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[0:00] Jason A. Coombs: Hello, this is Jason A. Coombs, the co-host of Survival Jobs: A Podcast on Broadway Podcast Network. And we're here live on the red carpet of the inaugural gala of the Black Theatre Coalition. And we're gonna talk to some stars. Come on in and join me.

[0:17] Jason A. Coombs: My name is Jason. I have a podcast on survival jobs on Broadway Podcast Network. Okay. Would you mind just introducing yourself for those who can't see your handsome face because they're just listeners?

[0:25] Bebe Winans: Yes. I'm Bebe Winans and I'm glad to be here with you.

[0:29] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, happy Black History Month.

[0:31] Bebe Winans: Black History Month to you as well.

[0:32] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Do you have a special tradition or something that brings you joy during this month, especially when the world is so crazy, more crazy than usual?

[0:40] Bebe Winans: It's I don't know if crazy is the world word for. Yeah, yeah. Um, but what one one, you know, I I love people. And so this month um gives me the chance to sit still and think of some of those people, not only that I love, but find out about more people who I don't know. Yeah, you know, that has opened doors, you know. A lot of times there's people behind the scenes and people in front. And so finding out about some people behind the scenes is always but you know, I I just sang um yesterday for the King family uh for Dexter King's celebration of life. Yes, and it was beautiful. But but there I said and and just you know, I was appreciative not only to honor um their son, but to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, you know. And I don't know what this world would be without someone like that. Yeah, you know. So that's that's that's my thought for the day.

[1:44] Jason A. Coombs: That's so beautiful. That's so wonderful. So I have a confession.

[1:47] Bebe Winans: Yes.

[1:47] Jason A. Coombs: I'm a huge Whitney fan, so I've grown up, but thanks to her, I grew up listening to you guys as well. You and your sister.

[1:52] Bebe Winans: I know, and it was the anniversary of her passing yesterday.

[1:56] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Do you have a song of hers that always brings you joy?

[1:59] Bebe Winans: Well, well, you know, anything she sung brought me joy. But the first song I heard was Saving All My Love for You.

[2:07] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[2:07] Bebe Winans: I was in a taxi cab, and after the song went off, they didn't announce who it was.

[2:14] Bebe Winans: Oh, that's right. And I went crazy trying to figure out who is this girl. I mean, she sung me into a frenzy. And then afterwards I found out it was Whitney Houston.

[2:26] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[2:26] Bebe Winans: And so that song is always one of those songs that I sit back and I smile whenever I hear. But I miss her.

[2:35] Jason A. Coombs: I'm sure.

[2:35] Bebe Winans: I miss her. I miss her. I never met her, and I miss her. She was, she was so much more than just the voice that people heard. So I'm honored that I spent so much time with her. And I'll I'll see her again.

[2:49] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, yes. Can I see one final question?

[2:52] Bebe Winans: Yes.

[3:00] Bebe Winans: Hold the pickles, hold the letters, special orders, don't upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way. Have it your way. Have it your way at Burger King.

[3:13] Jason A. Coombs: I used to work at Burger King.

[3:14] Bebe Winans: Oh my god, that's iconic.

[3:18] Jason A. Coombs: And I remember saying, I can't do this no more. And I called my mother and I said, Ma.

[3:24] Bebe Winans: Yeah.

[3:25] Jason A. Coombs: God didn't call me the Burger King. She said, Baby, do you want to quit? I said, Yes, ma'am. Gave my two weeks' notice.

[3:33] Bebe Winans: How old were you?

[3:34] Jason A. Coombs: I was 18.

[3:35] Bebe Winans: Wow.

[3:36] Jason A. Coombs: Wow. Look at you now.

[3:38] Bebe Winans: Ah, yes. You have to do it. You know what? It's important to. My father said this, and I'll leave you with this. He said, before you guys are international, you gotta be national. Before you're national, you gotta be regional. Before you're regional, you gotta be local. Yes. So don't miss those steps. They are so important to making you who you are.

[3:58] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Thank you.

[4:00] Bebe Winans: You're welcome. Happy Black History Month.

[4:02] Jason A. Coombs: Happy Black History. Continue shining and thank you, sir.

[4:04] Bebe Winans: Yeah. So good to meet you. Thank you, sir.

[4:10] Jason A. Coombs: You look beautiful.

[4:11] Bebe Winans: All right. You look beautiful as always.

[4:13] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Yeah, so my name is Jason. I have a good shot.

[4:16] Bebe Winans: Yeah, nice to see you again.

[4:18] Jason A. Coombs: See you again. We saw each other the Days of Roses.

[4:22] Bebe Winans: Yeah, I was a little star-struck back then.

[4:23] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, me, excuse me.

[4:25] Bebe Winans: Oh no, you're good. You're good.

[4:26] Jason A. Coombs: So Black History Month. Happy Black History Month.

[4:28] Bebe Winans: Happy Black History Month. Do you have any traditions or kind of rituals you do this month?

[4:33] Bebe Winans: Especially when the world is especially crazy right now.

[4:35] LaChanze: Um I wouldn't I don't know if I would say traditions, but I do tend to highlight the historical members of our culture that have done dynamic things. So right now, what I'm doing is I'm I'm doing a series of posts on black women in tech.

[4:49] Jason A. Coombs: Oh well in tech, yeah.

[4:50] LaChanze: In tech that have that have gone on, like the GPS was created by a black woman. So there are a lot of scientific contributions that our culture has made that I would like to place some, just shine a little light on.

[5:03] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. So nights about change and inclusivity, diversity. Is there something that we all can do as people working in different levels of the Broadway theater community to make sure that black people are being seen in front of and behind the camera?

[5:16] LaChanze: You you just say, is there something that I'll do? What can we do? Yeah, what else can we do?

[5:19] LaChanze: Yeah. Acknowledge the work of each individual, not their race, but their skill. Yes. And I think that's what we have to consent. That's what we've been contending with for so long is the amount of melanin in our skin has kept us in different categories. But as you see, even with all of the obstacles that our culture has suffered through the centuries, we still have the strength and survival energy of our ancestors to keep to keep pushing forward.

[5:46] Jason A. Coombs: So that's what we're doing.

[5:48] LaChanze: I love that. So baby LaChanze. Was there someone that you or I'm sure you saw or somebody you looked up to that was like, hey, I see that person. I can do that one day.

[5:56] LaChanze: It was Lola Falana.

[5:58] Jason A. Coombs: Really?

[5:59] LaChanze: Yep, Lola Falana.

[6:00] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god.

[6:01] LaChanze: I don't know. You wouldn't even know who that is.

[6:02] Jason A. Coombs: Name sounds familiar.

[6:03] LaChanze: So Lola Falana was a famous, is a very famous triple threat. She was the first black woman to have her own real her own variety show.

[6:13] Jason A. Coombs: Amazing.

[6:13] LaChanze: And she she didn't get a lot of attention post her the time of her career. But to me, as a little black girl watching her, watching the Lola Falana special. Because that's how she would say it. This is the Lola Falana special.

[6:27] Jason A. Coombs: I love that.

[6:28] LaChanze: And I I've been such a fan because she let me know that I could also be seen and valued in my own beautiful way.

[6:33] Jason A. Coombs: Look at you now. That's amazing.

[6:37] LaChanze: Love that. Last question. You saw the Super Bowl yesterday? What did you think about Usher?

[6:41] LaChanze: I did see the Super Bowl yesterday. I thought it was good. I was really blown away with Alicia Key. She looked amazing. But he didn't play my jams.

[6:55] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah.

[6:56] LaChanze: But it's one that people are like, hmm. Bad girl?

[7:00] Jason A. Coombs: Oh.

[7:01] LaChanze: That's my jam.

[7:02] Jason A. Coombs: That's your jam? I love that.

[7:04] LaChanze: I love that. That's not your jam.

[7:06] Jason A. Coombs: I guess you gotta go to his concert. He's going around the world, right?

[7:09] LaChanze: I'll have to go. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful evening. Happy Black History Month.

[7:15] LaChanze: Happy Black Yesterday. Thank you.

[7:16] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, take care of you too. Thank you.

[7:20] LaChanze: Hi, Jason. How are you?

[7:21] LaChanze: Nice to see you again. I haven't seen you since Broadway, Conn.

[7:24] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[7:26] Jason A. Coombs: So my name is Jason. I have a podcast for Survival Jobs: A Podcast. A lot of our audience can't see your beautiful face. Could you introduce yourself to them?

[7:33] Soshana Bean: No, come on. I'm Soshana Bean.

[7:38] Jason A. Coombs: What are you most excited about tonight being here on the Black Coalition first inaugural gala?

[7:43] Soshana Bean: Well, first, first, first, any first, I'm thrilled to be a part of. Um, but you know, this is our this is our community, our theater community, and um any time we get together is an exciting time for me to see old friends and make new friends. Um obviously the purpose of the evening is really special and intentional and the people they're honoring. Um so I'm thrilled to be here.

[8:04] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. I love that. So do you what can we do as a collective, as all of us in the community, right? To make sure we're making sure we have room and space for people of color, black people specifically, in front of and behind the camera?

[8:15] Soshana Bean: Oh, there's a million ways, but I think it starts with just keeping that intention in mind and being um mindful of it and intentional about it. I think there's a million ways to create space. I think it has one of the things we're doing at Hell's Kitchen, I know that that Alicia was really adamant about was creating the fellowship program. So it starts from giving people opportunity to be even be in the space to learn and participate from people who've been doing this for a really long time. So I mean I think it's just about doing what I think our community does really well, which is just like opening our arms and realizing like there isn't a lack of space, there is an abundance of space and just being mindful about and intentional about creating it.

[8:53] Jason A. Coombs: I'm saying the same thing over here.

[8:55] Soshana Bean: Oh, I love that. Thank you, thank you. It needs to be repeated.

[8:57] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. Yes. One more question. Since our podcast is called Survival Jobs, before you became a Broadway superstar, did you have a rememberable one you want to share with us?

[9:06] Soshana Bean: Yes. So um right when I moved here the first job I had while I was doing Godspell off Broadway in the daytime I was working at Equinox.

[9:13] Jason A. Coombs: Really?

[9:14] Soshana Bean: Um yep at the desk and then I also was being a hostess at this really fancy Jean George restaurant. I had multiple gigs and then I was like a sort of like an office assistant at Columbia.

[9:26] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my I did a lot of things.

[9:27] Soshana Bean: Sound like me. We had to make acts exactly we needed it to be like the right hours so we could still be out there auditioning man.

[9:34] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Can I tell you a funny story? So I love your O Bless the Lord my soul. I did gospel when I was like a little I yeah yeah I was Judas.

[9:43] Soshana Bean: Naturally because I'd play that all the time.

[9:51] Jason A. Coombs: You named your sound I did yeah I have to tell you that thank you I'm honored yeah thank you for being here car names are intentional so I exactly and I blast that song every day so it has to be named after you're thank you thank you baby nice to see you too have fun okay for being here of course thank you I'll introduce let's introduce each other this is Reggie Van Lee philanthropist socialite and all around arts culture good guy that's a beautiful Irene Gandy publicist for the stars.

[10:27] Reggie Van Lee: Yes happy black history month y'all to celebrate do you have any rituals that you guys like to do to celebrate black history or any and glad I'm black and glad I have people that we could have the legends and the legacy that we keep alive.

[10:43] Irene Gandy: We still have it from family, like he's very family oriented, and I am thinking. But our arts and cultural family, we keep it together not just for blacks, but for all of us.

[10:52] Reggie Van Lee: Everybody, yeah. Because we have allies, you know.

[10:54] Irene Gandy: And also he gives he puts his money where his mouth is. He just brought me this a little bit on ring.

[11:00] Reggie Van Lee: Oh snap, okay, okay. How about you, sir?

[11:03] Reggie Van Lee: Well, I just embrace my people. I'm proud of being black. I uh I celebrate it and I get others to join me.

[11:10] Irene Gandy: Year round.

[11:11] Reggie Van Lee: Exactly.

[11:12] Irene Gandy: Yeah.

[11:12] Reggie Van Lee: Exactly. Well, thank you so much. Have a great time tonight. Um kill it. Thank you for all that you do.

[11:17] Irene Gandy: Yeah, you look amazing.

[11:19] Malena Belafonte: Thank you. Uh my name is Malena Belafonte.

[11:23] David Belafonte: Yeah, so thank you for being here. What are you guys most excited about tonight?

[11:28] Malena Belafonte: This big celebration celebrating black arts and black theater.

[11:32] David Belafonte: No, you go.

[11:33] Malena Belafonte: For me, it's not only celebrating the arts, but it's pushing, pushing, pushing the agenda and the work, which is to level this playing field out there and get rid of the color barriers and the insidious idiocracy of all of that.

[11:49] Bebe Winans: So we can celebrate just the art and don't have to struggle to find a place within it. But just join the throngs, it should be just unconditional for all. I'm excited to see you give away this award. And I'm also very excited about Jennifer Holliday and then seeing her. We just saw her rehearse and it was phenomenal. I just love her, so I'm very excited.

[12:14] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, but is there something that we all can do as a theater community to make sure we're being more inclusive, more diverse for people of color, black people specifically, in front of and behind the camera?

[12:26] Bebe Winans: If I may, everybody has something to contribute in their own way. And don't deny yourself listeners the permission to accept how powerful you can be. And then as a collective, pressure makes diamonds, man. So everybody needs to just find something to just jump on and be a part of, and we're all in this together, but I think everyone just needs to look a little wider. I think it becomes a little bit too religious sometimes and a little bit too narrow. And I think that there are people that might not dare to try out, but they have so much talent. You know, I think that people just need to be a little more accepting and check out things as opposed to just see who's in front of them.

[13:15] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Good brothers like you.

[13:17] Bebe Winans: Oh, thank you. Keep spreading the word, thank you. Thank you so much. It's just an honor to talk to you guys, have a wonderful time this evening.

[13:36] Jonathan McCrory: So my name is Jonathan McCrory, executive artistic director of the National Black Theater.

[13:40] Sade Lythcott: And I'm Sade Lythcott, I'm the CEO of the National Black Theater. Love that. So I'm gonna kick off with this question. It's Black History Month, right? The world is kind of crazy. Is there something that always brings you joy during these insane kind of high-energy times?

[13:54] Jonathan McCrory: I mean, what I would just uplift is this presence of gathering. This idea, I've been sitting with the word of gathering and the power of gathering and what does it mean to be intentional about what does it mean to have fellowship? And I think that an event like this actually is an antidote to a lot of the craziness, it allows you to take a moment to put on some good wares, take a moment to figure out what it means to be in fellowship, and also to extend this kind of compassionate grace to everyone that and for you to be bestowed by that grace as we're being acknowledged and awarded for the work that we do. So there's multiple different ways in which a moment like this, a ceremony like this, lives inside of an antidote to meet the world in which we are now occupying it.

[14:37] Sade Lythcott: Yes. I mean, for me, when I think of Black History Month, I really think about how black people and black culture have always shaped the unimagined future for all of us. So this Black History Month, I'm really celebrating like events like this mark the future of our stories, mark the futures of what we can do. You know, we honor the artists and the institutions that are pinning what will be our freedom note forevermore. And so as we acknowledge our history, as we acknowledge the legacy of National Black Theater, we're hyper aware that this black history is about ensuring and preserving that black people and black culture and black stories exist in the future forevermore. So I feel really inspired by that in this.

[15:27] Jonathan McCrory: I love that so much. You better preach.

[15:29] Sade Lythcott: Are you a pastor on the side?

[15:31] Jonathan McCrory: Yes, she is. Well, thank you so much for being here tonight. Have a great time and Black History Month. Continue killing it.

[15:37] Norma Jean Darden: Thank you, thank you. I'm Norma Jean Darden, and I own Spoonbread Restaurant, and I want to regie a genius' close friends. How happy to be here and supporting him and his calls. Amazing. So happy Black History Month to start off with.

[15:55] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Do you have any rituals that you like to do for Black History Month, especially when the world is a little bit crazy right now?

[16:03] Norma Jean Darden: Well, I like for people to look at my book, Spoon Bread and Strawberry Wine that I wrote with my sister.

[16:10] Jason A. Coombs: Congratulations, yes.

[16:10] Norma Jean Darden: And we go back into history to our grandfather who is a slave and review some of the things black people did at the turn of the century. Thanks for the plug. Yes, have a great day. Have a good fun time tonight.

[16:31] Jason A. Coombs: So happy Black History Month. So do you have any rituals or like special things you like to do to bring you joy, especially during Black History Month, especially at this time when the world is a little more crazy than usual?

[16:43] LaChanze: I think for me it's really about a time of reflection. Every day I read a particular passage or a story, a reminder because I think you know it's a celebration, it's a celebratory month, but I also think it's a reminder of the work that still has to be done.

[16:58] Bebe Winans: Very true, very true. Um so the big word is inclusivity and diversity, right? Making that change. It's something that we all can do as a collective here in the Broadway community to make that more possible.

[17:09] Jason A. Coombs: Hey, hey, come join us, yeah. We're just talking about diversity and inclusion, so thank you.

[17:13] LaChanze: Thank you for including me.

[17:15] Bebe Winans: Yes, of course. I think so. I'm being inclusive now, see.

[17:18] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, very exciting. No, no, I you know I think the big thing is I always say when you go into a room and look around the room and ask yourself have you done the best job possible of making sure that everybody had an opportunity to be in the room.

[17:30] LaChanze: I'm not saying put everybody in the room.

[17:31] Bebe Winans: Yeah.

[17:32] LaChanze: Saying, did everyone get the opportunity to audition or to apply to be in the room? I think that's really the foundation of VTC.

[17:39] T. Oliver Reed: Yeah, I love that. Everybody introducing yourself to us because we're a podcast, not everyone can see your handsome face.

[17:44] T. Oliver Reed: Hey podcast, T Oliver Reed, one of the co-founders of Black Theatre Coalition. Yeah, so Black Castree Monk, happy Black History.

[17:50] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you, same to you. Do you have a special ritual you like to do for Black History Month, especially this time in the world, it's a little bit more crazy than usual?

[17:56] T. Oliver Reed: Yeah, I mean, I honestly I think a lot of it is actually taking the moments when one of my forefathers, foremothers come across my mind to not let it be like every other month was like you just keep going. But to really pause and think of what has been done to get us to where we are right now.

[18:13] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, for sure. So you are one of the co-founders. So is there like a show or is there a person that you can remember from your youth that really inspired you to become a theater artist?

[18:23] T. Oliver Reed: Um honestly, I grew up at a point where like you know, with Turner classic movies like every Saturday, like moving musicals are on, so all of those influenced me. And I did it with honestly, I think a lot of time without even thinking, and it wasn't until later that I started always putting the puzzle pieces together, like things I learned at this point I needed now. Or things I learned on this show, I learned because I need them now. And you have those moments of like, why do I have this information in my head? And it's now it's like all of the things I've learned over years are now all coming into play and being a part of the decision making and helping me steer myself in the direction that I should be going.

[19:02] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Can I ask you one more one question? So my podcast is called Survival Jobs a Podcast. Do you have a survival job you had in your past that was very memorable before you became a big producer creator?

[19:12] T. Oliver Reed: Oh I'm not sure. Yeah. What growing when I was when I was still in high school, I had a job at a place called the Peanut Shack. And they literally had like every every like roasted nut, blah blah blah, you can want. And it was like that, and that was when I developed my love for Fountain Pepsi.

[19:29] Jason A. Coombs: Oh yeah.

[19:30] T. Oliver Reed: Changed my life.

[19:31] Jason A. Coombs: The phones is always the best, right? There's nothing like a fountain soda.

[19:34] T. Oliver Reed: Facts. Thank you so much. Have a fun time tonight. And thank you for all that you do, sir.

[19:37] T. Oliver Reed: Thank you. Thank you so much.

[19:39] Laura Benanti: Yes, thank you. So I have a podcast called Survival Jobs a Podcast on Broadway Podcast Network. Would you mind introducing yourselves?

[19:45] Laura Benanti: My name's Laura Benanti.

[19:51] Alexa Smith: I'm Alexa Smith. I'm at the public theater.

[19:53] Laura Benanti: Amazing, amazing. Happy Black History Month.

[19:56] Alexa Smith: Happy Black History.

[19:57] Laura Benanti: Yes. Thank you. Do you all have like a special ritual or a special just tradition that you do that when things are so crazy in the world, especially now, that keeps you grounded and sane?

[20:07] Alexa Smith: I meditate. I do really try to do that. And also I've been noticing a lot of eating of nachos.

[20:14] Laura Benanti: Ooh. Comfort food.

[20:17] Alexa Smith: I hear that. I also feel like doing simple things with the kids.

[20:21] Laura Benanti: Yeah.

[20:21] Alexa Smith: Like, I'm like, all right, let's sit down and do a puzzle. And I'm gonna do it and not be angry that I have to do a puzzle right now. But just a simple little small thing.

[20:33] Laura Benanti: Yeah. Especially the Elsa Ana ones, you know, where all the hair go.

[20:37] Alexa Smith: Yeah.

[20:38] Laura Benanti: Yeah. That's hard. My kid can't do neither one of us can sit through a puzzle. We're like, we'll draw for 20 seconds.

[20:44] Alexa Smith: That's fun.

[20:45] Laura Benanti: And then we're done.

[20:46] Alexa Smith: Yeah, yeah, right. So you guys are both working professional artists. Before you became successful and working creative artists, is there a survival job behind your past that was very memorable?

[20:57] Laura Benanti: My last job before acting on Broadway was I shoveled manure into bags at a play at a farmer's market called Terulean Daughters. So I literally shoveled shit.

[21:08] Alexa Smith: Um and now I'm in now I'm in show business, so it's a different type of shoveling of shit.

[21:13] Laura Benanti: That one was like overtly stinkier. This one is more, you know, metaphorical.

[21:18] Alexa Smith: Yeah. But yeah. I worked at City Bakery RIP in Flatiron.

[21:25] Laura Benanti: Yeah.

[21:25] Alexa Smith: And they had the best hot chocolate. And they had, they would give us whatever was stale at the end of the day. So I'd have dinner of just like three cookies and like a weird ham sandwich. But I was like, it was free.

[21:37] Laura Benanti: Yeah.

[21:38] Alexa Smith: You made it work. You can do what you need to.

[21:40] Jason A. Coombs: My last question, I know y'all gotta get in there. The theme for tonight is building the change. What can we all do as people in this community to bring more change for people of color, especially black people?

[21:51] Laura Benanti: I feel like I don't get to answer that first, because I'm a white lady. I feel like I'm I feel like I take a step back.

[21:59] Alexa Smith: Well, I am definitely be friends with the cool white ladies. But I think actually have more discussion that the discussion helps us land more softly through difference.

[22:10] Laura Benanti: And not just like slamming into each other, but real empathy, real grace, really allowing each other to land softly so we can move forward together.

[22:19] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Thank you. Thank you both so much. Have fun tonight.

[22:22] Cody Renard Richard: Uh hello everybody, I'm Cody Renard Richard,.

[22:24] Jason A. Coombs: Hi.

[22:25] Cody Renard Richard: Yeah, happy Black History Month.

[22:26] Jason A. Coombs: Amen. Happy Black History.

[22:28] Cody Renard Richard: Thank you. Is there a certain tradition or ritual you have for Black History Month, especially when times are the most crazy they've probably been?

[22:35] Cody Renard Richard: Um actually, yes. I go on a YouTube binge of all of my favorite divas Broadway divas and icons. Last night it was LaShawn's. The other day it was obviously Audra. So I pick every, you know, a new person.

[22:49] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[22:50] Cody Renard Richard: I love that. Tonight might be Heather Headley, you know, I gotta keep looking at my queen.

[22:54] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. It's perfect. I love that. Okay, so we're talking about diversity and inclusion, right? What can we all do as a theater community to make sure we're making space for people of color, especially black people, in front of and behind the camera?

[23:08] Cody Renard Richard: Um I think we just have to be intentional about it. I think we talk about it and we notice that there's a lack, but we're not always intentional about feeling that lack.

[23:17] Anthony Wayne: So I think that the more that we actually practice what we see and think, it would be, you know, a step closer.

[23:24] Jason A. Coombs: I love that.

[23:24] Anthony Wayne: Yeah.

[23:25] Jason A. Coombs: Last question. We're Survival Jobs: A Podcast. Did you have a certain survival job before you became, you know, stage manager extraordinaire, producer extraordinaire that you can share with us?

[23:33] Anthony Wayne: I mean, when I first started out, I worked at Denny's.

[23:36] Jason A. Coombs: Really?

[23:37] Anthony Wayne: Yeah. And I loved it.

[23:38] Jason A. Coombs: Really?

[23:38] Anthony Wayne: The little old ladies that were my friends. I got good tips with them. I loved it.

[23:42] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Thank you so much for chatting with me. Have fun tonight.

[23:44] Anthony Wayne: Thank you.

[23:46] Jason A. Coombs: Welcome, you too.

[23:47] Anthony Wayne: Thank you.

[23:49] Anthony Wayne: My name is Anthony Wayne.

[23:51] Jason A. Coombs: Awesome. Thanks for being here tonight. Happy Black History Month.

[23:53] Anthony Wayne: Yeah, thank you.

[23:54] Jason A. Coombs: Cool to Chakalia.

[23:55] Anthony Wayne: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[23:56] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[23:56] Anthony Wayne: You're right.

[23:58] Jason A. Coombs: Right. I love that. Speaking of that, do you have any special rituals or traditions you do around this time of the year, especially when the world is so insane right now, more than usual?

[24:08] Anthony Wayne: Breathing.

[24:10] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[24:10] Anthony Wayne: I think a lot of times we move and we run all the time and we're on a time schedule and we realize that the time is one thing you can never get back. So I think the more that you sit and understand the depth of their breath, and then you can be able to go into the world and paint your color and the canvas of life.

[24:28] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. So that it became a masterpiece.

[24:30] Anthony Wayne: Yeah.

[24:31] Jason A. Coombs: Chills. Thank you so much for that.

[24:33] Anthony Wayne: Right? Preaching.

[24:34] Jason A. Coombs: Alright. I love that. Okay, so the night is all about change, right? And diversity and inclusion. What can we all do as people in this community, this Broadway theater community, to be more impactful?

[24:44] Anthony Wayne: Oh, we can think about what we need to do individually to uplift and to support each other. Right now I have a nonprofit called Black Broadway Men that celebrates, educates, and motivates black men of the Broadway theater community. Because a lot of us who are in theater don't know each other because we either see each other through competition or out of the club or something crazy like that. So we don't ever get to have that community. So I think the more that we connect with each other, and the more we open up our hearts and our minds to understanding the greatness of ourselves individually so that we can collectively do great things. I think that's the key.

[25:15] Jason A. Coombs: Love that. Love that. One last question. Before you became a theater professional, do you have a survival job you had in your past that you were very memorable to you?

[25:23] Anthony Wayne: Yes. I was working at Dairy Queen.

[25:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, snap.

[25:26] Anthony Wayne: Yes, because I'm from Norfolk, Virginia, that's me. Um, but I was in Northern Virginia, uh, where I was at Shenandoah University. And so I was bringing a Dairy Queen. I was, you know, making those blizzards and making the curl. Okay, because we had the power.

[25:39] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[25:40] Anthony Wayne: But um, so that was actually humbling and enjoyable because I could see real life outside of make-believe life that we do every day.

[25:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[25:48] Anthony Wayne: So um, you know, we put on clothes of people every day. Yeah. To be different people. So I think the more that we take the clothes off and just enjoy who we are and understand the strength of ourselves, I think that's the greatness of what could be in our lives, you know.

[26:01] Jason A. Coombs: Preach. I love that. Have a fun time tonight. Thanks for all you can.

[26:07] Anthony Wayne: Thank you.

[26:07] Jason A. Coombs: Thanks for all that you do though, to make change and to make change in this community. We need it. So thank you. It's collective, it's Black Theatre Coalition, it's Black Broadway Men, it's Black Theatre United, it's all of us trying to make it happen, you know?

[26:18] Anthony Wayne: Yes, thank you.

[26:19] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, thank you.

[26:20] Anthony Wayne: Of course. Have a good night, okay?

[26:22] Jason A. Coombs: Bye bye.

[26:22] Anthony Wayne: Thank you.

[26:23] Dominique Morisseau: Hi everyone, I'm Dominique Morisseau, playwright.

[26:26] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, okay. So my first question for you is Happy Black History Month. Do you have a certain ritual or celebration you do during this time of the month, especially when the world is so insane right now?

[26:38] Dominique Morisseau: You know, no, I just focus on my son. He's three, so I do a lot of making sure that he is kind of armored and centered like I was when I was a kid. This month I grew up doing lots of my school was really influential on life. We went hard during Black History Month. We had battles on Black History Month. They were like school-wide, and so I just make sure that my son knows and is armored in his history all year long and gets a little extra funk on it this month.

[27:07] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, a little bit, right?

[27:08] Dominique Morisseau: A little extra.

[27:09] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. That's right. So you are a playwright. Was there a certain performance or a play that you read when you were younger that was like, hey, this is a spark. I'm gonna do this when I get older?

[27:16] Dominique Morisseau: I saw Stephanie Mills in The Wiz and I was blown away. And um, somewhere in there I knew that that was the place. I also saw Dreamgirls growing up, and those are influential musicals to me to this day, and they inspire the musical that I've written.

[27:33] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. So we're talking about making change, diversity, inclusion. What can we all do to make that change for people of color, especially black people in this entertainment industry in front of and behind the camera?

[27:44] Dominique Morisseau: We can show up for each other. That's number one. Show up for each other always, all the time, whether we like it or we don't. Um, we can show grace to each other, um, whether we share each other's aesthetics or we don't. And we can make sure that we don't close the door on each other. So we can make some space for each other and keep making space for each other. That's something I think we do.

[28:10] Jason A. Coombs: Love that. Last question before you go in. Our podcast is called Survival Jobs: A Podcast. Did you have a survival job growing up before you became a published playwright?

[28:21] Dominique Morisseau: Absolutely. I mean, teaching is always my survival job. That's still my survival job. I plan to land on that and when things get rocky. And also, I've done 101 things, you know. Um, children's theater and all that stuff, but I uh the most survival job I have is being um sort of like a it's not a waitress, but it's like a the serving staff at a retirement home.

[28:47] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, that was as survival as it got for me.

[28:49] Dominique Morisseau: And I'm I'm I was never good at that. And that's thank God that I'm here.

[28:54] Jason A. Coombs: Thank God you're here. Thank you for being you. Thanks for celebrating tonight and continue killing it. Happy Black History Month.

[28:55] Dominique Morisseau: Thank you.

[29:02] Jason A. Coombs: How are you?

[29:03] Jonathan Burke: I'm Jason.

[29:04] Jonathan Burke: I'm Jonathan Burke.

[29:05] Jason A. Coombs: Nice to meet you.

[29:05] Jonathan Burke: That's amazing you're all right.

[29:07] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Yes, thank you. So Black History Month. Happy Black History Month.

[29:10] Jonathan Burke: Thank you.

[29:11] Jason A. Coombs: Happy Black History Month.

[29:12] Jonathan Burke: Thank you. Do you have a ritual or tradition you like to do this month? Especially when the world is a little bit crazy right now, that like grounds you or brings you joy.

[29:20] Jonathan Burke: I just love to celebrate my black people any day.

[29:23] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, exactly.

[29:24] Jonathan Burke: So whether it's this month, next month, last month.

[29:27] Jason A. Coombs: Every month.

[29:27] Jonathan Burke: Correct. 365, 366 this year.

[29:30] Jason A. Coombs: Right, right, right, right.

[29:31] Jonathan Burke: Exactly. I love that. We get an extra day this year in this.

[29:33] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly.

[29:34] Jonathan Burke: Hey, we gotta celebrate that.

[29:36] Jason A. Coombs: Every four years.

[29:37] Jonathan Burke: So we're talking about change, we're talking about diversity, inclusion. Is there something that all of us can do, no matter what our role is in the Broadway theater community, to make sure black people specifically are being seen in front of and behind the camera?

[29:49] Jonathan Burke: That is so important, especially behind the camera. We gotta make sure that the people that are gatekeeping and green lighting projects are people of color that value our stories and can really make sure that these stories get shown on a great, great scale. So if we make sure that those people are hired, trained as young people, train the young ones to, you know, be skilled so that they are on the level necessary to make it in this industry, then I think that'll set the framework for what we need going forward.

[30:20] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. So when you were younger, was there a performer or show that you saw that was like, hey, I want to do this theater entertainment thing?

[30:28] Jonathan Burke: Oh my gosh. Well, of course, there were so many. I mean, of course, Audra, Queen McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, those two.

[30:37] Jason A. Coombs: Right time.

[30:37] Jonathan Burke: Ragtime. I mean. I heard someone say your daddy's son in high school, and I was like, what is this? Yeah, and once on this island, LaShant's Milton Craig Neely, so many folks that are just phenomenal, that are now like friends of mine. It's incredible to now be in spaces with these people who I looked up to. Those people set the framework for what I'm doing today. Ain't Misbehaving. Ken Page, all the Andre DeShields.

[31:04] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[31:05] Jonathan Burke: Those people. The Joe Blazers.

[31:07] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[31:07] Jonathan Burke: Yeah. You're up there too. You're getting up there too.

[31:09] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I am, thank you. I'm on my way.

[31:11] Jonathan Burke: So before you, before you got here, was there a survival job you've had in your past that was very memorable for you?

[31:17] Jonathan Burke: No, I've never had a survival job.

[31:20] Jason A. Coombs: Lucky!

[31:22] Jonathan Burke: I love that.

[31:23] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you.

[31:23] Jonathan Burke: Don't be sorry. I wish I could. I wish I didn't have to have a survival job right now. I've been very grateful to always work in this industry since I started working.

[31:32] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Well, continue killing it. Congratulations on everything you're doing. And have fun tonight.

[31:36] Jonathan Burke: Thank you.

[31:37] Jason A. Coombs: Well, of course. Happy Black History Month?

[31:39] Jonathan Burke: Yeah.

[31:40] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Alright. Take care.

[31:44] Sadiq Heard: My name is Sadiq Heard, and I'm a director.

[31:47] Jason A. Coombs: Amazing, amazing. So happy Black History Month.

[31:49] Sadiq Heard: Thank you.

[31:51] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Is there a special like tradition or thing you do during this month, especially when the world is more crazy than usual that grounds you and brings you joy?

[31:59] Sadiq Heard: I like watching old black movies. I'm talking The Wood, Hustle and Flow, Baby Boy. That's my thing. I just re-watched um Neil Long and Lorenz Tate. Love Jones.

[32:13] Jason A. Coombs: Yes!

[32:14] Sadiq Heard: That is one of my favorite movies ever.

[32:16] Jason A. Coombs: So good.

[32:16] Sadiq Heard: Yes. Oh, I love that you do that. That was my, I was like, I'm gonna watch like five black movies, one a week during Black History. It just reminds you of Black Excellence and how like glorious we are in our simplicity.

[32:26] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah.

[32:28] Sadiq Heard: So we're all here, we're all members of some degree in the theater community. What's something that you think we can all do to bring more change and more inclusion, more diversity to black people specifically in front of and behind the camera?

[32:39] Sadiq Heard: Well, you said it, inclusion, and I think including us as black folks, no matter where we fall on the spectrum of like sexuality, gender, identity, uh, like trans, non-binary folks, like that's something that I'm really passionate about. Yeah, and I think we need to diversify what we as black people think is blackness. You know, our expression evolves depending on our individuality, and so we need to like see each other.

[33:05] Jason A. Coombs: I love that so much. So, before you became a working director, was there a survival job you had in your past that like was memorable that got you to where you are today?

[33:15] Sadiq Heard: Something interesting. I was a gymnastics teacher for like two year olds.

[33:20] Jason A. Coombs: How was that?

[33:22] Sadiq Heard: Incredible. I mean, I just their kids are so wild and fun and so like imaginative, yeah, and it was a really fascinating. I taught a lot of babies how to walk.

[33:32] Jason A. Coombs: Really?

[33:33] Sadiq Heard: Yeah.

[33:33] Jason A. Coombs: Was it here in New York?

[33:35] Sadiq Heard: It was, yeah.

[33:36] Jason A. Coombs: Wow.

[33:36] Sadiq Heard: Yeah. So it was it was like something that I was like, I never thought I'd do that, but I always cherished having experience, essentially raising people's kids from like I don't know, nine to three.

[33:46] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[33:47] Sadiq Heard: So last question. Super Bowl was yesterday. Usher, Alicia Keys, Ludacris. What'd you think? Did you get to see it?

[33:53] Jason A. Coombs: No, it was incredible. We watched it, but did you hear about Beyoncé?

[33:58] Sadiq Heard: That's Yes. I mean that's the real.

[34:00] Jason A. Coombs: That's the real.

[34:03] Sadiq Heard: But the Super Bowl was amazing. Usher's show was incredible. But then the moment the Verizon commercial dropped, Beyoncé, Beyoncé, Beyoncé. That's all that really matters.

[34:11] Jason A. Coombs: Beyoncé's where we're all just living in it.

[34:15] Sadiq Heard: Right.

[34:16] Jason A. Coombs: At this point.

[34:19] Sadiq Heard: Yes. Happy Black History Month. Thank you for being here. Have fun tonight.

[34:23] Jason A. Coombs: Alright, so that was a wrap on the red carpet. We had so much fun. I talked to so many iconic legendary artists about Black History Month. We're celebrating Black Joy, Black Power. And yeah. See you guys soon.