This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Steven Ferezy: Take one.

[0:06] Steven Ferezy: Steven and Dana and we're in the room.

[0:19] Dana Craig: Oh, Dana, look at our new podcasting plurch firm.

[0:23] Steven Ferezy: And we're in the room with Steven and Dana.

[0:25] Steven Ferezy: We're coming live from Riverside.fm on BPN honey.

[0:31] Steven Ferezy: Bip bit bam.

[0:34] Steven Ferezy: Someone in this room is sick with a cold.

[0:37] Dana Craig: I won't tell you who it is.

[0:40] Steven Ferezy: It's Steven.

[0:44] Steven Ferezy: Oh if you could find me.

[0:50] Steven Ferezy: No, I'm not that sick. I'm just ahead of a little, uh, like an allergy.

[0:55] Steven Ferezy: Spring is here, spring has sprung.

[0:58] Steven Ferezy: Under the face mask situation.

[1:01] Steven Ferezy: Snort snort.

[1:02] Dana Craig: Are you on the up and up?

[1:04] Steven Ferezy: Are we in the fifth?

[1:05] Dana Craig: I am on the up and up.

[1:06] Dana Craig: My weekend of shows was, um, was a lot under the mask and the sniffles.

[1:12] Dana Craig: But we got through it.

[1:12] Dana Craig: I was tested, tested, tested.

[1:14] Dana Craig: Negative, negative, negative, negative, negative, negative.

[1:18] Steven Ferezy: Nancy!

[1:19] Steven Ferezy: So you're like old school, just straight up sick.

[1:22] Dana Craig: Old school, straight up, like, oh, things are in bloom, and you've been inside for two years and got to skip spring and allergy season entirely.

[1:31] Steven Ferezy: Okay.

[1:31] Steven Ferezy: I can hear it.

[1:32] Dana Craig: Welcome back.

[1:33] Steven Ferezy: Sounds nice.

[1:35] Dana Craig: Thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention.

[1:37] Steven Ferezy: You're welcome.

[1:38] Dana Craig: Well, they'll hear it and they'll be like, why didn't anyone address it?

[1:41] Steven Ferezy: And you're welcome.

[1:43] Dana Craig: Well, your tones are as dulcet as ever.

[1:46] Steven Ferezy: I'm always nasal.

[1:46] Steven Ferezy: I feel like I'm She Dulce.

[1:48] Dana Craig: Who cares?

[1:48] Steven Ferezy: I dolce it.

[1:49] Dana Craig: She dolls it.

[1:51] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh.

[1:53] Dana Craig: Okay.

[1:54] Dana Craig: Do we have any other updates?

[1:56] Dana Craig: I mean, I haven't talked to you since we last recorded a podcast.

[1:59] Steven Ferezy: Which was not too long ago.

[2:01] Dana Craig: We took like three months off.

[2:03] Dana Craig: And then we were like, let's start doing this again.

[2:06] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[2:07] Steven Ferezy: We have a fierce guest in our room tonight.

[2:10] Dana Craig: I'm just gonna let you do that transition.

[2:15] Steven Ferezy: Yay, Samantha Williams!

[2:18] Samantha Williams: In the hot seat.

[2:20] Samantha Williams: Hello.

[2:21] Samantha Williams: I've been here from the beginning, but I wasn't sure when I was able to talk.

[2:25] Samantha Williams: So I was like, I guess I'll wait.

[2:27] Samantha Williams: But hello.

[2:28] Steven Ferezy: That would be no.

[2:29] Steven Ferezy: That's it.

[2:30] Samantha Williams: Yes.

[2:30] Samantha Williams: Hi.

[2:31] Samantha Williams: You found it.

[2:31] Samantha Williams: You know your cues.

[2:32] Samantha Williams: I know my cues.

[2:35] Steven Ferezy: I mean, thank you for being here.

[2:36] Samantha Williams: Thank you.

[2:38] Samantha Williams: I feel like we have a similar Venn diagram, if you will.

[2:43] Samantha Williams: There are, um, chunks of our lives that we've shared together, whether you know that or not.

[2:49] Dana Craig: I did not know that, so I cannot wait to find out.

[2:54] Steven Ferezy: I'm gonna take you back to a place called, um, Quisisana where the pines are.

[3:00] Samantha Williams: No way.

[3:01] Samantha Williams: Yes, wait, wait.

[3:02] Samantha Williams: Wait.

[3:03] Samantha Williams: Oh my god, did you tell me this in the original email?

[3:05] Steven Ferezy: Well, yes, but it's been a very long time.

[3:07] Samantha Williams: I'm so sorry.

[3:07] Samantha Williams: I do not need you to know that.

[3:09] Samantha Williams: This is so much better.

[3:10] Samantha Williams: Okay.

[3:11] Samantha Williams: This is so much better.

[3:14] Samantha Williams: Six people.

[3:16] Samantha Williams: Six summers of my life were spent on like Quisisana in Central Maine.

[3:22] Steven Ferezy: How?

[3:24] Samantha Williams: Wow.

[3:25] Samantha Williams: Six summers.

[3:26] Samantha Williams: Six summers.

[3:27] Samantha Williams: Honestly, I love it there.

[3:28] Samantha Williams: I can't lie to you.

[3:30] Steven Ferezy: It's pretty great, right?

[3:32] Samantha Williams: I only spent one summer there, and then I went to visit, but it was a really fun summer for sure.

[3:38] Steven Ferezy: Ooh, you got to visit.

[3:40] Samantha Williams: I did.

[3:41] Samantha Williams: I got a little bit.

[3:43] Samantha Williams: They must have liked you.

[3:44] Samantha Williams: They did love me.

[3:45] Samantha Williams: I will say, like I know that I was loved there.

[3:50] Samantha Williams: Like you were loved.

[3:52] Samantha Williams: I made my mark.

[3:57] Samantha Williams: Exactly.

[3:58] Samantha Williams: It was definitely that vibe.

[4:00] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh.

[4:01] Steven Ferezy: So it lists the nearest.

[4:02] Steven Ferezy: Like this is a, uh, resort in the mountains in Maine.

[4:07] Samantha Williams: And a lot of performers around the country, if they go to theater school or whatnot wind up there.

[4:14] Samantha Williams: Who knows how?

[4:15] Samantha Williams: I mean, there's a lot of ASU, there's a lot of Pace, there's a lot of, you know, Stevens Point.

[4:20] Samantha Williams: Yeah, like random conglomerates across the country.

[4:26] Samantha Williams: Uh, NYU, Manhattan School of Music, just kind of go up and perform in the woods and get into some shenanigans and, you know, meet some people.

[4:36] Steven Ferezy: Lots of shenanigans.

[4:38] Samantha Williams: Lots of science.

[4:39] Samantha Williams: I love saying it.

[4:39] Samantha Williams: Quisisana.

[4:41] Samantha Williams: Where the pines are Quisisana.

[4:45] Samantha Williams: There's a song.

[4:46] Samantha Williams: Oh yeah, it's like a whole cult.

[4:48] Samantha Williams: It's a cult.

[4:49] Samantha Williams: It's a cult situation.

[4:50] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[4:51] Samantha Williams: Really funny.

[4:52] Samantha Williams: Not really.

[4:53] Samantha Williams: Do not write a New York Post article about this.

[4:55] Steven Ferezy: I've been.

[4:56] Steven Ferezy: I mean, it might be Dana.

[4:58] Steven Ferezy: Talk about Quisisana for years and I've never heard the song.

[5:04] Samantha Williams: Oh.

[5:04] Samantha Williams: Oh I'm sorry.

[5:05] Samantha Williams: Yeah, it's a s there's a song.

[5:08] Samantha Williams: Everyone gets very emotional.

[5:10] Samantha Williams: Not me.

[5:11] Samantha Williams: Not everyone, but the people who go there.

[5:13] Samantha Williams: Like the families who've been there for like forty-seven years in a row.

[5:17] Steven Ferezy: I know.

[5:17] Samantha Williams: And that's what makes it a cult.

[5:19] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[5:20] Samantha Williams: Yeah, yeah.

[5:20] Samantha Williams: For sure.

[5:22] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[5:24] Samantha Williams: Bridget Everett is a former alum.

[5:27] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[5:27] Samantha Williams: Um, I don't know.

[5:29] Samantha Williams: It's I like finding people who've done it because it's so weird.

[5:34] Samantha Williams: You can't even hardly describe it.

[5:36] Steven Ferezy: No, yeah.

[5:37] Steven Ferezy: It's definitely niche for sure.

[5:39] Samantha Williams: Oh, show.

[5:40] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[5:40] Samantha Williams: Well, welcome to our room.

[5:42] Steven Ferezy: Thank you for having me.

[5:44] Samantha Williams: We would ideally like to be with you in person.

[5:47] Steven Ferezy: Of course.

[5:48] Samantha Williams: We're still kind of doing this, you know, because this is still happening.

[5:53] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[5:54] Dana Craig: It is always fun getting a peek into like the three rooms, right?

[5:58] Dana Craig: Because, like, obviously, we would rather be in one room, but if we have to be in three rooms, at least like we get to like still spy a little bit, you know?

[6:08] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[6:09] Samantha Williams: But then they get to spy back.

[6:10] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[6:11] Dana Craig: It feels a little more equal.

[6:12] Samantha Williams: For sure, for sure.

[6:14] Samantha Williams: Cut to me the most nondescript corner of my house.

[6:17] Steven Ferezy: I was about to say, like, I'm giving you that's not fair.

[6:22] Samantha Williams: Stark real night.

[6:24] Samantha Williams: Oh, you know what I have on the nightstand?

[6:25] Samantha Williams: That's fun.

[6:26] Samantha Williams: I have my thank you at home COVID test.

[6:31] Samantha Williams: We are taking care of ourselves.

[6:33] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[6:34] Samantha Williams: And a giant jug of water.

[6:36] Steven Ferezy: Amazing.

[6:38] Dana Craig: Well, I do have to say that, like, before Broadway shut down, along with the rest of everything else, Caroline, or Change was one of three tickets that I had.

[6:50] Dana Craig: And it was like such a bummer.

[6:54] Dana Craig: And it was like maybe the first show I saw back in the theater.

[6:58] Samantha Williams: Oh, amazing.

[6:59] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[6:59] Dana Craig: So I was like, you know, very excited to actually see it.

[7:04] Steven Ferezy: Were you nervous that it wouldn't come back?

[7:07] Dana Craig: Because you had gotten cast.

[7:09] Samantha Williams: Mm-hmm.

[7:10] Samantha Williams: Did you do any performance?

[7:12] Samantha Williams: You were in a very unique situation.

[7:13] Samantha Williams: Yeah, it was definitely a unique situation.

[7:15] Samantha Williams: We so we were about to have our invited dress, so we were gonna have our first ever audience the day that everything shut down.

[7:23] Dana Craig: Oh my god.

[7:24] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[7:24] Samantha Williams: Mm-hmm.

[7:25] Samantha Williams: And then they were like, okay, like it's just gonna be two weeks, whatever.

[7:30] Samantha Williams: And we all went out to a bar and like got really drunk because we were like, oh my god, we have two weeks to just like relax and chill and like rest our voices.

[7:39] Samantha Williams: Like that's kind of like hang out and celebrate a little, like everybody was there.

[7:45] Samantha Williams: Um, and little did we know we would not see each other for another like year and a half or so.

[7:52] Samantha Williams: And then, um, during that time, um, I went back to Texas, that's where I'm originally from, and I lived with my mom for a bit, and during the time I was like finishing college, class of 2020.

[8:07] Samantha Williams: Um, so I got to finish college with my class and everything, and, uh, that was cool, but I definitely did have some like, uh, doubt on whether or not it would be coming back or what it would be coming back and whatnot.

[8:24] Dana Craig: Did you not?

[8:25] Dana Craig: How could you?

[8:25] Samantha Williams: Of course.

[8:26] Samantha Williams: But luckily everything worked out exactly how it was supposed to be, and, um, I got to come back and do it, and it was the best experience of my life, so yeah.

[8:36] Dana Craig: Were you guys doing like Zoom readings?

[8:39] Dana Craig: Like at the beginning when everyone, you know, thought it was gonna be two weeks just to kind of keep everything fresh.

[8:43] Dana Craig: I know some shows were doing, you know, Zoom rehearsal or Zoom, uh, touch-ins until that became obviously, uh, a lot longer period of time.

[8:53] Samantha Williams: Yeah, no, we were not.

[8:56] Samantha Williams: No.

[8:57] Samantha Williams: No.

[8:57] Samantha Williams: Our, like our director, Michael Longhurst, honestly the whole team, they're all like British.

[9:03] Samantha Williams: So like the way the Brits do theater, like, they're so chill about everything.

[9:09] Samantha Williams: Like, so there was just no way we were gonna do that.

[9:12] Samantha Williams: Like we would do a run of a show and like, or we would do like a run of the show like in the rehearsal room and then like celebrate by getting beer after.

[9:21] Samantha Williams: Like that's the vibe of everything.

[9:23] Samantha Williams: So there's just no way we were gonna, we would do like Zoom meetings and like talk to each other and be like what's good, um, and get some like information on things, but, um, I did see a lot of shows doing, um, Zoom rehearsals and stuff, um, but no we didn't, we didn't get to do that.

[9:43] Dana Craig: That's surprising I think, well to me 'cause it's such a dense piece.

[9:48] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[9:49] Samantha Williams: I think it would, it's because like, because there's no like spoken lines we would have to be like singing at each other through Zoom and like it's like what are you gonna do?

[10:00] Samantha Williams: Yeah, so, um, yeah we didn't have any of that.

[10:05] Samantha Williams: But it would have been cool I think it would have been interesting to try to do it over Zoom for sure.

[10:09] Dana Craig: Sure.

[10:10] Dana Craig: Samantha, you just touched on, uh, like the complexity of the material and I wanted to ask you, uh, Samantha, your name says Sammy but—

[10:10] Samantha Williams: Oh yeah.

[10:10] Samantha Williams: Samantha, I don't know what to call you.

[10:10] Samantha Williams: No, you can call me Sammy. I go, everybody calls me Sammy.

[10:37] Samantha Williams: Or is that like, is Janine Tesori's score like a hard left from like where your comfort zone is?

[10:39] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[10:39] Dana Craig: Sammy, I wanted to ask you, um, did that material come naturally to you?

[10:45] Samantha Williams: Is that the material that like you tend to absorb anyway?

[10:45] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[10:46] Samantha Williams: Um, I don't know.

[10:48] Samantha Williams: Like I think, I mean it was so hard to learn, obviously, because everything is so intricate and it definitely took a lot of work of just like drilling the rhythms, drilling the notes, and drilling the intentions and just like figuring out like what I'm saying and why I'm doing it.

[11:06] Samantha Williams: Um, but I feel like it's so well written that like once you get it, you get it.

[11:12] Samantha Williams: So like I don't know if that means it comes naturally, but like it's just so good that it's like you put in the work and like it's there, it's in your body.

[11:21] Samantha Williams: I think, yeah, going back to like the Zoom thing, I think by that point, by like the time you were gonna do it in front of audiences, we had all put in so much work that like it's one of those shows that once you know it, it's there.

[11:34] Samantha Williams: Um, so there's not really anything else to like dive into, and also like all the words, like Tony Kushner is so brilliant in writing it that like everything you need is there.

[11:45] Samantha Williams: And I feel like nowadays with like all this commercial theater that's coming out, which is also amazing and has its place, I feel like a lot of the times the book and just the story in general doesn't really give the actor everything that they need in order to tell the story well, like it's not all in the text, but Tony Kushner and like Caroline, or Change and all that, like it's all there on the page, like Shakespeare.

[12:09] Samantha Williams: So it's just like you just gotta trust that it's there.

[12:12] Samantha Williams: Um, so no, it didn't come easily, but it wasn't, you know, I don't know how to answer that.

[12:18] Samantha Williams: Didn't you do the workshop at Pace?

[12:20] Samantha Williams: And you played Can I?

[12:21] Samantha Williams: Yes, I did.

[12:25] Samantha Williams: I was a fresh 17, 18 years old playing Caroline in Caroline, or Change. That's what college is for.

[12:33] Steven Ferezy: It is, it is.

[12:35] Samantha Williams: Um, and that was honestly my first, I mean, like, I don't know, that was like freshman year when I learned, like, I went to performing arts high school and then came to New York for Pace University, and I feel like freshman year is when all of like acting and everything kind of started making sense to me because like I was thrown a lot in high school because I went to a performing arts high school, so they like gave us all the tools, but like when I was like 15, I didn't know what I was really doing. Um, but my freshman year, like everything kind of like melded in, and then my last semester I got to like try, like use all the tools I felt like finally settled in me in the workshop of Caroline, or Change.

So that was like my first real, I like to call it my first real show and my first real like experience with like true like theater and acting and stuff. So when I got to do it basically my senior year, it was like a crazy 360, you know, or 180 or whatever, full circle, whatever full circle radius is.

[13:46] Dana Craig: That's math.

[13:47] Samantha Williams: That's for other people. It was a full circle moment.

[13:57] Steven Ferezy: I love that you were that aware of that as a freshman, that you were like, I'm approaching this differently now.

[14:03] Samantha Williams: Yeah, yeah. I think something makes sense. I see something different. Let's try it this way.

[14:11] Dana Craig: You kept following that. I think speaks volumes about your instinct and your gut.

[14:17] Samantha Williams: Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. It was really just so awesome. So then hold on. You were also in Dear Evan Hansen.

[14:24] Samantha Williams: I was.

[14:26] Steven Ferezy: And the tour, like, and you're in college. What?

[14:30] Samantha Williams: Yeah. How does that work? How does that work as someone who went to college in Wisconsin and there's no opportunity to do those things?

[14:38] Samantha Williams: Of course. No, yeah. Definitely like wild. Like I never in a million years thought that would even be a possibility. Um, so when we did the Caroline, or Change workshop, um, my teacher invited a lot of, uh, our professors invited a lot of like their friends and like industry professionals because it's in New York. And so a lot of people saw me do that, and then from there I started getting sent a few auditions to go on professionally. My first professional audition was the Once on This Island revival. It was the worst audition of my life. It was so bad, but it's just like first pancake.

[15:19] Steven Ferezy: And you're still in the business.

[15:21] Samantha Williams: Yeah, it was so bad. I was so nervous, and I had like I was wearing like a crop top, and I had a belly button ring. I didn't know what I was doing. It was so odd. Um, but we all have to like start somewhere. So that was my first thing, and then from there they started calling me in for Dear Evan Hansen, and I started going in for Dear Evan Hansen my second semester of my sophomore year, and I finally like got it my junior year, second or beginning of second semester of my junior year. So it was like a year-long audition process. I think I did like ten auditions. Um, which they do it like that in those shows. Um, then I was actually offered to be an understudy in their new Canadian production in Toronto. That's what like my original offer was.

[16:16] Samantha Williams: Um, but I didn't want to like leave school to like go to Canada. Like I just felt like I had more to learn and like I didn't want to leave school. And again, instinct and gut.

[16:27] Steven Ferezy: Yes, yes.

[16:28] Samantha Williams: Thank you. Um, yes, period. Um, and so geography.

[16:32] Dana Craig: And geography, yes.

[16:34] Samantha Williams: And then I, let's see. Yeah, okay, so that happened, and then I went home for spring break or for winter break and I was like, darn, like I really like screwed up. Maybe I should have gone to Canada. What if I never get an opportunity like that again? Like whatever. And then I got a call from the casting director, and he was like, Did you turn it down because it was in Canada or did you turn it down because you didn't want to be an understudy? And I said, honestly, I turned it down because it was in Canada, like I didn't think it was a good idea to leave school. And he was like, Okay, cool, cool, cool. And then a week later, I got a phone call asking if I would be like a vacation understudy in Evan Hansen, and I was like, Yeah, of course. Like, I don't know what that means, but absolutely.

[17:22] Samantha Williams: So, uh, came back to school, I was a vacation understudy on Broadway for like two weeks. Um, and I couldn't tell anyone, which really sucked. Like, I think now they changed it where like you can tell people if you're an understudy, like I don't know, it was weird. Um, and then as soon as I left, uh, as soon as I like finished my two-week stint there, they called me and they were like, We would like to offer you the actual role of Alana on Broadway, period. And I was like, Yes, trusting your gut, and I'll never not trust my gut. Like, that is just like pure, like you just gotta go for what you know you're worth and stick to.

[18:03] Dana Craig: So you can smell when people want you.

[18:06] Samantha Williams: Yeah, and I feel like that was really hard knowing that they wanted you and having to say no, and like, are people gonna want me again? Like am I giving up my one opportunity?

[18:19] Samantha Williams: Absolutely. It also showed me that like there is no rush, and like things like if you're meant to be on this path, things will come to you when they're meant to, and it's obviously easier said, you know, like that. Like it can get pretty like daunting waiting around for like opportunities and stuff, but I feel like as long as you like keep working, like stuff is going to come your way no matter what. So I did that, and then in my contract, it said that I was gonna do Broadway for six months and then be on tour for ten months. That was just the way the contract was written, and I didn't really want to leave New York because I was like, it was my junior year, I was still doing like school and Broadway at the same time, and I was like, I don't really want to go my senior year, like that just doesn't make sense to me.

So I went on tour for like two months, but right before I left, I auditioned for Caroline, or Change, and I booked Caroline, or Change, so I got to come back January of twenty-nineteen, twenty-twenty, and then we started rehearsals, and then the pandemic hit. I went home, then I went home, finished college online, came back and then did Caroline, and that's kind of been my little journey thus far.

[19:13] Dana Craig: What a beautiful trail you played.

[19:13] Samantha Williams: That's exhausting.

[19:13] Dana Craig: Not a trail you placed.

[19:13] Samantha Williams: I'm laughing. Very exhausting. I had a lot of ups and downs. Like even like during the pandemic, I was like in Texas, like do I even want to do theater? You know, I feel like we all had that moment. Um, got very real that like we were all at risk of anything in this industry. It really is, um, it's a privilege. It's a privilege to work in entertainment.

[20:19] Dana Craig: Yeah, absolutely. And also I have to say the going to school in Manhattan thing or like adjacent to, you know, the tri-state area, that's a huge impetus as a performer who would also like to audition for Broadway.

[20:41] Samantha Williams: I mean, that's not normal.

[20:43] Dana Craig: No, absolutely. Big reason why people go to Pace, a big reason why people go to, you know, fill in the blank NYU.

[20:50] Samantha Williams: Yeah. And do they, I mean, obviously they're telling people to go audition. It's not a closed door policy or what observatory?

[20:51] Samantha Williams: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of like I would say it's in the middle. Like they don't want, they didn't want us to like be going to like open calls and stuff like that, like and missing class and like doing all that kind of stuff. But if an opportunity came our way and they felt like we were ready for it, they would send us in. Or like if they like got like because like also like the person who was ahead of our program at the time, like would like look on like and like have like kind of like a list of like things that were going on and like she would know like, okay, I have a few kids that actually would be really good for this, and I feel like they're ready, and she would herself get us appointments and send us in. So like it just depended on the person and the circumstance, but like she didn't necessarily want us, like it wasn't like encouraged to just like go and audition because it's like we are.

[21:54] Samantha Williams: Exactly. School definitely came first.

[21:57] Dana Craig: Yeah, absolutely.

[21:58] Samantha Williams: School came first, but they did make it possible to do both at the same time. They knew the difference between like holding you too close and a real opportunity that needed to be acknowledged.

[22:11] Dana Craig: Yeah, absolutely. Like when I got Canada, they were like, hmm, I don't know if you should leave for that. And like at first I thought they were crazy, but like now that I'm older and out of it, like, yeah, no, I shouldn't have left school for that. I could have, but um, you know, I feel like it was a good call on their end, so yeah.

[22:32] Steven Ferezy: Take me to Texas.

[22:34] Samantha Williams: To Texas.

[22:40] Steven Ferezy: Right now.

[22:41] Samantha Williams: Oh, right now.

[22:42] Steven Ferezy: What part are you from?

[22:42] Samantha Williams: Um, I'm kind of from all over, but I did, I was in high school, uh, in high school I was in Houston, Texas, so like in the city.

[22:50] Steven Ferezy: Well, we pronounce it housed in here, so Houston.

[22:50] Samantha Williams: Right, right, right, right. Um, but my family is all from the Bronx, and I have a lot of family here and I was born in New Jersey. But I moved to Texas when I was really young, so I'm a Texan, but not really. Kind of a mixture of both.

[23:10] Dana Craig: Yeah, I've never been to Texas.

[23:13] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[23:13] Dana Craig: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[23:14] Samantha Williams: I'm actually going on Wednesday to surprise my mom. So that'll be fun.

[23:18] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[23:19] Samantha Williams: Not if she listens to this podcast.

[23:21] Dana Craig: She won't.

[23:22] Samantha Williams: She has no concept of like social media, so hey mom.

[23:27] Dana Craig: You'll never hear this.

[23:28] Samantha Williams: Hey, happy birthday.

[23:33] Dana Craig: Um, this is just like a weird theater nerd question I sort of had. Again, very unique situation being in a show that was supposed to open before a pandemic and then a pandemic happened and then you picked it back up later. You were also one of, if not the first, uh, cast recording to be recorded in the post-pandemic age.

[23:59] Samantha Williams: So I'm curious. Uh, I didn't realize that. I'm curious, like if that process, I mean, obviously, um, you know, recording and singing was a big fear and how I don't know. I don't know exactly what my question is. I guess what was the process of the recording and did it feel different than say other studio times or did it feel like this was new to everybody as opposed to how they would normally do things.

[24:31] Samantha Williams: You're a recording artist. Does that make sense?

[24:34] Samantha Williams: Yeah. Oh my gosh, that makes total sense. That's an amazing question. Um, I feel like so is my first ever cast album and it's been my dream.

[24:45] Samantha Williams: Such an accomplishment. Such a milestone, like check mark back in the list. It's crazy. And like I'm a theater nerd. I listen to cast albums all the time. So like to be on one, I was like, what the heck is going on? It was really an amazing experience. I do understand what they mean when like people are like, yeah, like most cast albums, like what you're hearing is like really tired actors because like it's always like recorded on a Monday. So that was really interesting, like having to pace ourselves during the week prior. But I just want to point out, so Sharon D. Clarke, who played Caroline, magnificent woman. Amazing, amazing. My mother on and off the stage, like the best human in the entire planet.

She is also a voiceover actress, and a lot of those actors were like all those seasoned actors, KC, everyone, but Sharon, oh my gosh, the things she could conjure up with her voice and like it was insane, and she definitely set the bar in the studio of where, and we all just met her there. But like when she started, yeah, when she started, I was like, okay, so like this is the energy that we're giving and just like the way she would like use the mic and like use her body to like give exactly like the same energy and action that was going on on stage just behind the mic. And like still, it was crazy to watch. Like I learned every day from her, obviously, because she's a genius, but like in that studio, like my mind was blown. Like it was the most, and you can hear it on the recording, like she is there, like her voice and the quality and the tone of everything. Oh my god, it was like, it was life changing.

[26:04] Steven Ferezy: You're in love, look at you.

[26:06] Samantha Williams: Oh yeah, talk about her. I'm obsessed with her. Like, oh my god, you have no idea. She's the best.

[26:04] Dana Craig: When you're okay, you're talking about that and how she was, she set the bar. Did that give you a sense of freedom?

[26:04] Samantha Williams: Yes, did that free you guys up to be like, oh, this is the room, this is the energy, this is how we're playing today? Absolutely. It was like, it was like, alright, cool, like let's have fun. And like obviously, you know, we would do things multiple times and just like try things different ways. And Tony Kushner was there too, making sure we were word perfect because like, you know, like we be making up stuff all the time. So as long as it rhymes, as long as it rhymes. Don't tell you said that though. Um, and Janine was there and just like the orchestra and like, oh my god, the energy was wild. Um, even the orchestra, even the orchestra. Yes, exactly. Um, and it was just, it was just like such a communal, like brilliant time.

And honestly, like the feeling of that cast is such like we are just like one big family. Like that is really the energy. And like I know a lot of people say like that's how their casts are, but like that really was like because you know, we went through the whole pandemic together.

[28:08] Dana Craig: Yeah, yeah, it was very full of shit.

[28:10] Samantha Williams: Yeah, um, and you guys had like washing machines.

[28:13] Dana Craig: Yeah, exactly, exactly, like Kevin McAllister, legend, legend.

[28:19] Samantha Williams: I worked with him at Come From Away and I got to watch all of his standby rehearsals, so I got to see him do each part in the play.

[28:27] Steven Ferezy: Literally thought you were talking about Macaulay Culkin and Home Alone.

[28:31] Samantha Williams: Oh yeah, we always make a, I'm like now whose name is Kevin McAllister? I'm never like, um, but yeah, I hope he gets a Tony for what he did. I don't know like how that goes, but like he deserves every award and accolade because he's insane.

[28:52] Dana Craig: That voice is crazy.

[28:53] Samantha Williams: Transformative. Yeah.

[28:56] Dana Craig: Yeah, it was a really awesome experience. It was a beautiful production.

[29:02] Samantha Williams: I really loved it. It was so cool.

[29:05] Dana Craig: Thank you.

[29:06] Samantha Williams: There was not, there's nothing like it.

[29:08] Dana Craig: Yeah, yeah, such a special piece that was so ahead of its time.

[29:13] Samantha Williams: Yeah, mm-hmm, yeah, yeah. Tony Kushner though, like you worked with Tony Kushner.

[29:20] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm.

[29:21] Samantha Williams: That kind of blows my mind.

[29:21] Dana Craig: Yeah, it blows it wide open, you know, um, the things that come out of his brain.

[29:29] Samantha Williams: Yeah, that's insane. It is wild. And it also is wild because like he's so like nice and like he's like a big teddy bear. Like he's so chill and like awesome that like I'd be forgetting he's Tony Kushner, like I can't lie to you guys. Like I like we would just be like hanging out and like he's like giving, delivering, like he's just so kind and like giving us notes and like I don't know, like everyone there, everyone was so process-based and you could tell. So there were no like crazy egos or anything like that. Like everyone was just like really like there to like tell such a good story. Um, that's why I think it was cast so perfectly. Like there was no one in like there's not even not a rotten egg at all.

[30:16] Dana Craig: Good, good group up there.

[30:18] Samantha Williams: Well, and so thankful that it came back.

[30:20] Dana Craig: Like yeah, we can get along with it and there's like a preciousness to being together and telling the story.

[30:28] Samantha Williams: Yeah, absolutely.

[30:30] Dana Craig: Yeah, to be among the first shows to come back 'cause you were ready to go.

[30:34] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[30:34] Dana Craig: You know, you rehearsed, you were ready, you were, you jumped right back into the saddle and to lead all the other shows that opened after.

[30:42] Samantha Williams: Um, you guys were such a good leader, such a good example of, um, you know, again, like setting the bar and having to meet you there.

[30:53] Dana Craig: Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

[30:55] Samantha Williams: It was awesome.

[30:57] Steven Ferezy: Isn't Caroline, or Change one of your top shows of all time?

[31:04] Samantha Williams: I really think so. I think like in any top ten list I've ever made, Caroline is on there.

[31:11] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[31:11] Samantha Williams: I just, I think it's so cool.

[31:13] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[31:14] Samantha Williams: I think it's so cool. I think the material is great, but more importantly, how the material is told.

[31:16] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[31:16] Samantha Williams: Is great.

[31:23] Steven Ferezy: I would love for it to be a movie musical.

[31:26] Samantha Williams: I do too.

[31:27] Steven Ferezy: I think it would make a beautiful film.

[31:28] Samantha Williams: I think so too. I think it w, I mean over the pandemic, obviously, it crossed my mind multiple times. I was like, wait, like, what if we make this a movie musical and reach like more people and like, you know, then bring it to Broadway, whatever. But who's to say?

[31:43] Steven Ferezy: That would be really dope though.

[31:45] Samantha Williams: I'm putting it into the universe now. If you had to like celebrity cast a Caroline.

[31:52] Steven Ferezy: Sharon D. Clarke.

[31:54] Samantha Williams: There we go, Brittany! She's a celebrity, right?

[31:58] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[31:58] Samantha Williams: I couldn't see anyone else doing it, no offense.

[32:01] Steven Ferezy: I've always said that I'd love to see Wanda Sykes do it. And I know that she's a comedian, but I think she could really surprise a lot of people.

[32:08] Samantha Williams: I could see that.

[32:12] Steven Ferezy: I could totally see that.

[32:13] Samantha Williams: Don't know why, but I stand by it.

[32:15] Steven Ferezy: I see that.

[32:16] Samantha Williams: There's something there.

[32:17] Steven Ferezy: I love, I love the restrictions of theater. Like you need to do it in this box. And there are things that you can like play with. However, Caroline, or Change in a movie way.

[32:30] Samantha Williams: Like that creativity just explodes.

[32:32] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[32:32] Samantha Williams: Unlimited.

[32:33] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, you could just do so much.

[32:35] Samantha Williams: You could do so many different ways and like they gotta do that.

[32:44] Steven Ferezy: Oof.

[32:45] Samantha Williams: Can you imagine?

[32:45] Steven Ferezy: I have the choice.

[32:47] Samantha Williams: Why not?

[32:47] Steven Ferezy: Tony Kushner's on a frickin' roll right now.

[32:50] Samantha Williams: I know.

[32:51] Steven Ferezy: Anyone would be so stupid not to be like, what's the next Tony Kushner thing we can make?

[32:56] Samantha Williams: No, literally.

[32:57] Steven Ferezy: Literally.

[32:58] Samantha Williams: That'd be awesome. I want him to write a sitcom.

[33:02] Steven Ferezy: You know, like something he's never done, but like make it good.

[33:06] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[33:07] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, absolutely.

[33:08] Samantha Williams: He's capable of everything.

[33:10] Steven Ferezy: He's so cap.

[33:11] Samantha Williams: He's stupidly capable.

[33:13] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[33:14] Samantha Williams: What every actor hates this question, but I'm still gonna ask it.

[33:20] Dana Craig: Um, what's happening next?

[33:23] Samantha Williams: Like, we've talked about how your brilliance recently.

[33:27] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm.

[33:28] Samantha Williams: What are, what do you want to do next?

[33:31] Samantha Williams: Um, that is a good question. I'm doing an out of town first show this summer in Chicago at the Goodman Theater.

[33:44] Dana Craig: Nice.

[33:44] Samantha Williams: Um, Chicago.

[33:46] Samantha Williams: Yeah, I'm really excited to experience it. I don't know. But I'll tell you guys, it's called Life After.

[33:54] Samantha Williams: I don't know, I already signed the contract, so it doesn't matter. It's called Life After, and it's about this girl who loses her dad in a car accident, and kind of like it's beautiful music. Oh my gosh. It's like very Fun Home, like very folky, um, like Dogfight-ish like.

[34:10] Samantha Williams: Um, and it follows her through sort of like the stages of grief and like she goes back and forth in time trying to like figure out like if it was her fault that he died or like, you know, like what happened.

[34:22] Samantha Williams: And uh at the end she just kind of like wraps the whole like play together by deciding that some things like don't have answers, but that's okay, and like life goes on and like you can still be so full of love for someone even if they're not here and even if a lot of things were left unsaid.

[34:42] Samantha Williams: Um, and so yeah, it's a really beautiful story. So that's what I have coming up next, but um, I don't really know like what the future will be for that, but I'm excited.

[34:52] Dana Craig: Have you spent any time in Chicago? Did you tour?

[34:54] Samantha Williams: Uh no, I didn't, I didn't ever reach Chicago, but I had a really good friend from uh musical theater camp that I met when I was thirteen and her family is from there, so I spent a summer there visiting them uh when I was like fifteen or so, so.

[35:14] Samantha Williams: So I've spent a summer there.

[35:16] Samantha Williams: Um and I also went to Unified's there for college auditions, but that was during the winter, so that was like horrendous.

[35:23] Dana Craig: Terrible.

[35:23] Samantha Williams: Terrible news.

[35:25] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[35:26] Samantha Williams: Well, go see the Sunday in the Park exhibit.

[35:28] Dana Craig: Oh, I will.

[35:30] Samantha Williams: You gotta go look at that painting. If you haven't put it in your ears and take a moment and watch that thing come to life.

[35:38] Dana Craig: I will.

[35:38] Samantha Williams: Oh my god. I played Dot, actually. That was like my most recent college role, my junior year.

[35:45] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[35:46] Samantha Williams: It's a great, great show.

[35:48] Dana Craig: Thrilling.

[35:49] Samantha Williams: I made Dana do it.

[35:50] Dana Craig: I'm so excited.

[35:52] Samantha Williams: But I don't think she regrets it.

[35:54] Dana Craig: I don't.

[35:57] Steven Ferezy: So Dana asked the what's next, and I'm gonna ask the other question actors either love or hate, which is uh what are the dream roles?

[36:07] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[36:07] Steven Ferezy: The roles that you would love to, what's your dream role, girl?

[36:13] Samantha Williams: Um, I would say, uh right now, like roles that are out right now, like on Broadway. I don't, I d up to you that's thinking broader, but if you would like, if you need to limit yourself, like on a menu if it's too many things, you just need to just fix something.

[36:29] Samantha Williams: No. I mean, my dream role was Emmy, so I got to play that.

[36:40] Samantha Williams: Um, I would love to play Eurydice in Hadestown.

[36:44] Samantha Williams: Like that musical is like, that's really my alley, so that would be really cool.

[36:49] Samantha Williams: Um, I really love this next role that I'm about to be doing, so like that is also a dream role, and I'm excited to start with that.

[36:58] Dana Craig: Are you originating that role?

[37:02] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[37:03] Dana Craig: How cool to build from the ground up and play and tweak and learn.

[37:08] Samantha Williams: You know, like you said, this is a dream role, but it wasn't a role you knew to dream about because no one else had done it for you first. So that's a beautiful perspective to me. You're gonna create someone's dream role.

[37:22] Samantha Williams: Yes, hopefully. Um, and then I really want to do a revival of The Wiz. So I would love to be Dorothy in that, which I did in high school, but like I would love to do it like on Broadway or somewhere cool.

[37:37] Steven Ferezy: Look at you. How many times tonight have you said like, oh, I always wanted to do this?

[37:41] Samantha Williams: Oh, I did it.

[37:42] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I know.

[37:46] Samantha Williams: I know, that's crazy. You just check in the list off.

[37:50] Steven Ferezy: Stop. I'm listening also and don't you stop.

[37:55] Samantha Williams: I'm obsessed with Rent. And I saw that it's coming at Paper Mill, and I really want to, I love like the role of Mimi, like I would love to play that. Um, I played Maureen when I was in high school and it was like the most invigorating, like opening experience for me, and it was so cool, so I would love to do that again.

[38:19] Samantha Williams: And I think Paper Mill is so cool, would be a great place to like try out a new show. Um, yeah, that's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure.

[38:30] Samantha Williams: Oh, um, I'm obsessed with Dogfight too. That's my favorite musical. Even though I've never seen it or read the script or anything, I just love the music. So that's probably a blind spot for me.

[38:40] Steven Ferezy: You saw it.

[38:41] Samantha Williams: I saw it at Second Stage.

[38:43] Steven Ferezy: Oh shit.

[38:44] Samantha Williams: I loved it.

[38:46] Steven Ferezy: I loved it.

[38:46] Samantha Williams: Oh my god. I loved it. I thought it was really cool.

[38:51] Samantha Williams: Yeah. I just thought it was really cool. Lindsay Mendez, I'm obsessed with her.

[38:57] Samantha Williams: I don't know the source material at all. So that's like a missing piece for me, but I just, I had never seen anything like it. And I was like, oh, this is a story that hasn't been told.

[39:10] Steven Ferezy: Told, yeah, yeah.

[39:12] Samantha Williams: And I just think Pasek and Paul, like, I think it's their best work in my opinion.

[39:16] Steven Ferezy: Mm-hmm.

[39:17] Samantha Williams: Hopefully it comes back or comes to Broadway, because I never made it, right?

[39:21] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, it was, I did, yeah, no, it wasn't on Broadway, but it was certainly at Second Stage and did really well there.

[39:28] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[39:28] Steven Ferezy: If memory serves.

[39:29] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[39:30] Steven Ferezy: I certainly left it there.

[39:32] Samantha Williams: That's amazing.

[39:44] Steven Ferezy: We have one more question for you that all actors hate. There are seven very well-known dwarves in history. If you were the eighth dwarf, what would your name be?

[39:55] Samantha Williams: Oh, that's a good question.

[40:01] Samantha Williams: Um, God, that's a hard question.

[40:06] Steven Ferezy: We ask all of our guests and they all hate it.

[40:09] Samantha Williams: You're one. You're the 95th person to answer it.

[40:13] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh, amazing.

[40:15] Samantha Williams: Um, I would say.

[40:21] Samantha Williams: I don't even know how to answer that correctly. Wait, okay. What's here, I'm gonna give you what's the, what's your essence? Like, what's the center of your baseball? What's that, that's what, that's are you bestowing a dwarf name?

[40:34] Samantha Williams: I think I'm, I would call myself Crazy.

[40:39] Steven Ferezy: Crazy Dwarf.

[40:40] Samantha Williams: Well then so will we end in a Y.

[40:45] Steven Ferezy: And it ends in crazy.

[40:48] Samantha Williams: Just got me Crazy.

[40:50] Samantha Williams: I don't fucking know.

[40:53] Steven Ferezy: Works for me.

[40:54] Samantha Williams: I like that answer. I do want to see an Excel spreadsheet of everyone's answer.

[40:59] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[40:59] Samantha Williams: Yeah, what was like the best answer you guys have gotten?

[41:03] Steven Ferezy: Meredith.

[41:04] Samantha Williams: Or no.

[41:05] Steven Ferezy: Margaret.

[41:06] Samantha Williams: Margaret.

[41:07] Steven Ferezy: Margaret Dwarf.

[41:09] Samantha Williams: Um, the last one was Groovy Dwarf.

[41:11] Steven Ferezy: Oh.

[41:11] Samantha Williams: Oh, we have a lot of slutty dwarves. We have a couple of sparkly dwarves.

[41:15] Steven Ferezy: Sparkly.

[41:16] Samantha Williams: I'm Nishy Dwarf.

[41:20] Steven Ferezy: Nishy Dwarf, yes.

[41:21] Samantha Williams: Oh, because you're very niche.

[41:23] Steven Ferezy: Okay, I love that.

[41:25] Samantha Williams: Annaline and I were both gassy.

[41:28] Steven Ferezy: Gassy, that's funny.

[41:30] Samantha Williams: We have our own cabin.

[41:31] Steven Ferezy: That's funny, your own cabin.

[41:34] Samantha Williams: I would say, okay, I'm gonna change mine. It's not Crazy.

[41:38] Samantha Williams: I would say mine is Sunny.

[41:42] Steven Ferezy: Because I love a good, I feel like I'm, I like Sunsan, maybe.

[41:47] Samantha Williams: Here we go.

[41:47] Steven Ferezy: Oh then your season's coming up.

[41:49] Samantha Williams: Honey, it is.

[41:51] Samantha Williams: And I cannot wait to thrive. Hot girl summer. All of that.

[41:54] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[41:55] Samantha Williams: Yes.

[41:56] Steven Ferezy: What do you do in the summer? What's your, well you're, you'll be working.

[41:59] Samantha Williams: Yeah, I'll be working. But are you like a beach queen? Are you a hiking queen?

[42:02] Samantha Williams: Are you, there are beaches in Chicago?

[42:06] Samantha Williams: I know, I'm so excited. Um, I don't know if you guys, I like to travel, so like I'm a beach girl.

[42:14] Samantha Williams: Like I will find my way to an island. Like I was just in St. Croix. I went from like Puerto Rico to St. Croix in the span of like three weeks just 'cause I will find, I find a cheap ticket and I just go.

[42:28] Samantha Williams: My friends think I'm bad. My friends think I'm crazy, but like I never get to travel because of the nature of our jobs. We have to like be here. So as soon as Caroline ended, I was like, this is my moment to go out.

[42:40] Steven Ferezy: Have you ever traveled by yourself?

[42:42] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[42:43] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[42:43] Samantha Williams: Is that what you're talking about?

[42:44] Samantha Williams: Oh my gosh. Yeah, I've traveled by myself.

[42:46] Samantha Williams: Yeah. I went to Europe my junior year and I just like kind of like went around for a bit during spring break and that was fun.

[42:57] Samantha Williams: Um, but I definitely want to like do more of that. Um, although I feel like I can get kind of boring.

[43:04] Samantha Williams: Just depends on like if you're good at like talking to other people. Sometimes I can be bad at that to be honest.

[43:15] Steven Ferezy: Like I can obviously travel with my partner anywhere. We travel very well together.

[43:19] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[43:19] Steven Ferezy: There are also trips where I'm like, not that I don't want you there, I just definitely want this person there.

[43:25] Samantha Williams: Oh yeah, I've learned that the hard way of, uh, absolutely.

[43:28] Steven Ferezy: I feel like that's just part of growing up. I've learned there's certain people like you can't really.

[43:33] Samantha Williams: Yeah, I think that's just part of the fun part too, is like different trips and different people and mix it up in the barrel.

[43:41] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, absolutely.

[43:43] Samantha Williams: Oh, and everyone froze.

[43:44] Steven Ferezy: Oh, there they go.

[43:45] Samantha Williams: Okay.

[43:46] Steven Ferezy: We back, it's my shitty internet, apparently.

[43:51] Samantha Williams: On that note.

[43:55] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for joining us.

[44:00] Samantha Williams: Um, we've wanted you for a very long time.

[44:02] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, it's a treat to her.

[44:03] Samantha Williams: So glad.

[44:05] Samantha Williams: Thank you. Thank you for having me. What a treat.

[44:07] Steven Ferezy: And you guys know Larry Ray, or one of you does, right?

[44:10] Samantha Williams: Obviously.

[44:11] Steven Ferezy: Okay, period.

[44:12] Samantha Williams: Okay.

[44:13] Steven Ferezy: Oh yeah.

[44:14] Samantha Williams: Period. Larry Ray and I just had a date.

[44:17] Samantha Williams: We went to For Colored Girls on Broadway.

[44:21] Steven Ferezy: Oh my god, it's open already.

[44:23] Samantha Williams: Wardrobe supervisor Linda Lee.

[44:26] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh, how was it?

[44:28] Samantha Williams: It was fantastic. I mean, it's like if you know it.

[44:31] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[44:32] Samantha Williams: I did not know it, but you know, it's like monologues and storytelling, and everyone has like a different color ensemble, and it's bare feet.

[44:39] Samantha Williams: Start stage. That's my dream show to be in something like that.

[44:43] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, they are fantastic.

[44:45] Samantha Williams: It's powerful, it's funny.

[44:47] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I'm hearing great word of mouth. I'm really excited to get there.

[44:51] Samantha Williams: Yes, absolutely.

[44:53] Steven Ferezy: And are you in Tina?

[44:54] Samantha Williams: I'm guessing.

[44:54] Steven Ferezy: I don't know about that.

[44:55] Samantha Williams: I dress at Tina.

[44:57] Steven Ferezy: Okay, amazing.

[44:58] Samantha Williams: Amazing.

[44:59] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[45:00] Samantha Williams: That's awesome.

[45:01] Steven Ferezy: I didn't do my hair for you today.

[45:03] Samantha Williams: Oh no.

[45:04] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh, I love it.

[45:06] Samantha Williams: No.

[45:07] Steven Ferezy: That's awesome.

[45:08] Samantha Williams: Cool.

[45:09] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, we're having fun over there.

[45:11] Samantha Williams: I'm sure.

[45:12] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh. I love like hearing about all like the all the women who get to like go on as Tina.

[45:18] Samantha Williams: Like I love seeing it on Instagram.

[45:20] Steven Ferezy: That's what keeps it fun for us too.

[45:22] Samantha Williams: Let me tell you. We have four women who play it very differently.

[45:26] Steven Ferezy: And it's really a treat to again shake up the barrel and give the audience something different each night.

[45:35] Samantha Williams: Yeah.

[45:36] Steven Ferezy: How they react to these different Tinas.

[45:39] Samantha Williams: And each woman has their own moment where they just have them in the palm of their hand and it's different for each, and that's so cool to me.

[45:48] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, it's awesome.

[45:49] Samantha Williams: I was having dinner with Larry, and he, this is Larry Ray, not the one who's been making news because he was like some kind of um sex cult leader at Sarah Lawrence.

[46:00] Samantha Williams: Okay.

[46:00] Steven Ferezy: So our friend was like, Dana, I can't stop seeing Tina.

[46:10] Samantha Williams: He went, he's been there like six or seven times.

[46:13] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[46:14] Samantha Williams: He's like obsessed with it in a way that like I understand, I've seen it.

[46:21] Samantha Williams: I have compl, I love it. I love Tina Turner music, but he has a problem.

[46:22] Steven Ferezy: He has a problem.

[46:27] Samantha Williams: He loves the Tina.

[46:28] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[46:29] Samantha Williams: He's like, Dan, I cannot stop.

[46:30] Steven Ferezy: I'm glad I know that now because now I can just send you things to pass on.

[46:35] Samantha Williams: Oh yeah, look for him.

[46:36] Steven Ferezy: Like Tina Tidbits of the Week.

[46:39] Samantha Williams: That's amazing.

[46:40] Samantha Williams: We had someone who would come to Caroline.

[46:44] Samantha Williams: Uh, like she came almost every day.

[46:46] Steven Ferezy: Like two show days she was there for a row.

[46:49] Samantha Williams: It's really interesting.

[46:51] Steven Ferezy: Mm-hmm.

[46:52] Samantha Williams: God bless.

[46:53] Steven Ferezy: God bless.

[46:54] Samantha Williams: I want her job.

[46:55] Steven Ferezy: Shit, she's making money.

[46:57] Samantha Williams: That's what I'm saying. I'm like, damn. Those tickets are expensive.

[47:03] Steven Ferezy: And thank you for your support.

[47:05] Samantha Williams: Yeah, absolutely.

[47:06] Steven Ferezy: Thank you for being here.

[47:07] Samantha Williams: Absolutely and thank you for being here, Sammy.

[47:10] Steven Ferezy: Thank you for hustling on those trains and joining us in our Zoom.

[47:15] Samantha Williams: Are you kidding me? Thank you for having me. This was so fun, and y'all are amazing.

[47:20] Steven Ferezy: You're welcome back anyway.

[47:21] Samantha Williams: You are going to eGot.

[47:23] Steven Ferezy: Absolutely for sure.

[47:24] Samantha Williams: So we're glad that we got you, you know, and you're young stage.

[47:28] Steven Ferezy: We're glad that we got you.

[47:30] Samantha Williams: Get it, because we're on the electronic.

[47:34] Steven Ferezy: Y'all are silly.

[47:36] Samantha Williams: So stupid.

[47:37] Steven Ferezy: He got you, he got you.

[47:39] Samantha Williams: Oh my gosh.

[47:39] Steven Ferezy: And Stephen, I hope like we get to work together.

[47:42] Samantha Williams: Like, oh my god, please make that happen.

[47:46] Steven Ferezy: Let me know when you're working, and I'll get my ass on gear.

[47:50] Samantha Williams: I will.

[47:52] Steven Ferezy: Oh, so fun.

[47:53] Samantha Williams: We'd have a ball.

[47:54] Steven Ferezy: Yes, we would.

[47:55] Samantha Williams: I know that that dresser-actor relationship is so like important and tight-knit.

[48:01] Steven Ferezy: So, like I love dressers.

[48:04] Samantha Williams: So, yeah, it's cool that you're doing.

[48:08] Steven Ferezy: We appreciate it.

[48:09] Samantha Williams: Taking care of your clothes.

[48:10] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh, absolutely.

[48:11] Samantha Williams: Absolutely.

[48:13] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I love that.

[48:15] Samantha Williams: Uh, go have a fabulous rest of your night.

[48:17] Steven Ferezy: Thank you.

[48:18] Samantha Williams: On that note.

[48:20] Steven Ferezy: Bye.

[48:21] Samantha Williams: Bye.

[48:22] Steven Ferezy: Bye.

[48:29] Steven Ferezy: In the Room with Steven and Dana is produced by Steven Ferezy and Dana Craig. Special thanks to Joel Wagoner for tinkling the ivories on our theme song.

[48:39] Steven Ferezy: Hit him up at joelwagoner.com.

[48:41] Steven Ferezy: We apologize. And you're welcome.

[48:44] Steven Ferezy: We'd also like to thank Jesse Wiener, W I-E-N-E-R, for our jazzy original music sprinkled throughout each episode.

[48:52] Steven Ferezy: You can find him at jessewiener.com.

[48:55] Steven Ferezy: Last but certainly not least, we'd like to thank Kevin Thomas Garcia for taking all of our ridiculous photos.

[49:01] Steven Ferezy: You can find him online at ktgnyc.com.

[49:07] Steven Ferezy: We are all over the internet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at InTheRoom Pod.

[49:13] Steven Ferezy: Follow us, like us, share us, pant us out.

[49:16] Steven Ferezy: And don't forget to subscribe to In the Room Podcast.

[49:19] Steven Ferezy: We everywhere, so subscribe.

[49:21] Steven Ferezy: And thank you so much for listening.

[49:23] Steven Ferezy: Thank you so much.