Defining Talent: A Podcast

((FANFARE OF TRUMPETS)) Today's guest on Defining Talent is the dynamo of a multi-hyphenate artist, Montgomery King. Montgomery just finished their second year of the MFA in Television, Film, and Theatre/Writing Option program at Cal State LA, and in addition to the scripts and writing projects they've been working on, they also appeared onstage in Something Rotten and Macbeth . Throughout...

S1E25 - Defining Talent's guest is Olive Lalli, a powerhouse vocalist and actor who is currently finishing her Bachelor's in Theatre Arts/Performance Option at Cal State LA. On today's episode, Olive talks about growing up in a creative family and the benefits of arts access at home and support for pursuing a life in the arts; Laura and Olive dig in to their mutual love of RuPaul's Drag Race and t...

Andrew Lyndon Knighton is today's guest: tenured professor of English at Cal State LA (and current Associate Chair of the Department of English), an appreciator of jazz and solitude and public transit and opportunities for reflection, someone who embraces the analog in our increasingly digital world, and a tremendously insightful - and delightfully sardonic - human being. If nothing else, you have...

Is talent just another word for love? The relationship between love and talent gets scrutinized on today's episode, when Laura is joined by one of the humans she loves most, Rocelyn Islas. A lover of love and Snoopy, Rocelyn is the Administrative Support Coordinator for the Department of English at Cal State LA, and she is currently in her first semester of the Master's of Public Administration (M...

On today's episode, guest Henry Alexander discusses the value of adversity and being a lifelong learner, as well as the importance of putting in the work. Henry is currently in his second year of the MFA in Television, Film, and Theatre/Content Creation program at Cal State LA, and he was cast in a major role in the 2022 production of "Keely and Du" that Laura directed. Henry is an incredibly well...

Dr. Cynthia Wang is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Cal State LA and one of the most fascinating conversationalists on the podcast to date. Her wide-ranging interests and multi-disciplinary foci thread throughout this episode, enlivening what proves to be an already very lively and engaging discussion. She also may be one of the only people whose pandemic pet/i...

Uziel Colón Ramos is today's guest on Defining Talent. Not only is he a full-time Professor in the Department of Music at Cal State LA, where he directs the Afro-Latin Music program, he is also an incredibly accomplished musician. Uziel is a brilliant, dynamic pianist - seeing him perform live is a sheer joy - as well as a highly-skilled composer and arranger whose work excites and inspires. He in...

Steve Rothman is an award-winning director and educator who has directed hundreds of productions at theatres all over the US, as well as Italy and France and other international stages. He is currently writing a book about his life and ongoing work in the arts - a long overdue book, as Steve is a treasure trove brimming with stories that are populated by so many talented people and fascinating pro...

Today's episode is the last to be released in 2023! But don't fret – this may be the last new episode of 2023, but it's not the last new episode of the season – we'll be going strong with new Season One guests through the Spring of 2024. Today's guest is a great person to wrap up 2023 with because being in a room with Collin Bressie is like getting to set off fireworks and pop the bubbly at New Ye...

On today's episode of "Defining Talent," Laura is joined by Dr. Michael Caldwell, a man who wears many hats, including that of an accomplished musician, passionate educator, higher ed administrator, and marathon runner. For Dr. Caldwell, talent consists of two primary elements - the individual "recipe" of each human being, and the way they develop their passions, pursuits, and the things that brin...

Today, Laura is joined by Moses You, who is not only an alumni of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Cal State LA, he is also their Admin Support Coordinator. Moses approaches life with a quiet but eager curiosity that propels him on a journey of self-discovery, ongoing evolution, and constant sojourns into new quests, all the while doing his best to be of support and service to...

On today's episode, Laura sits down with Christopher Cid, who is currently in his 2nd year as a graduate student in the MFA in Television, Film, and Theatre/Writing Option program at Cal State LA. Christopher is a first-generation Latinx playwright, director, and producer who is also a Technical Member at Theatre of Note in Los Angeles. Passion, curiosity, and resilience are what define talent for...

Today's guest is Dr. Denia Bradshaw, who currently is the Department Coordinator for the Music Department at Cal State LA. Denia is an accomplished flautist whose love of music and arts education eventually led her to get her Doctorate of Education (Ed. D.) from Cal State LA. Denia and Laura have many things in common - besides working as Department Coordinators at their alma mater! - and that sha...

Today's episode includes many delightfully unexpected highlights, including establishing that an atlatl is NOT an axolotl, that paleontology IS like acting, and that not all electricians wire the same (nor are wired the same). Such an intriguing web of topics is par for the course when talking with Zoia Wiseman, who recently received her MFA in Television, Film, and Theatre/Acting Option from Cal...

Fun fact about today's guest, Frank Ramirez - Laura and Frank were both actually at the same statewide Speech and Debate competition in the spring of 2000 when Laura was a senior at Thomas Downey High School competing in Original Prose and Poetry, and Frank was a sophomore at La Mirada High School competing in Dramatic Interpretation. What are the odds that two decades later, their paths would...

If you've ever been driving through the Cal State LA campus, and you spot a bicyclist with a backpack on, and a Maltese-ish dog is poking its head out of the backpack and looking around, chances are you've just spotted Tanya Kane-Parry and her dog Amlo. Tanya has been a full-time faculty member for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Cal State LA since 2001, and she and I actually first met in...

Our guest for Episode 10 is none other than Kristiina Hackel, Chair of the Television, Film, and Media Studies Department at Cal State LA. An accomplished writer whose work spans genres and mediums, Dr. Hackel holds an MFA in Film Production and a Ph. D. in Comparative Literature from USC, and she started her full-time faculty career with Cal State LA's TVFM Department in 2004. Since then, she has...

On today's episode, Laura sits down with Staci Mitchell, a lecturer for the Pan-African Studies Department at Cal State LA who also teaches for the Cal State LA Theatre Department. Staci wears many hats in addition to professor - including (but not limited to) yoga practitioner, performer, researcher, and playwright. Just a few weeks after this podcast episode was recorded, Staci left for Sout...

Dr. Linda Margarita Greenberg is one of the kindest, most compassionate, most loving human beings out there, and talking with her is like being surrounded by a warm hug. She is a Professor of English and the Chair of the English Department at Cal State LA whose writing and research interests include Chicana/o literature and voices, community-building, sci-fi and speculative fiction, and more. Dr....

I'm still super honored that Owen Miller took time out of one of the busiest, most stressful fortnights of his time here at Cal State LA to sit down and record this podcast episode - not only is Owen a full-time staff member for Arts & Letters - when we recorded this he was smack dab in the middle of his final comprehensive exams for his MA in Communication Studies! He totally passed his e...

You know when you're a kid and you meet someone at school or on the playground, and you discover that you both love [insert shared obsession here], and that one connection turns into several, and before you know it, it's time to go home and you just had the greatest time with your new friend? Well, that's what today's episode of Defining Talent is like when Laura and her guest rave...

Dr. Emily Moss is an accomplished conductor who has led conducting clinics across North America, a stellar teacher/mentor of future music educators, a bassoonist (not an easy instrument!), an athlete, and a mother — and if she wanted to, she could easily pursue an additional career as Tina Fey's stand-in. She and Laura go many places in their exploration of talent, from discussing the Venn dia...

On Episode 4, Laura is joined by Rico Garcia, who wears many hats, including his position as Audio Engineer and Audio Systems Technician for the Department of Music at Cal State LA. Rico is a multi-genre-spanning musician, a mentor to the production assistants for Arts & Letters who work with him on the many live events he engineers each year, a father (and pet parent!) a husband and a friend,...

On today's episode, join host Laura Dickinson-Turner and guest Meredith Greenburg, as they have way too much fun hanging out together. Meredith is the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Cal State LA (so in addition to being one of Laura's best friends, she's also Laura's boss), the Production Stage Manager for the yearly musicals at the Hollywood Bowl, a twin mom to te...

Today's guest is someone who is a bit of a Renaissance man. Geaquari Carlisle currently works full-time as the Department Coordinator for the Philosophy Department at Cal State LA, but prior to his current position, Geaquari got his Bachelor's in Political Science at Cal State LA, served for several years in the Air Force - including a stint at a nuclear facility - developed a passion for...