The Yay - A Bay Area Theatre Podcast

Taylor Gonzalez, our next guest at The Yay, is the sound engineer at the SF Mime Troupe – he is the former sound engineer at the Berkeley Playhouse. Jake and I will talk about Taylor’s upbringing, his education and where he sees himself in the future. You can contact Taylor directly via Instagram: @tgonz510 Alexis Green (Episode 330) has a wonderful product that will improve your mental and spirit...

Anyone who has been a part of the bay area theatre community in the last 20 years knows Jeffrey Lo – veteran playwright and director, who has worked with San Jose Stage, TheatreWorks, SF Playhouse and so many more companies. We had him on back in June of 2020 during the COVID pandemic, and we bring him back on, where he talks about A Driving Beat, a show he’s directing at TheatreWorks. You can fin...

Chris Smith, our next guest, has a wonderful show – Mine for the Tribe – that’s been showcased at Playground SF as well as other venues. I had the pleasure of seeing it and I had to have Chris on the show. Jake and I talk about Chris’ upbringing, what compelled him to tell such a powerful story and where he sees himself in the future. You can follow Chris and his future projects on via Instagram:...

Our next guest, Adam Torrian, is a bay area actor who has worked with Jake in combat and weapons training. We talk about Adam’s upbring, his work in the bay area and where he sees himself in the future. Adam can be reached directly via Instagram: @adamtorrian Alexis Green (Episode 330) has a wonderful product that will improve your mental and spiritual health. It’s the Clarity Journal – it’s a jou...

It's been a while but we’re back and our next guest is Vivienne Truong, a local actress who studied at San Jose State, where she also studied Psychology as well as theatre. Jake and I talk about her upbring, her career in the bay area and where she sees herself in the future. Vivienne can be contacted directly via Instagram: @viviennasausage Alexis Green (Episode 330) has a wonderful product that...

Jake and I bring on Light/Set designer Colin Johnson as a guest on The Yay. I’ve worked with Colin when we both worked on Life x 3, back in 2014. Colin has since been working mostly with Theatre Rhino and last worked on John Fisher’s one act play The Doodler. We talk about Colin’s upbringing, his life in tech, and what’s next for him. The Yay is in partnership with Theatre Bay Area, as it brings b...

We have another unusual Yay podcast, on a Tuesday! Jake and I welcome Dean Linnard, who is playing Hamlet at the Oakland Theatre Project – it’s been getting massive reviews on the SF Chronicle (https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/oakland-theater-project-hamlet-review-20805880.php), the Marin Independent Journal (https://www.marinij.com/2025/08/27/ambitious-production-of-hamlet-coming...

We have a rare Sunday Yay – Jake and I welcome bay area actress, drama therapist and DJ Champagne Hughes. Champagne was in Les Blancs at the Oakland Theatre Project (along with Jeunee Simon – Episode 297, and Brittany Sims, Episode 328) earlier this year. Champagne has her MA in Psychology. Champagne talks about her upbringing in Hayward, her DJ’ing, her acting in the bay area and where she sees h...

Surprise, surprise – we have a 2nd Yay today! Jake and I bring on Lo Ordesta, the co-producer of Stories High XXV, which premiers on September 12 and will go on until the 20th. Lo, the partner of Joe Cascasan (Episode 196), is promoting Stories High XXV – we’ll talk about the legacy of Stories High, Lo’s upbring and her theatre journey. You can reach Lo directly via her Instagram: @lo_fo_sho The Y...

Jonathan Amores is our next guest on The Yay. Jonathan last worked with Jake on Cyrano last year. We talk about Jonathan’s upbringing, John’s bay area acting career, and where he sees himself in the future. Jonathan can be reached directly via Instagram: @jofum The Yay is in partnership with Theatre Bay Area, as it brings back the wildly popular Bay Area Theatre Week, a 10-day celebration, from Se...

Jake and I welcome Julliard graduate and bay area actress Gabriella (Gavi) Goldstein, who was last seen as Queen Elizabeth in Silicon Valley Shakes’ Richard III. Gavi has also been on television (So Nova, Canapes and Bury ‘Em Deep). We talk about her upbringing, her education, her views on acting on stage vs on the small screen, and where she sees herself in the future. You can learn more about Ga...

Maria Marquis is our next guest on The Yay – Maria is a local actress who has worked with the Palo Alto Players, Cutting Ball, the Custom Made Theatre Company and City Lights Theatre. Jake and I ask about Maria’s upbringing, how the theatre bug bit her and how bay area theatre life is treating her. Maria can be found on Instagram: @soundslikemarquis Alexis Green (Episode 330) has a wonderful produ...

Our next guest, Alexis Green, is a former actress who has performed at the Darkroom and has been a member of the former group KT Comedy (also known as Kamikazi Theory) – she has now transitioned into focusing on mental and spiritual health, and she’s created a business called Clarity Journal. Jake and I talk about Alexis’ life in theatre, her focus on mental health and where she sees herself in th...

Monique Crawford is our next guest on The Yay. Monique is an actress who has worked with Crowded Fire, ACT, Sacramento Theatre Company and Central Works - She talks about her upbringing, her work in bay area theatre and where she sees herself in the future. Monique is traveling to England to continue her MFA theatre studies – and she has a GoFundMe page, where all of us can support her. Please mak...

We have a rare Sunday Yay, where Jake and I bring on Brittany Sims, an actress who has worked with the Custom Made Theatre, the Oakland Theatre Project and the African American Shakespeare Company. She talks about her upbringing, her work in bay area theatre and where she sees herself in the future. Brittany can be contacted directly via Instagram: @iluvbritbrat89 Jameelah Rose has her own busines...

I had the pleasure to talk to Wynne Chan a year ago when we did our live Yay at Camp Monologa for Plethos’ fundraiser – now Jake and I get the chance to speak to her one on one. Wynne Chan is the managing director at Golden Thread Productions and has worked with other companies like the Pear Theatre, Plethos Productions, the Masquers Playhouse and SDC Productions. You can find out more information...

James Mercer II is our next guest on The Yay – James is a veteran actor, who has worked with ACT, Berkeley Rep, African-American Shakespeare Company, Irish Rep, and Arden Theatre Company. Jake and I talk about James’ Philly roots, his work in the bay area and where he sees himself in the future. James can be reached directly via email: jwdlmercer2@gmail.com. Jameelah Rose has her own business sell...

Our second half of our double Yay features artistic director and co-founder of Kunoichi Productions, Nick Ishimaru. We talk about Nick’s upbringing, his studies at Colorado State University, his first stint in the bay area working with Theatre Yugen, and where he sees himself in the future. Jameelah Rose has her own business selling healthy drinks - MelanA☥D is a black owned business that speciali...

We have a double Yay this weekend! Our first guest is Nikki Menez – she’s an actress, director and curatorial director at Z Space. Her last project was directing The Future that Liberals Want, at the Eclectic Box SF. Jake and I talk to Nikki about her upbringing, her next project and what plans she has for the future. Jameelah Rose has her own business selling healthy drinks - MelanA☥D is a black...

We’ve been dying to have Ed Mabasa on The Yay and we finally got him! Ed Mabasa is no stranger to anyone who’s been a part of Bindlestiff – he’s been an actor, writer, producer, tech guy – he’s the very modest guy who keeps Bindlestiff going and he is truly beloved there. We talk about his upbringing, his presence at Bindlestiff and what his future looks like. This show is dedicated to the incredi...

Tirumari Jothi is an actor and playwright who’s play, The Future That Liberals Want or; Résumé-Building in the Apocalypse, just finished up at the Eclectic Box SF. Jake and I talk to him about his background, what future projects he’s working on and his views of bay area theatre. You can see Tirumari perform every Saturday at 8pm at Critical Hit! Live Stand Up Comedy, located at It’s Your Move Gam...

On this Memorial Day episode of The Yay, Jake and I welcome Nicolas Logue, actor and fight coordinator – he’s also the associate professor at Winward Community College and Fight Director at Dueling Arts International. We talk about Nic’s upbringing, how he got into fight coordinating and where he sees himself in the future. Nic can be reached directly by email: logue@hawaii.edu Jameelah Rose has h...

Allan Samson Manalo is back in the guest chair for The Yay. When Allan was last with us (Episode 237), we talked about good times and the wonderful history of Bindlestiff Studios. Today, he talks about his show, In Bituin, the show he has created in loving memory of his late wife Joyce. We talk about how theatre can help in the act of recovery and healing – and reflection. Jameelah Rose has her ow...

Jake and I have been very busy but we’re back! And our good friend Julius Rea is back as well – his musical (based on his book), The Day The Sky Turned Orange, will be premiering on September 5th. We last had Julius on three years ago, when we talked about his play, Sarafael, and we can’t wait to talk about this new project. Jameelah Rose has her own business selling healthy drinks - MelanA☥D is a...

It's been a while but we’re back! And our next guest is teacher, lecturer and playwright Terry Boero. We learn about her upbringing her work at SF State, any new works she’s working on now, and her future. Terry can be contacted directly via Instagram at @merriberriterri and on Bluesky: Terry-Boero.bsky.social Jameelah Rose has her own business selling healthy drinks - MelanA☥D is a black owned bu...