This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:05] Jason A. Coombs: Welcome, survivors to Survival Jobs: A Podcast in collaboration with Broadway World and the Broadway Podcast Network.

[0:11] Jason A. Coombs: My name is Jason A. Coombs, and this is my amazing, beautiful, glamorous, boss ass beatch.

[0:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: Is that okay to say?

[0:19] Jason A. Coombs: Samantha Tuozzolo over here.

[0:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, say it.

[0:24] Jason A. Coombs: Here we are back in the box.

[0:26] Jason A. Coombs: We haven't been in boxes and recording an episode in this format in quite some time because we've been live from the Welcome to Times Square Studio.

[0:33] Jason A. Coombs: And so we're back here, you know?

[0:34] Jason A. Coombs: Because we're I think we're like on a little summer, like, you know, taking in a little slow this summer.

[0:40] Jason A. Coombs: The hustle is still there, but we're just taking a minute to reset.

[0:43] Jason A. Coombs: And so here we are in our boxes.

[0:45] Jason A. Coombs: I feel like we're like having like a European summer, because they'd be taking like time off when they need to.

[0:50] Jason A. Coombs: And I think we need to take the time off to refresh, to recharge.

[0:54] Jason A. Coombs: You know, we gotta stay young and fresh, so we can't be running around tired all year round.

[0:58] Jason A. Coombs: I think it's so important to listen to your body and listen to your mind and take a minute to recharge.

[1:04] Jason A. Coombs: Don't stop the hustle, but just take it back a notch, keep the work going, but take care of yourself.

[1:10] Jason A. Coombs: So that's why we're here, guys.

[1:12] Jason A. Coombs: We're in the boxes.

[1:13] Jason A. Coombs: I'm over here in Rhode Island looking at the water, just taking a breath, having a breath of fresh air.

[1:19] Jason A. Coombs: So, Samantha, before we kicked off, I was telling you that today, the day we're recording this, is the five-year anniversary of the Bridgeport Film Fest, which is that is crazy.

[1:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's insane.

[1:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, you've been there from the beginning.

[1:31] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you.

[1:32] Jason A. Coombs: I was yeah, I was looking at some pictures yesterday and I was like, oh my gosh, can you believe it's been five years?

[1:39] Jason A. Coombs: And tickets are on sale for this year's festival if you want to come.

[1:42] Jason A. Coombs: September 12th through the 14th.

[1:43] Jason A. Coombs: There's an early bird special going on right now.

[1:45] Jason A. Coombs: I'll put the link in our show notes and maybe put a little thing right here that says client.org.

[1:50] Jason A. Coombs: We get tickets.

[1:51] Jason A. Coombs: Get them now.

[1:52] Jason A. Coombs: Come.

[1:52] Jason A. Coombs: You'll have such a great time if you're in New York, if you're in Connecticut, if you're like in Mass, if you're in Rhode Island, right?

[1:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Tell Johnny to get his ass down here too.

[1:59] Jason A. Coombs: Anyway, yeah, just pop a tiny hop a plane.

[2:01] Jason A. Coombs: See you at the Bridgeport Film Fest.

[2:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I just want to shout you out, Jason.

[2:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's amazing, you know, to do one film festival, but then to keep up the momentum to do five is incredible.

[2:11] Jason A. Coombs: Uh it's a lot of work.

[2:12] Jason A. Coombs: And I see you, I see you, and you're crushing it.

[2:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: And also, people, Jason has featured Oscar-nominated directors and a lot of fierce movies and films and shorts and docs come through this festival.

[2:26] Jason A. Coombs: And so go run, run to Bridgeport.

[2:30] Jason A. Coombs: Samantha, we're having some Connecticut premieres of stuff that was at Tribeca.

[2:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: I can't announce it yet.

[2:34] Jason A. Coombs: And so we signed the doc.

[2:36] Jason A. Coombs: We we spent some time at Tribeca earlier this summer.

[2:39] Jason A. Coombs: And we got we're getting some of those films at the Bridgeport Film Fest.

[2:42] Jason A. Coombs: I made their Connecticut premieres, so it's super exciting and full circle moment.

[2:47] Jason A. Coombs: Um, but I want to talk about you because you just launched you're in your first year, right?

[2:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you.

[2:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: Going to tell us all about it now.

[2:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: About a year ago, I was laid off from my full-time job.

[2:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Shout out to them.

[2:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, which is like I never did well in like a corporate setting ever.

[3:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, but I had this ability and it was flexible enough that I could still do, you know, my creative stuff or whatever.

[3:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: I got laid off about a year ago.

[3:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Ever since then, I've been, you know, freelancing in the events industry, event producing, event coordinating, event planning, some media involved in there with the events world, some festival stuff.

[3:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, I've talked to a ton about the the the wide range of events that I've done.

[3:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I've launched my own events company.

[3:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's called Tutz & Co.

[3:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, all my all my boys in New York call me Toots.

[3:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I was like, what am I gonna call this?

[3:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because I'm fun, you know, I'm corporate and professional enough, but ultimately my vibe is like we're real, we're we're real, we're fun, we're doing the work.

[3:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I'm Toots & Co.

[3:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: Uh, and you know, I'm gonna be focusing on event planning, event producing, really an full event service company with media looped in there.

[3:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: A lot of events have media uh bled into the event.

[4:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: So my worlds are colliding.

[4:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: If you need an event, people email me at Toots at Tootsco.co and I got you.

[4:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um give me a follow at Tootsco on Instagram, Toots underscore co.

[4:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: And you know, Jay, I'm just I I'm at the point where I'm like, you know what?

[4:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: We talk about this on this episode today with Paul, which we'll talk about him in a minute because he's amazing.

[4:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: We talk about just doing it, right?

[4:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Essentially, it's like losing your imposter syndrome, just asking or just taking the leap and just doing it.

[4:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: And sometimes that's all it takes.

[4:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, I've sat with this idea for quite a while, and I'm like, well, what about this?

[4:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: What about that?

[4:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: But what about what?

[4:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Just do it.

[4:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: I was already doing the work that I'm going to continue to do, but now I'm just marketing it in a way that will get me some new business and put me in a position to be like the lead planner or whatever that's gonna look like, and you're never gonna know what something's gonna be until you do it, right?

[4:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like the Bridgeport Film Festival.

[4:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: You had the idea, you did it where five years later, and life is great, and there's so many opportunities.

[5:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: And guys, if you're listening, this is your this is your message to just do it.

[5:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: You have an idea, you have a dream, you have a passion, just do it.

[5:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Just ask, all you have to do is ask and keep it moving.

[5:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Imposter syndrome is real.

[5:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Believe in yourself.

[5:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Confidence.

[5:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: My confidence has grown so much this year, and I can see a difference in the way I'm being treated in workspaces and the way I'm being treated surrounding like on carpets and stuff.

[5:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right.

[5:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because my confidence is just grown.

[5:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because that's all that's all it takes, guys.

[5:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: So thanks.

[5:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thanks, Jay.

[5:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thanks for shouting it out.

[5:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, it's exciting.

[5:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's scary too because you know it's my livelihood.

[5:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's my income.

[5:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: I have bills.

[5:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: So it also is like when you're working for yourself.

[5:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm rambling now, but when you are working for yourself, you're working so hard.

[6:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right.

[6:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because it there's so many more stakes.

[6:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: You're not like, oh, I'm gonna get a I'm gonna get I'm gonna get a paycheck this week no matter what.

[6:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like, no, not no matter what.

[6:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: You need to put in the work, you need to show up, you need to be professional, you need to do quality work, and then it will come.

[6:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I think the payoff's gonna be incredible.

[6:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: It already has been.

[6:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: So Toots & Co, guys, what can I say?

[6:21] Jason A. Coombs: Jason, let's talk about our guests today.

[6:24] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, so incredible.

[6:28] Jason A. Coombs: How did you like this episode, Jason?

[6:30] Jason A. Coombs: No, I really um it just really connected and then resonated with me a lot about what he was saying.

[6:35] Jason A. Coombs: I always say this, but like I think everyone needs to grab their notebook, grab a pen, grab a pencil, and get ready to take some notes because he's dropping gems, especially for those of us who are multi-hyphenate, right?

[6:44] Jason A. Coombs: Like you and I who do multiple things, who act and and and write and produce, and he's goes into a really good um little anecdote about being a producer and how like that kind of starts on when you were kids on the playground, you're like that producer person.

[6:57] Jason A. Coombs: That's probably what they were doing was like organizing.

[6:59] Jason A. Coombs: Even back then, I was like, that was like, oh my gosh, I literally was probably doing that as a kid.

[7:03] Jason A. Coombs: Literally on the swing set, right?

[7:05] Jason A. Coombs: On the swing side on the playground.

[7:07] Jason A. Coombs: So I just think he just has so many really good nuggets of information and tips, and just really inspiring.

[7:13] Jason A. Coombs: So I'm so happy we got to speak with him today.

[7:15] Jason A. Coombs: I'm so happy that he's like in our orbit because he's such an inspiring person.

[7:19] Jason A. Coombs: So yeah, so I did.

[7:21] Jason A. Coombs: I went and covered the press day for Immediate Family a few weeks ago, and he had so many amazing stories that immediately I was like, Jason, we have to have him on.

[7:30] Jason A. Coombs: He's the perfect survival jobs guest for first of all, guys.

[7:33] Jason A. Coombs: Wait till you hear his survival job is like iconic, and then his story probably the most iconic actually, though.

[7:41] Jason A. Coombs: Actually, and then his story is just about his hustle and the way he has built his own career.

[7:49] Jason A. Coombs: Based off like similar to what I was just saying about just doing it, just asking, just going for it, just believing in yourself.

[7:55] Jason A. Coombs: It is so inspiring.

[7:56] Jason A. Coombs: So it's a good listen, people.

[7:58] Jason A. Coombs: It's a good lesson.

[7:59] Jason A. Coombs: Great.

[8:00] Jason A. Coombs: Listen, you're gonna enjoy it.

[8:01] Jason A. Coombs: And shout out to being creatives and making art and advocating for yourself and living your dreams and living your purpose, and just not taking no for an answer.

[8:13] Jason A. Coombs: Don't take no for an answer.

[8:15] Jason A. Coombs: And if you do hear no, figure out a way to change your approach and get the yes, get the yes, yes, mic drop.

[8:23] Jason A. Coombs: Enjoy people, Paul.

[8:25] Jason A. Coombs: Welcome to Survival Jobs: A Podcast.

[8:27] Paul Oakley Stovall: We are so excited to have you.

[8:30] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh thank you.

[8:31] Paul Oakley Stovall: I didn't just talk to you before we hit record, but I did meet you at the press day for Immediate Family, and none of my audio grabbed, so we're so happy.

[8:44] Paul Oakley Stovall: Hopefully, the audio is taking today because it did that day.

[8:48] Paul Oakley Stovall: It did that that day.

[8:49] Paul Oakley Stovall: Well, I also just want to give a big shout out to Tyler Sims because right away we connected through him, and now you're here with us.

[8:55] Paul Oakley Stovall: So Tyler, Tyler, thank you to Tyler.

[8:59] Jason A. Coombs: I love your shirt, Paul.

[9:00] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, thank you.

[9:01] Paul Oakley Stovall: Do you know Tyler as well?

[9:03] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes.

[9:04] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay.

[9:05] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[9:05] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, you've met Tyler.

[9:06] Paul Oakley Stovall: I like it.

[9:07] Paul Oakley Stovall: Same time I have, yeah.

[9:09] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[9:09] Jason A. Coombs: So we're talking a lot about Tyler.

[9:11] Jason A. Coombs: Let's move on for his ego.

[9:14] Jason A. Coombs: We can't let his ego get any bigger than RD.

[9:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Just kidding.

[9:17] Jason A. Coombs: Just kidding.

[9:18] Jason A. Coombs: Just kidding.

[9:18] Jason A. Coombs: Anyway, we're so excited to have you.

[9:20] Jason A. Coombs: We have so much to talk about.

[9:21] Jason A. Coombs: And in doing the research about you, I was like, is this episode gonna be 30 minutes or three hours?

[9:26] Jason A. Coombs: We have so many things to talk about.

[9:28] Jason A. Coombs: So yes, let's keep it moving.

[9:30] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[9:31] Jason A. Coombs: I guess we want to, yeah, we'll jump into our first question, Paul, which is about survival jobs.

[9:35] Jason A. Coombs: And I and Samantha told me this, but I kind of forgot until I was doing my research.

[9:39] Jason A. Coombs: You worked for Michelle Obama.

[9:41] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes.

[9:42] Paul Oakley Stovall: And of course, I don't, of course, I don't officially anymore, but every now and then I'll get a text about we we want to go see a certain Broadway show.

[9:51] Paul Oakley Stovall: Who can you connect it?

[9:53] Paul Oakley Stovall: Because I mean, they could obviously just connect it, but right, you know, if I know someone in it, or if I know the stage manager or the company manager, I can make it easier for them to maneuver and you know, because she needs to kind of get in quick and get out and all of that.

[10:09] Paul Oakley Stovall: So occasionally I'll get a text uh about seeing the show and if I have any connection to that up.

[10:15] Paul Oakley Stovall: But back in the day, yeah, and that was my survival job.

[10:18] Paul Oakley Stovall: And I'll never forget the day that uh when I started phasing back into theater writing and acting, that Miss Mrs. O said to me, Oh, I'm just realizing this working for us is your like survival day job.

[10:33] Paul Oakley Stovall: You actually what you want to do is something else.

[10:35] Paul Oakley Stovall: Like, like you know, because why would she know that?

[10:37] Paul Oakley Stovall: You know, great.

[10:39] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, and I was like, Oh yeah, I mean, I yeah, yeah, see you later.

[10:45] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, so what exactly did you do with her again?

[10:48] Paul Oakley Stovall: I okay, so technically you're a volunteer because you're paid through the government something or whatever.

[10:56] Paul Oakley Stovall: I didn't work in the White House as a as a staff member.

[10:59] Paul Oakley Stovall: So what I did was called advance, and I was an advanced associate.

[11:03] Paul Oakley Stovall: So what we do is, oh, how do you explain it?

[11:06] Paul Oakley Stovall: So if if if Mrs. O is going to appear somewhere and give a speech, or she's going to appear and even just do some volunteer work in a soup kitchen or something, a team has to go in advance of her and scope it out, figure out where is the where's the holding room where she can be have privacy to make calls or something.

[11:27] Paul Oakley Stovall: Uh, which entrance should she come in?

[11:30] Paul Oakley Stovall: Where will the press be located?

[11:32] Paul Oakley Stovall: Uh, where will her team hang out?

[11:34] Paul Oakley Stovall: Where would the motorcade roll up?

[11:36] Paul Oakley Stovall: Uh, she has to be briefed on who's who, who is she going to meet?

[11:40] Paul Oakley Stovall: So there's a whole team, and we each take a different leg of what I just talked about.

[11:44] Paul Oakley Stovall: So I worked on the meet the media side.

[11:47] Paul Oakley Stovall: So if it was a big rally, I'd be working overnight setting up the risers and uh as per instructions that I would get from someone, tape out which which outlet gets to be on which spot, uh, take the photographers down for a closer view at some point during the speech and and do it very subtly so it doesn't distract from what her speech, what she's doing.

[12:09] Paul Oakley Stovall: Wow.

[12:10] Paul Oakley Stovall: So those were the tougher days.

[12:12] Paul Oakley Stovall: Um, but then there were days where she would, you know, speak at an elementary school to some some underserved community, and those are really awesome and beautiful, uh, beautiful experiences where you could put a little more of yourself into it.

[12:28] Paul Oakley Stovall: You could speak to her press person, the person who's with her, who I answer to, and say, "Hey, there's one little kid who’s wearing a purple shirt and he's kind of shy and not participating. If she sort of went to him, it would make his whole life." You know, so you, right, because you're there for a week ahead of time, sussing out the situation. Or like a fireman had tragically died two days before they arrived one time, and you just let them know that so when they give their speech, they say, "First, we want to say we're very sad to hear about the loss of your community." You know, right? That's the kind of things you have to do as well. That's literally iconic, very, very theatrical actually, you know?

Right? Because it's like you get tech, and then you just don't get any previews, you just have opening. That’s it, you're there. Yeah, and they're the best leading performers you could ever ask for. They know how to come in and knock it out of the park, so that part was easy.

[13:34] Jason A. Coombs: Once they got there it was easy. I mean, I have to say that's the most iconic survival job we've ever had on the show.

[13:42] Paul Oakley Stovall: You know, true. We usually are getting like babysitting, bartending. This is amazing, especially for such an icon as First Lady Michelle Obama. Like, that's so—did you—I mean, you said she recognized that that was your survival job, right? That theater was your dream, your passion. Was there any kind of advice that you or something you learned from just being in her orbit and then working alongside her and her team?

[14:09] Paul Oakley Stovall: Absolutely. Because watching her and by extension, President Obama, right, when they were at an event where they were both there, just how to stay calm under pressure. You know, I was about four circles distance away. It's not like I hung out with them or anything. But from a distance, I was able to just see, oh, that's how you handle ups and downs. You don't get too celebratory and you don't get too down when things don't go your way. And actors, you know, we can go into the deep circles of hell when you don't get that part that you knew you just knew you were gonna get. And so it really helped me to just even that out. And then I think that does affect the way you audition. You know, the next big show I got was Hamilton, and I had had the experience of working near a first—not the first, but a first president.

He was the first Black president. So the pressures and what that all—and I played Washington, I got the role of Washington, so everything that came with that just made me very calm. Not that I didn't care if I got it or not, but that I just—it wasn't my whole life, right? You know, life was gonna go on one way or the other, and I do believe that that affects how you present yourself, what energy you bring into the room. But that's one thing I learned. And just consistency, just consistency. If you say you're gonna do something, do it and do your best. And if you can't show up as your best, probably best not to show up.

[15:47] Jason A. Coombs: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Love that. Well, thank you for sharing that. That's again incredibly iconic. Just like you said, your survival job then led you to acting, but you know, you're also a producer and a writer, which we're gonna talk so much about your show, right, coming up in the episode. But ultimately your producing path took you to win a Tony for Strange Loop, which is amazing. Congratulations. Can you tell us a little bit about how producing came to be a passion of yours and what drew you to want to be a part of Strange Loop and just a little bit about that process?

[16:22] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, I think any producer who does it full time—I don't necessarily do it full time, although I still look for projects now. Any producer will tell you they've been producing since they were five years old. They've been that kid that got all the other kids together, and this is how we're gonna do it, and we're on the playground. No, no, no, you're a cowboy. No, no, no. We need two more cowboys, you know. They just been producing, and then they found out it was something you could actually do as a profession. So I think I always had it in me. So how it came to be for me, I was in Hamilton on tour, and I was casual—I'd say a little more than acquaintance, casual friends with Michael R. Jackson and T. Oliver Reed and Jamie.

Yeah, and Jamie Separrow. And the four of us would, you know, we'd gather now and then when we could at Hourglass Tavern. I don't know if it's with us anymore over on 46 and 9th. And now then we would gather and just talk and, you know, about what our dreams were, what we're working on, stuff like that, but not anything major. So I just had an eye on Michael when Strange Loop came to be. When it was at Playwrights, I couldn't get there; I was on tour. But when I was in Philadelphia on tour with Hamilton, I heard from James Jackson, who was in it, that they're going to do a Monday night concert performance of it at Joe's Pub. Oh wow. It had closed at Playwrights, but they were actively trying to keep the buzz going to get it to Broadway.

And he said, our producer Barbara Whitman's going to be there. I will introduce you if you can hop on that train from Philly on your day off. Did it, showed up. James introduced me. Barbara took one look at me and said, Well, I'm looking to diversify my producing circle. And if you want to jump on, you can learn as you go. Oh. And that—that's what happened. I just said yes to life and said, Yes, I'm going to do that.

[18:22] Paul Oakley Stovall: God, I love New York and like these moments of like just meeting somebody and doing something and it leading to something unexpected. Yeah, it doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. No. And putting yourself out there, like you could say, it's my day off. I don't want to travel two, three hours. I always want to, you know, chill in my hotel or whatever it is, you know. But I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna go and I'm gonna see what this opportunity may bring. And it brought you a Tony at the end of the day.

[18:49] Jason A. Coombs: Can you believe it?

[18:52] Paul Oakley Stovall: That's blessed. That's amazing.

[18:54] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, where do you keep the Tony?

[18:56] Paul Oakley Stovall: On my ledge in my condo in Chicago. I live in Chicago. I lose it there. And listen, and I treat it like every friend who's an actor that comes over. I say, Hey, here, give your Tony speech. Here, I'll video tip you. And I let everybody hold it, play around.

[19:11] Jason A. Coombs: How heavy is it?

[19:12] Paul Oakley Stovall: It's to me, it's just, you know, it's—it's a who would have thunk it thing on.

[19:18] Jason A. Coombs: How heavy, how heavy is it when you're holding it?

[19:20] Paul Oakley Stovall: It's substantial. You know, yeah, it's heavier than it looks, that's for sure.

[19:26] Jason A. Coombs: Right, right. Oh, that's so cool. So you wear so many hats. I think we got to transition a little bit to the performer side, if that's okay.

[19:33] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[19:33] Jason A. Coombs: You were in the Nash, the first national tour of Hamilton and then eventually went on to replace, like you said, Mr. George Washington. How did Hamilton come to you? How did that opportunity come to you? And what was the audition process like?

[19:46] Paul Oakley Stovall: I had had a pretty good regional theater career, Chicago actors, you know, yeah. I was working, I was working, and I had taken that time off to work in the political arena. And actually, okay, so Felicia Rashad had directed Immediate Family a couple of times already. And then she was directing Our Lady of 121st Street in New York and said, Are you around anywhere? They're giving me an assistant director. They're not gonna pay you much, of course, but you know, come on, be in New York and learn a little bit about directing, and let's, you know, let's work on this project together. So I was—I found myself in New York, and then we were in that season when lots of Broadway shows were opening. I was friends with Jesse Mueller from Chicago days, and I said, Hey Felicia, I can get us in the opening night of Carousel, you know, to which she looked at me in something to the effect of I could have done that, but okay. If you want to take the credit for being able to get us in, okay. I could picture her, I could picture that look from her.

[20:58] Paul Oakley Stovall: Right. In a very fun way. She was just like, Oh, that's nice. So he's like, really? We're rolling up to the Imperial. She's like, I'll never forget when I did The Wiz here or whatever it was, Dream Girls, something. She had already performed there. She was like, Yeah, you know, here we go. But at the after party, I ran into—I can't remember the woman's name, one of the casting folks at Bernie Telsi. And I think everyone and their mom had done the sort of pre-limb audition for Hamilton. It's not that hard to get that. My agent had kind of got me seen by someone. Right. And I was very—how do I say it? I was Chicago, I was full of my Chicago ego when I did the audition. Not rude or anything, but I had decided how I was gonna do George Washington.

And I think that this woman saw a bit of a spark, right? So she said, Oh, he could maybe do it. So let me guide him to the way that I know will get him at least seen by the top creators. And I kept sort of resisting, like, well, no, I see him like this. And she's just looking and she just looked at me like, oh, okay, I really think you should try it this way. And I was like, uh, um, I don't know. Just the dumbest. And I took that to be like, I'm being a real artist, and this is actually the way I'm gonna get it because I'm gonna show that I've thought about it, you know.

[22:34] Paul Oakley Stovall: Right. But commercial theater is—that train has left the station. You need to get up there, and these people are paying dollars to see this show. They want to see the show. You could go do that somewhere else. So I ran into her at this opening night party, and I just—I came clean and I was like, you know, I just want to say thank you for your patience. I was a bit of a brat in that audition, but you know, ha ha, oh well, next time, because they hadn't called me. This audition had happened a while ago. Right, right. So I knew I was out of there. And she just kind of smiled at me and said, So what are you doing in town? And I told her, and she said, okay, hmm. Next day my agent calls me and says, I don't know what's going on, but they want to see you again.

[23:19] Jason A. Coombs: Oh wow.

[23:20] Paul Oakley Stovall: Now I think it's because I just came clean. Right. I said to her, I know I was a pain in the butt. And win some, lose some. Sorry if I—whatever. Because I could tell she—when she first saw me, she was like, hmm, that guy. So I got back in, and I would say it's—I don't know what it is for different people, but it was a total of about being seen six or seven times for me. Fifth time you see several of the creatives. Lynn was in there. Sixth time, they're sending you off with the resident musical director and resident director to have a work session where they're recording it, and they don't want you memorized; you have the music on a stand, and they're sort of taking you through the material. And then they told—they told me, okay, so when you get seen next, do that.

And then you start to—then you start to get it. So then the seventh time, they're all back in the room again, and you do it. And I would never forget, I was—that's when I get nervous when I'm trying to repeat something that I was given to do. Right. And the notes weren't there for the big part of One Last Time. And Alex Lacamoire just stood up from the table and said, What would happen if we took that one step down? And here comes ego, right? No, no, no, no, no. I can do it, I can do it. I just—hold on, let me get some water, hold on, I can do it, I can do it. He was like, I'm sure you can, but I think it would sound better a little lower for you, so can we just do that? Okay, okay, okay. Not thinking that if he's getting up to even do that, that means they see everything else; they just want you to be able to repeat it eight times a week, right?

And that you might be able to hit that note, but by Friday evening, ladies and gentlemen, tonight the role George Washington will be played by somebody else, or those matinees aren't gonna hit. So we took it down a step. Of course, that show's not easy; I'm not gonna say it was easy, but it felt right, and then I got caught, and then I got the call about a week or so later.

[25:36] Jason A. Coombs: Can I just say, like already both of these stories you told about your producing journey and now this journey, it's because you're making connections and talking to people, and that is so—it's such an important lesson, I think, for everybody to, you know, not be scared to say hello to somebody because you may have thought you bombed the audition or like not to take the risk and like talk to somebody and say, hey, yeah, I might want to be interested in producing. I don't know anything, but like I can learn. Like these things, these steps we have to take in life are so important, especially in this industry, so thanks for sharing and shout out to all of our listeners to take that lesson.

[26:14] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, everybody just know that that's what you're training for. You're not training for the performance that you hopefully will get to give, you know, and win that Tony. You're training to walk into a room and know who you are and be yourself and know that that's enough. You're training to not be afraid, as you just said, to say, Oh, I recognize that person. Hi, I'm so-and-so. Not in a fanboy or fangirl way or a fan day way, just as a human being.

[26:42] Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm a human, you're a human. It's 8 p.m. I'm assuming you've eaten once or twice today. You've gone to the bathroom a few times. You do the things that everybody does. Great. Great. You know, sure, for sure. So you got the part, and then you were on tour with Hamilton.

[26:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Hamilton is not like an easy show. It's long, it's meaty, it's intense. So can you tell us how and I imagine like tour life is tough as well, right? You're traveling, you're not in your home, you're not in your bed. What did you do on tour to stay grounded and calm and keep your energy up to do this show as much as you were doing it with the travel?

[27:23] Paul Oakley Stovall: I had toured before, and I had traveled so much when I was doing advance for the Obamas. You know, once you jump on that train, that train leaves the station too. So every week we're in a different city, we're overseas for two weeks, then we're back, and it's you're in a small town in Ohio, and then you get a call, we're going to South Africa. So you have to kind of just know how to pivot and stay calm within the storm. And I don't think it would serve any of the listeners or viewers if I was dishonest. So, to be honest, it was difficult for me doing Hamilton more in a personal way. I think, you know, I had a lovely time with several of the people I worked with, but it's a you know, Hamilton is it was such a moment in the zeitgeist.

It was such a you know, it was a moment, it was a revolution, a revelation, you know, it was what it was what it said it was, right? So that part of it for me was difficult. I enjoyed, you know, signing after the show and trying to engage with young people and encourage them to reach for their dreams. A young woman, I'll never forget, said to me, I said, which character do you want to play? And she said, Well, I only can choose between Eliza and Jelica. I said, No, why can't you be Burr? Do you do you know the Burr rap? I'm looking at you, I bet you do. And she started doing it. And I said, Yeah, you could do anything. Like that part of the experience was great. Wow. Um, you know, uh uh uh the hype part of it and keeping your feet on the ground, right?

Was the difficult thing remembering that push comes to shove, you're just a person, you're just standing up there singing. You you're not, you know, you're not special, right? In the way that that can creep in, those thoughts can creep in. So I would sort of keep to myself. I did a lot of writing, and that's you know, started working on some new plays and stuff, and it all worked out, yeah.

[29:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, now here we are with a play that you wrote, yeah, directed by transition. What a transition, thank you. You you knew our notes, like I know how to do this, yeah. Great assist with the iconic Felicia Rashad, who is just uh she she I don't know her personally, but I just hear great things about her and just the way watching her interviews and just literally growing up her with her as like a second mom, honestly. Like she just is such an incredible woman.

[30:03] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, so she's directing her play being put on at the North Carolina's Blumenthal Arts. Um there's a great story uh of how this play can be in working with her. Can you mind sharing that? And what inspired you to write this piece? And were you writing this while you were on tour?

[30:19] Paul Oakley Stovall: It was already written when I was on tour. Uh, what I wrote on tour was a play about Phyllis Wheatley called Written by Phyllis. Oh wow. And I was working on my adaptation. I co-adapted James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room and just recently directed that world premiere. Yeah, I mean, we directed the world premiere of it in Philly just like a month and a half ago. So I was working on those two things. Um, but Immediate Family. Okay, so Felicia had directed it already in 2012 and 2015. So this production that came up was more a matter of logistics and schedules, and do both of us want to jump back in to the piece and see how it resonates now. And thankfully we both did.

[31:06] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[31:06] Paul Oakley Stovall: But how it came to be it. Well, this was my first play, and um, I think any writer worth their salt, you know, the first thing you write about is what you know, what you see every day. So you tend to write about your own life experience. You tend to. And I was in a theater company in Chicago that uh did a lot of new work about Face Theater Company, and they uh they were plotting, planning a new works winter festival, and my career in Chicago had jumped off a bit. So I was, you know, I had done a musical with Tanya Pinkins and Andre DeShields. I was have a I was I was doing pretty good with my acting and singing career. And so they said to me, why don't you host the evening? And you can sing songs in between presentations of new of the new scenes.

We're just gonna show scenes from work that we're considering doing. And our stakeholders and board members and invited guests will just watch each one and we'll just have a nice evening of cocktails and and you can host the evening. And I you know, in my huge ego, you know, all this goes back to ego. I was I was feeling some type of way, and I said, Well, why can't I present my new work? And they said, Oh, I mean, they were very, they're my they're my colleagues and my friends. They were like, Oh, of course you can. We didn't, we didn't know you were a writer. We didn't know, of course you can show your piece. Can we see it? And I said, Well, you can see it tomorrow. And I went home that night and wrote what would become Immediate Family.

So I sort of like talked myself into having to, and so that's another reason why this is what I wrote about, because I'm sitting there going, I don't have time to be researching, I don't have time to think of some topic. I have to write about what's recently going on in my life. And so I put a certain spin on it, and of course, it was so rudimentary, it wasn't anywhere near what it is now. And I showed up the next day and I knew I only had to give them a scene, so I gave them what I thought was the best two person scene, and they said, okay, great. What uh where does this fall into play? And I was like, it's act two, scene three. Yep, that's what it is. And we got we got uh Francois Batiste, who's still a great friend.

He read one role, and Christopher Yupignac read the other one. And the audience, you know, it it could have been from a movie. I'm peeking from behind the backstage thing, and the audience is laughing. Oh and once they laughed, I said, Oh, this is almost better than having to go out there and do it. Great, right? Hey, who wants to do eight times a week when a check can come and you don't have to do it? So I've I ended up writing the whole thing. Um, it has some storefront productions, non-equity, you know, the Chicago theater life. I don't I want I don't want to say better than New York, but it's richer in Chicago than New York in that you can sort of get your work up. Right, you know, and so we have like 200 storefront theaters, you know, so you can always get your work up in Chicago. So I was able to get it up. Um, and then some people took notice, and then it went from there.

[34:34] Jason A. Coombs: Story number three of how you just speak what you want, or like take it, take a shot, and then yeah, to these amazing things.

[34:40] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, well, number four is you asked me how did Felicia get involved. Yeah, so I'm off. Uh, we had some time off near the 4th of July holiday when I was doing advance work, and I decided to come home to Chicago, and someone said, Oh, these actors are reading, uh, each one's reading a line from the Declaration of Independence for this big like thing at downtown, but you know, celebrating the day. And so I got to see a lot of my actor friends, and they're like, hey, hey, hey, oh, wait, there's uh the sister of Intezaki Shanghai, Ifa Baiza, she has a new musical, and somebody just dropped out and they're just doing a workshop, a week long workshop. And uh she's over there. Uh you probably be great.

Hey, Ifa, this is Paul, he's a singer, he could do it. And she was like, Oh, are you free this at this time? And I said, Yeah. So she hired me on the spot. I get to rehearsal a month or so later, and there's Felicia Rashad sitting on the other side of the table. She was in the workshop. Wow. So I just met her like that. It turns out I, you know, I had a I had, you know, I had that utility role where you play like five roles and and they're all just have like a couple of lines, you know. But I had one scene with her that was kind of crazy and fun and nutty. And so I kind of got to know her a little bit, and I got the you know, she said, Oh, somebody told me you work for Mrs. You know, we got to just sort of talking, and I got my nerve up to say, Would you read this play of mine?

So here we go again. I just had the nerve to say, can I email it to you? She says, sure. I emailed it to her, she wrote me back and said, This is wonderful. Good luck. And I and I I saw that she had started directing, but she was mostly directing things she had been in. She was directing Raisin in the Sun, she was directing Gem of the Ocean. And I thought to myself, I don't see anything uh world premiere on this list of shows. I'm seeing that she's directed. So when the opportunity came for my show to be at the Goodman Theater, I thought, man, I should ask Felicia, she was the thinking like a producer, right? So I you see, all the wheels turn, right? So I emailed her and said, What would you think of directing it?

And she said, Is that a real thing? Is there a theater? Is how real is this? And I said, It's actually we're going to the Goodman in like a month. And she said, call my manager. Here's the number. I I instead called our producers and said, You guys make this call. They they took care of it. It all went through. And she called me a few days later at three o'clock in the morning and said, Okay, Paul, so we're doing well. I think she was in LA, so it was like midnight for her. Oh, right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[37:32] Paul Oakley Stovall: So she she didn't know where I was in the world. She just had to call me. And she said, Hey, Paul, um, all right, so we're gonna do this. So let's talk about the play. Let's let's get in there. And I said, Okay. And she said, so you got eight locations. And I said, uh-huh. It was quiet. She said, Can you get it down to four? And I was like, get the play down to four locations, but that means I'd have to, in my mind, I wasn't right, right. Complaining out loud. You know, I was just like thinking, how would I do that? And she said, just think about it. Um, you know, I've got my own, I was able to get my own set designer because she a lot of things were in place, but she was able to, she said, if I take this, I want my set designer.

And they had been talking. So the late great uh John Iacavelli. And she said, just try. So I I stayed up and I figured out, okay, so then that scene at the cemetery, I can cut that and put that dialogue here. And you know, sent it up, sent it off to her. She reads it immediately, calls me up. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Oh, oh, Paul, Paul, oh darling, yes, yes. It's wonderful, wonderful. I'm like, okay, good. I'm thinking, all right, we're ready to go. And she said, um, can you get it down to two? I was like, hold up, hold up. But I thought she was planning that the whole time. But um the first thing out of my mind was this one major character would not if there's two locations I couldn't take out. So I knew the only two I could take out were these other two.

And that means one of the major characters wouldn't even appear until like halfway through the play. So I said to her, I said, but that means that Christian wouldn't come in until the play's halfway done. And she went, yes. Oh my gosh. And she said, Do you see? Do you see? Yes. We don't need to see. I said, Oh my god. She's a genius. Yeah, and she's a writer. And uh, you know, she's yeah, she's all of it. Um, so I did it, and that's the that's the version we rolled with. And that's the one we've been with, and that was that to me, that solidified, if not a friendship, at least a working relationship that I thought was going to be very useful for me for the rest of my life.

[40:03] Jason A. Coombs: Turns out, here we are.

[40:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Here we are.

[40:05] Paul Oakley Stovall: Um, thank you so much for sharing these stories. It's so important, you know. We've said this a lot on this show that sometimes all you have to do is ask. And if you have the work and you believe in yourself and you lose the imposter syndrome and you trust yourself, all you have to do is ask. That's what all these people are out here doing. So thank you for sharing to solidify that theme.

[40:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. The answer might be no.

[40:35] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay. But it's definitely gonna be no if you don't ask.

[40:39] Jason A. Coombs: Correct. Right. You would have zero answer if you didn't ask.

[40:42] Paul Oakley Stovall: That's right. I think a big thing I always learn is that it could be a no for now. It doesn't mean it's a no forever, right? It could be in just this moment. At least you're putting yourself out there, at least you're getting on someone's radar now, right?

[40:53] Jason A. Coombs: That's right.

[40:54] Paul Oakley Stovall: Sorry, I think I cut you off, Sammy.

[40:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, please. Please, please.

[40:59] Paul Oakley Stovall: So you, so this obviously we've talked about this is not the first time this play is being put on, this is not the first time Felicia directed it. Does it feel different every time you put on Immediate Family? And what is sticking out about this particular production for you to share with us?

[41:15] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes, it does feel different, but particularly this production for two reasons. It's 10 years since we've done it. And this is the first time Felicia had complete casting control. When she first did it at the Goodman, it had already been cast. So she had to work with what was in front of her. When she took it to LA to Mark Taper Forum, she kept four of the originals and cast two new people. So there's six actors. You know, we had Duncan Stewart casting, we had the team, we had auditions in New York. She got to pick from the New York pool, and she had just done Purpose, so everybody was showing up to these auditions. Of course, and I mean, that's neither here nor there, but she got her choices to put together what she wanted to put together completely.

And so it's been a learning experience for me because when we first did it, a couple of the actors were friends of mine. They were people that spoke my language, that knew how I write and how I talk, and how I, you know, so they slid right into the characters. And it's been a journey for me watching these brilliant actors find it anew. You know, I've had to sit on my hands because I'm like, it's, it's, it's this. But they don't know that. They don't know me. They don't know anything but what's on the page. And I've had to sit back and go, oh, I'm gonna learn a lot about, you know, maybe that's not as obvious as you think it is, because they're all great actors. So maybe when an actor gets caught in a corner, it might be you, Paul, that has written them into a corner, so that's been a good experience. And she again has been there to help me understand being painted into a corner is exactly what any great artist wants, because then you get to use your personal skill to get out of that situation.

[43:27] Paul Oakley Stovall: And that's how we learn how good we are, and that goes for writers, directors, actors. Paint yourself. I was if I gave any advice, I would say paint yourself into a corner and then press play and see what happens and see what you're made of, right? That's where the true inspiration comes. Right. How do you get out of the trap that's on your leg? How do you, the clock is ticking and the door is locked, and you have to figure it out? So, what are you made of, you know?

[43:59] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Paul, tell everyone why they need to hop on a plane right now to North Carolina. If they're not in North Carolina, if they are, they need to get over why they need to run over and see Immediate Family and get their tickets today.

[44:14] Paul Oakley Stovall: Well, you need to get it today because it's selling out. That's, you know, Tom Dabber, the CEO at Blumenthal, he's been very thoughtful, almost reverse engineering the show, and he has put it on the Broadway series at Blumenthal. So there's a subscription that comes along with it. And a lot of the people that are seeing Hamilton, Wicked, Shucked, you know, whatever's, I think, what's the one that you repeated three times? Um, Beetlejuice. I think that's on the season. Life of Pi is coming next week. So he's got the big touring shows coming through, and my show is just plucked right in there amongst them. And so people will assume that it already is there. Oh, did you see that on Broadway? You know, it must have already been on Broadway, you know.

It's kind of a, it's smart. We'll see if it's a smart tactic. It's a great idea. Yeah, and we'll see how it pans out. So I would say get on that plane or take a nice long train ride, stop through DC and have a nice leisurely time down the coast and see the show because you will see your own family and you will see yourself. It is on its surface. I get asked a lot. Oh, you're writing this show about religion, sexuality, the black community. You know, that happens to be who's in the play. That's like telling me when you meet me, oh, you are black and gay and religious. No, I'm just a human that is in the process of being. That's what human being means. You're, it's a verb. I'm a human being. And so you'll see people who are just up on stage being, and I guarantee you, you're gonna see one or two, or maybe three that you say, Oh, that's me.

Oh, I've been in that situation, and I made that same mistake. But there's a lot of forgiveness in the show. There's a lot of endings that are really new beginnings, and that's all that life is. That's all that life is because the sun comes up the next day, right? So yeah, come so that you can understand yourself better and forgive yourself.

[46:24] Paul Oakley Stovall: A lot of times, people, you know, when I was playing George Washington, we have to do interviews in every city we get to, and they would ask me inevitably, what's your favorite line from the show? You know, well, you know, that's fair, you know, that's fair. And they want me to say one last time, or they want me to say history has a size. And I would say my favorite line in the show is when the entire company sings forgiveness. Can you imagine? Because that's what I think the whole show is about. Yeah, you know, the show is about Eliza Hamilton, really, in my mind. So she forgave, and because she forgave, she put all the papers together. Because if she hadn't done that, would have been lost to history. Yeah, right. But she had a great world of forgiveness in her. And so I think that's what life is about because forgiveness is for you, not for the person that you forgive.

[47:22] Jason A. Coombs: That's so true.

[47:23] Paul Oakley Stovall: You know, half the time they're not even gonna know you forgave them. You may not have the opportunity to tell them, yeah. Yeah, you know, they don't know, but if you can really let it go, a bad relationship, it's so hard. That's one of the toughest things in life is forgiveness. Yeah, because I'm sitting up here talking all about it, and it took me eight years. Just recently, I was able to really let something go. I thought I had, but that was I was lying to myself. Right. And then something occurred and made me go, oh, you haven't really let this go. Right. It's time to take the time to do that. So that's what I would say. Get on that plane, it's worth it.

[47:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Or get on the plane, people.

[48:02] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, or take a train, take a long bus, read a program. Take a kayak. Yeah, jump into the ocean of kayak or road trip, road trip. Girl trip it up.

[48:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, no, Paul, but I love what you said about like I feel like sometimes people think that like a, you know, a black cast is like not relatable, but you can have like a unique, right? And unique perspective in a show and a play, a movie, but it can still have universal themes that anybody can relate to, and that's what it sounds like. I haven't seen Immediate Family. Are you talking about it? That's what it sounds like to me, and it's why I want to go down there.

[48:34] Paul Oakley Stovall: And make no mistake. Make no mistake. It's very black in a way that there are probably things that a white audience will go, uh what? You know, just things that are within our community. But to me, that makes it more universal. If I go to see a play, a Chekhov play, and they're doing Russian stuff up there and they're doing stuff. Sometimes I sit there going, what is that cultural thing? I don't understand why he doesn't just to, but it doesn't matter because I can see the truth happening on stage. So I certainly use a very black patois. There are subject matter that is within our community that deals with food and just how we do things, you know what I mean? But that to me makes it even more universal. Because everybody can relate to, oh, in our family, I know because we do this at the Polish or the Mexican or the thing, you know, we do it this way. Right. But I know what's happening up there.

[49:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Uh-huh.

[49:29] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[49:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, listen, I am a white girl and I connected a lot with the whole family in purpose in various ways.

[49:37] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[49:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hello.

[49:39] Paul Oakley Stovall: It's that because they weren't trying to be palatable in some way to a homogenous audience.

[49:48] Paul Oakley Stovall: Right. And by the way, I'm a woman, not a girl. I just call myself a girl. Like I'm totally blunt. I'm an adult woman and everyone.

[49:56] Jason A. Coombs: Don't worry.

[49:56] Paul Oakley Stovall: Don't worry.

[49:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, you've already shared so much wisdom and advice on this show directly and indirectly, but we have a lot of listeners who maybe feel stuck in their survival jobs, who want a career as an artist, whatever that may mean for them. So what is your advice for someone who is feeling stuck, who is feeling like they're auditioning or writing and walls and walls and walls and can't get that breakthrough?

[50:22] Paul Oakley Stovall: I have a friend who's going through that right now. And I'm gonna say three things, but I might forget one of them because I'm getting up there. So I'm gonna try to go so I don't forget. One, use your survival job as an opportunity to learn something about yourself. Whatever that job is. If you are scrubbing floors, what is the, and I mean I'm being literal. What is the movement, the ache, the FOMO? What is it that you can dig deeper into yourself so you're ready, not just as an artist, but as a human being to take it on when you do get that opportunity? Because a lot of times what happens is it comes too easy and you mess it up because you're not really knowing who you are. So use that survival job, carry five plates, people not speaking to you or looking you in your eye and treating you as what are you learning? So you use it.

[51:17] Paul Oakley Stovall: Number two, I would say ask yourself every day, every other day, every week, can I live without it? And if you ever answer, yes, I can live without it, stop. Don't just give it up. You have to not be able to live without it. And I knew I was gonna forget number three, and I did.

[51:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's okay.

[51:37] Paul Oakley Stovall: It's okay. Yeah, I knew I was gonna forget it. Oh no, I just remember because my friend, we were sitting talking in New York before I left. He just has such a great attitude. And I was asking him things, and he was saying, nope, I don't have an agent. And I would expect him to be like, oh, trying to get an agent. And I said, Oh, well, how do you find auditions? I just showed up to EPAs. So it's your attitude. This friend of mine has an incredible attitude. So attitude is always a choice. You know, that's what you're talking about. This survival job, feeling like I don't have a choice, I have to do it because I have to pay my rent. Well, you may not have a choice about that, but you do have a choice in how you walk up and down the street every day. Right. Because if a rain cloud is following you, people are gonna move out the way.

[52:36] Jason A. Coombs: 100%.

[52:37] Paul Oakley Stovall: I don't want to get rained on.

[52:39] Jason A. Coombs: Who does?

[52:40] Paul Oakley Stovall: Right? Nobody wants to get rained on. And if you feel like you don't have a choice of your attitude, antidepressants are miracle drugs. There's also like Mango Steen and some kind of well, yeah.

[52:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: You weren't specific.

[52:54] Paul Oakley Stovall: So yes, it could be homeopathic. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah.

[52:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right. Options, people.

[53:01] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah. You are so iconic.

[53:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: This is amazing.

[53:06] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah. You're amazing. I had my notebook out to take some notes because I just really needed to hear what you were giving out today.

[53:14] Paul Oakley Stovall: It's um, as someone who wears multiple hats too, or tries to anyway. It's um it's much needed. So thank you. Thank you for so welcome. We can all get through this together. That's it. Do a little something also that makes you feel good about the world every day. It could be something small, but it builds up. Felicia talks about this a lot, you know. When I get my sort of big ideas about we have to do this and we gotta march and do this, and she's like, Oh child, oh child, you got to you got to move in a different way. You have to plant. I mean, Lynn says in the show, plant a seed in the garden that you might never get to see. You have to get in the garden, you have to smile at a stranger, you have to help someone who needs help one on one.

Put put what put one good thing out in the world, and then maybe that person will speak differently to their child that evening. And then that child who was bullying some kid at school might be nice to that kid the next day, and then that kid who's having trouble studying because they're getting bullied, might get a better grade, and then might apply to this school, and then that kid's gonna go find a solution to something like you and you and that takes a great leap of faith because we all want to see the results of what we do. Now I was you know, I did this, and I want to I want my money, and I want my award and I want my thing, right? Right, maybe you just have to know that you know you don't get to see it. Yeah, you can feel it though, right? Love that. Thank you, thank you. You're the best. I'm so glad I did this. I like you guys a lot.

[55:00] Jason A. Coombs: Oh yeah, well, we always like to end the show with a game because we do get pretty deep on this show sometimes. Jason and I are very like inspirational people, and when we start chatting, we chat. So we like to always bring it back to have a little bit of fun.

[55:15] Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm very competitive. I'm not playing against someone, um, like yourself.

[55:20] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, okay, pretty much. I mean, it's based off. So we have to have a game night.

[55:26] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay, oh, some Uno or something.

[55:28] Jason A. Coombs: I well, I have to teach you how to play bidwiz. That's the game we a car game we play in the show that I've had to teach the actors how to play, and it is competitive.

[55:39] Paul Oakley Stovall: Bid whist, okay.

[55:41] Jason A. Coombs: It's a game that's been lost, it's a game that's like spades but on turbo.

[55:45] Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm not good at things like that, so I'll place things my black card gonna get taken.

[55:52] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yes. You thought I was gonna be like, No, it's fine. No, no, no. No, I knew it was coming. Every time I admit it, I'm like, oh no. A big old stamp is coming. Revoked.

[56:03] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, okay, game time, game time.

[56:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Samantha is shocked. I just every black person knows how to play spades, but it's just over my head. I'm not good at games, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just being honest. I don't play cards. I play Uno.

[56:17] Paul Oakley Stovall: Like well, Uno. It's a competitive car game, right?

[56:21] Jason A. Coombs: Copy. So this is a competitive card game in the black culture.

[56:25] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[56:26] Jason A. Coombs: Spades.

[56:27] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[56:29] Jason A. Coombs: Got it.

[56:29] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, yeah.

[56:32] Jason A. Coombs: Great. Our game is not a competitive card game. We thought we would play a little game called producer, writer, or actor, multiple hats. We're gonna read you off names of artists. Maybe they're a producer, maybe they're a hunter, maybe they're an actor, maybe they're all three.

[56:51] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay.

[56:51] Jason A. Coombs: And you're gonna tell us what they're most well known for. And if it's all of it, some of them are true questions. And you know, we're just gonna have a great time.

[57:01] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay, and I'll admit it if I never heard it from okay.

[57:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, that way. Are you ready?

[57:09] Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm I'm with you see me. I'm like, oh god, okay, I'm ready. Famously known for cheating in all of our all of our games.

[57:15] Paul Oakley Stovall: I won't cheat. I won't cheat.

[57:16] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, if you need to cheat, I can mouth it to you. But I think yeah, I'll just I'll stay here on camera and be like.

[57:23] Paul Oakley Stovall: I thought you were like, if you need to cheat, you can just no, no, no. I'll be like, no, Samantha's a straight shooter, she'll tell you all right.

[57:32] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, first first name, Sonia Friedman, producer, Carrie.

[57:40] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, Carrie Young. Sorry. Actor.

[57:43] Jason A. Coombs: Karen Olivo.

[57:46] Paul Oakley Stovall: KO is an actor and teacher.

[57:49] Jason A. Coombs: Correct.

[57:50] Paul Oakley Stovall: And I also just need to go back. I'm so sorry. Kara Young is an actor and producer.

[57:55] Jason A. Coombs: I can't read it.

[57:56] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, is she? Okay. But you still got a point.

[57:59] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. Yes.

[58:00] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay. Lynn.

[58:02] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I'm sorry. I keep doing that. I keep skipping.

[58:04] Paul Oakley Stovall: It's okay.

[58:05] Jason A. Coombs: David Stone.

[58:07] Paul Oakley Stovall: Uh, that's a producer.

[58:10] Jason A. Coombs: Correct.

[58:12] Paul Oakley Stovall: Lynn Notage.

[58:14] Jason A. Coombs: Uh, writer, author, activist, incredible human.

[58:19] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes.

[58:20] Jason A. Coombs: Correct.

[58:21] Paul Oakley Stovall: And producer.

[58:22] Jason A. Coombs: And producer.

[58:23] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, and a producer. Yep. Okay. She wears like 14 hats. I don't have the facts of what she produced, but it is on the internet.

[58:32] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[58:34] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay, next. Susan Kalechi Watson.

[58:36] Jason A. Coombs: Say that one more time.

[58:38] Paul Oakley Stovall: Susan Kalecchi Watson.

[58:41] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, Susan Kalecchi. I got I'm gonna say director.

[58:48] Paul Oakley Stovall: Is that right?

[58:49] Jason A. Coombs: So incorrect. This is your first incorrect answer. Susan Kalecchi Watson is an actor and producer.

[58:55] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah. She was us. She played um Sterling Kane Brown's wife on This Is Us.

[59:02] Jason A. Coombs: Beth Pearson.

[59:03] Paul Oakley Stovall: As well as she was just in the residence. She was just in a playoff Broadway.

[59:08] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. No, see now, so now you've been looking at Susan Kalecchi Watson. She's an iconic actor. Competitive.

[59:14] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, okay, okay. Listen, it's just one, it's just one that is wrong. So you're okay.

[59:19] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. We got like five boys. How about Mariska Hargate?

[59:25] Paul Oakley Stovall: Actor.

[59:26] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[59:27] Paul Oakley Stovall: And and and executive producer and director of a new uh documentary.

[59:34] Jason A. Coombs: You just made up for you just made up for your one incorrect. Now you're back to level.

[59:38] Paul Oakley Stovall: Thank you. Because Marisca Hartay is my queen, and you just got all three of those, and you got double points. I met I met her at a party in London. She is the most lovely, lovely, down to earth, awesome. Her husband's a great person. I was like, and he's so hot.

[59:56] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry.

[59:56] Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm glad you said it first because I was gonna go there and I thought that's inappropriate. But thanks. Like, sorry, Marishka. I am not coming for your man. You are my queen, but damn.

[1:00:08] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry. She's firing on all cylinders.

[1:00:11] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[1:00:11] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, you're back to 100%. The next question. The next person. Jonathan Groff.

[1:00:21] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, okay. So actor. Uh producer, for sure.

[1:00:29] Jason A. Coombs: Correct.

[1:00:30] Paul Oakley Stovall: I don't think he's ever directed, but actor and producer for sure.

[1:00:33] Jason A. Coombs: Correct. Correct. He was a producer on the Spring Awakening HBO documentary.

[1:00:37] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[1:00:39] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. Celia Keenan Volker?

[1:00:42] Paul Oakley Stovall: Did I say that? Volger. Celia King Volger. Absolutely an actor. Award award-winning actor. She I feel like she has dabbled in directing, but I'm not sure.

[1:00:58] Jason A. Coombs: No?

[1:00:58] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay. I mean, the internet, I I the internet own said, you know, no known. I'll just say actor, but her activism. I mean, she's been, she's been like her humanitarian activism, she was even awarded for recently, right? So that wasn't one of the three things, but that is something she does as well. She's amazing.

[1:01:15] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[1:01:16] Paul Oakley Stovall: Leia Salonga.

[1:01:18] Jason A. Coombs: Actor.

[1:01:21] Paul Oakley Stovall: For sure. For sure. And of course.

[1:01:27] Jason A. Coombs: I guess it's producer. I don't know if he's directed.

[1:01:30] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah.

[1:01:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:01:33] Paul Oakley Stovall: She was one of the producers on Here Lies Love.

[1:01:33] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:01:35] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, yeah, right, of course. Okay.

[1:01:35] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:01:36] Paul Oakley Stovall: With Jose Lana.

[1:01:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. My homie.

[1:01:42] Paul Oakley Stovall: Anna DeVere Smith.

[1:01:45] Jason A. Coombs: Writer, professor, activist, director, queenius, queen, goddess.

[1:01:52] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes. Yes, all of the things.

[1:01:56] Jason A. Coombs: All of the things.

[1:01:56] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes. Yes.

[1:01:58] Jason A. Coombs: Lynn Manwell Miranda.

[1:02:00] Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, bad guy. Well, let's see. Writer, director, uh, actor. And I'm I'm obviously he's producing. He's probably got a producer credit on uh the film of uh uh in the heights.

[1:02:18] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:02:20] Paul Oakley Stovall: Correct. If anybody wears all the hats, he's wearing it. Ding ding ding ding ding.

[1:02:23] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:02:24] Paul Oakley Stovall: He does definitely wear all the hats. When does he sleep?

[1:02:28] Jason A. Coombs: Sleep is overrated.

[1:02:29] Paul Oakley Stovall: He's probably uh also what do we say, actor, writer, director, producer, um, and also just the humanitarian work that he does too.

[1:02:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, right, yeah.

[1:02:40] Paul Oakley Stovall: Activist last last but certainly not least, Queen Alicia Rashad.

[1:02:46] Jason A. Coombs: Oh boy.

[1:02:47] Paul Oakley Stovall: Uh well, okay. I know that it's of course actor and director, and I don't know if it says it on there, but Felicia was also a producer on my production of Giovanni's room. I don't know if that's our first producing credit, but we we pulled it back to creative consultant because she felt like she's not wasn't giving enough uh time to it. She was like, I can I can only be there for just some creative and helping you out, haul, but we had to figure out how to put it in the program.

[1:03:16] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[1:03:17] Paul Oakley Stovall: But what did you have in there? Just writer and actor.

[1:03:20] Jason A. Coombs: I mean, just directly. Writer director, yeah.

[1:03:23] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, director. But now you got double points for throwing in a fun fact we didn't know. So, in conclusion, even with your one incorrect answer, you still received 100%.

[1:03:34] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, which earns you the prize of a VIP invite to the season four launch party of survival jobs, which will be all maybe October.

[1:03:46] Paul Oakley Stovall: Maybe okay. I'll take that. Hopefully, you're back in New York. We will keep you posted.

[1:03:52] Jason A. Coombs: Well, it depends on when in the fall. I have a little gig that I oh, I guess I can't talk about it yet.

[1:03:59] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay, but I guess yeah, but uh I wish I could. Congratulations on the game, Paul. This episode is amazing. We're so grateful that you joined us. Before we let you go, please let our listeners know where they can keep up with you on social media, how to keep up with your projects, how to get tickets to immediate family. Let us know all of the things.

[1:04:21] Paul Oakley Stovall: Okay, you can find me on social media at tall powerpaul. Yeah, and you can get tickets for it. I know I love it. You can get tickets to immediate family at Blumenthal Arts.org.org. Blumenthal Arts.org. And it uh it runs through uh August 31st or September 7th. I'm not sure, but it's we're starting tech tomorrow. One of those.

[1:04:49] Jason A. Coombs: One of those.

[1:04:50] Paul Oakley Stovall: Amazing. And if you're tuning in because you're a Paul fan, obviously, and you don't follow us yet. Follow us at Survival Jobs Pod on Instagram and TikTok. On Facebook at Survival Jobs A podcast. Uh shoot us an email at survivaljobspod at gmail.com. Follow my boy Jason at Jason A. Coombs. And I am Sammy Toots. S A M M Y T U T Z, Jason.

[1:05:15] Jason A. Coombs: Look at I love it to end the show. Can you do these science? You get confetti. Doesn't never works for me, but oh it's not working for me. Just Samantha.

[1:05:27] Paul Oakley Stovall: Maybe because you're the host.

[1:05:28] Jason A. Coombs: That's what I was saying.

[1:05:30] Paul Oakley Stovall: Yeah, yeah. The confetti is in celebration of this iconic episode.

[1:05:35] Jason A. Coombs: Well, on what I'm looking at, my frame is under yours, so I'll just pretend like the confetti is kind of down. Falling on the brain on me, you know what I mean?

[1:05:43] Paul Oakley Stovall: Thank you so much, Paul.

[1:05:45] Jason A. Coombs: Thanks, you all. Survivors, thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode of Survival Jobs a podcast. If you like what you heard, please like, subscribe, and follow. Please leave us a review. Uh shoot us an email at survival jobspod at gmail.com. Give us your thoughts. We love this show. It's our little podcast that could, and we're still going because we love it so much. And thank you so much for all of your support.

[1:06:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: And Samantha, we're also hitting the TikTok hard the past couple weeks.

[1:06:12] Jason A. Coombs: We're hitting the TikTok. Our TikTok handle as it's the same as our Instagram, so it'll be super easy for you guys. Survival Jobs Pod.

[1:06:21] Paul Oakley Stovall: Awesome.

[1:06:22] Jason A. Coombs: At Survival Jobs Pod on the talk on the tick, tickety talk. TikTy talk tock ticky tock talk. Awesome.