At the end of our previous insightful conversation, Douglas Sills gave his answers to the Final Five questions. He shares a story of his mentor who recently passed away as well as his interests finance and veterinarian medicine. After his answer to best advice, I kept the recording going and it opened into a deeper conversation about happiness and feeling (un)motivated. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodast.com . ---------- The time and expense need...
May 29, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 36
His iconic Broadway debut in SCARLET PIMPERNEL may have made Douglas Sills a Broadway star, but his head has never been in the clouds. In today's episode, he has his feet firmly on the ground and shares how he left the business (twice) and what brought him back. His insights are a seasoned look not only at his career but at the kind of person he wants to be. From understanding luck's role in his career to realizing that having a life means so much more than making a living, Douglas is both confi...
May 27, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 35
After our conversation on the previous episode, Mykal and Hannah answer the Final Five questions. They share stories of the individuals who have inspired them as artists as well as their interests in education and geology. They finish with why it's so important to be on time and the proper place for performance in an artist's life. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodast.com . ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversati...
May 22, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 34
Hannah Elless and Mykal Kilgore (and myself) first met doing a reading of a new musical called THE STAR CHILD. They have each gone on to do three Broadway shows, but they still love that new-car smell of a fresh, unknown piece of theater. In today's conversation they explain why new works are so important, how their big families taught them to collaborate, and what success means to them and how they are still striving for it. Plus, they talk about the dream of a Broadway debut versus the reality...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 33
Welcome back to my talk with Andrew Lippa as he answers the Final Five questions. This is a bonus episode to the conversation we had previously, covering topics we didn't get to last time. From political aspirations to advice he gives to aspiring artists, this is a deeper dive into a talented composer and performer. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodcast.com . ---------- May this podcast be a resource for you as you discover more ways to pursue a ca...
May 15, 2020•10 min•Season 4Ep. 32
From his first intimate musical, john and jen , to his bigger productions on and off Broadway, Andrew Lippa has been a prolific and award-winning writer. He joins the podcast to talk about his growth along that sometimes bumpy path and what it means to bring a bit of himself into his compositions and lyrics. He shares the disappoints he felt with The Wild Party and Big Fish , the lessons he learned from The Addams Family , and the personal journey he took in becoming Harvey Milk . Learn more abo...
May 13, 2020•52 min•Season 4Ep. 31
After our conversation on the previous episode, Hal Luftig answers the Final Five. He shares his love of teaching and his dream to work with Audra McDonald as well as what he learned from famed Broadway producer Emanuel "Manny" Azenberg . Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodcast.com . ---------- May this podcast be a resource for you as you discover more ways to pursue a career in this industry and sustain it through the many ups and downs that follow...
May 08, 2020•12 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Welcome to a month-long look at previous Broadway seasons...the nominations, the wins, and the losses. With four Tony Awards to his name, including two as lead producer, and two Olivier Awards, also as lead producer, Hal Luftig knows and thing or two about theatrical success. But he also knows the pitfalls that come and how not every show finds an audience or makes a lot of money. Today, he shares those insights and more from the heights of success with KINKY BOOTS to his disappointment with the...
May 06, 2020•54 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Welcome to another FINAL FIVE Bonus Episode with Alina Alcántara ! After our last conversation about staying motivated and the joy she found in performing, Alina sat down to answer five questions on topics and insights not covered in the previous episode. She also mentioned mutual friend and fellow artist Juan Cantu as someone who inspires her both personally and professionally. If you could have any other job outside of the arts what would it be? What is a bucket list role or show you still hop...
May 01, 2020•10 min•Season 4Ep. 28
Former flight attendant Alina Alcántara is a New York native of Dominican heritage, who has lived in Florida for most of her life. And in this episode she shares the rocky road to finding her true calling in life as an actor and singer. But even with this love and passion for performing she has her bad days of feeling inferior and unmotivated. So what keeps her going? Her story will inspire you and put a smile in your heart. Follow her online and social media: twitter.com/BroadwayBaby73 instagra...
Apr 29, 2020•45 min•Season 4Ep. 27
It's been a month-long break, so welcome back to the FINAL FIVE Bonus Episode! After our last conversation, Seán answers five final questions not covered in the previous episode. He talks about his bucket list Sondheim musical and reveals his comedic idol... If you could have any other job outside of the arts what would it be? What is a bucket list role or show you still hope to do one day? Who do you look up to? A mentor or someone who inspires you. Name a lesson or trait that took you awhile t...
Apr 24, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 26
Seán Cullen is a Canadian actor, voice artist and stand-up comedian, known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. He joins me today to share his love of comedy and writing books for his children. But we also dive into the worries and frustrations that come from almost making it and how to bounce back from a canceled show or that inner voice saying we aren't good enough. Follow Seán on Twitter - https://twitter.com/mrseancullen Listen to his podcast - http://www.theseanpod.com/ Watch...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 25
In the last episode, Rebecca Selkowe reminded us of the groundwork needed to organize and manage our money. Today, she brings it to the present with useful tips and insights we can use during times of crisis like COVID-19. For more on how The Actors Fund can help you (or ways you can donate to them) go to actorsfund.org and for a mental and artistic break from the daily grind go to starsinthehouse.com , hosted by Seth Rudetsky & James Wesley and benefiting The Actors Fund. ---------- Do you ...
Apr 17, 2020•36 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Since 1955, April 15th has been Tax Day, until this year...the year of COVID-19 and economic uncertainty. With so many unemployed, especially those of us in the arts, what are we to do. How can we manage our money? What money!? In this episode, I'm sharing my conversation a year ago with Rebecca Selkowe, author of DOMINATE YOUR DEBT and head of the Financial Wellness Program at the Actors Fund in New York City. This is part one, where she gives us the basics of how we need to approach financial ...
Apr 15, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Overcome with laziness and procrastination, feeling unmotivated, stuck, and just can’t get started? Believe me, you are not alone. But there is hope when mired in such complacency. However, it may not be the solution you think it is. You and I were taught from an early age that we need to stay busy and keep moving. And while the intent behind those ideals was good, putting them into practice is neither easy nor always helpful. In this episode, I consider what we do as artists and the energy we e...
Apr 08, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Well, coronavirus is all people can talk about. It has completely changed our daily lives and interactions with others, especially in the world of theater. So I wanted to address it head on with friend-of-the-podcast Clayton Howe. We share how each of us lost our jobs and what we're doing now to keep going and make it through this extraordinary time in the world. I also give 5 ways we as artists can regain control during a very uncertain moment in our lives and careers: Commitment, Outside, Vari...
Apr 01, 2020•47 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Welcome to another FINAL FIVE Bonus Episode! After our last conversation Tiffany answers five final questions not covered in the previous episode. She talks about how she still hopes to do musical theater one day and opens up about her late father and the lessons he taught her... If you could have any other job outside of the arts what would it be? What is a bucket list role or show you still hope to do one day? Who do you look up to? A mentor or someone who inspires you. Name a lesson or trait ...
Mar 27, 2020•15 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Whether as sidekick or the lady in charge, Tiffany Coyne has made her mark on the popular game show LET'S MAKE A DEAL. She can keep up with Wayne Brady and holds her own in the chaotic fun of each episode. Starting out as a dancer, she had no thoughts or goals toward television. But when the time came and the support of family, she and her husband made the decision to leave their lives in Las Vegas for what has become an 11-year residence in Los Angeles and the stability to raise two beautiful c...
Mar 25, 2020•41 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Welcome to another FINAL FIVE Bonus Episode! After our conversation on Wednesday about opera and directing, Charlotte gave her answers to five questions and topics not covered in the main interview. Also, in honor of Women's History Month, this week's Broadway pioneer is Vinnette Justine Carroll, PhD. As an actress and playwright and later as a director, she holds the distinction of many firsts in theater and television: first black female to direct on Broadway as well as receive a Tony nominati...
Mar 20, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Charlotte Cohn was born in Denmark and raised in Israel where she served in the Israeli Army as a commanding officer. She was a founding producer of the New York Music Theatre Festival (NYMF) and MainStreet Musicals. Other producing credits include Rated P For Parenthood , The New York Times critics’ pick Handle With Care and Church & State . In this episode she chronicles her journey from commander to singer, from Broadway actress to Off-Broadway producer and director. Despite the setbacks ...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 17
MAESTRA MUSIC was founded by composer/lyricist and music director Georgia Stitt to give support, visibility, and community to the women who make the music in the musical theater industry. Their membership is made up of female-identifying, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers, music directors, orchestrators, arrangers, copyists, rehearsal pianists and other musicians who are an underrepresented minority in musical theater. For Women's History Month, Georgia continues our conversation f...
Mar 13, 2020•43 min•Season 4Ep. 16
GEORGIA STITT ( georgiastitt.com ) is a composer and lyricist whose original musicals include Snow Bird , Big Red Sun , The Water , and Samantha Spade, Ace Detective , which was the National Youth Theatre “Outstanding New Musical” in 2014. She is currently working on the The Big Boom with Hunter Foster and is also preparing to release her third album later this year. Now I haven’t even gotten to her work as producer, music supervisor, pianist, orchestrator, vocal coach, music director, and condu...
Mar 11, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 15
After our in-depth discussion on producing in NYC and balancing that with an acting career, Abigail now shares bucket lists and who she looks up to. These final five questions get into topics and insights not covered in our previous conversation. If you could have any other job outside of the arts what would it be? What is a bucket list role or show you still hope to do one day? Who do you look up to? A mentor or someone who inspires you. Name a lesson or trait that took you awhile to learn or o...
Mar 06, 2020•10 min•Season 4Ep. 14
For the first episode of Women's History Month, I'm talking to New York-Los Angeles actress and producer Abigail Rose Solomon , who founded Rosalind Productions in 2005. We talk about the differences between acting and producing NYC and LA as well as her process of finding shows and working on them with other producers and creatives. Rosalind Productions ' credits include THE PROM, THREE TALL WOMEN, WAR PAINT, THE LAST SEDER, PROOF, and AS YOU LIKE IT. Also, this week's female Broadway pioneer i...
Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 13
On the second half of AUDITION STORIES we dive into the comparison game with Justin Guarini. This kind of jealousy is so common to actors and affects us in the audition room more than we know. Former guests share their experiences from onstage to on-camera, from the wonderful to the embarrassing, and everything in-between. (Listen to Part One as well.) Those featured in this episode: JUSTIN GUARINI - "Comparison Trap" ( Audition Secrets podcast) LAUREN KENNEDY - Artistic Director of Theatre Rale...
Feb 26, 2020•46 min•Season 4Ep. 12
The 2nd Annual Auditions Stories is here! And this is only part one...focusing on the Audition Book and debunking 5 myths about what this book is supposed to be. The typical audition book has at least 20 songs (or monologues). It must contain material from every genre and era. "Show your range" means to hit your highest note. You don't need the full song in your book. It doesn't have to have a table of contents. Here are the former guests featured in this episode with all-new stories from the au...
Feb 19, 2020•53 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Throughout history artists have known that music provides benefits for both the creator and the listener. It can affect individuals in positive ways by inducing both psychological and physiological healing. This is especially true in the senior community. Sing For Your Seniors is a nonprofit built around the mission of enriching lives through the universal language of music. They bring professional artists to the communities of seniors in need...to entertain them, to foster inter-generational co...
Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 10
This podcast mainly focuses on the artist and the creative, the actor or composer or director, etc. But in today’s episode I’m turning the tables and focusing on the audience, specifically those who are deaf and hard of hearing. Their access to what we do onstage is often limited and often times they can’t make it to the theater because there is no way provided for them to understand what is happening. That’s where sign language interpreters come in and provide access for this underserved commun...
Feb 05, 2020•34 min•Season 4Ep. 8
This is a special episode where someone I consider to be one of the best in podcasting joins the show to discuss what he's learned about this growing medium and how we as artists can use this as another outlet for our creativity. Dave Jackson has been podcasting since April of 2005. His School of Podcasting has been downloaded nearly 2 million times, and he has helped hundreds of people launch podcasts. He was also inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame in 2018. And now he's here t...
Jan 29, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Welcome to the FINAL FIVE Bonus Episode with Megan Carver! After our in-depth discussion on finding our artistic niche and creating work for ourselves, we then chatted about others job and where inspiration comes from. These final five questions are posed to each guest on topics and insights not covered in our previous conversation. The answers given are surprising and revealing, showing another side to Megan Carver... If you could have any other job outside of the arts what would it be? What is...
Jan 24, 2020•10 min•Season 4Ep. 6
