This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:22] Eli Tokash: Hey everyone and welcome back to episode 26 of Take A Bow Podcast.

[0:28] Sydney Lucas: I'm Sydney Lucas.

[0:32] Eli Tokash: And today we've decided to, you know, not have a guest. We're it's just gonna be Sydney and I chatting and informing you guys a little bit about how we um were on Broadway and were filming TV shows and movies, etc.

[0:50] Sydney Lucas: Uh on tour as well, uh all that fun stuff while uh performing while going to school. All things school for a child actor and also a teen actor. And Eli, you can start out.

[1:01] Eli Tokash: Oh boy. Okay. Um yeah, so I started my first ever like show on tour. Some of you guys may know that. Um so I started on tour and my first school away from my school was in different states, which was awesome. Um it was really cool because touring, uh, you know, it's just a different style. Uh they the tutor on tour finds a lot of opportunities to make school interactive. Uh so when we go to a new state, we usually have at least one or two field trips, depending on how long we're in that state. And to be honest, that field trip is the only sightseeing of the city that we're in that the kids are able to do just because they're always in school or performing or eating or sleeping. Um so you know, they do school and we're just in our little dressing rooms, and we have to do four hours a day.

Uh that's like the minimum, and then there's it's sometimes longer because there's something called a bank. So when we have rehearsals, um we're able to grab some hours out of our banked hours, uh, so that we can rehearse and do what we need to do for the show, uh while still maintaining the proper amount of hours that we need to meet.

[2:37] So on school, you know, we have field trips and we're just in a dressing room, and tutoring is kind of more one-on-one. But the other thing is is that like when you're in a show, there's other kids like in different grades as you. Um on tour, there was like someone who was four years older than me, and so like what they were doing was complete opposite of what I was doing, and like they could have basically helped tutor me, and sometimes uh they actually did when the tutor was like helping out another student uh who was doing school that day. So, you know, it it just it ranges, um, and w she the tutor for us tried to make it as interactive as possible. Um, because you know, just in a dressing room, like you're not even in a like your home or like an apartment or like a hotel room, you're like in a dressing room, you know, with these like seats, and it you can get antsy really easily, um, and you kind of can just look at yourself in a mirror, like it's not very scenic or anything.

[3:38] So they try to make it as fun as possible. So every day for the last 30 minutes, the tutor would also allow educational games to count as school um so we would play games like Scrabble or bananagrams or um we had there is a uh uh uh categories is that one is um scategories categories yeah yeah that's it um yeah so there's just a bunch of little um the fun things that they try to incorporate for tours so then um I moved to New York and I moved to this entirely new school where and new state so like some of the kids knew that knew each other already going into school even though we were all going to a new school since it is a it's the school starts at middle school.

[4:31] So everyone was kind of meeting each other but some of us knew each other already but I didn't know anyone uh except me of course um because you know uh so we we go to school and this school opened my eyes to so many things because it's a performing arts school and I mean performing art school is absolutely incredible it's everything that you kind of think and I say kind of because yes there are performing arts involved however there are academics still involved it is not just performing arts um and I get that question all the time.

[5:12] So a performing art school is you have all of your regular classes. So you have your math, your science, your history, your English, all of that, plus electives, and you also have two periods out of your day that are dedicated to performing art. And for us, Sydney and I, uh, we were doing all three. So we were doing dancing, acting, and singing, and that just fluctuated every day. Um, every day was either dedicated to just singing, just dancing, or just acting.

[5:49] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[5:49] Eli Tokash: In middle school, we didn't have a choice. We had to do all three, but in high school, we um we we got to decide um which major we wanted to go into, and obviously we've all went into musical theater.

[6:01] Sydney Lucas: Yes.

[6:01] Eli Tokash: Uh so but the other great thing about being in a performing art school um was that they were very flexible with your schedule. So anyone currently trying to even just audition, like it's super great just to allow you to get out for an audition because some schools, you know, they they can give people trouble for going out for an audition and they don't want you missing school.

[6:28] But performing art school, you know, that's what you're there for. So they're very accepting and they're very flexible and they're very willing to let you out and lend you a few hours out of your school day to go audition or go to a matinee, which Sydney and I had to do every Wednesday of every week.

[6:45] And yes, Mr. Parenti, I was just on the phone with him today. He he was saying that um, you know, you've come a long way since you left my school left my class every day on Wednesday, and I would get so annoyed because you were never in my class.

[7:03] Um, and he said when you were in my class, you were always talking. Um by the way, the school the the specific school we're talking about is professional performing art school, and it's so cool because you know how when you go to school, like any um, you know, regular academic school, they have when when the teachers are taking attendance, they have present or absent.

[7:28] Right. What's really cool about professional performing art school is we have three categories we have present, absent, and on location.

[7:36] Um, and on location means that we're working, that means we're we're working actors and and we're off, you know, working. It also it it actually like the term on location means they're doing school at the location that they're currently at, because um, like if you're on set or something, it's just like basically saying that they're doing school on their location, just wherever they are.

[7:59] Yeah, um, so it's it's very neat. Um, and I have to reiterate this because I know I said that like if you are performing or doing whatever, please consider like performing art school.

[8:12] Um I have to say that there are a lot of performing arts schools in New York. There's LaGuardia, there's PCS, and then there's PPAS. Those are like the top ones.

[8:24] And I have to say Leguardia, if you do want to, if you are considering there, they're not as flexible with the schedules.

[8:32] Um, and same with PCS.

[8:34] So PPAS is very flexible. Uh, they're the most flexible, which is actually why Sydney and I ended up there.

[8:41] Um it's also why most Broadway kids um end up going there.

[8:46] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, and so just a heads up, I know I said, you know, all all schools have their own rules and their own requirements, so just check that out before uh you consider whatever school you'd like to go to.

[9:01] Eli Tokash: Um, so yeah, so then that was middle school.

[9:04] So middle school was great, and high school, high school is madness.

[9:09] Sydney Lucas: Madness.

[9:09] Eli Tokash: High school, you have to pick your own major.

[9:13] I mean, what is that? I had to decide my life at 14 years old, but it's not like really deciding your life because you're not getting your bachelor's degree or anything, so no pressure.

[9:24] But I was like, what is this? I have to pick a major.

[9:26] Oh my god.

[9:30] But thankfully, you know, I was able to pick MT and I was able to continue to do all three things.

[9:36] And it's actually funny that um, because for the professional performing art school, and honestly any performing art school, you're gonna have to audition to get in.

[9:45] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[9:46] Eli Tokash: So it's funny because LaGuardia, I mean, listen, I'm a homer, so I gotta shout out PPAS.

[9:55] Sydney Lucas: Yes.

[9:57] Eli Tokash: And trash talk LaGuardia. I'm sorry for all you LaGuardia listeners. Um LaGuardia, I was on tour with Finding Neverland, and I was unable to attend the audition, and they were not letting me not go an audition in person.

[10:13] They ha they were like, no self-taped, you have to be in person.

[10:16] So I was like unbelievable.

[10:18] So but PPAS, of course, let me film my audition and sing and dance and act and all of that.

[10:26] Um, so yeah, so we were doing that, and I did my self-tape and I found out that I got into the MT department.

[10:34] Um, so that was great, and I was on tour trying to be in the musical theater department.

[10:39] So that was great.

[10:41] Um, very new.

[10:42] And then um high school is really where you for the performing arts school, I would say, really where you focus on performing arts and um just further your craft because middle school, it's very general stuff and it's very uh like as far as like a working actor, I guess, it's all the things that I kind of knew already in middle school.

[11:06] Um so it is beneficial for sure.

[11:09] Um, but high school was where really where I started to like learn and like get to know myself as a performer and really connect with just the story in general, because my, you know, my high-pitched voice and my dimples couldn't couldn't just own the the w art for me.

[11:28] It was um now in the the hands of a pubescent kid and had to actually tell a story.

[11:36] Eli Tokash: No, no, no. Um so yeah, and I mean everything PPAS has done for me, I know I wish like we had a little bit more diversity, just but we both went to PPAS, so we're gonna be shouting PPAS out. Um I would love a word count on how many times we say PPAS because I know I've said it like ten times already. Um but PPAS has literally like done everything for me. Like as a senior, they've literally guided me through this entire college audition process. And yes, I had my NYU audition yeah just yesterday from when we were filming. So yay. Um, and they they like literally without their help and their guidance and their preparation that they were able to give me, um, I would not have been near as prepared as I should have been.

And and like they they literally not they're not just gonna help you in school and the work that you're doing in school, but they're gonna help you outside, and literally, like the teachers there are there for you, they're not there to just like teach their class and then they're done, you know. Like they're they want to help you in any way possible. Like, you could literally like shoot them an email and they could be like, Yeah, let's hop on a Zoom and let's go over this audition. Like it's fantastic. They're they're the incredible PPAS has literally guided me through my entire high school and middle school career, and it's allowed me to do so much stuff while I've been in school and it's been crazy.

Like the times that I was doing Broadway and shooting TV shows and movies, and then going to school, like I would not have been able to do that anywhere else outside of PPAS. So props to them, and so then I know I talked about like doing school on tour and at middle school and high school, then uh I was doing school on set a lot, so it's similar, you know, to a uh just per I guess on tour or anything like that, you know, you do school in either your trailer or like a common room when you're on set, and you know, you have your teacher, and for me, I uh it it could change depending on the job because you could have other kids, you could have other kids in it. Um, but for me, I was the only kid, so I was the only one doing school, and literally, we were trying to set up school wherever we could find a place that was like doable, and it was just me on the tutor, and it was great, it was one-on-one, they would really help me.

Actually, it was interesting how they gave tests because um they would give you the test so you wouldn't be testing in school because you you couldn't because you were being a movie star. Um, so they give the test and you know, they grade it on the spot and they're like, Great job, you did really well, or oh, maybe we should review it and take it again. Something like that, you know, like you could really luck out with a tutor and and have that amazing one-on-one work and connection, and then there's also a aspect of doing school while doing rehearsal. And let me tell you something, that is craziness. Um, because you not only well, I actually both on set and when you're doing school in rehearsal are very um similar because a lot of the time you're running back and forth.

And as long as by the end of the day it adds up to four hours, you're fine. So um, so you could totally be doing school and then like doing your work, your professional work. And it's kind of crazy because like all of a sudden you're like in the middle of this assignment. Maybe you're writing an essay and you're like, oh yeah, this is great. I'm in a zone, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they're like, Eli, can you come to set? Or Eli, can you come on stage? Um, and I'm like, ooh, I was really getting into it. So it's kind of it it gets tricky, not only like just doing school, but also like, oh wait, I have to center myself and get into character and like figure it all out there as well. Um, and then you kind of just have to like snap out of it and go back to school, you know.

So it's craziness, but it's so much fun. It keeps you on your feet, and it also like just motivates you, you know. You're like, oh, I gotta get this stuff done. So like I, you know, I'm on a tight schedule, I got all this stuff to worry about. So let me just get it done. Uh le I focus and it's all gonna be okay. So it you know, it it does depend a lot on the tutor, but thankfully on location education does most of the um tutoring and stuff like that, whether on Broadway or on set, and they are they're they're the best. I mean, they they're their tutors are literally the best of the best. Yeah, so those are that's kind of my rundown and experience. Oh, I did do online school, but like literally for like three weeks, and I was like, can't do this anymore. Um so so Sydney's gonna give you a better rundown of that because she handled it much better than I did. Um, so I can't wait. Sydney, tell us about your schooling experience.

[17:00] Sydney Lucas: Alrighty. So the first glimpse I ever had of what it would be like to be a child actor and also have to do school was when I was seven and I was doing private school. I was in a private school. Oh my gosh. And I know. Literally me too. In West Virginia. I didn't even talk about that because I was on. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I went to a little Catholic school called St. Joseph the Worker. I know, it was so crazy. We had to wear these little uniforms every day and all of that. It was so funny. Oh my gosh. We loved free dress Friday where we could wear whatever we wanted. Okay, I'm sorry. I'm doing it. I'm cutting into your time. No, that's amazing. Um, but yeah, so I I uh got a manager when I was six years old.

Um, and I was seven when I first really experienced you know school and acting at the same time. What would happen is, you know, two to four days a week, my m my mom would have to come get me early from school, and obviously I would have my uniform, she would have to bring me a change of clothes, I would have to change out of my clothes. I would have to put makeup on my birthmark because I was at a point in my career where I was told that I I needed to cover up my birthmark on my neck until you know I I got to a point where I didn't need to anymore, and luckily I don't need to anymore. Wow. Um, but uh we had to do that constantly. I d I we neither of us anticipated how many auditions, like constant, constant, constant, constant auditions, especially for that age.

And so my mom just every day she would, or most days she would, she would have to come in and get me early from school, and we would go into the bathroom and I would change and she would put makeup on my birthmark, we would rush to an audition, and my brother was also going to the same school, so she also had to manage him if he had an audition or if both of us had an audition. Um this is at what age? Seven. Oh my god. See seven-year-old just like living this crazy life already. Oh, I remember it so vividly. Um yeah. I mean, I I literally remember just like putting my neck up while my mom just put foundation and powder on my birthmark. I remember it so vividly. Um, but after that experience, I I knew for a fact, and I have never ever faltered since I was like four years old in that I I I've never faltered in faltered in the knowledge that this is my passion, this is what I'm supposed to do.

It'll always be. Um and because of this reason we we all uh as a family came to the decision that it would be best um at least for the next year to try homeschooling. Um and so I the next year I would be in third grade. The next year my brother would be in fourth grade. So from third grade, fourth grade and fifth grade, uh I homeschooled and and I auditioned at the same time. Um and something I I I gotta say homeschooling has its pros and cons. Homeschooling um basically means I had a curriculum you know it was it was an actual school is an actual curriculum a lot of a misconception of homeschooling that a that most people think is that your parents are teaching you and a lot in in a lot of cases that's not actually the truth.

It's just you you have to enroll in an online curriculum that has its own lessons and classes and tests and quizzes um and you know they they all do it differently but but I I enrolled in a in a in a homeschooling uh like to be honest like if anyone is listening that is our age at the moment like what we're doing right now in like our school is basically homeschooled except that we don't have like that constant communication with a teacher. So like it's literally just teachers post assignments in this curriculum in your classroom and your blackboard, it's called um, and then we have to teach ourselves. So like we are are researching all of these things and like we're not being taught anything.

If we have questions, we have an email that we can reach out, but it's really just us teaching ourselves to let so like I was just backing up what you were saying. Are you talking about online school or homeschool? Like both. Yeah, s exactly. So online school, really, like uh but like I'm saying online school, like is what we're doing now, is very similar to like what you were saying of how you had to teach yourself because your parents, like, yes, they're very helpful, God bless them, um, but they're also at at work during the day, or you know, they are my favorite line is oh, I learned this like 40 years ago. I'm I'm not gonna be able to help you on that one. You know, like so it's very just like just us trying to figure it out.

Um no offense, mom and dad. It's so it's so funny you say that I I actually lucked out with parents um that uh my dad, I don't know how he does it, but he rem he knows like everything and he also remembers everything. So if I ever need to go to him for something, it's weird how he always knows this. And and my mom, um, she's she is like one of the most supportive people in the entire universe, obviously. Um, but yeah, no, what you're saying is exactly true. It you if you want to do homeschooling and you don't have a tutor that can help drive you, you have to learn how to drive yourself because your parents aren't really gonna be involved in it that much. If you're gonna if you're gonna do a uh an online curriculum, you have to learn how to drive yourself and that definitely is a is one of the hardest things at least for me about homeschooling because that it was something that I struggled with a bit um but yeah pretty much what homeschooling is is is you go on your own classes and you have to you have to complete your own lessons answer questions type paragraphs you have to be in charge you know of driving yourself it's up to you um so I I did that from from third grade fourth grade fifth grade and um and I I auditioned at the same time it was incredibly flexible I got to do it whenever I wanted to um but in sixth grade um my my brother and I decided to go back to public school because you know ultimately homeschooling is hard and and we we missed that social connection especially for like middle school um Jake and I Jake my brother who is also a was a child actor um we we both um felt it was necessary to go back to public school well in sixth grade um in halfway through sixth grade is when I started Fun Home on Broadway and uh that's it's it's quite interesting.

[24:16] Sydney Lucas: Like Eli was saying, there is a difference between tutoring when you're in rehearsals and tutoring when the show has already opened. In rehearsals, you don't have to go to school; they provide you with a tutor. For example, there were three other kids in Fun Home with me from the beginning, and so we all had this giant tutoring room and we had a wonderful tutor. If anyone listened to our latest episode, you have to go listen because it's with Gabriella Pizzolo, and she shares some awesome stories about their time tutoring. They have this little cockroach bit that you have to listen to; it's so funny. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.

[25:05] Sydney Lucas: No, it was so much fun. But yeah, the wonderful Lauren Stam, we had an absolute blast, and she was just incredible—one of the best tutors ever. What would happen, like Eli said, is it's necessary by law that a working child actor who is doing tutoring gets a minimum of 15 hours a week, which technically means you have to do, you know, if you're just working five days a week, you have to do at least three hours a day. But like Eli said, you have the opportunity to bank hours, meaning you could do six hours a day if you don't have to do that much theater work. You get to sit there for six hours, and that means you have an extra three hours that you can pull from another day when you're going to be too busy to get in those three hours.

[26:04] Sydney Lucas: But yeah, pretty much we would go back and forth between rehearsal and school and rehearsal and school and tech rehearsals, which is like a week-long thing when they combine the technical aspect of the show with the performance aspect of the show. That takes a long time; it's a bunch of just standing and waiting for the actors. What happened there was there would be days where I couldn't stay. I wasn't able to bank enough hours in rehearsals. So what would happen was Gabby, who is our most recent guest—love you, Gabsters—she would have to stand in for me during tech rehearsals, and I would have to go up and do school in our schoolroom, which is so cool because the kids and our wonderful Wrangler, Vanessa Brown, who has her own episode of Take A Bow, we were designated the top floor of Circle in the Square Theater, where one of the rooms was Vanessa's room, one of the rooms was Oscar and Zell's dressing room, one of the rooms was Gabby and my dressing room, and one of the rooms was our schoolroom. There were four rooms in total, and during rehearsals and tech rehearsals when we were in the theater, we would go to that schoolroom and have all of our school stuff there.

[27:44] Sydney Lucas: However, when a Broadway show opens and it has child actors in it who are still in school, the show is no longer legally required to provide a tutor, meaning the children have to go back to school. Obviously, this is very tricky because most Broadway shows end late in the day. Me specifically, my show was only 90 minutes long, but I also had my brother Jake in a show, meaning I would get out of my show, I would go to the autograph line, hop in a car with my dad, and we would drive over to the King and I Theater, wait for Jake's show to get out, and then drive him and a couple of Wranglers home, meaning we would get home past midnight. We would have to do our homework and we would have to get up at like 6 a.m. Obviously, that's not gonna work.

We need our sleep. Being that we were in sixth grade and we were in professional performing arts school, PPAS, and PBAS being just the most supportive, flexible school there is for child actors, we were able to work it out so that Jake and I came in a couple of hours later just so we got that necessary sleep for our growing bodies and our immune system. We needed that.

[29:06] Sydney Lucas: So we were able to do that. Jake and I went into school together, and we did school in an empty room for a bit until we got to join our classes at a certain point of the day. And then for cases where we had two-show days, like on Wednesday, we would have to leave early before so we could get to our matinee. Well, after sixth grade, I decided to go back to homeschooling because it was ultimately too tricky trying to balance working and school and getting an adequate amount of sleep. So in seventh grade, I decided to go back to homeschooling. Well, eighth grade—oh, by the way, sixth grade for like half of it, and this is the case for a lot of Broadway kids—I was there for basically half of the year, and I was not really there for the other half of the year, but I was on location.

I was still doing school for eighth grade; I was shooting a TV show in Texas, and so obviously I had to be on location. For eighth grade, I decided to go back to public school because, once again, there are pros and cons of homeschooling and public school. I just, I'm indecisive, but I decided I wanted to go back to public school. Thank you, Mom and Dad, because I was constantly changing my mind. But ultimately, I decided to go back to public school, and during this time, I got cast in a TV show that filmed in Texas, so I would have to do tutoring on set.

[29:53] Sydney Lucas: Now, doing tutoring when you're in a TV show is pretty interesting because what would happen is, for example, let's say you had a really emotional scene that you needed to do. You would go do the emotional scene, you would do it however many takes, and then, you know, the camera, the director would be like, "Okay, everyone, all the cast, you go take a break; we're gonna switch the cameras around to a different angle." Well, most of the time during those breaks, I wouldn't actually get to have a break; I would have to go do, I don't know, trigonometry or biology or whatever. I would have to immediately go from this emotional scene, snap out of it, go do homework for like 20 minutes, and then come back and then snap right back into the emotional scene.

I felt—and I was very vocal with my parents about this, and they were incredibly supportive—and we just realized that if I truly wanted to dedicate myself to my passion, it would be imperative for me to graduate school early.

[32:16] Sydney Lucas: So when I was in eighth grade, I decided—I didn't know how I was gonna do it—but I decided I was going to graduate early. I went back to public school in eighth grade, and I stayed in public school through high school, through ninth grade. So we were going into ninth grade. But here's what we did; here's what I decided to do for ninth grade. We found a homeschooling curriculum, a wonderful homeschooling curriculum that I would be able to take at the same time I was going to public school. Meaning I would do public school and homeschool concurrently, so I basically finished two of my years; I would finish freshman year and sophomore year at the same time. Obviously, that was incredibly difficult because I would practically go to public school in the morning, I would get home, I would do my homework for public school, and I would immediately get on to do homeschooling for my homeschool curriculum.

[33:34] Sydney Lucas: And then halfway through ninth grade, I went back to Texas to film the second season of my TV show. On location, I had to manage shooting, filming, the work that I was getting from public school, and I had to handle homeschool. So it was just a constant, constant workload, but I knew it was what I needed to do. I would much rather fit all of it into a couple of years than have it spread out over four years. I ended up graduating early doing this method. I ended up leaving PBAS. It's such a wonderful school, but I ended up, for my own needs, leaving it and finishing through the homeschooling curriculum because I knew that would be the fastest way.

[34:34] Eli Tokash: And um, and then I graduated early, which technically means that in California, I would be considered I I am considered a legal 18, which um that is important because of what I can think of. Two reasons. Um number one, I the production, if I ever if I got cast in something, the production wouldn't have to provide tutoring. Number two, in California, I will be able to work the hours of an adult. So in the business, children, um, people uh minors are only allowed to work about it and it depends on state, but around nine, nine and a half hours. Adults can work far longer than that. Um, and also this nine and a half hours has to include three hours of school every day. So you only get about six, six and a half hours of of filming.

So it's not that much. Um and uh so yeah, so the those those two reasons, the fact the fact that uh the production doesn't have to provide tutoring and the fact that I will be able to work a legal um amount of uh an adult's amount of hours in the business were two huge reasons why I also decided to graduate early. This is important because a lot of productions, the reason the reason there's a there's a whole thing about how teens go through this dark stages where where they're you know they get cast a lot as a child and then they stop getting cast in stuff, but then once they become an adult, they they get cast in a lot more things, is because like 80% of the time a production is going to choose is going to cast an adult who looks like a teenager than an actual teenager because productions if if they cast a teenager who is still in school, they have to deal with you know the child labor laws uh of of you know the working hours, they have to deal with tutoring, they have to put more money into finding a tutor and finding a wrangler.

Um in California, if if even if you aren't 18, if you already have a diploma, you get to be considered an adult. Um and and you get to pretty much just bypass that that pretty much unspoken rule that adults are cast as teens instead of teens being cast as teens. Um and so yeah, and so now I'm I'm graduated early. And that th that's been my journey with school. I love it.

[37:22] Sydney Lucas: Um yeah, just to reiterate what you said, that last like minute w is extremely important. So just so everyone realize, uh, look at Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Charlie was the only kid who was actually casted, so they didn't cast the other kids, uh they didn't cast other kids to play the other kids, you know, they casted adult. So not only are they gonna be able to work the actors more and kind of get a little bit more time and more uh they may be able to accomplish a little more because of the hours and all that, but it's also much cheaper for them to do um to cast someone that is above the age of 18. So it's definitely a it's a big thing that um that you mentioned, so I just wanted to reiterate that.

Um Yeah, so I mean that's kind of a little bit about us and how we got through school while being on Broadway and on set. Uh we get this question a lot, so we felt like it was a good idea to address it. Um and not and sure we've talked about school in other episodes, but it was very brief, and we will continue to talk about school and other things with future guests and whether it's kids, wranglers, uh tutors themselves, whatever. Uh so we'll definitely be sure to keep you guys uh keep you all updated on all of the fun stuff that goes into being a kid while being a performer or uh while being an actor because it is very different from the adults uh kind of what they go through.

[39:03] Eli Tokash: Yeah. So yeah. Um so just a couple things before we finish, I guess. I just wanted to say like um thank you, Broadway World. Every week when we come out with a new episode, they're always uh they're willing to post a little article about each episode. So that's been great. So if you guys wanna check that out, check it out, just search Take a Bow on Broadway World. They've literally been doing it for every episode since like the tenth episode maybe. I don't know. Um so thank you for your support. Uh I d also wanted to say we hope that you guys are enjoying these episodes of just Sydney and I because not will it's very enjoyable for Sydney and I just to catch up. We also learn a little bit about each other, um, and we also hope that you guys are getting new information and helpful information and new things to consider while you're considering and trying to get into the performing arts industry.

Uh so we um we wanna just thank you for allowing us to share our stories because obviously a lot of our episodes are geared toward guests and not always our stories. Also, if you have any suggestions going forward for um episodes like these where it's just uh Eli and me, um feel free to comment them or DM us on on our Instagram uh Take About Podcast.

[40:33] Sydney Lucas: Um, because these episodes are, you know, they're a good chance for us to go in depth about our you know own experiences in the business. Um and and we would just love to give as much in f helpful information or insight or perspectives as possible.

[40:52] Eli Tokash: Yeah, and I mean so far we've we have three episodes that it's just been Sydney and I, and we've gotten great responses from them. So if you guys are liking them, we're gonna continue them probably about every ten episodes. So you have some time if anything comes to mind that you want to hear about. Seriously, like Sydney said, don't be shy. Uh, we would love to address anything and everything that you guys uh are are wondering about.

[41:17] Sydney Lucas: Um so one last thing before I go, I just wanted to say that there is a new I mean a second wave of this COVID pandemic that we all kind of saw coming, and uh we kind of wanted to like not think about it, but it's here, and I wanted to say that I hope everyone is being safe and continuing to wear the mask and continuing to socially distance with masks on, um, because I actually came down with COVID.

[41:49] Eli Tokash: Uh um I was diagnosed um last Wednesday, so it was just before we released our 25th episode, and I'm still current currently quarantined. Um, so I mean th some of you guys have reached out already, so thank you for reaching out and just checking in. A couple other of my family members uh have it, and that's how I was able to contract it. And just even around family, just be as safe and you know, just smart and hopefully I don't know, just as safe as possible because you know you never know what degree of the yeah uh you never know what just be careful, yeah.

[42:34] Sydney Lucas: Like there's you never know what degree of the virus you're gonna get.

[42:38] Eli Tokash: Um thankfully I think it's just because I'm young and like have a pretty okay immune system. I haven't gotten too bad, but my grandparents where I got it, um haven't have experienced a lot of symptoms and aren't um progressing as quickly as I was. Um so just keep an eye out for others, especially for if you're if they're older.

[43:03] Sydney Lucas: Um just keep an eye out and be mindful.

[43:07] Eli Tokash: Yeah. So yeah.

[43:09] Sydney Lucas: Everyone wish Eli a get get well spent.

[43:11] Eli Tokash: No, no, it's okay.

[43:12] Sydney Lucas: It's okay.

[43:14] Eli Tokash: Yes, yes.

[43:16] Sydney Lucas: Um stay diligent.

[43:18] Eli Tokash: Um and and just, you know, stay smart, stay emp you know, empathetic. You you don't you know you you want to be careful not just for yourself but for other people.

[43:32] Sydney Lucas: Yes, and yes, it is good that we are getting great news as far as you know our future leaders who uh that's should be helpful, and then of course we have information that a vaccine is hopefully uh um on its way and kind of getting uh getting it's progressing just in the process.

[43:55] Eli Tokash: Um so hop all these things are good signs, and hopefully we can just hold out a little longer and then everything can kind of go back to normal, but like as normal as it possibly could, and Broadway reopens.

[44:08] Sydney Lucas: I don't know even remember.

[44:11] Eli Tokash: I know, right? This is like the new norm.

[44:12] Sydney Lucas: Uh I can't.

[44:15] Eli Tokash: I it's just hard to believe.

[44:17] Sydney Lucas: And I know I feel like now we've all adjusted to it and we're kind of like forgetting about it, but at the same time, it's still a very real thing that we just have to, you know, think about.

[44:28] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[44:29] Sydney Lucas: Um, yeah.

[44:31] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[44:32] Sydney Lucas: Okay.

[44:35] Eli Tokash: Uh so thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed this episode. We hope you got even a little bit of information or insight um out of this one. And we shall see you next week.

[44:51] Sydney Lucas: Sick beat him, alright.

[44:53] Eli Tokash: For our curtain call, we wanted to give a few special thank yous to Nikki Torcia and Cor McCollinon for our amazing music, Giselle Bustos for designing our logo, and Tessie Tokash and Sidney Lucas for editing our episodes.

[45:06] Sydney Lucas: Feel free to subscribe and leave a review on whatever platform you are currently listening to us from.

[45:11] Eli Tokash: This podcast wouldn't be possible without the help of Dory Berenstein, Alan Seals, Brittany Bigelow, and Katie Rosen at the Broadway Podcast Network.

[45:20] Sydney Lucas: As well as our top patrons, Henry Friedman, Brian Thompson, PCC, and Patrick McNamara.

[45:25] Eli Tokash: Speaking of, if you enjoyed this week's episode of Take About, go check us out on Patreon at Patreon.com/slash T A V and become a patron today.

[45:35] Sydney Lucas: Through our Patreon, you will form a relationship with us and get an inside look on what goes into this podcast.

[45:41] Eli Tokash: To learn more about this podcast, visit BPN.fm forward slash takeabow and follow us on Instagram at takeabow podcast, where you can contact us with any feedback, suggestions, or questions, and keep up with all things take a bow.

[45:55] Sydney Lucas: See you next week.

[45:56] Eli Tokash: Bye everyone.