Luis Salgado was born and raised in Puerto Rico and studied theater there at the University of Puerto Rico. He moved to New York City in 2012 and it was slow going at first for him to book work. But eventually things started to click for him and his career as featured as many credits on stage as off stage, behind the scenes, in addition to film and television work. But this year has not been kind to so many artists, and work has come to a grinding halt. And so Luis brought himself and his family...
Sep 23, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 66
After our conversation on the previous episode, Jaime talks about the process of voting on songs and albums for the Grammys, and then he answers the Final Five. He shares his love of Law & Order and his dream to work with Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as what he learns from those who are humble. The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into...
Sep 18, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 65
For the next few weeks WINMI is going to be highlighting some amazing Hispanic artists, ranging from composers and dancers to actors and singers. And it's all in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. In addition to these interviews I’ll be showcasing important creatives in Hispanic history. It’ll be a chance for us to learn about the wonderful artists who have made such an impact not only in Hispanic communities but to our nation as a whole. And so we begin Hispanic Heritage Month with Jaim...
Sep 16, 2020•58 min•Season 4Ep. 64
Mid-March of this year was a uniquely devastating time for theater and the arts industry as a whole. Broadway and Off-Broadway here in New York as well as theaters all around the country began to close for what they thought would be a possible one-month shut down. At the time playwright Lynn Nottage tweeted: “Emotionally and financially preparing for theaters across the country to be shut down. Mourning the beautiful work that will be lost. Alas, protecting our practitioners and our audiences is...
Sep 09, 2020•39 min•Season 4Ep. 63
After our conversation on the previous episode, Alex answers the Final Five. He shares his love of Christopher Nolan movies and his dream to be on Law & Order: SVU as well as what he learned from Will Smith and Michelle Obama. Check out Alex's web series: P's in a Pod ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into each episode....
Sep 04, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 62
The process of getting an idea, a story from conception to production to finally being onstage or onscreen can be a rather lengthy process. Hamilton took seven years and La La Land was almost nine. Alex Pires is another one of those with plenty of ideas. He’s an actor who came to NYC with a mission to not only act but to write as well. But as we know having the idea is just the first step on a long journey towards actually seeing it come to life. His comedy web series P's in a Pod released its P...
Sep 02, 2020•50 min•Season 4Ep. 61
For the second month in a row Why I’ll Never Make It goes outside its own podcast walls to recommend another podcaster doing great work in the arts or beyond. The first one was The Ensemblist as part of the episode with Mo Brady . And this month features a recommendation of another one inside the creative arts as well as a former WINMI guest: The Tony Howell Podcast . Tony is a former actor and singer who has now become a highly sought-after author, speaker, and expert in digital marketing and b...
Aug 31, 2020•5 min•Season 4Ep. 60
After our conversation on the previous episode, Bart Shatto answers the Final Five. He shares his broadcasting aspirations and his dream to do all the roles I've done as well as what he learned from Albert Einstein and Booker T. Washington. Also, check out his latest project, coming up in October, the 2020 New Works Virtual Festival . Twenty plays in seven days! Everything from full-length plays and short plays to TV pilots and screenplays. It features a star-studded lineup, including Oscar nomi...
Aug 28, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 59
Broadway is no cure against challenges or setbacks. Bart Shatto has experienced the joys and the hardships of a life in theater, both personally and professionally. He gives an open and vulnerable look at how this business can create wonderful moments and powerful lessons. Bart particularly shares his time with WAR PAINT, playing opposite Patti LuPone, as well as being in the cast of Tom Kitt's SUPERHERO and dealing with the negative reviews. Even I, the host, open up about the lowest point in m...
Aug 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 58
Thanks for coming back to join me and Jason Odell Williams for the final five! This is a bonus episode to the conversation we had previously, covering topics and five specific questions we didn’t address on the last episode. Today, Jason talks about how his teachers inspired him and how he's still learning to process and handle criticism and feedback. Take the survey & join the WINMI newsletter - whyillnevermakeit.com ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversat...
Aug 21, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 57
Jason Odell Williams is an award-winning playwright and Emmy-nominated television producer. But his first love was acting...until it wasn't. In this episode he shares that journey from saying the words to writing them. We specifically talk about his plays Handle With Care and Church & State, both of which were produced by his wife (and former WINMI guest) Charlotte Cohn . He opens up about his difficulty with taking criticism and how different writing is from the stage to small screen, espec...
Aug 19, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 56
Well, here we are at the Final Five questions, a bonus episode to our previous conversation. Eric is back and shares his passion for branding and being a stylist. He also mentions what distinguishes Gayle King and why he'd love to pick her brain as well as the two distinct life lessons he learned from his parents. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at winmipodcast.com . ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is s...
Aug 14, 2020•11 min•Season 4Ep. 55
During his years in New York City, Eric Jordan Young bounced around from Broadway productions and national tours to regional shows and concerts. According to most performers, he was living the dream. But he wanted something else, we wanted something more. So Eric branched out into his own endeavors, from a solo recording album to a one-man tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr. Along the way he met some challenges and found out he knew more about the show than he did the business. And Vegas became the test...
Aug 12, 2020•52 min•Season 4Ep. 54
After our conversation on the previous episode, David answers the Final Five. He shares his political aspirations, what he's learned from Broadway directors as well as where the best ideas come from. Do you have other questions you'd like to ask? Let me know at winmipodcast.com and fill out the survey. ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this wo...
Aug 07, 2020•16 min•Season 4Ep. 53
David and I first met last year as he directed the 90-minute version of FOOTLOOSE on Norwegian Cruise Line. But In New York, he spends his time working with some of the best directors on Broadway from SCHOOL OF ROCK and BEAUTIFUL to LOMBARDI and NETWORK (starring Bryan Cranston). As assistant director, I ask what's kept him from being In the top spot as well as what he think of cruise ship productions. But the show I really focus on is the most reviewed and vilified Broadway show so far this cen...
Aug 05, 2020•58 min•Season 4Ep. 52
Thanks for coming back to join me and Mo for the final five! This is a bonus conversation covering topics and five specific questions we didn’t address on the last episode. Today, Mo talks about his love of NEXT TO NORMAL and how Susan Blackwell from TITLE OF SHOW inspires him. Don't forget to check out all the offers and resources available to you through WINMI: resources.winmipodcast.com Follow Mo: Instagram / Twitter Follow WINMI: Instagram / Twitter / Blog Donate to the podcast: https://ko-f...
Jul 31, 2020•7 min•Season 4Ep. 51
Co-creator of The Ensemblist podcast and blog shares his love of theater, especially for those out of the spotlight and in the ensemble. Mo Brady grew up building sets and imagining a life on the stage. After finally getting his Broadway debut, two other more personal roles came his way: husband and father. But he still manages to keep up the podcasting and working on the communications team at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. http://www.theensemblist.com/podcasts Don't forget to check out all...
Jul 29, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Instead of answering the Final Five questions, Erin Cronican continues our conversation on producing theater for the online world as well as some insight into her cooking habits (or lack thereof). For now, COVID has ended live theater as we know it, and digital platforms have become a new home for actors and writers to reach audiences. So Erin shares how she's made it work and how Actors Equity Association has (not) helped. Follow Erin: Instagram / Twitter - Donate to the The Seeing Place Follow...
Jul 24, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 49
Erin Cronican first came on the podcast back in Season One, sharing the ups and downs of making theater while still being an actor. Today, she faces new challenges of producing theater in the middle of a pandemic while also battling cancer once again. She opens up about her very real and present reality, just living 3 months at a time. Legacy has become very important to her, and through our conversation she shares insights into living with a terminal illness and how it changes the way she appro...
Jul 22, 2020•55 min•Season 4Ep. 48
After our conversation on the previous episode, Chaz answers the Final Five. But first, he shares a hilarious audition story, then goes into his dream to work in physical therapy as well as how he learned the importance of preparation. ---------- Jazz with Chaz - resources.winmipodcast.com Give your feedback - survey.winmipodcast.com Support WINMI - donate.winmipodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jul 17, 2020•16 min•Season 4Ep. 47
Chaz started dancing at the age of 2in Gahanna, Ohio, and several years later he won the Gold Medal at the US Tap Championships and then won Bronze for the United States at the World Tap Dance Championships in Germany at the age of 14. From his BFA in Musical Theatre Dance to serving as dance captain in the American Spirit Dance Company, Chaz has led a busy life on his feet. And so it was that I first met Chaz Wolcott at a regional theater in upstate New York during a production of MARY POPPINS....
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 46
After our conversation on the previous episode, Brian answers the Final Five, talking about software engineering and his dream to fix CHESS as well as lessons learned from Elizabeth Gilbert. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodcast.com . ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into eac...
Jul 10, 2020•11 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Featuring the third composer of the season, Brian Lowdermilk is a fantastic contemporary songwriter who's found a great deal of success from the internet. And in this day and age where not much theater is happening onstage, that bodes well for both Kerrigan & Lowdermilk. Brian (they/them, she/her) shares the nuts and bolts of writing and collaborating on musicals (and is joined by Kait for part of the interview). Then we get into more personal matters of gender identity and theater's place i...
Jul 08, 2020•54 min•Season 4Ep. 44
After our conversation on the previous episode, Roberto answers the Final Five. He shares his love of CBS Sunday Morning and his dream of playing the Baker in INTO THE WOODS as well as that the time he forgot to press the record button. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodcast.com . ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a ...
Jul 03, 2020•18 min•Season 4Ep. 43
Season 4 Survey: https://winmipodcast.typeform.com/to/SdODaMU7 I first got to know Roberto when putting together the Season Three opener with Caroline Bowman. He had taken beautiful photos of her as she was preparing for the National Tour of Disney's FROZEN. I wanted him to come on the show to share his experiences and insights on making the best headshots possible. So get ready to take some notes. Little did I know, though, the backstory and struggles he's been through. From a family unwilling ...
Jul 01, 2020•56 min•Season 4Ep. 42
After our conversation on the previous episode, Cris answers the Final Five. He shares why he'd love to teach and his dream to be in CATS as well as what he learned from Tyler Perry. Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodcast.com . ---------- The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into each episod...
Jun 26, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 41
In this longer episode than normal, I am honored and grateful to have this enormously gifted artist on the show. Cris Eli Blak may only be a senior in college, but he has wisdom far beyond his years to share with all of us. From thoughts on the current racial tensions gripping this country to how theater can be a voice in the midst of it, Cris shares from the heart and from his art. He opens up about his own challenges and struggles as a writer, how growing up without a father affected him, and ...
Jun 24, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 40
The third and final look at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with Michael McBride, a 10-year veteran with the company. Through this organization he not only gained skills and experience in collaborating with some of the best dancers and choreographers on the planet, but he also found the love of his life, Samuel Lee Roberts, a fellow dancer in the company. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for Michael. He's had some hard lessons to learn along the way and he talks about some of those, espec...
Jun 17, 2020•49 min•Season 4Ep. 39
Samantha Figgins is currently in her sixth season with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But what many people don't know is that this gorgeous dancer suffers from single-sided deafness. As a baby, Figgins contracted spinal meningitis, which caused her to lose all hearing in her right ear. She never gave up on her dance dreams, though, and fought her way through uncomfortable situations, never missing an opportunity to learn and grow. In this episode, she shares her love of dance, her passi...
Jun 10, 2020•54 min•Season 4Ep. 38
When it comes to the performing arts and certainly to dance, there are few people more worthy of admiration, of inspiration and imitation than Alvin Ailey. He was both uniquely gifted and qualified to tell the African-American experience which he lived and saw and reacted to through the art of dance. If you follow me or the podcast on social media, you know that I’m a white man who also grew up in the South. I was certainly witness to and heard tinges of racism growing up, but was fortunately sh...
Jun 03, 2020•17 min•Season 4Ep. 37
