EPISODE 461 - CHRIS BAUER

CHRIS BAUER has appeared in over 300 episodes of television, 40 feature films, and several theater productions on Broadway and Off. His multiple  long running television credits  include Frank Sobotka in ‘THE WIRE’, Andy Bellefleur in ‘TRUE BLOOD’, and Bobby Dwyer in ‘THE DEUCE’ for HBO. Most recently he starred as pro wrestler Wild Bill Hancock on ‘HEELS’ for Starz, where he also appeared in ‘GASLIT’ with Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, and ‘SURVIVORS REMORSE’, produced by LeBron James, and played Joe McCarthy in the Peabody Award winning ‘FELLOW TRAVELERS’ for Showtime. On Apple TV Plus, he played Deke Slayton in the inaugural season of ‘FOR ALL MANKIND’, and appeared as  Det. Tom Lange in ‘PEOPLE VS OJ’ for FX. Recent feature credits include co-starring with Denzel Washington in the Warner Brothers film ‘THE LITTLE THINGS’, ‘MONEY MONSTER’, and ‘SULLY’. He received an Outer Critic’s nomination for playing Mitch in ‘STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE’ on Broadway, and has originated roles in plays by David Mamet, Jez Butterworth, and John Patrick Shanley throughout a long career in theater. Upcoming credits include the limited series' 'Unspeakeable' for Paramount Plus, and 'His/Hers' for Netflix. On film he will be seen in 'Henry Johnson' and 'Our Hero Balthazar', as well as '3 Holes and a Donut', a feature film he wrote and directed. Chris is a native of Los Angeles, a  graduate of the Yale School of Drama,  and a metalhead.

EPISODE 460- GEORGIA STITT

GEORGIA STITT is an award-winning composer, lyricist, music producer, pianist, and activist. Her original musicals include Snow Child (commissioned by and premiered at Arena Stage, directed by Molly Smith), Big Red Sun (11th Hour Theater in Philadelphia, NAMT 2010), and a children’s musical, Samantha Spade, Ace Detective (TADA Youth Theater), which won “Outstanding New Musical” from the National Youth Theatre in 2014 and is now licensed by Concord Theatricals. Other shows include The Danger Year, The Big Boom, The Water (winner of the 2008 ANMT Search for New Voices in American Musical Theater), Common Ground, and Mosaic. 

Georgia has released four albums of her music: A Quiet Revolution (2020), My Lifelong Love (2014), This Ordinary Thursday (2007), and Alphabet City Cycle (featuring Tony-nominated actress Kate Baldwin, 2009). She is currently at work on a new album of theatrical art songs and an oratorio called The Circling Universe. Her choral piece with hope and virtue (using text from President Obama's 2009 inauguration speech) was featured on NPR, and both her orchestral piece, Waiting for Wings, co-written with husband Jason Robert Brown, and her piece for solo clarinet, Fanfare for the Ups and Downs, were commissioned and premiered by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Georgia served for several years as the composer-in-residence at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, and she has written many pieces for choir, including A Better Resurrection, De Profundis, and The Promise of Light, which has often been performed by the LA Master Chorale. 

Georgia is the Founder and President of Maestra Music, an organization that provides support, visibility, and community for women and nonbinary theater musicians, and through that work she has won an Obie Award and a Lilly Award and has been featured in Forbes, Billboard, Playbill, Opera News, and The New York Times. In collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda, she and her team at Maestra created the RISE Theatre Directory which seeks to build a more equitable and inclusive theater industry by centralizing DEIA tools and resources. Georgia is in leadership at The Dramatists Guild, The Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing, and MUSE (Musicians United for Social Equity). She has produced albums and musical events for singers and has worked in the music department on projects including Broadway’s 2023 revival of Parade, NBC’s The Sound of Music (Live!), the film version of The Last Five Years (starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan), Off-Broadway’s Sweet Charity (starring Sutton Foster), Disney/ABC’s Once Upon a Mattress (starring Tracey Ullman and Carol Burnett), and the recent Netflix film, 13: The Musical. In her eight years living in LA, Georgia worked for America’s Got Talent, Clash of the Choirs, and Grease: You’re the One That I Want, and she wrote songs for MTV’s The American Mall. She currently teaches Musical Theater Writing at Princeton University,  has previously taught at Pace University and USC, and is a frequent keynote speaker and master class instructor. Georgia lives in New York with her husband and their two wonderful daughters. www.georgiastitt.com

EPISODE 459 - JEFFREY SELLER

Jeffrey Seller is an Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer best known for his work on Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton, as well as inventing Broadway’s first rush ticket and lottery ticket policies. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1986, Jeffrey moved to New York City where he worked, as a publicist, booking agent, and producer. With his business partner Kevin McCollum he produced three Best Musical Tony Award-winning Broadway shows; Rent, Avenue Q, and In the Heights. With increasingly expensive Broadway ticket prices, Seller and McCollum invented Broadway’s first rush ticket policy early on in the production of Rent. The idea was to keep the show accessible for people “in their 20s and 30s, artists, Bohemians-the people for whom Jonathan Larson wrote the show.” A select number of front row tickets would be sold for $20 on a first come per-serve basis. Rush tickets became so popular that people began to sleep on the streets outside the theater to get a spot at the front of the line. Out of concern for the safety of those who participated in the Rush policy Seller and McCollum created Broadway’s first lottery ticket policy, which kept cheap tickets accessible to a young audience by selling $20 tickets to the winners of a drawing. Together Seller and McCollum also produced De La Guarda, Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, High Fidelity, and the revival of WestSide Story. After working with Lin-Manuel Miranda on In the Heights, he produced Hamilton. Hamilton has gone on to receive widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. In June 2016, Hamilton received 11 Tony awards of a record-breaking 16 nominations, including a Best Musical win for Seller, making it his fourth Tony Award. He is the author of the memoir, Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir

EPISODE 458- JULIA KNITEL


Julia Knitel - Broadway: Dead Outlaw (Tony award nominee), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Carole King, first national tour), Bye Bye Birdie. Off-Broadway: A Letter to Harvey Milk (Lucille Lortel nomination). Select New York/Regional: Nora in Brighton Beach Memoirs (Portland Stage Co.), Ingrid in Volleygirls (NY Musical Festival: Best of Fest). Film: Miles.

EPISODE 456 - FLORENCIA CUENCA

Actress, singer, writer and director FLORENCIA CUENCA made history with her Broadway debut in “Real Women Have Curves” as the first Mexican immigrant to originate a leading role in a Broadway musical. In the musical, based on the cult classic 2002 film starring America Ferrera, Florencia plays Estela Garcia, a role that she originated in the show’s world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in December 2023. The show will open on April 27th at the James Earl Jones Theatre. 

 

On stage, Florencia has starred in Off-Broadway shows such as Children of Salt (NYMF 2016 Best of Fest) and A Never-Ending Line (album available at Broadway Records). In New York, she has also performed as a singer-songwriter at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, MASS MoCA, and Washington Performing Arts. 

 

In 2023, Florencia was awarded a Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (Hola) Award in the category of “Outstanding Performance in Musical Theatre” for her role in the original musical, Desaparecidas, which she created and directed with her partner Jaime Lozano and Rachel M. Stevens.

 

In her native Mexico, Florencia is known for starring in telenovelas such as “De que te quiero te quiero,” “Muchachitas como tú,” and for being part of the successful Mexican musical Si Nos Dejan, the Mexican premiere of Shrek the Musical, and Selena the Musical. 

 

She toured her first album “Aquí - The New Standards” all around Mexico, Latin America and New York City, and for which she was awarded with the Hot House Jazz Award 2016 for Best New Jazz Artist. Her latest album, "Broadway in Spanglish,” a multi-lingual musical cabaret of Broadway hits that she created with Jaime Lozano, was released by Concord Theatrical Recordings in 2023.  

 

As a creator, artist, and director, Florencia is passionate about developing projects that celebrate the intersection of diversity, women, and the Latine communities.  

 

EPISODE 455- KYLE SELIG

Broadway: Jacob Jankowski in Water for Elephants, Originated the role of Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls, Elder Price in The Book of Mormon on Broadway. National Tour/Regional: The Book of Mormon, October Sky, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire by David Byrne, West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl. Film/ television: “Welcome to Flatch”, “Monster High”, “FBI: International”, “Cat Person”, “The Housewives of the North Pole”, “Mulligan”, “Christmas in Tahoe” for Hallmark Channel, “Madame Secretary”, “Evil”. 2010 Jimmy Award winner and proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. Instagram: @kaselig

EPISODE 454- SHANNON LEWIS


Shannon began her career as a performer and has appeared in 10 Broadway musicals over a 25 year career. She is most known for her performance of “I Gotcha” in the Tony Award winning original Broadway cast of FOSSE.

As a choreographer, Shannon has extensive experience creating for film and television as the choreographer of Saturday Night Live’s Film Units, creating dances and movement for viral videos such as “I’m Just Pete”, “Gladiator Twosical”, “Shrimp Tower”, ”Big Boys” and many more. She has also choreographed multiple pre-taped and live projects for NBC’s “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon and HBO's “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver. Shannon is the Creative Director and Choreographer of the NBC/ Universal Upfront at Radio City Music Hall. She has also created, directed and choreographed many theatrical and dance projects at such respected venues as Carnegie Hall, Ballet Jazz Montreal, Roundabout Theatre Company, Signature Theatre NYC, Town Hall, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Alvin Ailey Citicorp Theatre, Dreamworks, CLI, Dance Out Loud, NY Times Center, Bay Street Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse, Ogunquit Playhouse and The York Theatre Company.

Shannon is the founder of FIRESTART Creative; producing and developing impactful, creative projects for film, theatre, television and live events. Her original dance short “Don’t Go” was nominated for a 2023 World Choreography Award.

EPISODE 453- JULIE TUCKER

Julie Tucker is a highly acclaimed casting director with a remarkable career spanning over two decades. Recognized for her outstanding contributions to the industry, she boasts an impressive tally of nine Emmy nominations and two Emmy Awards. Additionally, Julie has been honored with five Artois awards from her peers for her excellence in casting. 

Her journey began in the theater at The Public, and her introduction to Television started with the casting of the first three seasons of Law and Order: SVU, after which she founded her own casting company.

 Julie’s current projects include Queen Latifah’s The Equalizer, the upcoming Limited Series for Netflix “The Beast in Me,” starring Claire Danes, Mathew Rhys and Brittany Snow and the hits series "Doc," for Fox. 

Her extensive portfolio includes a diverse range of projects with her former partner Ross Meyerson, such as The Oscar nominated short “Red White & Blue, "The Expanse," "The Americans." “The Affair,” "Nurse Jackie," “Fallout,” the Jennifer Lopez feature film, "Marry Me." Notable past projects include: "Damages" (Emmy and Artios Award), "Six Feet Under" (Emmy and Artios Award for NY Casting), "Rescue Me" (Artios Award), and “Homeland” (Artios Award). She has cast 100’s of hours of television, several dozen pilots and a few movies. 

In addition to her work in television and film, she had been on staff and cast for The Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theater Club, and The Williamstown Theater Festival. Her involvement in the 1997 Broadway production of A View From the Bridge, where she had the privilege of being in the room with Arthur Miller, remains a highlight of her career.

Before transitioning to casting, Julie directed Off-Broadway and assisted directors Terrence Malick and Martin Charnin.

She currently is serving on the Board of Directors for The Casting Society.

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EPISODE 452 - ERICH BERGEN

Currently starring in Broadway’s BOOP! The Musical, Erich Bergen is best known for his performance as Blake Moran on television's Madam Secretary, and for his portrayal of Bob Gaudio in the Clint Eastwood film, Jersey Boys, reprising his performance from the stage production of the hit musical. On Broadway, Erich also starred in Waitress and Chicago, and has also been seen on television in Bull, The Good Fight, Gossip Girl, and more. As a Producer and Director, Erich has spearheaded many live, virtual, and television events including work with NBC, CNN, President Obama, Clive Davis, Glenn Close, Michael Kors, and other high-profile icons and outlets. IG: @erichbergen

Photo Credit- Josh Andretti

EPISODE 451 - KELSIE WATTS

Kelsie Watts’s musical journey began in Lubbock, Texas, where she found her voice at two years old in a family of musicians. From early performances in church and school to studying opera and commercial music at Belmont University in Nashville, she developed her craft and gained recognition. Her self-released music led to a feature on AJ McLean’s 2020 single “Hurts to Love You,” while her viral rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “I Dare You” on The Voice Season 19 earned her a spot on Team Kelly and millions of views.

Now an independent pop artist, Kelsie continues to inspire with her music and advocacy. Her single “Live Out Loud” became the anthem for the Tokyo Sky Tree Global Campaign during the 2021 Olympics, followed by empowering tracks like “Look What You Missed” and the poignant ballad “I Can’t Say Goodbye,” honoring her late brother who she lost to mental health struggles. In 2024, she released “After Midnight” and “Forgetful,” a Diane Warren-penned duet with Nate Amor. Beyond music, Kelsie is a dedicated mental health advocate, collaborating with organizations like Didi Hirsch and the Not Alone Challenge.

Kelsie stars on Broadway in the musical , SIX.

Photo Credit- Michaelah Reynolds

EPISODE 450 - ADAM PLATT

Adam Platt is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and was chief restaurant critic between 2000 & 2023. He won the James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for Restaurant Reviews in 2010. During the course of nearly twenty-five years in the magazine business, Platt has written for a variety of publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Observer, Esquire, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is the author of The Book of Eating and is currently writing another book. He lives in New York City.

He can be found as @plattypants on all social media platforms.

EPISODE 449- ERIC BOGOSIAN

ERIC BOGOSIAN (Playwright) is the author of plays, solos, and novels, including TALK RADIO, subUrbia, and PERFORATED HEART. He received a Drama Desk award, three Obie awards, and a Guggenheim fellowship. He has also been nominated for the Pulitzer and a Tony award. Bogosian earned the Berlin Silver Bear for writing and starring in the film adaptation of his play TALK RADIO. His historical account of "Operation Nemesis," the death squad that avenged the Armenian Genocide, was published by Little, Brown in 2015. As an actor, Bogosian has starred in LAW & ORDER: CI (NBC), BILLIONS (Showtime), SUCCESSION (HBO), the Safdie brothers' UNCUT GEMS, and most recently INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (AMC) as the interviewer, Daniel Molloy. He produces a website, 100monologues.com, featuring dozens of New York's most vibrant actors. Bogosian is married to director Jo Bonney.

EPISODE 447- MERRI SUGARMAN

Initially an actress ('Les Miserables', 'Aspects of Love', et al.), Merri found herself out West some years back where she quickly made a name for herself at Liberman/Hirschfeld Casting, then Liberman/Patton Casting, working on such shows as Seinfeld, Party of Five, HBO’s Band of Brothers, the feature film My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the Miramax feature film "Playing By Heart", starring Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie. 

 

In 2000, Merri moved to Dreamworks Studios as the Casting Executive in charge of TV Pilots and Series- including "Spin City", “Freaks and Geeks” and the critically acclaimed "The Job", starring Denis Leary. She was then offered a position as the Director of Casting for Dramas and Movies at ABC Television, overseeing the casting of the series "Alias", "NYPD Blue", "The Practice" and the made for television movies "Gilda Radner - It's Always Something" and "The Music Man", starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth, to name just a few. 

Merri then returned to the East Coast to teach and coach actors – something she still does (and loves) as time permits, when Tara Rubin offered her a Senior Casting Director position where she’s been happily ensconced ever since, working on, among many others - the Broadway, touring and international companies of THE WHO’S TOMMY, COMPANY, AIN’T TOO PROUD, JERSEY BOYS,THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISERABLES, SCHOOL OF ROCK, MISS SAIGON, A BRONX TALE, CLUELESS the Musical, TREVOR the Musical (2023 Artios Award) and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (2024 Artios Award)

The TRC office is also responsible for the casting of Billy Crystal’s series “Before” for Apple TV and the Broadway productions of The Outsiders, SIX and Death Becomes Her, just to name a few 

 

Merri also casts for many theaters regionally – including The Papermill Playhouse, Lyric Opera of Chicago, 

The Old Globe, Seattle Rep, The Goodman and The La Jolla Playhouse. 

She is the very proud Casting Director of the critically acclaimed web series SUBMISSIONS ONLY and also boasts having cast many other independent TV & film projects, workshops and readings.

In 2024, Merri took on some passion projects on the side, as well. These include the highly acclaimed and starry concert production of “FOLLIES” at Carnegie Hall for Transport Group’s annual benefit gala, and a reading of a new play at The Actors Studio written by Lyle Kessler (“Orphans”) and directed by Academy Award winner Bobby Moresco – starring Chazz Palminteri, Tim Blake Nelson and Gina Gershon. In addition, Merri is now also the Casting Director at The South Carolina New Play Festival.

Merri has been a Big Sister to Jenny via the amazing Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for the last 25 years, is an alumni officer of the professional sorority Kappa Gamma Chi (BFA in Musical Theater - Emerson College), a member of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and was recently recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College in 2021. She has been a Tony Voter for the past eleven years and is a proud member of the Casting Society of America (CSA)

EPISODE 446- CAROLINE AARON


Caroline Aaron is known to theatre, film and television audiences, as well as a published author and playwright.

She made her Broadway debut in Robert Altman's "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean,Jimmy Dean" and later appeared in the film. The following Broadway season, she starred in the revival of "The Iceman Cometh". She next starred in Mike Nichols's Broadway smash comedy "Social Security". She returned to Broadway starring in "I Hate Hamlet." She headlined the west coast premiere of Wendy Wasserstein's "The Sisters Rosensweig" and was acknowledged with both a Helen Hayes and Dramalogue Award. Next on Broadway she starred in Woody Allen's comedy "Honeymoon Hotel". She headlined Lincoln Center's award winning play "A Kid Like Jake." She played the title role in "All The Days" at the McCarter Theatre and was named best actress by several newspapers in the New York/New Jersey area. She headlined "Call Waiting" at The. Odyssey theatre which became a hit and was later made into a film available on Amazon Prime.

On film Caroline has been in over a hundred films and is frequently in demand from top directors including Woody Allen, the late Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, Paul Mazursky, and Robert Altman.

Favorite film roles include “21 & 22 Jump Street”, “Just Like Heaven", "Nancy Drew", "Surveillance", "Love Comes Lately", "Edward Scissorhands", "Anywhere But Here", The Big Night", and "Bounce" among others. Later this year she will be seen in "Theatre Camp", "Between Two Temples", and "The Fourth Dementia".

Television audiences are also familiar with her work as a guest star on hundreds of shows. She has recurred on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ghosts, Episodes and Transparent. She is best known for her role as Shirley Maisel on the hit Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Photo Credit- Walter McBride

EPISODE 445- TAYLOR POLIDORE WILLIAMS

Currently leading the cast of Netflix’s BEAUTY IN BLACK, Taylor stars as Kimmie, a stripper whose fate takes a turn when she crosses paths with the wealthy, dysfunctional family behind a cosmetics dynasty and a devious trafficking scheme.

This past summer, Taylor was seen starring opposite Meagan Good in Tyler Perry and Amazon Prime Video’s fan favorite film DIVORCE IN THE BLACK, which topped the Amazon charts for several weeks after its debut. Taylor is perhaps best known for heavily recurring in FX’s critically acclaimed SNOWFALL as well as The CW’s ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING. She is also an accomplished voice over artist, having voiced characters for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Peacock, among others.

Taylor is a proud alumna of HBCU Clark Atlanta University and is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is extremely passionate about the rights and welfare of young people and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for youth in foster care.

EPISODE 444- ABUBAKR ALI

Abubakr Ali starred in Anything’s Possible (MGM/Orion Pictures) dir. Billy Porter, and was the titular lead in Netflix/Dark Horse’s series “Grendel.” He recently finished working on Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming untitled Netflix feature film. Other credits include “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (NBC), “Walking Dead: World Beyond” (AMC), “Power Book II: Ghost” (Starz) and “Katy Keene” (CW). Theatre credits include Toros (Second Stage), Inherit the Wind (Pasadena Playhouse), We Live in Cairo (A.R.T.), Kiss (Yale Rep), Twelfth Night (Yale Rep) and work with The 24 Hour Plays, Roundabout Theatre Company, NYTW, Atlantic Theater Com­ pany, The Public and others. MFA: Yale School of Drama. @theabubakrali

Photo Credit- Ari Michelson

EPISODE 442- PETER GALLAGHER

PETER GALLAGHER has delivered critically acclaimed performances on film, television and stage. Film: sex, lies and videotape; American Beauty (SAG Award); The Player; Short Cuts (Golden Globe); The Idolmaker; Dreamchild; While You Were Sleeping; The Underneath; To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday; Center Stage; Mr. Deeds; and Palm Springs. Television: “Grace and Frankie” as Nick, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” as Mitch, “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Hamilton, “Law & Order: SVU” as Chief Dodds, Schmidt’s dad on “New Girl,” “Covert Affairs” as Arthur Campbell, “Togetherness” (Critic’s Choice TV Award nomination), “Californication,” “Rescue Me” and “The O.C.” as Sandy Cohen. Broadway: Guys and Dolls (Drama Desk nomination), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Tony Award nomination), The Real Thing (Clarence Derwent Award), The Corn Is Green (Theatre World Award), A Doll’s Life, Noises Off, The Country Girl, Grease (original production), Hair (first revival) and On the Twentieth Century.

 

EPISODE 441- GREY HENSON

Grey Henson most recently played Buddy in Elf the musical on Broadway. He received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for his performance as Damian in the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls. He was recently seen playing Michael in tick, tick… BOOM! at the Kennedy Center and Storyteller 2 in the Tony nominated musical Shucked on Broadway. He played the role of Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon on Broadway after originating the role on the first national tour. Grey recurred as Tate in Girls5Eva on Netflix and can be seen in the Sony Pictures film A Journal for Jordan directed by Denzel Washington. Carnegie Mellon University Drama.