Women & Theatre Podcast

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with actor, singer, dancer, and creator J. Harrison Ghee about the transformative journey of freeing yourself to see yourself, spreading the ministry of love, connecting to your Divine Feminine, expanding the bounds of creative storytelling, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: J. Ha...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with director, choreographer, producer, and creator Tanya Birl-Torres about tripping and falling into a theatrical career, drawing inspiration from chosen ancestors, daring to stay in the center of yourself, increasing visibility of parenting in theatre, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy discuss funding shifts in the arts in 2025. We get ourselves up to date on what’s been happening with the National Endowment for the Arts, chat about alternative funding visions for theatre and the arts, and share action steps you can take to support the arts in your own community. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg an...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with composer and music director Deborah Wicks La Puma about the critical importance of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), championing women musicians and writers, building pipelines to support young people of all backgrounds falling in love with theatre, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrew...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with puppeteer and puppetry advocate Julia Schemmer about keeping the art form of theatrical puppetry visible and vibrant, the importance of apprenticeship for learning a craft and creating opportunities for emerging talent, being at peace with where you are in transitional moments, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayl...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with producer and RISE Program Manager Victoria Detres about embracing humanity through storytelling, creating a culture of care in the theatre industry and beyond, building sustainable theatrical spaces that are inclusive of artists from underrepresented groups, and more. We also highlight Hannah Cowley as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Shou...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with composer and orchestrator Julie Richardson about balancing multiple personal and professional roles, redefining the boundaries of womanhood, finding a creative process that works for you and a creative community that inspires you, and more. We also highlight Lesya Ukrainka as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partners...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy dive into the juicy topic of Taking Control of Your Career. We discuss finding the “why” behind your goal, breaking it down into manageable steps, identifying your resources, building systems of accountability, and more. We also highlight Wakako Yamauchi as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Cl...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with actor and writer Maria Wirries about creating equitable spaces, telling diverse stories rooted in truth, embracing the fluidity of identity, building diversity at the highest decision-making levels of the theatre industry, and more. We also highlight Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partn...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with theatre historian, author, and producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper about exploring under-appreciated corners of the theatre industry, embracing the ephemeral nature of theatre and seasons of life, the historical continuum of gender equity, and more. We also highlight Zora Neale Hurston as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Martha Steketee from Women Count. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Gue...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Susan Danish from the National Women’s History Museum. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenber...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Broadway director Schele Williams about authentic representation onstage and off, storytellers’ responsibility to choose values over biases, the diverse manifestations of women’s power, becoming friends with failure, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Schele Williams Music: Ch...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Sandy Sahar Gooen from TEMPO. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest:...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with SheNYC Arts artistic director Danielle DeMatteo about building new approaches to break down barriers and increase gender equity in theatrical spaces, the arts industry’s power as a voting bloc, feminist rage that leads to needed change, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Danie...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Andrea Prestinario from Ring of Keys. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy chat about goal setting! How do we set personal and professional goals for ourselves and work toward achieving them? How do we cope with failure? How do we celebrate our successes? All this and more in today’s episode! Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: SMART goals...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with director Rachel Klein about socioeconomic barriers to working in theatre, mentorship as a tool to make theatre work more accessible, the challenges of earning respect as a woman leader, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Rachel Klein Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: NAMT...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Marty Strenczewilk from Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts:...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with music director, artist, and educator Rose Van Dyne about building inclusivity, aligning actions with personal values, leaning into the intersection between community service and artistic expression, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Rose Van Dyne Music: Chloe Geller Episode R...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Maria Porto and Shane Dittmar from Access Broadway NY. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenber...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with songwriter and musical theatre writer Rachel Walker Mason about bravely making the things you dream of, leaning into authenticity and speaking aloud the things that often remain silent, women supporting women, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Rachel Walker Mason Music: Chloe...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Heather Shields and Erica Rotstein from The Business of Broadway. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayle...

In this episode, Hayley and Amy chat about the hot topic of self-care! What does self-care look like for us? What gets in the way of our self-care, and what can we do to prioritize taking care of ourselves in this busy and often overwhelming world? Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: All About Lov...

The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Mieko Gavia from Black Revolutionary Theatre Workshop. Click here for a transcript of the episode! Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenber...