The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Corey Mach sits down to discuss his journey from performing in a hundred community theater productions in Cleveland to taking center stage on Broadway. He opens up about the hustle behind building his wildly successful concert series, Broadway Sings, explaining how a desire to create his own work led to turning pop anthems into custom orchestral arrangements and building a thriving brand from the...

What happens when classical opera training collides head-on with aggressive post-hardcore rock? You get the viral sensation Broadway Does Punk, a project that takes iconic standards from shows like Wicked, Hamilton, Six, and The Phantom of the Opera and turns them into full-throttle rock anthems. Matt Copley breaks down the journey of shifting gears from choir rooms and classical vocal pedagogy to...

Collaborative partners Lindsey Kraft and Ben Folds take us behind the scenes of their new musical project, We've Been Here Before, currently running at the SoHo Playhouse. Lindsey shares how picking up the piano at age thirty-nine led to an outpouring of songs that revealed truths about her life before she could fully articulate them in prose. Ben explains why he was drawn to the show as producer,...

When Academy Award winning actor Matthew McConaughey decided it was time to open up thirty six years of personal journals, he packed up a truck with beef, bourbon, and twenty gallons of water, heading off to an undisclosed desert for fifty two days. The journey behind his bestselling memoir, Greenlights, took a pivotal turn when his initial ghostwriter fell through, creating an unexpected green li...

Mandy Gonzalez joins the podcast for a warm, candid, and inspiring conversation tracing her extraordinary journey from a passionate kid in Southern California to one of Broadway's most celebrated performers. She reflects on her grandmother's pivotal role in nurturing her voice, from family living room jam sessions to getting her first theatrical role at seven years old alongside all-you-can-eat pi...

Steven Sater makes a triumphant return to the podcast to catch up on a whirlwind few years that have taken him all over the world. In a wonderfully candid conversation, he opens up about the upcoming, highly anticipated Off-Broadway revival of Spring Awakening with Sea View, helmed by director Danya Taylor and choreographer Celia Robson Hall. Steven shares his deep passion for writing for young pe...

Originally aired Oct 1st, 2019: This 2-time Tony-nominated actor made his Broadway debut in Wicked as 2008 as Boq, and since then has gone on to roles in Assassins, Matilda the Musical, Big Fish, and School of Rock where he originated the role of Dewey Finn, earning him his first Tony nomination. His TV/Film credits include Royal Pains, The Good Fight, and Documentary Now! among many others, He no...

Matt Rodin joins the podcast for an invigorating conversation about stepping out of traditional boxes and forging an authentic, sustainable path in the entertainment industry. He shares the remarkable story of his wedding day, which pulling double duty included marrying his husband in Central Park just hours before delivering his high-stakes final callback for the national tour of Company. Matt op...

Alan sits down with Broadway producer Brian Anthony Moreland for a candid, high-energy conversation about the realities of commercial theatre. Brian shares the fascinating story of how he caught the theatre bug playing Santa Claus in the third grade , his formative years at a performing arts boarding school , and his early career as a non-union dancer dealing with the exhausting audition grind in...

Tess shares her journey of embracing authenticity and finding her unique voice across stage, television, and film. She opens up about how she found true artistic fulfillment by embracing the "kooky," quirky, and offbeat parts of herself rather than trying to constantly force her five-foot-nine frame into a traditional ingenue box. She breaks down the surreal whirlwind of her recent career mileston...

Melissa Barrera joins the show to discuss her long-awaited Broadway debut as Rose in the hit musical Titanique. She shares the determined journey that led her to the St. James Theatre, including the decision to fly herself to New York to audition in person rather than settling for a Zoom session. Melissa reflects on the unique "lightning in a bottle" energy of the Titanique company and the challen...

Michael Arden joins the show to discuss the monumental task of bringing The Lost Boys to Broadway and the technical alchemy required to turn a cult classic film into a soaring musical experience. He opens up about his "mad lib" approach to stagecraft, explaining how he utilizes traditional theatrical tools in unexpected ways—like tilting the entire orientation of a set to keep an audience off-bala...

Brandon Contreras is a New York City born and raised creative whose energy and versatility have made him a standout on stages ranging from the Golden Theatre to New World Stages. A graduate of Pace University, Brandon made his Broadway debut in the original company of Almost Famous and appeared in the first national tour of In the Heights. His diverse credits include playing Cal in the hit musical...

Ellenore Scott joins the show to discuss her historic season, where she has achieved the rare feat of having multiple productions running simultaneously on and off Broadway. She shares the incredible story of her son Ford’s birth, which took place less than twenty-four hours after she walked the red carpet for the opening night of Ragtime at Lincoln Center. Ellenore reveals the logistical gymnasti...

Zhailon Levingston joins the show to discuss his incredible trajectory from selling concessions in Broadway houses to becoming the youngest Black director in Broadway history with Chicken and Biscuits. He dives deep into the "cosmic synergy" of his career, explaining how a chance meeting at a concert led to a Broadway debut and how he managed to stage a production during a global pandemic by build...

Betty Buckley joins the show to discuss her deep connection to storytelling and the spiritual "calling" she first felt at eleven years old while watching the original Bob Fosse choreography in Pajama Game. She shares incredible stories from her early days in Texas, including her time as a teenage rodeo reporter and the persistent friction with her father regarding her pursuit of a career in show b...

Kevin Chamberlin sits down to discuss the serendipitous nature of a forty year career that has spanned from the Jersey Shore to the heights of Broadway and the global reach of the Disney Channel. He shares the story of his first big laugh as Smee in Peter Pan, an experience he describes as a drug that instantly solidified his career path. Kevin also dives into the "Uncle Fester contract," a unique...

Diane Paulus joins the show for a deep dive into her remarkably storied career, starting with the serendipitous discovery of her father’s history as a director for the Army Entertainment Corps in post-war Tokyo. She shares how growing up at the doorstep of Lincoln Center and performing as a child at the New York City Ballet shaped her rhythmic, music-first approach to storytelling. Diane also pull...

Juan Carlos joins the show to share the incredible story of his journey from Miami to the Broadway stage. He opens up about the "athlete's mentality" he brings to his craft, a perspective shaped by his time as a high school carpenter and a college student working three jobs to make ends meet. Juan discusses the bold leap of faith he took by driving across the country to Los Angeles with no represe...

Alex Wyse joins the show for a deep dive into the relentless "compulsion to create" that has fueled his journey from the suburbs of Cleveland to the Broadway stage and the director's chair. He shares a hilarious story about the childhood soccer match where he opted to fake a faint rather than kick a ball, a clear sign that his true calling was always the theater. Alex speaks candidly about the "fa...

Maya Jade Frank joins the podcast to share the fascinating journey of a career that began with a serendipitous audition for her sister’s project and led her to the Broadway stages of Evita and Mary Poppins. She opens up about the unique experience of growing up on the road with the 25th Anniversary National Tour of Les Misérables, where she balanced three hours of daily schooling with visits to hi...

Stella Cole joins the podcast to discuss her unique journey from a musical-theatre-obsessed child in Springfield, Illinois, to a global jazz sensation. She opens up about the "old soul" label she has carried since infancy and how she navigated a high-pressure academic environment at Northwestern University while privately yearning for the music of Judy Garland and Doris Day. Stella shares the vuln...

Chloe Tucker Caine joins the show to discuss her fascinating transition from a national tour leading lady to a high stakes real estate powerhouse on Netflix's Owning Manhattan. She shares the vulnerable reality of arriving in New York expecting a parade only to find herself bartending and eventually running an "illegal" Airbnb business out of her Hell's Kitchen apartment. Chloe opens up about the...

Bess Wohl joins the podcast to discuss the journey of bringing her latest play, Liberation, to Broadway after a decade of development. She shares the "woo woo" details of her creative process, describing a vision of her characters waiting in a metaphorical doctor's office for her to finally tell their stories. Bess reflects on how the play, which travels between the 1970s Women’s Liberation Moveme...

Irene Sofia Lucio stops by to discuss the journey from being a shy kid in Puerto Rico who had to force herself to raise her hand to starring in some of the most provocative plays on Broadway. She opens up about the intersection of motherhood and art, explaining how becoming a parent shifted her relationship with her body and why creative teams led by mothers are simply more efficient. We also dig...