This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Alan Seales: Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Theatre Podcast. I'm Alan Seales, as always, and our guest today is Julie Benko, who, of course, was shot out of a cannon and is this massive rising star. She's the alternate Fanny Brice on Funny Girl now, which, of course, we touched a little bit in this episode on the drama that happened with the cast. We talk a little bit about Beanie and, of course, Lea Michele, but this episode being all about Julie, gosh, just a nice person, a wonderful human being in general. She can't stop learning, which I highly respect and can relate to, just always wanting to better herself. She has a lifelong dream, we talked about, of learning the clarinet. So, during the pandemic, she did, and then she made an album on which she played the clarinet.

So, you gotta check out her new album with her husband. It's very, very good and, of course, see her as Fanny Brice if you can. She just blows the socks off of the character. Can't wait. So, find me online, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, I'm all there. Leave a rating, leave a review, wherever you are listening now. And now, everybody, please enjoy this episode with Julie Benko. Here you go. One, two, three.

[1:32] Alan Seales: Today's guest is an incredible actor, singer, musician, writer, director, and philanthropist who has just shot to stardom in the Broadway scene and now has a brand new album called Hand in Hand just released at the end of August and has additional Broadway credits, Broadway and touring credits that include Fiddler on the Roof, Les Mis, and Spring Awakening. She is the Fanny Brice alternate in Funny Girl on Broadway, also stepping in whenever Lea Michele is out and just tearing up the stage. Not only is she a great actress, she's also just a great person. Julie Benko, welcome to the Theatre Podcast.

[2:07] Julie Benko: Oh, thank you for that introduction.

[2:12] Alan Seales: You are welcome. I think my favorite part was philanthropist. It makes me sound just so fancy. Well, okay. So, let's start with that then because during COVID, you were doing performances and raising money for various things. So, I'm going to scroll down on my notes because I'm planning on getting it later. Let's see. Yeah. Okay. So, you dive in while I'm finding this in my notes. Oh, Quarantunes. That's what it is. Spent the pandemic raising money for various charities via Quarantunes. So, tell us about Quarantunes.

[2:46] Julie Benko: Quarantunes was a series that my husband and I started during the pandemic. Actually, he started it. He was like, I'm going to start doing... He's a pianist, jazz pianist. And he was like, I'm going to start doing a weekly series where I play concerts from our living room. And then it took about, I don't know, two or three weeks for me to insert myself into that. Started out being like, can I sing a song or maybe two songs? And by a few weeks, then it became like us doing these concerts on Instagram Live and Facebook Live, mainly for family and friends and fans. But this was pretty funny, girl. So, my following was a bit smaller than it is now. And we would just have every week a standing time where we would do concerts.

And everything was shut down. So, nobody was doing live stuff. And we developed all these arrangements of songs. We would take requests from people and we would do stuff we'd prepared. And we did it every week for a year. And we would pick a different charity every week. We would raise tips and then we would donate half the tips to a different charity every week. And we picked some local charities. We lived in Harlem. We just moved this last week, but we lived in Harlem for almost a decade. So, some local Harlem charities. Then we did some international charities, kind of whatever was going on that week that we wanted to raise awareness for. And yeah, we raised thousands of dollars, which was cool.

[4:29] Alan Seales: That's so cool. And was it out of necessity? Because there's so many people, especially artistic types such as ourselves, that through the pandemic lost their livelihood, right? And so, you just have to have that creative output.

[4:46] Julie Benko: Yeah, we were lucky in the sense that... I mean, Jason lost... He's a gigging musician around the city and he lost all his gigs. But he was lucky in that he also teaches at Berkeley College of Music. He's in the piano department there. So, he had his teaching and he had his private teaching and he teaches at the New York City Jazz Academy. So, he was able to teach. And so, he didn't lose everything. And I was in grad school at the time. So, I was sort of planning on not working. But I still also had my survival job that I did on the side of SAT tutoring and ACT tutoring.

[5:28] Alan Seales: Oh, wow.

[5:28] Julie Benko: Yeah. So, we were lucky in a way. A lot of artists just had no source of income. So, we were mainly doing it as a creative outlet and then as a way to just give back to the community and also just create a space, a digital space where our loved ones could kind of come together and be together virtually. And they really showed up every week. They were sort of this core group of people and they had all this conversation in the chat. They really enjoyed... Week to week, they were commenting on... They just got to know each other through the virtual chat. And then that Quarantunes thing became the basis of our album that we just put out that came out in August. We had developed these arrangements.

And at some point, Jason said, we should record these. And we picked our favorites from the year and went into the studio and recorded them. And then we got started getting creative, adding other instruments. I learned the clarinet in the pandemic. So, I added a clarinet on one of the tunes and I play the flute. So, I overdubbed some flute and Jason plays a bunch of keyboards and percussion. So, we had a lot of fun.

[6:49] Alan Seales: There was something that I saw in a video that it was like a necktie, metal necktie that he was playing.

[6:55] Julie Benko: A washboard tie.

[6:58] Alan Seales: That is a legendary piece in our household. I got it for Jason for his birthday four or five years ago and then he never used it. But I use it all the time. So, I was always... Because Jason obviously needed his hands in Quarantunes. So, I got pretty good at the washboard tie during Quarantunes. And I do it in our live shows. We have a show at 54 Below in November. And it's at Birdland and stuff coming up. So, I always... The washboard tie is famous because it's music and it's also fashion.

[7:32] Alan Seales: That's amazing. And I love that you've also said... I read that learning to play the clarinet was a lifelong dream.

[7:40] Julie Benko: It was.

[7:44] Alan Seales: So, some people have dreams of being like scientists and astronauts and what are you like? I'm going to play the clarinet.

[7:50] Julie Benko: Clarinet.

[7:52] Alan Seales: I know. It's like the nerdiest dream in the world. And achievable. That's the good news.

[8:00] Julie Benko: Right. That's why I was saying like reading about you and your hobbies and stuff. That's why I added in like you're just a good person because like with the philanthropy and like your goals are very... They are achievable and they're very real and just... They're out for personal growth, which I highly respect because I feel like everybody should never stop learning. And like what impressed me also about you too, I didn't know you had the side job tutoring SATs, which is incredible, but you also hold an MFA and a BFA from NYU Tisch.

[8:31] Julie Benko: I do.

[8:31] Alan Seales: I almost said Teesh.

[8:33] Julie Benko: Teesh.

[8:34] Alan Seales: Teesh.

[8:34] Julie Benko: Teesh.

[8:35] Alan Seales: We say it downtown. Teesh.

[8:40] Julie Benko: Now that we've moved downtown, we say Teesh.

[8:42] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[8:44] Julie Benko: Yeah. So, like what the hell, man? You're just a super smarty and a super talentee. And I've just gotten... In this business, it's one third talent, one third drive, one third luck, right? So, you've fallen into this situation that's just shot you out of a cannon because obviously, you're very talented. There's lots of very talented people in the city. But God, to put you in the role of Fanny Brice is just... Was this like one of your long dreams? Because you seem like you have... The comic timing is hard, right? So, to be the comedian, to be the singer, and to be the actor, to put all this together seems like it was kind of this little perfect package that was handed to you.

[9:32] Julie Benko: Yes. It was the role I never knew that I wanted. Because I, unlike every other Jewish musical theater girl growing up, did not see Funny Girl, the movie. I was not... My mom didn't show it to me. It just sort of never entered my sphere. And Barbra Streisand, amazing as she is, was never my idol. I was always like a Judy Garland, Julie Andrews kind of obsessed person. And so, I just really didn't know about Funny Girl. And I spent a lot of my under... I don't know, my teens and stuff in acting class being told, you're not funny. You do drama. And I was scared of comedy. I think when I was younger, I was so rigid and a bit more controlling about... And wanting to get it right as a student. I was good at school.

I like to get the answer right. And so, I think that is the enemy of comedy. Although comedy is all technique, and I think music, it's like... Comedy is all in the timing. It's rhythm and melody, really. So, you can sort of chart out how rhythmically to make the joke work. But also, you have to be open to your own zaniness and silliness. So, I think once I got the audition for Funny Girl, and I read the script, and I was like, oh, this is going to... And I also was like, I'm not going to get this part. When I got this audition, I was like, they're not going to pick me. And they had announced Beanie Feldstein already by the time I went in for my audition. And I was like, well, I just don't imagine that I'm the one they're going to pick.

I think they'd gone through many rounds of seeing people. I hadn't got in in the first... I couldn't get in the door for an audition. And so, I was like, I just really didn't think they were going to pick me. And I was working on the audition with my sister. And I have a friend who is in Beetlejuice, who is an amazing coach. And so, I was like, I just want to do a good job. And I worked with them a little bit on it. And they were like, it's good. They didn't have that much to say. They were like, it's kind of like, you're kind of right for this role. It's just good. And I was like, let's work on it more. I just didn't really think, trust that it was... But it just was, I think, that perfect moment of when the character is right, and for the actor, and that Venn diagram of you live in the middle there.

And yeah, it's the perfect role because you get to... I think of myself as a singing actor. And so, it's like the acting role of a dream. And there's so much in there to mine internally in terms of the beats and the comedy. And then, of course, you have the Julie Stein score. So, it's just like... I mean, it's the most challenging thing I ever did. And doing it eight shows a week was absolutely bananas. It was... But it was...

[13:01] Julie Benko: It has been such a dream come true, really. I mean, just the best role you could ever hope to play. It was so incredible to watch you. I saw you, I think it was two weeks ago. It was right after Leah joined and then got COVID. So it was that week. We did four shows. I was like so ready for a break. I had done five weeks straight, eight shows a week. My body was like breaking down. And then I was doing the Harmony Workshop, which is with Warren Carlyle and all them. And I was like, perfect timing. Leah will come in. I'll do one show a week and I'll do this two-week workshop of Harmony. And so I won't be too exhausted. And then she got COVID. And I was like, I was doing Harmony in a day, doing eight shows a week. And I was so, I was so tired.

[13:53] Alan Seales: Wow. Wow. Yeah, the schedule of this kind of thing is intense. I'm happy now that regular alternate performances are becoming more norm. And the first time I think I'd seen that regularly was Dear Evan Hansen, because just like Ben Platt couldn't, you can't do that role. Well, Christine and Phantom's had one since the beginning, right?

[14:18] Julie Benko: Oh, yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'm trying to think. And Valjean had an alternate in Les Mis, at least in the revival. Yeah, yeah. I think I like with the new stuff, it's becoming more regular. I mean, because there's been so much of a, not a stank really, but like there's been a lot more attention given to how hard it is to maintain that. And it was right before the pandemic, there was like this, this sort of trend. And it was like George Salazar and Casey Levy and a couple of others who were, who had a lot of attention at the time for their various projects were, were talking about their vocal injuries. And I remember hearing from George saying, he was, he was like, I'm so afraid, like he, his vocal cords hemorrhaged during, during previews for Be More Chill.

And he didn't know if that was the end of his career. And like, well, is he castable again? And once you say you've had a vocal, and then like Casey Levy piggybacked on that was like, me too, me too, me too. And everyone was like, oh yeah, shit, this is really hard. Right? So like, what do you do then for all the stuff that's going on? Like, what do you do to, to recover, to recoup? Like for both, I think mental is as important to help you recharge your physical.

[15:30] Julie Benko: Yeah. I mean, I think right now I, I have like the best of both worlds, which is the one show a week. You're sort of like, you can go, you know, you're, you're in a regular schedule. It's so awesome. I'm still there at the, I have to be backstage even when I'm not performing. But, you know, vocally it's like, I, one show a week is not, you know, it's still, it's hard and you have to be, you know, the day before you, you know, you have to follow all your, can't eat this or I will have phlegm during people kind of stuff. But, but when I was, you know, doing the role, eight shows a week or seven or six, you know, I mean, it's, it required me to be basically living like a nun at all times because you're basically spend, you're living every second of your offstage life in order to make your onstage life possible.

And I, I did not socialize period. You know, my mother was like, can we go to dinner? I was like, no, I'm sorry. You know, and I said, I didn't socialize. I would, if I went out with my husband to get dinner somewhere, I mean, I still am not eating inside because of COVID reasons. We would eat outside, but if there's music playing, we can't go there. Or I am, you know, have to make him order for me and I'm on vocal rest. I would basically just try to not speak or sing anytime that it was not required because it was just, and it was just physically exhausting. I mean, I was like, you know, trying to go to acupuncture and, you know, get, you know, just take Epsom salt baths every day. And, you know, my whole, and then all these things that would happen to you that you don't, with repetitive motion too, that you don't even notice, like you do it a cup one or two times a week.

It's like, not a big deal, but you know, your shoulder, your rotator cuff, you're like things that you don't even think about, but you do the same movement over and over with weight on it, or you fall in a certain way and your hip or your lower back and, or your foot, you know, like things happen. And so your body is just, you're in a constant state of, oh, I, I, this is, I, you know, I injured this or I pulled that. And so I'm doing the show, you know, leaning to the left today. And I'm also, you know, I can feel that my allergies are not great and I, um, didn't get great sleep. And so my voice is not going to be at a hundred percent, you know, and you're just, you're just constantly trying to negotiate how you do the show when you're not fully rested, when you're not, you know, you, it would be so great if you could just do a show at the top of your physical game all the time, but it's just not a reality when you're doing a role of this magnitude that requires the dancing and the singing and the physical comedy and, and you're just never get a chance to sit down.

I mean, there's like two moments in act two where I get to sit down for about a minute each and even intermission. It's like, I have to change my clothes, change my wig. I go to the bathroom. I maybe eat an RX bar and then I go back on stage. So even just wearing like high heels, like three inch heels for three hours straight. And then sometimes on a two show day, it's like that hurts your back, you know? And so you get used to it over time, but at the same time, it's just remarkably, remarkably exhausting on every part of you. You know, it's any little thing that might bother you on a day to day basis becomes magnified, you know, a hundred percent because you're just, you're just even and, and, you know, I was using all that training we talked about, like my BFA and my MFA.

I mean, most of what I, no, I mean, I use a lot. I use a lot of it every day. Honestly, I think about that training I got, especially in my masters. But so much of that training is just how do you perform with ease? How do you get rid of all that tension? You know, if you're like jutting your neck out or your head is not in alignment or you're not breathing properly, it's like, how do you rely on your technique so that you just are not, you're not squeezing and you're not creating more fatigue than you need?

[20:03] Alan Seales: We're going to take a short break. Stay tuned for more of the episode.

[20:18] Julie Benko: Yeah, sitting here in my podcast studio, I can totally relate to all of that, including the heels.

[20:25] Alan Seales: I saw you lean back just then, like your, your Alexander technique posture just really got...

[20:31] Julie Benko: Yeah, no, I, I am still sore. I told you before we started recording that I was, went to the trampoline park with the kids, like a couple of days ago. I'm still sore. My biceps, you're talking about rotator cuff from, I was doing flips, like back flips and stuff that I haven't done in years. And like, my arms are still tired, but yeah, like I'm just old. I feel like that sometimes anyway.

[20:52] Alan Seales: So since we're on Funny Girl, I want to dive in as much as you're able to talk about sort of the drama that at least we can perceive from the outside, not being in the cast and not being there every day. Like with the, Beanie leaving and Leah coming in and like there is this whole month where like, this is what just shot you out of the cannon. So it's, it's, you know, there's triumph out of tragedy here for some and others, but like, what are you able to tell us about what it was like inside the cast during all of this? Because the show sort of, you know, it opened and Tony's came and went and, and then like all this drama just started being talked about in, in Broadway articles and stuff.

[21:37] Julie Benko: Yeah, I experienced the drama through the articles a thousand times more than I ever experienced the drama at work. You know, I found that, you know, going to work, it's a very professional environment and everyone was always lovely. And Beanie Feldstein is truly like one of the kindest, most warm, lovely people I've ever known. And it was, you know, you go to work and you know, where it was, cast changeovers are normal on Broadway. I mean, if you're in any long running show, I've, I've been there when people leave and people come in. And so it certainly did not feel in any way dramatic or, you know, backstage. And I, you know, got very lucky with this, the way sort of things just fell into place, right?

Where I had this five weeks where, you know, between people and I got to experience, you know, one, I mean, one of the highlights of my life, which was getting to, getting to lead a show on Broadway and, and experience, you know, the challenge of that and the thrill of that. So, I mean, ultimately, you know, Leah has come in and she has been, you know, nothing but gracious and sweet to everybody. And she does a great job and we're grateful that she came in and, and that our show is having this, you know, renewed life. So, you know, I think everyone's just really happy to still have a job and, you know, come to work every day. I mean, that we're all very grateful that the show is having life.

[23:33] Alan Seales: Well, part of the, like you said, leading, leading the show, you had this five weeks of being full-time Fanny Bryce. And I think there's an added level of, of pressure that people don't, don't they either underestimate it or they don't consider it. Like when people listening now to this podcast or, or when they're young, they're like, I'm going to be on Broadway. I'm going to be a big star. I want to do this great stuff. But then along with that comes tons and tons of attention. And with that comes pressure and with that comes the, the need to maintain and always outdo or is, is this something that, I mean, I think like you kind of got really lucky because you got thrust into it and then you can, then you got, you were able to pull back.

And I, I suspect sort of given who you are and, and the need to constantly be self-improving, I feel like I'm making assumptions here, but you, like you were able to really evaluate and put it in perspective very quickly without being, continuing to roll down the hill and as the snowball gets bigger.

[24:40] Julie Benko: The first time, I mean, the way that the social media response, you know, happened when I went on in the beginning and then a bunch of those articles that were just sort of salacious headlines, clickbaity. My first experience of like being thrust into that spotlight was, it was upsetting at first. I mean, I, I had trouble sleeping. I, I had trouble eating and it didn't last forever, but it was, it was, I wasn't used to that. And it was, I just found that the best way for me to deal with most of it was just to tune it out because it just made me upset to see when, when falsehoods were printed and people believing them. That was just really upsetting to me. I was like, that's not true. And yet if you comment on it, you sort of validate it.

And, and so I just tried to, to look away from that. And with the social media stuff, I mean, and, and just being known for the first time, I mean, now it's like I take the subway and, you know, people, people spot me and, you know, I walk down the street and people spot me and that's, that's still new to me.

[26:02] Julie Benko: And just wild because, you know, and they'll spot me with my N95 mask on, you know, and I'm like, how did you know it was me? But it's taken some getting used to. But I, you know, I try to use social media as a tool for good, generally speaking. I just try to, you know, when they say not feed the trolls and just share a little bit about what it's like backstage, you know, on Broadway. But yeah, I mean, you're constantly, when you're leading a show like that, it's like every day my phone was just blowing up, you know, people I hadn't heard from in decades. I mean, my first grade teacher and my, you know, all these people getting in touch with you, who you haven't heard from. And you're also like, you're so tired and you're so, and when, especially when I was doing Harmony and I had no time in the day.

And then sometimes people would get, you know, you know, something's got to give, you know, you're sort of like, well, I have to focus on exactly what's in front of me because I was also moving. I was moving apartments. So we were like packing and moving and, and there was so much going on. And I'm, you know, in rehearsals in the day and in the show at night. And, and so something had to give. And in that case, communication was the thing that I, that had to give. And, and I got some people being like, are you angry at me? You know, and I'm sorry. And I was like, and then I had to be like, no, no, I, I'm just, I'm so, you know, not at all. I just, I just had no time to answer anything. So it's like for, for a second there.

And now things have kind of gone back a little bit to normal and I've got time during the show so I can answer texts. But I was like, oh, like, I see why, like, famous people have like, you know, people do this for them because you just don't have enough hours in the day. So I was, you know, famous for like five weeks there.

[27:57] Alan Seales: You're still, you're still famous. You're, you're now, you're in, you're social famous, you're funny girl famous. And it's funny because I think this is one of those things like, now it's, it's marketing, right? So whenever, like, if you're thirsty, what do you reach for? Coca-Cola, because I see that marketing everywhere. So like, now I need somebody who can sing and acting and has comedy chops. Who can I reach for? I'm going to reach for Julie. So I think like, this is, this is marketing for you. And so don't underestimate what, what this, these five weeks, I mean, gosh, this show, everyone's, this is your breakout role. And, and I hope looking back on this 60 years from now or 70 years, you could remember this time fondly, even through all the drama.

And I think, I think you will anyway, because, you know, what, genetically, evolutionarily, we are predisposed to remember only the good stuff for the most part anyway. So I think, I think you'll be all right. It's been, I mean, it's been great. You know, I really have, I have no complaints except for that I was tired, which is to be expected. You know?

[29:00] Julie Benko: Yeah, you're fine. You're fine. So where, where does the need to learn new instruments, get multiple degrees, do all of this stuff, in addition to the desire to even start performing in the first place? Where did this come from?

[29:15] Julie Benko: Oh, I love learning. I mean, I think, I don't know if that's just a family trait in, you know, but my family was certainly always just learning and reading and taking classes. And I don't know, I think, you know, I think in a lot of Jewish families have this, you know, dedication towards, towards learning. I mean, that's, it's not just Jewish families, but it's certainly, I think, a value held in a lot of Jewish homes. And, you know, when I booked, I remember when I booked Lily Miz Tour, which is my second time that I left undergrad, because I left undergrad three times to go work. And then I came back. My grandma called and she was like, you should not leave school because people can take, people can take anything away from you, but they can't take your education away.

And I was like, Grandma, I'm taking this job. But I said, I'm, I was like, but I said, I promise you, I'll go back and I'll finish. And I did. And then, I don't know, I think, I don't, I also think like as an artist, like, you're just, you're never done. And, you know, I have this master's degree, like you're never really a master, I think, like, because you're always changing and, and the world is always changing. And, you know, there's just always more to know. And, and, and there's always so many, there's so many perspectives to, to look through. And, you know, the world is a big, big place. And I only know a tiny slice of it. But I also just like, I mean, when it comes to, I mean, there's so much stuff that it's funny. I'm like, there's some, I don't know, I'm rambling now. But I, what do I, I don't know what I, I just.

[31:22] Alan Seales: Well, like when you were a kid, did you, did you start, did you start singing, performing? Do you have a memory of seeing a movie or a show and saying like, that's what I want to do?

[31:31] Julie Benko: I remember seeing Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie and just how incredible she was. And then that was cool that, you know, when I went to NYU, I actually took a class with her and she became my teacher. And now people are like, oh, it's like the Sutton Foster story. They like compare me to her. So that's, and she's the nicest person in the world. So, I mean, I, I loved, I just remember like, I could sing you every line from Thoroughly Modern Millie. And I don't know if there was one moment, but there was a moment where I sort of knew, it really changed like my whole family's trajectory, which is like, we always, I grew up close to the city. We always came in and saw Broadway shows and always did like theater club and stuff at school.

And I even wrote, I think I wrote a play in the fifth grade, like that was based on the American Girl Dolls series, but I like created a new American Girl, or no, it was the Dear America. I don't know if you ever read these books, but they were like diary, they were novels that were like diaries of girls at different times in American history.

[32:50] Alan Seales: I think I'm the wrong demographic.

[32:51] Julie Benko: Yeah, maybe, maybe. But I like wrote a play.

[32:55] Alan Seales: I read Hardy Boys.

[32:57] Julie Benko: Yeah, yeah. I read Nancy Drew, but I read, I like wrote a play in the fifth grade, like based on the Dear America series. And, and, and, you know, it was like about a Jewish girl coming to, through Ellis Island. And then I, oh, I do remember the American Girl Dolls. Like I was obsessed with Kirsten and she was the, the one who is from Sweden and she goes on the journey, you know, over the American Ocean. And then she goes up to Michigan and she makes friends with a Native American girl, all this stuff. But she, I was just obsessed with her. And I had this like director's kit and there were like four scripts and a director's guide. And I like would, I was like nine and I would get like my neighbors and friends and I would be like, I would direct them in like a little production in our backyard.

And I was like, I'm Kirsten. But then like Kirsten had this friend named Marta who dies of cholera, like on the journey. And, but so like for Marta's death scene, like I would play Marta because it was such a good scene. And then I would like switch back to Kirsten after Marta was dead. So like always loved it. And then I always loved singing and everyone would be like, my mom was like, no, like you're not good. I'd be like, can I have voice lessons? She'd be like, no. You know, she was just not, she did not think I had any talent. She was like, your friend, Sarah, who lives down the street, now she can sing. And then I was like studying for my bat mitzvah and my cantor said to my mom, like, actually she's got some, some talent.

You should get her voice lessons. So I started voice lessons around, like after my bat mitzvah was over and then they were doing Fiddler on the Roof at the local JCC. And I was like, I was 14. I was a freshman in high school. And I said like, dad, can you drive me to this audition? He's like, okay. And then my sister was like, I want to come. And then my mom said, well, I'm not sitting around alone. Like I'm coming. And so we get to the audition. I do my audition. And then the director sees my dad and she's like, sir, we're desperate for papas. Can you please audition? And he was like, I do commercial real estate. Like I don't, I don't do this. And she was like, please, you can sing happy birthday.

We just were desperate, please. And so he was like, okay. And so he sang happy birthday. Then they saw my sister. They're like, you should audition for the little girl, you know, one of the little daughters. And then my mom was like, well, I'm not going to sit around. We all got cast. Like my mom was like, I'm not sitting around at home while you're all at rehearsal. So she was a villager and she sold bagels. And I played Huddle. And my dad was Remorka the innkeeper. My sister was Bielka. And then like my uncle, who's a rabbi, came in and was like the cultural consultant and like made sure the wedding was correct and all this stuff. And that show, like the director of that show became my acting teacher, my first acting teacher.

And she coached me for my college auditions. And she was the one who sat me down freshman year after that was over. And she said, I think you could do this professionally. And I was like, what? So that was the one that she put that in my head. And that show, doing that production of Fiddler on the Roof changed the whole course of our family. Because my dad now is, he got the bug from that. And now he does, he's the president and treasurer of the local community theater in our hometown. And he plays Ebenezer Scrooge every year in A Christmas Carol in an immersive production, which is like at the Burr Mansion. They've changed it around, but it's Fairfield, Connecticut. But he plays Scrooge every year.

It's like his big star turn. They like walk you through the house and kind of like it's Sleep No More. And like you go from room to room, the ghosts lead you and you're like in this historic venue. And so my dad does that every year. He actually just played, he was in La Cage a Folle and he was in Cabaret. And they did both La Cage and Cabaret at the only gay bar in town. It's like at a site specific. It was like, it's just like this amazing community theater. So he does that. And my sister is a director and a writer and she lives in Brooklyn. And my mom comes to see Funny Girl like every week. She's seen the show every Thursday. She's there like everybody knows her at the theater. But yeah, that show led all of us on this path. And then I got to do Fiddler on Broadway. So it was very full circle moment.

[38:00] Alan Seales: We're going to take a short break. Stay tuned for more of the episode.

[38:06] Julie Benko: Wow. That's so cool. I love that your whole family got involved in it. It literally changed the trajectory of everybody involved.

[38:12] Julie Benko: Oh yeah. My dad is like obsessed with theater now too. Now my mom comes in on Thursdays and sees Funny Girl. My dad will be like, what should I see today? And he goes and sees everything else because he's seen Funny Girl so many times. He saw Leopoldstadt yesterday and my mom was, I know.

[38:25] Alan Seales: Oh my gosh. So heavy. So heavy. Got the play though right here.

[38:31] Julie Benko: Such good acting. What did you think?

[38:33] Alan Seales: Brandon Uranowitz.

[38:34] Julie Benko: Yeah, Brandon Uranowitz.

[38:37] Julie Benko: So good.

[38:39] Julie Benko: So good. So good. All right. Everybody go see that and Funny Girl. And also, so you've got your own writing directing credits as well. So you've got the Newlyweds Guide to Physical Intimacy, which you just wrote, directed, and starred in. And your first full-length play, The District, was named a semifinalist at the 2022 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Like you got talent literally busting.

[39:04] Julie Benko: So, like, what do you want to do? Do you want to continue down everything all at once? Or are you, like, what's going on next? And I know that's a horrible question. No, but I think, yes, I want to do all, everything all at once. I am enjoying that I get to do all different kinds of things and not be put in a box, which I think the industry likes to do to us. They like to say, you do this one thing. And now that I feel like I found my voice as a writer, which took going to grad school, which I didn't, I didn't go to a writing program, but I have multiple things I want to write. And I just, I had to take a break during Fanny time because it was just too much. But I'm looking forward now that I have some more time to start going back to some projects that I didn't, you know, that I sort of had to take a break from and developing new things.

I want to record my next album. I've already got a list of songs that, you know, for the next one. So that'll probably hopefully happen next year. I want to, you know, I have this training as an actor and, you know, and I love musical theater and I want to keep doing it. But I also my most of my resume is musicals and I think that's because I can sing, but I, I like want to try other mediums too. You know, I just, I I'm really looking forward to, to seeing what other kinds of stuff that I can do, because theater and musical theater will always be, you know, my home. You come home to that and there's nothing like a live audience and, and like just that, that connection with an audience. But I think it's been really fun to find other creative outlets and learn how other things work. And which I guess is like a theme. I just like learning how things work and being a part of different kinds of stuff. I mean, I just, I'm like, I don't know what it's going to be, you know.

[41:14] Alan Seales: I think that's the perfect answer. Just yes to everything and embrace the opportunities when they come, because you just never know when something's going to flip and then you're all of a sudden going to be shot out of a cannon into the limelight. Like it's, it's great. And you know, capturing lightning in a bottle, that whole cliché saying you just don't know when it, when it's going to hit. So I, I'm the same way. I completely understand. Just do what interests you and follow your passion, right? And then you're going to fall into the things that make you happy and one of them is going to be successful.

[41:45] Julie Benko: Exactly. Exactly. Like, the weird things, I think people always used to say, like, just be yourself. Like, that's like, you know, you ask for advice, young actors, whatever. And people are like, just be yourself. And I never like knew what that meant because in a way it's sort of like, it's so vague that you're like, you already know who you are. So how can you just be that? Like, you don't know what it's like to actually be anybody else. So I always hated that advice, but I think like thinking about it in terms of like, what makes you excited? What just, what makes you, what do you like? And then going from there, like that was an easier, that was a better question to answer when it comes to like, what do I want?

What am I interested in? Like this, you know, that newlyweds guide thing I, I wrote, I volunteer with this organization called Footsteps, which is about, or it's a, it's a social services organization that helps Hasidic, people who are trying to leave the Hasidic community. So, you know, very ultra Orthodox people who were raised in this community where oftentimes they don't get a basic secular education. So they can't do like basic third grade math. And so I would do tutoring, like volunteer tutoring. And I helped a couple women get their GEDs, which was like very eye-opening. And, you know, I was always thinking like, wow, like we come from the same background and yet here I am and here you are.

And we live so close, like Williamsburg or Borough Park, like we're not, we're in the same city and yet completely different exposure. You know, these women who are like, you're like, what's two times three? And they're like five, you know, they don't even, that's like that basic is so, and, and, or they'll be like, let's meet at the main branch of the New York public library. And they're like, where, like, what is that? I will, I know what it looks like. And you're like, you literally grew up in Brooklyn and, you know, it's, or, you know, you're, they're answering a question, a math question. That's like, how does, you know, oh, it's like, what's the odds that you'll pick up, you know, a club, a red, a red card of the number five or something.

And they're like, what does that mean? Like, they don't know what a deck of cards, you know, or, you know, what's the population density in Beijing? And they're like, what's Beijing? Like, just like these things where you're like, I don't even know how. So I've done a lot of volunteer work with that organization. They do like amazing work. And so then, you know, that led me to be interested in, in that community more and learn more from, I think from like a, a respectful insider, you know, perspective, not that I'm an insider, but you can at least, you like, have real people that you know who are, so you're not just like, going off of some received notion of what it's like. And, you know, and then my, my play, The District, like, it's about, it's set in New Orleans, in the, the legal red light district that existed there in 1897 to 1917.

And it's like, I have this interest in New Orleans and early jazz music. And like, that led me down that path. And like, I like, you know, reading about history and the history of women and women of color. And I, you know, I think that's just like, it's just whatever you find really interesting, like, just go there. Instead of, I don't know, just like some general, like, quote unquote, be yourself. That's never helped me.

[45:32] Alan Seales: Embrace what makes you different.

[45:34] Julie Benko: I think that's, yeah, yeah. So don't try to be like somebody else. Yeah, embrace what you find fascinating. I love, I love that. I mean, because it's not work. It's, it's fun. It's fun. If you're, if you're following your own passions, then just doing what excites you. And if you're excited, then it's always going to be happy. So, let's see, three questions I ask everyone to wrap up the episodes. The first one, just very simply, is what motivates you? Such a basic question and yet so deep. I think what motivates me is a passion for, I think what motivates me is a passion for connecting with others through storytelling. And I think, trying to, like, think of, like, my favorite things that I've seen that have given me motivation. It's like the urge to make people feel and feel alive and connected to their humanity. And I think the urge for myself to feel connected to others.

[46:40] Alan Seales: Yeah, connection.

[46:41] Julie Benko: Connection. Yeah, we are human and we need connection. We are herd animals. Okay, so second question, what advice would you give to your younger self and younger people listening now starting out down a similar path? My advice would be to create your own work. And in order to do that, take 10 minutes a day to do whatever that means to you. I think I always felt overwhelmed at the idea of, like, well, I can't just sit down and write a whole play or sit down and finish a whole thing and stare at that page for, you know, that blinking cursor for so long. And then you just feel like, I don't have nothing to say. And it's always bad. And it's always crappy. And so that 10 minutes a day advice, which I got from, I don't know if you know her, Christine Toy Johnson, who is a great, yeah, she's great.

She's in Come From Away right now. And she is a fantastic writer. And she played my mother in a production of Our Town. I was Emily and she was my mother. And she was like 10 minutes a day. And that changed my life. Because suddenly, you just go, oh, well, if nothing comes today, then I have tomorrow. And like the pressure is removed. And you can set your timer. And then if you hit, you're on a roll, then sometimes that 10 minutes turns into 1, 2, 3 hours. And it's like the time goes by like that. And sometimes on the days when you're not feeling it, you know, you just need to show up every day for 10 minutes. So that's what I would tell myself. Whatever it is, and whatever it is you want to do, it doesn't have to be for writing. It can be for playing the clarinet, you know, whatever.

[48:36] Alan Seales: Yeah, or becoming learning, learning the washboard tie, the tie, the washboard tie, the washboard tie.

[48:44] Julie Benko: Okay. All right. Last question. This is the hardest one. If you can only see one show for the rest of your life, but you can see it as many times as you want to.

[48:54] Julie Benko: Oh, this is hard. I want to say, I think, once. I've done it thrice. And I've done it thrice. But I also, I don't know, I feel like I could also say Fiddler on the Roof or Ragtime, or that Henry VI Shakespeare plays. But I don't know. It's hard to pick. It's hard to pick. I think once, though, I love just that, you know, it's so it's funny, it's moving. And everybody plays their own instruments. And I could watch that stuff for forever. Plus, what was nice, what's nice about once is they have the pre-show, which changes every night. So even if you watch the same show every night, you get a different pre-show.

[49:51] Alan Seales: Fair, fair. Okay, so where can we find you on social media?

[49:54] Julie Benko: You can find me on Instagram and Twitter and my most popular page, my TikTok at Juju Julie B. And it's like J-U-J-U-J-U-L-I-E. And then it'll, the rest will fill in. And it's not Jujubee though. That's the drag queen. Everybody confuses us. But I'm, I'm waiting, I would love to get an endorsement from Jujubees. Because, you know, who doesn't like chocolate? And but anyway, you can find me there. And you know, my website and juliebenko.com. And you can go and subscribe. And I really sent out very, very occasional emails. But just when I've got like, a concert coming up at 54 Below, like, you know, or something, I'll send out an email like, I've got this concert, you know, just so you know, it's happening. Because sometimes on the socials, like people miss stuff.

[50:55] Alan Seales: Fair. Yeah, because it disappears.

[50:57] Julie Benko: Well, I have had a blast talking to you. This has been incredible. You can get more of me at thetheaterpodcast.com. I'm on Instagram and Twitter at theater underscore podcasts on Facebook at official theater podcast. I don't know how to consolidate my names. I apparently, I joined TikTok as the theater podcast. It's under curated. I need to get you to teach me how to frickin ticky talk because I don't understand it. If I work on a video for like hours, it will get no views. And if I do something that takes me five seconds, it will go viral. So I just don't I don't work on it less is all I can say. That's my thing. I'm like, I overthink it. I'm like, Well, I got to plan it out. I got to script it.

And I got to plan my angles. And then no, no, you're right. I just need to just frickin put stuff out there. 10 minutes a day. There's my 10 minutes a day. TikTok. There we go. All right, edited by well run of the productions. Thank you to Jukebox the Ghost for the intro and outro music and Julie, thank you. This has been so much fun. I've enjoyed meeting you.

[51:49] Julie Benko: Thank you. You too. Had such a lovely time.