This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone and welcome to episode 181 of Take A Bow.

[0:05] Eli Tokash: I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and this week we have a special one for you folks. I'm so excited for this week's episode. I don't know, just getting on the StarKid wagon that they've created. It's quite impressive. And for those of you who don't know, you'll learn a lot about StarKid in this episode. StarKid is a theater kind of troupe that Darren Criss was one of the original founders of, and now it's got all sorts of incredible performers in it. This week's guest is one of those StarKid stars who made his StarKid debut in Nerdy Prudes Must Die, their latest show that they literally wrote and put on for everyone. It has over 400,000 views already on Instagram, and that is literally just in the course of not even a week.

So very impressive stuff. We have Will Branner on the podcast today, who literally is the star of this show, and you can currently see him in Back to the Future on Broadway right now. This is a treat of an episode, and Will's career is kind of a wild one and a young one at the same time. I'm so excited to get him on and talk about his journey throughout it all thus far. It's funny because we were talking afterwards, and he was like, it's funny how this career works in weeks, you know? Like one week you have everything going for you, and the next it's like the next ten, you're like, oh, what to do now? I'm very, very grateful for Will for giving us his time. But before we get into all of that, we gotta talk some Broadway news, shall we?

[2:06] Eli Tokash: I saw a couple great things this weekend throughout the Broadway community. I headed up to the Bronx this weekend and saw the Broadway Forever concert that they've been putting on. Leslie Odom Jr. hosted it, and then we had performances from Alex Newell, Andrew Durand, Shoshana Bean, Aaron Alcaraz, literally so many fabulous performers came out and were there. All of the six harmonists of the Harmony group and Broadway show. It was great. It was unreal, and it's for a great cause. Everyone donates their time and brings Broadway to those communities that may not get Broadway as often as others. So very, very fun great concert and great series that they're doing. They're gonna continue doing that, so be on the lookout for that.

[3:12] Eli Tokash: Then I got to see the opening night of All the Devils Are Here starring Patrick Page, whom we know and love. He was on a pod, and we talked about HadesTown, and then we talked a lot about being hearing impaired as a performer, as Patrick is. It's quite incredible. We got to see him open a brand new off-Broadway show that he literally created himself and is starring in a one-man show. It's literally his knowledge of Shakespeare and how, you know, Playbill calls him the villain of Broadway. But he's just one of the most legendary performers of our time with his unique voice and everything. He's probably like an actor that's played Shakespeare the most of anyone alive right now, between the many Shakespeare shows that he's done and the Shakespeare's villains that he continues to do, and he's played the roles multiple times. It's quite impressive.

[4:27] Eli Tokash: Obviously, with his time in doing all of those Shakespearean shows, he really had to study Shakespeare and just discover and navigate that journey and what it all meant and what he discovered along the way. The facts of diving into all of it that he kind of revealed to himself that's not like really well-known knowledge, he kind of shares for everyone, but totally makes sense when you hear it and the way he tells it. It's so brilliant. It's literally a masterclass because he jumps in and out of being himself and then being like ten different characters. He has scenes with himself as two different people, and they're having a conversation. The way that he just masterfully does it, and it's not even with a big set or anything like that.

It's just incredible the way that he's able to, you know, subtly yet brilliantly do it. I'm always the one that like less is more, and this is kind of the definition of that really. It's quite impressive what he's doing, and it's literally only 80 minutes. It was so cool because it's a little hundred-seat house, and I was basically sitting next to Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada, Glenn Close, Anne Horada, Philip Boykin. I was like, this is incredible because Patrick's literally worked with everyone, so you never know who's gonna be there. You never know what to expect.

[6:10] Eli Tokash: I talked to him afterwards a little bit, but it seems like it's kind of a different show each time. I'm itching to go back myself. He literally created it, and so he's kind of just talking to us. If the audience reacts in a way, he's gonna continue, you know, with a bit or whatever it is. It's really impressive what he does. He did say he has something like written out, and he follows that a lot, but it's very impressive. I've said, and like this is literally just me being a fan of the show. I've said that this is like required viewing for anyone my age who is currently in college or high school at a drama school, you know, whether it's NYU, whether it's Pace, whether it's LaGuardia or something like that.

Everyone who is interested in becoming an actor, like this is the fundamental of our industry, of our craft, and I never really understood it until I saw the show. I've never really been a Shakespeare fan, but now I've been reading more Shakespeare, I've been looking more into it just because I didn't realize how prevalent it still was in today's world, and he really does a great job in showing those relations of how his writing is really what we're seeing today, and it's quite brilliant.

[7:47] Eli Tokash: Definitely required viewing. I highly recommend for any of the Shakespeare lovers, newbies, people who don't know Shakespeare. I could have named a Shakespearean villain before I saw that show, but now I can tell you everything about him. So definitely recommend. Go check that one out. It's so good. Then of course, I saw Nerdy Prudes Must Die, which is the theme of today's episode. I loved it. I thought it was great, and it was my first introduction to StarKid, so it was cool to, I mean, not really my first introduction, but like the first show that I've seen all the way through. Loved it. Hey, theater geeks, I'm with you on the StarKid now. So glad to be on board, and thanks for listening to this week's episode.

The show itself, I thought was like an incredible concept of Nerdy Prudes Must Die. I thought Will was the standout, and that's kind of why I reached out to him and asked him to be on the show this week. I mean, the whole cast is insanely talented, and you could totally tell that. The concept of the show was pretty neat, and I thought the songs were earworms but also a little silly. But you know, it's a reminder, like we talk about in the episode, like this is what us theater kids who, you know, don't have, we're not performing on Broadway, you know, this is our dream to get with our friends, make a show, have fun, and perform it in front of sold-out crowds and then half a million people on YouTube, you know, and reach so many other people. So it's wonderful. Shout out to StarKid, shout out to Will and everyone involved in Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Well done, and thank you for doing that for our little theater community.

[8:56] Eli Tokash: Now into the Broadway news. Oh my god, I've been talking so much already. Okay, it was announced this week that Shucked is closing on Broadway, which is literally devastating to me. I'm gonna go see it before it closes, thank god. I already have my ticket, but Shucked is closing on Broadway. It's heading out on tour, which is exciting, so the legacy will continue. But it's closing on January 14th, 2024. If you haven't seen this show, make it happen. I'm not kidding. I'll tell everyone that asks me from now till January 14th what's one show that I should see on Broadway, and I'm gonna tell everyone it's Shucked until it closes because this is a show not to be missed. I think that this show is absolutely brilliant, clever, new, everything that I kind of crave and ask for as a performer.

And it's hilarious. So like who doesn't want to go to a theater and laugh for, you know, two and a half hours or whatever it is, because then, you know, we can come home and get back to our regular scheduled night cry when reality settles back in. No, it's okay. I'm just kidding, everyone.

[10:58] Eli Tokash: But hey, sometimes I don't know. Anyway, so yeah, go laugh at a theater we love and big fan of Shucked. Speaking of closings, let's talk about Pearly Victorious. Pearly Victorious was originally scheduled to close January 7th of 2024, and now it's scheduled to close on February 4th, 2024. So exciting. We got a little extension. I'm dying to see the show, have yet to see it. Glad I now have one more month to see the show. I was with Leslie on this weekend on Sunday. I mean, I wasn't with him, but I saw him performing and everything. He's just a talent, and I am so excited to see him back on Broadway. I definitely want to see him in a Broadway show again because he's just so freaking brilliant.

I've also heard that this cast is absolutely ridiculous, as well as the lead female in the show, who is Kara Young. I've heard is literally breathtaking in this role. I can't wait to go see it. I can't wait to support the two of them. I've heard those are like the front runners for the Tonys already for the plays, and we haven't even seen all of them. So, you know, when you hear that, that's exciting stuff, and it sparks your curiosity, and you want to go experience that for yourself.

[12:35] Eli Tokash: Exciting stuff there. That's closing at the Music Box right now. When that closes, the Music Box is gonna be vacant, but not for long because SUFs is coming to Broadway. I'm so excited for SUFs to come to Broadway. I don't know if you guys remember this. This was a couple years ago. I saw SUFs, fell in love with it, was all I wanted to talk about, had someone in the cast on like immediately after seeing it, and absolutely loved the show. I thought this was gonna be transferring a long time ago, and I can't believe it's taken what, probably two years to come to Broadway. Maybe they were waiting for the right theater, maybe they wanted to continue to use the time and write and change things. I really think that could be it.

I do think that there were some things that needed cleaned up. Even though I absolutely loved it and was obsessed with it, I thought that it had so much potential, and so I'm curious to see what they did with the past two years in, you know, improving it or furthering the story and the message of SUFs. That's opening at the Music Box on April 18th, so it will be in this year's Tony Awards that will make the cutoff for this season. It was announced that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai are both joining the producing team. So hello, heavy hitters. Welcome to Broadway, and we're so happy to have you. It's just an incredible show, and with those women kind of leading the way on the producing team, I mean, what more needs to be said? Great. So that's happening. April, mark your calendars. Another show that's announced it's coming to Broadway is My Son's a Queer, but What Can You Do, starring writer and performer Rob Madge.

[14:41] Eli Tokash: And uh I'm excited for this one. It looks fantastic. It's doing so well over at London. Um, and for those of you who don't know who Rob is, very, very, very um highly uh honored in London as a performer. Um, and this is his debut uh show that he he wrote, and it's winning all of the awards over there. Um so it's coming over for uh a 16-week limited engagement and uh performances are beginning at the Lyceum Theater on February 27th, uh and will open officially on uh March 12th of 2024. So uh exciting stuff. All right, so uh there's a couple more I wanted to say. Um I'll keep going. Sorry, y'all. I know this is going on long. So um exciting stuff out of Harmony. Uh for those of you who don't know, or for those of you like me, get excited, uh, because Harmony announced that there will be 18 rush tickets available for every show at just $18.

And that is to honor the uh Jewish heritage that is celebrated in the show. Uh this is another great new marketing initiative by Ken Davenport. I continue to talk about it every week, it seems. Um, Ashley Hufford from Ash She's all theater on TikTok. She gives an incredible breakdown uh of the history that kind of went into the decision making of this and why this is so significant um for um you know the Jewish culture and um how how it kind of relates to the show and what it means, um, the whole backstory behind it all. So highly recommend watching that if that interests you. Um, but very exciting stuff. 18 rush tickets for $18, making the show um much accessible for uh for audiences, um, which is super exciting.

Okay, and our last piece of news actually it is kind of like um a me thing. Hi guys. Um, and uh I'm I'm just so excited to to uh it's spooky season, okay. So the last few years, I don't know if uh y'all know this. Well, I I I do talk about it. So I'm not sure if y'all remember, but for the last few years I've been helping um put on a a little benefit concert uh and show every spooky season around the Halloween time, um, called Dun dun dun, I put a spell on you. And uh it's the fabulous Jay Armstrong uh hocus pocus uh parody that he does, and uh it's it's fantastic every year. It features Broadway stars, it's it's got new stories every year, um, all from the hocus pocus, um, you know, themes and movies and whatnot.

So uh I am uh helping out again this year. Very excited. I am like on the producing side of it and uh like the PA ing side of it, all of that thing. Um, I won't be performing in it, but there are some fabulous performers in the show, um, including Take A Bow guests, Justin Cooley, um, who we know and love. Uh, also Jay Armstrong Johnson, obviously, Robin Herder, Talia Saskower, Drew Galen, uh Tomas Mateauz, uh Taylor Iman Jones, Mila Jam, Marsha Marsha Marsha, and many, many more. Uh, all of this is benefiting the Ali Forney Center, who is a wonderful organization who literally helps us put this thing together. Without them, we could not do it. Last year is Broadway Care's Equity Fights AIDS.

Um, but the Ali Forney Center has been overwhelmingly uh helpful and and involved, and um it's been it's been quite the incredible experience. And uh they benefit LGBTQ IA plus uh children uh that are homeless, uh that kind of were kicked out of their house or ran away from home uh because they were not accepted in their own households, in their own communities, um, or anything like that. So we are helping put food in front of them. Um, we're providing them places to stay at the Alley Forney Center. Um so all of the ticket prices and everything, all of that goes directly, like straight to the Alley Forney Center. Um, all the performers are doing free work to benefit this wonderful charity um and all while giving you a uh wonderful night to remember and kick off your Halloween um and your Hello Weekend.

So um please come by. Have a blast with us because after the show, as all the actors come out on the dance floor and we all dance, and you can mingle with all of them, you can talk to all of them. Broadway performers are there to support their castmates and friends because it is happening on a Monday night. It is Monday, uh, literally like this coming Monday, uh, Monday, October 23rd at 8 p.m. at Sony Hall. And there are there are costume contests. So please come in your costume. Uh everyone will be dressed up, and uh there will be prizes, and the judges this year are Broadway stars and an SNL star, and you're just like, you're just gonna want to be there. And uh you're gonna wanna you you're gonna want Annal Ashford.

I'll just say it. You're gonna want Annal Ashford to uh tell you your costume's amazing and that you just won an amazing prize. So um everyone come on out and uh have fun with us. And that is I put a spell on you this Monday, uh, October 23rd, and that's that's happening at Sony Hall. So get your tickets and uh the tickets will be in my bio as well as this episode's description, or you can go to like J.R. Johnson's bio, whatever it is, but definitely do that. So, all right, that's all I have for you folks. I'm gonna stop talking, talk too much, and uh without further ado, I'm gonna turn it over to our fabulous guest this week, Will Branner curtain up. This week's guest is one of Broadway's rising stars, if you ask me.

I mean, you may have seen him on tour in Mean Girls and Bad Out of Hell, or you may have seen him just this past week in StarKid's Nerdy Prudes Must Die on YouTube, literally stealing the show. Um, and then you can also currently see him. Oh my god, we're just doing all the things, he's booked and busy. Um, you can currently see him in Back to the Future on Broadway, uh, which is just incredible with uh all the Broadway stars. So, everyone, welcome to Take A Bow Will Branner.

[21:18] Will Branner: Hi, how are you? This is awesome. So happy to be here.

[21:22] Eli Tokash: Oh my god. No, I'm so excited for this. Honestly, we'll we'll get into the the whole thing and my introduction, but like just within this past week, I've become a huge fan of yours.

[21:34] Will Branner: Thanks for watching. This has been a crazy week. It's been a lot of things happening. It's crazy how like life gets shoved into like one week at a time. Like I'll have three months of nothing, and then like all of a sudden 30 events and big, big monumental things happening all at once, but it's very exciting, so I'm happy to be here.

[21:52] Eli Tokash: Yeah, well, thanks for doing this amongst the craziness that's going on in your life right now. Um, so let's start at the beginning. That's the way I usually like to start, is just you know, what why are we here? Like, what inspired you to want to get into this crazy hellhole of an industry?

[22:11] Will Branner: Yeah, I mean, so I think I looked at my mom when I was in like third grade and I was like, mom, I want to be in a commercial. And she was like, I have no idea what to do with that. Um, so she took me to my local community theater and just like found an outlet for the kid who demanded to be seen and was singing songs and dancing around and trying to be as goofy and silly as possible. So from then on, I did two or three musicals a year from the time I was in third grade forever. You know, it it never stopped after that. And I was also like a three sport athlete, and I I really wanted to be a marine biologist. I think every kid like has that dream at some point. They see some dolphins at SeaWorld and are like, I want to do that.

[22:52] Will Branner: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But no, theater kind of theater kind of stuck out. And I when I learned you could major in it in college, I was like, I'm gonna do that. I'm not getting a math degree. I'm not gonna go for you know something else, you know. So it was always just what I wanted to do. It was the dream from the very beginning. There was no other option but to be a performer, but to be an actor. Um so yeah, it was just always on the table. And luckily I had a wonderful mom to drive me to every single event and take care of that dream the whole time. I mean, she really facilitated everything. So yeah, that's how it started.

[23:24] Eli Tokash: Yeah. That may be a first on on the pot. A hundred and eighty people we've talked to. No one's ever said I wanted to be in a commercial and now we're here.

[23:34] Will Branner: Yeah, right. Crazy.

[23:36] Eli Tokash: I love that though. That's so cool. Uh like what a weird, what a weird kid that's like looking at the TV, not like, I don't want to be the Power Ranger, I want to like brush my teeth, you know. I want to like, I wanna like pose with toilet paper. Like, what a weird, what a weird initiation into it. But hey, it got us here. So we're cheese balls. That's what theater people do, you know. Like, it's great. Um, so that that's craziness. And then all of a sudden you went to school at the University of Michigan. Ever heard of it? Um go blue.

[24:06] Will Branner: Yeah, real. Michigan.

[24:08] Eli Tokash: And and that kind of it kind of like just like all happened after that, yeah. Like the craziness uh of learning it in school and then kind of leading right into the industry. Then you went on two tours and now you're on Broadway and all the things. So talk to me about kind of navigating college and what that did to help like, I don't know, jumpstart your career.

[24:31] Will Branner: Definitely. Oh my God. Like University of Michigan was like kind of fell out of the sky. For me, I I wasn't ready for uh an intense BFA program in the city or or at a smaller school. I wanted like a big college experience with as many options as I as I could you know get into. So Michigan was absolutely perfect. So I did a ton of directing there. I took all sorts of other cool classes that kind of facilitated my other interests while also pursuing you know an amazing education in theater arts. And you know they kind of launched my career. Like their showcase was so well attended and uh that got me an agent and then I just started you know auditioning from there. But that time at University of Michigan was a was amazing to like just get thrown about in all sorts of directions.

Like I did Shakespeare I directed shows. I directed um uh Rock of Ages I directed gruesome playground injuries you know it was it was uh it was really like great time to like find what I love about this business and the type of art that I want to participate in and create um and and that was always you know I was always drawn to like original works and working with actors there. You know that's kind of always been my passion. So uh yeah, it was it was crazy to just have the the full resources of a 36,000 person you know university and that kind of prepped me for coming to to New York and and with all the people and the craziness as well because you know it it I was not not by any means ready to go to to go to a pace and be in the city I was like I need some grass and like some some air and then now New York is home. So it was the perfect the perfect decision.

[26:08] Eli Tokash: Yeah. It was kind of like the the midway uh to like the the preparation to to come to New York the the perfect like branch, I guess, to take uh along the way of the journey. That's pretty neat. Um, glad it's worked out. It clearly worked out. Uh, because now you're here you are. You're you're in New York and you're killing it. And uh let's talk about the mean girl story. Only because I don't know much about Bad Outta Hell, I'll straight out say it. So uh like I'll talk about Mean Girls because we love Mean Girls. I love Mean Girls.

[26:39] Will Branner: Bad Out of Hell was my first, like true entry into the the industry in a in a very like um it was gonna be this big thing, right? And then it got swept out from under me. So we're in Toronto, it's my first production contract. We're gonna tour all over the city and then come back to New York for three months, right? All under this production contract. And a month into our Toronto part of the leg, the producers cancel the whole show. Oh people had given up apartments. So Bad Out of Hell for me was my first, like, oh, this thing is crazy that we're a part of. Like being an actor is fantastic, but you are some you are at the mercy of somebody else's uh decision making, somebody else's craft, somebody else's work.

So it that that gig really prepared me for everything I needed um to be a professional and to really do well and to navigate the industry headed into mean girls. So that was really where I like leveled up and learned a lot of things and learned how to be in a uh a professional room and how to advocate for myself and and to uh and to uh and to not you know uh look through rose colored lenses all the time to really be discerning and okay, what type of jobs are we taking? Um where can you end up? Because you can get strung along in this business, you know, so easily. And that was a great example. And I met some of the the coolest people on Bad Out of Hell, and they're all what's cool about Bad Out of Hell is everybody from that contract that was um just bonded together, and now they're in pockets of Broadway and the entertainment industry, like all over the place.

Everyone like got really, you know, beat down by that gig, but then like rose from the ashes in a very, very cool way. So that that game will always be so special to me. So special because it really like launched this whole thing.

[28:24] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah. Okay. Is this only because like I'm talking because of fighting Neverland? Like there was something about Fighting Neverland that was like because everything going on with Harvey, our producer, there was some sort of trauma bonding that we all went through, and it kind of brought us as a cast together, and like to this day, like almost 10 years later, we're like still this tight. Is that is that like a real thing? Like is that kind of like what Bad Out of Hell was like with all the craziness going on?

[28:55] Will Branner: I hadn't seen one of my castmates from Bad Out of Hell since 2019, and we ran into each other on Eighth Avenue, classic, and yeah, he ran up and just jumped into my arms, and that was like totally appropriate. Like that is one of the like, I've got nothing but love for all those artists, and like when I see them shine and they're off doing their thing or just living their lives in any capacity, it's just it's nothing but love. But for real, yeah. I mean, that night it got we got the the rug pulled out from us and still had to do four shows.

[29:23] Will Branner: Oh my god. Yeah, so we went on two hours after they were like, your whole tour is cancelled, and people were just sobbing. Like it was the most magical night of theater at the Ed Mervish Theater in Toronto I've ever been a part of. I like got to this big solo number I had, and I just like couldn't even make the words. I just cried in front of 2,000 people and they like applauded, like everybody knew something was something was up. So and then after that, yeah, we were just we were just all together stuck in Canada for a little bit until we could get back. So yeah, we were completely bonded, and I love all those people. Yeah, it was great. Yeah, it was crazy. I mean, it's it's pretty tough when when you literally get like some of the most scary news in the world to then like have to go put on a mask and perform in front of how many people like that's terrifying.

Oh, and here's a crazier part of it. I was set to speak at the University of Michigan because our next stop was Detroit. And so we still honored that um seminar that I like came in to give, and they're like, What's it like being an actor? And I'm like, a week after this year's worth of production pay got annihilated before my eyes, and I'm like, no, it's really great. Like you you should go into the business, you know. It was by no means should I have been talking to uh to college students at that time. Oh that's but no, no. We got through it, and um with my you know, my family, my partner, you know, they all helped me help me get through that. That was a tough time, but yeah, I'm stronger for it, you know.

So bad of hell, that's better to hell. Sometimes it's the the lessons you learn later from it that are the most appreciated. Yeah, I know. It's nice now that we can kind of look back and laugh at it, but like at the time, that was that was crazy times. I can't even imagine. Uh totally. But hey, at least, you know, you kind of did a whole 180 on a me on the Mean Girls tour. Because correct me if I'm wrong, you were on tour with your wife, right?

[31:16] Will Branner: Yeah, totally. So she had been doing the Broadway show, and they decided to move her to the tour to play Katie Heron. Right. And they were like, uh, does your boyfriend do theater? Because we were just dating at the time. We weren't engaged or anything. They said, first off, uh, are you guys serious? And we were like, Uh huh. Yeah, we're very serious. Like we we were living together at the time, we're very in love. And she was like, Oh, did and he does theater, right? She's like, Yeah, he's he's down the street doing Bat Out of Hell at City Center. So we auditioned, got a got an audition together for them, was flying in for that, and um, yeah, booked the tour at the same time. We had to read in front of um Casey Nicholaw and Tina Fey, audition, and and and we were we were fine.

I think like Tina and Casey were more nervous for us. Um I'll never forget that as long as I live. That was one of the craziest auditions. You're like reading with your girlfriend, right? You know, and they're all like cheering for you to get it because I'd been around the building so much. So yeah, and then we we ended up on tour together, which was just you know fantastic. It's like it's just surreal that that that even happened and that fell into our lap the way it did.

[32:21] Will Branner: Right. I mean, so it's interesting, right? Because I'm sure since both of you are in the industry and everything, and now with this like new way of auditioning with self-tapes, which is whatever, you know. So like I'm sure that was like probably like a weird experience for you guys because I'm sure you like are used to doing it, but you've never really done it in front of people. So what would what is that kind of like? And even like if you went on for for uh Aaron Samuels when you which you understand, uh, what was that kind of like?

[32:51] Will Branner: She gets so nervous for me, like really even if she's sitting, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like if she's sitting, if she's sitting in the audience or whatever debut, even like what this what happened last weekend, she's oh, there she is, she's here in a time. We love the support. Yeah, so she she like I remember the first time I went on for Aaron Samuels. I had to like grab, she's got like two minutes backstage of like chill time total in the show. And then one of those like times she was passing by, I was like, Hey, you've got to take a breath. Like, I'm fine. I know what I'm like, I'm a professional, I know what I'm doing. She's like, I know, I know. I just she was worried. I think her main thing was she was worried that we wouldn't have chemistry, and people would see that we wouldn't have chemistry, which was which was which was so silly.

But yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy to work with your partner, it's crazy to act with your partner, and then yeah, you add the the powder keg of what you know being a Broadway understudy is like, and you know, into that mix where it's like, okay, we're on, let's do it. Um so you could just see in her eyes, like, yay, okay, he said this line right. Oh, he sang that. Okay, that was next thing, you know, you come back on. So, but it was very sweet, very supportive, very it's all all based in love. I hope.

[34:05] Eli Tokash: Oh, absolutely. We love a supportive life. That's awesome. That's crazy though. Like, I feel like it'd be so hard to just like stay in character. Like, I feel like if I literally made eye contact, like even with friends, they do it. Like, I just immediately break. So I feel like that's even more impressive that you were like with your real partner on stage.

[34:24] Will Branner: Totally, totally. Yeah, it was it was I I wasn't acting, you know. I just got to feel like oh, I love you, I like you. You know, she I think she I think she had to work a little harder than I did. And of course, you know, with the nerves for both of you. That's okay. Right.

[34:38] Eli Tokash: Um, well, now you know the Mean Girls music, like musical movie is coming out. So, like, how cool is it gonna be to like kind of revisit the show almost while watching like the the movie?

[34:51] Will Branner: The thing about Mean Girls, I'm really loving having been a part of that like that show and that universe and that family and the whole thing is like it really has spawned like the next generation of music theater artists. Like my coach now, everyone's singing stuff from Mean Girls. Yeah. Which originally we weren't we didn't look at it that way when it was at the August Wilson. I at least I didn't, and then like here we are, six, five years later, I forget where, yeah, somewhere five five ish years later after that. And that's all that that high schools are doing this show now. Right. It's just it's so cool to see it just like have a life of its own. And then to come all the way, go like the normal life cycle of a show, and then to come full circle again back to the film. I think it's really unique and cool.

[35:35] Will Branner: And it's um originally was something I was kind of like, oh, they're they're doing the movie of this again. We're going movie musical back to musical movie. You know, you have those like reservations and those judgments about that. But then you're kind of like you see how it's been updated every single time, and you kind of see how the message in Mean Girls is still needed. Like we're still bullying people. Like we're still like, we haven't learned it yet. So the the core message of Mean Girls, I think is still an important and a very viable one for a lot of these, for a lot of these high schoolers, and they feel it and they love the material too. So to just see the engagement with music theater again, that's a trickle-down effect of Mean Girls the Musical is is so cool to see.

[36:14] Eli Tokash: Really is absolutely and to like go even further of like the bullying and all of those messages, like I'd rather be me is like the girl boss song, you know. Like, I don't know if there's like a better like song written for females of like women empowerment almost. Like it really is so cool, and like that's just like another element that they kind of added for Janice, um, that I feel like was kind of missing in the movie. So to see this version and see, like you said, how it continues to be updated and uh just kind of like further pushes the message. It's really I I I love it, and I'm so excited for it. So uh very cool. I'm sure Mean Girls means a lot for you to you guys, obviously, but uh that's very cool.

[37:00] Eli Tokash: Um well let's jump to StarKid now because like let's do it. So how did this whole thing like come about? This is Nerdy Prudes Must Die was your like debut with like the StarKid clan. Um how how did that come about?

[37:17] Will Branner: So um I have the same uh representation as Darren Criss. So they so there he has been like you know the driving engine underneath a lot of the the StarKid material. Um so this audition came through for Nerdy Prudes Must Die. I'm like, what is what is the what is going on? Yeah, you know, like what's what's happening? And I wasn't familiar, like I was familiar with Very Potter musical and um I really like I really like Twisted was one of the StarKid shows like the viewpoint of Jafar. Jafar's the good guy, Aladdin's the bad guy kind of thing. And I'd I'd seen the clips or the um the one of Lauren Lopez going, like, I don't want to do the work today. I don't really want to do the work today. Like I knew all the memes, like I I was kind of like hovering around the culture, but I really had no idea what I was in store for.

So I um I put this tape together, they loved it, um, went out to LA, and that's kind of when I was like, okay, let me like, let me like join the cult of StarKid. Like they all call themselves this like weird cult and like what's going on. Wild. And I think I stayed up for three days when I first got there, like while rehearsal was going on, and I binged every StarKid show. Start to finish. Yeah, it was like, okay, I'm thinking of this as like role research, you know. Okay, let me like figure out like what the tone is, what I'm gonna do with this part. And by the end, I was just like fangirling all over my castmates. And rehearsals didn't start that way. I walked in, like, hey, who are you, Will?

And then I showed up about like four days later, and I was like, oh my gosh, you guys are all legends. I'm obsessed with this one. This joke you made, and this is funny, and it works into this show. And like, there is such a rich um universe and community and with StarKid that I had no idea was cooking over there. You know, you kind of like you heard the whispers about it, or you'd see little things pop up. But but yeah, there is a whole whole culture of music theater off to the side in YouTube that for me is a wonderful, wonderful, amazing playground of comedy and and using this art form at its highest level. I really believe that. I think StarKid, I can't say enough wonderful things about StarKid and my StarKid experience. It was it was probably it was probably one of the artistic highlights of anything I've done in creating.

[39:31] Eli Tokash: Yeah, oh my gosh, I love that. Yeah, I mean, you just get in there with all these other people who graduated from Michigan and then all people from all other walks of life, and everyone is just taking um this very goofy piece of theater so seriously, right?

[39:46] Will Branner: Which is the exact rehearsal room you want to be in. Like, you know, uh Nick Lang, who directed Nerdy Prudes, he'd he'd throw out a uh a direction, and if you're the new guy, like everybody else there understands he's being serious when he says, like, okay, let's pretend like tentacles come out and grab you and they're sucking you down to the underworld, and you're just like, Oh, okay, how oh, is he serious? Like, oh, okay, he's serious, great, great. Uh, as an actor, let me just send that idea full throttle. Right. And if you just like if you, you know, I'd I'd watched every bit of their content by then, so I knew kind of you know, we're totally exactly to take it. And it was the most fun roller coaster exploration with music theater I have ever done.

[40:28] Will Branner: Yeah. So that started for me.

[40:30] Eli Tokash: It's pretty cool because like, I mean, I we're this is the first time we're meeting, but you played like a jock bully and also like someone who's dead, someone who's alive at one point in the show. It's like there's so many layers to this bully that we like don't usually see written, I feel like, because we even see like his vulnerable sides and like the things that like upset him or impact him. Like there was so much to this. So, like, how was that in in kind of finding that? Because you seem like a really nice guy.

[41:05] Will Branner: And so I feel like it's so hard now to like, if I met you, I would be like, he could never play a bully. But now, like I've I've seen it in reverse. So uh what was that like for you and and the whole character development thing?

[41:16] Will Branner: I mean, we had we had our own um I had my own personal Max Jaggerman to draw upon from you know, it's like it's like there's a reason we know that guy and become that. I've I've been the bully, I've also been bullied. So, you know, there's lots of things to draw upon. I think I think nobody's perfect and there's hierarchies that exist um everywhere. But yeah, I think I think I drew some from my sports background, so I was a three-sport athlete in high school as well. So I I know those guys, and I know that they're not they're not actually evil humans that we hear kids like to portray them as in our in our heads. So there's always a little like there's there's humanity behind everybody's actions.

You just gotta kind of know where it is. And I think Nick Lang did a great job in writing that. Like those those beats are in the script and unavoidable. And that's what makes a good script. Like he did not just write this blanket nightmare before Elm Street Beetlejuice ripoff you know he he specifically crafted those moments so that you know as an actor you get to them and you have no choice but to be like oh no I'm gonna play this genuine but yeah finding like they always say that right you know when you're playing the villain you're playing the bad guy you gotta find that that that humanity in it that reason because he doesn't think he's a bad guy um yeah he's he's just he's just a guy hanging out as as far and evil as Max takes it um, you know he he's he's as tortured as some of these nerds and and I love there's a bunch of fans making um these alternate reality things where Max and the and the nerdy prudes go off right off into the sunset and they're friends and they hang out and he takes them to parties and and gives them all the life experience over there and they teach him all the nerdy stuff and um which is a such a sweet idea unfortunately the the show doesn't doesn't go that way. Maybe fortunately it's more probably more entertaining that uh that it doesn't go that way and they just all hang out and play dungeons and dragons together.

[43:15] Eli Tokash: Right.

[43:16] Will Branner: Yeah yeah yeah but it's it's funny I I like wanted to hate you as like someone who like wasn't a good human being but like at the same time I've loved you like I was like when are we when's Max coming back on stage you know like I loved it was it was your performance was it was incredible and the work that you put in I mean you it was evident you know you could really see um, you know all the choices that you made and how clear they were and the research that you did, very impressive.

[43:47] Will Branner: I I absolutely loved your performance um yeah yeah, of course.

[43:52] Eli Tokash: I'm curious to ask you, because like I know you like the whole like directorial kind of side of the industry as well.

[44:06] Will Branner: So you also have to play it to like a camera and stuff like that. How is the like what was that like? And did that kind of present like an exciting challenge from you kind of putting on a director hat and an actor hat at the same time?

[44:21] Will Branner: Yeah, I'm actually pretty good at being like I'm Will the actor in this rehearsal space. Like I can like turn one off. They're very like separate sides. So I do a fair amount of filmmaking and I've never put myself in my films because I don't think I could. Um I don't think I could walk on the set that day and think about both things at the same time. I think that would, that would, uh there'd be a conflict of interest. Maybe one day when I feel like I'm grounded in enough. Um so no for Max and Starkid it was full, full, um full on actor mode which was, which was you know such a gift. I showed up, did my thing. We had two filming days where we shot, you know, shot the show from various angles without an audience and then they recombined it with the live footage.

So there was, you know, little things you were tweaking. Um one of my favorite more like film versus being in the theater scenes is where I'm, um spoiler alert but when there's like a bunch of blood in my mouth and we're screaming at those guys those pickups and those close ups were like yeah that's where you kind of went into the film zone a little bit more than your standard like theater acting. But for the most part no yeah we tried to what you're seeing on that pro shot is very much the experience you would get in the theater seeing Nerdy Prudes Must Die, you know, a couple of extra little bonus little close-ups here, or they might highlight some of the, you know, some of the bits happening, some of the hidden bits happening.

But yeah, yeah, it was, uh it was and it's just such a gift that it was filmed, because you know, eight shows for me of that was not enough. Like if that had just ended after eight shows, I could have run that show for two, three years kind of thing. It was, it was that much fun. And the audience was, was like the collaboration with the audience was so amazing. So I'm just happy that there's a pro shot that captures all of that. It's not this like isolated thing, like those laughs that are on that pro shot are the real, the real deal audience participation, which is that much more fun.

[46:18] Eli Tokash: Absolutely. So are you an actor that can or is able to, I guess, watch themselves or listen to themselves?

[46:27] Will Branner: Yes, I have to like do it by myself first, okay, but then decide to what degree I'm willing to share. Right. I love it. I just went, um a buddy, a buddy in the show. I'm in now, just like had a screening for his film he just did, like in his apartment, like 20, 25 people like came over and just like watched his new film, and he hadn't seen it yet. And I was like, you're crazy. I don't know how you could possibly do that. Like I need to be in a dark room by myself, like watch it. Okay, that's how it ended up, and then I would be ready to share it in some capacity. So there's other actors who are braver, braver than I am, but you know, maybe you get a little more, you know, conditioned to it as time goes along. But do you get in the habit of like kind of being like, oh, I wish I did it this way or anything like that when you watch yourself?

[47:17] Will Branner: Oh, totally. There's definitely moments you're like, no, they cut away. I'm doing something so funny over there, you know. And you kind of you're at the mercy of you know whoever edited it, but they definitely, you know, have their reasons, or you know, you gotta like trust that they made the best decisions for that. But it was really fun. The first time I watched it, uh Mariah Rose Faith, who was Regina on Mean Girls with us at the same time, who was in Starkid before and then is placed Steph in Nerdy Prudes. She was in New York for an audition or something, and we sat on the couch and watched it together, like holding on to each other the whole time. So that was a nice, like, you know, making jokes the whole time and laughing.

So this was a really nice way to absorb our first pass of Nerdy Prudes. And then by the end, we're like, yay, we love it. Okay, now we're ready to share with friends and family, and you know, all that stuff. So it was really cool. That was a great, great viewing experience. Shout out, Mariah.

[48:07] Eli Tokash: Shout out, Mariah, period. Oh my god, that's so fun. I absolutely loved it. I've seen it, I could probably see it a million times. And like there's songs on repeat right now for me that I'm just like obsessed with. Like they're all so catchy, you know. It's brilliantly done. You all performers, like everyone who performed, are just like top-notch. Like it literally like could move to Broadway. Like if you ask me. And it was my first Starkid show. So like it was like for me, it was it was a cool experience. And uh, you know, I can't wait to continue to watch the Starkid shows and and go down the binge of what you kind of did in the rehearsal process. I love it.

[48:48] Will Branner: Totally. I mean it's uh it's cool to see Starkid like this. Is definitely the best looking one they've shot. It's cool to see the album hit number one on the cast album charts. Like that stuff, like they are the needle has been moving for them each time. And they're this independently funded. They have a a 20th of the resources per show that these Broadway shows have and are and are using are working within their limitations to make something so cool and so loved. And to me, that's like where the heart of Broadway in the industry is. Right. I didn't know I was gonna go to LA to find like where music theater is really churning itself out in this new cool way. And all those actors, it's all actor led first.

I think sometimes with our Broadway shows, we think like singing, we think dancing, you know, immediately before we go to the acting. And those are some of the best actors I've ever worked with over at Starkid. And it shows. I mean, we can all see how the types of characters they can play and how many, how many their range is amazing all over the place. Getting rich with Joey Richter and John and like just Lauren Lopez, like that was so so cool. And I, you know, I didn't come in knowing much about their work, but I left like fans of my coworkers, which is such a wonderful thing to say. I just worship their artistry and I, you know I can't say more wonderful things about my time as an artist there.

[50:14] Eli Tokash: That makes sense. Yeah, yeah. They're cooking, they're cooking with something special over there at Starkid. It's really awesome. I respect so much about it is like it's kind of like prime like theater kid. Like it's literally like they're creating their own thing, they're putting it out in the world. It's simple, which like if in my opinion, the simpler the better, because then we can focus if you're not distracted, you know. It's just it's so intimate and it's like the kind of core of theater kids. And I think that's kind of where that cult kind of fan base comes from. Is like, you know, in a way, it's just like us, and if we could write a musical and just like put it in a stage, you know, it would look something like that.

It's not gonna have a DeLorean on stage like it does in Back to the Future, or something like that, you know? Like it's something so, um and the reach, the reach of it too. Like, I think I love when I love that, you know, I worry about this music theater thing moving forward and what's the future look like for it constantly. And the way they've been able to re-engage all people from all over the world. I mean, they have fans in Germany, England, like that are, you know, commenting and messaging in and engaging with this art form. So it's cool to see music theater, you know, operating outside of just what we love about Broadway. Like there's people who can't get here, but if they had more access to it, the way they have access to Starkid shows, you know, that would generate a whole nother generation of theater kids that love this thing and support this thing and participate in this thing.

So, you know, that's what I'm really passionate about. Is like when I see people who, you know, might not be at the theater table getting there because it was a silly slasher musical that said too many cuss words, um, you know, is a wonderful thing. It's really cool to see. And it's great for the next generation of theater kids, because like you said, it is accessible. Shows on Broadway, like as a college student, I can't afford to pay a Broadway show ticket, you know, unless I get like a rush ticket and I wake up at 8 a.m. or something like that. Like that's kind of like even more important that they're willing to bring theater to us, you know, like us theater kids and the next generation of like, you know, creators and theater artists. So um, it's just great. I could go on and on now.

[52:32] Will Branner: Yeah, there's that's why there's pages and pages and podcasts about Starkid content. Like you can just keep talking about it. It's so cool. Their universe is they have like their own Wikipedia.

[52:43] Eli Tokash: I was like, what's crazy?

[52:45] Will Branner: Yeah, yeah.

[52:47] Eli Tokash: Um well, great. So uh let's move into Back to the Future.

[52:52] Will Branner: Let's do it.

[52:52] Eli Tokash: You're currently starring in it uh on Broadway, uh Broadway debut. My favorite question to ask people. I mean, this year you got to take a bow on Broadway for the first time. Do you remember it? Was it a blackout moment? Like, what was that like for you? How cool of a moment was that?

[53:08] Will Branner: It was, uh it was so cool because like you walk past like while I was in auditions, we knew Back to the Future was going to the Winter Garden. Right. And you would walk, I would walk past that theater like so much. 50th Street is like the crossroads of the universe, you know. So, and I would just look at it and be like, I would like talk to the theater as I went by. Like I did a bunch of hippie dippy artistic stuff to just say like no, this is I'm supposed to be in there, like I knew it. Um even throughout the audition process. So when you I finally like took that bow is June 30th, after the first preview, the whole theater, 1700 seats on their feet screaming. I mean, like that's exactly um kind of how I envisioned it being in my head.

Like if that's a weird, weird thing to say, but um it took me a while, you know. You have friends coming out of school who book in a couple weeks, you know, their Broadway show, or like um, and I'm like so grateful for the time it took to get there because that bow was so much, so much sweeter and earned and we had pandemics in the middle and and Bat Out of Hell got cancelled, and like I could feel all of that underneath me as I took that bow.

[54:25] Eli Tokash: That's cool.

[54:25] Will Branner: Like, so I'm couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out. And to be on an original Broadway company is like people go there, people do full careers on Broadway and never get to do that. So there was so much gratitude on that day. There was just so much happiness, so much support. My whole family was there. Like had my mom, my sister, my dad, everybody was there. They brought 3D glasses for just gonna play 3D in the show, you know, and could see them right out there. It just was it was such a, they've they I've been at it since I was third grade and they knew we were saying, like, let's get to Broadway since I was third grade. So that's a 20-year journey at least. Um and to be able to share that with them was was so amazing. It was really cool.

[55:09] Eli Tokash: Yeah, and like I know, like from being out of town originally myself, and like my like my family and I, we would literally drive eight hours. It takes to drive in a car to New York and then back to West Virginia because they couldn't miss work, you know, that same day. Like it wasn't we would stay at a hotel overnight, we would literally do both drives just to go in for a 15-minute audition. Like that vow was as much as your family's as it was yours, you know. So like the fact that you were able to to kind of share that moment, it's gotta be so special. And I'm sure they were so proud. I love that they came with the glasses and everything.

[55:46] Will Branner: It's so cute. You know, and it's nice too that it's uh that Back to the Future is such a fun show, you know. You can imagine like, you know, you're doing a West Side Story and everyone dies at the end, or you know, something like that. No, it's like it was a one, it was a, it's been a fun rock and roll, nonstop party with this show the entire time. It is so fun. The audiences love it so much, everyone's ready to like go out into New York and have a great rest of their evening, like when it's done. It's just, it's there's, there's uh there's there's times you want to do the deep dark Nerdy Prudes stuff, yeah you know, yeah and then there's other times where it's like oh wow this was this has been such a party and a such a beacon of positivity in my life so Back to the Future's fantastic I'm having a great time.

[56:14] Eli Tokash: Yeah, I love it. Uh I've got to ask now that we've talked about like Starkid and you binged all the Starkid.

[56:14] Will Branner: Yeah, yeah.

[56:14] Eli Tokash: How many times did you watch Back to the Future during your audition process?

[56:14] Will Branner: Oh so much, so much. I mean it's still a resource because you know, um coming off of Mean Girls I think Mean Girls had a little bit more leeway in terms of what you can bring to it just because they'd updated, they'd updated the source material. We're not in 2005 or whenever I forget when Mean Girls came out but Back to the Future we're doing Back to the Future the musical there's no updates you are you are ripped from that screen and then put on that stage and there's yeah there's wiggle room as an actor but the movie is the ultimate resource um for that one you know sometimes we're doing you know when they bring these movie musicals Broadway it's a different interpretation or uh or they're you know it's an entirely different story altogether it's loosely based on the film we are we are honoring that legendary it's the one of the most legendary films of all time so I I'm really happy as a as a fan of Back to the Future they didn't depart much from it to to give it a weird update or a a thing it wasn't needed.

[57:40] Will Branner: It's one of our most iconic film stories. So yeah, yeah I had that I had that on constantly like at yeah at Pearl Studios I'm sitting there like watching watching clips from the movie like got it okay okay let's refresh that voice let's get in there let's drop into these characters and stuff.

[57:43] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah it was oh my god wait that's so iconic that's hilarious I wonder what he's going in for no I just yeah okay uh but if you could go back in time to anywhere where would it where would you go?

[57:43] Will Branner: You know I this is they've been asking us all these time travel questions and my answer has been like constantly shifting I think right now I would go back and see some of like the legendary performances of from from artists like maybe go to like the a Michael Jackson concert back in the day or like you know like some of that if I had to go the entertainment route if I if I got rid of all the like solve all the the atrocities in humanity with the you know if I wasn't if I was being totally selfish with the with the time machine I would go see I would go see some like I'd go see Jimi Hendrix shredded I'd go to Woodstock I'd go you know go see like a bunch of like cool concert performance things that were historical and cool I want to go back and do that.

[57:43] Will Branner: Oh, that's so musical of you. That's hilarious. To the Red Sox winning the World Series or like the— or maybe I go check if like, if dinosaurs had feathers. Like, we would— that I would just like solve some quick debates, just come back and be like, they have feathers, guys. You know? Yeah, like Jurassic Park is completely wrong, you know?

[57:43] Eli Tokash: Okay, but the problem is, is would anyone believe you? Right? That'd be like this crazy guy. I know he's taking his job— he's taking his job way too seriously.

[57:43] Will Branner: Yeah, right, right.

[59:31] Will Branner: That's a it's iconic. Um, one of the cool things too about you know being on Broadway, um, is that all these cool people come to see your show. Uh do you have like someone that I don't know, like came to the show that you were like absolutely starstruck over? This last weekend, the um uh the Phineas Phineas and Ferb over the game. Okay, which was a very big deal to a lot of people in the building. It was not for me. I think I was like a fairly odd parents kid. Like I was I was off to the side, but people were freaking out about the Phineas and Fur creators there. Doctor, doctors, somebody, I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he was there. We had um the Jets football team come.

So we had like Aaron Rodgers and and um and a few of them, and then there's a show on HBO called Hard Knocks, which I like to watch, which is like the behind the it's like the behind the scenes of football. Um and they just keep going on these tangents about about about back to the future and how great it is, and and it's it's just very funny to have like those worlds collide. So now like everybody's like in jets gear backstage, like we like the future has like a partnership with the Jets where we're both like cheering each other on. Uh, the Jets aren't doing too well. Sorry, sorry guys, but um bad luck, you know. That that first game was a little rough. That was it was tricky. Right. But meeting let's see, we met Huey Lewis um on opening the gala opening.

This was the coolest for me. Was I've got two, I don't get starstruck by many people. I uh I like meeting people and that sort of thing, but to be on stage performing for Bernadette Peters and Steven Spielberg in the same audience, that's where I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's that was the I was geeking out a little bit about that. Just the fact and they're and they're watching my and they're watching the show I'm in is cool. Because I've watched all their stuff, you know. It was just kind of like, where are we? How is this happening? And I'm like looking out the crowd, and at one point I like made Bernadette Peters laugh. I think she's probably laughing at something else. But in my brain, through my through my 3D glasses that I can't see anything in, I saw her chuckle.

So I'm like, yes, I got her. I made her laugh. Yeah, that's good. You can't prepare back for the years of years of entertainment and watching Dot on repeat, you know, and some part of the George. So yeah, yeah, that was that was pretty special. So it's been very it's been very cool the the support and the and the people that have you know turned out to uh to to come see this thing because it's it's ingrained in Hollywood as much as it is gonna be in our music theater canon now, which is great.

[1:02:05] Eli Tokash: So are you like the type of actor who kind of gets nervous when you hear that Bernadette Peters or Steven Spielberg is in the audience, or does that kind of like fire you up and get you ready?

[1:02:14] Will Branner: No, no, I'm I'm the worst because you have to like when you're backstage, you have to respect other people's how they feel about it, and I just get so excited or I don't care at all about it that I'm like, oh my god, the Jets are here, and like some people immediately like go into like, oh my god, I shouldn't have known that now that I'm gonna change my show and like yeah, yeah, but I'm the one always so they have this system where they'll like write the name on the call board with a sheet of paper over it, and then you can check, you know, oh hilarious Billy Crystal's here, you know, so and so yeah, yeah. Which is um which is which is hilarious because the first few times I absolutely just started being like, and then we'll do the fake ones.

We'll be like, Did you hear Miley Cyrus is here? Or like and she's not, you know. But then by the end of the show, like you've got people like spreading rumors about, you know. So we I play, you know, I play a lot of games with with my cast. They they are wonderful for putting up with me a lot of times. You have to have a good time.

[1:03:10] Eli Tokash: Yeah, we have a good time. Absolutely. So what's next for for Will Branner? Do you want to like direct? Do you want to continue performing? Like what is like the art that inspires you the most?

[1:03:23] Will Branner: Totally. I'm I'm in a big place of trying to figure out that next step. I'm I'm definitely I'll never stop being an actor. There's never not gonna be a time I'm acting. I think I think even you can tell the directors who haven't been on stage in a while or haven't have that performative outlet to realize how difficult it is and the and the the uh the the challenge it is to psych yourself up to get out there and do that amount of sharing with people. So uh the the cool thing is you can act forever. It's not the NFL or the NBA. Right. Literally I I do not have a shelf life on my career. I remember one time I was at Williamstown Theater Festival, and there's a 93-year-old woman on stage like saying lines.

And I was like, Oh god, cool. If that ends up being me, that's great. Like we're doing something right. Um but I've been doing a lot of writing, doing trying to, you know, on the back burner, get a bunch of other uh, you know, projects going that just fulfill me creatively. That's what we want to be. We want to feel as artistic as I did working with Star Kids. So if I can find projects where I can be using every part of myself, whether that's as an actor, as a writer, as a director, producer, whatever it is, that's kind of what we will be aimed at. Yeah. So we've got we've got some cool, we've got some cool stuff cooking. And what's what's amazing is uh now that I've settled into a rhythm with Back to the Future, it's like that can be a home base as all these all these other opportunities that are in New York City hopefully reveal themselves to me, or you know, um, but yeah, yeah, I'm I'm excited for this next this kind of next phase in in what we we want to be doing.

But definitely I'll I'll never stop being an actor. If you hear like I'm not acting like come find me, send help. I'm being held against my will. Like I'm reading a statement that's that's not true. You know if you see it on Instagram, yeah no I'll I'll never I'm never not gonna be an actor I'm an actor first and foremost. And even if I got to go direct for five years I'll always find a way to just cultivate that because it is to me it's so important. It's it's it's kept me healthy. It's kept me sane it's kept me yeah it's given me so much this like 20 year journey to this point. It's just kept me anchored on on planet earth and I'm so happy I like took the risk to do that because the whole time people were like don't do it you know it's it's a hard route the industry's crazy you know and we had to look so many people in the face and be like I'm okay actually I'm gonna I'm gonna roll the dice um right and so to give that I can't even imagine giving that up for a second.

[1:06:00] Eli Tokash: Yeah wow oh my god what a great answer I hate the question like so what's next and I I didn't mean to phrase it like that but no no no I just I just know like there I I love that you're interested in all the different facets of the industry but to hear you kind of talk about being a performer first and foremost and that's like where your real like love is like I that that's kind of what my question was alluding to. So you answered it perfectly so thanks for sticking with me there.

[1:06:26] Will Branner: No of course and I think it's important I I you know I tell I teach a fair amount and I tell the students, I'm like, you don't let that question catch you off guard. The what's next thing. Have something you're working on. Always have like I got three scripts I'm writing right now. I love film. And so I'm like, there's always a film on the side. I'm editing two films that I need to finish up right now. I need to I need to get away from Broadway for a second and take a day off and finish some of these films. But I always have some other thing that's cultivating my art so that when you hit the inevitable year without work, when you hit the inevitable two years without work, you weren't spending that time not doing the things you love on planet Earth.

Like, and that's ultimately what it comes to. It doesn't matter if I'm being paid on Broadway to do this. I'll be I will be acting, I will be creating art, I will be doing this. And I think that's that's a mindset mindset shift that I try and help people get into. It's like I I would do this regardless. I'll do this for free. Just feed me and feed me and give me a spot on the floor. We'll do a full Shakespeare show. And I still feel that way. Nothing, nothing for me has changed, you know. Someone's like, hey, will you come sing at my thing? I'm like, oh yeah, that sounds really fun. I would really like to do that. So it's it's a it's a it's a wonderful place to be in just knowing that that's what that's what's gonna happen.

[1:07:47] Eli Tokash: Well whether it's on Broadway or in back in North Carolina, who knows what the future will hold, but it will be acting, directing, creating kind of thing.

[1:07:54] Will Branner: I love it. You kind of have to have that mindset in this industry because you know, like you just never know like what what's gonna happen. Like one day, like that out of hell, you can have a job and then like one day you can put it. You know, so like totally there's it's it's it's scary. So to have that mindset set and to have that passion for it is literally like what is going to make you successful? Because you have to like put in the work and everything. So very valuable advice. Will, this has been amazing. You have so much to take a bow for. Where can we follow you on Instagram to keep up with all your your your projects and back to the future content and all the things?

[1:08:32] Will Branner: Yeah, so my Instagram handle is at Lord Branner. And that's because at the University of Michigan, we did not know Instagram was gonna be the behemoth it was. And I used to bow, I literally used to bow to all my professors. Like when they'd be like, hey Will, can you slide over here and stand on two and say this line? I'd go like, Yes, my lord, and go over there. And then some people made the Lord Brenner Instagram, and it's stuck ever since. I haven't changed it. I've threatened to change it to a few people, and they're like, no, you're Lord Brenner forever. So it's at Lord Branner on Instagram. Um, and yeah, that's kind of that's the only one I use. I'm not I'm not on the TikToks right now or anything, you know.

But otherwise come find me at the at the Winter Garden right now on on stage there eight times a week. So yeah. Slay and check out the YouTube's with uh nerdy prudes must die. And yeah, support everything Star Kid. They're they're uh they're really doing it. And I and those, and they um all all the all the support you can, whether it's watching it or buying the albums, just goes right back into making more shows for them. So it's it's a really cool, really cool bit of Michigan legacy, all the all the circles, all the circles combining out at once, you know, this year. So it's been really cool.

[1:09:47] Eli Tokash: I love it. Well, thank you so much, Will. Uh like I said, you have so much to take a bow for. So thanks for doing this with me.

[1:09:53] Will Branner: Of course. Thank you, Eli. I appreciate you.

[1:09:55] Eli Tokash: Take a bow, Will Branner.

[1:09:58] Will Branner: Oh my god, an absolute blast. Um, this this episode was so much fun. He is literally gonna be uh Broadway's next big star. I truly believe that. Um, Will is insane in Nerdy Prudes must die, and I can't reiterate that enough. I haven't seen Back to the Future yet. I wish I would have been able to see it before talking to him. Um, but that didn't happen, and that's okay. And I'm gonna go see it very soon, and um I'll give y'all a report on on that after I see it. But everyone, go check out Nerdy Prudes Must Die on YouTube or Back to the Future on Broadway. Um, big fan of Will's. Hopefully y'all are too. It was it was so funny to like hear that like theater wasn't even what got him into this industry, and it was the commercial um wanting to brush his teeth like in front of a camera.

Like that that's so funny to me. For I don't know why, um, but so brilliant. And that like Will is just a great guy, and uh his bad out of hell story, all the things, they were fascinating and uh things that you know keep us actors humble and remind us that we are in a business and this is an industry. Um, and hearing that he is a performer first and just his passion about it all no matter what, through all of the craziness that he's been through. Um, it's pretty incredible and admirable. So uh thank you, Will, for coming on the podcast this week and chatting with us. We had an absolute blast. Hopefully, y'all did too, and uh, you got some extra nerdy prudes must die Star Kid content. And uh for that, thank you so much for listening.

I hope that y'all will come back next week for another great episode. Hopefully, it's gonna be with a writer of a show that I may or may not have announced that's closing. And uh if not, it'll be something very exciting and someone very fun. But uh, I guess you'll have to just come back next week and find out. So uh with that being said, thank you all so much again for listening to this week's episode. Hope to see you all next week. Until then, bye everyone. Have a great week.

[1:12:04] Eli Tokash: For this episode's curtain call, I would like to recognize a few people who also deserve to take a bow. This podcast would not be possible without the help from Dori Barenstein, Alan Seals, Kimberly Garris, and the team at the Broadway Podcast Network. Next in line to take a bow are our fabulous editors, Jessica Warren, who edits the audio of the podcast that you just listened to, and Tessie Tokash, who edits the videos and visuals for this podcast. And how about a bow for our executive producer, Chris Greiner? And our final bow are extra special to the patrons Brian Thompson, Pat McMahon, the listeners of PCC, as well as all of the other patrons for their continued support. If you're interested in becoming a patron, go to Patreon.com slash TAB.

If you enjoyed this week's episode, make sure to subscribe on the platform that you are currently listening to this on, or go check out our YouTube where you can watch the episode. You can also subscribe, like, and comment on there as well. If you're more into the regular social media and want to follow us, you can do that at Take About Podcast across all social media platforms. The music of this podcast was made by Nikki Torsha and Cormac Collinon, and the logo was created by Giselle Bustos. And that wraps up this episode's curtain call. Thank you all again for listening to this week's episode, and I can't wait to see you next week. Bye everyone. Have a great week.