“Art and business… we’ve tried to blend it but it’s very difficult because art lacks boundaries sometimes.” - Sarah Hamaty Buckle your seatbelts because Sarah Hamaty is a rollercoaster of emotion, insight, and spirit. She revitalizes any room she walks into and invites a heady, complicated conversation about life! To be a multi-hyphenate during a pandemic and a reshaping of the industry is everything and nothing. It begs the question, “is anyone okay?” In this funny and vibrant episode, we talk about everything and nothing – weaponizing the multi-hyphenate, deconstructing the way the industry has conditioned us, professional redos, beginning things for the first time, and the enjoyment of failure. “I enjoy failing,” says Hamaty. “Maybe this goes back to the Libra everything and nothing. It doesn’t mean anything AND it means something. It tells you what you’re good at, what you’re not good at obviously – it tells you how to be better or what you can change. But being a multi-hyphenate – just the act of trying new things makes you better at trying new things.” Sarah is also one of my make-up artists in my photoshoot studio and I often defer to her to support or challenge the choices I make in a photo – is it the right outfit? Is it the right lighting? Is it the right background color? Sarah ties it into psychology and the joy of getting to know people. “Expressing myself externally was so important,” Hamaty continues. “My mom was like you’re really good at this – let’s now apply practice and expertise. And so I just did that – and what I love about it is the same reason I love acting, the same reason I love singing, the same reason I love connecting with people, the same reason I love psychology, and the same reason I love spirituality. It is all the same to me and it is all getting to know someone, sharing, receiving, and growing. All of those things – make up is just the tool along the way.”  Why is hair and make up extremely important and specific to the headshot session? This episode is chock full of information on how to prepare for a headshot session, especially when it comes to styling choices like hair, make up, and clothing. If you’re prepping for a headshot session – this episode has all the information for you! “I always find myself using visual metaphors,” continues Hamaty. “And it makes me think about cooking. The ingredients have to be fresh and then of course you have a chef, and you won’t catch a chef without a sous chef.”  Sarah Hamaty is a born and bred Jersey girl who made her way to NYC to get a BFA in theater and pursue her Acting career. A proud multi-hyphenate, Sarah has been an MUA since the age of 15. Artistic expression with makeup has always been a way she has loved connecting with people, while building confidence and joy. She looks forward to seeing you in the studio! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think collaboration is the birthplace for brilliance.” - Brian Jordan Jr.  Isn’t it amazing how in our industry you can move to one place just to get relocated in a new town? Brian Jordan Jr., had that exact experience. He moved from Atlanta to LA… only to go back to Atlanta.  “Atlanta is a place where the cost of living is significantly cheaper than LA or New York,” says Jordan Jr., “I think when you are at the beginning of your career and trying to figure out things: where you belong and how to market yourself and where you fit and learning the people and learning the casting offices – especially in this time of virtual everything – I think that Atlanta is the place to be… because it’s still growing which means you won’t spend all your money – but it is growing rapidly, which means that there is opportunity.”  We also discuss the importance and the stigma of quitting. Brian and Michael have both had experience having to quit an experience. What does that do to someone? How does one control the narrative? Let’s face it – people talk, but if your self worth and self care is at stake – why force it to make it work… no matter what people say.  “People see me as revolutionary because I am the one who is going to stand up and say things,” continues Jordan Jr. “I am the one who is like, “No!” Like I am that guy. I think that in the beginning of my career – it looked, in the short form, that it would affect me.” You know what’s a recipe for disaster? Trying to get everyone to be pleased with what you do. That being said, self care is probably the most important thing one can do for themselves in this industry.  In this episode – we talk about control, collaboration, ego, and the deficit of Black stories… which is a huge impetus to Jordan Jr. writing his own projects.  “We’re seeing more shows with Black subject matter, but the care that is taken isn’t at the place where it needs to be,” continues Jordan Jr. “We see them but they’re closing in six weeks. Or it’s a limited engagement to start because they know that people aren’t going to see it. My goal is for people to really understand that the same marketing that you use for Broadway, with the audiences that have been welcomed to Broadway forever – white audiences – you cannot use. When it comes to cultivating the Black audience to a place where it has felt elitist to us and there was nothing to see for so long – you can’t just say, “Oh we have a Black show, and we know it’s the pandemic, but come and see it because Black Lives Matter just happened and we want to make money. That’ll never happen – it’s not going to work. And so what needs to happen on Broadway is the right people who understand the insides of the Black community to come and bring the shows there. I believe I have been blessed and privileged with an opportunity to be on both sides. If you really want the people to come to the shows, you have to give them the show that they feel represented and they feel welcomed to see. My leadership, my control, my creation literally comes from necessity.” Take a listen to this incredible episode and learn more about the projects Brian Jordan Jr. has created such as the film Georgia Sky and the musical Riley. Brian Jordan Jr. is a classically trained actor, singer, and dancer who studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, he has performed in Broadway national tours, Off-Broadway, and in many of the country’s most prestigious regional theaters before turning to television and film. He recently released a new, upbeat, motivational R&B track that encourages listeners to believe in themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I just love the warmth of being in a cabaret. It’s my favorite place to be next to a Broadway theatre. Maybe more so because you get food.” Multi-hyphenates don’t always start as actors. Theatre multi-hyphenates find their way through multiple avenues and for Christine Pedi, The Lady of 1000 Voices, it started when she stumbled upon the radio station when she attended Fordham University studying communications.  After focusing on a radio career, she started in community theatre, eventually landing her turn at Forbidden Broadway. Then through a connection from Fordham, she was asked to interview at SiriusXM Radio. And now – Pedi is one of the pillars of our community connecting listeners of the radio to the insight of Broadway. Post pandemic, Pedi is also continuing her in person cabaret acts, with a massively funny new show at The Green Room 42, called The Pedi Party, which had a wonderfully successful first show on January. She will be appearing at TGR42 on February 20th and March 31st both at 9:30pm.  In this amazing episode, Pedi lets us in to great stories regarding Howard Stern, Joan Rivers, while dissecting the changes and fads of cabaret and sketch comedy, such as how it’s moved from live performance to YouTube, and what forms a successful cabaret – or the “Drop Your Pants and Go” mentality. Pedi is also open about losing her eyesight over the years and shares what that means regarding performance and work opportunities. We also discuss the importance of taking care of yourself, a sense of belonging, and hustle.  “A lot of people your age don’t think about taking care of themselves until they are my age and then you got a lot of catching up to do. But to be forced to really address things now will probably serve you better and probably save you aggravation on other fronts.”  Christine the “Lady of 1000 Voices" first discovered her talent for multiple personalities (Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters etc) through her long association with the legendary off Broadway revue FORBIDDEN BROADWAY. She received a Drama Desk nomination for her work in FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD (Liza, Rosie Perez, Judi Dench, Sharon Stone etc) as well as an LA Ovation & NAACP Award. She also brought her collection of Divas to off B'ways long running NEWSICAL the Musical and recently starred in and co-produced SPAMILTON: An American Parody written by Forbidden Broadway's creator Gerard Allessandrini. Broadway: Mama Morton (yes just one character...all night) in the 2nd longest running musical of all time CHICAGO, LITTLE ME with Martin Short & Faith Prince, directed by Rob Marshall, and opposite Liev Schreiber in Eric Bogosians TALK RADIO directed by Robert Falls. SIRIUS XM RADIO On Broadway host. On Saturday she and the "aMAHzing" Seth Rudetsky co-host the DUELING DIVAS. Her cabaret show GREAT DAMES has won the New York Bistro & Nitelife Awards and has played NYC, Los Angeles, London, South Africa & beyond. THERE’S NO BIZNESS LIKE SNOW BIZNESS her holiday show has been a seasonal staple in NYC since 2008. She’s performed in that “cutie patootie” John McD’s Cabaret Corner on the Rosie O’Donnell Show and sung in many major NYC venues & cruiseships including Birdland, Feinsteins/54 Below, The Iridium, The Metropolitan Room, The Algonquin, The Laurie Beechman, Avery Fisher Hall, Don’t Tell Mamas...and the QE2...AND she's performed for President & Mrs Clinton (playing a singing HIllary!). Fans of THE SOPRANOS may recognize her as Mrs Bobby Baccala. Other TV: DR DEATH on NBC PEACOCK. She has many popular comic videos on Youtube including many SHIT LIZA SAYS videos including LIZA :At This Performance and LIZA: HELLO DOLLY AUDITIONS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It is, I think in the funhouse of this time, a very, very hard thing to feel like the job that you do and the way that you do it, and the life that you’ve chose as your north star is not there… and not only a thing you always felt was essential, but you really start to understand the word essential and you understand it differently and you understand it doesn’t include you.” - Leigh Silverman. We’re trying, right? As we emerge from the rubble of this pandemic, lifting the theatre up has been a Herculean feat. In the middle of all this, we as individuals are experiencing existential dread and asking ourselves – as we essential? Sure, we might not be essential workers, but we do have purpose. That’s one of the reasons Tony Nominated Director Leigh Silverman chose to direct Jane Wagner’s revival of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe starring Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong.  “It is a play that deals with people who are searching for meaning at a time that feels meaningless,” continues Silverman. It does it through humor and it does it through pathos and it does it through a celebration of community and live theatre. It’s the reason why I wanted to do the play. I couldn’t imagine coming back to the theatre and doing any other play because this play articulates and recognizes the power of being together in a room full of strangers in the dark laughing and crying about the same things. And I just quoted the play.” In this episode, Leigh and Michael ask the tough questions. What is essential? What is our worth within the industry? But these are the questions that need to be asked. Plus, Leigh keys us into what it’s like to direct a revival, the things that needed to be changed / rewritten, fangirling over Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, and the brilliance of Cecily Strong.  And of course – how does the multi-hyphenate help the director? Straight from the director’s mouth – learn how the multi-hyphenate identity helps strengthen a theatrical experience by approaching work from different perspectives.  Leigh Silverman has directed on Broadway Violet (Tony nomination); Chinglish; Well; The Lifespan of a Fact, and Grand Horizons. Off-Broadway: American Hero (2ST); Kung Fu (Signature Theatre); The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence (Playwrights Horizons); The Call (Playwrights Horizons); The Madrid (MTC); Golden Child (Signature Theatre); No Place to Go (Public Theater; Two River Theatre); In the Wake (Center Theatre Group/Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Public Theater, Obie Award, Lortel nomination); Go Back to Where You Are (Playwrights Horizons, Obie Award); From Up Here (MTC, Drama Desk nomination); Yellow Face (Center Theatre Group/The Public Theater); Coraline (MCC/True Love); Blue Door (Playwrights Horizons); Well (The Public Theater; Huntington Theatre; ACT); Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Second Stage Theatre). Recent regional: The Heidi Chronicles (The Guthrie); American Hero (WTF); Chinglish (Goodman Theater, Jeff nomination; West Coast/Hong Kong tour). Upcoming: SUFFS at The Public Theatre.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You’re only the new kid in town once. I disagree with that. You’re the new kid in town every six months because everyone has a short memory.” - Josh Johnston.  Happy 2022, everyone! Born into a theatre family, Josh Johnston has a perspective on the industry fresh enough to start the new year right. One of the best things Josh promotes is his use of boundaries, something we all can implement more, especially since we’ve been so available thanks to the use of social media and Zoom.  “Sometimes I think we all need that space to decompress or find out Zen,” says Johnston. “I don’t do yoga and I don’t meditate. So, mine is just getting away from the phone and popping back into people’s lives when I’m around. And it’s a big ask for a friend to just be cool with that. I like wiping my feet at the door. I don’t like constantly being ‘on’ and having to go to sleep and wake up with my thoughts on what I need to do to survive and be creative everyday.” Josh is a self proclaimed superfan of Dear Multi-Hyphenate and can quote many of the guests in previous episodes. He has a factual brain full of memories, facts, and statistics. I’ve tried to get him on the podcast before, but he’s declined until now, thanks to him entering a part of his career where he is actively producing, writing, and performing – especially now that his Radio Play Revival featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Boyd Gaines, and more has been released.  On this episode, we follow the themes of doing what you know, understanding who you are, establishing boundaries to protect yourself and your art, making an art out of a trade, studying and applying craft, moving from coast to coast, and Josh’s wild relationships with for now jobs – like working the National Hot Dog Eating Championship. And students of the theatre listening to this episode? There are a lot of good nuggets to take away!  “I cannot sing Golden Age musical theatre eight times a week,” says Johnston. “I would be putting hundreds of people at risk. I’m wasting their time and their money and resources. There are better people for that job than me… and I know that. There are other things I can do.”  Josh Johnston’s Radio Play Revival features great American actors performing great American works of literature. Performed by both established and new-and-emerging performers, musicians, and writers, Radio Play Revival pays homage to the golden age of radio, in the now-second golden age of audio. Josh Johnston is an actor and a writer, and now producer and director. Onstage, Josh toured with The Acting Company in their 40th season (Hamlet; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (directed by John Rando)), and has worked regionally; selected regional works include: The Merchant of Venice & Henry VIII at Valley Shakespeare Festival in Connecticut, The Cradle Will Rock in NYC (The Acting Company benefit at The Jacobs Theatre), and 5 shows at The Ravinia Festival in Illinois, including Passion, A Little Night Music (professional stage debut back in 2001!), and Annie Get Your Gun, all 5 Ravinia shows directed by Lonny Price. Josh is also a musician, playing bass at various Duplex Cabaret Theatre shows downtown, and subbing in for Billy Magnussen on guitar and vocals in Billy’s former band, Reserved For Rondee, at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC. During the pandemic, Josh moved to LA where he began pursuing work in TV and film; he most recently played a supporting role in the film TO LESLIE (post-production), directed by Michael Morris, and in the past, has worked on Season 1 of the show Benders, on IFC. Josh writes screenplays and TV scripts when he is not acting, because he cannot dance or coach singers or wait tables. He’s bad at all 3 of those things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You run the high risk of something suffering,” says Peppermint about multi-hyphenating on an Executive level.  Peppermint is Broadway and television royalty. As coming in second place on her season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Peppermint is the first queen to enter as an openly trans woman. Her hyphens include actor - singer - Drag entertainer - Producer - Recording Artist. She includes activism in her hyphens, but usually leaves it off because it’s implied in the work that she does.  “It’s important that we as citizens are involved in a certain type of activism because of the space that we occupy,” says Peppermint. “It is so much more than it would have been ten, twenty, thirty, forty years ago as public figures.” According to Peppermint, her identity puts her in the box of having to perform everyday activism. In this episode, we discuss different aspects of activism as well as cancel culture. How is cancel culture helpful? How is it harmful? “I don’t even use the word cancel, cancel culture,” she says. “I don’t think there is anyone who is above or immune to criticism. That’s not judgement… that’s criticism. But by the same token, I am 100% in favor of people having options to learn and demonstrate what they’ve done and experienced.” In this very candid and honest conversation about the ways in which artists navigate responsibilities, we also chat about Peppermint’s upcoming reality competition television show, Call Me Mother. On the show, she is an Executive Producer, Drag Mother, and judge. What are the lessons learned by multi-hyphenating in an environment like this? How does Peppermint juggle it all? And what are the expectations that others have for Drag artists that aren’t expected of others? And what are the ways producers can make spaces better for Drag artists? “It is extremely difficult to do it and be on camera because some of the times we had to stop,” says Peppermint. “I had to stop what was happening on stage to put on a different hat… or sometimes I wouldn't stop and I would just start talking like a producer which is obviously not what the audience wants to see. I was like, I don’t care… you’re going to have to edit this out but we need to fix this!” Call Me Mother premieres Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OUTtv, OUTtv.com, the OUTtv Apple TV channel, and the OUTtv Amazon Prime Channel, wherever available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“For years I was referring to myself as a Swiss Army Knife of talent,” says Jennica McCleary. Artists often say, “and then one thing led to another,” but what does that mean? Jennica McCleary is a Bette Midler impersonator based in Orland, Florida. Her incredible story of how she became Walt Disney World’s go-to Winnifred Sanderson is an inspirational one for the ages. Also getting the blessing from the bombastic, austentatious, and Divine Miss M ain’t so bad either.  “Honey, if you sing -- you’ll make money. Good luck,” says Midler to McCleary.  McCleary is an actress, burlesque performer, producer, and Bette Midler impersonator who also happened to survive Breast Cancer. A hard worker, McCleary found herself more upset at having to cancel or reschedule gigs in order to get treatment. What are the lessons in this? How does this help an artist take time for themselves and discover what’s important? What are the expectations we put on ourselves?  Her Winnie Sanderson is the gift that keeps on giving -- and it’s all because McCleary showed up to an audition she knew she was perfect for. In this episode, we hear an UNHEARD story of how the casting process with Disney works. We also unpack the importance of being specific with one’s career, even with choosing which auditions to attend. Plus, we dish on rumors regarding Hocus Pocus 2! “Being a mimic is hard,” says McCleary. “There’s expectations that people have. There’s expectations that people have with Winifred. And you’ve got to find the way to make who you are as a performer work in that while still giving them those nuances that they want.” That’s not it -- McCleary is bringing her show Winnie’s Rock Cauldron Cabaret to The Green Room 42 in NYC for an incredible and highly anticipated Halloween celebration on October 31st at 7pm and 9:30pm. This performance is going to be epic, so make sure you buy tickets at https://thegreenroom42.venuetix.com/show/details/NZG2rfezEBrSrVmMKxTm/1635721200000 A classically trained Singer/Dancer/Actor who also dabbles in Burlesque, Wig Design, and Choreography, Jennica McCleary is best known for her work as a Bette Midler Tribute artist. In addition to her self-produced shows Divine Deception and Winnie’s Rock Cauldron Cabaret, Jennica originated Winifred Sanderson at Disney’s Magic Kingdom production ‘Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular’ 2015. Her Regional Theatre credits include Fun Home, Jekyll & Hyde, Sweeney Todd, and Cabaret. Jennica has also worked with Legends in Concert and Pattycake Productions, and been seen on The Freeform Network, MTV, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Comedy Central’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade.  Bette Midler Tribute Artist, Jennica McCleary, originated Winifred Sanderson at Disney’s Magic Kingdom production ‘Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular’ 2015 (a now viral video) in Orlando, FL. She has worked with Legends in Concert and Pattycake Productions and has been featured MTV, VH1, Entertainment Tonight. She was also featured in The Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Bash on Freeform as well as Freeform’s Halloween Road. She is thrilled to have conjured Winnie’s Rock Cauldron Cabaret, a fan-fiction style concert, while battling breast cancer, to celebrate everyone's inner magical badass witch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s it like to open the first new musical post Broadway shut down? Ben Fankhauser and Alex Wyse have come together to create A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, a new musical playing Off-Broadway at the DR2 Theatre in NYC.  “The amount of time that you have is the correct amount of time,” Fankhauser says. “That idea that like, ‘Ugh -- if I only had another week’ it’s like that took me a long amount of time to grow out of that idea because you have exactly the amount of time that you need.” This is the mentality that helped Frankhauser and Wyse open up a new, in person, musical Off Broadway. In this episode, we go on the journey of Ben discovering his multi-hyphenate identity, and like so many of us -- we are all multi-hyphenates… we may just call it something different.  “It took me a while to realize what I was all about, however looking back I think I was always a multi-hyphenate. I was always a musician, an actor, a wannabe writer, a storyteller, a producer. But I never really had considered… it was more an innate knowledge of the kind of things I want to do with my life. Frankly, it wasn’t until I heard of your program years ago when I was like, “Oh that’s a genius name for it.” There’s a crossover -- for me the crossover always existed, it just hadn’t really registered that it was a thing or that you could be a person who didn’t crossover. To me, we all crossover whether you want to or not.”  Waiting is the most exhausting part of being an actor -- and after a phone call between Wyse and Fankhauser, they decided they don’t need to wait for permission. They didn’t know what their journey would be but they went on it. Finding success in this industry is attributed to what makes one happy -- so how does one find happiness? It’s about sharing a specific story. Everyone has one and there’s room for everybody.  “We are the first new, original musical that is opening up post pandemic. A lot of the things we’re seeing open have been open pre-pandemic. We are a brand spankin’ new original musical and it is the best feeling to offer up something that no one has ever seen before. It’s not based on anything. It’s our creative brainchild and we hope it gives people the chance to come in and laugh and experience some joy and experience some music they’ve never heard before and all those things that we go to the theatre for -- we go to see musicals for -- it just feels a little sparklier and more special.”  In this episode Ben and Michael discuss comparing themselves in their journey, what makes someone write a new musical, building the ideal version of one’s career, tips to staying healthy while working on a musical during the pandemic, how to successfully multitask or switch between hyphens when writing and starring in a new musical, and the flexibility with change.  The hysterical and zany A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet is running from September 27th through November 14th at DR2 Theater in Union Square, New York City. For tickets, visit www.reginacomet.com Ben Fankhauser is best known for playing Davey in Newsies (Original Broadway Cast & Movie). Other New York: Mack & Mabel (Encores!), Saturday Night and Bar-mitzvah Boy (York Theatre). First national tours: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and Spring Awakening. Regionally Ben has been seen in Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage), American In Paris (MTW) Big River (Sacramento Music Circus), I Hate Hamlet (Bucks County Playhouse) Next To Normal (North Carolina Theatre), Television: The Deuce, Indoor Boys, Tony Awards. Ben is a frequent guest performer at many cabaret venues in New York City including Feinsteins/54 Below where his solo concert Ben’s Fank’d Up Broadway had a sold out run. Hear more on Spotify/Itunes/Youtube BFA: Ithaca College. Cleveland Native. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Wow, first of all I love that word. When I first saw it in an email, I was like, ‘It’s gotta be the cousin to multi-faceted’ because that’s the word I carry with me.” Jason tried for the conservatory. He tried for Macbeth. He tried to be the Latinx Carrie Bradshaw. He couldn’t be just one -- he had to find a way to access all of these proficiencies. “When you come from a place without privilege or access, you have no choice but to be multi or just fall to the ground,” says Rodriguez.  Jason understands that his work doesn’t end after he’s done performing -- he knows as a Latinx performer, he must create accessibility into the industry. He and his business partner, Ricardo Sebastn, are trying to change the game with their new agency Arrangency -- with the singular mission of bringing BIPOC, Trans, and Queer people to the forefront of all creative industries. “We’re trying to build a support system for talent when they walk into set,” says Rodriguez. “When they go to their jobs, when they do their gigs… their projects… create their production… and they know they have a team behind them that they can relate to… that see them… that understand them and then it just becomes the work between the talent and the work. Nothing else is in the way.” In this episode Jason and Michael dissect what it means to provide access in the industry, delegating the steps to starting a new agency, working relationships, representation for artists, hopes and dreams, and more. Jason Rodriguez is the unequivocal face of voguing for an entirely new generation of dancers and dance enthusiasts. He starred for three seasons as Lemar in Ryan Murphy's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated television series “POSE,” where he also shared his expertise with the cast as Movement Coach and Choreographer. Born and raised in Washington Heights NYC, Jason’s name has become synonymous with the art form of voguing. Jason’s masterful embodiment of the art form has been noted by countless dance critics and journalists, including The New York Times’ Gia Kourlas, who described how his “radiating limbs transform his torso into a solid stretch of sinew and muscle, making him at once tense, velvety, and effortless.” Jason has taught Vogue across the U.S. and the world and currently teaches at various schools and institutions throughout New York City. In addition to “POSE,” Jason has been seen on Baz Lurhmann’s “The Get Down” on Netflix, “Saturday Church,” and on HBO's “The Deuce.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Child, I said dust mites of opportunity -- Lord help us, Jesus.” Roger Q. Mason (they/them) is an energy like no other. When they were twelve years old, Mason felt the most free when standing on stage -- which was taken away by queer shaming and gener policing. After spending years, reclaiming what they lost, Mason became versed in writing, though they kept performing and writing separate. “At that time, I was interested still in being a man of letters -- so I still had a very two dimensional literary relationship to writing. I hadn’t quite understood that writing was a blueprint, at least for theatre, I hadn’t understood writing as a blueprint for performance.” Mason always identified as a multi-hyphenate, yet was socialized into ignoring that aspect of their artistry. Eventually, they found the freedom of expression to become the multi-faceted they are today. Today, Mason continues to promote freedom of expression by helming the New Visions Fellowship, an innovative and rigorous year-long professional development program created to support emerging Black trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) playwrights. The 2021 New Visions Fellowship playwrights will each be awarded $5,000, fully funded by National Queer Theater, to develop a play, musical, or performance experience of their design and choosing. National Queer Theater will host a professionally cast and directed reading of their play at the end of the program. They will also have the opportunity to participate in professional development sessions covering a wide range of artistic topics. In addition, they will receive a five-year complimentary membership to The Dramatists Guild including access to contracts, business advice, and career services, to help protect the artistic and economic integrity of their work. Take some Meyer Lemons and turn it into Meyer Marmelade and listen to this episode where Michael and Mason speak on the Auteur, Queer relationship to dramturgy, and how multi-hyphenating is much like gender, blurring the lines of the binary -- and so much more.  Roger Q. Mason (they/them) is an award-winning writer, performer and educator known for using history's lens to highlight the biases that separate rather than unite us. Mason's playwriting has been seen on Broadway at Circle in the Square (Circle Reading Series); Off and Off-Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, New Group, The Fire This Time Festival, Dixon Place, American Theatre of Actors, Flea Theatre, and Access Theater; and regionally at McCarter Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists, Steep Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, Theatre Rhinoceros, Open Fist Theatre Company, EST/LA, Coeurage Theatre, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Son of Semele, and Skylight Theatre. They are an honoree of the Kilroys List; the recipient of the Chuck Rowland Pioneer Award; the Fire This Time Festival Alumni Spotlight, and the Hollywood Fringe Festival Encore Producers Award; and a finalist for the Geffen Writers' Room, Lark Playwright's Week and the Screencraft Play Award. Mason's films have screened at the Outshine Film Festival, Rochester International LGBTQ Film Festival, and the Pan African Film Festival. They've been recognized by the AT&T Film Award and Atlanta International Film Festival. Mason holds degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University. They are a member of Page 73's Interstate 73 Writers Group, the co-host of Sister Roger's Gayborhood podcast, and the co-founder/lead mentor of the New Visions Fellowship for Black Trans and Gender non-conforming playwrights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“As multi-hyphenates, we are living boldly and loudly. We’re putting a lot on the line, right? In a world that’s full of judgement -- you’re allowing a lot of people in a lot of different ways to be like, “I wonder how this turns out.” Andrew Levitt attributes his lengthy stay at Drag Race to the many years he’s dedicated to building his career. He always knew he was a creative person -- but at the age of 16, Levitt started to come to terms with his sexuality and used the theatre to connect with other men like him. The hysterical Andrew Levitt, has always been well versed in pop culture because of his early exposure to shows like Murder She Wrote and Laugh In.  Levitt, who as Nina West has entered the hearts of millions across the world after winning Miss Congeniality on RuPaul’s Drag Race is now about to enter theatres all across the nation as Edna in the upcoming national tour of Hairspray.  As a multi-hyphenate, Levitt identifies as a drag queen - actor - writer - producer - podcaster - self made everyman - brother - son. It’s always so interesting when artists include their family roles in their hyphens, but Andrew says that it’s informed every step of his career.  “My dream was worthy and valuable,” he says. “They needed to be guided a little bit. I can’t fault them for that. My multi-hyphenate is almost almost always in regard to the evolution and the belief that I am capable of more than just.” Andrew gets to define himself through his art in a very personal way -- which leads to an evolution, something that every multi-hyphenate artist experiences. Multi-hyphenation is all about evolving and claiming one’s own power. “I think it’s okay to say I want the world,” says Levitt. “And I think it’s okay to say I have the world. I can be a badass drag queen. I can go act. I can go write a book. I can release music. I can also produce a television show and consult on a musical. Look at what I can do.” This episode is full of gay humor, Drag Race dish, multi-hyphenate inspiration, stories of past lives, and Levitt’s experience auditioning for the upcoming national tour of Hairspray!  Nina West is an American drag queen, actor and singer/songwriter based in Columbus, Ohio played by Andrew Levitt and is the most Googled Drag Queen In The World from 2020-2021 with over 7.8 billion unique searches. She rose to national prominence in 2019 with her appearance on VH1’s Emmy winning show RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11, where she placed sixth and won Miss Congeniality. In 2021 she returned to the show and was anointed “America’s Sweetheart” by RuPaul herself. She has released 3 EP’s. In 2021, she partnered with Nickelodeon and Blues’s Clues for a series of Pride videos that went viral with over 2million views. On June 27th 2021, Nina Hosted the First Ever DISNEY PLUS PRIDE Celebration Spectacular, a celebration of the LGBTQ Community with Disney classics reinterprutted by LGBTQ artists like Hayley Kioyoko, Todrick Hall and Alex Newell. West has been performing in central Ohio and around the United States for the last 18 years, doing regional theater and of course, drag. As Nina West, she has produced over 35 main stage production shows. West writes/hosts/directs/performs in the annual sold out "Heels of Horror" show at Axis Nightclub. In 2008, she won the Entertainer of the Year award, and was included in Columbus Business First's "40 Under 40" list in 2018 and2019. Nina is a LGBTQ advocate and has raised over $4million for charitable causes in the last decade alone, through her charitable foundation The Nina West Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Alex, a multi-hyphenate is someone who sees the world and wants to offer their own prism.  All her friends think she’s crazy -- with her crystals adorning her dressing room at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway. But Alex brings up The Saturn Return, which is a personal change that happens in a human’s life around every 30 years. Connecting it to the theatre, she looks at it like the three acts of a person's life.  Alex was fortunate when she graduated from The Boston Conservatory in 2011. She was asked by a professor what her dream was -- and she responded with “paying bills as an actor.” But Alex realized after graduation, when she booked the national tour of The Addams Family, that she could not make her living touring on the road. She began to set new goals and boundaries on herself, but still risking burn out and approval from the rooms she was auditioning in. “Around the Saturn Return time, I started to realize how much of that creative power I was giving away to other people,” Matteo says.  If you’re an artist, we check how the industry is perceived in the media and how it negatively and positively affects the expectations of young artists. This episode is chock full of inspirational information for starting a new project, establishing new goals and boundaries, self worth and productivity, being a Slave to the Muse, and unpacking the moments where we say, “There has to be more.”  “Your profession can’t be your everything,” continues Matteo. “You have to have other things that spark creativity within you. We are all creative beings and we all have this thread of creativity that runs within us, and I think that the people who are really successful, regardless of what you do, are people who have tapped into that creative energy and figured out how to work with it, as opposed to fight it.”  Alex Matteo - Broadway: Mrs. Doubtfire, A Bronx Tale, Annie (u/s Lily, Grace, Star to be) National Tours: Dirty Dancing (u/s Baby, Lisa, Elizabeth), Anything Goes, Addams Family (u/s Wednesday) Select Regional: 5th Avenue (doubtfire), Walnut Street/Riverside (Stephanie Mangano - Saturday Night Fever), MSMT (Stephanie Mangano - Saturday Night Fever), Goodspeed (A Sign of the Times), DTC (A Sign of the Times, u/s for Chilina Kennedy). Alex is a Broadway actor/woo woo enthusiast walking that fine line between surviving and thriving all while trying to give her dog Millie the life she deserves. After nearly a decade on Broadway Alex realized, true creativity stems from seeing the world that's handed to us and offering back something more beautiful. Whether on stage, in the kitchen or at home, Alex is fueled by the belief that our unique creative lens is what brings people together. She is an avid supporter of crop tops, and it is said she can assemble the most impressive charcuterie board this side of the Mississippi. She is also the creator and host of the Pull It Together Podcast. Pull It Together pulls back the curtain on life as a creative. Each week Broadway actor, Alex Matteo sits down with multi-passionate creatives who are breaking the mold debunking myths of creativity. Whether through food, design, art or entertaining Pull It Together is your destination for creativity with an emphasis on finding beauty in the everyday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlie Craig (MadTV) and host Michael Kushner started their journey into the theatre industry together when they were young kids. Growing up doing theatre in a facility that houses national tours, music performances, comedians, fine art and more - it allowed us to be exposed to a plethora of different kinds of art.  The pandemic has caused many artists to revisit the things they know are true. And for Carlie, it’s back to the basics. Heading back to her home state of Florida, she’s not only spending a temporary time where she grew up but also spending time with the teachers who helped shape her.  When Carlie headed back to Florida, she hit up her first voice teacher. “I can’t really explain it… just something, when I was deciding to come home for a couple of months, something was just lingering in the back of my head that was like “You should call Gisbert” because I knew being home, I wanted to work on my craft… I wanted to continue to evolve. I wanted to continue to grow.”  After some personal road bumps and soul searching, Carlie found herself with an opportunity to invest in herself and her healing journey. It seems to be a pandemic theme, doesn't it?  But when Carlie has a will, she finds a way, “What I’ve learned,” she says, “as long as you have some sort of finish line in place, everything else will work itself out.” Even when she booked 54 Below in NYC for a solo show before she even could afford a plane ticket, Carlie figured out a way to make it happen. After MadTV abruptly ended, Carlie listened to what she knew best… going back to the stage. And that’s what this episode is all about -- listening to what is true to you and following it through. Carlie’s vibrance is contagious, and truly, she makes you feel like everything is achievable, no matter what. After listening to Carlie’s stories of how she booked some of her biggest credits to date, anything actually is achievable. Carlie Craig is an actress, singer and South Florida native who is most known for her work on the CW's reboot of the iconic sketch show MADtv. Carlie moved to Los Angeles ten days after graduating from Florida State University with her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Media Production. She then began her work as assistant to Broadway star and YouTube sensation, Todrick Hall, which led to touring with him internationally as a singer & actress, starring in his hit MTV docuseries Todrick and serving as a vocalist on his groundbreaking visual album, Straight Outta Oz. Carlie gained online recognition with her video Celebrity Impressions, which has been viewed over 8 million times across multiple platforms. She then appeared on USA's comedy competition show, First Impressions with Dana Carvey, where she wowed the SNL alum with her spot-on impersonations of Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth and Emma Stone. Carlie has performed her all-original one woman musicals Have Several Seats and Me! The Musical! in cabaret venues across Los Angeles & NYC and cannot wait to bring her shows back to audiences again once we are all finally vaccinated. You can currently catch Carlie starring in Kevin Hart's LOL Network comedy series The Donors, streaming now on lolnetwork.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Pride! "Ultimately, I think our job as artists is to share the secrets of our heart so that others may be set free... saving our own lives so that others can save theirs." Erik Liberman soothes the soul, simple as that. Whether or not it’s his voice, his charm, his talent, or his point of view, Erik makes the world better for other people.  “It’s not enough to want to make it, you’ve got to have something to make it with,” is a quote he holds near and dear. After the experience of seeing Chita Rivera in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and having said that to Erik, it kept him focused and able to hang in the industry and build success; a concept we touch on in this episode paired with failure.  Whenever interacting with someone, Erik tries to hold a vision for who someone was and who they will be. In a place of presence, it not only meets them in the now, but it extends forward and backwards. “We seek to be drawn from the plague of linear time into an encounter of infinity,” he says. “And that’s why with great stars they say they stopped time.” Erik is also a survivor of a near death experience, which has informed his artistry. “What I realized was the thing that everything was fearing: death, was the wrong place to put the focus,” he says. “The place to put the focus is on utilizing the time one has in the body to do what one came for.” In this episode, Erik provides incredibly useful insight and tools on how the multi-hyphenate experience helps us understand the ecosystem of show business as a whole. You’ll also hear us touch on the concept of vulnerability, weaponizing vulnerability, near death experiences, dignity & alignment, existentialism, commercial theatre, activism, and the discipline to sit down with yourself and create something that is bigger than you.  "Multifaceted, irreducible, and astonishing." - Joan Juliet Buck, former editor-in-chief of French Vogue Mentored by Maureen Stapleton, named a YoungArts winner in high school, and trained at London's Complicité and National Theatre, where he came under the wing of Dame Judi Dench. He received a grant to study with master clown teacher Philippe Gaulier in France, and in Los Angeles, was the face of noted improv-and-sketch-comedy school, The Groundlings. Liberman was "discovered" by 21-time Tony Award winning director and producer Hal Prince as a winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition. Prince hired him for his Broadway debut in Lovemusik, written by Oscar winner Alfred Uhry and starring Tony winners Donna Murphy and Michael Cerveris, remarking of the actor, "Erik is the real deal. Once you've seen him, you can't forget him." Liberman went on to receive Helen Hayes, Ovation, Garland, and Connecticut Critics Circle Awards, his onstage work reviewed as "a showcase of sheer star power." He originated the roles of The Telephone Guy in the award-winning Band's Visit opposite Tony Shalhoub, Charles Revson opposite Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole in War Paint, and Clopin in Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, and Peter Parnell's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Other theatre highlights include: Motel the Tailor in Fiddler opposite Harvey Fierstein and the film's star, Topol. Some television credits include: Amazon’s Transparent, Modern Family, and Martin Scorsese’s Vinyl, and he will soon appear in the film American Dream.  Liberman has contributed to books including Performance of the Century, Wisdom From an Empty Mind, and Luminous Life. His master class series, Bridge to Broadway, benefited 45 charities and earned him a 2020 Encore Award from The Actors Fund, and he is currently developing a new book, documentary, and series for television.  For more information, please visit www.erikliberman.org and follow @erikliberman. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Pride! “The type of multi-hyphenate I am is I need to really clearly be able to compartmentalize what version of myself is being put into what thing. In terms of photography, if I have not been doing freeform things - I feel like I’m being worked to the bone.”  L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop) is an artist who sees herself through her photography. And if anyone wants to know anything about her, all you have to do is look at one of her images. As we celebrate Pride month in 2021, this episode is an enjoyable and honest slice of life for two LGBTQIA+ multi-hyphenates in the theatre industry, both of who happen to be photographers. L Morgan’s first priority is being an actress. She keeps in mind that perception is so much a part of the business, so it’s in her best interest to be as specific as possible in terms of being an actress. “The group of ladies that I would love to be with in terms of acting,'' she says, “You can’t just go on a website and book them for headshots.” Being a multi-hyphenate also welcomes different communities. “I think community is number-one a life line to me,” she says. “I need to have people that I feel close to. I have a community of trans women who are over fifty. There’s two or three girls who have taught me so much without even knowing they are teaching me.” And of course, there’s some photographer dishing - so are you ready for the tea to be spilled? Between L and Michael, the stories from behind the lens are endless. For one, they view the headshot as a survival job, while the other views the headshot as a way to express themselves. So, if each photographer has their own view of the art form - is there contention? Is there jealousy? Is it territorial? What are the boundaries we enforce to protect our heart?  Plus, if you’re a business owner, like a photographer, L Morgan and Michael go deep into the practices of owning a business and finding the sweet spot of how to stay accessible, but also charging rates where the business owner can survive.  Enjoy this episode as Michael and L Morgan dive into knowing one’s worth, money management, trans identity, joining the circles of our inspirations, a photographer’s boundaries, and what it means to take charge of how the industry perceives an artist.  L MORGAN LEE (she/her) is an Obie award-winning actress, theatre maker, and photographer. She is most known for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, A Strange Loop which garnered her a Lucille Lortel nomination and the distinction of being the first openly transgender actress to originate a role in a Pulitzer Prize winning piece of theatre. Most recently, L Morgan was cast to portray artist Lili Elbe in a British musical adaptation of the novel, The Danish Girl being workshopped in the UK. She is also developing a new play entitled, The Women (2021) which was seen in Ars Nova's 2021 Vision Residency. Other credits include new works with Long Wharf Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, 5th Avenue Theater, Musical Theatre Factory and more. L Morgan is dedicated to being a part of work centering underrepresented voices on both stage and screen. "She needed a hero, so that's what she became." For more: lmorganlee.com Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I am a believer in the ‘Why’. Once I owned that purpose, once I identified that that was my purpose… all my hyphens made sense. Instead of feeling like a jack of all trades, master of none - I was finally under this umbrella of ‘Why’. I’m a healer.”  Mary Jo McConnell’s purpose is simple: to heal. Not only is this incredible artist a part of the theatre industry for 35+ years as an actor, but her identity as a Veteran has provided her the incredible opportunity to work with, and most importantly heal, Veterans by using theatre as medicine tools in personal healing. This episode is incredibly unique in a multitude of ways. Mary Jo opens us up to the perspective of Veterans healing by using theatre and also leads us through an exercise to ground ourselves and be present in the moment without judgement.  “Oftentimes the givers, the healers will extend themselves to show compassion for others, and hold space for others, and forget about the need to do it for themselves.”  As we emerge from the pandemic, healing should be in the forefront of our mind. How can we help heal the world around us, while still being present for ourselves? After recharging her batteries, Mary Jo has the perspective and experience to lend expertise as we gently guide ourselves towards recovering from the trauma.  If you’re looking to begin to move on, this episode is the gateway to start. Mary Jo’s voice is calming, shifting, and above all else: healing. While her voice is soothing, her intensity shines through. When asked about the comparisons between a soldier and an actor, she says, “I think the fact that they are two very committed beings, two incredibly committed entities, and committed in mind, body, and spirit. All of those things need to be aligned in order to achieve the mission. There’s something about being in the military - that level of camaraderie - that I have not found duplicated… even in the theatre.” Please be advised this episode contains conversation of sexual assault in the military.  Broadway National Tours: The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), All Shook Up, Sister Act. Original Soap Star in the off-Broadway production of Menopause, the Musical. Regional theaters: Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Goodspeed Musicals, Paper Mill Playhouse, and more. Currently: UNA, the Nazi bombmaker in the Amazon Prime Series Hunters. Other TV: Pan Am, Masters of Sex, and One Life to Live. Indie films: “Trumped” (producing, co-writing and starring). Proud founding artist and winner of an inaugural “Builder Award” from The Musical Theatre Factory. Veteran: De-Cruit: using personal narrative and Shakespeare to mitigate trauma. CD: “A Voice for Healing”. Co-founder of the Veteran Arts Workshop-Online Portal (VAW-OP) and is offering free classes in arts/mindfulness to veterans and their families. IG: @maryjomcconnell Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think there needs to be a new wave of producers who lead from the heart. Producing can be an artistic, beautiful process if you choose to make it that way.” Vasthy Mompoint has frequented Broadway in shows such as The Prom, Spongebob, Mary Poppins, and more. Most recently, Vasthy played Tameka in the Ryan Murphy Netflix film version of The Prom. She is also the creator of Vasthy’s Friends, a children’s show born out of the realization that there is a disconnect in the education system regarding racism and equality, which promotes activism in kids.  To Vasthy, a multi-hyphenate is using all parts of the artistic brain without the limits put on you by the industry. It’s breaking the handcuffs of all the technicalities and allowing for artistic freedom.  Vasthy produces, she performs, she plays the guitar, she writes… “And it’s not because I’m brilliant at them,” she says, “I just genuinely enjoy doing those.” A little over two years before we recorded this episode, Vasthy became very sick - and because she was sick she wasn’t able to do many of the things she loved. Instead, she started writing which came out freely. After writing and producing a show for 54 Below and then submitting her writing to CBS, Vasthy found a whole new voice as a writer and producer. Out of illness came a new identity.  “Producing your own show doesn’t have to be imitating something someone else did, or looking at the way it’s all been done… it’s literally bringing who you are, your authentic self, how you feel, how you want to tell your story because it’s you - you get to control everything.” Vasthy wants to see real people and stories on stage - so going from Spongebob to The Prom on Broadway was incredibly special as she was able to connect with audiences of a younger age who were able to see themselves on stage. Vasthy also keys us into the incredible way she fights the system, by producing Vashty’s Friends which provides young children to not only see themselves on screen, but also to learn compassion and empathy about others. “It’s easier to teach a kid to love, than to teach an adult how to not hate.” Vashty says. And she’s completely correct.  Vasthy Mompoint is an Actress, Dancer, Singer, by way of Alabama, North Carolina, and Haiti. On-screen Vasthy has appeared in Nora from Queens (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), The Prom Movie (dir Ryan Murphy), Dick Johnson is dead (Kirsten Johnson) The Mysteries of Laura (Norman Buckley), The Detour (Jason Jones) and The Cartoon show, The Winx Club. On stage, Vasthy has appeared on numerous stages from Broadway to Egypt including Prom The Musical, Spongebob Squarepants, Mary Poppins, The Taming of the Shrew, Rocky, Ghost, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Aida, Hair, 42nd Street, and Ragtime. As a dancer, Vasthy has performed with James Corden, Yolanda Adams, Brian McKnight, Michael Jackson, Marc Anthony, Gloria Gaynor and more. And Vasthy has also created Vasthy’s Friends, a video platform for Broadway performers to write, choreograph, and and compose original kid-friendly programming. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on him not understanding it.”  If we looked at the industry like a cell, Jen Waldman would be the mitochondria, or the powerhouse. With a lustrous career on stage, Jen began to venture into other facets in the industry breaking down barrier after barrier as an acting teacher - acting coach - leadership coach - podcaster - business owner - director/choreographer. “When it's working at it’s best,” Waldman says of her outlook on theatre, “I think of theatre as really responsible and relevant story telling with an eye on the impact that you seek to have not only on the audience, but the audience’s audience.” Not everything needs to be loaded with emotion, pathos, or drama, but we do need to hold ourselves accountable when creating theatre. Jen continues how when she sees theatre, she tries to go on a day where there is a talkback available in hopes of continuing the circular experience of taking responsibility, unpacking the story as a community, and calling yourself in for how one sees the show.  In this episode we speak about theatrical environments, multi-hyphenate potential, how a Swing on Broadway is a multi-hyphenate in itself, the individual journey, and how the industry can prevent the growth and experience of the multi-hyphenate.  And speaking of the stunting of the multi-hyphenate experience, Waldman goes in on how the multi-hyphenate potential is there for everyone and it is infuriating the way our industry has tried to dissuade people from having multiple pursuits. This episode is incredibly inspiring to any artist at any level, so dive into Jen Waldman’s incredible outlook and be inspired to get to work, no matter the ways show business tries to silence your impulses. This episode also features a question from Luisa L. which touches on burnout in the segment You Got A Question. Jen is the founder of Jen Waldman Studio, a creative home and training studio for professional theatre Artists . On March 12, 2020, when Broadway shut down, JWS Artists were appearing in 14 Broadway shows. On April 5, 2020, JWS moved its entire operations online and is now a creative home to theatre Artists in 39 states and 13 countries. Jen brings her 20+ years of Broadway experience into the world of business and served as the Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre and as the Artistic Director of Breaking Bread Theatre Company. She served a 5 year term as the Theatre Chair for the National YoungArts Foundation, and was awarded a Proclamation from the City of New York in 2009 for her work galvanizing the Broadway community in support of marriage equality. She has directed and choreographed productions at theatres across the country. Earlier in her career, Jen worked as an actor, appearing on Broadway in Titanic and Wicked, also touring the US as Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East. Jen is the co-host of the podcast The Long and the Short of It with PeterShepherd. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Being open to the idea that your dreams coming true often look very different to how you first imagine them.”  Bringing compassion and kindness; intentional generosity into whatever space is possible. That’s what Come From Away’s Christine Toy Johnson is all about. In fact, that’s what this whole episode is about. From sharing where we were on 9/11 to global world views in casting a representation, in this episode we tackle what it means to integrate compassion, kindness, and intentional generosity into our art.  When did Christine start to identify as a multi-hyphenate? When Christine was four years old, she began as a child model who also put on plays for her family about the Twelve Days of Christmas. It wasn’t long after she realized she needed to do many things not just to survive, but to find happiness.  Christine is an actor, writer, director, and advocate for inclusion and her career truly is an extension of her soul. Right at the top of her bio, she prides herself on breaking the color barrier. What does that mean? When Christine started out in the industry, there was almost an expectation of the roles she could play. On representation, Christine says, “There is a direct line between underrepresentation and the perpetualization of harmful stereotypes all the way to the dehumanization and erasure of the three dimensional people that make up the population whose actions are they trying to reflect.” In the episode, Christine breaks this down from the perspective of an advocate for inclusion.  Christine is right - and she’s built a career on being right! But of course, we’re human and sometimes we get in our own way. But Christine always rises above. She says, “There’s no time to wallow in self doubt that would debilitate you and take you off course.”  Speaking of rising above, Christine took quarantine by the horns and focused on her writing. She finds her through line is about belonging, finding her place in the industry, and being sure that we all belong, all while finding that other people (consciously or subconsciously) disagree.  This episode is full of joy, inspiration, first hand experience, and lots of helpful steps for budding producers and creators - for example, what a grant is and how to apply for one. As always, please rate, review, and subscribe to Dear Multi-Hyphenate! Christine Toy Johnson is an award-winning writer, actor, director and advocate for inclusion. Her written works have been produced and/or developed by the Roundabout, Village Theatre, Barrow Group, Prospect Theatre, Weston Playhouse, O’Neill, Women’s Theatre Festival, CAP 21, Greater Boston Stage Company, the Abingdon Theatre Company and more and are included in the Library of Congress’s Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection (Playwrights Division). She is an alum of the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, was a 2016 fellow of The Writers Lab (supported by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Oprah Winfrey), serves on the Council of the Dramatists Guild and is host of the Guild’s podcast "Talkback" on Broadway Podcast Network. As an actor, Christine has appeared extensively on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional theatres across the country and nearly 100 television and film appearances including recurring guest star roles on Marvel’s “Iron Fist”, “Bull”, “The Americans”, “You”, “Law and Order: SVU” and more and is on "extended intermission" from the North American tour of COME FROM AWAY. Rosetta LeNoire, JACL, Asian American Arts Alliance, Obie awards for advocacy in diversity and inclusion. For details, please visit www.christinetoyjohnson.com   In the segment You Got A Question? Michael features a question from a college student who asks "When do we know when to add a hyphen to our multi-hyphenate identity?" Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s not going to be perfect, but nothing is perfect. The hardest thing about making music is finishing music.” How does the multi-hyphenate differ from coast to coast? On this episode of Dear Multi-Hyphenate, dj-choreographer-producer-performer, wasn’t originally drawn to the word multi-hyphenate or “Renaissance Woman”. But in 2021, Penny Wildman, who also goes by PENNYWILD, resonates with the phrase as she no longer waits for permission to tackle her avenues.  Are we in a new era of Artist’s Guilt and has it flipped on its head? Where an Artist's Guilt is usually born out of an artist feeling they aren’t creating enough… in a response to a pandemic, is it the guilt now is a response to creating too much, especially in a world where so many people are less inspired to create.  PennyWild is always finding the balance in, you guessed it, social media - especially TikTok. The app can change lives, but is the Russian Roulette gamble worth it? What does growth actually look like and how can we get from point A to point B. Like PennyWild says, sometimes we are just flying by the seat of our pants. Sometimes it just takes ONE moment to hit us in the “pleasure center” to disenroll from our college courses and switch gears. People may think it’s weird, but when we find paths for artistic opportunities - it can create a beautiful orb of work. It may not make sense on paper, but it’s a beautiful thing. “Nothing in life is black and white. It’s all very nuanced. It’s all very complicated and that really checks out with this year.” Penny Wildman is a Music Producer, DJ, Director, and Choreographer living in Los Angeles by way of New York City. She has choreographed/directed for the likes of Zedd, Rich The Kid, Laidback Luke, Enrique Iglesias, Marian Hill, Weird Al, Gucci Mane, amongst others. Theatrical Choreography credits include Ryan Murphy’s FEUD: Bette & Joan (FX), ANNIE at The Hollywood Bowl (Associate), Merrily… at The Wallis Theatre (Associate), The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Boston Conservatory, Little Miss Fix-It at PACE University, etc.  As PENNYWILD, she has performed at globally renowned music festivals such as Coachella, SXSW, Lightning in a Bottle, BUKU Arts Festival, HARD Summer etc. She released her 1st single on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records, followed by her debut EP on Dome of Doom Records in October 2020. Her sophomore EP will be released Summer 2021.  Penny appeared on London’s prestigious West End in the iconic Broadway musical West Side Story and toured with the production throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. Penny is also a Dance Coach/Choreographer for MTCA (Musical Theatre College Auditions).  Find her @PennyWildMusic and PennyWildMusic.com.  Michael Kushner is NYC’s leading multi-hyphenate and the Executive Produce of the EMMY Nominated series Indoor Boys. Performance: On the Town at Barrington Stage (Pre Broadway, Directed by John Rando). Featured in The NYTimes, Vogue, The Tony Awards, Playbill, and more. Creator of The Dressing Room Project. Other Producing: XaveMePlease, starring Isaac Powell, (Frameline43 Festival in San Fran), Moments in the Woods (A Virtual Gala for the HFWAA featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, nominated for a BroadwayWorld Award), Betsy Wolfe’s A Pants Optional Holiday. Upcoming Producing: The Pink Unicorn, a film starring Alice Ripley, written by Elise Forier Edie. In 2020, Michael served as 2020 KeyNote speaker for Florida Thespians. www.michaelkushneronline.com or www.michaelkushnerphotography.com. Proud AEA Member. Ithaca College BFA Musical Theatre. @themichaelkushner on IG and TikTok. In the segment You Got A Question? Michael features a question from Jessica P. on (asked on TikTok) who asks why we should no longer use the word 'quirky' when describing ourselves to headshot photographers, agents, and managers. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I don’t feel good about myself in the day unless I’m making something.” This inspiring and hysterical episode is just two gay, Jewish boys kibbitzing about our trajectories in the theatre while breaking down stereotypes and expectations. If you’re a fan of the hit web series Indoor Boys, breaking heteronormitve barriers, selling projects, and… The Hindenburg… then this episode is for you.  Alex Wyse is an accomplished actor in tv/film and Broadway who not only performs, but his hyphens also include writer, director, and producer. From his earliest memories of being an aspiring child magician, he realized he too can also write a song, write plays, and create. After a college experience that was less than favorable, he began to write on his own work out of necessity. Like many multi-hyphenates, Alex also ran into the statement many people tell us - which is, “You have to pick one thing.” Together, Michael and Alex break down the idea of why picking one art form is outdated and, quite frankly, not helpful. The world today is more receptive to the multi-hyphenate than ever before, but people do still believe artists have to be stuck in the binary. How can your art defy genre and expectations?  Alex and writing/directing partner Wes Taylor have also struck gold. Together, they wrote an Emmy Nominated character in their webseries Indoor Boys, which Michael produced. Telling stories that influence change, no matter how big or small, is what Alex is about. Through whatever his hyphen, Alex wants to give space to people to tell the stories they are meant to tell. This episode was recorded on the day a straight actor was nominated for a Golden Globe for portraying a gay man, which infuriates Alex and goes against what Alex stands for. Alex says, “The way I can be a social advocate is through my writing.” Alex Wyse is an actor, writer, director, and producer. He co-created the digital series “Indoor Boys,” which was nominated for an Emmy Award, won twelve Indie Series Awards, and was acquired by Here TV. He has been seen on Broadway in Waitress, Spring Awakening, Lysistrata Jones, on Tour in Wicked, off Broadway in Ride the Cyclone, Bare, and Triassic Parq, and regionally at Hartford Stage, Deaf West, Paper Mill Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, and more. He’s been seen on TV in “Iron Fist,” “Masters of Sex,” “NCIS: LA,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Modern Family,” “Agent X,” “Bad Judge,” “A to Z,” “Switched at Birth,” and “Bored to Death,” and on film in X/Y and Dating My Mother. He co-produced What the Constitution Means to Me on Broadway and on Tour. BFA: Boston University. In the segment You Got A Question? Michael features a question from Heather A., who asks if her daughter should go to college for theatre and what is the difference between a BA and a BFA? Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Casting directors are often seen as gatekeepers to opportunities in the industry - but does the multi-hyphenate approach help them? The answer is yes. We’ve all had audition horror stories - and whether or not it’s the casting directors fault our own, it’s never too late to live and learn. And as always, knowing yourself as a multi-hyphenate often is the answer to avoid those icky situations. Join one of New York’s leading casting directors Stephanie Klapper as she breaks down and opens up about the casting director process. Though casting directors seem like distant people sitting behind tables, we have to remember they are human beings in search of connection, just as the actor is. So - when should an artist show up for their call of duty? What type of resume should you send? Do you want to see the chemical makeup of the multi-hyphenate artist or do you want to see that I once was in the ensemble of Cabaret? How can an actor make an experience better for the casting director? What purpose does the headshot serve in 2021? All these questions, and many more, are answered in this amazing episode. The multi-hyphenate is extremely useful to the casting director, because as Stephanie states, “Sometimes we don’t even know what we’re looking for!” The rules of auditioning changes daily - especially after experiencing a shut down like the industry has, which obviously will affect the future audition protocol. “It’s a great time to get to know people,” Stephanie says, “in a way that when we’re all running too quickly - we don’t get to.” Actors aren’t the only ones pivoting in the pandemic - you guessed it, casting directors are as well. As well as getting inspiring tips on how to apply agency to your auditions, get a behind the table look as to what a casting director is experiencing during this time away from normalcy. This episode also features a questions from a listener in the segment YOU GOT A QUESTION? where Michael answers a question sent to him through social media. This week's question, sent in from Erika E. and focsuses on collaboration. How do we find collaborators? Stephanie Klapper is a New York based Casting Director who has been in the business for 25 plus years. Her work is frequently seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, on television, and film. Projects she has cast have won numerous awards including the Tony, OBIES, Drama Desk, Pulitzer Prize, Sundance Audience Award, Cannes Prize Du Publique, Comic Con and Artios. Stephanie, along with her incredible casting team, comprise Stephanie Klapper Casting, an Independent Casting Group who is known for their limitless imagination and creativity and for their work on a wide range of projects all over the country and the world. Frequent and longtime collaborators include Primary Stages, Mint Theater Company, NY Classical Theatre, american vicarious, The Peccadillo, Voyage Theatre, Masterworks, Resonance Ensemble, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Company, Capital Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Ford’s Theatre, Kansas City Rep, The New Theatre, The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as many more in New York, the regions, and internationally. Ms. Klapper is passionate about working with creative teams to develop new work and expand the scope of established work. In addition to casting and teaching, Ms. Klapper is a member of the New York Board of the Casting Society of America, Casting Society Cares, and New York Women in Film. She is passionate about continuing to expand and champion diversity, equity, equality and inclusion in the business. She loves working with emerging artists to help them develop their careers. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tsilala Brock is letting life thrill her, though she originally had trouble with coming to terms with her multi-hyphenate identity. Her journey was calling upon skills and proficiencies that she didn’t necessarily study in college. Why do we feel guilt when moving away from our past? Yet Tsilala would experience her multi-hyphenate mindset and would help her on the national tour of Book of Mormon, as she was both a dance captain and swing. But how would her experience with Book of Mormon help Tsilala become a fully flushed out and inspired multi-hyphenate? In this episode, we discuss the importance of discipline, rest, and listening to our bodies. Tsilala has become a consummate multi-hyphenate and lives by the guideline of “the life that you want is on the other side of discipline.” While Tsilala is producing a podcast, and writing JuneBug the Musical - she often has to pay attention to health, exhaustion, and mental capacity. Thankfully, she has found small ways we all can implement rest into our daily practices - even if they don’t seem like restful actions.  What do you do for yourself? How do you implement rest into your life? Just as much as it’s important to be active in your artform, it’s just as important to rest - especially in these overstimulation times. Tune in to this extremely powerful and inspirational episode that will get you invigorated to implement rest into your daily practice.  Tsilala recently completed a two year position as Assistant Dance Captain/Swing with The Book of Mormon 2nd National Tour. Currently she's producing and co hosting a new podcast called 'UNCK! Getting comfortable with uncomfortable conversations' which was recently awarded a grant from the Adobe Community Residency Fund. Other theater credits include: Parable of the Sower (The Public Theater/ NYU Abu Dhabi/ Singapore International Festival of the Arts), Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing (Cincinnati Playhouse/STLRep), The Color Purple (Troika Bermuda), and Twelfth Night (Martha's Vineyard Playhouse). TV/Film credits: Mysteries of Laura, Happyish, Broad City, Canaries (indie film - Boston Sci Fest) and Bushwick Beats (indie film).  Visit www.Tsilala.com  Her podcast UNCK! hosts uncomfortable conversations using the UNCK! House: a tool for navigating conversations. The tool is showcased in our IG LIVES in collaboration with Ashley Kate Adam’s and BYOP and Lake Arbor’s Teen Summit. Follow us for more information at www.unck.org Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"When someone asks you to do a job - you just say yes and then you figure out how to do it later on." Though that might sound backwards - the lesson is to open the door and at least welcome opportunity - that's what this episode is all about. How did two fabulous women with similar backgrounds begin working on a completely new (and scary!) endeavor? After Erin Slattery Black posted an idea on Facebook, she received an overwhelming response, including a message from Truly Carmichael who offerend help to launch Backstage Bazaar, a virtual marketplace showcasing the amazing art created by the theatre community while their industry is on hold. They came together and with a concoction of a "YouTube and You" and Opening Night mindset - they created an online experience to help artists survive and gain income during CoVid-19. Erin and Truly talk with Michael about blending the identities of artist and CEO - all while thinking about design, tax write offs, and marketing. But the big question is how do we inform other artists that what we are learning during this pandemic is not going away, but it's also not daunting? If you'll take anything away from this awesome episode, it's how to be an expert collaborator - just like Erin and Truly have proven to be. Erin Slattery Black is a costume designer, maker, stylist and entrepreneur. She holds an M.F.A. in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Theatre and Education from Marquette University. Erin has costumed such celebrities as Antonio Banderas, Justin Timberlake, Kermit the Frog and Big Bird. Her career has included costuming for theatre, television, film and opera, as well as corporate and commercial styling work. Erin has worked extensively with the Jim Henson Company, where she served as costume designer for Sesame Street and the Netflix original series, Julie’s Greenroom, with Julie Andrews. Her work can be seen in the movie Spy Kids as well as on Broadway in The Lion King and Willy Wonka. Erin lives in New York City with her husband and four children. In addition to her work as a costume designer, Erin is the CEO of Lyla Tov Monsters, a plush toy company she founded with her husband and oldest daughter. Erin has been awarded four daytime Emmy Awards for her work as Costume Designer for Sesame Street and is the recipient of the Zelma Weisfeld Award for Costume Design. Erin has served as an Assistant Arts Professor, Adjunct Instructor, Costume Director, and design mentor for the Tisch Drama Department at New York University. She has also worked with students as a lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, The University of Texas at Austin, Marquette University, and Ithaca College as well as serving as designer in residence at Marquette University. Truly Carmichael is an award-winning professional costumer and milliner who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatrical costume construction and design. She has worked in various capacities in costume production shops across North America, including a full-time role as painter/dyer/crafts artisan at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis and Head cutter/Draper at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Tx. Most recently a Tailor/Milliner at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, she also has a thriving couture millinery business (trulycouture.ca) and an eCommerce website that caters to actors and re-enactors who need 16th century hats and jewelry (trulyhats.net) Truly's other career is a Project Manager and Technical Writer for a telephony software company in Seattle. https://linktr.ee/BackstageBazaar Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. And now Tik Tok? After changing her major seven times, Kaisha Huguley went from Government worker to fresh faced artist in NYC. When her co-workers asked her where she'd be working in New York, they expected her to say The United Nations - but Kaisha had other plans... to be an actor. Upon moving to NYC, Kaisha quickly understood that her collegiate experiences could help her identify as an artistic multi-hyphenate. As she discovered the word 'multi-hyphenate' described her best, she wanted to inspire other artists to go on their own artistic journey. So, she got on social media and started to get to work. Now Kaisha has built an incredible network of social media followers who engage with Kaisha and her creative endeavors on Tik Tok. In this episode, we break down the social media scaries and how to stop comparing ourselves to others on our screens - especially when it's thrown directly into our faces. Learn the importance of establishing a dedicated audience that will follow you from social media and into the theatre. Kaisha S. Huguley is a New York based actor, singer, entrepreneur, creative, & educator originally born and raised in Washington, D.C. Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, Kaisha was preparing to take the stage as Mama Euralie in Once on This Island in Concert at 54 Below. She was also preparing to join the ensemble (Pat/Trish U/S) in the cast of Kinky Boots at Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. Most recently, Kaisha performed in Miracle on 34th Street and The Full Monty (Argyle Theatre). Prior to those productions, she made her Off-Broadway Debut in Revelation: The Musical at The Players Theatre. People know Kaisha as the woman who quit her full time job with the federal government to become an actress. She documents her journey to Broadway and all things creative online via her personal brand, “Kaisha Creates”. When Kaisha is not on the stage, she’s creating content for her online fanbase on her Podcast: A Kaisha Story, YouTube Channel, and Blog. She also recently started a podcast with her husband, Quinton called The Happily Huguley Podcast. Additionally, Kaisha is the Manager of Special Programmings & Initiatives and a Faculty Member at The American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA NY) where she teaches courses on business of the arts & entertainment industry and social media/marketing. Kaisha is committed to giving back to and teaching the next generation of artists/creatives. To follow Kaisha’s journey to her dreams, simply follow her on Instagram/TikTok @KaishaCreates to join her Gram Fam & TikTok Fam. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Used to being looked at like a crazy person, Kimberly Faye Greenberg spins many different plates. She is an actor, an educator, a dresser on Broadway, created her own one woman show based on the life Fanny Brice, and the founder of her business, The Broadway Expert. What's it like leading a life without rules? Learn how Kimberly would be doing TWO Off Broadway shows at once... then run to the Imperial Theatre on Broadway to dress backstage of Billy Elliot, all while still in her show lashes. Kimberly also tells us what it's like to navigate having her one woman show, Fabulous Fanny Brice, throughout quarantine. Some things we address are how to sell a virtual show, how do you sell multiple aspects of yourself at once, who becomes your audience, what's the difference between multi-tasking and multi-hyphenating, and what are the factors that make up our hyphen identities. Kimberly Faye Greenberg is the first and only actress to play leading roles in two Off-Broadway musicals at the same time. In addition, Kimberly’s numerous portrayals of Fanny Brice (4 shows/2 CDs) have been critically acclaimed by the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Associated Press. Her solo show show Fabulous Fanny Brice has been traveling the country for the past 8 years and is now streaming on STELLAR where it has also been named one of the BEST TO STREAM by Time Out NY, American Theatre Magazine, filmedlivemusicals.com, Times Square Chronicles, TDF, Goldstar and more. Kimberly has worked across-the-board in theatre Film and TV for over 20 years! She can currently be seen in the HBO mini-series “THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA”. Offstage, she has worked backstage as a Broadway wardrobe swing dresser on over 20 Broadway shows, including “Mean Girls,” “Something Rotten,” and “The Lion King.” And Kimberly is currently is one of the TOP 10 Performing Arts Coaches in the World (#2 according to Google), as well as known as The Broadway Expert! Kimberly loves to inspire, educate and work with proactive artists to help conquer the New York market. Whether beginners or seasoned professionals Kimberly encourages all to embrace their own uniqueness, find their own niche and follow your own path and passion whether its onstage/onscreen, behind-the-scenes or a mix of everything. Kimberly’s interviews, articles, and Broadway content has been featured and gone viral across a variety of news outlets including Backstage, Theatre Nerds, Theatremania and more! www.kimberlyfayegreenberg.com www.fabulousfannybriceshow.com www.thebroadwayexpert.com IG: Kfgreenberg Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode, featuring Carly Valancy, focuses on creating a condition in which something might happen. One action, one motion and bam - you're able to tell your story from your perspective. Sounds simple - and it's something that Carly, founder of The Reach Out Party, has mastered. Carly's objective is to be a full time artist, which comes with so many different meanings, perspectives, and forms. Her motive is to bring art into artless spaces and for you to recognize that you, the artist, are magicians and the power that comes with it. Listen to how - by just reaching out once a day to someone now, Carly was able to quit her survival job and become an artist who garnered income by doing just that: art. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com   Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journeys are filled with lots of hills and valleys, or valleys of preparation. In those valleys, there are moments that are needed because there is something you have to navigate or move through to appreciate when you're standing on the mountaintop again. Michael McElroy joins Dear Multi-Hyphenate in this emotional, thought provoking, and intense conversation with one of the biggest hearts in the Broadway community. Michael and Michael chat about an artist's response to a pandemic, the future of theatre, creating more inclusive spaces, and honoring diverse voices and lived experiences through artistic training. Michael earned his BFA in Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. He made his Broadway debut in The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club. He has since appeared in numerous productions, both on and off-Broadway, and in 2004 was nominated for a Tony Honor for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Big River. He has also been nominated for Drama Desk Awards for Violet and Big River. In 1999, McElroy became the founder and director of the Broadway Inspirational Voices (Tony Award for Excellence in the Theatre), a diverse, non-denominational gospel choir made up of Broadway singers. He currently teaches in the New Studio on Broadway at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com   Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A multi-hyphenate is usually busy, and that's seen as a compliment - but why? And does it have to be a compliment? Great Comet's Grace McLean has a lot of interests all stemming from the same seed, and in this episode, the ferocious Broadway actor and musician chats about her latest endeavour, In the Green, which played Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3's Claire Tow Theater in 2019. Not only was she a performer in this piece, but she wrote it. Michael and Grace connect over being Bisy Backsons (The Tao of Pooh reference) and discuss Michael's latest article for Backstage, regarding self promotion during the time of CoVid-19. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com   Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Priya Mahendra loves show business. After growing up in an Indian household filled with music, she grew up to live the life we see on Entourage, but just recently decided to start performing. She created The Princess Possibility Project, a consciously inclusive video series made during quarantine that brings to life the hopes, constraints, dreams and desires of seven Princesses through their “I Want” songs. Priya comes to Dear Multi-Hyphenate to talk about this incredible project, as well as why she considers herself a 'mega' multi-hyphenate. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rona Siddiqui is an award-winning composer/lyricist, orchestrator and music director. As well as music directing the Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop (Michael R. Jackson), she is the recipient of the 2020 Jonathan Larson Grant and the 2019 Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award, and was named one of Broadway Women's Fund's Women to Watch. In this episode, we chat all things musical multi-hyphenation: how to get an idea started, seeing that idea through, uniqueness, mimicry, pastiche, and the pitfalls we can fall into while writing about extremely personal occurrences and relationships. You can catch Rona during streamed Broadway Buskers concerts, which are virtual this year on Tuesday evenings at 7pm ET through October 27 at TSQ.org/BroadwayBuskers. While the concerts are still free, audiences are encouraged to donate to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olivier Award Winning Sophie Thompson has been one of Michael's inspirations since he studied abroad in London and saw her play Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre. Sophie may not think she is a multi-hyphenate, but does Michael have what it takes to convince her? Listen to this absolutely lovely conversations as they talk about the joys of being odd, activism, and a life without social media. Plus, we talk about Sophie's appearance in the virtual play Little Wars, by Steven Carl McCasland which is streaming worldwide from November 3rd - 8th, 2020.  Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When is it time to explore something knew? There is no letter that falls out of the sky telling you it's time to start your next journey - but there are hints, Universal hints, and conversations that lead you in that direction. Tia Altinay (Mary Poppins, Hamilton) began following impulses when a friend asked her if she wanted to produce. With Broadway performance and producing credits under her belt, Tia takes the lesson from Mary Poppins that anything CAN happen if you let it. She began devoting time to Broadway for Biden and is now going back to school to get her Masters. We never stop learning and Tia is a perfect example of that. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mei Ann Teo is the current Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory in New York City. They are a queer immigrant from Singapore making theatre & film at the intersection of artistic/civic/contemplative practice. As an artistic director, they allow budding multi-hyphenates thrive and create new work. Teo is an extremely grounded, soulful, and charming person who allows for some spiritual conversation on art - especially on one of my favorite topics: passion vs. purpose. This episode marks the start of the NEW Dear Multi-Hyphenate with interactive qualities that push the listener into a creative direction designed specifically to get you out of your quarantine rut. Follow @dearmultihyphenate on Instagram for more! Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Norman (The Prom) is a budding multi-hyphenate who identifies as an actor / musician and coffee enthusiast. Anthony is an incredible, sensitive, and hysterical artist who made his Broadway debut in a different way than he expected. During Quarantine, he is exploring the song writing aspect of himself as well as daily routine and relationship with social media. Follow Anthony on Instagram at @a_norms. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode with Tony Nominee Brad Oscar is simply a love letter to the greats of Broadway like Madeline Kahn and Jonathan Freeman. We don't talk much about multi-hyphenating, but if you like two Jewish boys connecting over musical theatre, Broadway debuts, and Beshert moments... this episode is for you. Plus, Brad gives amazing advice for younger artists starting in the industry and Michael talks about the importance of creating your own work, like 54 Celebrates Mel Brooks, which Michael & Brad worked on together. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alet, a punk-ass-bitch (as someone called her in a lingerie store) is a force, but didn't tap into it until she achieved sobriety after going to rehab. "You're going to be extraordinarily productive - the way your brain works," her social worker told her. And it's true. The electricity began after Alet left her end of the line bootcamp rehabilitation center. She is now an incredibly inspiring multi-hyphenate producer, actor, and writer - currently in the process of writing her own content with humor and giggles. This mom of two knows how to have fun, keep focused, and produce. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When do you know it's time to stop what you're doing and change paths? Sometimes multi-hyphenating isn't about doing everything you've always known to be true. Sometimes it's going on a journey and learning new things. Lori Wheat went on ONE audition in NYC and shifted gears. She didn't quit the industry, but she did figure out how to best tell her stories and help those around her. Though there isn't a formula for being original, Lori did one of the scariest things an artist can do: start something new and create Her Story Branding. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Schwab is a West End performer, producer, director, and creator of the online database ‘Curtain Call’. He started his journey with computer technology in South Korea... how did he end up in the arts? And how does he use knowledge of technology to this day? All these questions are answered - including a fabulous discussion of the multi-hyphenate super power - on this episode of Dear Multi-Hyphenate Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is work? It looks differently for everyone. We can work all day, but at the same time not work at all. Ned Donovan is a high-tech, fast thinking actor, fight choreographer, content creator, and producer who is always on the move and constantly learning new proficiencies. But when is it appropriate to commit to a project thinking we can handle it ourselves or choose to find someone else to help us solve the puzzle? Ned beautifully speaks about the grief he experienced and the lessons he learned after losing both of his parents in a short amount of time... all while being inspired by his mother who believed that life was not just about joining communities, but making them. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexandra Silber is a Broadway & West End actress, two time novel writer, and educator. This episode covers a lot of bases, but most importantly the common denominator is courage. When do we start to at a hyphen to our identity? How do we even discover our hyphens? Can't we all just be like cats? Okay, that last one seemed a little random but Al makes a brilliant point that we all should be more like cats. So be a good cat and listen to this amazing episode of Dear Multi-Hyphenate! Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special how-to episode, Mean Girls’ Kate Rockwell and Empress 1908 Gin’s Tracey Eden join Dear Multi-Hyphenate in some cocktail making fun. This amazing cocktail is Karen from Mean Girls inspired and is literally... so good. Kate and Tracey both share their experiences on how their love for wine and cocktails influenced artistic freedom when not performing. L’chaim! Watch the video companion for this episode here: https://youtu.be/aR4HfXRkqpE Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lindsay Lavin is a talented performer and make up artist. Because of her new found love of make up and hair artistry, Lindsay has been able to spend energy on projects she wants to do, not has to do. Through her new hyphen, Lindsay has discovered her place in the industry is more clear than ever. This episode has great insight to producing your own concert, how to explore a new passion, and great tips and tricks to how to prepare for a successful headshot session. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beautiful and The Book of Mormon’s Dimitri Moise is a queer, HIV+ activist, now the co-chair of Claim Our Space Now. COSN, featured in Forbes, an organization emboldening urgent action to dismantle white supremacy. Dimitri speaks about following impulses that led him to following a call to action and the tools he uses to produce his best, focused work.  Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Winner and legend Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam, Play On!, and Caroline, or Change) joins Dear Multi-Hyphenate speaking on the energy and clairvoyance it takes to have a career in the arts. Tonya is an actor, writer, teacher, producer, director, podcaster, activist. Above all else, she is incredibly inspiring and full of wisdom.  Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special edition of Dear Multi-Hyphenate, Michael speaks with John McGinty an actor and advocate, who happens to be deaf. We ask hard hitting questions, but the answer is we can always do better. Michael and John are joined by his interpreter Nicole Cartagena. Watch the video of this event here: https://youtu.be/QlF3UDHPSPs Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ashley Kate Adams had a total shift in gear after her Broadway show closed just a few weeks after she joined. This positive force of nature brightens any room she walks into with her sunny disposition and laser beam focus. Ashley Kate speaks about how she created her production company, releasing the need for affirmation, learning by doing, and well, marinating the chicken. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Rachel Brosnahan (Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel joins me on a conversation that focuses on Rache's advocacy. Rachel may be one of the best actresses of our time, but she also is an amazing advocate for homeless youth and serves on the Board of Directors at Covenant House, which oversees programs for homeless youth in 31 cities in six countries in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. We talk about Covenant House's gala Night of Covenant House Stars (held on May 18th, 2020), how you can get involved, and the importance of getting involved during a global pandemic. This episode also features a brand new song created out of Quarantine entitled I Miss, written by Jean Ann Garrish.  Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner @thedressingroomproject dressingroomproject.com Produced by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices