Broadway knowledge and see how many you know in the first-ever WINMI Theater Trivia Challenge! Follow Kristin on Twitter and learn more about her at DrBroadway.com . ----- Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into each episo...
May 08, 2019•14 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Well, the Award Season is now in high gear with all the major theater nominations out: Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and of course the mother of them all, the Tonys. Everyone seems to be talking about the hottest shows on Broadway. So today I’m jumping into the deep end as well, talking about some of the current Broadway darlings. And joining me is Dr. Broadway herself to also discuss the history that went into making Broadway what it is today as well as some of the backstory t...
May 06, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 32
After being on WINMI Episode 32 , fellow podcaster Clayton Howe invited me to return the favor and come on his podcast. We chatted about my own journey as an actor and what led to the creation of WHY I'LL NEVER MAKE IT. I share my own fears and battles with not "making it" but also what keeps me going and hoping along the way. There's plenty of wit and wisdom in this great conversation with my friend, and I'm so glad to have been a part of his podcast. Enjoy! Subscribe and listen to ENTERTAINMEN...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 31
As part 2 of the focus on auditions, John Ort joins the podcast. He is a member of CSA (Casting Society of America) and works on TV, film, new media and theatre. His insights on the audition process are informative and useful as we continue to navigate this sometimes rough and mysterious process. John sheds light on on-camera vs theater auditions, how best to do self-tapes, and even tackles some of your questions. John's work includes: CBS’s “Bull,” feature films Last Ferry and Anya , and short ...
Apr 29, 2019•42 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Welcome to the first annual Auditions episode! I’ll be sharing stories from those in the audition room as well as some tidbits of wisdom along the way. For the past few months during my conversations with guests I've asked them about their own audition stories. I saved those tales of wonder and woe, so I could bring them to you now for the first time. And that’s what today is going to be all about…sharing and commiserating on auditions - the good, the bad, and the funny. Here are the guests feat...
Apr 22, 2019•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 29
Welcome to your favorite holiday: Tax Day! One of the most difficult but important issues we face in the arts is our finances. How to make more of it and how to spend (and save) it in the best way possible. Rebecca Selkowe, head of the Financial Wellness Program at The Actors Fund , covers some of the challenges people working in performing arts and entertainment face when trying to balance variable income and expenses, and also touches briefly on important tax issues. A performing artist’s fina...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Kelly and I talk about the mindset needed to get through the ups and downs of this business, and as founder of Triple Threat Therapy she even gives me a bit of therapy, asking questions and giving insights into my own thinking when it comes to auditions and making decisions for my career. But it all started the ripe old age of 4, when Kelly stepped on stage for the first time during a kindergarten musical. From that moment on, she was hooked. Most of us have a story similar to that, right? She p...
Apr 08, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Fellow actor and podcaster, Clayton Howe, riffs on the business of auditioning as well as creating new work and making a difference in the world...whether that world is our own theater community or a larger presence influencing millions. He even brings up one influencer, Casey Neistat, who is a filmmaker and was ticketed here in NYC for not riding his bike in the bike lane. Through his videos and mission to fight back against the ticket, he ended up exposing a flaw in the enforcement of bike lan...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 26
From musical theater to opera, from Disney Cruise Line to New York's famed Town Hall venue,Amy Marie Stewart has seen first hand the struggles that singers and actors face. Most of it coming from our own preconceived notions or those expectations heaped on us by others. Her recent blog post " Failing our Singers " went viral as she tried to dispel those do's and don'ts in order to free us up to give our best performance, whether onstage or in the audition room. Due to a recent illness, which she...
Mar 25, 2019•52 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Today, I'm joined by the wonderfully charming and talented Ilana Levine. She takes a break from her own podcast, LITTLE KNOWN FACTS, to talk with me about her career on Broadway and in TV/film as well as share stories of auditions and her obsession with British royalty. From her big Broadway turn as Lucy in YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN to her various appearances in The Nanny Diaries , Law & Order , and the infamous Seinfeld episode "The Contest," she has had a storied career. But Ilana h...
Mar 18, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Happy Promposal Day! Caitlin Kinnunen may go to THE PROM eight times a week on Broadway as Emma, a high schooler who wants to bring her girlfriend to the big dance. But when she was a teenager herself, she never actually attended prom. On today’s episode, Caitlin opens up about being home schooled and how she could only go to the before and after parties with a friend. Her home schooling was largely due to being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a young age, and being at home meant better care o...
Mar 11, 2019•59 min•Season 2Ep. 23
For the first Spotlight Series of 2019 I’m joined by Josie Whittlesey, the founder and Executive Director of Drama Club. The organization started in 2013, providing theatre programming to incarcerated and court-involved young people. They bring classes into juvenile detention centers, jails and community centers throughout New York City. Currently, Drama Club works with about 500 individual students between the ages of 10-21, using improv as their core curriculum, empowering young people to tell...
Mar 04, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 22
How would you like to learn 13 different roles for one show, and be ready at a moment's notice to perform anyone of them...or even combine two or three of them in one show? That's exactly what Heather Botts is prepared to do 8 times a week in MY FAIR LADY, currently on Broadway. In this episode, recorded backstage in the Lincoln Center Theater, she shares her process for gearing up for such a demanding part in cast as well as her journey from regional theaters to the Great White Way. Born and ra...
Feb 25, 2019•48 min•Season 2Ep. 21
The man who has been in more EVITA productions than Mandy Patinkin joins me on the podcast to talk about his back and forth in show business and finding the balance between "making it" and making a living. As founder and owner of Ryan Bailer Support, he's created a thriving company that he enjoys and supports him and his family. But he still dreams of being on the stage and knows that he's not quite complete if he's not pursuing his acting career as well. He gives the hilarious story of his firs...
Feb 18, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Tony Howell is a digital strategist for Emmy, Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Olivier award-winning artists. His work has been featured by Google, Squarespace, SAG-AFTRA, Actors' Equity Association, and more. On today's episode, he shares his insights of how to match our online presence with our in-person persona. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he was an actor for 20+ years-performing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours, and more. In addition to weekly free content and scholarships to his quart...
Feb 11, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 19
We're now about halfway through the 2018-19 Broadway season, and several shows have closed and some still have yet to open. Ryan McPhee, Managing News Editor at PLAYBILL, joins the podcast once again to talk about the notable shows of the 2018-19 Broadway Season. We focus especially on those that are likely to get some Tony Award recognition. Here's the list of all shows we mention in this episode: • Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie at 54 Below • Getting the Band Back Together did not get good...
Feb 04, 2019•57 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Maggie graduated from Texas State with a BFA in Musical Theatre just two years ago and has been pounding the NYC pavement ever since. In today's episode she talks about how she holds herself back sometimes from being her best in the audition room and in pursuing this career. She also opens up about what keeps her going and how theater has truly changed her life, enjoying every step of it along the way. She studied for ten years at Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Theatre Conservatory under the leader...
Jan 28, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 17
A good friend of mine and the podcast joins me for the first interview of 2019! Tovi Wayne opens up about starting dance late in his performing career and how that put him behind other dancers but also motivated him to get better, to learn as much as he could. He came to NYC with the dream of being in NEWSIES and through a lot of hard work finally did a regional production of the show down in Florida. But he certainly has a long career ahead of him with more shows he wants to do! So join the con...
Jan 21, 2019•55 min•Season 2Ep. 16
The first episode of the year has me chatting about my failed attempt to make Red Velvet Cupcakes...and I mean utter failure. I hurried through the prep and ended up with inedible red mushy hockey pucks. Such wasted time and effort and ingredients. What wasn't a waste of my time, though, was a recent chat I had with Marc Kudisch. I met him at the Only Make Believe Gala after-party, and he graciously talked with me for about 15 minutes. From the business to Broadway and keeping it all in perspect...
Jan 14, 2019•21 min•Season 2Ep. 15
It's been a wonderful ride despite some growing pains and losses along the way. My first year of podcasting has nonetheless taught me a great deal, and I hope you've learned a thing or two as well. I honestly do this for you and try my best to give you interviews and insights as well as some fun along the way. A lot of effort goes into these episodes and sometimes they hit the mark and other times fall short (mostly technical hitches and glitches and my own verbal fumbles). So I may not have mad...
Dec 28, 2018•55 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In this episode, Patrick shares one thing that has kept him from auditioning and finding work lately...and that's jury duty. That civic obligation that many try to get out of has become yet another obstacle to making it. But Patrick diligently fulfilled his duty and rendered a verdict on an attempted murder case involving a babysitter. This is certainly a different kind of episode for the podcast, but nonetheless it's a fascinating story with twists and turns and surprises, just the kind of "rip...
Dec 17, 2018•37 min•Season 2Ep. 13
As the school year winds down, a Ph.D joins the podcast once again, this time to talk about fiction writing and The Promise of Failure . The most recent book from John Mcnally is a collection of lectures and essays he's given to writing students about the certainty of rejection and how best to handle it and move on from it. I mean, what better guest and topic are there for the Why I'll Never Make It podcast?? He shares how he combats writer's block and why acting and theater play a vital role in...
Dec 10, 2018•51 min•Season 2Ep. 12
