The Theatre Podcast With Alan Seales

Morgan Marcell is an actor, dancer, choreographer, and director with Broadway credits ranging from the original Broadway cast of Hamilton to the original Broadway cast of Bandstand to Fosse Verdon. She is now on stage in the original Broadway cast of Moulin Rouge, the musical.  A San Diego native, she originally planned on going to law school, she eventually found her way back to LA as a trained dancer. Soon after performing with the In the Heights tour, she took over for the dance captain after just 8 months. Working her way through just a handful more gigs, she has even contributed to the TV scene as an Assistant Choreographer for Fosse Verdon. With other members of the Hamilton family, Morgan and Philippa Soo co-founded The Eliza Project, a philanthropic endeavor led by Hamilton cast members to lead artistic workshops and create new works with the students at Graham Windham, the orphanage created by Eliza Hamilton herself. I addition, she has recently made her directorial debut with Sharing Our Stories: Th

Karen Olivo is a Tony-Award winner who made her Broadway debut in Rent before going on to roles in Brooklyn, the Musical, In The Heights, and West Side Story (which is where she won her Tony!). She is now amazing audiences, critics, and everyone in between 8 times a week as Satine in Moulin Rouge the Musical. Karen was born in the South Bronx before moving to Central Florida. Although far from Broadway, performing was still in her family. Her dad was a director and mom worked lots of jobs in the theatre. After her dad started his own troupe, she found herself on stage at the age of 6, where she discovered a sense of power and belonging. The stage gave her balance and was a safe haven to escape the troubles of youth. After bouncing between a performing arts high school and "regular" high school, she found herself at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) -- but never graduated. She went to her first open call [for Rent]... and booked it. The rest, as they say, is history. Connect wit

Sonya Tayeh made her way from the city of Detroit to New York City to find herself choreographing for some of today’s biggest names including Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Florence and the Machine. She’s been nominated for two Emmy Awards for her work on So You Think You Can Dance, and won the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for “Outstanding Choreography” for her work on David Henry Hwang’s dance-play Kung Fu, for which she also received a Drama Desk nomination. She recently made her Broadway debut as choreographer for the smash hit Moulin Rouge the Musical and is also working on the upcoming production of Sing Street. Sonya's process may be unique - sometimes she has to dance in silence before adding the music back in so that she makes sure she doesn't get trapped in the music because "If it's interesting without music it will be interesting with music." In all her work, she utilizes the ensemble to push the story along and doesn't just have them dance because they're there. In Moulin Rouge, the story progression

One of Broadway's favorite bad boys, Tam Mutu is The Duke in the smash Broadway hit Moulin Rouge, the Musical, You may also recognize him from his TV appearances on The Walking Dead, Bluebloods, and Sherlock, or from being on stage in Doctor Zhivago on Broadway and Love Never Dies in London. After a successful time playing football... er, soccer... something called to him to start performing on stage, and the rest was history. After years working in the UK and the West End, he was supposed to make his Broadway debut in the infamous show Rebecca, which was riddled with scandal and never saw its first curtain. Think his personification of The Duke is something to laugh at? Think again, as his portrayal is different, dark, and more real than we've seen before. Connect with Tam: IG: @tammutu Twitter: @tammutu Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's pers

LIVE from BroadwayCon 2020 in New York City, here is the main stage panel for BEETLEJUICE with Alex Brightman, Kerry Butler, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Jenny Gersten and Callie Goff. We talk all things TikTok, cosplay, social media, audience reactions, and even conclude the event with BroadwayCon's largest selfie, ever! Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod it

Steven Sater is a two time Tony Award winning, Olivier Award winning, and Grammy Award winning, writer and author of shows such as Murder at the Gates, Alice by Heart, and of course, Spring Awakening. He is now also the author of Alice by Heart the novel, being released on Feb 4th, 2020. Born in Evansville Indiana, Steven didn’t have a childhood like most. An injury left him bed ridden where he taught himself ancient greek and started writing his first plays. This has now resulted in some of the most beloved musicals of all time, such as Spring Awakening. His latest project is the release of his new book, based off of his musical, Alice by Heart, inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland.  In this episode, we discuss:  Growing up as a ‘bubble boy’, being unable to attend school Jumping off a 3rd floor balcony in college to escape a fire His life at Princeton University, and how it pointed him towards his career How he keeps himself centered, and his involvement in Soka Gakkai International where he met

Starring as Mary Jane Healy in Jagged Little Pill, one of the biggest musicals on Broadway, Elizabeth Stanley leads audiences on an unforgettable journey of self-reflection and serious thought… 8 times a week. She made her Broadway debut in the 2006 revival of Company, and has also starred on Broadway in Cry-Baby, Million Dollar Quartet, and On the Town. She was in the 2009 tour of Xanadu, and the 2015 tour of The Bridges of Madison County in addition to numerous TV credits such as Fringe, All My Children, The Affair, and The Get Down.  Elizabeth has a very open conversation about the effects of mental health portrayed in the show and to her personally. She has her routines that help her to step out of that dark headspace playing a character like Mary Jane Healy will sometimes leave you. Including different techniques she uses when walking off stage. She will leave you captivated listening to the podcast as much as you would be watching her on stage. Connect with Elizabeth IG: @el.stans Connect with The Th

Bernie Telsey is one of the biggest names in the business. You may not see him on stage but he has introduced the world to some of the biggest names on Broadway. He and his team at Telsey + Company have cast literally hundreds of Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional productions, in addition to your favorite TV shows and movies, and more. He is also one of the co-creators of MCC Theatre, which he started right after graduating NYU. Bernie got his big break after casting one the most beloved musicals, Rent, and started a casting trend that almost single handedly changed the face of the industry, and helped to bring the large volume of filming tv, film, and commercials to New York City that we see today.  Among many things, we cover: The behind the scenes of casting a show and how it is different for each genre Starting MCC Theatre with friends from college Getting his big break casting Rent, after trying to not do it How the internet has helped (and hurt) how shows are cast these days What it takes to run

Comprised of Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, The Skivvies is a cabaret, musical, comedy show all wrapped up into one fun night, sometimes with the occasional special guest. Lauren and Nick have taken their act from performing stripped down versions of songs stripped down on Youtube, to now touring the country and having various residencies around New York City.  The Skivvies is about confidence and acceptance, not sexuality. While dealing with the occasional wardrobe malfunction(!), they accept everyone and every body as it is, all while creating incredible musical arrangements, often at the last minute, as their amazing friends join them to perform while touring across the country. Connect with The Skivvies: IG: @theskivviesnyc Twitter: @theskivviesnyc Lauren: @lomo212 Nick: @clearlycearley Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatre PodcastTheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal In

It's the end of the year (and the end of a decade)! Along with special co-host Mo Brady, host of The Ensemblist podcast, Alan takes you through some of his favorite shows, performances, events, and more from the past year... and even what they're looking forward to in 2020. Happy holidays, everyone! Connect with Mo & The Ensemblist: IG: @TheEnsemblist Twitter: @TheEnsemblist Podcast Feed TheEnsemblist.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, Dav

Lesli Margherita is an Olivier Award winning actress who made her Broadway debut in Matilda in 2013 after a successful run on the West End in Zorro, which earned her the award. She was recently in Dames at Sea here on Broadway, but made her first big splash in the entertainment scene in 1997 in the TV show Fame LA. and is about to open Emojiland off-broadway as The Princess. From the immediate career high to the emotional lows that came from being cast on Fame LA, this episode covers a range of topics and feelings. Did you know Lesli almost became an ice dancer? Did you know she loves all things Disney and Star Wars? We discuss body shaming, therapy, how it's hard for comedic women to be seen for anything but comedic, why it's harder for women in general on the Broadway stage, and much more. And in case you're wondering, yes, Lesli Margherita is her real name... not a stage name, nor a porn name! The "really weird looking dog" tweet can be found here. Interview content begins at 2:24. Closing standards begin

I recently went with Mike Abrams, the host of The Wrong Cat Died podcast, to go see the CATS movie. We gave it a review... le sigh. So, here it is! Original episode description as follows: Get your movie review here, folks! Step right up, step right up! Mike was invited to see an early screening of CATS the movie! Hear Mike and Alan (from The Theatre Podcast) breakdown the movie, discuss the crazy ending, and give a few award CATegories at the end. Seriously, what did they watch? Hear the good, the bad, and the furry. Don't forget to see the Cats Movie in theaters starting December 20th, 2019!  Disclaimer: Mike is a horrible reviewer. In college he gave I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry an A- (read that review here). Music by: Anthony Norman Produced by: Alan Seales & Broadway Podcast Network Instagram & Twitter: @TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Hochman is a Brooklyn-born actor making his Broadway debut in the play The Sound Inside written by pulitzer prize finalist Adam Rapp, directed by Tony-winner David Cromer, and starring alongside Tony-winner Mary-Louise Parker. After growing up primarily focusing on sports, he eventually graduated college with an economics degree before deciding to pursue performing full time (he took his first acting class his Junior year of college!). After college, he did production work, learning the behind-the-scenes of some of the industry in order to better understand and navigate it. Interview content begins at 2:19. Closing standards begin at 40:14. Connect with Will: Twitter: @willhochman IG: @willhochman https://soundinsidebroadway.com/ - playing until Jan 12th, 2020 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcastTheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email m

From a horse ranch in Texas to the Great White Way, this Broadway production stage manager has never stopped. Cody Renard Richard takes us behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a stage manager for some of the biggest shows on Broadway and TV live shows such as Dear Evan Hansen, The Lion King, Hamilton, Motown the Musical, the 2019 Tony Awards, #HairsprayLive, #TheWizLive and #JesusChristSuperstarLive just to name a few. He is currently the stage manager of Freestyle Love Supreme. We get an insight to what it actually takes to make a career in stage managing and all of the aspects that come along with it. In this episode, we discuss:  How Cody made being a Stage Manager a career Getting his start with Cirque du Soleil  Breaking down what exactly a stage manager does Being true to who you are, no matter where you are The complication of being stage manager for TV live shows Interview content begins at 2:02. Closing standards begin at 40:53. Connect with Cody: IG: @codyrenard Twitter: @codyrenard

Desi Oakley made her Broadway debut in Wicked in 2012, before going on to shows such as the Annie revival (also in 2012), the First National Tour of the revival of Evita!, Les Mis, and even starred as Jenna in the national tour of Waitress. She’s appear on TV in Gotham, and even has a couple albums of her own as a recording artist out there in the world. She could most recently be seen as Roxie Hart in Chicago. In this episode, we dive deep into some of her terrifying stories of learning piano, temporarily moving to Canada as a child, and being incredibly self-aware and not caring what people think while constantly seeking validation. She discusses why she started developing on-stage anxiety while leading the first national tour of Waitress leading to her mantra to maintaining mental health (that we discovered during the episode) called MEPCY... yeah, we made that up, but it works! She even officiated Kyrstina Alabado's wedding! Interview content begins at 1:58. A meditation lesson at 31:48 Closing standards

This episode features Chris Sullivan (aka Shockwave) & Aneesa Folds (aka Young Nees) who are two of the newest stars to the Broadway stage. They’re part of the amazing cast that makes up the critically acclaimed, completely improvised hip hop show FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME, which was just extended to Sunday, January 12th, 2020. In 2004 before In The Heights and Hamilton, there was FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME. It is the critically acclaimed show created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Veneziale, FLS is a blend of hip-hop, improvisational theater, music and vocal stylings and with recent special guests including Christopher Jackson, James Monroe Iglehart, Wayne Brady, Sarah Kay, Daveed Diggs, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The joyful show features talented performers providing non-stop action throughout this fast-paced evening, spinning suggestions from the audience into humorous bits, instantaneous songs and riffs, and fully realized musical numbers. Interview content begins at 2:16. Closing standards begin a

Daniel J, Watts made his Broadway debut in The Color Purple in 2006. He has also been in shows such as The Little Mermaid, In The Heights, Ghost the Musical, Motown the Musical, After Midnight, and Hamilton. His TV credits include Smash, Boardwalk Empire, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Blindspot, The Deuce, and of course the role of Felony on The Last O.G.. Daniel is now starring as Ike Turner in Tina, The Tina Turner Musical which just opened on Broadway. In case you need to know, this episode goes deep. We cover Daniel's younger life as an only child to a single mother living outside of Charlotte, NC, why he decided to get into theatre, moving to New York knowing almost nothing about Broadway other than that he wanted to be a part of it, what he talks about in therapy and why he goes, and even dives into the minds of Ike and Tina Turner themselves, exploring the mental and physical abuse they both endured throughout their entire lives. Connect with Daniel IG: @dwattswords Twitter: @dwat

From stage to screen, two-time Olivier Award winner Derren Brown has mesmerized millions worldwide with his unique brand of mind reading, persuasion, and psychological illusion. Now, for the first time ever, this U.K. phenomenon and Netflix star brings his talents to Broadway for the first time in his newest show, Secret. Derren is an English mentalist, illusionist, and author. Since his television debut with Derren Brown: Mind Control in 2000, Brown has produced several other shows for the stage and television in both series and specials. His 2006 stage show Something Wicked This Way Comes and his 2012 show Svengali won him two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment. He has also written books for magicians as well as the general public. He does not claim to possess any supernatural powers and his acts are often designed to expose the methods of those who do assert such claims, such as faith healers and mediums. In his performances, he often says that his effects are achieved through "magic, suggestio

Andrew just finished his Emmy winning run as Avrum in The Band’s Visit (which was his Broadway debut at the age of 54!). He co-stars on Alan Cummings' Instinct on CBS as Alan’s wacky sidekick. He’s also in the midst of roles on Showtime’s Billions and City on a Hill, in addition to Amazon’s Marvels Mrs Maisel. He’s the Broadway guy on every television show including past appearances on 30 Rock, Law and Order, The Closer, The Blacklist, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, Madame Secretary, House of Cards, and so many more. Andrew founded The Cape Cod Theatre Project where he was the Artistic Director for 17 years. Andrew is also a teacher, teaching at NYU, AADA and privately. He recently wrote a new television series that is currently in development with Beech Hill Films. Interview content begins at 1:46. Closing standards begin at 41:35. Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcastTheThea

Part 2: I've said it before, and I've said it again... ensemble members, swings, and standbys have some of the hardest jobs on the stage. This episode with Ramone Owens, Elliott Mattox, and Dana Steingold (who is also the girl scout!) from the Beetlejuice ensemble continues to prove that point. Building off of the September Beetlejuice takeover, we're giving you one more episode featuring cast from this spooky production, just in time for Halloween! Closing standards begin at 23:00. Connect with them online: Ramone on IG: @ramonedeshon Elliot on IG: @elliottmattox and @equityonepodcast Dana on IG: @dsteinface Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcastTheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find the