Game of Life Podcast

Dan is joined by musical theatre sensations Patrick Volpe and Jake Ameduri, who went to high school together in Perth. Flash forward years later, and now they have just made their first professional debut together in Sister Act!  This one is a lot of fun! We chat about the first leg of the Sister Act tour in Sydney, figuring out the eight show week, taking in the first performances, having th...

Dan is joined by musical theatre superstar and more recently Pilates instructor, Jake O'Brien! Jake just came off a massive run on the Australian production of & Juliet. We chat about being part of & Juliet, the creative process of working on the show, positive fan encounters, the humbling experience of going back to regular jobs, the difficulties of tour life, post show blues, becoming a...

Dan is joined by actress, writer, and director, Jayne Brook! You may have seen Jayne in various television shows over the years including Boston Legal, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Brothers & Sisters, and Star Trek: Discovery to name a few. Jayne has also directed and written a short film called Flip Side. We chat about her work on Boston Legal, playing a character struggling with drug addiction, wor...

Dan is joined by actor and military veteran, Mark Valley! You may have seen Mark in TV shows including Boston Legal, Human Target, Fringe, Harry's Law, Body of Proof, Law and Order: SVU, and The Flash to name a few. Mark was also a platoon leader who saw action in Operation Desert Storm. We chat about working on Boston Legal, asking to leave Boston Legal, being a series regular on multiple shows,...

Dan is joined by actor and artist, Andrew J. West who most notably played Gareth on The Walking Dead! We chat about working on The Walking Dead, getting an action figure, the pressure of working on TV pilots, learning from failed pilots, moving out to LA with no plan, putting yourself out there, getting the first co-star job on a TV show, knowing everything would work out, the humbling experience...

Dan is joined by actor and Bill Oakley himself from Better Call Saul, Peter Diseth! We chat about working on Better Call Saul, the responsibility he took in the series finale of Better Call Saul, initially auditioning for Breaking Bad, having good work environments, struggling with self confidence, servicing the story, the love of auditioning, not being able to watch back every self tape, wanting...

Dan is joined by singer, actor, songwriter who most recently played Riff Raff in the Australian production of Rocky Horror, Henry Rollo! We chat about not being a pure blood musical theatre person, working on Rocky Horror, exploring body type, hiding where you naturally fit, self awareness being a powerful weapon, getting the creative freedom in independent theatre, winning a walk on role in Wicke...

Dan is joined by phenomenally talented writer and performer, Maverick Newman who was pretty fresh after finishing a run of Murder for Two a few weeks prior to recording. We chat about Maverick's name, working on Murder for Two, playing twelve characters, being spontaneous on stage, Gabbi Bolt, preparing for shows, knee and neck injuries, the pride of having done Murder for Two, coming from a sport...

Dan is joined by musical theatre superstar, and member of the ensemble from Beauty and the Beast Australia, Anthony Garcia! We recorded this episode just before Beauty and the Beast went into their 500th performance! We chat about the craziness of reaching five hundred performances of Beauty and the Beast, getting the call saying he got the show, keeping up with the show, the passion of expressing...

Dan is joined by Michael James Scott who has been playing the Genie in Aladdin on and off for ten years! We chat about Michael's love for Australia, the rarity of playing the same character in the theatre world for ten years, maintaining the energy, breaking the fourth wall, working with so many different cast members that come and go, the richness of Aladdin, the talent in Australia, working with...

Dan is joined by TV presenter, comedian, writer, painter, performer, social & political commentator, and absolute legend in the Australian industry, Gretel Killeen. We chat about not wanting to do any one thing forever, variety, young people being overwhelmed with choice, asking the question of what you want to do next, not being happy in law, overriding fears of performing, finding thought pr...

Dan is joined by writer, satirist, presenter, broadcaster, and yet another member of The Chaser, Craig Reucassel. We chat about being a jack of all trades, taking on new challenges, War on Waste, the impact of War on Waste, collaboration, the brutal writing room of The Chaser, the Trojan Horse stunt, the attention that came along with The Chaser's War on Everything, meeting the initial team of The...

Dan is joined by political political analyst, satirist, writer, performer, and another member of The Chaser, Chas Licciardello! We chat about Planet America, recording long podcasts, a week in the life of Chas Licciardello, having a sense of your own fortune & privilege, the few jobs in TV, being more comfortable behind the camera, being scared of people during the controversies of The Chaser'...

Dan is joined by writer, satirist, broadcaster, and a member of The Chaser, Chris Taylor. We chat about being fired as a team captain on Would I Lie To You?, not intending to be a comedy performer, always being comfortable with writing, studying the rhythm of writing, turning a hobby into a career, working in a newsroom, the support of Charles Firth, rolling the dice, not wanting to die wondering,...

Dan is joined by actor turned prolific producer, podcaster, director, and more recently writer, Robert Duncan McNeill AKA Tom Paris from Star Trek: Voyager. Robert has become one of the best directors working today having directed many television shows over the years including One Tree Hill, The O.C., Supernatural, Chuck, White Collar, and Resident Alien, to name a few. We chat about his podcast T...

Dan is joined by actor, writer, and podcaster, Armin Shimerman AKA Quark from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine! Armin has also appeared in many TV shows over the years including Stargate SG1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Boston Legal, Nip/Tuck, and Seinfeld to name a few. We chat about reuniting with René Auberjonois for a scene in Boston Legal, entering the world of podcasting, admiring his fellow actors...

Dan is joined by actor, writer, and pilot, Michael Dorn AKA Worf from Star Trek! We chat about what it's like to be an icon, getting jealous, wanting to play baseball, a love of music, being prepared, figuring out show business, people giving him a shot, having too much confidence, realising things aren't personal, being told you weren't going to make it, metric for success, conventions helping wi...

Dan is joined by actor, Jim O'Heir probably best known as Jerry from Parks and Recreation. Jim has also appeared in many film and television series including Boston Legal, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Better Call Saul to name a few. We chat about the Parks and Recollection podcast, watching yourself, the relevance of Parks & Recreation, self criticism, assuming yo...

Dan is joined by theatre superstar and someone who has been in quite a lot of shows over the years, Matt Holly! Matt had recently just been in not one but two shows at the time of recording, Woman in Black and Wicked. We chat about being in two shows at the same time, coming back into Wicked, the story of Wicked, going back into life as a swing, mid show swaps, people on phones at the theatre, hol...

Dan is joined by two musical theatre superstars Jackson Head & Nick Cox who are playing the comedy double act of Gaston & LeFou in the Australian production of Beauty and the Beast. I absolutely loved having Jackson and Nick on the podcast together as my inner musical theatre fan was freaking out that I had the opportunity to talk to both Gaston and LeFou! We chat about what they enjoy in...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer, Rohan Browne. Any Australian theatre fan would've seen Rohan in just about a million different shows over the years. Rohan is currently playing Lumière in the Australian production of Beauty and the Beast. We chat about working with The Production Company, the freedom to play on A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the common ground of the reh...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer, writer, teacher and super laid back Liam Head! Liam is not going to be the only member of the Head family to appear on this podcast, so stay tuned! We chat about the injury that took him out of Wicked for a while, Ainsley Melham, saying goodbye to shows, being in panic mode, enjoying the rollercoaster, the world being so much bigger, working in a cafe, Jagge...

Dan is joined by performers and great mates, Des Flanagan and Cameron Taylor. I got the idea to pair Des and Cam up on the pod after Sheridan Adams mentioned they were friends, and I'm so glad she did because this was an absolute blast! We chat about how they know each other, first professional gig, clowning, finding a love for performing, pulling your socks up, being each other's advocates, colle...

Dan is joined by two absolute legends of Australian theatre, Dean Vince & Troy Sussman! I could've talked to Dean and Troy for many more hours if they didn't have a show to do that evening. Kick back, and settle in as they share many tales of their experience from working in the theatre world for all these years. We chat about the fun of working on Sunset Boulevard, scripted and unscripted may...

Dan is joined by two QUEENS! Deirdre Khoo & Chiara Assetta are in the studio to chat all things SIX and so much more. This was another really fun chat. , We discuss dance captain & resident choreographer responsibilities, keeping up with a high energy show, the concert like style of SIX, breaking the fourth wall, breaking boundaries of musical theatre, big year of musical theatre roles, no...