Dear Multi-hyphenate
Michael Kushner, a photographer, producer, and performer, gathers the best movers and shakers in the industry and discusses the ways to get art done - without waiting for a green light. We will share personal accounts of moments that moved us, changed us, and propelled us into being artists who have multiple proficiencies, which cross pollinate to help flourish professional capabilities.
All Episodes
S2; EP 7 -- Spencer Liff: Why Can't It Be Me?
“You have to say yes to everything. You have to put yourself in every room you can. It's not learning from one person, it’s going to learn from as many people as possible. Noone is going to hand it to you on a silver platter.” In this episode we discuss… Making his Broadway debut at 10 years old.
S2; EP 6 -- David Henry Hwang: Yellow Face
“The advice that I would give myself now is not that different than what I believed was true 30 or 40 years ago, which is the thing that makes you different… the thing that makes you unique, idiosyncratic, weird… that is your superpower as a writer.
S2; EP 5 -- Lindsey Ferrentino: The Fear of 13
Where does a playwright start from? Would a playwright identify as a multi-hyphenate if they span genre, style, and medium of writing? How does a playwright break into both Broadway and the West End?
S2; EP 4 -- Cameron Monaghan & Natalie Rebenkoff: Great Work Survives
Many people go to college for theatre so one can become an educated actor. Through technique and tools, this will help the actor sustain a healthy and rich career. But what are students getting in terms of theatre business?
S2; EP 3 -- Hannah Solow: Oh, Mary!
Hannah Solow is probably one of the funniest people on the planet. She creates hysterical characters on social media, is a stand up comic, and musical theatre performer. In this very funny episode, we dive into specific social media practices, grabbing control of your career, how getting cast in Broadway’s hit OH, MARY!
S2; EP 2 -- Michael Cyril Creighton: Only Multi-Hyphenates in the Building
Who is absolutely loving HULU’s Only Murders in the Building? I am! On this episode of Dear Multi-Hyphenate, we have the loveable Michael Cyril Creighton who plays Howard Morris on Only Murders in the Building on HULU.
S2; EP 1 -- Lea Delaria: The Gay Agenda
Welcome back to Dear Multi-Hyphenate! It is Season Two and let’s kick it off with superstar multi-hyphenate Lea Delaria.
#103 - Adam DeCarlo: Post Pandemic Practices
“I love self tapes in the post pandemic world.” Why? Why does Adam love self tapes when so many other actors don’t? How can we embrace them? In fact, how can we embrace and adapt post-pandemic practices into our lives? Let’s face it – the industry looks different.
#102 - Jodi Carter: Taxes and Financial Mentality
“What ever jobs you have on your path to where you're trying to get to to your vision all matter. And the fact that we call these things a side hustle or we talk about ‘the unwanted jobs' and all of those types of descriptions… it's not empowering people.” -- Jodi Carter.
#101 - Scott Barnhardt: The Worth of a College Degree
“If I were king of the mountain and I got to say how all arts education was – I would actually say the idea of being curiously creative is key; testing out all the ideas and options.” – Scott Barnhardt.
#100B - Rob Madge: I Find the Industry Hysterical
“Collaboration is the most crucial thing you can do. Even if you are writing a solo show for yourself, for your family’s story, show it to somebody – share it with somebody.” - Rob Madge. Rob Madge is about to open their solo play on Broadway – so how did it go from home videos to fringe to West End to Broadway?
#100A - Busy Philipps: Point of View
“The greatest success for actors comes … when they sort of let go of the idea that there's something that they need to be and they relax into the idea that who they are is the gift and they just need to bring that to the work.” - Busy Philipps.
#99 - Jordan Kai Burnett: It's Okay to Love It
“If I had just focused on this one thing, I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to experience the life that I’ve had, which has been pretty sick.” -- Jordan Kai Burnett. In this episode we discuss… Agism in the industry. Is there a French Woods and Stage Door competition?
#98 - Hope Boykin: We Can Be Grateful and Frustrated at the Same Time
“I don’t give you a trophy for showing up. I don’t applaud a bird for flying or a fish for swimming. You chose to be here and so you got to eat a little sand from the sandbox because it builds up your immunity.” In this episode we discuss… What do you do when you start to become a leader?
#97 - Frances Ruffelle & Norman Bowman: Frankie & Beausy Perfect the Cabaret
“It’s really, really important for them to see cabaret, go and see other people… go and see who’s good, go and see who’s bad, go and see what they want to portray because what I have noticed in the past, a lot of young people do a cabaret and you say, “What have you seen, what inspired you?” And a lot of them say, “Well, I haven’t been.” - Tony Winner Frances Ruffelle.
#96 - Jai Rodriguez: A Thousand Sweet Kisses
“Trail blazers very rarely get to reap the benefits of the very trail they helped blaze.” This conversation with Jai Rodriguez is a perfect conversation when it comes to being a multi-hyphenate. What happens if we get pigeon holed into one thing?
#95 - Sarah Looper: Building A Wine Community
“It’s fascinating how other people, because they don’t feel comfortable with the changes you’re making, feel more comfortable if you are just one thing.” - Sarah Looper, Episode 95 of Dear Multi-Hyphenate. If Sarah Looper is anything – she’s herself… but it took a second to get there.
#94 - Shivani Desai: Don’t Overpitch Yourself
“At its core, fundamentally being a multi-hyphenate is, to me, about exploration and not limiting yourself to one particular thing just because your natural strengths lie in that one particular thing.” -- Shivani Desai.
#93 - Jamie Forshaw: Producing with Passion at Madison Wells Live
“The minute we think we know everything, or do everything… we become irrelevant.” – Jamie Forshaw. What happens when we stop learning? What happens when we stop exploring? That’s what makes Jamie Forshaw’s artistry as a producer with Madison Wells Live extremely personal and special – he doesn’t stop exploring.
#92 - BroadwayCon 2023 LIVE!
“For anybody that’s struggling or does not believe in themselves, you just have to keep going because one day it will happen and it will be the most glorious thing of your whole lives. So, never stop. Never stop.” – Marla Mindelle. It’s BroadwayCon 2023!
#91 - Alex Donnelly: A Numbers Guy
“Be as specific as humanly possible. Don’t tell someone that you want to be a trader. Tell them that you want to be the oil and gas exploration, large cap, single name, U.S.
#90 - Lydia-Renee Darling: Breaking Out of the Scarcity Mindset
“If you’re branching into the U.K. market post Brexit, it’s going to be a nightmare and I don’t say that to dissuade you, just to remind you that what I did was very specific.” - Lydia-Renee Darling. In this episode we discuss: Pandemic panic! Grad panic!
#89 - Renrick Palmer: Way Your Way to Success
“It’s the people who hang in there the longest who get to reap the benefits.” Sometimes multi-hyphenating in the theatre includes hyphens we didn’t know could affect each other. This amazing episode includes insight from actor – Veteran – writer Renrick Palmer.
#88 - Giles Terera: Hamilton & Me
“The only thing you can control is what you take into [the audition], I always like to think, like the work that you’ve done – and as you say – who you are. You can control that, you can work on that. Often we put that to the side and go, what do they want to see?
#87 - Jonathan Estabrooks: Creating a Production Business
“I am living my best life. Honestly, the multi-hyphenate life, for me, is the best life. I can wake up and I am never bored. I am engaged and driven to work on different things.” Jonathan Estabrooks went to Juilliard for opera, but just like many of us, turned his other interests into professional capabilities.
#86 - Billy Porter: Leaning into Your Authenticity
“Well, I’m first generation post Civil Rights movement. I came out in 1985, right in the middle of the AIDS crisis. And we went straight to the front lines to fight for our lives. It was Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS and The Actor’s Fund that taught an entire generation how to activate.
#85 - Judy Gold: Yes, I Can Say That!
“In this business, in this show-fucking-business, you have to reinvent yourself so many times. The attention span is zero and you have to also realize that most people who hire actors or any kind of performer or artist, will remember you from the first time they saw you.
#84 - Derek McLane & Eila Mell: Designing Broadway
Tony and Emmy Winning Production Designer Derek McLane and Eila Mell have come together to create the new hit book Designing Broadway, available wherever books are sold! This episode is incredible for all artists – especially theatre designers who are beginning to explore their multi-hyphenate identities.
#83 - Michael Minarik: Cheap Happiness or Lofty Suffering?
What if training to be on Broadway didn’t cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars? What if it didn’t come with some of the toxic environments students often experience when studying for their BFA? What if students can train intensively in a safer and more equitable space?
#82 - Ilana Levine: My Jewish Goddess
Ilana Levine has got a lot of stories. I mean, a lot of stories. From Mel Brooks to Edie Falco to Michael Mayer, Ilana’s career path is a testament to who she is: an incredible talent and a brilliant human being.
#81 - LaQuet Sharnell Pringle: Geared Up: Awake and Aware
Broadway’s LaQuet Sharnell Pringle (they/them/she/her) is an absolute powerhouse. Here’s some of the incredible topics we cover: Making friends in our 30s. Preparing for relationships to close after the closing of a show. Craving ensemble and family.
#80 - Stephen Adly Guirgis: Sometimes You Don’t Find a Way Through
“I’m aspiring, even at 57 now, to try to be more free.” What’s in this episode? What is a multi-hyphenate to Mr. Guirgis? How writing made him respect other writer’s writing. Why do people think multi-hyphenates aren’t a thing? Scene work with Daphne Rubin-Vega.
#79 - Douglas Lyons: Making Money in the Theatre
“Broadway is like going to the NBA. But do you really want to play basketball everyday? That’s different – waking up and wanting to play ball is different than waking up and wanting to go Broadway.
#78 - Carson Kressley: 'Saying Yes'
“I think that multi-hyphenates, and I’m flattered to be included in that bracket, they’re just creatives. It’s like you have a drivers license but some days you drive a truck, and some days you drive a car, and some days you drive a forklift, or whatever – the vehicle changes but I think they artist’s heart is always the same.
#77 - Ken Davenport: Producing 101
“I believe the world is a better place if there is more theatre in it. There is only more theatre in it if there are more people making it. So, I do everything I can to help inspire, educate people to make more theatre. Does that mean I can produce every show?
#76 - Sarah Jones: Sell/Buy/Date
Tony-winning writer and performer, Sarah Jones, is making her directorial debut when her new film Sell/Buy/Date which Cinedigm will be releasing in theaters in LA on October 14th, NYC on October 21st, and streaming in November on Amazon Prime.
#75 - é boylan: The Catalyst for Gathering
“There is something that I think gets in my way, or has gotten in my way in the past when thinking about the multi-hyphenate,” says é boylan. “And I think it’s the hyphen. It’s the idea why I like I’m a non binary human that doesn’t like to hyphenate the non and the binary because that’s another binary!
#74 - Ari Axelrod: Jewish Identities in Show Business
This episode is special. I mean… really special. Ari Axelrod is an artist and I’ve seen him in action, growing throughout the years. The episode is sort of broken down into three parts. What crafts a great cabaret? Our views on the multi-hyphenate.
#73 - Carl Moellenberg: The Path to Survival
“All of a sudden,” says Moellenberg. “While I was sitting there, I literally heard for about 15 - 20 minutes a deep, male voice, which I assumed was a higher being, telling me that I had a long life to live.
#72 - Carol Burnett & Eila Mell: The Majestic is Fit for a Prince
#themajesticisfitforaprince. When Carol Burnett wants something done, it's gotta get done. That's why fashion writer and producer Eila Mell joined forces with Burnett to start the campaign The Majestic is Fit for a Prince, getting the Broadway, television, and film industries to rally behind the renaming of this legendary theatre.
#71 - Greg Carruthers of EveryBODY On Stage: Fatphobia in the Theatre Industry
“People are dying from your fatphobia and that’s wild. We are so hung up on the way theatre has looked forever that we can’t change our perspective enough to literally save people’s lives.” TW: Discussion of eating disorders. I found Greg on TikTok.
#70 - Charles Busch: Too Gay for the Industry
“I’ve been blessed with a somewhat pragmatic view, and I had a good sense of who I was and what I had to offer.” Charles Busch has been around a while… and in the meantime. He is one of the first self-producers and self-advocates in the industry.
#69 - Robbie Rozelle: Broadway Adjacent: Sopranos Need Jokes
“You have to choose yourself and other people will choose you.” – Robbie Rozelle on what he learned from the late Jan Maxwell. There’s a lot of musical theatre references in this episode, folks. Proceed with caution!
#68 - LIVE @ BroadwayCon 2022: John Cariani, Kaisha Huguley, Michael Kushner, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and Jen Waldman
This amazing episode features an incredible live panel from BroadwayCon 2022, featuring some of the leading multi-hyphenates in the Broadway, television, and film communities. Topics include process and product, boundaries, and so much more.
#67 - Jared Grimes: My Gifts Are Not A Distraction
“Being a multi-hyphenate is not a disability – it’s an ability. It’s an advantage.” Jared Grimes is a Tony Nominated actor currently starring in Funny Girl on Broadway. His effervescent energy lights up the stage every night at The August Wilson Theatre.
#66 - Moisés Kaufman: Building Theatre from the Ground Up
“Visibility equals donors. The more work you do, the more you’re out there, the more people come to see the shows, the more you continue to maintain your lists of who is coming to see the work – the more easy fundraising becomes.” What is the future of theater making?
#65 - Melissa Rose Hirsch: We Are All the Same, Afterall
“Birth is art. Birth is theatrical. Birth is a nothing to a something. Birth is a ceremony. Birth is a transformation. So, my art – my writing, my blog writing, my performing, my acting – has gotten so much wider ever since I’ve witnessed birth.
#64 - Roman Molino Dunn: It's Not About You
“When I was younger I tended to think that I was an artist, and now I tend to think I’m more of an artistic collaborator… at least in my job. I’m certainly and artist at heart but when it’s for work, it’s not about me.” Calling all artists who are collaborators!
#63 - Dani Stoller: Jewish Representation & Washington D.C. Multi-Hyphenation
“For myself, I think for a long time I was worried that if I got my mental health and spiritual health in check… then I would lose the things that made me a really good artist.” Dani Stoller is unapologetic.
#62 - David Loud: Sometimes You Have to Learn the Hard Way
“To see your heroes fail,” continues Loud, “is to learn something really important at the beginning of someone’s career. Anybody can have a bomb. Anybody can flop.
#61 - Rye Myers: Hey Listen! Marketing, Producing, and Sponsorships in the Theatre
“I think with mistakes and failure, you really learn who the other person is.
#60 - Sarah Hamaty: Everything and Nothing
“Art and business… we’ve tried to blend it but it’s very difficult because art lacks boundaries sometimes.” - Sarah Hamaty. Buckle your seatbelts because Sarah Hamaty is a rollercoaster of emotion, insight, and spirit.
#59 - Brian Jordan Jr.: People See Me As Revolutionary
“I think collaboration is the birthplace for brilliance.” - Brian Jordan Jr. Isn’t it amazing how in our industry you can move to one place just to get relocated in a new town? Brian Jordan Jr., had that exact experience. He moved from Atlanta to LA… only to go back to Atlanta.
#58 - Christine Pedi: Drop Your Pants And Go
“I just love the warmth of being in a cabaret. It’s my favorite place to be next to a Broadway theatre. Maybe more so because you get food.” Multi-hyphenates don’t always start as actors.
#57 - Leigh Silverman: What is Essential?
“It is, I think in the funhouse of this time, a very, very hard thing to feel like the job that you do and the way that you do it, and the life that you’ve chose as your north star is not there… and not only a thing you always felt was essential, but you really start to understand the word essential and you understand it differently and you understand it doesn’t include you.” - Leigh Silverman.
#56 - Josh Johnston: Wiping My Feet at the Door
“You’re only the new kid in town once. I disagree with that. You’re the new kid in town every six months because everyone has a short memory.” - Josh Johnston. Happy 2022, everyone! Born into a theatre family, Josh Johnston has a perspective on the industry fresh enough to start the new year right.
#55 - Peppermint: Different Hands on Different Balls
“You run the high risk of something suffering,” says Peppermint about multi-hyphenating on an Executive level. Peppermint is Broadway and television royalty. As coming in second place on her season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Peppermint is the first queen to enter as an openly trans woman.
#54 - Jennica McCleary: Disney's Own Winnie Sanderson
“For years I was referring to myself as a Swiss Army Knife of talent,” says Jennica McCleary. Artists often say, “and then one thing led to another,” but what does that mean? Jennica McCleary is a Bette Midler impersonator based in Orland, Florida.
#53 - Ben Fankhauser: It Always Works Out
What’s it like to open the first new musical post Broadway shut down? Ben Fankhauser and Alex Wyse have come together to create A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, a new musical playing Off-Broadway at the DR2 Theatre in NYC.
#52 - Jason Rodriguez: Agencies in the Theatre Industry
“Wow, first of all I love that word. When I first saw it in an email, I was like, ‘It’s gotta be the cousin to multi-faceted’ because that’s the word I carry with me.” Jason tried for the conservatory. He tried for Macbeth. He tried to be the Latinx Carrie Bradshaw.
#51 - Roger Q. Mason: Wig the F*ck Out
“Child, I said dust mites of opportunity -- Lord help us, Jesus.” Roger Q. Mason (they/them) is an energy like no other. When they were twelve years old, Mason felt the most free when standing on stage -- which was taken away by queer shaming and gener policing.
#50 - Nina West: Drag Race ASMR
“As multi-hyphenates, we are living boldly and loudly. We’re putting a lot on the line, right? In a world that’s full of judgement -- you’re allowing a lot of people in a lot of different ways to be like, “I wonder how this turns out.” Andrew Levitt attributes his lengthy stay at Drag Race to the many years he’s dedicated to building his career.
#49 - Alex Matteo: The Saturn Return
According to Alex, a multi-hyphenate is someone who sees the world and wants to offer their own prism. All her friends think she’s crazy -- with her crystals adorning her dressing room at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway.
#48 - Carlie Craig: Have the Finish Line in Place
Carlie Craig (MadTV) and host Michael Kushner started their journey into the theatre industry together when they were young kids. Growing up doing theatre in a facility that houses national tours, music performances, comedians, fine art and more - it allowed us to be exposed to a plethora of different kinds of art.
#47 - Erik Liberman: The Near Death Experience
Happy Pride! "Ultimately, I think our job as artists is to share the secrets of our heart so that others may be set free... saving our own lives so that others can save theirs." Erik Liberman soothes the soul, simple as that.
#46 - L Morgan Lee: The Perception of the Multi-Hyphenate
Happy Pride! “The type of multi-hyphenate I am is I need to really clearly be able to compartmentalize what version of myself is being put into what thing.
#45 - Mary Jo McConnell: Healing: The Artist & The Combat Soldier
“I am a believer in the ‘Why’. Once I owned that purpose, once I identified that that was my purpose… all my hyphens made sense. Instead of feeling like a jack of all trades, master of none - I was finally under this umbrella of ‘Why’.
#44 - Vasthy Mompoint: Find Your Treehouse
“I think there needs to be a new wave of producers who lead from the heart. Producing can be an artistic, beautiful process if you choose to make it that way.” Vasthy Mompoint has frequented Broadway in shows such as The Prom, Spongebob, Mary Poppins, and more.
#43 - Jen Waldman: The Titanic Leader
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on him not understanding it.” If we looked at the industry like a cell, Jen Waldman would be the mitochondria, or the powerhouse.
#42 - Christine Toy Johnson: Breaking the Color Barrier
“Being open to the idea that your dreams coming true often look very different to how you first imagine them.” Bringing compassion and kindness; intentional generosity into whatever space is possible. That’s what Come From Away’s Christine Toy Johnson is all about.
#41 - PennyWild: An Artist's Guilt
“It’s not going to be perfect, but nothing is perfect. The hardest thing about making music is finishing music.” How does the multi-hyphenate differ from coast to coast? On this episode of Dear Multi-Hyphenate, dj-choreographer-producer-performer, wasn’t originally drawn to the word multi-hyphenate or “Renaissance Woman”.
#40 - Alex Wyse: "Oh, the Humanity!"
“I don’t feel good about myself in the day unless I’m making something.” This inspiring and hysterical episode is just two gay, Jewish boys kibbitzing about our trajectories in the theatre while breaking down stereotypes and expectations.
#39 - Stephanie Klapper: Multi-Hyphenates & The Casting Director
Casting directors are often seen as gatekeepers to opportunities in the industry - but does the multi-hyphenate approach help them? The answer is yes. We’ve all had audition horror stories - and whether or not it’s the casting directors fault our own, it’s never too late to live and learn.
#38 - Tsilala Brock: Standards of Excellence
Tsilala Brock is letting life thrill her, though she originally had trouble with coming to terms with her multi-hyphenate identity. Her journey was calling upon skills and proficiencies that she didn’t necessarily study in college.
#37 - Backstage Bazaar: Helping Out The Purple Squirrel
"When someone asks you to do a job - you just say yes and then you figure out how to do it later on." Though that might sound backwards - the lesson is to open the door and at least welcome opportunity - that's what this episode is all about.
#36 - Kaisha Huguley: Creating On Tik Tok
Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. And now Tik Tok? After changing her major seven times, Kaisha Huguley went from Government worker to fresh faced artist in NYC. When her co-workers asked her where she'd be working in New York, they expected her to say The United Nations - but Kaisha had other plans...
#35 - Kimberly Faye Greenberg: Multi-tasking vs. Multi-Hyphenating
Used to being looked at like a crazy person, Kimberly Faye Greenberg spins many different plates. She is an actor, an educator, a dresser on Broadway, created her own one woman show based on the life Fanny Brice, and the founder of her business, The Broadway Expert.
#34 - Carly Valancy: The Reach Out Party!
This episode, featuring Carly Valancy, focuses on creating a condition in which something might happen. One action, one motion and bam - you're able to tell your story from your perspective. Sounds simple - and it's something that Carly, founder of The Reach Out Party, has mastered.
#33 - Michael McElroy: It's Too Easy To Go Back to the Way Things Were
Journeys are filled with lots of hills and valleys, or valleys of preparation. In those valleys, there are moments that are needed because there is something you have to navigate or move through to appreciate when you're standing on the mountaintop again.
#32– Grace McLean: The Bisy Backson
A multi-hyphenate is usually busy, and that's seen as a compliment - but why? And does it have to be a compliment? Great Comet's Grace McLean has a lot of interests all stemming from the same seed, and in this episode, the ferocious Broadway actor and musician chats about her latest endeavour, In the Green, which played Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3's Claire Tow Theater in 2019.
#31 - Priya Mahendra: The Common Denominator
Priya Mahendra loves show business. After growing up in an Indian household filled with music, she grew up to live the life we see on Entourage, but just recently decided to start performing.
#30 - Rona Siddiqui: Fortitude: Seeing An Idea Through
Rona Siddiqui is an award-winning composer/lyricist, orchestrator and music director. As well as music directing the Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop (Michael R. Jackson), she is the recipient of the 2020 Jonathan Larson Grant and the 2019 Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award, and was named one of Broadway Women's Fund's Women to Watch.
#29 - Sophie Thompson: Oddities and Shenanigans
Olivier Award Winning Sophie Thompson has been one of Michael's inspirations since he studied abroad in London and saw her play Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre. Sophie may not think she is a multi-hyphenate, but does Michael have what it takes to convince her?
#28 - Tia Altinay: Building A Plane As You're Flying It
When is it time to explore something knew? There is no letter that falls out of the sky telling you it's time to start your next journey - but there are hints, Universal hints, and conversations that lead you in that direction.
#27 - Mei Ann Teo: Passion & Purpose
Mei Ann Teo is the current Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory in New York City. They are a queer immigrant from Singapore making theatre & film at the intersection of artistic/civic/contemplative practice.
#26 - Anthony Norman: A Good, Consistent Pee Schedule
Anthony Norman (The Prom) is a budding multi-hyphenate who identifies as an actor / musician and coffee enthusiast. Anthony is an incredible, sensitive, and hysterical artist who made his Broadway debut in a different way than he expected.
#25 - Brad Oscar: Beshert! It’s a Great Word!
This episode with Tony Nominee Brad Oscar is simply a love letter to the greats of Broadway like Madeline Kahn and Jonathan Freeman. We don't talk much about multi-hyphenating, but if you like two Jewish boys connecting over musical theatre, Broadway debuts, and Beshert moments...
#24 - Alet Taylor: Punk Ass Bitch
Alet, a punk-ass-bitch (as someone called her in a lingerie store) is a force, but didn't tap into it until she achieved sobriety after going to rehab. "You're going to be extraordinarily productive - the way your brain works," her social worker told her.
#23 - Lori Wheat: I Wish I Had A Formula
When do you know it's time to stop what you're doing and change paths? Sometimes multi-hyphenating isn't about doing everything you've always known to be true. Sometimes it's going on a journey and learning new things. Lori Wheat went on ONE audition in NYC and shifted gears.
#22 - John Schwab: The Multi-Hyphenate Superpower
John Schwab is a West End performer, producer, director, and creator of the online database ‘Curtain Call’. He started his journey with computer technology in South Korea... how did he end up in the arts? And how does he use knowledge of technology to this day?
#21 - Ned Donovan: Say ‘Oui’... Then Google It
What is work? It looks differently for everyone. We can work all day, but at the same time not work at all. Ned Donovan is a high-tech, fast thinking actor, fight choreographer, content creator, and producer who is always on the move and constantly learning new proficiencies.
#20 - Al Silber: Human Being, Not A Human Doing
Alexandra Silber is a Broadway & West End actress, two time novel writer, and educator. This episode covers a lot of bases, but most importantly the common denominator is courage. When do we start to at a hyphen to our identity? How do we even discover our hyphens?
#19 - Kate Rockwell & Tracey Eden: A Mouse, Duh!
In this special how-to episode, Mean Girls’ Kate Rockwell and Empress 1908 Gin’s Tracey Eden join Dear Multi-Hyphenate in some cocktail making fun. This amazing cocktail is Karen from Mean Girls inspired and is literally... so good.
#18 - Lindsay Lavin: Make Up' Your Own Path
Lindsay Lavin is a talented performer and make up artist. Because of her new found love of make up and hair artistry, Lindsay has been able to spend energy on projects she wants to do, not has to do. Through her new hyphen, Lindsay has discovered her place in the industry is more clear than ever.
#17 - Dimitri Moise: Discovering Your Call To Action
Beautiful and The Book of Mormon’s Dimitri Moise is a queer, HIV+ activist, now the co-chair of Claim Our Space Now. COSN, featured in Forbes, an organization emboldening urgent action to dismantle white supremacy.
#16 - Tonya Pinkins: Career, Clairvoyance & Country
Tony Winner and legend Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam, Play On!, and Caroline, or Change) joins Dear Multi-Hyphenate speaking on the energy and clairvoyance it takes to have a career in the arts. Tonya is an actor, writer, teacher, producer, director, podcaster, activist.
#15 - John McGinty: Art Isn't Easy, But Inclusion Is
In this special edition of Dear Multi-Hyphenate, Michael speaks with John McGinty an actor and advocate, who happens to be deaf. We ask hard hitting questions, but the answer is we can always do better. Michael and John are joined by his interpreter Nicole Cartagena.
#14 - Ashley Kate Adams: Marinate the Chicken
Ashley Kate Adams had a total shift in gear after her Broadway show closed just a few weeks after she joined. This positive force of nature brightens any room she walks into with her sunny disposition and laser beam focus.
#13 - Rachel Brosnahan: Covenant House: Get Involved
Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Rachel Brosnahan (Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel joins me on a conversation that focuses on Rache's advocacy.
#12 - Remy Germinario (featuring Caroline Lagerfelt): Our Experience is Our Own Greatest Tool
Remy Germinario is a stand up comic who has also done the one man comedy Buyer and Cellar three times around the country. But can a stand up comic also be a dramatic actor? You bet.
#11 - Cynthia Henderson: The Why Of It All (Or A Masterclass in Acting)
Cynthia Henderson is one of the original multi-hyphenates still leading by example. Not only is she a professor at Ithaca College, but Cynthia is Fulbright Scholar, working actor, producer, director, writer, and travels to some of the most dangerous parts in the world working on Theatre for Social Change.
#10 - Elena Garcia: I Will Not Apologize
Carbonell Award Winning actor Elena Maria Garcia will not apologize. And she shouldn't. Garcia is a tough cookie with the kindest heart. She is a warror of her art and continues to inspire artists from all over the world.
#9 - Randy Graff: Just Being Jewish
Randy Graff (Tony Winner for City of Angels, Original Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway) joins Michael as a cultivator and supporter of multi-hyphenates. This podcast episode is supremely Jewish, full of laughs, and chocolate.
#8 - DeAnne Stewart and Ryan Mac: That's supposed to mean Support
Michael talks with DeAnne Stewart (Jagged Little Pill) and Ryan Mac (Anastasia National Tour) 38 days into quarantine during the CoVid-19 Outbreak. The three of them have been best friends since Freshman year at Ithaca College.
#7 - JJ Maley: A Young Producer's Journey
After three weeks into quarantine, life has changed big time for us artists. In this episode with JJ Maley, one of the youngest producers in NYC, there are plenty goodies to implement in your life that will help with the busiest of schedules, or schedules that have been turned upside down because of CoVid-19.
#6 - Angela Grovey: Does It Make Me Happy?
Michael speaks with Angela Grovey (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Joyful Noise, Newsies, Escape to Margaritaville) on balancing art and serving. On top of performing on stage and screen, Angela works with Covenant House and Broadway Inspirational Voices - two opportunities for Angela to inflict change.
#5 - Liz Flemming and Tina Scariano: The 5x5 Rule
Michael talks with Liz Flemming and Tina Scariano, two powerhouse women changing the face of how we produce theatre. Straight from a full day of planning a colorful season at Out of the Box Theatrics, Liz and Tina join for a bright and engaging conversation on fate, family, and the 5x5 rule.
#4 - Erin Kommor: Mental Health is Fierce
Michael talks with Erin Kommor (NBC's Rise) about tools that help balance the stresses of multi-hyphenation. This episode is balanced with humor, truth, and lots of talk about food. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner. @thedressingroomproject.
#3 - Adam Hyndman: Comparison is the Thief of Joy
Michael talks with Adam Hyndman, a multi-hyphenate whose work as a performer can be found in Hadestown and as a producer in The Inheritance. Yes, Adam has two shows on Broadway at once, both using two different proficiencies.
#2 - The Skivvies: Starting From Scratch
Michael talks with Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, the brains and bodies behind (or under) The Skivvies. In this episode, they discuss creating something out of nothing and turning a small youtube video into a Broadway band with thousands of fans!
#1 - What is a Multi-Hyphenate?
Host Michael Kushner describes what it is to be a Multi-Hyphenate. Tune into discover if you are getting the most out of your artistry and how to juggle multiple proficiencies to help cross pollinate professional capabilities..
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