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[0:13] David Alpert: Welcome to E-Ticket to Broadway, where Broadway meets Main Street.

[0:19] David Alpert: Here's your host, my pal, David Alpert.

[0:25] David Alpert: Hi everyone, this is David, your host for E-Ticket to Broadway, where Broadway meets Main Street. In this overture episode, I wanted to share a little about myself so the why behind this podcast becomes a little clearer. I never thought in a million years that I would ever start a podcast, but I have to tell you, in conducting these interviews and adding them all together, it's been incredibly fun and truly a way for us to connect about shared passions. I'm a director in New York City. I'm originally from Michigan, but New York City has been home for nearly 13 years, and I always wanted to be a director. I clearly remember in fifth grade the assignment was to fill out an about me poster, and one box of it was, What do you want to be when you grow up?

And I said, director. And I remember the teacher said, Oh, like Hollywood. I said, No, I want to be a Broadway director. I've always been a theater kid. I went to college for it, I studied directing, and I moved to New York, and in my 13 years there, I've been so fortunate to work with incredible people on some amazing projects.

[1:45] David Alpert: My dad is from LA and he actually went opening summer, and there's this great photo of him on the bridge to Frontierland from that opening summer. And my mom is from Paris, but eventually landed in Los Angeles her senior year of high school, and she celebrated Gradnight there. So the Disneyland gene is strong in my family. My parents moved to Michigan after they were married, but every summer and winter we would take trips to see the family in Los Angeles, and there would always be a trip to Disneyland. Once we landed at LAX, we would always then go to the car rental place, and while the parents were, you know, securing the deal with the car, my sisters and I would pour over that Disneyland brochure that was found in every rental car company's lobby.

And it was always fun because this was before the internet, of course, so we could see pictures of new rides and we could see the map and any updates. That would also begin the moment I would start mentally planning for the trip, whether or not we were sure we were going to go. It usually did happen on most trips. We would be told which day we were going to Disneyland. And for me, this was a national holiday. It was a cause to celebrate. I loved it so much from such a young age.

[3:18] David Alpert: Early the next morning, usually much later than I wanted to go, we would finally get in the car, and on the way down the five freeway, we would play name that show tune, because that's what my family is like. We love musical theater and we love Disneyland. So you can clearly see the reasons behind this podcast. As we got closer to Disneyland, we would always play that great game of who can spot the Matterhorn first or Space Mountain. And it just kept me so excited along the way. There was also that outlet mall on the way there. It's on the left-hand side if you're going south to Anaheim, which kind of looks like a castle, and my parents would tease us that we were at Disneyland once we passed it.

Going to the parks was a lot of fun because we got to go with our grandparents, with our aunts and uncles and cousins, and it was kind of the one day as a kid that we weren't in the car going back and forth from the valley to West LA. We were all in the same place for the entire day. Even in the early days when we had to, you know, bring our packed lunches and drink that really warm carbonated coke in the picnic areas just outside the gates, it was still this magical escape for us. My parents would point out their parents' favorite rides and their traditions, which became our traditions, many of which I still hold on to to this very day. It's all very fiddler on the roof.

[4:44] David Alpert: One of my favorite traditions is visiting the commemorative brick in the Esplanade that I purchased from my family in 2006, right after I'd worked for the parks. C30 639. Every time I go to Disneyland, I always have to stop at that brick first and check in. It's a nice way to connect with my family, to remember my sister Gillana, and just have a literal touchstone of what I'm about to enjoy. Disneyland is magic to me. I fell in love with it at an early age. My mom shared with me that on the dark rides when I was a kid, I would turn around to see how some of those effects were created. In fact, around 1996, I sent a letter to Disneyland Imagineering with detailed plans on how to create a ride for Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Imagineering was so kind, you know, this kid sent them a letter that they had to send it back to me, but they wished me well and sent me a really cool magazine and some postcards, and they told me that I should pursue Imagineering when I got older, which I certainly plan to do. Halfway through college, at my sister Gillana's encouragement, I applied to work for the 50th anniversary summer at Disneyland. I ended up getting a job, and so in 2005, I worked on the Autopia, and I also did guest control. It was an incredible summer. It was so exciting. I got to stand in front of the castle on July 17th, 2005, while thousands of guests waited for the fireworks. It was so cool and a memory I won't forget.

[6:27] David Alpert: To direct on Broadway and to become an Imagineer. The overlap of these two jobs is pretty major. They both take audiences on a journey, and hopefully it makes people smile. I want to create plays and musicals as well as rides and parades and shows that are fun for audiences that take them on a journey and let them have fun in the process. As I'm recording this, it's a scary world out there. Just like in the movie Sleeping Beauty, the world is on a pause. Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather have put the whole world to sleep in a way. They're waiting for the scary time to pass, and that when everything is fixed, we can all awaken, just like Sleeping Beauty. The parks in Broadway are closed right now, and for so many of us, our hearts feel a bit broken.

It's my hope that with this podcast, I can bring some joy to you, the listeners. In the words of the Sherman Brothers, there's a great big beautiful tomorrow. And I'm comforted when I see that Walt's light in his apartment at Disneyland has remained on, and that they're still continuing the flag ceremonies at Disney World and Disneyland. It makes me so happy, and I can't wait to see.

[7:41] David Alpert: Oh, hi, podcast listeners! I just wanted to say hi to my pal David.

[7:45] David Alpert: Well, hi, friend. Thanks for stopping by.

[7:48] David Alpert: My pleasure. I think this podcast is gonna be great!

[7:51] David Alpert: Aw, thanks, pal. And you know, I love Broadway.

[7:55] David Alpert: You'll be swell! You'll be great! God, the whole world are on a plate.

[8:01] David Alpert: Oh, brother. You know, I was once on Broadway.

[8:05] David Alpert: You were?

[8:06] David Alpert: Yes. Obviously, I'm just going to I didn't mind Joe and Rickhead.

[8:12] David Alpert: Oh, is that so?

[8:13] David Alpert: Yes.

[8:14] David Alpert: Let it co. Let it cool. Can hold it back, Caddy.

[8:21] David Alpert: That was great, but I think you're thinking of Frozen.

[8:24] David Alpert: Whatever. We should call this.

[8:30] David Alpert: Oh boy. Thanks for that idea. I'll certainly keep it in mind.

[8:36] David Alpert: Good luck with the podcast! Have fun listening, everybody.

[8:45] David Alpert: As I wrap up this prologue episode, I want to thank the many people that have helped me create the podcast. You're going to hear from some of Broadway's brightest stars, who not only love Disney parks, but are also good, kind people. I want to thank them for sharing their time and their stories. Please support them. Thanks to Paul Coulos for creating the awesome podcast logo, and Alex Parrish for his amazing musical compositions that you'll hear throughout the podcasts. Both of these guys are great people and also love Disneyland, as I'm sure you can sense. I'd like to thank Tyler Dobies and Eric Shorey, two wonderful actors in New York City who provided some magical voiceovers for this podcast, and to Cheryl Bowman Brewery for whispering this idea into my ear.

My brother-in-law Brian Ellis for letting me borrow his recording equipment and teaching me about podcasts, and my friends Beth Stevens and Alex Hawthorne who have given me invaluable advice. Thank you to Helen Schultz and Max Grossman, my agents, for their support and encouragement. And to my sister Elisa for not only helping me with ideas for content, but for letting me borrow her car as my recording studio. Thank you to my parents for taking their kids to Disneyland many, many times and staying much later in the parks than they would have liked. Yes, it was a long drive back to Woodland Hills, but hopefully this podcast makes up for it. And thanks to you, my listeners. Without you, I'd just be a guy talking into a mic.

You are an invaluable part of this equation. How exciting we get to share this love of Disney Parks together through the lens of the Broadway community. I hope you enjoy. Keep your hands and arms inside the podcast at all times, and I'll see you at the parks.