Writing a musical is a long process, and once the writers are have finished that last page…that’s really only the beginning of their journey. By the time an actor comes along to audition for it, there’s usually been years of drafts, workshops, and revisions. Listeners of this podcast know that this summer has been a welcome return to the stage for me in a new theatrical adaptation of Anne of Green Gables , my first musical since the covid shutdown and it all started with a self-tape audition bac...
Aug 01, 2022•53 min•Season 6Ep. 26
Just like actors show off their skills in the audition room, other artists and creatives have their own ways of showcasing talents to prospective theaters, directors, or employers, and these interviews can be just as anxious and nerve-racking as what we actors face, especially if you aren’t as prepared as you could be. Adam Stocker is a Broadway costumer and returns for this bonus episode to share a story from his junior year at Western Michigan University. He recounts an interview he had for wh...
Jul 25, 2022•10 min•Season 6Ep. 25
This past week as Anne of Green Gables went into tech rehearsal and we finally had our first public performance, I was reminded that there is a very particular important step that happens as you leave the rehearsal studio and finally start working on stage and that is the introduction of costumes. For me as an actor the adding of costumes is a big step forward in the development of my character. It informs how I move, how I stand or sit, and gives a sense of class or position, even the confidenc...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 24
For the past four weeks I’ve been in rehearsals for a new musical adaptation of Anne of Green Gables . During that time I even got Covid for the second time and had to miss several days of rehearsal while I was recovering. In fact, I wasn’t the only one who got Covid during the rehearsal process, so it’s been quite a journey for the creators and the cast as a whole and putting the show together. But we’ve now done all the blocking and scene work and are headed into tech rehearsals this week. Wit...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Among the many repercussions of the Covid pandemic, it caused actors, including myself, to question our purpose, our abilities, and our own belief in what it means to be an artist. Well, today’s guest had many of these same doubts and questions well before there was any pandemic affecting our industry. He felt an internal struggle between what he wanted to do and what he thought he should to be doing. Brian Patacca is a life coach and podcaster ( Brian Breaks Character ) as well as a non-denomin...
Jul 04, 2022•54 min•Season 6Ep. 22
This past week I started rehearsals up in Connecticut at the Goodspeed Opera House doing a new musical version of the beloved Anne of Green Gables . It’s a well-known story around the world but especially in its home country of Canada. So in honor of that I thought I would bring a Canadian onto the podcast. Ashley Victoria Robinson is an actress, writer, producer and podcaster, and though she and I won’t be talking about Anne of Green Gables , we do hit upon some of the themes from that story......
Jun 20, 2022•57 min•Season 6Ep. 21
June is always a busy time for New York City with two major events taking place: one is of course the month-long Gay Pride celebration and the other is the biggest day of the Broadway season -- the Tony Awards. And today’s guest ticks off both of those boxes. Jerry Mitchell is a prolific Broadway Director and choreographer as well as a gay advocate with shows like Broadway Bares and Kinky Boots , just to name a few. He is also an eight-time Tony nominee, but he is quick to point out that he’s lo...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Four years ago this spring, a new play opened off Broadway called Church & State . It dealt with the contentious intersection of God, guns, and politics and featured four actors on a single set. I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of this production as the understudy for the two male actors. It was written and produced by two former guests of this podcast: Jason Odell Williams as the playwright and his wife Charlotte Cohn as lead producer. In this special episode, they share...
May 30, 2022•36 min•Season 6Ep. 19
My on-camera agent Brian Keith Graziani and I have been working together since late 2020 for a range of projects--from commercials and industrials to TV dramas and docu-series. Brian himself started out as an actor and singer, and just sort of fell into casting, which then led to talent management and representation. While he still loves performing, this new career path has allowed him to have a greater impact on the careers and livelihoods of other actors. Having had such wide-ranging experienc...
May 23, 2022•57 min•Season 6Ep. 18
“There are few things that can cause joy, shame, contentment, anxiety and stress the way that money does,” says Korrena Bailie, Consumer Finance Editor at Forbes . “If your finances cause you stress and anxiety, it’s natural to want to keep this to yourself because you might feel embarrassed or ashamed about the decisions you made.” ( NY Times ) Well, one artist who is trying to break down that wall of fear or shame when it comes to money is lighting designer and fellow podcaster Ethan Steimel ....
May 16, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Ethan Steimel talks with Jonathan Cerullo about seeing ourselves and our careers as more than an artistic craft in this special collaboration and presentation with Artistic Finance. There are two fundamental sides to every actor: the artistic part of us that loves rehearsing and performing, and then there’s the business aspect which handles money, contracts, and other details. It is so important that our business side gets just as much attention and preparation as the creative side, because both...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 16
No matter how many conversations I have with artists, no matter how many episodes this podcast releases, I’m amazed at the variety of insights and lessons that each person brings to these discussions. In this episode, I think we hit upon one of the biggest obstacles, if not THE biggest, that holds us back as actors and creatives-- fear. The fear of the vulnerability it takes to give an honest performance, the fear of not making enough money or simply not being good enough to be cast. This fear i...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 15
One of the main themes and messages of this podcast has always been that success can mean different things to different people and the path of how someone gets there, if they get there, is always unique to the person. Today’s episode is with someone that I had the privilege of working with in the musical adaptation of First Wives Club back in 2015 in Chicago (with Faith Prince and Christine Sherrill). We were gearing up for a hopeful Broadway transfer that unfortunately never happened. However, ...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Years after the failed Lerner & Loewe movie musical of The Little Prince , producer Joseph Tandet tried again with composer John Barry and a full Broadway production, which brought with it a whole new set of problems. The Little Prince and the Aviator began rehearsals in late 1981 and starred TV and film actor Michael York as the pilot with a 10-year-old newcomer in the title role, Anthony Rapp . We talk about that troubled production, which never actually opened on Broadway, and we also dis...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 13
As an actor it is rare to have long stretches of employment, especially in theater. Television actors can certainly be a part of a successful show for years on end and same goes for movie franchises where roles can come back film after film. Unfortunately, for most of us, it is simply job to job; we work hard to land a gig, the show ends, and then we work hard to book the next one. For Steven Warner , he scored the biggest role in his life…at the age of seven. So what was next for him? In part t...
Apr 11, 2022•40 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Today’s episode is going to be slightly different from most episodes of Why I’ll Never Make It, because it was born out of a collaboration between myself and another podcast called The Industry hosted by Dan Delgado. In some ways it’s the movie version of this podcast, focusing on the challenges and failures that go into film production and taking a closer look at some of the lesser known and sometimes forgotten stories of Hollywood. One of my all-time favorite movie musicals is Alan Jay Lerner ...
Apr 04, 2022•50 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Back in January 2022, this podcast held its first ever live event: a night of conversation with Emmy-winner Kevin Spirtas . He not only shared stories and struggles from his time on Broadway and television, but he also sang five songs that evening that highlighted the work he has done and moments that have meant the most to him throughout his career. On today’s episode you’re going to hear a portion of this cabaret performance and discussion that was presented here in New York City at the Green ...
Mar 28, 2022•31 min•Season 6Ep. 10
In 1987, HBO had a comedy special called Women of the Night . It featured four women who were known regionally and at certain comedy clubs, but had yet to really reach a national audience. They were Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone, Rita Rudner, and today’s guest Judy Tenuta. In fact, for the next four years each one of these women would be named Best Female Stand-up Comic at the American Comedy Awards, with Tenuta being the first in 1988. Throughout the 1980s and 90s Judy was a part of a big b...
Mar 21, 2022•34 min•Season 6Ep. 9
In the final episode of Season Five, I spoke with a talented and passionate actress and producer Debra Ann Byrd . In our conversation, she mentioned Elizabeth Swain as one of the professors who had a significant impact on her own training and understanding theater. She spoke so highly of this mentor that I looked her up and decided to ask her to come on his podcast as well. What I came to learn is that Elizabeth Swain is so much more than just a professor of theater—she is a Broadway actress wit...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 8
The art of performing is certainly filled with joy and passion and can offer a creative fulfillment not found another professions, but as this podcast highlights with each episode, there are also underlying bouts of stress, anxiety, and frustration that come with being an artist and the choice to offer our creativity to the world. Last year I sat down with Mostafa Ashraf and his co-host Yara to talk about performance anxiety on their podcast Mental Talk . I wanted to share with you this candid d...
Mar 07, 2022•52 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Back in 2014, I met Terron Brooks as we were both working on a workshop of a new musical based on the hit movie FIRST WIVES CLUB. We both continued on with the show as it traveled to Chicago for its out of town pre-Broadway tryout. The musical never made it to New York, but as you’ll hear in my conversation today with today's guest, the journey of most performers is never a straight line and certainly there are many more failures and disappointments than successes. Terron certainly knows somethi...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 6
In honor of Black History Month, this episode is an encore presentation of two pioneering Black artists and the legacy they left in the performing arts. Vinnette Justine Carroll , PhD - Actress, Playwright, Director, Teacher Alvin Ailey - Dancer, Choreographer, Artistic Director Vinnette Justine Carroll’s professionalism in theatrical arts paved way for black professionals in the industry. She was an actress and playwright who expressed herself through gospel music. In a 1979 interview, Carroll ...
Feb 21, 2022•23 min•Season 6Ep. 5
No matter what profession you’re in, setting goals is an important part of finding the best path to get you there, but just because you know your goals, does that mean you also have a clear picture of your mission as an artist or the purpose of your life? My guest today is Gina Morgano, a fellow singer and podcaster who also teaches voice and she’s brought along three stories that highlight that distinction between what we do as an artist and who we are as individuals. One story deals with an il...
Feb 14, 2022•47 min•Season 6Ep. 4
With live theater happening once again here in New York, one of the joys has been seeing friends back on stage doing what they do best. I certainly hope to be joining them soon, but in the meantime, it’s wonderful to reconnect with today’s guest. Kathryn Allison is a singer and actress who I got to know at The Muny in St. Louis just as she was really beginning her professional career. Since meeting her, she’s gone on to perform in Wicked , Aladdin and is currently in the revival of Company (she ...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 6Ep. 3
The act of creating is both a testament to and a full embodiment of its creator. An actor gives so much of themselves to the role that they’re playing; a dancer utilizes every muscle to express an emotion; a writer pulls from their own life and experiences to create other worlds and powerful stories. So, it is only natural that we often tie our own self-worth and meaning to the success or failure of that creation. In this episode, I’m having a conversation with Emmy-winning director/choreographe...
Jan 31, 2022•47 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing in our way as actors is ourselves. Whether it’s self-doubt and a disbelief in our own abilities or maybe it’s giving too much weight to the criticism or expectations of others, or maybe a shift in priorities comes along and we have to make life decisions that go against our creative ambitions. To kick off season six, I’m talking with actor and coach Briana Packen about ways we can stop getting in our own way. She brought three stories with her today: one a...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Normally at the end of each season I take a chance to look back at the guests and conversations we’ve had throughout the year, but for this special episode you aren’t gonna be getting some "best-of" retrospective (although I will be counting down the Top 5 guests of 2021). Instead I’m bringing back two former guests and introducing you to a new creative ,as we talk about what this year has meant for theater in general and special events coming up next year. Featured in this episode: Clayton Howe...
Dec 28, 2021•45 min•Season 5Ep. 66
The experiences of our lives influence the paths we choose and shape who we are. In Part One of my conversation with Debra Ann Byrd , she revealed the ups and downs of her own life that eventually ignited a desire to perform and pursue a life on the stage. In this second half of our conversation, we discuss how Debra’s path toward becoming an actor was slow, but steady, and how her first steps as a producer started from very meager beginnings. At her very core, Debra is a storyteller and that is...
Dec 20, 2021•41 min•Season 5Ep. 65
I first found out about Debra Ann Byrd through an article in the Guardian titled “Black Shakespeare champion working to change views on color blind casting.” She was just starting a residency at Stratford upon Avon, and this article talked about one of Debra's college professors who discouraged her from getting into classical theater. That story alone piqued my interest, so I reached out to her and the conversation that we ended up with certainly had many more stories than that one instance. Mos...
Dec 13, 2021•39 min•Season 5Ep. 64
In this day and age of everything going digital, and especially with zoom becoming an important part of both personal and professional connections, it’s a very rare moment to have a phone interview. Back in August of 2021, I had the privilege of calling up a wonderfully talented actress both on stage and on screen, four-time Emmy winner Michael Learned . Though she is best known for playing Olivia Walton, on the long-running 70's TV show The Waltons , it’s important to point out that she has had...
Nov 29, 2021•44 min•Season 5Ep. 63
