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[0:10] Charlie Murphy: Hello and welcome to Mapping the College Audition, a podcast where we explore the landscape of the college theater world and try to demystify this daunting audition process.

[0:19] Charlie Murphy: I'm your host, Charlie Murphy, director of MTCA. That's Musical Theatre College Auditions. And today we have got a wicked good show lined up for you.

[0:29] Charlie Murphy: I couldn't help myself. Talia Suskauer is on the pod and is an amazing MTCA alum. And I just continue to be floored and humbled by our MTCA students who come back on as guests.

[0:41] Charlie Murphy: She was so poised and so mature, and it's just so exciting for us to see that and always to see our students flourishing. In terms of upcoming events with MTCA juniors, you'll have seen all of the information drop on our spring faculty masterclass series that's happening online throughout the next few months, as well as this March 18th and 19th is our junior weekend in preparation for those master classes that's happening in New York City and online.

[1:06] Charlie Murphy: Online is currently sold out, but New York City, we opened an additional room, and there's still a few slots left for that. For my seniors, the results continue to come in, and we'll chat a bit about that on our takeaway at the end of the episode, so stay tuned to that.

[1:20] Charlie Murphy: But I'm sending you all love and breath. If you're listening to this on a Wednesday, we have a webinar for you tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern, which I strongly recommend attending about navigating this specific moment of the year, all the pressure tactics of schools that have let you know, navigating wait lists, negotiating scholarships.

[1:38] Charlie Murphy: It's a really tricky and different moment than what your process has been so far. As for a personal update, I had a blast guest teaching earlier this week with my friend and former podcast guest, Ryan Quinn, for his class at Pace University.

[1:52] Charlie Murphy: Um, I really love popping into these college classes, which I've done a number of times at different schools, and I can't say I'd want to be a full-time faculty at the moment, but I do love teaching at the college level. It's so exciting.

[2:04] Charlie Murphy: Also, I'm feeling very grateful today on a Tuesday, though you'll be hearing this on a Wednesday, uh, for my wonderful girls this spring, you know. Uh Solvi is literally obsessed with her dad right now, and we are loving it. And I'm grateful for all of you, my listeners.

[2:21] Charlie Murphy: We're approaching our hundredth show coming up soon, our hundredth show. We actually just recorded it with a very special guest, no spoilers. Um, but I'm very grateful for you that we've made it almost all this way this far. Um, so whether or not you've given us a rating or review, I love you, though, especially those kind raiders and reviewers, you get a little bit of extra love.

[2:42] Charlie Murphy: All right, on to this special episode with Talia Suskauer. All right, we are so excited to have Talia Suskauer on the pod today. Talia has a BFA in musical theater from Penn State University.

[3:02] Charlie Murphy: She's been on Broadway’s on shows like Wicked, where she's currently playing Elphaba through March 5th. Get your tickets now after touring the show. Um, she's also been in Be More Chill after doing it off Broadway’s. She transferred to Broadway’s.

[3:14] Charlie Murphy: Um, and she's gonna tell us a little bit about an upcoming show where she's gonna be doing Gypsy at the Goodspeed coming up soon. She's also a 2015 Young Arts winner, which we're gonna talk about a little bit on the pod.

[3:25] Charlie Murphy: And most importantly, of course, a former MTCA student and a member of our proud multi-time MTCA families, which we'll talk about a little bit too, which is very exciting. Talia, how are you doing? Welcome on the pod.

[3:36] Talia Suskauer: Hi, thanks for having me. I'm doing great.

[3:40] Charlie Murphy: Yes, yes, yes. All right, I'm gonna start you off with my first question, which I ask everyone, which is to take yourself back. And for you, it's not so far back. For those not watching the video, Talia is a very young person, of course.

[3:50] Charlie Murphy: But take yourself a little back to 17-year-old Talia and your college process, or at least your auditioning for college process, you know, working with MTCA and what you learned there. Do you feel like you have a memory of like what we would now call a mission statement, or like what your goals were for your college list? Did you know what you wanted in a program?

[4:07] Charlie Murphy: And then how was that reflected in your what you actually did and how your process carried itself forward?

[4:13] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I knew I didn't really want to do a school that was just a conservatory where I would kind of be tunnel visioning musical theater the entire time. Um, it was really important to me, my family and I, that I go to a school where I would leave like a very well-rounded individual and human.

[4:29] Talia Suskauer: Um, and I wanted to meet other people, other folks that, you know, were not in the theater bubble, because it could be very easy to stay there. Um, but I did want a very intense kind of um conservatory-like style training program within that university.

[4:48] Talia Suskauer: So that already narrowed down my choices. So I wasn't uh one of the students who had um like 50 schools on their list. I was I was like a 10 or 11 type type gal. You know, you mentioned my family.

[5:01] Charlie Murphy: So, what was that negotiation like? Was it parents who were a little bit more like I want it to be a real institution, or was that something you knew as well?

[5:08] Talia Suskauer: I think we were both aligned on it, really. I don't think it was any kind of influence one way or the other. I think it was something that value-wise, my parents and I both knew that we wanted for me.

[5:22] Charlie Murphy: Do you feel like it was just something that you learned through going through the process? Like, if you were to now go back, which is what all my dreams are about, is like going back to high school and being like, oh my God, how would I do it differently?

[5:31] Charlie Murphy: Um, what would you do differently now if you did the process again? And or is there something you go, I really did this well, I would keep this part of it.

[5:37] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I think I did a really good job of being myself throughout it. I wasn't trying to be anything that I wasn't. Um, I think the one thing I would go back and maybe do differently is not have my sights set on like one particular school or two particular schools.

[5:54] Talia Suskauer: I ended up not going to either one of those schools. Um, so I think that really just keeping my options a little more open in my brain would have been a little more helpful and would have saved myself some mental agony.

[6:07] Charlie Murphy: Yep. Uh but other than that, I felt like I would do the same thing over again. And now tell me, I'm gonna ask a couple questions about your wonderful sister, but what was it like having a sister going through this process?

[6:17] Talia Suskauer: So like I can't, my brothers are like so different from me. I'm the only artist in the family. I cannot imagine having someone else in my family also doing this, and not only also doing this, but also going to the same college that you went to.

[6:30] Talia Suskauer: Like, what was that like?

[6:31] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I felt like all of the crap that I went through in the college audition process, because honestly, I will tell anyone out there nothing is as hard as that process. It is unnecessarily, unnecessarily difficult.

[6:44] Talia Suskauer: It like truly it is more difficult than booking Elphaba on Broadway’s. Absolutely, absolutely. Like auditions in life are not as difficult as the audition college edition process.

[6:56] Talia Suskauer: It is so like red wire, blue wire intense. Truly. Um so I felt like everything that I went through, I was happy to have gone through first so that I could be of service to my sister going through it.

[7:09] Talia Suskauer: Um, and so I really felt like I was there for her. And through me, she was able to kind of gauge what she wanted and didn't want in a program.

[7:15] Talia Suskauer: And she had, you know, basically two and a half years of watching me go to Penn State and going to Penn State and visiting to see, oh wow, this actually could be a place that I, as an individual, Becca Suskauer could fit into.

[7:28] Talia Suskauer: And it was really important to her, I think, to go into every audition process being like, I am not, I don't want to be known as Talia's sister. I want to be known as Becca Suskauer.

[7:34] Talia Suskauer: And she came into Penn State and they were like, absolutely 5,000%. If you come here, you know, we already have Talia. We don't want another Talia.

[7:42] Talia Suskauer: We're gonna accept you as you. And so she got in, I think it was like early decision or early action or whatever it was, her Penn State. She got in in December and she pretty much made up her mind, which was so great for her.

[7:56] Talia Suskauer: And it was a total gift to be able to have her at school. You saved yourself some of the agony and then maybe saved her some of the agony too in the process.

[8:05] Charlie Murphy: Absolutely. Yeah. And now did that hold true at Penn State in terms of was there ever any competition or did you ever hear faculty members who were like, oh, you know, Talia is better at this or Becca's better at this?

[8:15] Talia Suskauer: Not ever. I I no, not ever. And I was really fortunate that they kept their word on that. But it's true, my sister and I are so different. Um, we're just completely different performers and people.

[8:25] Talia Suskauer: So um any kind of comparison between the two of us would have been kind of fruitless because we're so different.

[8:32] Charlie Murphy: All right, not to get deep therapy on you, but what about in the family? Because I sometimes get this with our parents. It was not not your parents, I would never say that.

[8:39] Charlie Murphy: But sometimes parents would be like, Oh, my younger daughter is really she's a better singer versus my older daughter's a better actor. And I'm always like, that feels so weird. Because my parents knew nothing about art.

[8:48] Charlie Murphy: So they never would have done that to us, you know, in that work. Did you ever get that in the family of like, oh, we really think Becca's special at this versus Talia is good at this?

[8:57] Talia Suskauer: Not really. I think it was kind of like we were both honestly very fortunate to have equal but different talents in that way.

[9:06] Talia Suskauer: Um so I think it at least from my point of view, she might have a different answer. It really felt like we were both kind of being champions by her.

[9:13] Charlie Murphy: And we're gonna bring her out right now. Look to your left. Becca is coming out. Um before I want to talk a little bit about the Penn State experience more holistically for you.

[9:21] Charlie Murphy: But before we get into that, can you just tell me a bit about Young Arts? So, how did you discover this? How did you apply? Tell me about that. It's something we tell our students to do, but not all of them necessarily know about it.

[9:30] Talia Suskauer: Some of them come in already hearing about it, but I'd love to hear about Young Arts for you.

[9:33] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, so I auditioned actually, I think a couple times in high school and never got it. And I was lucky to be kind of like a young freshman coming in. I'm an August birthday, so I had one more shot at it when I was a freshman in college, and so I decided to just give it a go and was lucky enough and fortunate enough to be accepted.

[9:52] Talia Suskauer: And I was a Young Arts finalist in 2015, I think you said, uh, which is a long time ago. So that and that was your after you'd already gotten into college, but before you started.

[10:01] Charlie Murphy: No, I was actually in college.

[10:02] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I see. You're right. Yeah, so I was about to your sophomore year.

[10:05] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, so I think it was January uh of my freshman year. I went and did the Young Arts program, and it was amazing.

[10:12] Talia Suskauer: I mean, I met so many incredible folks who I'm still like I still keep in touch with that were both the faculty members of the program and also the uh like my fellow finalists, and it was an amazing week, just totally inspiring.

[10:25] Talia Suskauer: And um, like I the song that I did for the performance all falls down from Chaplin. Uh-huh. Kind of, I think initially kind of put me on the map.

[10:35] Talia Suskauer: The video for some reason got a lot of traction and what do mean for some reason. Because you're amazing as well. Come on.

[10:39] Talia Suskauer: Thank you. But no, but it was, it was, I was like not expecting it to fully like take off, and it did. And it was very cool.

[10:46] Talia Suskauer: And I think that's kind of was my first like here I am type thing. Uh-huh. I'm on the map. Even while I was still in school.

[10:51] Charlie Murphy: And aside from just that beautiful video and an introduction to social media, what does it mean in terms of there's some money involved, right? And some opportunities.

[10:51] Charlie Murphy: What does it mean from a Young Arts perspective?

[10:59] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I mean, there's uh depends on uh kind of your performances throughout the week and the way that you I think work throughout the program, and um you could be awarded a certain sum of money at the end of your time.

[11:16] Talia Suskauer: And so um it's really great for especially for folks who um need some financial assistance going into school and in their lives, and I just think it's it's a really brilliant and beautiful program for not only theater, but you know, for anyone listening who has kids or who is involved in any other areas of the arts of the arts.

[11:40] Charlie Murphy: All right, enough shilling for this other company. Let's talk about um Penn State a little bit. I'd love to hear about um, you know, especially I think Penn State is one of those schools, it's not unique in it in this way, but is one of these schools that really has a strong sense of like what it means to be a Penn State student.

[11:56] Charlie Murphy: We MTCA has recently hired our third Penn State alum within the admin team, and uh oh my god, the we are's and the little lion emojis, it's too much for us, right? But what does that mean to what did it sort of feel like to come to a school that has that kind of strong identity?

[12:12] Talia Suskauer: It was it felt like family instantly, I think. Like from the second that I stepped foot on the campus, I knew I was in between two different schools, Florida State and Penn State, and they were both kind of very similar in structure, um, which is why I gravitated towards them.

[12:30] Talia Suskauer: One would have been free for me pretty much as a Florida resident, and the other one would have been out of state. And so my parents were just so supportive.

[12:38] Talia Suskauer: I visited Florida State first, had a great time. I was like, this is the place. And then went up to Penn State with my mom, and I actually stepped foot on campus and met with faculty and took a voice lesson and kind of was literally embraced in this big knitting lion kind of hug initially.

[12:57] Talia Suskauer: And it was like, if you're a Penn Stater, your family now is like the lineage of Penn Staters.

[13:03] Talia Suskauer: That's basically how it is. And you know, the second I got there, they were like, if you go at Penn State is the largest alumni network, and if you go anywhere and you shout, we are, it's very likely that you will get a Penn State.

[13:16] Charlie Murphy: And terrify everyone else around.

[13:19] Talia Suskauer: Yes. And then did you end up doing some negotiating in terms of your parents going, we have this other free option? How did that work with you financially then to bring down? You don't have to tell us exactly what you paid.

[13:27] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I think I was given a scholarship as well for Penn State and given some money there. And I think to my parents, what was really the most important, which I'm so so fortunate to say, is that you know, they were like, wherever you feel like you will thrive is where we want to send you. And that was like such an amazing gift. And luckily, I hope it has paid off for them. And I truly feel like I did go to the right place for me and shout out Suskauer.

[13:57] Charlie Murphy: Shout out. Let's talk about what you know, from a class perspective, what's the biggest thing you take away from those years in terms of training? Like, what are you really grateful to have under your belt as a professional, whether it's a class or a specific teacher, a lesson that you really remember?

[14:10] Talia Suskauer: Oh, there's so many things. I mean, the voice program at Penn State is top tier. My lesson in actually when I visited Penn State, they had me take a voice lesson with Mary Saunders Barton, who is since retired. And from the second I walked out, I was like, oh, this is the place. I mean, this training is unlike any other. So there was that. I think there was also we have a lot of different studio classes and audition classes and biz of the biz class. And so I feel like not only are you prepared as an artist when you're leaving, you're prepared as a professional going into this industry that is it's an industry, it's a job, you know. We can't forget, we can't get so caught up in the artistry part of it that we forget the money aspect and the contract aspect and negotiation and agents, managers, talking about all of the things that make it a business. So I feel like I was really fully prepared as a business person in the industry.

[15:09] Charlie Murphy: Totally. You're giving the takeaway from our last episode. We talked about exactly that with Mary Sugarman. On the converse, what do you feel like Penn State was missing, or what would you add in if you could go a little bit more of this? Like I kind of wish now that I've graduated, I realized I wasn't maybe some of you didn't take advantage of as much or just wasn't quite in the program as much.

[15:26] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, at the time, we were really lacking a TV and film element to the program. So I feel like I've got no TV and film training. I think they were kind of at the moment in between the class above me, got some TV and film, and I'm pretty sure the classes below me got it. So I think maybe the person left or something happened. I'm not really quite sure what happened there, but our class was kind of shafted a little bit in terms of the TV and film training.

[15:51] Charlie Murphy: Totally makes sense. You luckily have a face for stage anyway, so it's just a totally fast fostage. All right, so talking to me about that post-collegiate life. How quickly then? It's I mean, it's pretty quick in the grand scheme of things. I can tell given the year that it is and when you graduated. But how quickly were those first couple months and years of getting your yourself under your feet or your feet under your New York of it all? Getting agents and all that.

[16:14] Talia Suskauer: It kind of all happened pretty rapidly for me, and I'm so fortunate to say that. I showcased with my class in May of 2018, got an agent out of that, and the week before Showcase actually auditioned for Be More Chill off Broadway’s and booked it. So I was coming into the city with a job.

[16:36] Charlie Murphy: And your agent's like, good decision. Great, thank you so much.

[16:39] Talia Suskauer: I actually like came into them with that job already under my belt, which was very cool. Amazing. So I had a couple months to just kind of have fun, get like I moved to the city pretty immediately, and then started work, and then we were off Broadway’s. So this was the summer that I moved to the city, and then we were told we were gonna be moving to Broadway’s, and so I was like, oh my god.

[16:59] Charlie Murphy: So easy.

[17:01] Talia Suskauer: What did they talk about it being our you showcase, you book, and you go to Broadway’s. What's the problem? Broadway in less than six months. That's what was kind of my mom actually was joking with me. It was a total joke. I think she was kind of being serious, but she says it's a joke. But she said, you've got six months to get on Broadway’s when you moved to the city. And I was like, hey, mom, guess who's going?

[17:24] Charlie Murphy: Pay at them.

[17:27] Talia Suskauer: So yeah, so I moved. So I then I had a couple of months off in the winter, and then we started rehearsals for Broadway’s, and that was that.

[17:33] Charlie Murphy: So that's amazing. And then after we finished on Broadway’s, I had auditioned for Wicked the week before we closed, and then booked that the week before we get to the closed.

[17:41] Talia Suskauer: Jesus. So I really it's been a ride. This is not just listeners, this is not how it normally is. It's not how it works. Let's be clear.

[17:47] Charlie Murphy: Um, what about you know, in those peaks and valleys that your career is inevitably gonna be, you know, and and already has been. What about, you know, was there some um, I guess, valley of disappointment of Be More Chill in terms of I mean, it feels like that was riding such a high that show with so much hype around it. And then the fact that it, you know, obviously it did well, made it to Broadway’s, but it didn't turn out to be running for six years. Was that like a oh my god, my first show? It was up, up, up, and then down, or was it like I'm on a wicked okay?

[18:14] Talia Suskauer: Well, honestly, and I mean, I didn't know that I would be cast in Wicked until Be More Chill had closed, but I think all of us were just so surprised that the life continued onto Broadway’s. So I think we were just gonna ride the wave for however long it took us. We had sold out runs off Broadway’s, and perhaps it should have stayed there, but also like it went to Broadway’s, and that was so freaking incredible.

[18:40] Charlie Murphy: Heck yeah.

[18:40] Talia Suskauer: And so I think that we were all just really grateful for the time, and I wasn't it wasn't upset. I mean, I just because again, like we're trained for that, like we know how things work. Shows open and close in months sometimes, and like I it was really interesting to go from a show that had a six-month run on Broadway’s to a show that is a machine like Wicked, where like it's entering its 20th year, you know. So it's crazy.

[19:01] Charlie Murphy: Um, and we've got to shout out Joel Wagner, also friend of the pod and longtime FTC coach, who's also at Be More Chill. Um, all right, so can I get you a little disappointed here? I don't know why I'm trying to be like, give me something sad for the love of God. Tell you it's all too happy.

[19:13] Talia Suskauer: Um, what about what was the experience for you of a pandemic? You know, we've talked about it a little bit with like Elizabeth and some other people who have had that kind of uncertain pandemic. Because tell me if this is true. You were playing Elphaba up to the pandemic, it happens. Did you know then? You're like, I know for sure it'll be back? How did the communication work? What was that year and a half or whatever ended up being?

[19:33] Talia Suskauer: It was really hard. It was a really hard year. I mean, we closed like everyone at March 12th, 13th area in 2020, and then I went home to Florida, and we know we kept it. Because there's no masks, no rules in Florida, and you're doing great get crazy. Get crazy up in here with COVID. But really, I think we were kind of being not in unin like not cruelly strung on, but no one really knew how long it would take. So it was kind of like, okay, this tour city has been canceled. Okay, now this tour city's been canceled. And so I was just kind of waiting and waiting and waiting, and then finally we got to like mid-summer 2020, and I was like, okay, this isn't happening. I'm gonna give up some hope here. And when I gave up hope, it just destroyed me. I was like, I didn't want to hear about Wicked, I didn't want to hear about Broadway’s, I didn't want to hear singing, I didn't want to hear music. I was so like, I can't. There we go. That's the darkness I need from you.

[20:28] Talia Suskauer: It was I'm serious, it was it was horrendous. And I was just, I felt really purposeless. I was like, who am I without this life? And I had to discover that, and I did. And so by the time we did come back, a year and a half later, I was like, all right, let's get back into shape for this, let's do this. And then the good thing about it all is that I did discover who I am without it.

[20:55] Charlie Murphy: Totally. So yeah, I mean, it's like this business is so hard. I mean, everyone experiences in the pandemic, who went through this in this business. Like, it's so hard already, just as the business, to add in an element like that where there's something that you have no control over is crazy. I mean, just to be like, what? I had to get the agent, I had to book the show, I had to do this, and then all this happened. Like it's it's really tough.

[21:16] Charlie Murphy: All right, we've made you sad, which is my dream, finally. And then let's take a little break. We'll wallow for a second in our tears. And then on the back end, we're gonna talk about Wicked and some joy as well.

[21:27] Talia Suskauer: Great. We are back with the great Talia Suskauer, and we're gonna talk a little bit about Wicked. So you started talking about a little bit, but just I'd love to hear a bit about like what it feels like taking on the iconic role in this iconic franchise. You called it a machine, right? I don't don't make me do the math of how many years it's been running, but it's been running for a long time.

[21:50] Talia Suskauer: 20 years, some amazing performers who've played that role before. So, what did that feel like taking on the role?

[21:57] Talia Suskauer: I mean, it's always been my dream to do this role. I think maybe initially, I'm remembering in my initial like MTCA consultation, you know, like it's all about like I'm gonna pull up your document. It's like, what are your dreams and hopes and all that stuff? And I'm almost positive I mentioned to like doing this, and you know, I talk about it a lot, but any chance I had to a chance to sing in public, I would I would sing from the show. I would I was just totally manifesting this, and so to get it was a total dream come true, and it's been a blast. I started playing Elphaba when I was 23. And now at 26, which is with the pandemic in between, almost 27, it's kind of wild to say that I've I really have feel like I've grown up playing this part.

[22:47] Charlie Murphy: Is that very young for an Elphaba? But I actually don't know?

[22:49] Talia Suskauer: Like on it, do they tend to be older? Yeah, it's actually I think that the youngest person to ever play Elphaba was in Mexico when she was like 19 or something crazy like that. But in America, I think I'm the youngest to do it full time. You better believe it. Very mature though, very mature.

[23:02] Charlie Murphy: Um, and did you think about like I don't know if it's just additional pressure to put on yourself, but did you think about like, hey, I'm gonna try to make it my own, or if if that started happening, was that part way through the run where you're like, now how do I put my spins on it and my additions if they're there such a thing?

[23:15] Talia Suskauer: I think what's really cool about this part is that it just is it it is I had to immediately take the pressure off myself to be like, how am I gonna be different? And I said to myself, you know what? It's gonna be different because I'm Talia and I'm not Shoshana Bean or Eden Espinoza or Teal Wicks, you know. I'm just the very nature of just being a different human being, it's gonna be different. And so when I did that, I found like a freedom in my own performance, which was really cool. And so yeah, it's been cool to watch it evolve. I feel like pre-pandemic Elphaba was like very different than post-pandemic Elphaba, that just kind of you know because Talia was different.

[23:51] Charlie Murphy: You're saying I was a different person at the end.

[23:52] Talia Suskauer: I mean I grew up and I and I feel like that year aged us all like 25 years. So it was just very cool to come back and be like hear things differently and sing things differently.

[24:04] Charlie Murphy: And yeah. Totally. And then what about like was this your first time really doing that kind of stage door experience of like young did young fans come up to you a lot and MT hopefuls? Did you feel a lot of that? And some celebrities I saw on your Instagram, some you know, Pink or whatever was on the stage.

[24:17] Talia Suskauer: I mean, it's kind of wild because I was such a big stage door kid when I like was growing up and into the early teens. And so to meet people is is mostly pre-pandemic of which is unfortunate because of all the mask masking and regulations and stuff. But it was it's so cool to be like, I'm in high school and I'm doing this, and I'm like, I was just there. Like keep going, you know, like you've got this. So it's cool to be that person for somebody and hopefully leave a lasting nice interaction they can remember.

[24:49] Charlie Murphy: Totally. I'm I remember well being a coach who was oh you know just that stone's throwaway from having been in their shoes. And it's just a different connection you make with a 17 year old when you're 22 than when you're 30 or 35 or 40 or you know as you get older. That won't happen to you though you're gonna stay young forever Talia.

[25:04] Talia Suskauer: Forever forever. Um you mentioned training for like what is obviously a very vocally demanding role. Um let's get a little nitty gritty what does that mean for you in terms of you took a year off and so like what are you doing like if you know I'm lifting weights at the gym to get bet back in shape for sports how do you do that vocally?

[25:21] Talia Suskauer: So pre-pandemic I was never a big I always wanted to get to the gym I wasn't and then finally pandemic happened and I when I eventually kind of gave up all hope that we were going back or Broadway’s was ever going to come back I was initially taking voice lessons as we thought we were, you know, they kept canceling cities I was and then eventually I was like there's no point in wasting money or doing this and I stopped and then eventually to get my like self out of depression I started going to the gym and training with a trainer and I found so much joy in strength training and actually it was like this is gonna help me when I get back into the show.

[25:57] Talia Suskauer: And helped me it did. And so that in addition to you know training to actually get back to doing the show after a year and a half off was really intense and I would run on the treadmill and sing and do a ton of voice lessons while doing crazy stuff in terms of getting cardio and stamina back up. And then I found when I got back into the show, I was so physically prepared for it in a way that I think I wasn't the first time. So that was pretty cool. For those not watching the video, Talia is like absolutely jacked. It's sort of like a pop eye situation.

[26:29] Charlie Murphy: Yeah, you bet.

[26:29] Talia Suskauer: If you're just like completely eight-pack. Um, but what do you is? I'm interested in that the strength training in terms of helping you sing. Was it just about giving you more um yeah, I guess uh um cardiovascular sort of uh um stamina? Or like is there some stuff in terms of abdominally what you're doing that actually means you can sing?

[26:48] Talia Suskauer: Well, there's that, but it's the cardio stuff, absolutely. I think I have a lot of very heavy props and like singing with a broom and holding a broom and just the and the broom is not light, and the action of just like having your arms out and making sure your uh your lats are engaged. You know, it's all about engagement and um feeling yourself rooted into the ground. And in our case, at the Gershwin, our stage is raked. So to feel like I'm able to plant like a tree on that stage is something that I you need to be strong in your body, or else you will fall over.

[27:24] Charlie Murphy: So your physical strength is actually giving you like freedom in the places you need to vocally because your your legs are rooted, and so then there's freedom up top.

[27:31] Talia Suskauer: Absolutely legs, arms, everything's engaged in a way that can allow me to express and be free and not have to worry about truly tipping over.

[27:40] Charlie Murphy: Super cool. Did you ever tip over? Did it happen on stage?

[27:43] Talia Suskauer: You know what? So uh the transition from tour to Broadway’s, the stage is not raked on tour, the stage is raked on Broadway’s. So it's like I think initially I was like, whoa, what's going on? I was kind of like, you're standing, you think you're standing it one way and you're just like slightly tipping, but you know, gets better. It's when you turn on a rake stage that you're like, oh darn.

[28:02] Charlie Murphy: Oh, yeah.

[28:02] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, you're like, what is going on? Or standing and like one hip is like this.

[28:05] Charlie Murphy: That's it, yeah.

[28:07] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, it's my comfortable on the hip. Um, let's talk about you just got off fresh off of a concert, a 54 below concert, which feels like it's a rite of passage for musical theater people in New York City.

[28:16] Talia Suskauer: Yes.

[28:16] Charlie Murphy: Um, I want to talk about like kind of the motivation behind it, the process of it, and like what do you see for that kind of venture for yourself? What makes you inspired to go, hey, I I think this is what I wanted to do with it, and here was what I might want to continue doing with concerts.

[28:29] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, so it's something that I've always known that I've I've wanted to do is do a solo show. Because you know, we're on stage and we're playing characters, and that's honestly easier to me than standing on stage as yourself and being fully yourself and vulnerable uh in front of an audience. And I think it's one that's a very cool challenge to me. And two, it's a really cool way to engage with folks who don't really know me as me outside of the parts that I've played.

[28:59] Talia Suskauer: So um, I really wanted to be intentional about my timing with this, and so I chose two weeks before I'm done wicked to do this show, which was I'm not I think right before I was like, Why did I do this to myself? But in hindsight, I'm like, you know what? It was a perfect time to do it. I kind of use it as an opportunity to be like, okay, yes, I've played this part, it's been amazing, and I'm so grateful to be moving forward. And so here's who I am outside of all of that.

[29:26] Charlie Murphy: Yep.

[29:27] Talia Suskauer: And so um, it got really the the buzz around it was really wonderful and good, and I think I'm hopefully gonna be doing it again or some version of it soon. So yeah, it was a cool challenge. It was hard. I was shaking in my boots. Like I believe I get nervous before wicked, but this was on another level.

[29:44] Charlie Murphy: It does become a really cool calling card. Something I've I've noticed with Elizabeth that you know, something uh she's been able to continue doing at different times, especially between gigs. And it's a cool calling card to be like, yep, I got a whole show I can put together that I feel like a lot of MTs want to have that, have a cabaret or have some kind of solo show that they can do that. Just to have, you know.

[30:01] Talia Suskauer: Totally.

[30:02] Charlie Murphy: Yeah. Um, what about in these last two weeks, which no longer oh, it's still two weeks now, it's a week and a half.

[30:07] Talia Suskauer: Like a week and a half.

[30:08] Charlie Murphy: Oh my god. In this last time, do you have any big goals of like, are you just trying to take one show at a time, do your thing? Or is there anything you're like, in these next 10 things, I'd want to discover the one thing I've never found yet, or the one is there something that you hoping to do in the next 10, 12 shows, whatever it is?

[30:22] Talia Suskauer: I really just think I'm trying to finish strong and enjoy it and be present and engaged and just really enjoy every moment of it because you know, I was just talking, I I had the chance to meet my first alphabet, Shoshana Bean, which was really cool. And uh we did a concert together last month, and and I was kind of picking her brain, and she gave me this like piece of advice that is so simple, but it's really like very profound.

[30:50] Talia Suskauer: And she was like, you know, you really need to enjoy these last few weeks because you will never get this time back. You will never get it back. And so I'm really just trying to be very open and grounded and just taking it all in.

[31:06] Charlie Murphy: So well, and now imagining yourself it's March 6th now, though two days before this episode's gonna be released. Um, tell me a little bit about what feels like next for you. I mean, no, you've got the the good speed lined up, but you know, it's just think about like tracking your current career trajectory. You're obviously a very young person still in the world, still building your career. You know, are these conversations you're having with your agent? I don't know if you now have a manager or anything. Is this the kind of thing you're thinking about? Hey, I want in the next five years to try to do X, Y, and Z, do more of that TV and film. Are there goals that you have for yourself about what you want to have uh come next?

[31:37] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I mean, new works. I would love to be a part of any new works or readings and uh kind of build something with a team from the ground up. That's really important to me. I think um, yeah, originating something would be incredible. TV and film for sure. And then just I I mean, just we are so lucky to be working and just to keep working. It's it's so important. Um I just will feel lucky as long as I'm able to keep making a living doing what I love.

[32:08] Charlie Murphy: Totally. All right, you heard it here, folks. If you are casting new works, Talia wants in on your new works.

[32:15] Charlie Murphy: Are you ready to play a very stupid game?

[32:17] Talia Suskauer: I love stupid games.

[32:19] Charlie Murphy: The game is called Green or Blue, and you have to try to decide is this something that's wicked or Penn State? Is it we are or is it wicked? Like is it which of these things belong in which category? So I'm I'm gonna give you a fact, and you're gonna tell me if it's true about Wicked, if it's true about Penn State, or if it's just untrue, so true about neither. Makes sense?

[32:38] Talia Suskauer: Those are the three options.

[32:39] Charlie Murphy: Okay. It's not an easy game, it is a dumb game.

[32:42] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, okay. Yes, got it.

[32:43] Charlie Murphy: In 2016, this institution passed one billion in total revenue in 2016.

[32:51] Talia Suskauer: Is that wicked?

[32:52] Charlie Murphy: That is wicked.

[32:53] Talia Suskauer: For reference, and this shocked me, Penn State's yearly revenue is 8.6 billion.

[32:57] Charlie Murphy: So they pass it many times a year.

[32:59] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, but I was gonna say tuition, there's no way.

[32:59] Charlie Murphy: There's no way, there's no way one billion.

[33:03] Talia Suskauer: Okay.

[33:04] Charlie Murphy: All right. For this institution, a lion is featured.

[33:08] Talia Suskauer: Both.

[33:09] Charlie Murphy: Both is correct.

[33:10] Talia Suskauer: That was a little tricky.

[33:10] Charlie Murphy: I would have given you credit for Penn State's small court, but both.

[33:13] Talia Suskauer: Very good.

[33:13] Charlie Murphy: I didn't even give you both of them an option.

[33:15] Talia Suskauer: You were there.

[33:15] Charlie Murphy: You're doing great at this game so far.

[33:17] Talia Suskauer: Thank you so much.

[33:18] Charlie Murphy: This institution was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Sustained Excellence in its chosen field in 2018.

[33:26] Talia Suskauer: Penn State.

[33:27] Charlie Murphy: Neither.

[33:27] Talia Suskauer: Neither?

[33:27] Talia Suskauer: I just made it up.

[33:28] Charlie Murphy: Neither?

[33:29] Charlie Murphy: It's neither.

[33:29] Talia Suskauer: You don't give a presidential medal of freedom for sustained excellence.

[33:31] Charlie Murphy: Oh, like what is.

[33:31] Talia Suskauer: Oh my god, I was gonna say, like, who who got that?

[33:34] Charlie Murphy: Who could that be?

[33:35] Talia Suskauer: A person maybe could get it, but okay, great.

[33:38] Charlie Murphy: We're gonna do an alumni runner.

[33:40] Charlie Murphy: So I'm gonna name a bunch of people, and you're gonna tell me.

[33:43] Talia Suskauer: God forbid, you're gonna do fine.

[33:45] Charlie Murphy: The first one's someone you already named. Are they a wicked alumni? A Penn State alumni. Neither or both. Those are the four options.

[33:51] Talia Suskauer: Okay, here we go.

[33:51] Charlie Murphy: It could be a neither. Don't forget there could be a neither in there.

[33:53] Talia Suskauer: Okay.

[33:53] Charlie Murphy: Are you ready?

[33:54] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I'm ready.

[33:54] Charlie Murphy: Shoshana Bean.

[33:56] Talia Suskauer: Wicked.

[33:57] Charlie Murphy: Absolutely.

[33:58] Talia Suskauer: Oh my god, that was really good.

[34:00] Charlie Murphy: You did that.

[34:00] Charlie Murphy: Okay. Megan Hilty.

[34:02] Talia Suskauer: Not Penn State, but Wicked.

[34:04] Charlie Murphy: Not Penn State, but Wicked went to Cardi Gowell, exactly right.

[34:06] Charlie Murphy: Santino Fontana.

[34:09] Talia Suskauer: Neither.

[34:10] Charlie Murphy: Neither went to the Guthrie program.

[34:11] Talia Suskauer: Absolutely.

[34:12] Charlie Murphy: Caroline Bowman.

[34:14] Talia Suskauer: Both baby.

[34:15] Charlie Murphy: Both baby, absolutely.

[34:17] Charlie Murphy: Annalie Ashford.

[34:19] Talia Suskauer: Wicked.

[34:20] Charlie Murphy: And mapping the college edition, of course.

[34:22] Talia Suskauer: Ty Burrell.

[34:25] Talia Suskauer: Um, Penn State, not Wicked.

[34:27] Charlie Murphy: Not Wicked, MFA Penn State, absolutely.

[34:30] Talia Suskauer: Talia Suskauer.

[34:31] Charlie Murphy: Both.

[34:32] Talia Suskauer: You better believe it.

[34:33] Charlie Murphy: Keegan, Michael Key.

[34:35] Talia Suskauer: Penn State.

[34:36] Charlie Murphy: That's right.

[34:37] Charlie Murphy: You're perfect so far.

[34:38] Charlie Murphy: We're down to the letter H in the alphabet, whatever number that is, and you have not made a mistake.

[34:41] Talia Suskauer: Aaron Tvate.

[34:43] Charlie Murphy: Just Wicked.

[34:44] Talia Suskauer: Just Wicked.

[34:45] Charlie Murphy: Ithaca, absolutely.

[34:46] Talia Suskauer: Rick Santorum.

[34:49] Charlie Murphy: Penn State.

[34:50] Talia Suskauer: Penn State.

[34:51] Charlie Murphy: I don't think he was a musical theater, maybe.

[34:54] Talia Suskauer: Ali Mousey.

[34:56] Charlie Murphy: Um, just Wicked.

[34:57] Talia Suskauer: Just Wicked.

[34:58] Charlie Murphy: NYU.

[34:59] Charlie Murphy: You're doing wonderfully so far.

[35:00] Charlie Murphy: Here we go. Carly Hughes.

[35:02] Talia Suskauer: Uh.

[35:04] Talia Suskauer: Oh man.

[35:04] Charlie Murphy: I know she went to Penn State.

[35:06] Talia Suskauer: I know she went to Penn State, but I don't know if she was in Wicked or not.

[35:08] Charlie Murphy: I'm so scared.

[35:10] Talia Suskauer: She wasn't in Wicked.

[35:11] Charlie Murphy: Was not in Wicked.

[35:12] Talia Suskauer: That's correct.

[35:12] Charlie Murphy: You're doing wonderfully so far.

[35:14] Charlie Murphy: Patrick Wilson.

[35:15] Talia Suskauer: Penn State, not in Wicked.

[35:17] Charlie Murphy: No, Carnegie Mellon.

[35:18] Talia Suskauer: Come on, unbelievable.

[35:19] Charlie Murphy: It's the first miss you've had.

[35:20] Talia Suskauer: First miss you've had.

[35:21] Charlie Murphy: Wait, wait, wait. Patrick Wilson.

[35:23] Talia Suskauer: I thought you said some oh fuck.

[35:24] Charlie Murphy: He's an absolute He's on the Tony's on the he's the Carnegie Mellon.

[35:29] Talia Suskauer: I messed up.

[35:30] Charlie Murphy: Okay, you're gonna get this next one.

[35:32] Charlie Murphy: Alshan O'Malley.

[35:33] Talia Suskauer: It's my best friend.

[35:34] Talia Suskauer: It's the most gay look name ever.

[35:35] Talia Suskauer: Uh she is both.

[35:37] Charlie Murphy: Do you want to pronounce it for us Gaelically for me?

[35:38] Talia Suskauer: Ol's an O'Malley.

[35:40] Charlie Murphy: Okay, great.

[35:41] Talia Suskauer: Both.

[35:42] Charlie Murphy: We love that.

[35:42] Talia Suskauer: I saw that cute article about you guys being besties.

[35:44] Talia Suskauer: Yes.

[35:45] Charlie Murphy: Tay Diggs.

[35:46] Talia Suskauer: Wicked.

[35:48] Charlie Murphy: Absolutely.

[35:48] Talia Suskauer: Kelly O'Hara.

[35:51] Talia Suskauer: Neither.

[35:52] Charlie Murphy: Neither.

[35:52] Talia Suskauer: That's right.

[35:52] Charlie Murphy: She went to OKCU.

[35:53] Charlie Murphy: And Tay Diggs went to Syracuse.

[35:55] Talia Suskauer: I don't know why I'm trying to read all the schools there, but I think it's interesting.

[35:57] Charlie Murphy: Yeah, I think it's interesting.

[35:58] Charlie Murphy: All right. You've done wonderfully. You have three more questions in this game before we wrap up.

[36:02] Talia Suskauer: I think I'm at like a 90, 91.

[36:04] Charlie Murphy: Oh, you're way above 90. You're you're you missed one question.

[36:06] Talia Suskauer: Patrick Wilson, the only one you missed.

[36:08] Charlie Murphy: Okay.

[36:08] Charlie Murphy: This institution once featured a character named Old Coley the Mule before rewriteslash updating the character.

[36:17] Talia Suskauer: Uh, that has to be just Penn State.

[36:20] Charlie Murphy: That's Penn State.

[36:20] Talia Suskauer: That's gotta be Penn State.

[36:23] Charlie Murphy: That's terrifying.

[36:24] Talia Suskauer: Terrifying.

[36:24] Charlie Murphy: This institution has been often called the good luck charm, as people who spend an evening participating in the campus slash theater have found themselves extremely fortunate the following day.

[36:35] Talia Suskauer: Honestly, I've never heard this about Penn State.

[36:38] Talia Suskauer: So I don't think it's true.

[36:39] Charlie Murphy: Neither.

[36:40] Talia Suskauer: I made it up.

[36:41] Charlie Murphy: Absolutely. You're doing great.

[36:42] Charlie Murphy: Last question. Approximately $300. Am I giving you the cost of a day of college at Penn State University? Out of state, no scholarship, or the cost of an orchestra ticket for February 25th, Saturday night showing of Wicked on Broadway’s.

[36:58] Talia Suskauer: Honestly, I think it might be both.

[37:01] Charlie Murphy: It is both.

[37:02] Talia Suskauer: That's 100% credit.

[37:03] Charlie Murphy: For bonus points, for bonus points, which one is more expensive? A day at Penn State, out of state, no scholarship, or that wicket ticket.

[37:11] Talia Suskauer: Uh is it Penn State?

[37:13] Charlie Murphy: Penn State shout out.

[37:14] Talia Suskauer: Okay.

[37:15] Charlie Murphy: It's about $328 in a quick move.

[37:17] Talia Suskauer: Oh, wow.

[37:18] Charlie Murphy: Oh wow.

[37:19] Talia Suskauer: This life is an expensive life.

[37:21] Charlie Murphy: This is a great game.

[37:22] Talia Suskauer: I don't know why you thought it was stupid.

[37:23] Charlie Murphy: I thought it was great.

[37:25] Talia Suskauer: When I think the games are good, they're stupid.

[37:26] Charlie Murphy: So I'm trying to now like neg myself.

[37:28] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, though, this is a great, this was a very challenging and great game.

[37:31] Charlie Murphy: So you did very well in this game.

[37:33] Talia Suskauer: Thank you.

[37:35] Charlie Murphy: I do want to talk a little bit about social media. Um, I know this is now a place where you obviously have a presence, you have tons of followers, it's amazing. Right. And I saw was it maybe a year ago, you had that beautiful video that went viral of you and your teacher, like you surprised your teacher, your old teacher from I don't know, from before high school, I don't remember what it was. What what is your relationship with social media? How are you using it actively? Uh how do you feel about it? I just love to hear a little bit about your thoughts on the social media world.

[38:02] Talia Suskauer: Social media is just the a double-edged sword because I feel like unfortunately, it's necessary right now. It's a really good way for people to get a sense of who you are, especially like casting and and just anyone. Um I think that it's incredibly addictive and is can be a toxic wasteland. Um, and I find myself spending way too much time on it. So I'm kind of navigating my own personal relationship with it as we speak. Um but I think that it is especially for young people, very important that they represent themselves on social media the way that like they want people to view them as humans. Um so I mean, if that means like having your own private personal one and then having a professional one where you post your videos and you do that and that great, that's fine.

[38:56] Talia Suskauer: Um, just figure out a way that you can do it in like a healthy way for you. Um, what does healthy mean for you, especially maybe on the consumption end? What are you worried about for yourself? Are you looking at, you know, competitors or rival people and seeing what their shows are? What's sort of addicting you as you're going, I gotta get off this podcast? I think it's less that, and it's more of like I'm on my phone and then it's 20 minutes later, and I'm like, oh, I'm still here and I'm looking at it. What happens? What's on that screen? What are you looking at? Like nothing almost. I don't think you know what I mean. It's like, what am I looking at? I don't think it's anything important.

Um, so I think there's just better ways to spend time. And what I've started to do is set screen time limits on my phone. So, uh, I'll do like the I'm only allowed to spend an hour a day on social media. And then it gives me a little thing, and it's like, hey, this is your hour. Bye. And I'm like, okay, great. And what about in terms of like output? Do you have like a strategy? You don't have to give us all your details of like, yeah, I do. But how do you think? Am I trying to post once a week? Am I trying to, how are you thinking about your output in terms of social media? I think I'm trying to kind of be engaging, uh, at least a couple times a week, whether it's posts, um, or stories or whatever, just trying to like engage the audience in quotes.

[40:10] Charlie Murphy: Yep.

[40:10] Talia Suskauer: Um, and then also now it's now I have this great footage from my show. And so I think it's now as I'm transitioning from Wicked to the rest of my life, it's important for me to kind of transition over on my social media to make it less about Wicked stuff and more about Talia and what she can do. Do you feel that in terms of I know Wicked has just such a rabid following of especially like the alphabet? That's like there's like now this like people who follow all the alphabetism. Do you feel it like a responsibility to give some of your social media following what they want in terms of you as Elphaba?

[40:43] I think kind of right now I'm kind of milking it for all it's worth. And then once I go, it'll be, you know, every so often. And I'm hoping those people will still be interested in my life when I'm done here. And if not, then that's okay. You know, I'll survive.

[40:57] You will survive.

[40:57] Talia Suskauer: You survived before them and you will survive after those 50,000 people or whatever there. Um, what about let's talk a little bit about the industry at large? You know, in this year of 2023, I think the past few years have been a real year of transition for the industry. And I think especially as a young person, you know, so often I talk about like our students are gonna demand from the industry that it is what they were told it will be and that they what they expect it to be. You know, kind of as someone who is in that group of graduates that maybe are pushing or changing or evolving with it, like where do you feel it going? Where do you feel like 10 years from now the business is gonna be different, or how it's even been different in the past couple years, um, of your career?

[41:37] Talia Suskauer: Well, I think that right now it's harder for people who, I mean, the pandemic changed everything for everybody. I think that in terms of auditions, like there are less of them and less of a chance to be seen in person. A lot of them you have to like get really good at auditioning on tape because that's the only way they're gonna let you into the room. And that's really frustrating for me, as I feel like when I go into a room, like that's when they can feel my essence. So I think that's kind of harder to convey over tape.

[42:08] Charlie Murphy: Um, I'm feeling your essence of the screen. I just want to be clear you're gonna be able to do that.

[42:10] Talia Suskauer: Well, thank you so much. Then I feel essence has been portrayed, great. Um, so I feel like in that way it's changed, and I don't know how, I mean, I think there's gonna be an element of that that's always gonna be at play in terms of auditioning. I think it's just easier for people to go remote initially, and it saves the people in the room time.

[42:32] Charlie Murphy: Uh, and I think it's and what do you think about that? Do you do you then think okay, I just gotta get really good at self-tapes? How do you deal with that if you're someone who thinks you are an essence better in the world?

[42:41] Talia Suskauer: I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out, and I don't know if I have an answer for it. And I also it pisses me off because I'm in a tiny studio apartment and I don't have a lot of room for a whole self-tape setup, so I'm having to rent spaces, and it's a lot of money. And so I think I'm really fortunate to be working right now, but to folks who like don't have a steady stream of income and you're asking them to tape and like, and God forbid dance, like when the people ask for dance, I'm like, are you kidding me? Like, where do you do it? Thank God I'm not going to dance calls, but like I don't know how I don't I just don't think it's fair. There has to be we've got to come up with a better system for folks because like having people rent studios to learn combinations and film then is not fair.

[43:25] Charlie Murphy: And I think that if you're asking people to film, if you don't want to hold an in-person dance call, everyone that you're asking to tape put on tape needs a stipend.

[43:33] Talia Suskauer: They'll stipend, totally agree. It's so, I mean, because we feel so resourced. I feel so compared to the vast majority of people so resourced. Still, our for a year, our, you know, room is my daughter's bedroom, which has a crib behind it, and so it's like when we pan out to the slate, you're like, look at our weird crib. Like, it's just like that's what's gonna happen. Like, it's just the way of the world.

[43:50] Charlie Murphy: Right. It's tough. Um, what about if you were to give a little advice to a young person? You've done it maybe already for Becca and her process, but now another young MTCA person says, I want to be this actually happened, if you can believe it, Talia. Someone I talked to recently was like, I want to be like Talia when I grow up. I was like, oh my god, that's so amazing. Like we kind of know we know of her, and it's like she's so amazing. I'm like, so now you're talking to that student or student like this person. Uh, how what what advice would you give them of going, if you want to be, you know, Talia seven years from now, um, what you might think about doing.

[44:23] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I think really having like you need to be really able to visualize your dreams, and that's a huge thing for me. But I think in terms of concrete steps, um, get involved as much as you can in everything, just submerge yourself in art. And I was constantly like singing and listening to cast albums in the practice rooms and getting involved in shows and like even shows that like, you know, or community theater or regional, like anything, like just put yourself in practice as much as possible and get to know yourself and who you are, and like if you feel like you're not a dancer, like I felt like I wasn't, like get into dance class and see how you can make your make it move on your body. And so find out how you can be the best version of you and what makes you unique, and just ride with that and roll with that.

And I don't know if that's so concrete, but that's basically what I did. And just be unapologetically yourself. Even as a non-dancer, you had to figure out how to be an athlete to stand on the stage, break stage and hold the broom and do all the crazy things. And also, like, I got through like when I first got here, I was still going to dance calls, and I got through them and honestly made it to the end of a few of them because I knew how to make choreography work with my skill set.

[45:43] Charlie Murphy: Yep.

[45:43] Talia Suskauer: It's so funny because I I don't think of you as someone who's not a dancer. I mean, I may have known that all those years ago, but you look like a dancer, you carry yourself like a dancer, and I go, yeah, I believe Talia can dance.

[45:51] Talia Suskauer: Yeah, I'm just, I think style is if you're not a dancer, then you better know how to pick up some style, you know. And that's I think where I feel like, or I'm like, great, I'm gonna make them look at me. Uh-huh. I'm gonna be weird. I'm gonna make you look at my weird face. So that by the end of it, they're gonna be like, wow, she's weird. We're gonna keep her. She was giving it. She's an option. We'll keep her as an option.

[46:13] Charlie Murphy: Yes.

[46:13] Talia Suskauer: Um, I love it. Anything you need to plug in terms of places people could check you out? I know can they stream this concert still, or was that a one-time stream?

[46:21] Talia Suskauer: I think it was a one-time thing, but keep like keep on the lookout for more videos I'm gonna be posting. And, um, yeah, come see Gypsy at the Good Speed.

[46:31] Charlie Murphy: Yeah, you better believe it. And we're following you at Talia Suskauer on Instagram.

[46:36] Talia Suskauer: Talia Suskauer. That will be in the show notes. We'll have all that for you.

[46:38] Charlie Murphy: And links and such things, all that stuff. Talia, thank you for the time today. This was so fun, Charlie.

[46:43] Talia Suskauer: Thank you.

[46:52] Charlie Murphy: I loved getting to chat with Talia. She is so poised and grounded and wise beyond her years, and not at all surprised to hear our current students citing her as someone they want to look up to. You've got a pretty great role model in Talia, students. Um, as far as this takeaway, I just want to hit something we touched on, which was not necessarily unique to Talia's episodes, something we've talked about in different contexts with a couple different guests. But I think it is so relevant this time of year for our seniors, and maybe even this time for all in our post-pandemic world for my professionals out there. Um, and that's just to check in with your relationship with social media right now, both intake and output.

Um, speaking specifically to my seniors, please just be very careful about what you put out there, both in terms of anything negative about a school or something too celebratory in your excitement in this moment. I mean, just think about do you really want to post out there of you visiting University X and partying with all the alumni while you're trying to negotiate with University Y? Use your friends and your family and of course your MTCA family to celebrate those acceptances, but I would be very careful with anything public on social media of that sort until you've made a final decision.

[48:04] And of course, you probably don't need me to advise you to avoid anything negative on social media. It's a good rule for life in general, I think, but especially in this business, if you were to post something negative about a college or a negative audition story, or even just something negative from your personal life, you would not want that to be what a school sees if they do a bit of snooping on you, which of course can and does happen. Um, as the kids would say, good vibes only with anything public. But then in terms of intake, uh, this is where I really want to speak to those out there who are going through it right now. I think this is a really good month for seniors to honestly examine their relationship with social media and their mental health.

I mean, this is true for all ages. Many professional actors will take a, uh, hiatus for just the sake of their health from time to time. Elizabeth just did it recently for a bit. She just found it wasn't putting in her a good mental frame, and she wanted to use that time more productively, and so she took a little hiatus and then she came back, right? Uh, that's not to say that everybody needs to get off of it immediately, but I do think everyone needs to ask themselves the question and really listen to the answer. Is my relationship with social media bringing something positive to my life at this moment or not?

[49:12] Especially as you're following posts of people getting acceptances and you're still waiting on your dream school. Is it putting you in a dark place? Some people can be really pretty, honestly joyful and watch others succeed and really celebrate them and be really healthy with it. And to those people, I say, yay, that's amazing. Keep scrolling. But if you're more of a doom scroll kind of person, you know, if you're doing deep dives on relative strangers because they said they got into a school and you're waitlisted there and you're trying to tell from context clues whether they're going to accept the spot. And if they do, it definitely means you're getting off the wait list. I might say it's a good time to get outside and breathe some fresh air.

There are productive places you can put that energy in maintaining communication with the schools, but it might not be in the soft downward motion of your thumb. And I just think it's worth saying there is absolutely no shame in saying to yourself that at this vulnerable moment of my life, this incredibly addictive drug that is grabbing all of our attention might be getting the best of me. And if so, just figure out what that means for you, right? Do you need to set some time limits on the app? Do you need to set limits of where you use and don't use your phone? Maybe not in the bedroom or not in the bathroom or not in the kitchen, or there are places that you feel like you're really, um, indulging more than others.

Um, do you feel like you need a few weeks of full hiatus from certain apps? Maybe I'm not doing any TikTok or I'm not doing any Instagram or Snapchat or Be Real or all the things that you kids are on. At MTCA, we have a private Facebook page where we celebrate all our students' acceptances privately, but we always truly respect students who choose to remove themselves from this group temporarily, or if they're really fancy, they can mute the notifications or doing whatever they're doing, maybe during certain hours you don't want to see it pop up during school. Just think about healthily what is your relationship with social media, where is it helpful to you and where is it not?

[51:01] Right? You gotta do what you need to do to keep yourself healthy. And I do think it's really good practice for handling the ups and downs of this crazy business that you're gonna be heading into for the long run, and you're gonna have to deal with this a lot as we go. And just like that, another episode of Mapping The College Audition. If you just can't break the social media addiction, you'll you might as well follow us at Mapping The College Audition and MTCA on all platforms. You can also, of course, check us out directly on our website, or if you're truly desirous of my love, leave a nice rating or review in your podcast application of choice. To my young artists out there mapping their journeys, who here would take Talia's low technique weird face-based dance class? We'll see you next week.