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[0:00] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Tapping into that authenticity that you are then able to enter into a room or, you know, enter onto a stage and be comfortable with that, with that sense of self.

[0:15] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Um, and I think that that's a big thing, you know, especially for young performers to grasp.

[0:24] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And listen, it takes time, right? We're always trying to, as young performers, trying to say, who can we be like, or who do they want to see?

[0:34] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: It's hard to understand. Well, they actually want to see you, but you have to understand how to show them who you are.

[0:45] Janine Scott: Welcome to the Black Business of Broadway, a podcast brought to you by the Broadway League and Black to Broadway.

[0:52] Janine Scott: Here we highlight the stories, how-tos, and successes of the black professionals and legends of Broadway.

[0:59] Janine Scott: I am your host, Janine Scott.

[1:09] Janine Scott: Last month, I had a full circle moment.

[1:12] Janine Scott: During this period of time, I was questioning who I was and my role on Broadway and in the arts.

[1:18] Janine Scott: During this time, I had the opportunity to meet today's guest, Stephanie Pope Lofgren.

[1:24] Janine Scott: Stephanie, a Broadway veteran whose touring credits include the revival of Pippin, Fosse, Chicago, and as the original honey in Jelly's Last Jam, played a crucial role in my life.

[1:37] Janine Scott: Witnessing her on the Broadway stage at the age of 17 had a profound impact on this young black girl, grappling with her identity in dance.

[1:47] Janine Scott: Now, over 25 years later, Stephanie has once again reinforced my sense of purpose in the world of the arts and Broadway.

[1:57] Janine Scott: Join us in this conversation as we delve into the topics such as self-care, motherhood, and Stephanie's commitment to preserving the legacy of representation and dance through the Verdon Fosse Legacy.

[2:11] Janine Scott: And we'll talk about how she is reprising her role as one of the honeys in Jelly's Last Jam at New York City Center beginning in late February 2024.

[2:22] Janine Scott: Welcome, Stephanie, and thank you for joining us today.

[2:26] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Thank you, Janine.

[2:27] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I'm so happy to be here.

[2:29] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Oh my god.

[2:30] Janine Scott: So before we get started, I am going to like give you all of your flowers right now at the top.

[2:36] Janine Scott: Uh, because I need the audience to know this.

[2:39] Janine Scott: We often talk about representation and why it's important.

[2:45] Janine Scott: And so in 1992, I came to New York City, saw Five Guys Named Mo, but in '93 in the summer, I want to say it was like July in 1993, I saw Jelly's Last Jam also.

[2:59] Janine Scott: You all were my second Broadway show.

[3:01] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Wow.

[3:02] Janine Scott: And I know I told you this in person, but I want like everybody in the world to hear this.

[3:08] Janine Scott: You and the other black dancers like you totally changed my life.

[3:19] Janine Scott: And I can say that, and I literally stand on your shoulders.

[3:24] Janine Scott: And I'm about to get emotional.

[3:26] Janine Scott: I promise I won't cry.

[3:27] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Me too.

[3:29] Janine Scott: The thing is, growing up in Nebraska, I did not see very many dancers who looked like me.

[3:37] Janine Scott: And I came here, and I honestly didn't know even if this was like a real thing, you know, like arts or anything.

[3:45] Janine Scott: And I came here and I saw you all, and you all let me know that it is real and that it can be done.

[3:54] Janine Scott: And it is truly because of you that I am even in the arts and that I continue to love and appreciate the arts.

[4:05] Janine Scott: And so when we met, I was like, I told you, I was like, the little girl inside of me is like freaking out.

[4:11] Janine Scott: I would I'm I'm I am so serious and I am so humbled and I'm so honored to be talking to you today.

[4:20] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Oh, I mean, that means so much.

[4:23] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Thank you, Janine.

[4:25] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I mean, and how like serendipitous that we wound up just in the same at that same little table, you know, and just chatting with each other, you know, and to me, and that's the same thing, like the effect that the theater has.

[4:39] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Like you don't know whose life you are touching or affecting, and like to hear a story like that, like it anytime I hear a story like that, but especially when it's someone of color whose life was changed by seeing a Broadway show, and let alone something that I was in, like that's everything.

[4:59] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And, you know, we can sometimes get a little jaded, but you know, hearing something like that kind of reminds us, you know, as to why we do what we do.

[5:07] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: So I feel blessed, and you know, thank you.

[5:07] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Thank you.

[5:11] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Thank you for sharing that.

[5:13] Janine Scott: So let's go ahead and start.

[5:15] Janine Scott: All right.

[5:16] Janine Scott: I want to jump, I want to jump in.

[5:17] Janine Scott: Um, can you tell me, you know, you have had you have had a storied history.

[5:26] Janine Scott: I mean, really, like what over 35 years, you're an actress, you're a singer, you're a dancer, you're a writer, you're a director, a choreographer, producer, voiceover actor, performance coach, and a yoga instructor.

[5:38] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I need to get my butt there.

[5:41] Janine Scott: And a mother.

[5:42] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And a mother.

[5:43] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Yes.

[5:43] Janine Scott: Okay.

[5:44] Janine Scott: Now that that's big.

[5:46] Janine Scott: And a mother.

[5:47] Janine Scott: How did you discover that the world of theater was your calling?

[5:53] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I mean, what was like that light bulb, that ah moment.

[5:57] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Well, it's interesting.

[5:58] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: First of all, I have to say, like, you know, when everybody, when anybody like reads off my bio like that, it, you know, I laugh when I hear all the hyphens.

[6:07] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: But I have to tell you sort of how that came about.

[6:11] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And it was interestingly enough, it was when I was doing the original Jelly's Last Jam with Gregory Hines.

[6:18] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And I remember one of the things that he told me was he said, Stephanie, you know, you really should take the time to hone many skills.

[6:30] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Um, we, you know, as people of color, need to be able to do multiple things, right?

[6:35] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Because when they're not hiring you as a dancer, they can hire you as a singer.

[6:38] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: When they're not hiring you as a singer, they can hire you as an actor.

[6:41] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: You know, and I took that to heart, you know, and so anything that I was able to add to that bag of tricks, you know, I made it a point to do that so that I could stay relevant, have longevity, you know, and have a career.

[6:58] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: So that's where those hyphens come up, and I owe that a lot, you know, to Mr. Hines, uh, rest his soul.

[7:05] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Um, but it all came about, honestly.

[7:09] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Um, I it's weird to say, sort of as a fluke.

[7:12] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I know that I would be singing and dancing around the house.

[7:15] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: My mother loved watching movie musicals on TV, um, and she would be singing along with the songs.

[7:22] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: So I think that was like my first introduction to the world of musical theater, singing and dancing.

[7:29] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: But I am the youngest of three girls, but the tallest.

[7:34] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: So I think, and we grew up in Harlem in New York, and I think my mom didn't want me to be embarrassed, you know, or, you know, about my height.

[7:44] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: So she heard about a dance school.

[7:48] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: It happened in the name of it was the Dance Theater of Harlem.

[7:51] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: She knew nothing about the dance world.

[7:54] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: She just knew it had the name Harlem in it, so it must be okay, and walked into those doors, and my life changed.

[8:01] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I mean, seeing all these similar to your story, right?

[8:05] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Seeing these beautiful black dancers and not only dancers, ballet dancers, it opened a whole new world to me, and I never looked back.

[8:20] Janine Scott: Oh my gosh.

[8:22] Janine Scott: Like, so you mentioned starting at Dance Theater of Harlem, and you shared in another interview how your, you know, your mom, she saw Harlem, she and she was like, it's gotta be good.

[8:34] Janine Scott: Right.

[8:36] Janine Scott: Because she didn't want you to be ashamed of your height.

[8:39] Janine Scott: Can you talk about just how being there not just and seeing all those people of color, how that continually feeds and fed your confidence, not just from when you were young, but how it influences you and the work that you're doing today with other dancers or just people regardless of color, but just other dancers and performers.

[9:05] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: You know, it's interesting because I guess I sort of took it for granted, but in hindsight, I think being around predominantly people of color, predominantly black folks at that age, at that level of efficiency and performance and perfection, that was the standard.

[9:26] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: That was the norm.

[9:28] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Uh, that was the world I was living in.

[9:31] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: So there was never a doubt whether or not I belonged at that time.

[9:36] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Now that may have changed a little bit when I went downtown, but because that was the world that I was living in, it did not seem odd to me to be surrounded by and a part of that level of excellence.

[9:54] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Um, and I think I carry that with me as I traveled downtown to then, you know, get a scholarship to study at Alvin Ailey, um, you know, which was another organization, you know, predominantly people of color, um, you know, at the highest level.

[10:13] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And so, you know, the bar was high.

[10:13] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: The bar was high.

[10:18] Janine Scott: And you and so that caused, you know, someone like me to always be striving for excellence.

[10:23] Janine Scott: Uh, speaking of excellence, and you were picked and worked directly with the legendary Bob Fosse on the revival of Sweet Charity and Big Deal.

[10:39] Janine Scott: And these were your first two Broadway shows.

[10:42] Janine Scott: I mean, come on, hello.

[10:44] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Listen, listen, who are you telling?

[10:46] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I mean, you know, like how does something like that happen?

[10:50] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I mean, I uh it's so funny, I I just celebrated 40 years being a member of Actors Equity.

[10:58] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Wow.

[10:58] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And I posted that on Facebook and um, and I sort of told the story.

[11:03] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I got my equity card at 19 and it was because I was chosen to be in the ensemble of a show that was planning to come to Broadway called Honky Tonk Nights.

[11:14] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Now that show was directed and choreographed by the legendary Michael Kidd.

[11:20] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: And um, and but between the time that we did that workshop and the time that I auditioned for Mr. Fosse, I had gotten um Sweet Charity.

[11:27] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: It's kind of convoluted the way it all happened.

[11:34] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: But long story short, by the time Honky Tonk Nights got to Broadway, I was already doing one of the Fosse shows so I wasn't able to do that.

[11:41] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: But I mean to be to start your career out working for Michael Kidd and then Bob Fosse, I mean, you know, like where else is there to go from there.

[11:52] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: But Mr. Fosse did ask me where did you study, and when I said Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey, his eyes lit up, you know, and next thing I know, I was in a rehearsal room with him. He seemed to be the kind of director-choreographer who liked to use his core group of dancers over and over again, but it seemed like every now and then he liked to bring a couple young folks in to mix it up, and I was lucky enough to be one of those young ones, you know, that he brought in, and it was life-changing, it was absolutely life-changing.

[12:31] Gennean Scott: So let's pivot for a moment because you went away, you stepped away, you know. So you're dancing for Fosse, you're doing all these big things, okay, and then you decide to take a step back for a minute. You took a ten-year hiatus, yeah, and you returned with the revival of Pippin, right?

[12:52] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Yeah, yeah. I mean, by the grace of God, you know, I was so fortunate, so blessed at a relatively young age. And literally at that time, you know, it's not so much like this anymore, unfortunately, shows open and close so quickly. But back then, you know, shows ran for a while. And I say I averaged a new show approximately every two years I would go into a new show. So, you know, it went from Sweet Charity to Big Deal to then I toured with Sweet Charity, then I came back and oh my goodness, what was next? I don't know, I can't even remember, you know. But I mean, you know, I went from show to show to show, right? And as blessed as I was to do that, I got to a point, quite honestly, where I was burned out.

Yeah, I was burned out. You know, I also came of age at a time when the AIDS crisis had just hit, and I lost so many of my mentors, so many of the people that I looked up to were gone. So that was a huge blow. That was devastating for me, navigating a world where all of a sudden, number one, I really didn't know the people that I was now working with. And they were already starting to look up to me. And I hadn't even come of age yet, you know, as a performer in my mind. So there also was a strange responsibility, and you know, just many factors. And I just got to a point where I said, you know, I think I need to take a break. And not only took a break, you know, met my daughter's father, you know, we got married, and then ten years later, by the grace of God, decided that it was time to come back, and I was able to come back with the revival of Pippin and haven't stopped since. And that was in 2013. So that's been ten years now that I've been back. And wow.

[14:58] Gennean Scott: Oh my gosh.

[15:00] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Yeah. So I tell young people, listen, this industry's gonna be here, it's not going anywhere. You know, so if you need time, take the time to do what you gotta do, and you'll come back, bringing that life experience to your work. You know, right?

[15:20] Gennean Scott: Absolutely, absolutely.

[15:37] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Can you talk a moment about the work that you're doing with Fosse's legacy, and for those people who may not want, if they must be under a rock if they don't even know who Bob Fosse is. But can you talk a little bit about that work and why it's important to continue that work and educating people, you know, on the legacy?

[15:48] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Right. Well, you obviously know, Bob Fosse was a legendary director-choreographer. He won the Tony, Emmy, and Academy Award, right? With Grammy, maybe Grammy's not in that. Maybe not Grammy, but close enough to an ego. I mean, come on. I mean, legendary, legendary, and iconic choreographer and an iconic style that everybody loves and loves to copy, quite honestly. Everybody from Beyoncé to Kelly Rowland has a video that is in homage to a famous dance that Bob and Gwen did, Who's Got the Pain, even to The Prom, you know, if you see The Prom, you know what I mean? So it was Bob Fosse and his wife and muse Gwen Verdon, their daughter Nicole Fosse decided that, and no one is really crediting where this brilliant influence was coming from.

So she took it upon herself to establish the Verdon Fosse Legacy, right? Whose mission, among other things, is to preserve the integrity of her parents' work. And she has brought in a handful of artists who have either worked directly with Bob and Gwen or closely, for example, maybe with Ann Reinking, to go out into the world and teach the Fosse canon from people who actually learned it from him, and teach it quote unquote the right way, because there's so many iterations of it that aren't always accurate. But we not only teach the style and repertory and technique, but we also are able to share anecdotes and things that they both might say to us directly, you know, that nobody else would be privy to necessarily.

But it's interesting that you know many of our stories are the same, right? We heard a lot of the same things and we're able to share those things because that's also an important part of dance, you know, to be able to orally share history as well as physically share it. So that's really what the legacy is about because you talk about dance being passed down from dancer to dancer, absolutely, and the importance of it exactly, you know. And sometimes, because you can look at a step and think that it's about one thing when it has nothing to do with what it is that you think it's about. You know, many of us were fortunate enough to have heard from Mr. Fosse or Gwen Verdon exactly why a step is done in a particular way, and we're able to share that with the next generation of dancers. So it just informs them not only as dancers and, you know, oftentimes just as human beings.

[19:06] Gennean Scott: Oh my goodness. So staying on the topic of legacy for a moment, you have your own legacy as a mom of a 20-year-old junior.

[19:17] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Yes.

[19:18] Gennean Scott: How do you balance that role of mother, performer, and teacher? And what do you hope to pass down, you know, to your child and the work?

[19:31] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Well, you know, it is interesting. She is such a blessing in my life. And you know, one of the things that I want to share is that it is possible to, you know, have a family, have a life, and also have a career in show business. Now, granted, I did take time off. I took time off, you know, one, we talked about me being, you know, getting a little burned out, but also I used that time to be an at-home mom and, you know, make sure my child had a solid foundation before stepping back out into the business. But it is possible to do both. And again, you know, having my daughter Mary, I mean, she just brings so much, helps me bring even more to my work, having that sort of life experience. My priorities have shifted, like what was so important before, you know, in my work life, not so much anymore, you know.

She's just been a blessing and supportive, you know. She helps me run lines and she's a tough critic, and you know, and she's been inspired, you know, she is very talented. She's studying psychology and computer science, but she also is like the head of the a cappella group that she's in, and you know, so she has an artistic bone that will always be with her. I know, but she's choosing a different path, but she is definitely inspired and influenced by the arts. So I know that's gonna weave its way into what she decides to do with psychology.

[21:12] Gennean Scott: Absolutely. I mean, yeah, because goodness knows artists need to be able to do that.

[21:16] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: I was gonna say, I mean, she may end up working or, you know, it's like I remember I took her to an event, it was honoring dance teachers, and you know, we were in a room full of people and so many people that I knew and were hugging and hi, I haven't seen you. And she was like, Oh, it's a shame that I can't take advantage of like your network of people. I said, Oh, you'll be able to. They'll be your clients, trust me. They will be. If not them, then you know, their children if they're in the arts, you know. Absolutely. I mean, come on. And we all need, I think we should treat mental health just like we treat regular health, you know, because in order to be whole, it's the mind and the body and the soul, it's not just the body, but so we definitely need her in the arts, so don't let her go too far.

[22:12] Gennean Scott: Absolutely, yes, and to your point, I mean, I think I am grateful because yoga has been a part of my life since I was in my 20s. And when I took time off, I mean, I literally opened a yoga studio, but I think if I, you know, because I didn't know enough, we weren't talking about mental health the way we talk about it now, but I, you know, unbeknownst to me, I wasn't consciously, you know, doing my own wellness, but I was by just practicing yoga and being in that whole wellness environment, you know, taking care of myself as I took care of others as well.

[22:54] Gennean Scott: Well, you know, that leads kind of really nicely into my next question. Because you talk about bringing your full self to work, to this work and to your work as a performer. And how do you think, you know, these diverse experiences and exploring, you know, so many different aspects of theater, but also including yoga? How is that helping you to come back? Because you are coming back, and we'll talk about that in a minute.

[23:25] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: But how does that enable you to do your work daily and to be fully present and to be fully your authentic self every time you hit the stage?

[23:38] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Well, yeah, I mean, one of the beautiful benefits of practicing yoga is really discovering who you are, right? It’s a union of mind, body, and spirit. Really taking the attention off of your physical self and getting more in tune to your spiritual self. Because this is all fake and false, right? And so tapping into that authenticity that you are then able to enter into a room, or you know, enter onto a stage and be comfortable with that sense of self. I think that that's a big thing, you know, especially for young performers to grasp. And listen, it takes time, right? We're always trying to, as young performers, trying to say, who can we be like, or who do they want to see? It's hard to understand.

Well, they actually want to see you, but you have to understand how to show them who you are, right? Not trying to be or look or sound like anybody else. And then be okay with if this time who you are doesn't fit into what they need right now. You know, being okay with that and saying, okay, fine. And then I bring my authentic self into the next situation, and they'll either need it or they won't, or my showing up will change their minds and go, I didn't realize that's what I needed or I wanted, but you have shown me that, yeah, that's what I want. You know what I mean? So it's allowed me to kind of live in that space and that truth, which I never would have had, you know, in my younger years.

[25:47] Gennean Scott: Right. I mean, and you mentor either directly or you mentor by just by your sheer presence. Like I, for example, I know you work with our Jimmy's students. And it's important that they see you and you give them that kind of nurturing and that kind of guidance. Can you talk a little bit about that and your work and your mentor work and your work as a teacher and you know, guiding our next generation?

[26:17] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Well, it's interesting because, you know, people have always asked me throughout the years, you know, because I was a dancer, why don't you teach? And I actually never felt the desire to teach and this is an interesting reason why because for a lot of my early career on Broadway and in a lot of shows I was one of maybe two or a handful of Black performers, people of color in a show and I felt that if I was gonna teach I wanted to teach performers of color, young performers of color, young Black performers, but I didn't want to teach them this and then there not be the opportunity for them to utilize it. Right. And so early on I was like I don’t want to do that. You know, that mentality has changed over the years and also, you know, there are more opportunities.

So I am happy to share and you know as I have shared for the past two years with the young students, you know, with the Jimmy Awards which I have loved, when I share with the young students with the Fosse legacy, you know, which I love as well, those are the places where I like to give back. You know, as far as you know, teaching a regular class at a studio on a consistent basis, not so much. I do continue to teach yoga which I love because I also see the life-changing benefits of doing that. But yeah, I mean, I do it very selectively. But when I do it, it is really, really, really gratifying. And, you know, to not only share, as I said before, to not only share, you know, physical technique, but to share life experience and to make sure, you know, to have them ask me questions, you know, and give them advice or let them know what my experience was, the pros and the cons, you know, the successes and the failures, you know, because as you know, you learn more from the failures oftentimes than you do from the successes, and you want to let them know that, you know, if they're choosing this career, it's gonna be a, you know, there's gonna be both. You know, and how to prepare for that.

[28:47] Gennean Scott: So you are reprising your role as one of the original honeys in Jelly's Last Jam next year at New York City Center. What does it mean to you to have this full circle moment?

[29:02] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Well, let me tell you, you know, Jelly's Last Jam was such an amazing experience, you know, all around, from you know, our director and writer George Wolf and our stars Gregory Hines and Tanya Pinkins and you know, on and on, working with, you know, Brenda Braxton and Mamie Duncan Gibbs and Allison Williams, you know, so life-changing, amazing. So to be able to revisit it, I mean, I can't even put it into words, but I have to be honest with you, I wasn't like gung-ho about it, because I thought, like, you know what I mean? When you do something that is so amazing like that, you're like, I don't want it, like, what's it gonna be like coming back to it? And I'll also, you know, it's like, well, you know, I don't want to be compared to what I did back then.

But then once I wrapped my brain around it, I was like, this is incredible. First of all, a whole new generation of people are gonna get a chance to experience this. You know, it's gonna be done traditionally though, you know, as Encores was done in the past. So it's not a full production, right? We're doing, I think we're doing maybe five, you know, fully choreographed numbers, and it's done as the Encores does it, as a reading, stage reading, which is exciting. But yeah, just to revisit it, just to feel those words in our mouths and the movements in our bodies, it's gonna be exciting. It's gonna be exciting. And you know, the honeys are timeless, you know, they are timeless beings. You know, so that's exciting to be able to inhabit those characters at this point in our lives. And I'm glad it's the three of us, you know. I'm glad it's the three of us coming back to do it again. So it's gonna be exciting.

[30:58] Gennean Scott: Yes, and yes, all of that. I mean, it's just when you think about it though, and you and it's like what the honeys represent and who they are, and to have these fly women, you know, who are seasoned, yeah, you know, like how often do you get to see that on stage?

[31:18] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Yes, yes. And hoping, you know, as I do with every show that I do, that it is inspiring in some way, you know, and touches, you know, they say if you can touch one person, you've done your job. But it's true, it's true. There will be some little Janines out there.

[31:40] Gennean Scott: Right. So we always ask our guests this one final question. And what advice would you like to offer to the future Black leaders of Broadway?

[31:57] Stephanie Pope Lofgren: Uh yeah. Be true to yourself. Because when I think of leaders, like I am thrilled that we are now taking space as producers, you know, as you know, of course, directors and choreographers and performers. So you know, I say continue to live in your truth. Bring your authentic self into every room that you step into. Understand that we are in fact not a monolith, so don't feel like you need to be just one way. You know, I struggled with that, you know. I grew up, I'm born around, I'm a third generation New Yorker, third generation Harlem, you know, and in my younger years, I always used to feel like, you know, but I don't have that southern experience that you know, most people we were raised Catholic.

You know, it was like my experience was very different than a lot of the people that I came up with, and I used to feel bad about it, but it's like no, we're not a monolith. We don’t have all the same experiences. We do have commonalities that we're able to share and appreciate, but we are unique individuals, and don't be afraid to bring that into whatever space you walk into. And no matter where you fit into this puzzle of the arts, of theater, of musical theater.

[33:27] Gennean Scott: Oh well, Stephanie it has been a true honor to talk to you and I wish we were in the same room because I would just give you this biggest hug ever but it's well we will be I'm gonna see you I'll see you and I'll give you this big hug yeah because you you said if you can only touch one person then you have lived and you touched me and through touching me you've touched my child who is actually like just left to go be the lead in the Nutcracker in Jersey and it's because of you that I had the love of dance that passed on to her and now she has this love of dance and who knows you know where she'll go after that but so ripples right I thank you I thank you I thank you and it has been an honor to talk to you and it is not by accident that we met absolutely at that event yes and thank you so much for making this possible so happy to have an opportunity to speak with you so thank you.

[33:27] Gennean Scott: I want to thank our guest and you our listeners you could have been doing anything else but you chose to spend your time with me and I am grateful. Be sure to subscribe at BPN dot fm slash bb so you'll never miss an episode. While you're at it tell a friend I'm your host Janine Scott and we at the Broadway League hope you enjoyed this episode of The Black Business of Broadway.