Game of Life Podcast

Dan is joined by magician, Christopher Wayne in the final "Going Abroad" themed episode! We recorded this chat while Christopher was in Boston preparing for a 70 city tour of The Naked Magicians! We chat about being able to meet legends in the magic world, Carrot Top being the nicest guy you'll ever meet, preparing for a seventy city tour of The Naked Magicians, the nitty gritty of putting on a sh...

Dan is joined by Mackenzie Dunn & Kohan Van Sambeeck, the first couple on the podcast! Mackenzie and Kohan frequently work on the same musical theatre shows, including the most recent Australian production of Annie! MacKenzie is the singer, actor, and dancer while Kohan is on the other side of things, often taking on MD responsibilities or seen working in the orchestra pit!  We chat about...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer now based in the UK, Sam Parkes in the third "Going Abroad" themed episode! We chat about the process and move over to London, the difficulty of setting up your life in a different country, being a fresh face in the audition room, the stressful part of having to prove yourself again, the group of Australian performers that congregate in London, getting th...

Dan is joined by actor, singer and songwriter, Rubin Matters! We chat about feeling the best when he's able to combine singing, acting, and dancing, finishing off his long run on Beauty and the Beast, readjusting to the routine of life, being a workaholic, the need to create, the difficulty of splitting focus, the challenges of releasing music, the reception to his first song I Can Walk Away, coll...

In the second "Going Abroad" episode, Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer and currently a part of the ensemble for Moulin Rouge in The Netherlands, Patrick Whitbread! We chat about the initial plan of moving to London, forcing himself to move outside of Australia, the mental game of moving to Europe, experiencing yourself in a different context, settling into everyday life, the sensory overload...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, and one of the best dancers and flippers of all time, Keanu Gonzalez! I caught up with Keanu while he was doing the Melbourne run of Annie! We chat about a question left behind from Jason Arrow about his most done flip, the most inappropriate show to do a flip, the viral explosion of the Easy Street dance number, filming the Melbourne Annie promo video, the change o...

In a new series of episodes focusing on Aussies living and working abroad, Dan welcomes actor, singer, and currently playing The Duke in the world tour of Moulin Rogue, James Bryers! We chat about saying yes pretty quickly to the world tour of Moulin Rogue, valuing the craft, the difficulty of taking on the character in Sister Act, feeling miscast, culture shock, finding a dead body his first nigh...

Dan is joined by actor, comedian, and writer Danny Woodburn who is best known for television shows and movies including Seinfeld, Monk, Jingle All the Way, Death to Smoochy, Billions, and The Witcher to name a few. We chat about living and working in the UK filming The Witcher, paying more attention to accessibility, the differences in a European and American film crew, working 23 hours straight,...

Dan welcomes back returning guest, Charlie Clouser! Charlie really set the tone early on for what I really wanted to podcast to be going forward, so it was such a pleasure having him back on the show to reconnect! We chat about instances in which he hasn't been a good communicator, fighting for ideas, mitigating damage, practicing diplomacy, helping people's creative projects to the finish line, p...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer Taye Grant! Taye is currently in the ensemble for the Australian production of Back to the Future: The Musical. This was recorded only a month or so before Taye started rehearsals! We chat about the road of getting a job on Back to the Future, always being someone that's had a blind competence, preparing for the show, being in the child's cast of Matilda,...

Dan is joined by returning guest, Riley Nottingham! This catch up was long overdue! Very chill and fascinating chat! We chat about his move to America, falling in love with LA, the ease of the move, not believing anything until you experience it, not having the right to complain, self tapes auditions, reminding yourself that the audition is a gift, being exposed to rejection more, adapting to the...

Dan is joined by Axel Duffy, now currently playing Marty McFly in the Australian production of Back to the Future! This one was recorded only days before Axel flew out to start rehearsals in Sydney. We chat about auditioning for Back to the Future, finding out he got the job, dealing with the public hype, the responsibilities of being in the lead, being your harshest critic, finding the balance of...

Dan is joined by returning guest, Todd Stashwick! We chat about his Australian and New Zealand convention visit, the fans resonating with Captain Shaw in Picard Season 3, working with James Spader, experiencing things as they're happening, being triggered into old responses, fulfilling childhood dreams, the effect of seeing the finished product, childlike wonder, feeling like a needle in a haystac...

In a very special episode of the podcast, Dan is joined by Sara Tomko AND Alice Wetterlund who played Asta and D'arcy respectively in one of the best sci-fi/comedy series of all time, Resident Alien! A lot of Resident Alien love in this episode! We chat about the end of Resident Alien, the importance of their friendship, true love & artistry at first sight, finding ways to work together again,...

Dan is joined by returning guest, John Billingsley! We chat about acting no longer being the driving force in his life, passing the baton in his charity work, getting older, embracing disciplines, engaging in the process of always looking in the mirror, openness to change and fluidity, listening skills, his experiences of carrying an episode of television, using judgmental language, determining th...

Dan is joined by actor, writer, and now published author, Marc Bendavid! We chat about his time on the TV series Dark Matter and his departure from the show, the newfound confidence he found as the lead of a show, the secret dream of being a writer, the deeper side of himself he finds as a writer, the isolation in writing, the terror he felt when sharing his writing for the first time, not doing e...

Dan is joined by actress Elizabeth Dennehy otherwise known as Lt. Cmdr. Shelby from Star Trek: The Next Generation and more recently ADMIRAL Shelby from Star Trek: Picard! We chat about her experience of the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, fan encounters, filming the infamous two part episode of Best of Both Worlds, always wanting to perform from a young age before she was aware her father was an...

Dan is joined by actor, director, and true legend, Jonathan Frakes! We chat about being a recovering actor and practicing director, working on Picard Season 3, having trust in his acting partners, open conversations, communicating ideas, preparation, enjoying both sides of the camera, running a happy set, turning shows in on time, making sure everyone is happy, the Star Trek Lower Decks/Strange Ne...

Dan is joined by photographer, YouTuber, and car lover Mike Amarico, otherwise known online as North Borders! We chat about his recent overseas trip, the point where he was able to call himself a photographer, his first job working at a car dealership, being encouraged to be creative, the importance of social media marketing, taking initiative, creating an unintentional network, taking off on YouT...

Dan is joined by a music theatre superstar, Noah Gill Mullins! This one was recorded when Noah was in the last week of performances for Hadestown! We chat about the end of Hadestown, seeing posters of yourself everywhere, taking on the lead in a show, weeping, stepping into the shoes of Orpheus, walking to hell and back, the thoughtful performance that comes with portraying the character of Orpheu...

Dan is joined by the multi-talented, Jason Arrow, relatively fresh off a 4-year run, playing Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton and a production of Guys and Dolls on Sydney Harbour! We chat about ending his long run in Hamilton, learning about longevity, managing a show, not doubting yourself or your ability, taking on feedback, the irony of delivering a solid performance while feeling tired, the mund...

Dan is joined by another Dan, the vocalist from heavy metal band, NTH RD, Dan Charlton! We chat about going from Ironstone to NTH RD, time signatures, learning drums and guitar, singing lessons, originally wanting to be the next Ed Sheeran, impostor syndrome, faking it until you make it, receiving compliments, falling into the bad habit of comparison, collaboration, the excitement for the release...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer and adoptive Australian, Javon King! We chat about getting the job on the Australian production of Back to the Future: The Musical, being on the tail end of Jesus Christ Superstar, taking a break, learning to say no, not comparing your journey to other people, growing up an athlete, looking up to Billy Porter, waiting for what is right for you, playing Angel...

Dan is joined by dancer, singer, and most recently, an onstage swing for the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar, Bella Massey!  We chat about being on medical leave from Jesus Christ Superstar, being on her first commercial musical, working as an onstage swing, her experience working on a cruise ship, figuring out the eight show a week schedule, wishing she gave herself more time...

Dan's epic chat with Andrew Coshan continues! Part II We chat about taking moments to stop and appreciating being the lead in a show, an unspoken mentorship, the prospect of A Knight's Tale going to The West End and elsewhere, establishing the 'bible' for a new show, the in between period of acting job, playing a role with a temp agency, easing the financial pressure of living in the UK, auditioni...