Dear Multi-hyphenate

“For anybody that’s struggling or does not believe in themselves, you just have to keep going because one day it will happen and it will be the most glorious thing of your whole lives. So, never stop. Never stop.” – Marla Mindelle It’s BroadwayCon 2023! This special episode is filmed live in front of a BroadwayCon audience. We had such an amazing turn out and I already cannot wait until next year....

“Be as specific as humanly possible. Don’t tell someone that you want to be a trader. Tell them that you want to be the oil and gas exploration, large cap, single name, U.S. equity derivatives trader because then, the one time a year that position comes up, people remember…” In this episode we discuss…  Being there for your inner child Creating positive work experiences Being specific with your wo...

“If you’re branching into the U.K. market post Brexit, it’s going to be a nightmare and I don’t say that to dissuade you, just to remind you that what I did was very specific.” - Lydia-Renee Darling In this episode we discuss: Pandemic panic! Grad panic!  What are the main differences and similarities for multi-hyphenates in the NYC and West End markets? How do you plant your feet when branching i...

“It’s the people who hang in there the longest who get to reap the benefits.” Sometimes multi-hyphenating in the theatre includes hyphens we didn’t know could affect each other. This amazing episode includes insight from actor – Veteran – writer Renrick Palmer. In this episode, we also discuss… Accepting love Establishing relationships and a network Where to start in the industry Hanging around lo...

“The only thing you can control is what you take into [the audition], I always like to think, like the work that you’ve done – and as you say – who you are. You can control that, you can work on that. Often we put that to the side and go, what do they want to see? What do they want to hear? What do I need to do in order to be able to impress them enough to get this job? And if you don’t get things...

“I am living my best life. Honestly, the multi-hyphenate life, for me, is the best life. I can wake up and I am never bored. I am engaged and driven to work on different things.” Jonathan Estabrooks went to Juilliard for opera, but just like many of us, turned his other interests into professional capabilities. And multi-hyphenates… we know how to pivot. During the pandemic, just like millions of...

“Well, I’m first generation post Civil Rights movement. I came out in 1985, right in the middle of the AIDS crisis. And we went straight to the front lines to fight for our lives. It was Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS and The Actor’s Fund that taught an entire generation how to activate. I was always activated, I have no other choice, I don’t know anything else.” - Billy Porter Billy Porter....

“In this business, in this show-fucking-business, you have to reinvent yourself so many times. The attention span is zero and you have to also realize that most people who hire actors or any kind of performer or artist, will remember you from the first time they saw you. That will stick in their head, so reinventing oneself is a necessary evil. But you have to branch out as you grow as a person. L...

Tony and Emmy Winning Production Designer Derek McLane and Eila Mell have come together to create the new hit book Designing Broadway, available wherever books are sold! This episode is incredible for all artists – especially theatre designers who are beginning to explore their multi-hyphenate identities.  Together with other leading set design and theatre talents, McLane invites us into the immer...

What if training to be on Broadway didn’t cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars? What if it didn’t come with some of the toxic environments students often experience when studying for their BFA? What if students can train intensively in a safer and more equitable space? That’s where Michael Minarik of IAMT comes in. What’s in this episode? Treating yourself after auditions or small wins Reject...

Ilana Levine has got a lot of stories. I mean, a lot of stories. From Mel Brooks to Edie Falco to Michael Mayer, Ilana’s career path is a testament to who she is: an incredible talent and a brilliant human being. This incredible informative episode tackles so much about networking, identity, and creativity.  What’s in a Jewish name? How Ilana’s 9 year old crush helped establish her career. When it...

Broadway’s LaQuet Sharnell Pringle (they/them/she/her) is an absolute powerhouse. Here’s some of the incredible topics we cover: Making friends in our 30s Preparing for relationships to close after the closing of a show. Craving ensemble and family. What is the purpose of a multi-hyphenate? Why LaQuet started her new clothing brand Geared Up. Who wants to listen and not listen. Existing is trailbl...

“I’m aspiring, even at 57 now, to try to be more free.” What’s in this episode? What is a multi-hyphenate to Mr. Guirgis? How writing made him respect other writer’s writing. Why do people think multi-hyphenates aren’t a thing? Scene work with Daphne Rubin-Vega “I can’t believe in myself 100%, but if I believe in myself 51% – it’s enough to keep going.” Work that isn’t as dangerous as it used to b...

“Broadway is like going to the NBA. But do you really want to play basketball everyday? That’s different – waking up and wanting to play ball is different than waking up and wanting to go Broadway. I’ve met regional actors in Seattle and Minneapolis who have full lives and they work year round and they are great actors – and they are not on Broadway. So are you chasing a dream for a status or are...

“I think that multi-hyphenates, and I’m flattered to be included in that bracket, they’re just creatives. It’s like you have a drivers license but some days you drive a truck, and some days you drive a car, and some days you drive a forklift, or whatever – the vehicle changes but I think they artist’s heart is always the same. We love to create things, we love to express who we are, we love to may...

“I believe the world is a better place if there is more theatre in it. There is only more theatre in it if there are more people making it. So, I do everything I can to help inspire, educate people to make more theatre. Does that mean I can produce every show? Unfortunately not.”  What’s in this episode? Get a sneek peak into the brand new musical The Griswold’s Family Vacation! What exactly is pr...

Tony-winning writer and performer, Sarah Jones, is making her directorial debut when her new film Sell/Buy/Date which Cinedigm will be releasing in theaters in LA on October 14th, NYC on October 21st, and streaming in November on Amazon Prime. The wide release announcement exclusive is out with Variety here . The deeply personal film is a witty documentary / narrative hybrid following Jones and he...

“There is something that I think gets in my way, or has gotten in my way in the past when thinking about the multi-hyphenate,” says é boylan. “And I think it’s the hyphen. It’s the idea why I like I’m a non binary human that doesn’t like to hyphenate the non and the binary because that’s another binary! It’s like the barrier in the middle. It feels sometimes like it’s divisive within myself.” Topi...

This episode is special. I mean… really special. Ari Axelrod is an artist and I’ve seen him in action, growing throughout the years. The episode is sort of broken down into three parts. What crafts a great cabaret? Our views on the multi-hyphenate. And Jewish identities in showbusiness, which is a huge topic of conversation right now.  When it comes to cabaret, according to Axelrod, cabaret should...

“All of a sudden,” says Moellenberg. “While I was sitting there, I literally heard for about 15 - 20 minutes a deep, male voice, which I assumed was a higher being, telling me that I had a long life to live. It was going to be very productive and my purpose was to help create beauty in the world. And the suggestion was made that that beauty might be through helping to create theatre.” According to...

#themajesticisfitforaprince When Carol Burnett wants something done, it's gotta get done. That's why fashion writer and producer Eila Mell joined forces with Burnett to start the campaign The Majestic is Fit for a Prince, getting the Broadway, television, and film industries to rally behind the renaming of this legendary theatre. Yes, the very same theatre which has held The Phantom of the Opera f...

“People are dying from your fatphobia and that’s wild. We are so hung up on the way theatre has looked forever that we can’t change our perspective enough to literally save people’s lives.”  TW: Discussion of eating disorders. I found Greg on TikTok. Greg is the founder of EveryBODY on Stage, which aims to break down stigma and fat-phobia in the arts. There is such multi-layered dialogue when it c...

“I’ve been blessed with a somewhat pragmatic view, and I had a good sense of who I was and what I had to offer.” Charles Busch has been around a while… and in the meantime. He is one of the first self-producers and self-advocates in the industry. Since he was eleven, he was writing three act places and found out very early at Northwestern that he would not find success in mainstream showbusiness....

“You have to choose yourself and other people will choose you.” – Robbie Rozelle on what he learned from the late Jan Maxwell.  There’s a lot of musical theatre references in this episode, folks. Proceed with caution!  Robbie Rozelle is a beloved performer, director, writer, graphic designer, and record producer who is responsible for some of the funniest and touching moments in the cabaret space...

This amazing episode features an incredible live panel from BroadwayCon 2022, featuring some of the leading multi-hyphenates in the Broadway, television, and film communities. Topics include process and product, boundaries, and so much more.  John Cariani – Broadway: Caroline, or Change; The Band’s Visit; Something Rotten! (Outer Critics Circle Award nom.); Fiddler on the Roof (Tony Award nom.; Ou...