#181 - Writing for Ensembles (Hamilton, In The Heights - feat. Lin-Manuel Miranda)

#278 - Once On This Island (feat. Billy Bustamante): Today we talk to Soft Power's Billy Bustamante about his favorite musical, the 1990 classic Once On This Island. Somehow, the alchemy that is a musical can help us feel seen, heard and valued. So we here at The Ensemblist are talking to some of our favorite musical theatre performers about their favorite musicals. by The Ensemblist

19 min listen

#275 - I'm Still Here (feat. E. Clayton Cornelious): Today’s episode guest has indeed run the gamut, A to Z. E. Clayton Cornelious has graced the boards of Broadway an unbelievable eight times during the twenty years since his debut. The show then was Disney’s The Lion King, and today this Broadway ensemblist is bringing to life the electrifying story of The Temptations in Ain’t Too Proud. Throughout the years his career has span the gamut, performing in everything from The Scottsboro Boys to A Chorus Line. And in addition to his work onstage, he is a producer and investor on shows including Caroline, or Change and Hadestown. E. Clayton joined me over the phone to discuss how he keeps the momentum moving forward in his career, as well as how it is never too late to learn something new. Here’s our conversation… by The Ensemblist

26 min listen

#262 - A Chorus Line (feat. Nikka Graff Lanzarone): Somehow, the alchemy that is a musical can help us feel seen, heard and valued. So we here at The Ensemblist are talking to some of our favorite musical theatre performers about their favorite musicals. We couldn't think of a better person to launch this mini-series with than our co-creator Nikka Graff Lanzarone. She joined me over the phone from her home in Brooklyn to talk about her favorite musical, the 1975 seminal hit A Chorus Line. Here's our conversation... by The Ensemblist

19 min listen

#234 - Creating Characters (feat. Tracee Beazer, Afra Hines, Kelvin Moon Loh, Barrett Martin, Bret Shuford): Creating a character in a new Broadway musical is a gift for any artist, because you get to infuse the show with your own artistry. But it is the lucky few who get to create characters multiple times in multiple musicals. By originating roles in multiple musicals, they helped in a small but meaningful way to shape the legacy of musical theatre for generations to come. ...at least, that’s easy for me to say from the outside. But does it feel like that to the actors who create these ensemble roles? Do they think about the characters they create once the shows close? I posed this question to five of the most experienced and storied ensemble actors working on Broadway today before a live audience at BroadwayCon 2020. Currently performing in Broadway’s Beetlejuice, Chicago, Frozen, Hadestown and Wicked, they each shared stories about the small but mighty influence they’ve had on som by The Ensemblist

22 min listen

#189 - My First Time (The Color Purple - feat. Todrick Hall): Todrick Hall is a trailblazer in the world of video. His work has always sought to entertain and engage, uniting his love of music, theatre and Disney with unparalleled production quality. Blasting open the possibilities of online video, he’s also created studio albums, live touring productions and award-winning music videos. But Todrick’s first love was Broadway, as is obvious from the number of times he’s trod the broads on the mainstem. Last week, he finished a run as Ogie in Waitress the musical on Broadway. But he’s also played Lola in Kinky Boots, Billy Flynn in Chicago - both here and in London. And in 2007, he made his Broadway debut in the original production of The Color Purple as a replacement in the show’s ensemble. by The Ensemblist

26 min listen

#519 - Choreographers Making Moves (feat. Lizz Picini): For our third episode in this miniseries, we’re so excited to bring you a true renaissance woman in the industry. She’s been an associate to multiple Broadway choreographers, she’s been a dance captain, she’s starred in shows, and she’s also one phenomenal educator, the brilliant Lizz Picini. Currently teaching sold out classes at Broadway Dance Center, Lizz is in high demand with several other projects in the works. We’ll talk about how learning on the job has made her stronger, what insight she’s gained from being on all sides of the table, and why being present- whether that be in the audition room or on stage- is your biggest strength. All right listeners, here’s my conversation with Lizz Picini. by The Ensemblist

45 min listen

#185 - The Chorus Kid (feat. Casey Nicholaw - Part 2): Welcome back to the second part of my interview with director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw about some of his favorite numbers in his Broadway shows. by The Ensemblist

18 min listen

#183 - The Chorus Kid (feat. Casey Nicholaw - Part 1): If you don’t know Casey Nicholaw by name, you’re certainly familiar with the shows that he has worked on. He’s the director and choreographer of Mean Girls, Something Rotten! and Aladdin. He’s a Drama Desk winner, a Drama League winner, an 11-time Tony Award nominee, and one time winner for The Book of Mormon. He’s basically a winner. He’s also on the record for sharing that in every production he helms, there’s one number he’s most proud of. I thought this was a fascinating topic for a mini-series: for an acclaimed director/choreographer to walk us through some of the most famous and crowd-pleasing numbers in the musical theatre canon. We talked about his time as a Broadway performer, the inspiration for those numbers - as well as how he build a number from an idea to a Tony Award-winning hit. by The Ensemblist

20 min listen

#157 - My First Time (Wicked - feat. Desi Oakley): Nobody has climbed the Broadway ladder with as comprehensively as Desi Oakley. Fresh off a run as Jenna in the national tour of Waitress, when we spoke she was starring in Chicago on Broadway as the iconic role of Roxie Hart. But that stardom comes on the heels of experience, after standing by for the role of Eva Peron on the national tour of Evita, as well as swinging two Broadway musicals: Annie and Wicked, her Broadway debut. Here’s our conversation... by The Ensemblist

16 min listen

#518 - Chris Chats With (Reopening Roundtable - feat. Ixchel Cuellar, Sara Edwards, Cody Renard Richard): Host Christine Shepard leads a roundtable discussion of the return of Broadway with Ixchel Cuellar, Sara Edwards, Cody Renard Richard. They discussed what they want to the new Broadway to look like and how that can be achieved. by The Ensemblist

50 min listen

#156 - My First Time (Mamma Mia! - feat. Ashley Park): Ashley Park's portrayal of the hilarious but lovable Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls earned Park nominations for seven separate theatre awards last season. But as I found out when I sat down to speak with her, those are qualities that she also portrayed in her first Broadway outing five years earlier, is an ensemble member in Mamma Mia! during the show's 12th year on Broadway. Here’s a conversation... by The Ensemblist

18 min listen

#517 - Choreographers Making Moves (feat. Karla Garcia): Karla Garcia booked her broadway debut while still a student at NYU and has continued to channel her incredible talents not just towards an impressive performing career, but also as a breakout choreographer herself. Most recently performing as a swing in Hamilton on Broadway, she’s also choreographing a brand new musical, Other World, slated for its Debut at Bucks County Playhouse in the fall of 2021. We’ll talk about what she’s learned while performing for other choreographers, how she found her own voice as a creator, and the importance of saying yes to opportunities… but we begin our conversation with how she got her start, which interestedly enough is linked to last weeks episode, choreographer Rachel Dolan. by The Ensemblist

44 min listen

#516 - Can We Award Ensembles? (Coda): So where do we go from here? When host Mo Brady started this mini-series eight episodes ago, he was positive that there was a way to recognize theatre ensembles. He was so sure of it that he figured the best and most equitable way to do so was to ask the Tony Awards to add a new competitive category for Best Ensemble. At the time, he assumed that recognizing ensemble performances was a no-brainer and that we only had to figure out what we were celebrating in order to move that plan forward. Oh, how wrong he was. by The Ensemblist

10 min listen

#141 - My First Time (feat. Michael Berresse): Michael Berresse made his Broadway debut in the 1990 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Since then, he's performed in multiple Broadway companies, directed a Broadway musical - even performed on Broadway as the director of a Broadway musical. He currently plays Bob Mackie and Robert Altman in The Cher Show. by The Ensemblist

26 min listen

#515 - Can We Award Ensembles? (feat. Scott Dermody): I knew there were other regional award ceremonies that recognize ensemble work, perhaps most notably, the Dora Awards in Toronto. Ahh…: Finally here I thought I could find a sustainable awards model. Like New York City, Toronto is a national mecca for the performing arts, with a long and esteemed track record of both scrappy small shows and major commercial productions. Certainly here I could find an idea of how to move forward. Only to find out that the Dora Awards have recently scrapped their ensemble awards for musical theatre. What is going on here? Not only was I finding that few theatre communities could figure out how to celebrate ensemble work, but some of them are even getting rid of the recognition they once had? I spoke to Dora Awards Manager Scott Dermody about the history of celebrating ensembles at the Dora and why the recognition for musical theater ensembles was recently scrapped. Here’s our conversation... by The Ensemblist

23 min listen

#514 - Can We Award Ensembles? (feat. Matthew Kacergis): Helen Hayes panelist Matthew Kacergis is a DC based arts administrator and arts advocate. He has a long history of performing at regional theaters across the country, and now works as a Project Associate at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. We talked about the Helen Hayes Awards, the categories they use to celebrate ensemble work and what kind of performances typically get celebrated in those categories. by The Ensemblist

22 min listen

#513 - Reopening Theatre (Hamilton Australia - feat. Robert Walters) Part 2: Robert Walters is a three-year veteran of the Broadway company of Hamilton. A native Australian, he recently made the trip to Sydney to join the original Australian company of Hamilton. Of course, that journey included the well-known two week quarantine mandated by the Australian government for anyone entering the country. During his two week quarantine, Robert was kind enough to send us daily voice memos about his life in lockdown. Each day he received a question from me about Hamilton or quarantine or both, and then send me a voicemail with his response. Today we share the second half of Robert’s quarantine experience, where he shares what he imagines life will be like living in his home country for the first time in over a decade. Here, in his own words, in Robert Walters… by The Ensemblist

14 min listen

#139 - Broadway Debuts (feat. Kimberly Dodson, Tiana Okoye, Nikhil Saboo, Jack Sippel and Khadija Tariyan): Today, we have some really fantastic stories to share from five actors who made their Broadway debuts in 2018. This quintet of triple threats sat down with us in front of a live audience at BroadwayCon 2019 to share what it’s like to have their dreams fu... by The Ensemblist

25 min listen

#512 - Can We Award Ensembles? (feat. Afra Hines): After hearing from Broadway ensemblist Darius Barnes about his decision not to include a category for Best Ensemble in the inaugural Antonyo Awards, I was curious about this anti-Ensemble award sentiment. Certainly every time that The Ensemblist has posted in favor of this kind of recognition, we see lots of positive feedback in the way of comments, shares, etc. But Darius’ decision had me wondering if there was a “silent majority” of performers who see a Tony Award for Best Ensemble unnecessary. So I reached out to one of my favorite performers in the biz, Afra Hines. She’s a veteran of eight Broadway musicals, including two that have take home the Tony Award for Best Musical: In The Heights and Hadestown. She joined me recently to talk about how she feels best ensembles are already being celebrated and how her experience storming the stage at Radio City was, in her esteem, a celebration of her personal contribution to creating a Bes by The Ensemblist

20 min listen

#511 - Choreographers Making Moves (feat. Rachel Dolan): Hey listeners, I’m Justin Mock and this is Choreographers Making Moves: a new mini-series highlighting female choreographers who are making a difference and making a name for themselves in the business. For our first episode, I spoke to someone who got her start working for Debbie Allen and has grown into a Helen Hayes nominated choreographer herself. She’s an educator, filmmaker, and most recently launched Best8BK, an organization creating dynamic, timely and socially conscious theatrical work for digital media: the outstanding Rachel Dolan. We spoke about how she worked her way to the top, the magic of putting yourself out there— and how to be a brilliant disruptor. All right listeners, enjoy my conversation with Rachel Dolan. by The Ensemblist

45 min listen

#510 - I'm Still Here (Again From The Top (feat. Angie Schworer, Jack Sippel, Brendan Stimson): This month, we are collaborating with Broadway performers Jack Sippel and Brendan Stimson and their new podcast: Again From The Top. In this new podcast, these two Broadway dance captains and creative best friends offer goofy banter and behind the scenes stories featuring special guests who have created some of Broadway’s biggest hits. Listen as they uncover how professionals discovered their unique 5-6-7-8 and take it “Again from the Top”. Today, we are sharing a portion of their full conversation with iconic Broadway legend Angie Schworer. Angie, of course, is a beloved treasure of the American musical theatre. She has performed in 10 Broadway musicals: including the original casts of The Will Rogers Follies, The Producers and Something Rotten! She is also the original performer and the inspiration of the role of Angie in The Prom. A castmate of both Jack and Brendan on various incarnati by The Ensemblist

16 min listen

#138 - My First Time (Les Miserables - feat. Ben Crawford): Hi, listeners! Enjoy this throwback to 2019 and the very first guest from our My First Time miniseries. Our first guest for this miniseries was Ben Crawford. In April 2018, he started creeping ‘round the Majestic Theatre as the title character in The Phantom of the Opera. But before headlining this show, before Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Big Fish and Shrek, he was a replacement in the first Broadway revival of Les Miserables, covering both the roles of Valjean and Javert. We discussed making his Broadway debut, what he learned understudying two of theatre's most iconic roles and how he brought those lessons to playing the title character in Broadway's longest running show. by The Ensemblist

17 min listen

#509 - Reopening Theatre (Company - feat. Gina Rattan): Over the last two months, I’ve been speaking to performers who have reopened theatre doors in productions across the world. But we have yet to speak to anyone who is on the team working to reopen shows here in the United States, until now. This week, I spoke to associate director Gina Rattan. She’s helped lead a number of major Broadway shows over the last decade, most recently working with director Marianne Elliott on Company. She joined me to talk about what an associate director does, her work on Company and how associate directors will be at the helm to bring back many of Broadway’s most treasured shows. Here’s our conversation... by The Ensemblist

17 min listen

#508 - Can We Award Ensembles? (feat. Darius Barnes): After speaking to producer Eva Price about the commercial Broadway theatre, awards for performances are the kind of thing that can make or break a show’s life. So if awards ultimately behoove the theatrical landscape, why not have more of them? Well, that’s exactly what happened in 2020 when a new awards ceremony was added to the New York theatre industry: the Antonyo Awards. The Antonyo Awards were created in 2020 by Drew Shade and Broadway Black, an organization that supports Black theatre. Named as a light-hearted reference to the Tony Awards, these awards acknowledged Black artists from both the Broadway and off-Broadway theatre communities. The inaugural ceremony was produced by Shade and a committee of associates, including Darnes Barnes. Darius Barnes made his Broadway debut as a replacement in the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis in 2011. In the decade since, he’s performed in five additional Broadway musicals: as a re by The Ensemblist

22 min listen

#245 - Can We Award Ensembles? (feat. David Gordon): Last year, I got to chat with the president of the Outer Critics Circle Awards, David Gordon. The OCCs bestow awards to both Broadway and off-Broadway theatre, but have never had a category for Outstanding Ensemble in their more than 70 years of existence. So I sat down with David to learn about the OCC nominating process and why, according to him, creating an Outstanding Ensemble Award is a lot more complicated than I had imagined. Here’s our conversation... by The Ensemblist

19 min listen

#507 - Reopening Theatre (Hamilton Australia - feat. Robert Walters) Part 1: Robert Walters is a three-year veteran of the Broadway company of Hamilton. A native Australian, he recently made the trip to Sydney to join the original Australian company of Hamilton. Of course, that journey included the well-known two week quarantine mandated by the Australian government for anyone entering the country. During his two week quarantine, Robert was kind enough to send us daily voice memos about his life in lockdown. Each day he responded to a unique prompt from The Ensemblist co-creator Mo Brady, which he would then respond to by voicemail and send back. Today we share the first half of Robert’s experience quarantine, where he tells us how he got the call go to Sydney and how he spent two weeks locked in a hotel room high above the city. Here, in his own words, in Robert Walters… by The Ensemblist

18 min listen

#506 - Can We Award Ensembles? (feat. Eva Price): Eva Price is a Tony Award-winning producer for her work spearheading the recent Broadway revival of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Originally conceived for a cast of principals and chorus, this revival directed by Daniel Fish did away with the show’s traditional chorus and made an ensemble of twelve leading characters. Eva is also one of the lead producers of Jagged Little Pill, a musical with a chorus of 13 performers that work as the conscious of the show’s leading characters. She recently joined me to talk about these two different kinds of ensemble - and how in the commercial Broadway theatre, awards for performances are the kind of thing that can make or break a show’s life. Here’s our conversation... by The Ensemblist

24 min listen

#505 - Podcast Portraits (feat. Shaye Hopkins): This month, we are collaborating with Broadway performer Shaye B. Hopkins and her new creation: Podcast Portraits. In this new podcast, Hopkins invites guests to share some of life's hairy and hilarious moments and thoughtfully reflect on how those experiences shaped who they are today. On today’s episode, I got the chance to talk with Shaye herself above the drive that led her to travel halfway across the world to pursue a career on Broadway, as well as to start a podcast of her own. Here’s our conversation... by The Ensemblist

21 min listen

#504 - Come From Away (feat. Jane Bunting, Kevin Carolan, Joel Hatch, Caesar Samayoa): Come From Away is one of the best examples of ensemble storytelling to hit the Broadway stage this century. Having played more than 1,200 performances at the time Broadway shutdown, the show is a tour de force for a dozen onstage performers to guide audiences through a small town’s response to having a very big role on September 11th. After crisscrossing the country in a series of pre-Broadway tryouts, Come From Away opened at Broadway’s Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017. Since then the show has played London, Dublin, Melbourne and across both Canada and the United States. Today, we share a trio of stories from members of the show’s Broadway and touring productions. by The Ensemblist

20 min listen

#270 - I'm Still Here (feat. Cameron Adams): In Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, the character of Carlotta sings of her long and varied character in the showstopper “I’m Still Here.” The lyrics share that her decades in the show business have provided her with “plush velvet sometimes, sometimes just pretzels and beer.” The same could be said of today’s episode guest, Cameron Adams. The legendary Broadway ensemblist made her Mainstem debut in the 2000 revival of The Music Man. In the twenty years since she’s been a mainstay on New York stages, performing in an extraordinary 13 Broadway shows. Cameron joined me over the phone to share some of the most memorable moments of her career thus far, as well as how the industry has changed for ensemble performers in the last two decades. Here’s our conversation… by The Ensemblist

29 min listen

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#181 - Writing for Ensembles (Hamilton, In The Heights - feat. Lin-Manuel Miranda)

#181 - Writing for Ensembles (Hamilton, In The Heights - feat. Lin-Manuel Miranda)

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