This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, I was like, I saw you dancing. I was like, Samantha was dancing, y'all. She was getting ready.

[0:10] Jason A. Coombs: I was getting ready for the recorded.

[0:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm like, has it started recording? And I'm just doing my dance, just getting in the vibe. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying?

[0:19] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, vibes.

[0:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey, Jason.

[0:22] Jason A. Coombs: Hello, Samantha Don Titsolo.

[0:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hello, survivors.

[0:26] Jason A. Coombs: Oh man, I wish I was in unison with you.

[0:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, sorry. You said lessons. I said survivors.

[0:31] Jason A. Coombs: That's all right.

[0:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Survivors. Our survivors out there. We're silly today.

[0:35] Jason A. Coombs: We're silly today.

[0:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: We are silly. We had a good weekend. I think, you know, I think we've been having a couple tough couple weeks in general, and I feel like we needed a reset.

[0:47] Jason A. Coombs: This, you know, at least I did. I'm not gonna speak for you, but I needed a little reset.

[0:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, you know. Um, so yes, welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast in collaboration with Broadway World.

[0:59] Jason A. Coombs: Hey.

[1:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey. Happy June. This is coming out, and it's gonna be June, which is Pride Month, no sense.

[1:05] Jason A. Coombs: Happy Pride Month, happy June.

[1:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. The Tonies are happening. A lot's happening in June.

[1:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, a lot is happening in June.

[1:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: June is busting out all over. Do you get it, Jason?

[1:15] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, yes. Thank you.

[1:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. Yeah, so what I was gonna say was, you know, we saw some theater.

[1:26] Jason A. Coombs: We did see some theater. You saw more theater than me, but I saw a little bit of theater.

[1:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Just a little bit, yeah. And I think maybe that's why I'm just feeling, you know, a little recharged, right? That's the good thing about theater, man. The art really are lifesavers.

[1:42] Jason A. Coombs: Truly, truly is.

[1:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, so we both saw TAKE ME OUT. What'd you think?

[1:45] Jason A. Coombs: I so okay. Um, I didn't know much about this play before I got it, before I bought a ticket, you know. I remember it was a revival, and it was about baseball, and I knew it was about, you know, I knew the basics that it was about, you know, a black man that comes out as gay, you know, and that's why I got it. I was like, Oh, I'm gonna see the play, I'm gonna see the support and LGBTQ story. Um, I love Jesse Williams, so I didn't know much about it, and I didn't want to know, I didn't really want to know, you know, too much about it. So I was pleasantly surprised at the story. It was shocking. I'm not even, I'm not talking about the nudity. Um, I was just, uh, the nudity is one thing, right? But the play is shocking.

Like I wasn't expecting, I just wasn't expecting a lot. You know, I was in a second row, and you know, it gets very intense, you know. I wasn't expecting it to get so intense and so dark. So there was a lot of audible gasps from me and other people in the audience, and I was, I'm a very vocal person when I see a show, but I wasn't a second row. So I was like trying to like be like Jason, like you bring it down.

[2:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah, because you don't want your reactions to get to the actors and then, but it was so shocking, it was shocking. The end of act one, I had no idea that was gonna happen. So I was just like, mouth was on the ground, anyway.

[3:06] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah. I thought I, yeah, the same. I really didn't know much about it. Um, shout out to Mike Heslin, our former guest. Uh, he was in town and he was like, I really want to go see this show. Like, do you want to go? And I was like, Yeah, I'll go. I love going to theater. Um, but I didn't know much about it either. And it was, um, shocking, yeah. Shocking play, but like so well acted.

[3:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: The acting was phenomenal.

[3:33] Jason A. Coombs: Shout out to Jesse Tyler Ferguson who, oh yeah, really, really blew me away. The acting was phenomenal. Like phenomenal, and obviously it's Broadway, right? So the acting needs to be phenomenal. But I think I was like, well, just kidding. Well, the expectation is there for it to be phenomenal, right?

[3:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But um, I think for example, Jesse Williams, he had this, he had this inner kind of like, uh, inner turmoil that you were seeing that was like kind of cracking as the play went on, but like it never fully cracked, which I thought was so beautiful to watch. And you had like Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who was just like, you know, he's him, right? He's, he's him, but he was still a different character. Like I forgot I was watching him, right? But like he still had his like, his Jesse Tyler Ferguson nuances there, right? But it was still a different person, and, uh, you know, the racist dude, holy shit.

[4:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: Which I want to say his name, so I was like my playbook, but go ahead when I look at his name.

[4:37] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah. That scene in act two, like not to give any spoilers to anyone, the scene in act two in the interrogation room, I guess, is what you would say.

[4:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, when it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson is not there, he is not in that scene.

[4:56] Jason A. Coombs: Um, that the levels, the build up, you feel sorry for the guy. What's his name? Michael Oberholzer, right? He's Shane, right? From my memory.

[5:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, you feel sorry for Shane and to feel sorry for a character that's that horrible. I don't want to say he's horrible, but he is horrible. But then you're like, is it his fault? Or there's like these levels of people in the world that like don't know any better, or is that an excuse? But that scene in act two, y'all, there's a scene in act two I can't speak words today I want to do y'all I gotta get tickets to see this play I don't I don't know I know I know if the tickets have gone up and like are selling out because of the whole nudity scandal but y'all it's a really I was telling people it's a really great play yeah and also I also was like oh do we really need a play with like all men in it like originally I was like come on it's like you know 2022 we need more women like we need more female stories but I was like whatever like I still want to see it but I'm so happy I did I'm so yeah happy I saw that play I was so moved and so inspired to create that's the great thing about art is like you feel so good after.

[5:27] Jason A. Coombs: I love when you're gassed up, Jason. I love when you're gassed up.

[5:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know what's funny theater right? Yeah seeing a good play like yeah I was literally like I was I was like I'm gonna read a play I'm gonna audition tomorrow I don't know an audition for like I'm getting something I did the same thing I literally reached out to my old acting coach and was like hey I need to do some work.

[5:27] Jason A. Coombs: Wait so you know what you just said you said dude we need to play with all men I didn't actually realize this but it's a directly cross from POTUS which is so fun because it is yeah there's a play with all women and then a play with all men that's kind of dope I love that.

[5:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I do love that but we need more women more women more women in everything more women in government more women in theater more women in film like we need more women everywhere clapping.

[5:27] Jason A. Coombs: I yes snaps to that um yeah so go get tickets to take me out I also saw AMERICAN BUFFALO yesterday with my mother so I feel like David Mamet's plays nothing there's not shout out to Dawn. Um nothing ever really like everything happens, but there's no like big thing that happens, there's no like big leak plot. They're just like life. You're just looking at people and and and I I really enjoyed that.

[7:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: My Bob was like, what happened? And I'm like, it's just life, you know, it's just a normal day and a normal in these people's lives. Um that play was so beautifully directed and well acted, and it's so tight. And I mean, and when I say tight, I mean it's like it's so good and tight, like everything is good.

[7:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah. Am I speaking words today? This is you guys.

[7:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: So go see AMERICAN BUFFALO as well. It's also, uh, it's also um in the round, not in the round, it's in you. So you're like so intimate with these actors, these really really incredible actors.

[7:59] Jason A. Coombs: Darren Chris, Sam Rockwell.

[8:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right, yeah, and so you heavy hitters are on Broadway this season.

[8:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're just like on them. You're like on these actors, and it was really great. And the set and the props um in the AMERICAN BUFFALO is so detailed and incredible. I literally was watching this, I was like, damn, the crew, the cleanup, the reset of the stage.

[8:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh there's so many moving parts to this set, and by moving parts I mean like little props, but like so many, and I was thinking, like, wow, does every single prop have to go back to where it was, which it does, right? Because that's obvious. And like, that is a lot of work. So shout out to the crew and and stage management and prop masters on on AMERICAN BUFFALO because that was crazy.

[8:50] Jason A. Coombs: So in conclusion, everyone, go see all the plays. I love a musical, but I've been really trying to drown in plays.

[8:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, and I feel bad because I didn't see AMERICAN BUFFALO yet. Maybe I'll hopefully I'll get to see it. But um yes, the whole cast of going back to really quickly, uh take me out. Like all the actors were great. I just wanted to make sure, like, yeah, it was very clear. Like there was like everyone up there, like, no matter like how big or the small or small the part was, was like incredible.

[9:18] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. And also, like, shout out to all those actors. Like, you're in a very vulnerable, vulnerable state to be naked, like could I?

[9:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[9:30] Jason A. Coombs: I don't know. Depends.

[9:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: I don't know either.

[9:32] Jason A. Coombs: I honestly, I was like, I was thinking about it after I'm like, that that's that's very hard to be so vulnerable and like still do your work and not be insecure about your body, right? I guess if you're like all so super hot, every single one of them so yeah, I guess if you're you know very physically fit, that might be a different kind of situation.

[9:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, see it. Go see AMERICAN BUFFALO. Go support live theater.

[9:54] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I know. Theater is so expensive, y'all. But if you can, you should try to support it and go out and see it. And you know, just so many people, like you know, we're gonna talk to Gabby. Uh we're gonna talk to Gabby Beans today. We've talked to her already, excuse me. We just recorded it. Um, you know, like these are working actors, you know, they're not just you know, not everybody is a star, right? These are other people who are working professional actors who deserve to be seen and and see if their art shared, you know.

[10:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I don't know. That's my little my little uh on my soapbox, I guess.

[10:27] Jason A. Coombs: So god I love you, Jay.

[10:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah. And also, like just to before we talk about Gabby Beans, I want to shout out to Gabby French, yeah. From Hangman, who is a past guest. So go see Hangman. Jason and I are gonna try to get our butts over there.

[10:43] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah goes go see it. We we got to meet her last night, IRL.

[10:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: In person, yeah. She is just a gem and and such a good person and so talented. And so shout out to her and hangman and go support live theater, y'all. Hangman, I believe, has another month before they close.

[11:02] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I think the city's at June 18th.

[11:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. I think the city's at June 18th.

[11:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, go see it. Go support it.

[11:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: So um just to jump into our guest today, we spoke to uh right before this, Gabby Beans, who is nominated for a Tony Award, y'all, and her show closed yesterday, and she shared space with us today, which I think is so cool. You know, typically I would feel like an actor who just did this huge run for this like beast of a show. It's three hour long play, like would be like, uh, I'm just closing my show. Like, I need a beat. She was like, Nope, I'm here, I'm ready, let's talk, let's do the thing.

[11:39] Jason A. Coombs: She's amazing.

[11:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: She gave some like she just gave so much, like so much. I'm like, how are you so focused and so open and so generous of your time after closing a show on Broadway like yesterday?

[11:53] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I don't know. I love I love people like that, and I think we've been so fortunate.

[11:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah. We've been so fortunate to get to meet and talk to all these really like beautiful spirits, going back to Anastasia, right? Like, how wonderful, and how fortunate are we to be able to share space with these people? Right, and I feel like we learned so much from our guests as well. I'm like, well, take a mental notes, you're not gonna be typing while we're but I'm like, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, that's happening next.

[12:23] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, yes, yes.

[12:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, should we do a bio?

[12:27] Jason A. Coombs: I'll kick it off.

[12:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, please.

[12:31] Jason A. Coombs: Gabby Beans is an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in the great city of New York. She completed her BA at Columbia University, double majoring in neuroscience and theater, and masters in classical acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

[12:51] Jason A. Coombs: Some of her recent TV credits include HBO's Succession, CBS, The Good Fight, Netflix, House of Cards, and Showtime's Ray Donovan.

[13:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yep.

[13:02] Jason A. Coombs: Some of her past theater credits include Anatomy of a Suicide at the Atlantic Theater Company.

[13:08] Jason A. Coombs: Mary Seacole at LCT3 Lincoln Center Theater.

[13:11] Jason A. Coombs: Girls at Yale Repertory Theater and The Wolves, which she received the Helen Hayes Award for our standing ensemble in a play at Studio Theater in DC.

[13:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow.

[13:22] Jason A. Coombs: She recently played Sabina in Lincoln Center Theater's Broadway Revival of The Skin of Our Teeth, for which she received a nomination for the Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award and a Tony Award nomination.

[13:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Tony Award nomination.

[13:35] Jason A. Coombs: Wow.

[13:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: What did I just do?

[13:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[13:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: It is incredible.

[13:41] Jason A. Coombs: So you guys enjoy Gabby.

[13:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Get a notepad.

[13:45] Jason A. Coombs: If you're driving, pull over, get a notepad.

[13:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: You want to take these notes.

[13:49] Jason A. Coombs: Listen to her.

[13:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[13:50] Jason A. Coombs: She has some good freaking nuggets of wisdom that you need to like nuggets.

[13:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, get those nuggets.

[13:56] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, Jason, before we let everyone listen to her episode, can you do the housekeeping?

[14:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[14:04] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, um, yes.

[14:05] Jason A. Coombs: So if you would like to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, we would love that.

[14:11] Jason A. Coombs: Reviews help us for people to see our, you know, get to hear our podcast, right?

[14:17] Jason A. Coombs: So anywhere, anywhere you listen to it, whether Apple Podcasts or Spotify or, you know, Podbean, feel free to leave this review.

[14:23] Jason A. Coombs: Five stars if you can.

[14:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: If you think we deserve it, yeah, yeah.

[14:28] Jason A. Coombs: We could do this drop five stars, doesn't hurt.

[14:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, come on.

[14:31] Jason A. Coombs: It's June.

[14:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Happy Pride Month!

[14:34] Jason A. Coombs: Happy Pride Month.

[14:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Boom.

[14:36] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, guys, enjoy Gabby.

[14:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hi, Gabby.

[14:42] Gabby Beans: Hello.

[14:43] Gabby Beans: Hello, um, you know what? I'm living, I'm laughing, and I'm loving.

[14:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey, that's all we can do sometimes, you know?

[14:54] Gabby Beans: That's it.

[14:55] Gabby Beans: So happy Memorial Day.

[14:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're recording this on Memorial Day.

[14:59] Gabby Beans: Indeed.

[15:00] Gabby Beans: Indeed, indeed.

[15:01] Gabby Beans: Thank you for coming onto the show and sharing space with us.

[15:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're so happy to have you.

[15:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Also, your show just closed last night.

[15:10] Gabby Beans: It sure did.

[15:11] Gabby Beans: And here we are all together the next day.

[15:14] Gabby Beans: And you still got up for us, thank you.

[15:16] Gabby Beans: Yeah, no, I mean, it was obvious, you know. Closing a show is always like very bittersweet, and it was nice to have this, you know what I mean? To have something to jump into right the next day. So I'm happy to be here.

[15:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, thank you. Did you guys do anything for closing? Did you guys have like a little closing party?

[15:33] Gabby Beans: We did. I mean, there was a lot of like doing a show during COVID times is its own special experience of life, and I think it was just beautiful. You know, we had a lot of people out because of COVID, and it was a huge blessing that we were able to close the show with our complete company.

[15:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, that's amazing.

[16:00] Gabby Beans: Everyone was feeling really excited and celebratory. We did a little toast in the lobby of the Vivian Beaumont Theater where we do the show, did the show, and then afterwards we went to the pier on right off of 64th Street right by the Hudson, and just burgers and hung out, and it was really, really nice.

[16:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's amazing. That's so nice.

[16:24] Gabby Beans: I actually just started running on that path on the pier uptown.

[16:29] Gabby Beans: So beautiful.

[16:31] Gabby Beans: It's so beautiful. I'd never been there before. Usually I'm just like on that west side highway going downtown, going past all those big buildings, and I never knew that there was this incorporate gorgeous park down there.

[16:42] Gabby Beans: Yeah, it's like a little kept secret, I think. Because I, and then there's like little cafes and tables. I'm like, well, who knew?

[16:50] Gabby Beans: Oh, yeah. It's gorgeous.

[16:53] Gabby Beans: It's a vibe. I was like, well, you know, when you work at Lincoln Center, you don't really want to leave because it's like, wow, like the plaza, all the art. Wow, here we are. We're already, and then I was like, had we known that that beautiful park was there, we could have done more outdoor hangs. So you know, yeah, best, you know, you know things when you're supposed to know them, I guess.

[17:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: Exactly, just in time for the summer. Now you have some time off to go read a book, do whatever, have some wine, absolutely, whatever the vibe is.

[17:15] Gabby Beans: Whatever the vibe is.

[17:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: You want to kick it off, Jay?

[17:27] Jason A. Coombs: What I, I was gonna say, I want to start with a little temperature check, but she said, Gabby, you said you're living, you're laughing, you're loving.

[17:33] Jason A. Coombs: So I love that personally.

[17:35] Gabby Beans: It's true.

[17:37] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. I was gonna say it's just like a weird time in our country, and then also with the show closing, but you have this incredible honor, I'm gonna say that of the Tony nomination. So I just want to check in and see how you were feeling and you know how you were taking that all in general.

[17:52] Gabby Beans: You know, so I mean, I feel so grateful and so honored. I never ex, like this whole experience of doing The Skin of Our Teeth has been an embarrassment of riches in terms of my experience. When I auditioned for the show, I didn't think I would, I didn't think in a million years I would get it because it's such a big part, it's such an incredible part. And I was like, there's no way that they're gonna like cast someone who's not famous in this role, and then getting the role was like incredible, and then waiting to see if we would actually be able to do the production because you know, the COVID of it all, you don't really know if things will go through, and then being able to do the rehearsals, getting through previews, getting to open the show, that in and of itself would have been the biggest blessing of my creative life, and then on top of that, to be recognized by the community, it's just it's all gravy, you know.

[18:56] Jason A. Coombs: It's all gravy.

[18:58] Gabby Beans: What did you say to kick this off? You said it was an embarrassment of riches. I love that. It's like everything happening. I imagine you're like, wait, what? Sometimes it's like such an outer body experience when you're when you think about things happening and success in your art, and then it happens. You're like, wait, where am I? I feel like that sometimes. I'm like, wait, what happened?

[19:24] Gabby Beans: Like, it makes no sense.

[19:26] Gabby Beans: Yeah, and it's a little bit incomprehensible, but it's also like really delicious and enjoyable just to go along for the ride and to accept what's coming to you. And I think as actors, like we are uniquely positioned in life to be to make friends with like the mystery and the unknowing of it all. And when these kinds of things come up, it's just like you just have to enjoy it, and you have to not take it too seriously, but just go along for the ride.

[20:06] Jason A. Coombs: That's amazing. Yeah, thank you for sharing all of that. Um, so I do just want to jump in. So you're, you're, you just closed the show, you're having this great success, you're going to the Tony's as a nominee, but you know, we imagine that we weren't always here at this point. So, do you have a survival job that got you here that you could share a story from or a job that has positively impacted where you're at right now in your career?

[20:35] Gabby Beans: So I have had so many jobs, I have had so many survival jobs. Um so just to begin with, when I first got out of grad school, I got my, you know, I when I was in grad school, so I went to grad school for acting right after undergrad, which meant that I didn't know anything about life. Um and so in grad school, I remember, you know, I knew I wanted to come back to New York. I went to grad school in London, and um, I always knew New York was where it was supposed to be. And I was like, you know what?

[21:11] Gabby Beans: Um, so just a little bit about me. I went, I didn't study acting in undergrad. I studied neuroscience and theater. I was a double major, but like really my path that I was pursuing with great intensity was the path of going to medical school, becoming a psychiatrist, and doing um psychiatric research. So I worked in a lab for three years in college. I was pre-med and I did a lot of student theater and that was clearly where my passion was. But you know, I felt a lot of filial duty. I was like, listen, I gotta get a serious job.

[21:49] Gabby Beans: And um, and then in my senior year, I was kind of like, I don't know if I can actually, um, I don't know if I can actually like basically I had this awareness that I could either white knuckle it through the whole medical thing or I could actually try to do what I wanted to do, which was act. So I instead of going to med school, I applied to grad school. Luckily got into Lambda, went to Lambda, boom. So at Lambda, I'm like, okay, I'm going back to New York. Your girl's not gonna wait tables. For some reason, I had this ego around like I was like, I don't want to be that New York City actor.

[22:28] Gabby Beans: Yeah, and I will say right now, I was foolish, and that was a lot of ego and a lot of inexperience. Of course, the first job, survival job I have, that I am so grateful for because who knows what else I would have been doing otherwise, was working in my classmates's sister's restaurant. And so I was able to serve at her restaurant, and it's actually really hard sometimes to get a good New York City serving job because I was really thankful for that because I learned like how to do that job how to be in hospitality whatever and then right out of grad school I had like five jobs like I was doing that I was I was waiting tables at this place in Harlem called Row House I was tutoring the SAT so I was helping um high school students prepare for their SATs I was doing freelance video editing for my friend who had a podcast and would pay me a little bit here and there to like help um do video editing for the video content for his comic book website I was like the door person at my friend William's um art gallery because my friend William was the events person at this art gallery called the eighth floor and so I would be the person with the clipboard being like are you on the list that's not like me yeah that's like Jason's main survival job so you know that being the the door guardian I was like I did catering I worked for this catering company and I bartended um I've done it all so where do you want to start which job do you want to talk about my best survival job?

[22:48] Gabby Beans: Yeah, worst survival job let's start with your best or like one that like sits in a good place in your heart that you think has like brought you to where you are in some way if that makes any sense.

[22:48] Gabby Beans: Oh no I know what you mean and that job so like I said got into serving was waiting tables and um I always have been a big fan of cocktail culture. Like I I've loved I don't really drink too much anymore, but I really enjoy like the artistry of a really great New York City bartenders. Like there's just uh it is truly an art form.

[24:51] Gabby Beans: And the folks who who work in really good cocktail bars in the city are artists. Like they train for years and years and they're incredible. And I had always been a fan of that. And um I applied, so when I when I left my first serving job, um I was working at this other, oh, this is funny. I worked at this place called Spin.

[25:15] Gabby Beans: And Spin is this place in Flatiron that's a ping pong bar.

[25:20] Gabby Beans: I know this bar.

[25:22] Gabby Beans: Yeah, slash club, slash event space.

[25:24] Jason A. Coombs: Doesn't somebody famous own this?

[25:26] Gabby Beans: Susan Sarandon used to own it.

[25:28] Jason A. Coombs: Oh yeah.

[25:29] Gabby Beans: And I actually have a really funny story about that that maybe we can get to later.

[25:33] Gabby Beans: But yeah, I was working there after working at Row House, and at first the money was incredible, and literally all I had to do was walk around with a tray and like give hors d'oeuvres. So it was an insane job. Like I remember there was this one time when there was this bar mitzvah, and watching 70 13-year-olds sing "Mask Off" by Future. Oh my god. I was like, the world is wide. So that job ran its course, and I was like, I want to get a serving job where I can work three days a week, make enough money to feel comfortable, and actually like be providing a service that I am passionate about. And so I applied to work at this place called Rain's Law Room at the William Hotel, which is a really, really incredible cocktail bar in Midtown.

And luckily, Megan Dorman, who's the bar director there, decided to take me on. And that was my job, my like main job for like three years. Um, and it was fantastic. Like the bartenders are so knowledgeable. I learned so much about spirit, different spirits, about the artist, the art of cocktail making. Um, and it was really great money. It was really late hours, you know, you're working like four to four sometimes. But it was a job where I put in my three days and I was good and I didn't have to do anything else. And that really allowed me to get serious about acting and to audition and to pursue my craft and be able to take classes and have a little bit more flexibility financially to be able to um to make the moves I needed to make. So I'm so grateful for that job. And I really, yeah, I really loved it.

[27:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: That sounds incredible. And to have that opportunity to like, okay, I'm gonna work these three days, I'm gonna be good, and I can devote my time to working on it, right? To working on what you're there to do. It's incredible. Not everyone has that luxury, so that's really awesome. Oftentimes I feel like actors get so um like stuck in their survival jobs and consumed by them that they lose what they're meant to like what their intention is.

[27:56] Gabby Beans: Thank you, Jason. I couldn't speak words. Yeah, I mean, here let’s just put it out there. Like New York is so expensive, it is difficult. It is like the barrier to entry of having like just an okay material existence is so much higher than many other places in the world, let alone the states. And so when you're coming here to be an artist, it is actually like you know, when I speak to students or whatever, one thing I tell them is find a survival job that you don't hate and that will make sure that you cover your bases. Now that's easier said than done, but it is possible and it might take a little bit of time. Like getting that job, I wouldn't have been able to get that job if I hadn't had previous serving experience other places and felt really like a strong server.

Um, those outside of the hospitality industry might be like, What? Like, what do you mean a strong server? But it's actually like, you know, like the work the job I was working was three different rooms, and you have to be good at that. You have to be good at like putting on a smiley face for really demanding people for like 10 hours and knowing every component of every cocktail, like it is a skill, and um, and I will say also, like, I was really I really benefited from having, you know, Megan Dorman, who I mentioned who gave me the job, to this day comes to see me in shows. She is an incredible person, and like if you can find someone who respects the arts and respects artists, because we all know that like probably the main one of the main um employment demographics of the hospitality industry in New York is artists.

If you can find someone who actually respects art and who understands that you will be there to do your job, but that your passion is something else, and who will foster that passion, then you will have such an easier time of it because I knew I could always come to her. I could always come to my managers and say, Look, like I have a really important audition tomorrow. Can we try to switch my shift up? Or um, I need to leave early tonight. Like go to my and I could go to my bartenders and go to my co-workers and be like, can one of y'all just watch the floor for the last two hours of the shift so I can go home and do this audition? And I had that. And that is uh, you know, I'm all of those folks are like a huge reason why I'm able to be a working actor now.

[30:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that. Incredible. Let's flip it. Let's flip it and reverse it. Do you have one job that you absolutely hated that you were like, I'm never going back to this ever again, no matter what happens?

[30:44] Gabby Beans: Let's see. You know, um, nothing is jumping to mind, which is great. Oh, that is good. What I would say is like the first restaurant I worked in, that was a hard experience only because it was a it was because of a lot of environmental things, and not so much because of the management or the place. For instance, I live in Bushwick, I have lived in Bushwick for six years. I was living here in my same apartment that I live in now, and I was commuting to Harlem. And so you finish the dinner shift at on Friday at 3 a.m., take the A train to Broadway Junction, switch to the J, get home around 4:30, then have to wake up around seven to go in for brunch the next day. No, you're not gonna enjoy your life too much. And also those trains are not running like correct at that hour.

[31:46] Gabby Beans: 1000%. And you know, I would say that that was a scenario in which here's another little nuance that I noticed working in the hospitality industry. You will have if like it helps in the hospitality industry to like food and to like drinks and to have an interest in it. Yeah, part A. Part B. There are people who get into opening bars and restaurants as a business, and there are people who get into opening bars and restaurants as a business, and also because they have a strong passion for the product that they're providing. It is a lot harder to work at a place where the product and this experience are not at the forefront of what you are doing as a teammate of that establishment. So, what I mean by that is when you're trying to upsell someone and you know that like what you're upselling isn't actually that much of an upsell.

When you're there to purely make money for the business, and you're not actually feeling fully invested in the experience you're providing, that's hard on your soul. Because if you're like me, like I try to be an integrous person, I don't feel right, like you know, trying to get as much money, extract as much money from people on an experience that I don't fully believe in. And so that's that was kind of hard about that job. It's like it's a demanding job, and you don't really fully like feel great about the experience providing. So that's what I love about working. You know, I also worked at this bar called Patent Pending, who my friend Alec runs, and when you work at places that at the forefront, like they're trying to do something really cool, and that everyone there actually really cares about what they're doing and feels passionate about it, and that's their vocation.

It's so much easier to work in that environment. So that's why the first restaurant I worked at wasn't the best experience because it was really tough, you know, experientially. And then also I was like, I don't know if this is a spot where people feel like passionate about what they're doing.

[33:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Wow. That's really awesome that you like had that and recognize that because I feel like a lot of people don't. And while you were speaking, I was thinking, I read Kathy Griffin's autobiography years ago. And in her autobiography, she said something like, no matter what I did, I was the best. I made sure I was the best at it. Whether I was a server, whether I was a host, whatever, I made sure to like love it and be the best at it. And then that's reflective of then her work and her career now, right? And so that sort of reminded me of that. Like you weren't passionate about that. So you needed to find something that felt good, not just to do it to survive, but also to feel good, because we only have one life.

[34:41] Gabby Beans: Absolutely. And it's and I, you know, I think I'm a big I don't know who said this, but I'm a big proponent of the idea of how you do anything is how you do everything. And yeah, um, you know, even at that job, I still was doing my best, but you can feel an inner resistance where you're at a place that's really not aligned with your values as a person, and I think that that is another trap that a lot of actors get stuck in because this is a tough town, and you might be in a scenario where you're like, I don't think that my worldview and my values and how I want to walk through the world is coherent with this place where I'm spending so much of my time and energy. And even if you don't understand it on a conscious level, you feel it.

Like when you wake up in the morning and you dread going wherever you have to go, I feel like that's a really clear sim symbol and like symptom of you need to switch it up because you can't keep on eroding your soul in that way because that's when people get jaded and bitter and sad.

[35:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, and then how can you if you're feeling that way? How can you go back to your art, right? How can you like find these compassionate characters to bring to life in auditions and whatnot? It's like it's tough.

[35:59] Gabby Beans: Yeah, absolutely. For sure. So I want to take it back a little bit to your early years of life. Um, do you have a memory of what the first moment was when you were like, I'm gonna I want to act? Like, was there something um that inspired you or somebody you looked up to? What was that for you?

[36:23] Gabby Beans: You know, I always loved acting a fool in front of others. From I don't even I can't vouch for this, but it feels like since I, you know, popped off on this planet, I've always been trying to like, you know, tell jokes, be silly, and do performances. So, from like the earliest of early times, I was doing plays for my family, I was doing performances, I was imitating movies, and you know, my parents didn't know what they were doing, but they would always encourage that. They would always be like, Oh my gosh, that's so funny. That's so cute. Yeah. And my, yeah, and my mom, you know, the wonderful woman that she was, put me, or that she is, she's still with us, still with us, thank God. Um, she put me in dance classes really early on.

So that was like my first taste of really performing for an audience, doing dance recitals and stuff like that. And then um around sixth grade, for whatever reason, I don't know what it was, but um, I was like, I think I want to be an actor, and I shared that with my parents, and they were like, that's cute, but that's cute. Oh my love, no, no, no, no. So I was like, all right, they're not down for that, so maybe we do something else. But I always knew, I always knew that this is where I was gonna end up, and I always knew that everything else was kind of like I'll show you that I'm giving it this other stuff its fair shake, but I know where I'm supposed to be, and then you know, my mom, you know, used to practice medicine, she used to be a doctor, she had to stop because she fell ill.

[38:15] Gabby Beans: But before she fell ill, she would go on medical conferences and she would take us with her, and one of the ones that I remember the most was when she had one in New York, and she, as a treat to our family, took us to a bunch of Broadway shows. So we went and saw Into the Woods, we saw Oklahoma, we saw The Lion King, I think we saw Beauty and the Beast too, and I was just like, this is everything. Like this is just it. And yeah, it totally shifted it, like changed my DNA. I don't know. I was just like, this is where I gotta go. And then in high school, like I did school plays and stuff, and I had this really incredible drama teacher named Joe Riley, who is just an incredible scholar and artist in her own right, and she would just have us engaging with this really incredible stuff.

Like she had us reading Sarah Kane in high school, and like, and you know, I went to high school in Germany, and she would organize like theater trips to London. So we would go like the school would pay for us to go to London, and we went to see shows at the National Theatre. So I saw Fiona Shaw do Mother Courage, and I saw incredible physical theater and all this like awesome stuff. So I had a lot of really beautiful formative experiences that made me deeply fall in love with the theater.

[39:44] Jason A. Coombs: That's amazing, and I'm so happy that your parents cultivated that for you.

[39:52] Gabby Beans: I mean, they did cultivate it, yeah, but then they weren't happy with what they cultivated.

[39:57] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, hopefully now they're like okay.

[39:59] Gabby Beans: That's what I was just gonna say. I think now they're probably like, yeah, dad's on board, mom's still working on it. You know, you could always go to medical school.

[40:09] Jason A. Coombs: And I'm like, you know what? That is accurate. I could always go to medical school, but mom, I'm also nominated for a Tony, so yeah.

[40:20] Gabby Beans: I think I don't know. I think I don't know what it will have to be. I think I'll have to meet Russell Crowe for her to like care because Russell Crowe is her celebrity crush, you know, like when I was a kid, we would watch Gladiator all the time. I'm like, why does mom like watching Gladiators? She loves Russell Crowe. And then I was like, oh, I know why mom likes watching Gladiators.

[40:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. We'll just have to get you an acting gig with Russell Crowe and then she'll sign up.

[40:46] Gabby Beans: I could just accost him if I see him somewhere and be like, will you please do this for me?

[40:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[40:52] Gabby Beans: No. Okay. I have a two-part question because we have a lot of younger people who listen to our podcast, a lot of artists that are or actors that are just starting out. Do you have, can you just describe the audition process for Skin of Our Teeth? And do you have any like audition rituals that you do?

[41:09] Gabby Beans: Ooh, audition rituals. Do I? Yeah. Um, the audition for Skin of Our Teeth came through my agent. Um, you know, you get an email, and at that time, they were doing the auditions on Zoom. So I got the material, I got the play, and um, I read the play, and I was like, what is this? Because it was a crazy play, but I saw the part.

[41:35] Gabby Beans: Say what? Time traveling, right? You can, it's less time traveling and more like time is collapsed into this kind of liminal moment where it's both 1950s to 1920s, America slash the ice age slash the civil war. It's, the play was each, it was like an anthology TV show, like each act kind of takes place in a different temporal moment in American history, but was also chronicling these like prehistoric moments of environmental and social collapse, but it's also a comedy, so you can imagine reading that it's like whoa, what's going on here? Um, but yeah, like so it's less of a ritual for me. I don't have any like, well, maybe I do, but the main thing that I think that I've learned in auditioning is like I've learned how to prepare so that I feel good in the room, and what that means for me is like if you, it's for a play, reading the play as many times as possible as I is before I get in the room, the whole play.

[42:51] Gabby Beans: Um, because I find that when you start just reading the sides, you can get locked into half-baked ideas about who the character is and what their function in the story is. So reading the play a bunch of times means that you get a more longitudinal view of like who that person is and also what the authorial intent is. Um, and then after I read the play a bunch, I like look over the sides and I just work kind of intuitively and figure out like who does, how does this fit on me? Who do I know? Who have I seen that excites me that kind of will offer a way in to this person?

[43:36] Gabby Beans: And um, I'm a person who usually like I, I like to know my lines. I like, like for theater, I think it's less important to be off book for auditions. Um, and if I'm ever in a spot where I'm like, I'm more focused on learning the lines than making cool choices about this material, then I'll just stop and be like, stop trying to learn the lines. But if you have enough time, and luckily for this audition, I had a pretty good amount of lead-in time. I try to know it as well as I can, have the pages in hand just in case.

[44:17] Gabby Beans: Like, I'm here to present what I, what excites me about this material, and however they react to that is the way they're supposed to react to it. And if they like my take, that's cool. And if they don't like that take, it means I'm not the right person. And um, there's this actress, Denise Gough, who did People, Places, and Things. Do you guys know about her? She also did um Angels in America, and she's a huge hero for me. And she has this philosophy about auditioning that is that I just recently learned about, but is like a complete game changer.

[44:56] Gabby Beans: And what she said is like when you audition, yes, you're auditioning for the creative team, but you're also auditioning for the character. The character is waiting in the ether, waiting for the right body, the right performer to bring them into this material plane, and so you're, you think about your relationship to them more so than you're thinking about your relationship to anyone else. And if you are the right person for them, there's nothing you could do in the room, there's nothing you could fumble to make for them to choose you because they pick you, and so I'm like, I love that idea.

[45:35] Jason A. Coombs: So yeah, yeah, that's a really cool way to look at it.

[45:39] Gabby Beans: Yeah, so when you, you know, when you get an audition and you feel sort of like protective over the character, that's when I know I'm onto something because I'm like, oh, there's something in me that's connecting with this person, and that wants to be elicited through me. So it might just be through auditions and callbacks, or it might be in the full production in the full project, but that's the exciting, that makes like auditioning a little bit more exciting and a little bit less scary for me.

[46:07] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, for sure.

[46:09] Gabby Beans: I love that.

[46:12] Gabby Beans: Yeah, that's amazing. Um, I know we've talked a bit about your Tony nomination, but I want to talk a little bit more about it and what that was like. Like, how are you feeling about it? What was it like hearing your name? Did you wake up and watch the nominations, or you're like, I'm gonna sleep and wake up and see what's happening?

[46:33] Gabby Beans: I mean, first of all, I'm gonna say, well, so it's interesting, right? Like when you do a show on Broadway, which is, this is my Broadway debut, incredible thank you. Um, people come up to you and like tell you about the performance, and a lot of people were telling me, you know, you're gonna get nominated for a Tony.

[46:59] Gabby Beans: Now in my, say what? I just got chosen when you said that. Thank you. Well, good. But the thing is, is like I really just couldn't take that too seriously because I was like, in my mind, what that translated to was you really like the performance and you thought I did a good job, and so that's as far as I went with it. I was like, because I'm not a very awards-oriented person. Like my acting goals are not to like be an ego. Like my acting goals are like to be able to pay my bills and do consistently good work and work with really, really great writers and directors and artists.

[47:38] Gabby Beans: So I hear this, and I'm like, that's very cool that they think that this is a Tony award-winning performance or Tony nomination performance. Um, so then, you know, people around you start to like, so like Tony's like, is this gonna happen? Like, you know what I mean? They're sort of, you know, gently tiptoeing around the idea, and I'm like, I don't know, and honestly, I don't care.

[48:07] Jason A. Coombs: And it's about the work for you, right?

[48:09] Gabby Beans: Say what? It's about the work, it's about the work, you know, it's about the work. I have not been on stage in two weeks, two years, and I'm just, that's what I'm there for, and that's what I'm focused on doing the show. And so then, like, there was some announcement around like where I would be categorized, I guess. And I saw that, and I was like, all right, and then I knew I did know when they were gonna be announced, and I was just like, you know, this would be really cool if it happened, but I just can't put my attention there.

[48:42] Gabby Beans: Um, so the day before I took a melatonin and I was like, I'm just gonna sleep and I'm gonna have my normal morning. Yeah, I actually had to do a workshop the next day before the show for a new play. And I just did my thing, I like cleaned my room, I did the dishes, I washed my face, and then I looked at my phone and I had like 50 text messages and like four calls from my manager, and I'm like, I don't think that this would be like people saying, I'm sorry, you didn't get it.

[49:11] Gabby Beans: Yeah, right. At least I hope not, and then I called my manager and he was like, you're nominated for that Tony. And um, it was just fantastic. It was like such a cool day. It was really nice. So many people saying congratulations. It was just really sweet. And I was like, okay, cool. Like, and then I was more even more excited when I found out like our director Liliana was nominated. A like ton of the designers, I think pretty much all most of the designers were nominated for Tonys. And um, and it was just cool that like our show that we had put so much work into and like care about so much was like being acknowledged in this way.

[49:50] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[49:51] Gabby Beans: Wow. You're like, I washed my face.

[49:57] Gabby Beans: Here's the thing, like I am about like in my artistic path, like I'm about my personal relationship to my creative energy, and I don't want my relationship with my creative energy to be defined by anything outside of myself and my collaborators. So it's actually kind of like a spiritual practice for me to not be too attached to any of the results of anything I do because I think it's really like especially with theater when it's a live art form and you are being in space and in communion with people, it's really like important to be pure about that and know that that interaction is the most important aspect of what of your work.

[50:49] Gabby Beans: So I'm not trying to say that I'm not grateful and then I don't love it, and then I'm not psyched because I'm all of those things, but I want to be psyched about my work when I'm not nominated for awards.

[51:01] Gabby Beans: I want to be sucked about my work when people maybe other people aren't excited about it because that's the life, you know, and so that's kind of my approach.

[51:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: You're so great.

[51:17] Jason A. Coombs: We need more artists like you who are just like pure, right?

[51:23] Gabby Beans: Doing it for the art at the end of the day.

[51:25] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly.

[51:25] Gabby Beans: Nothing else. But like also, like we're on the survival job, you know. This is your podcast is like awesome because what I think is important is that you have to like this life can be really difficult.

[51:39] Gabby Beans: And it's really important that like the thing that you love most about doing this job is actually doing the job, is actually like reading scripts and learning lines and being in the room and thinking about the character.

[51:56] Gabby Beans: And I think like for me, centering that means that I can feel really grounded and like actually kind of chill about other stuff happening.

[52:06] Jason A. Coombs: Right, right.

[52:08] Gabby Beans: That is, I think, why we love this podcast, because we do it for the work and for the way it makes us feel. And sometimes that means after a gig, having to do another survival job because we want that opportunity to come again, and sometimes there is a beat.

[52:25] Gabby Beans: And to your point earlier, you want your goals are to pay your bills from your work. Sometimes we have to pay our bills and do whatever that I can't speak words today, you guys. Sometimes we have to pay our bills, and whatever that means to then do the work and do the art, that's what it means.

[52:45] Gabby Beans: And it has to be your priority, right? Like I'm gonna share this. Last year I was working a serving job at the end of last year because I had funded a short film that I produced. It went way over budget. Your girl needed to pay off her credit card.

[53:01] Gabby Beans: And I was and luckily my friend Alec, who's the head bartender at this place called Patent Pending, I was like, dude, like, can I come work for you for a couple months? And he was like, absolutely.

[53:13] Gabby Beans: And I was able to go back to do that. And you know, after not having worked a quote unquote survival job for a few years, my ego was flaring up a little bit because I was like, wow, like it you know, you can really make yourself suffer a lot by telling stories about where you should be when and when is and like what you should and shouldn't be doing.

[53:40] Gabby Beans: And the fact of the matter is is like to be able to work and to be able to provide for yourself in any capacity is a huge blessing. And I'm so grateful that like whenever acting is slow, I can always call up Megan.

[53:56] Gabby Beans: I can call up any of my friends at one of these fabulous cocktail bars and be like, hey, can I do a couple months? You know what I mean? On the floor, yeah and make sure that things are covered, and you can't have ego about that because you know it that it is what it is.

[54:10] Gabby Beans: And speaking of like doing the job so that you can do the job, yeah. Um we talked about spin and Susan Sarandon. So my first TV gig with my now manager Bernard, who I've been with for many years, was on Ray Donovan.

[54:26] Gabby Beans: And um, and my scene was with Susan Sarandon. And so in the morning, I went to this incredible loft in Tribeca that I think was owned by one of the founders of AOL, which means it's one of like those lofts.

[54:41] Gabby Beans: There was a rock climbing wall in his living room. I was just like, this is another level of wealth.

[54:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[54:51] Gabby Beans: And so I do my scene with Susan Sarandon, and it was really cool. She was really cool. That night I went back to spin and was slanging hors d'oeuvres.

[55:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[55:07] Gabby Beans: Wow. I love that story.

[55:09] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[55:10] Gabby Beans: Because it is, it is the life. One second. Jason used to say, like, when we were serving together, what did you say, and Jay, when you were like on set one day, you're like, damn, yesterday I had my own trailer.

[55:22] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[55:23] Gabby Beans: Today I'm serving Margaritas.

[55:26] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, my when I broke that co-star for Mr. Robot, I was like, oh my gosh, like this is incredible. You know, but then you're like, oh, okay. That was just one day, you know, and you're back to doing the work, so I can have more opportunities on set again, you know.

[55:39] Gabby Beans: Yeah. So sorry, I didn't I interrupted you.

[55:45] Jason A. Coombs: That's okay.

[55:45] Gabby Beans: I talk over everyone all the time. I'm just saying, shout out to Susan Sarandon.

[55:52] Jason A. Coombs: That's right.

[55:52] Gabby Beans: So shout out to a politically active, incredible actress, Queen.

[55:58] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[55:59] Gabby Beans: Well, that's so funny because that's gonna be kind of my next question. Did you read our Google Doc? I was gonna say you've worked alongside like Robin Wright and Mandy Patinkin and Susan Sarandon, among others.

[56:11] Gabby Beans: Do you still get do you I'm not saying do you still do you get nervous when you are on set with these like kind of legendary other actors? Or like do you feel prepared enough always that you're like I got this?

[56:25] Gabby Beans: I don't care who I'm acting alongside, like I know what I'm doing. I think I feel well. I used to for sure. I was super scared on that set.

[56:39] Gabby Beans: But what you gotta do is you gotta just tell yourself, I'm here for a reason. And especially if you book a role opposite someone like that, it means that a lot of people had to say yes to you.

[56:53] Gabby Beans: Because if you're acting opposite the number one or the number two on a show, it means that a lot of people who have a lot of decision-making power had faith in you. And even if you don't have faith in yourself, you just gotta tell yourself they believe I'm supposed to be here, so I need to act as if I belong here, even if I don't believe it.

[57:10] Gabby Beans: Fake it till you make it is great advice. Um but another thing I will say is when you're working with a really, really incredible actor, you can actually be way more at ease.

[57:24] Gabby Beans: Because um, Jessica Hecht, who's an incredible actress, I watched a master class with her once, and she gave this advice, which I totally agree with is when you're working with like a really, really heavy hitter, especially with film and TV, your job is just to listen.

[57:42] Gabby Beans: Your job is to be is to listen and to be as present with them as possible. You don't have to come up with ideas. They will give you so much that if you just react naturally to what they're giving you, you're gonna be golden.

[57:58] Gabby Beans: So if anyone out there is like booked a job and you see and you get there on the day and you see that you're gonna be acting opposite someone who you really admire, just know all you have to do is be there with them because those actors on that level are giving so much just by their presence that if you just respond to that naturally, you'll be great.

[58:22] Gabby Beans: And also just know like one thing I tell myself is just be prepared and also meet everyone like you're meeting them, you know, like you're actually meeting them, put aside what you know about them and about their career, and just know that in that moment you're co-workers, and if you can just meet them on that day like a normal person, you'll be fine, like they are normal people at the end of the day, a thousand percent.

[58:52] Jason A. Coombs: We're all just humans, yeah.

[58:53] Gabby Beans: Yeah, and like we it's weird because we have these parasocial relationships with people who are very famous in our industry, but if you can put that aside, like you'll be fine, like okay.

[59:04] Gabby Beans: So I have to tell the story. So um like a couple like last week, I went to this thing called the drama league luncheon, and um, and it's a very cool and crazy event, but they like have like certain seatings of who you're sitting next to, so they line you up, and then you sort of parade into this ballroom and then you sit and eat lunch in front of a bunch of people, and it's very cool.

[59:28] Gabby Beans: And um, so they're lining up me up, and um the person they seat me next to is none other than Miss Patti LuPone, and I nearly soiled myself.

[59:45] Gabby Beans: I was like, this is some next level stuff. Not to mention that the other people who are well, actually, let me just say this. So the seating was so there was a podium. It was Billy Crystal, Patti LuPone, me, Didi O'Connell, and LaChanze.

[1:00:02] Gabby Beans: That was just one side of the podcast. I'm not gonna keep on name dropping, but anyway.

[1:00:07] Gabby Beans: Um, so in that moment, I got really scared because I was like, I have been watching you my whole life. You are perhaps one of the most, like, if not the most, one of the most beloved and honored Broadway performers and performers in general alive and around.

[1:00:26] Gabby Beans: And I was just like, you know what? You just gotta meet her just right now in this moment. And so I, you know, I went up to her and I was just like, Patti, it's really cool that I'm gonna be able to have lunch next to you.

[1:00:37] Gabby Beans: And she was like, Oh, yeah. And we talked and she shared like her own insecurities about industry events and stuff like that.

[1:00:44] Gabby Beans: And I was just like, it was just really reassuring that someone of her stature and immense talent and grace would still feel a little bit of nerves or about being in certain rooms.

[1:00:56] Gabby Beans: So the nerves are normal, and you just gotta, you know, know that you're supposed to be there and meet people where they are.

[1:01:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you for that.

[1:01:05] Gabby Beans: Yeah, Patti LuPone.

[1:01:07] Jason A. Coombs: I do I want to share a story with you. So my roommate was actually at that lunch.

[1:01:12] Gabby Beans: Um my email keeps going off. I hope you guys don't hear it.

[1:01:16] Jason A. Coombs: Great.

[1:01:17] Gabby Beans: Um, so my roommate was at that lunch, and I was telling him how we're gonna have you on the show. He loves Shoshana Bean.

[1:01:22] Gabby Beans: Like, he is a Shoshana Beanhead. He was like, Oh my god, she made a funny joke about you did about the beans all beans.

[1:01:33] Gabby Beans: Oh, yeah, it was a three bean salad. It was me. It was Shoshana Bean, it was Beanie Feldstein.

[1:01:40] Gabby Beans: I couldn't not. I was like, I was just psyched that neither of them stole my joke. I was like, oh, I gotta make this joke.

[1:01:47] Gabby Beans: And then I was, you know, I had to say the beans representation moment on the stage. It was great.

[1:01:52] Gabby Beans: It was great to be there with those very bean salad.

[1:01:56] Gabby Beans: Yeah, I was there, you know. I'm trying to just get up to that be like there, they were they they walked so I could run, you know what I mean?

[1:02:03] Gabby Beans: Like those beans really got out that I could do more honor to the bean name.

[1:02:10] Jason A. Coombs: I love that.

[1:02:11] Gabby Beans: Um I don't I I can't remember if we told you that we end every episode with a game. I think I did, and if we didn't, if I didn't, then surprise, I end every episode with a fun game.

[1:02:22] Gabby Beans: But before we do that, we do have one more question for you. Thank you for sharing this space with us. You have spit so much wisdom already.

[1:02:30] Gabby Beans: Um but we do want to end with asking you do you have any advice that you'd like to share with some of our listeners or aspiring artists that you've maybe received from somebody else or advice that you would like to share on your own.

[1:02:45] Gabby Beans: For sure. I mean, um, oh, I think the main thing is like there are gonna be a lot of different opinions that folks give you as a young actor or as an actor at the beginning of their career, um, about how to make it work, how to get opportunities, how to move forward so that you can work more and more and more.

[1:03:09] Gabby Beans: A lot of like business related stuff around like reach how to reach out, how to have a website, how to have this, that, and the third. All of that is very important.

[1:03:18] Gabby Beans: But I want to say the most important thing is listening to this like podcast. You know what I mean? And what I mean by that is figuring out how to have a life that doesn't suck outside of your acting career.

[1:03:33] Gabby Beans: You need to make sure that you have friends that support you and that who light up when you walk into the room, who you know, like my friends have all of them when this Tony nomination come out, we're all like, we knew it.

[1:03:51] Gabby Beans: And I didn't know it, but they knew it. And my whole, you know, whenever I've had doubts, and those are gonna happen where you have the dark nights of the soul, and you're like, I don't know if I can do this crazy career. You need to have the people around you who are going to say, we believe in you, you are talented, your artistic value, your artistic point of view matters, and that we're gonna who are gonna lift you up in those times of difficulty. You need to have a job where you don't absolutely hate going in every day. You need to do things outside of this work and outside of trying to get auditions and whatever that really feed you as a person because that's what allows you that when you get in the job, you can be open in the room, you can be vulnerable, you can be compassionate, and you can be truly expressive.

Because if you're not, you know, uh Lauren Hill said it, how you gonna win if you ain't right within? You know what I mean? Like you gotta do that. So my biggest advice is find like be relentless in your search for what feeds you not only as an artist, but as a person and foster that and cherish that and make sure that your bases are covered as who you are, aside from all of your aspirations and your creative wants. And um and just practice as much as you can. Like if you if you're not at the point where you're um getting a lot of auditions, do self tape practice, like find someone and just do it. If because like the main thing with auditions is the you gotta get the reps in. If you the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

So if you're not necessarily at a place where you're getting a couple auditions a week, do your best to just like stay in class if you can afford it. Um or find or if you can't do that, um, find a friend and shoot a scene from a show you like every week and do your take on it. Whatever you can just to feel like you're an artist, aside from when you get the permission to be an artist, is really key.

[1:06:00] Jason A. Coombs: Gabby, that's what you got me tearing up, girl. I love that. I just feel like I know you're ready for some reason. Like, I don't know. Hey, we're all on the same crazy ball of whatever it is, the earth we all know each other. We're on this crazy ball.

[1:06:17] Gabby Beans: Exactly. Actually, one more thing, because I feel bad. I won't take up too much more every time, but I know that you made a short film that you talked about very, very briefly, and I'm you know, I'm all about like I started a film festival and like I do film as well.

[1:06:30] Jason A. Coombs: Amazing.

[1:06:30] Gabby Beans: I think it's so important for he's amazing. Thank you. But um, I just think it's so important for us to highlight women filmmakers, especially black female filmmakers. So if you want to talk about your short film, maybe where we can watch it or like before absolutely.

[1:06:45] Gabby Beans: So um, so the short is currently out to festivals, so we'll see where it ends up premiering. But it's a short that I wrote um and that was directed by a buddy of mine, George Nicholas, and um and it's a short that so living this is this I think this is on brand for this podcast. Living in New York, you got roommates, some are good, some are bad. I had a bad two-year run where I had some horrible, horrible roommates. And so I decided as a way to purge that experience from my being to make a film from the perspective of an amalgamation of a character that's an amalgamation of my two worst roommates. So go through a night in this man's life as he is locked out of his apartment, and we see him go through Bushwick and sort of ignore that like the home he's trying to get to is actually the home in all the people in the neighborhood that he is neglecting to meet on a human level.

So it's a sort of a dark comedy about sort of a douchebag who is missing the point, and so yeah, so it's um you know I I'm excited about seeing where it goes. And if there's more news, I'll let you know.

[1:08:02] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah, definitely. We'll share it on the podcast and on the Instagram so people can check it out.

[1:08:09] Gabby Beans: Yeah, of course. Okay, thank you so much for all this. You are amazing. I'm like this, listening to you the whole time. So wise, and you speak so intelligently.

[1:08:21] Jason A. Coombs: Intelligently and beautifully.

[1:08:23] Gabby Beans: So thank you so much for coming on. I know that you just closed the show, and so it's so nice to share space with you. And we're gonna be watching you, girl at those Tony's.

[1:08:32] Gabby Beans: Whew, you know, I'm an underdog, but you know, we got I don't count myself out. I never thought myself out.

[1:08:39] Jason A. Coombs: That's right.

[1:08:41] Gabby Beans: I don't win, you know, we don't care win or lose. Getting to be already won. Getting to be on that list. No one can take that away from me. I'm on a list with LaShawn's, y'all.

[1:08:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[1:08:53] Gabby Beans: She is Queen with Didi O'Connell. Queen. With Ruth Nega! With Mary Louise Parker. Wow.

[1:09:03] Jason A. Coombs: What? Life is good.

[1:09:06] Gabby Beans: And you know what? They're on a list with Gabby Beans.

[1:09:10] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[1:09:11] Gabby Beans: So there we go. That's satisfactory. So it is actually correct. So in the spirit of the Tony's, we thought we would end the show today playing Tony Award trivia.

[1:09:23] Jason A. Coombs: Ooh, I'm gonna be horrible at this.

[1:09:25] Gabby Beans: It's not so much of lifelines if you need them.

[1:09:30] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, okay. And we cheat. So we'll tell you the answers.

[1:09:35] Gabby Beans: Okay.

[1:09:37] Jason A. Coombs: Jay, you want to take the first one?

[1:09:39] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. Uh okay. Uh what's multiple choice? What year was the first ever Tony Awards? A 19 or sorry, 1897. No. B 1947. C 1977 or D 1987.

[1:09:58] Gabby Beans: 1947.

[1:09:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. Boom. See? We're off to a good start.

[1:10:03] Gabby Beans: Thank you. That was a softball though.

[1:10:06] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. Next one. True or false. The Tony Awards were named after Tony Bennett after his one man show at the Winter Garden Theater.

[1:10:16] Gabby Beans: No. I know that's not true, but that's hello. Shout out Tony Bennett.

[1:10:24] Jason A. Coombs: Correct. Two for two. Two for two. The Tony Awards are named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer, and the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theater.

[1:10:35] Gabby Beans: Peter Wing. Shout out to the show. Shout out Antoinette.

[1:10:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, Antoinette. Okay. Question three. Which of these legendary actors has never won a Tony? A Viola Davis. B Glenn Close. C, Betty White, or D, Whoopi Goldberg.

[1:10:49] Gabby Beans: Betty White.

[1:10:56] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, ding ding ding. You said you weren't gonna be good at this.

[1:10:59] Gabby Beans: I actually, you know, you gotta undersell and overdeliver. Wait, what did Glenn Close win for?

[1:11:08] Jason A. Coombs: I don't know.

[1:11:09] Gabby Beans: I just I just I knew I knew Whoopi did. And then I knew Viola didn't. Viola. And I and I and I know I I just yeah, that was kind of that was kind of just my gut.

[1:11:25] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:11:26] Gabby Beans: One of my favorite things to do is watch the clip of Viola at the Tony. Is when they used to, when when the when the plays used to do monologues, when the plays used to do monologues, but they were performed.

[1:11:37] Jason A. Coombs: Ooh, it's one of my favorite clips to watch.

[1:11:39] Gabby Beans: Oh, I'm gonna watch that right after we are.

[1:11:41] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I think so. I think as well.

[1:11:43] Gabby Beans: Yeah, I mean, talk about a powerhouse.

[1:11:49] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:11:49] Gabby Beans: Jason, sorry to go off topic, but Jason was just telling me before we got on here that she is getting shit for that new show.

[1:11:57] Jason A. Coombs: It's making it fred.

[1:11:59] Gabby Beans: Yeah, the first one the first ladies, first ladies.

[1:12:01] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, her first because she of her depiction of Michelle Obama.

[1:12:04] Gabby Beans: Yeah, I was watching. I just started watching it last night, and I thought I was like, why are they like coming for her? I don't know. Nobody needs to be coming after Viola ever, by the way. Listen, in this day and age, you could get come after for like people just want to come after folks.

[1:12:19] Jason A. Coombs: True.

[1:12:19] Gabby Beans: True. And she she's the you know, she does not deserve it, but like I I'm gonna I'm I'm excited to watch her work, and nothing can take away the fact that she is one of the most incredible actresses of our literally of all kinds of things. And then I was gonna I was about to be like, and people, like I know her, but I feel like I do I want to.

[1:12:39] Jason A. Coombs: That's amazing.

[1:12:42] Gabby Beans: Like, put her on.

[1:12:43] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, literally. Okay, back to the game. We have one more question than a bonus, but you're killing it.

[1:12:49] Gabby Beans: Okay, true or false. Slave play had the most Tony nomination for a play ever with 12.

[1:12:58] Jason A. Coombs: I think that's true.

[1:13:01] Gabby Beans: Ding ding ding. Yeah. And then they didn't give them any. Any. We were talking about that last night.

[1:13:04] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:13:05] Gabby Beans: We were talking about that last night. Yeah, that was that was that's wild.

[1:13:11] Jason A. Coombs: Shocking.

[1:13:12] Gabby Beans: Lots unpack there. We don't have time for that.

[1:13:19] Jason A. Coombs: Fun game.

[1:13:21] Gabby Beans: Yes. We can do a follow-up episode.

[1:13:24] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:13:24] Gabby Beans: But shout out to that whole team because they did that. That was an incredible piece.

[1:13:30] Jason A. Coombs: Really was.

[1:13:32] Gabby Beans: And for the bonus, which you don't need because you've already got a hundred, but let's go for over a hundred. Skin of our teeth has how many Tony nominations this year?

[1:13:41] Gabby Beans: Six!

[1:13:43] Jason A. Coombs: Yes! The show is currently nominated for six Tony 2022 Tony Awards, including best direction of a play, best sound design of a play, best lighting design of a play, best costume design of a play, best scenic design of a play, and best performance by an actress in the leading role of a play.

[1:14:02] Gabby Beans: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Yay! Wow. You really killed that game.

[1:14:13] Jason A. Coombs: I'm I'm really. I know, right? Well, see, the reason I thought I was gonna do bad is because at the press event for the Tonies, they were asking me like all these questions like if you were a musical lyric, who would you be? I'm like, I forgot all the musicals I ever saw. Like, or like they were like, you could like, what's your favorite Broadway show from history? And I'm like, I have only basic answers.

[1:14:31] Gabby Beans: So I really I was like, I was really scared.

[1:14:34] Jason A. Coombs: Um You're like, uh I'm an off-Broadway child, okay? Like that's where I came up. You want to ask me about off Broadway? I'm there.

[1:14:43] Gabby Beans: If you were a musical lyric, what would you be? That's an interesting question.

[1:14:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. We're gonna ask that for our next guest.

[1:14:50] Gabby Beans: Yeah, I think we feel that's someone else with that one.

[1:14:52] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I think we I think we will.

[1:14:54] Gabby Beans: Oh my gosh, that's funny. Thank you so much for coming on. I know we've said thank you a million times, but thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. This was amazing. I can't wait for everyone to hear this episode. I think it's a good one.

[1:15:06] Jason A. Coombs: I think it's a good one!

[1:15:08] Gabby Beans: You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome. This was really fun. Thanks for having me on, y'all. It's an honor that you would even deem my opinions worthy of being shared with your audience.

[1:15:19] Jason A. Coombs: Do you want to drop your socials so people can follow you if they're not following you already?

[1:15:23] Gabby Beans: But of course, so on Instagram, I'm at Gabby Beans. Gabby, unfortunately, with one B. G O' what is that? Yeah, because there's another Gabby Beans who is a Scottish marine biologist who beat me to the punch for the Gabby Beans on Instagram. But I'm Gabby Beans one B in the Gabby. And then on Twitter, I'm at buy any beans.

[1:15:47] Jason A. Coombs: Ooh. Love a pun.

[1:15:49] Gabby Beans: Yes. Love a pun. And if y'all are tuning in because you're a Gabby fan and you don't follow us, follow us at Survival Jobs Pod on Instagram and Twitter and on Facebook at Survival Jobs the Podcast. Follow my boy Jason at Jason A.Combs. Or I'm going to follow you at Sammy Tuts.

[1:16:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yes girl. Thank you.

[1:16:14] Gabby Beans: Thank you everybody for tuning in.

[1:16:16] Jason A. Coombs: Thanks y'all.

[1:16:17] Gabby Beans: Thanks everybody. I hope this was helpful.