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[0:00] Martín Acuña: Hi, everyone. I am Martín Acuña, and you are listening to Backstage Talk.

[0:18] Martín Acuña: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Backstage Talk. Today's guest is an amazing performer I have with me, Zack Zaromatidis. Zack was born and raised in Long Island, New York. He grew up with a family full of music lovers. He started singing at the young age of four with hopes that he would become the next Backstreet Boy. Am I right, Zack?

[0:43] Zack Zaromatidis: I'm so surprised. How do you know this? What did you read?

[0:47] Martín Acuña: I do my homework. He got the theater bug years later, and he started playing in high school, middle school productions. He started with Fiddler on the Roof. And after years of playing old men in school plays, Zack decided to move to New York and pursue a BFA in musical theater at Pace University. He graduated a couple years ago, and then he got cast as Danny Nowitzki in the first national tour of Bandstand in 2019. So that's amazing. I love Pace. I think their program is amazing. And Zack, thank you for coming over. Welcome to Backstage Talk.

[1:29] Zack Zaromatidis: Oh, my God. Thank you for having me. This is already the most fun I've ever had.

[1:36] Zack Zaromatidis: Already. Although I wasn't expecting to get the full breakdown of my Backstreet Boy obsession and Fiddler on the Roof and everything. So kudos to you. Bravo.

[1:52] Martín Acuña: So Zack, how and when did you know that you wanted to become an actor?

[1:58] Zack Zaromatidis: Okay, so I think my bug for acting and my bug for musical theater are separate things. Just like my bug for music and my bug for acting are separate too. I started singing when I was young, like you said. And like you said, I wanted to be a Backstreet Boy really, really bad. And then as I got older, I learned how to play guitar, taught myself guitar. And around the time I was teaching myself guitar, I was in middle school and I had a teacher by the name of Barry Weiner, who is also a musical theater composer. He wrote a musical called Calvin Berger, for which he won the Cleveland Award, the Richard Rogers Award. I would highly recommend anyone check out that musical. Calvin Berger is the name of it.

Aaron Tveit was actually in it. It was one of his first gigs. Jeremy Jordan, that was one of his first gigs. Check it out. Sidebar. Got to shout out my mentor because he's pretty much the guy who got me into musical theater. He recognized that I liked to entertain and he suggested I audition for the musical, which was Fiddler on the Roof in sixth grade. And I auditioned and I got cast as Tevye. And I was 11 years old. So that was a hell of a first role for an 11 year old. I did find out in a book called Actors on Actors that Mandy Patinkin also played Tevye at 11 years old as well. So that's kind of a fun fact because I really enjoy him. But anyway, I digress. I did Fiddler on the Roof and I really enjoyed it.

But even then, it was Fiddler on the Roof and the musicals up to a certain point just felt like an opportunity for me to sing, an opportunity for me to be on stage. I wouldn't say I got like the acting bug yet. I just liked to perform and be a ham. And I lived for the applause, like Lady Gaga says. And it wasn't until I think a couple of years later, like sometime in 2009, when The Dark Knight came out. I'm a big comic book nerd. And Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight really, I don't know what it was, but it really did a number on me. It really got me really interested in acting. I think all the mystery behind him passing away and how great he was in the role and winning the Academy Award for that.

I was so enamored with him. And that was when I started to take acting a little bit more seriously. I got into guys like Brando and Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, all the great film actors of our time. And so I got really into acting. And then just like musical theater was there for me to provide an opportunity for me to sing, now musical theater was there. It provided an opportunity for me to act now too. So musical theater just kept popping up into my life because it provided these two things I really loved to do, which were sing and act. And as I got older and older, once I finally got to high school and I started thinking about going to college, I had to sit down with myself and figure out what I wanted to do.

And I said, well, I love singing and I love acting. In musical theater, I could sing and I can act. But the only thing was I didn't know any musicals other than the ones I was in. I wouldn't call myself a theater nerd, even still. I mean, like I know I could shoot the stuff with anyone who knows about theater, but I wouldn't call myself an aficionado. There are people who are way more advanced than I am. And because of that, I needed like a quick crash course in theater. So I went to this program on Long Island called the Long Island High School of the Arts, which is like a half day theater program where you take a bus and you pretty much are trained in theater. And that's where I learned what like every musical ever was instead of the ones I knew.

And I was so behind and I learned what like a 32 bar cut was, a 16 bar cut, what a monologue was, how college auditions go, what a dance call was, what Leducas were. Like I didn't know any of this. I did not know any of this. And I worked really hard and I auditioned for a bunch of schools and Pace was pretty much at the top of that list. And I got a phone call sometime in April, I think, or right before that, March, that I got accepted into Pace. And then from then on, it was just like, my whole time at Pace was like, I was deep into theater. Like I lived and breathed musical theater at that time. So yeah, that's pretty much what got me, I forgot the question, what got me started into theater.

So yeah, so what got me started into theater was kind of like this domino effect of like me liking music and then me liking acting and then me liking to perform. And then it became, before I knew it, I was in musical theater. So everything kind of turned out all right. It had to be that way. It couldn't be any other way.

[7:31] Martín Acuña: So you graduated Pace and what happened in between that and landing your role in Bandstand?

[7:40] Zack Zaromatidis: Oh yeah. So when I graduated Pace, I would love to talk about this because I feel like this is something that a lot of young actors, myself included, because I'm still a young actor, I'd like to think so. I mean, I just turned 25, but a lot of people graduate in college. I think the year post-college is a very, very strange year for everyone, especially actors, because the scale in which you can succeed is so, succeed, I'm putting in quotes for the listeners, the scale in which you can succeed is so vast. We know people who, before they even graduate, have booked a national tour of Hamilton or are going to be making their Broadway debut in a new musical. And then we know people who, once they graduate, say, I don't know if theater was for me to begin with, and I'm going to go get my master's in something else and do something.

And then there's everyone else in the middle who falls in between that, people who are auditioning and working or auditioning and not working or just hustling or doing whatever, working on side projects or whatever. And I was in that boat. And when I graduated, just like a lot of people in a lot of programs, I think a lot of people get fed a certain thing. I was being told like, oh, don't worry, you'll be fine, you'll be fine, you'll be fine. But the year post-college, I really struggled as far as, I think one mental, my mental health was struggling because I was really hard on myself for not booking immediately. I felt like I had to, I felt like I had to follow this trajectory of people, friends who have graduated before me, who graduated, booked something, booked another thing, Broadway, there they go.

And I felt like I was running behind. I felt like I was, yeah, I felt like I was late to the party or that I wasn't good enough to follow that same trajectory. Because I was going for auditions and things I thought I was good for and things I thought I would book in a heartbeat, actor, musician stuff or roles that I worked, I've already played, and I wasn't even getting called back. So I was quite, I was quite upset. There was even one audition where like, I went in for a casting director who I know really, really well, is a good friend of mine, and butchered the audition, butchered it. And I left. And it was first show I wanted to do, I really wanted to do. And I left that audition, I was just crying on the subway.

Because I was like, man, oh, man, like, I thought I was supposed to be, I held myself to such a high standard. And I just kept getting in my head, I kept not working hard enough. And I was really struggling, really, really struggling. And I think it was because I was trying to set goals that weren't mine. You know, I was trying to do what other people did instead of doing what I was what I wanted to do. And I kept finding it that my favorite thing to do at that time was be a member of my band. I have a band called All My Sons, which is based named after the play, the Arthur Miller play. And it's me and a couple of my buddies from college, Nolan Lunsford, who is a great actor, songwriter, and Danny Skandura, who is also a great actor, songwriter, singer.

And my buddy from home, Liam Cashin, John Coyne, great writer, singer, actor, and Corey Giacoma, who was on in Beautiful, one of my best friends. We were in a band and we were gigging across New York. And I kept finding that having that creative outlet, like really saved me. Because I...

[11:57] Zack Zaromatidis: As artists, we need something creative to be doing. Whether it's acting or being in a show or writing or painting or whatever, you name it. We need to be creating something. It's our life force, right? So being in the band really, really put me in a good creative mindset. And being one of the lead singers and writers of the band forced me to be really engaged in the creative process. And with that came a lot of things that eventually bled into Bandstand, which came along around February, I think. And it was kind of like a... I guess I'm rambling on now. But pretty much that was my time in between. I was stressed auditioning. And the only thing that was working out for me was my band.

[13:00] Amit Bhandari: The band. But I love it. I mean, for me and during this whole pandemic, almost two years, this podcast has been my artistic outlet. So I understand completely. And obviously, I graduated college, like my first program in November 2019. And my other program, September last year, I graduated in the middle of the pandemic. So I understand that, like the stress and that weird first year post-college feeling. And also, like, creating very high expectations for what we want to do and more as artists. So I totally get what you're saying. And I think it's amazing that you have created this podcast. I think it's worth saying. I think it's so incredible that you have taken your artistic integrity by the handles and just said, I'm going to create this thing.

And I'm going to do it. And I think that I think so many people should learn from you. Like how special that is that you kind of cultivated this dream for yourself. You said, I'm going to do this. And now you're doing it. So like, that inspires me a ton. And I hope it inspires all your listeners.

[14:25] Zack Zaromatidis: Thank you so much. Going back to your band, are you are the boys still together?

[14:31] Zack Zaromatidis: Ah, yes. Good question. Technically, no. But technically, yes. I mean, it's like, so we are like spread across the country right now. Nolan is in Oregon, where he's from. I'm from New York, but I'm currently living in Austin, Texas. I'll be moving back to New York at the end of the month, at the end of August. My buddy Danny lives in Dallas, but he's not, he's doing his own thing. And then Liam is on Long Island and Corey is in Chicago, shooting a new TV show, 4400. And John, I have no idea what John is doing. I have no idea where he is or because he doesn't use any social media. So I have no idea where he is. He's probably creating something brilliant. But yeah, but I was talking to Nolan and he might be moving to New York again sometime soon. So if he's back, then maybe him and I will rev up the band again. And that would be really great because that was a whole lot of fun.

[15:48] Amit Bhandari: It sounds like and you better do that.

[15:56] Zack Zaromatidis: Yeah, I hope so. Yeah. Okay. I'll make sure we do. So going back to the national tour, how did you land that gig?

[16:01] Zack Zaromatidis: Yes. Okay. Yeah. I figured that was going to be the next question. So I didn't want to go into Bandstand right then. So how did I get Bandstand? So I was working on my job and my day job at the time I was making protein shakes at a fitness class. And while the class was going on and I wasn't making any shakes, I was like on backstage or Playbill, I think it was. And I had saw that there was a posting for Bandstand National Tour. Now, just a week ago from that point, I had kind of, you know, I was in the down and out of it, you know, that horrible audition I had was about two weeks before that. So I like went home, I like spoke to my parents about like where I was at, like spoke to my therapist, like was very, very down and out about everything.

And I kind of like had to come to the conclusion that's like, I need to manifest the things I want career wise. I can't just go in, I have to, like what you did with your podcast, I have to do for myself. I have to kind of cultivate it myself. I have to, if there's something I want, I can't just assume I'm going to get it because I have this skill set. I have to work hard at it. I have to do whatever it is I can. And I'm only, and I, and the projects I want to do, I have to treat them like I want to do them. I can't just go into them and like half ass an audition or like, you know, just because, oh, I had too much work or too much of this. I have to like put in the work and like the things I care less about can sacrifice for the things I want.

Bandstand comes along and I kept, when I saw Bandstand come along, the audition, all I could think about was the first time I had seen the show. I'd seen it my senior year of college with my dad, right before my senior year. It was like the day before classes started. And I was like enamored with Corey Cott. I mean, I was enamored with the whole show, but I left the theater going like, this is exactly what I want to do. This role, this show, it's like a rich and beautiful story with actor musicians. And the character is, I used to say it's an actor's playground and it sounds like super pretentious, but like the character is so much fun to play. I mean, he has, he's, the writers have done such a brilliant job of creating this, this character.

I mean, all the characters in that show are fantastic, but Donnie is just like, man, I was just like, there's so much to play with. And Corey Cott did such an incredible job. And I left the theater, me and my dad are driving back home to Long Island. I'm like, dad, dad is like everything, everything I want to do, like right in front of me. And I kept finding it that it was like weirdly like meta because like in the show, like Donnie, like hears that there's a radio contest and he kind of says like, this is my shot. I saw the Bandstand posting and went, oh my God, this is my shot. And then I was on, I was on the subway listening to Donnie Nowitzki, the first song just going like, holy crap. Like this, like this, this feels right.

Like I have to get this. Like, you know, it's like now or never, like this just feels right. Obviously it's not now or never. I wasn't that dramatic, but I was like, but I was like, oh my God, this like, this feels like a sign. Like I need to go for this. Like I, this is something I want to do. So one audition led to another, led to another callback, led to another callback, led to another callback. And I just kept getting callback, callback, callback. And then I got this one phone call from our director, Gina Radin, who I was, I actually worked with in college and who actually worked with Trent, who you interviewed just a couple of weeks ago. When he was talking about, he was assistant directing Jesus Christ Superstar.

I was in that Jesus Christ Superstar. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So Gina was the director, Trent was the assistant and I was in that show. So that's how Trent and I know each other. Also aside from us just being, you know, from Pace as well, but that was the first time him and I worked together too. But Gina was setting the show, setting Bandstand and she gave me a call and she was like, can you come in and do like the whole show? And I was like, sure. So they sent me every song, like every scene, everything. And I went into the room and did almost the whole freaking show. I did like three scenes, five songs. They gave me a coach, like a vocal coach. And pretty much what that was is I think this is a common thing for young actors who like don't have like, you know, a particularly like, like bigger role to their name.

Because at the time that this was, I mean, still to this day, the biggest thing I've ever done. But before that, I really had only had like maybe a couple of bigger gigs. Like I did Jack Kelly at Cortland Repertory Theatre. And but that wasn't enough to justify me leading the national tour. But this was my big break. So they were like, the producers just want to see if you could handle it, which wasn't nerve wracking at all, like at all. Yeah, no pressure. The producers just want the people who, you know, are paying all the money. They want to see if you could do it. So I went in and I did it. And then after as soon as the next day was a Friday and I got a phone call from my agent after my job, they're like, you booked it.

And I just cried a lot. And then like walked over to my other job and called Gina and my girlfriend came to my job and I told her I got it. And I went to my parents home on Long Island that night. And I was like, can you read this to me? Like, read this email. And yeah, and they started crying. It was like a big, big weepy fest. Like my mom was weeping and my dad was weeping. I was weeping. It was a big deal. It felt like it was a dream come true. It was a dream come true.

[22:42] Amit Bhandari: And I love it. I actually got very excited and emotional just listening to this story. I mean, it's this is just the start of your big break. Like I know this deeply down inside myself. So bigger things are coming.

[23:00] Zack Zaromatidis: Oh, I really appreciate that. Thank you so much. I hope you're right. I hope you're right. You started, well, the tour launched. And how was that experience touring with a company?

[23:15] Zack Zaromatidis: Oh, God, I mean, it's amazing. I mean, I can only speak for what our tour was. Because I've been I've never done another tour before. But I can tell you from that experience that it was probably the best time of my life, particularly because of how special the show was, how special the fans of that show are, and how special our, our cast and crew were like, I actually just FaceTimed. We had like a, I have a group chat with all the guys in the band, in the Donny Nova band. And we pretty much

[24:25] Zack Zaromatidis: All kinds of silly stuff. But back to the tour. Now, being on a tour like that was a lot of work. We only had two weeks of rehearsal, and then a week of previews, and then we were open. So it was essentially a month of hard, hard, hard, hard work. And this show is not easy on any front. Musically, the music is really hard. The scenes are dense. You know, it's not like a walk in the park for actors. It deals with heavy subject matters, PTSD, trauma, grief, real heavy-duty stuff. And you have the expectation to honor that stuff because the show is about veterans. There's an expectation to honor the people who have lost their lives, who have served. So you have to treat it with the utmost respect.

And the dancing is ridiculous. I mean, it's Andy Blankenbuehler, you know, three-time Tony winner. Like, it's no joke. Luckily enough, I got to hide behind the piano. So I didn't do too much dancing. But it's a lot of work. So we had to really drill it really, really quickly. But we got it up on its feet. And then we did previews in Oklahoma City, and then we opened up in Texas. And then touring is hard. You know, there's a lot of times where, especially like tours like Bandstand, we had a lot of like, you know, nine-show weeks, you know, one-nighters, things like that, where like, we're just going back to back to back to back to back. And you have to kind of conserve your energy, you know, pick your battles, which is hard to do.

Because I think, I think there's, I, we've kind of, especially in the theatre world, we've, we've, we think, I think cast recordings have made us believe that like, every performance is the studio quality. One, where in reality, that's just simply not possible. Like you do, in a, in a, in a recording booth, you could give it your all on every take, because you could, you could span out when you're going to sing the next song. Versus in a show, you know, you have to go, well, man, I have a show later today. So I have to, I have to take care of myself, I have to eat right, I have to work out right, I have to do whatever it is that gets me there. But, but so you do it. And, and it was a lot of work.

But man, was it fun. And man, was it special. And, and the best thing was the fans, like the best thing was going out and speaking to people who really connected to the show, speaking to people who, like, to get, I'll tell you my favourite story from, from, from the tour. So we opened the show in the, we opened the show in Texas. And then we did a week at the National, just, it was early, it was literally the beginning of March. So it was right before we closed for COVID. And this, this woman and her husband, this woman's name is Patty Benner. She came to see me, see us at the National, she came to see me at the stage door. And she came up to me and she said, I, my dad was a vet. And we lost him a couple months ago, he passed away.

And I felt like seeing the show and seeing you in the show, you reminded me so much of my dad. And I felt like I got to say goodbye to my dad. I'm getting choked up. I cry a lot. All, all my, everyone who listens to this, who knows me is going to be like, oh, here he goes again. But she said, I felt like I got to say goodbye to my father. And that just moved me so much. The next day, it was a matinee performance, and she came to see the show again with her husband. And she gave me her dad's dog tags, gave me her father's dog tags, and said, he would want you to have these. And I insisted, I was like, there's no way I could take these, like, this is like your family. She was like, no, we have another pair.

You should have them. You should have them. And I, there's, and that's just, that's just my favorite story. You know, there's like, there's so many, like, this veterans group in Huntsville, Alabama, named Bearded Warriors, sent me this incredible message about how accurate the show was, and how it was their favorite show they'd ever seen. We spoke with World War II veterans in Huntsville, Alabama, hearing from veterans or people who knew, who had siblings or loved ones, and talking to people with TAPS, which is the organization we worked with. TAPS came to see opening night at the National, and I got to speak with them. You know, parents of people who passed away, you know, in fact, the last show, I spoke to the parents of a man who passed away, when he was about my age, fighting, fighting for the country.

And, man, that's the stuff that made the tour. And me and my co-star, Jennifer Elizabeth Smith, you know, we, from the gecko, like, always reminded ourselves, like, how lucky we are to be here. You know, like, we never, I'm very proud of that. And I'm very lucky to have had her by my side as my co-star and, like, my partner throughout that whole thing, because she's that kind of person who brings out the best in you. And she always said, like, we're just so lucky. Like, we get to do a show that's this rich. Like, every actor's dream is to do a show, like, this palpable and, like, this meaningful. And we get to do it every day. And even on the worst days, where it feels so hard, we're still the luckiest actors in the world, because we get to be doing the show.

And all the things I just said were the reasons why. The cast, the fans, the material itself, the experiences of being on tour, the silly nights in the hotel rooms and stuff like that. Like, that was my experience on tour. Like, it was just, it was just the ball, man. It was a blast. And it was very, very, very hard. But it was, you know, the best couple months of my life.

[31:05] Martín Acuña: I just love the memory you just shared, because this is what I love about theatre, and especially about musicals, is we transform lives. And we make a change that, as performers, most of the time, we don't get to see. But when we do, we know that we can go every night to bed, saying or feeling that we've done a great work. And we've done everything we can to make this world a bit better. And I just love it.

[31:51] Zack Zaromatidis: That's beautifully said. That is beautifully said.

[31:57] Martín Acuña: I have one question for you. For young performers that want to spend their lives touring, what is your best advice? Because you just shared that touring is hard. It takes a toll on your mental health, on your physical health. You have to have a routine for recovery, and just to keep doing our craft every single night, maybe 9, 10, 11 times a week. What is your best advice for young performers?

[32:36] Zack Zaromatidis: You know, I saw that you were going to ask this question, and this is the one I really had to sit down with. And I really tried to put myself in like, just like, what would I tell myself at the beginning of tour? Now, you know, if I could go back in time and say like, hey, this is what I would say. But even beyond touring, like something I think that's really important for actors, and young actors, especially like, as they grow up, and I think all actors, really. I think, and I kind of touched upon this a little bit with like the cast recording thing. But I think we, as a whole, have become really consumed with like, other performers, and saying, whoa, they have something special, and I want their special.

I want what makes them special. But the thing that makes whatever performer you like, you know, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, you know, Jessie Mueller, you name it. The thing that makes them special is them, is the fact that they own themselves. I spent so much time in college, and post-college, and sometimes now, and before in high school, trying to be the next Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott, trying to be the next Hugh Jackman. But there's already a Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott, Hugh Jackman. Those people already exist. And the reason they exist, and the reason why they work, and the reason why what they do is so compelling, is not because they transform into other people.

It's because they bring themselves to their work. So the thing I wish I knew about myself, instead of trying to like, go into vocal lessons and be like, how do I sound like Steven Pasquale? Like, you know, like, I think every musical theatre actor has done at some point. Like, there's so many things about me, Zach, that are special, that makes a role I play interesting and fun. I actually, I don't want to say interesting. That makes the role I play unique and compelling. Because I'm bringing me to it. Now, I'm just using this as a metaphor, and compelling. Because I'm bringing me to it. Now, I'm just using different parts of me, because we could, as actors, that's all we have is us. We don't have external, I can't, you know, like a costume can help, but all the only tool I have is me. So what I would say to young actors is like, the thing that makes you special,

[37:22] Zack Zaromatidis: At least you brought your own spin to it. Like, let's say, you know, you wanted to go, you wanted to try the character this way. At least you said, you know what, I went with my gut, and I went with my heart, and I went with my artistic, you know, creativity, and my head, and I went for it. And just, and they may have not liked that, but they might like the next one. So that's what I would say, like, to thine own self be true.

[37:46] Martín Acuña: I'm speechless. That was, yeah, I think a lot of people in our industry need to hear this, and more than hear it, use it as a life motto, or maybe a slap of reality when we are auditioning, or when we are double guessing ourselves. And that was beautiful.

[38:18] Zack Zaromatidis: Oh, yeah. I mean, comparison is the thief of joy. You know, like, the more and more we compare ourselves to, you know, other people, like, we'll just, we just, we hurt ourselves. We're just hurting ourselves, you know, when like, there's nothing, you know, every person is special in their own way. So it's better to highlight those things. And I think we're starting to see a little bit of that. I think we are starting to see more actors embracing themselves in any which way, you know, whether it's, you know, like, you know, like, non-binary actors, like being comfortable in themselves to say, like, I can play any, any which role and like, you know, like, I think the casting conversation that has been being had, like, how do we cast things?

I think I'd like to think we're moving in a really positive direction there. We still have a long, long, long way to go. But I hope that we continue to grow and like, we continue to question ourselves and say, like, how, what is the best way we could bring authenticity? And instead of, and I think people at the top, producers and casting and directors, they need to, they need to have the conversation with themselves and go, well, why do the thing that's always been done, when we could get something new, fresh and authentic, and a perspective we've never seen before. Like, think about all the amazing art, like, more voices is only going to produce better art. If we get more voices from, you know, queer writers, writers of colour, women writers, like, the more voices we get, the more room for authenticity we're going to get.

And it's just, I dream of the world where Broadway is just full of like, a million stories instead of just the same old stories we hear. And I think it starts with us as actors not being afraid and taking the risk to say, like, I am who I am. And I'm going to bring myself to this role.

[40:38] Martín Acuña: I love it. I love it. I have a surprise question for you before we close.

[40:46] Zack Zaromatidis: Okay.

[40:47] Martín Acuña: At the beginning, you said you weren't a theatre nerd when you were young, but you got a couple of months, maybe years to catch up. So, top five favourite musical theatre shows. And we already know that Bandstand is the first one.

[41:03] Zack Zaromatidis: Yes. Yes, Bandstand is definitely up there. Let's exclude Bandstand, because I feel like it's unfair. Because I, you know, because I've done it.

[41:13] Martín Acuña: Okay.

[41:14] Zack Zaromatidis: Okay. Favourite shows. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I love, I'm a, I am unapologetically a huge Les Mis fan. I know it's like, I know, I get it. You know, Les Mis has kind of become like a meme in itself. You know, it's just so over the top. But the other day I was watching it and like, there's not a bit of Les Mis you can't just hum. Like every bit. Like everyone knows what that is. Like everyone knows it's Les Mis. It's brilliant. I love Les Mis. Sunday in the Park with George, I think is just one of the best shows ever. Once, that's a show I've always wanted to do as, you know, as a guitar player. That's something I've always wanted to do. That's three. Okay. I'm trying to think of like, songs I listened to on repeat from the show.

I mean, Hamilton's got to be up there too. Like, I'd be a fool to like not to say, because Hamilton is just so great. I'm trying to think of like, times I've sat in the theatre and gone like, that was the best thing I've ever seen. Oh, Great Comet was one of the best things I've ever seen. Was that five? Yeah, but if you have another one in mind, go ahead.

[42:47] Zack Zaromatidis: I have a lot of guilty pleasure musicals. Like, I think the best musicals are the ones that are like, like, it's kind of corny to like them. Because like, Wicked and Les Mis and, you know, Phantom even, like, I think those shows are like, people go like, Oh, come on, like, you know, like, those shows are so, you know, whatever. But like, I think there's a reason there's a method to that madness. Like, there's a reason why Wicked like probably won't ever close. Like, it's brilliant. You know, I think it's great. Obviously, like the classics I love. Oh, like West Side and Oklahoma and Carousel. Yeah, I guess I just named like, nine musicals. So I kind of cheated. But, but if I had to pick like a top three, it's Les Mis once and Sunday in the Park with George.

[43:45] Martín Acuña: Les Mis once and Sunday in the Park with George. Those are my favorites.

[43:48] Zack Zaromatidis: I love it. And then after that, it's like a tie.

[43:53] Martín Acuña: I love it. I love it. Zach, where can people find you?

[43:57] Zack Zaromatidis: Yes, you could find me on Instagram at Zach Zaro. That's where I am on Instagram. I just started a TikTok, which has been a strange endeavor. I feel very, very old on TikTok. At the ripe old age of 25, I feel like a old, old, I like it. It took me four hours to make a TikTok like a week ago. So if you could please go over to my TikTok, which is at Zach Zaro Matitis, which is Z-A-C-K and then Z-A-R-O-M-A-T-I-D-I-S. I know it's a mouthful, but hey, we all have to get used to it together, right? We all have to bear through it. Trust me, I didn't choose it. And I have a YouTube account now where I've been posting my same TikTok stuff, which is, if you just type in my name, Zach Zaro Matitis, you just rewind the podcast if you need to spell it again.

And yeah, and then as far as things coming up, I mean, I should be doing this 80s concert down here at the Zach Theater. It's called the Zach Theater, spelled with an H, not with a K. And then I'm back in New York to see what the next thing in store is. Maybe it's my band, maybe it's another show. We don't know. Who knows? I won't say anything, but you never know. And yeah, that's where you can find me. And any questions for young actors, I'm always here to help. I do coachings, I do guitar lessons and stuff. So feel free to message me on Instagram. If you need a little pep talk, I'm always here. That goes for you too, man. Don't be a stranger. And yeah, that's all I got. And you can also go to my agent's website, you know, just look up my name, which I think that's where you got my stuff, isn't it?

[46:04] Martín Acuña: Yeah.

[46:04] Zack Zaromatidis: Bingo, I knew it. I was like, where? I was like, that's how you knew about Fiddler on the Roof. I think once I heard the old men thing, I was like, I totally said that in my agent bio. That's totally it.

[46:18] Martín Acuña: Yeah, that's part of research.

[46:20] Zack Zaromatidis: Brilliant. Brilliant. Kudos. Kudos to you. It took me this whole podcast to figure it out.

[46:26] Martín Acuña: Well, Zach, thank you so much. I've loved your advice, your words of wisdom. And I cannot wait because I know great things are on your way.

[46:41] Zack Zaromatidis: So thank you so much for being over.

[46:43] Zack Zaromatidis: Thank you so much for having me, man. I really, really appreciate it. This has been a blast. And best of luck. Like I said, you should be so proud of yourself for this amazing podcast. You know, Backstage Talk is like, I feel like just I remember you following me like a couple months ago and then I checked back and like all you had all these people you had interviewed already and like the quality of your podcast are so high. Like, I think the same of you. I think this is just the beginning of a very, very long career for you. So I'm happy we met now.

[47:20] Martín Acuña: Thank you so much.

[47:21] Zack Zaromatidis: Of course. Of course. This has been a real pleasure.

[47:27] Martín Acuña: Thanks, everyone, for listening to this new episode of Backstage Talk. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Backstage Talk Podcast.