This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Alan Seales: Welcome to another episode of The Theatre Podcast. Intimate personal conversations with theatre's biggest names. I am your host, Alan Seales.

[0:10] Jillian Ackman: And I am your... Oh, I forgot what it was. I'm your producer, Jillian Ackman.

[0:19] Alan Seales: Wow. And I thought I needed a nap. It's going well.

[0:23] Alan Seales: This episode is with Sarah Stiles. She is currently starring in Tootsie, the musical on Broadway. One of the best musicals out there, of course, nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2019. And she got a nomination for her role as Sandy Lester in the musical as well. She's just phenomenal. She has this patter song. You haven't seen it yet.

[0:45] Jillian Ackman: I have not seen the show yet.

[0:46] Alan Seales: She has a patter song to end all patter songs.

[0:49] Jillian Ackman: Yeah.

[0:49] Alan Seales: And it comes back several times as a recurring theme in the show.

[0:54] Jillian Ackman: You know what? I saw her performing at BroadwayCon. I remember this.

[0:58] Alan Seales: Oh, my goodness. It is so good.

[1:00] Jillian Ackman: Yeah. I remember it being really just like, how did she learn that?

[1:04] Alan Seales: Yeah. She talks about that in the episode, how nervous she was the first time she had to perform it. But she's also very busy in terms of filming as well. She is in Billions, season four on Showtime. She's in Get Shorty, season three, which just wrapped. That's on Epix. And that just goes to show you, she tells these stories that having great relationships in the industry pays off because she has either been rehearsing or performing in Tootsie while leaving the state to go film other things. Or yeah, while she was out of town with Chicago, with the out of town with Tootsie, they flew her back to New York to do Billions.

[1:43] Jillian Ackman: So kids, make friends wherever you go, because you never know who's going to be a fan of the TV show you're on.

[1:50] Alan Seales: Yeah. On Get Shorty, for those who have seen it, you know there's lots of nudity in Get Shorty, her included. And we actually get into that a little bit. When we were talking about that, she was like, well, it's not the first time I did a nude scene. And she reminded me that the first time she actually did anything like that was in another Showtime show called I'm Dying Up Here. And I just thought it was funny. She mentioned that she watched it. She made her mom watch it.

[2:15] Jillian Ackman: With her.

[2:15] Alan Seales: With her. Which is just baller right there.

[2:18] Jillian Ackman: Right. Made her mom watch it because she was so proud of it. And yeah, I think that takes some confidence.

[2:24] Alan Seales: It does. And if you're going to do scenes like that, and you're going to show off your acting abilities in every different scenario, why not? Why not be proud of your art and what you do? It's interesting that, well, we were talking about it, she said that it's her and like Sarah Stiles herself is not like that. She would be uncomfortable. But as a character, as each of these characters, it makes total sense. It progresses the story. It's not gratuitous. And it's part of what the character does.

[2:55] Jillian Ackman: Yeah. If the person would be doing it anyway, it fits in. Whereas if it, she also mentions, if the character wouldn't do something like that, it would be really awkward and be really weird. Like she wouldn't be able to do it with Sandy in Tootsie because Sandy is a neurotic crazy lady who wouldn't think that way.

[3:15] Alan Seales: Right. Right. Well, everybody, before we get into the episode, please visit us at ttp.fm.

[3:21] Jillian Ackman: Yeah, that's right. We got a short domain.

[3:23] Alan Seales: Oh, yeah, we did. Less typing, more listening.

[3:27] Alan Seales: ttp.fm. And as always, ttp.fm slash Patreon to show your support. For those of you who are at the $5 tier or higher, you got notification that we were going to interview Sarah and incorporated some of the questions into the session here. So please visit us there. Subscribe, rate, share with your friends, et cetera, et cetera. All that stuff we always say. Now, please enjoy this episode with Sarah Stiles.

[4:04] Alan Seales: This two-time Tony nominee made her Broadway debut in 2003, stepping into the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q. She's been involved in other shows and national tours such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Into the Woods at Shakespeare in the Park, and Hand to God. Now starring as Sandy Lester in Tootsie the Musical, Sarah Stiles, welcome to The Theatre Podcast.

[4:28] Sarah Stiles: Oh, it's so nice to be here. But you kind of got one of the facts wrong.

[4:31] Alan Seales: I did?

[4:32] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, dude.

[4:32] Alan Seales: What? What? What?

[4:33] Sarah Stiles: My Broadway debut was Spelling Bee.

[4:36] Alan Seales: No kidding?

[4:36] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, my Broadway debut is going on for...

[4:39] Alan Seales: Hold on, hold on, hold on. Do you need to rerecord it?

[4:41] Sarah Stiles: No, no, no, no. We should just talk about it.

[4:43] Alan Seales: No, I want to, I want to.

[4:45] Sarah Stiles: Is that one of the facts that's wrong?

[4:47] Alan Seales: IBDB.com.

[4:48] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[4:49] Alan Seales: Sarah Stiles. So we're pulling this up here.

[4:53] Sarah Stiles: Because you don't believe me. That's what's happening right now.

[4:56] Alan Seales: Avenue Q is listed 2003 to 2000. Oh, I read it wrong. You went in 07.

[5:02] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Yeah, dude.

[5:05] Alan Seales: That'll teach me to be totally wasted when I do my research.

[5:09] Sarah Stiles: No, right? Oh, man, never again. No, I went on for, who was first? Sarah Salzberg for the matinee and Celia at night. That was my Broadway debut.

[5:22] Alan Seales: Really?

[5:22] Sarah Stiles: On a Sunday, matinee and evening.

[5:23] Alan Seales: Wow.

[5:24] Sarah Stiles: With no put-ins. It was pretty awesome.

[5:26] Alan Seales: Did you at least have costumes?

[5:28] Sarah Stiles: No, I used theirs.

[5:29] Alan Seales: Really?

[5:29] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[5:31] Alan Seales: Oof.

[5:31] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[5:31] Alan Seales: How long was the show open at that point?

[5:34] Sarah Stiles: Well, Kate Weatherhead was the cover for them. And she went off to do Sarah Plain and Tall. And so they had me in as a vacation swing, not really thinking I was going to go on, because I was there for a month. And I went on a ton.

[5:46] Alan Seales: Wow.

[5:47] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Because those ladies got sick. It was allergy season. They were out a lot.

[5:52] Alan Seales: But it was amazing. And then I booked the tour right from that. Bill Finn came and saw the evening show. And he apparently called the stage manager the next day and goes, when's that Sally Shrugs going back on? Because he knew it was an SS. He was so close.

[6:09] Alan Seales: Sally.

[6:10] Sarah Stiles: So far.

[6:10] Alan Seales: Sally Shrugs.

[6:11] Sarah Stiles: So still people from that company call me Sally Shrugs.

[6:15] Alan Seales: That's like, that should be like your alter ego.

[6:17] Sarah Stiles: I know. It sounds like a cute cartoon, doesn't it?

[6:20] Alan Seales: Yeah. Well, like if you have too much to drink.

[6:21] Sarah Stiles: Like Sally Shrugs.

[6:22] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[6:22] Sarah Stiles: We could, yeah, we'll write a whole cartoon with her. She's a little insecure. She's just starting out. She's very excited. Wide-eyed.

[6:29] Alan Seales: Have you ever done a video like that?

[6:31] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, dude. I did one today. I'm on Sunny Day.

[6:34] Alan Seales: Did you really?

[6:34] Sarah Stiles: And Steven Universe. Yeah.

[6:36] Alan Seales: Wow. Oh, that's so cool. Okay. I'm telling you, man, don't get drunk while you're researching.

[6:43] Sarah Stiles: I was not drunk for the record.

[6:46] Alan Seales: So let's talk about your early stuff. You were actually born in Massachusetts, but raised in New Hampshire. Yeah?

[6:51] Sarah Stiles: Yes.

[6:51] Alan Seales: Okay. So tell me about that story.

[6:53] Sarah Stiles: About my birth?

[6:54] Alan Seales: Yes. Tell me.

[6:56] Sarah Stiles: Actually, it is kind of a story. I come from very like crunchy granola parents. And I was born at home. My parents were staying where, you know, they didn't have their own. They're very poor, didn't have their own place. They're staying at a friend's house. And through the all the pregnancy, and then I was born to a room full of hippies to an audience.

[7:15] Alan Seales: Kind of like a doula and then do the natural birth.

[7:17] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[7:18] Alan Seales: Not you, your mom.

[7:19] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. She was just naked, you know, giving birth to me. And I was, yeah, I tumbled out and, and ta-da. It was my first audience.

[7:29] Alan Seales: I've got two kids that are relatively little. And I went down a rabbit hole one night of watching these at home.

[7:35] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah.

[7:36] Alan Seales: Like nature births, like birth into a stream.

[7:38] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah.

[7:39] Alan Seales: And it's not something.

[7:40] Sarah Stiles: That feels like maybe a little bit unsanitary, birthing into a stream.

[7:44] Alan Seales: It was just like, I want my baby to be into the most natural place.

[7:50] Sarah Stiles: Oh, man. Yeah. I feel like if that was an option, my mom probably would have done that.

[7:55] Alan Seales: I think anything's really an option.

[7:57] Sarah Stiles: I guess it is.

[7:57] Alan Seales: If you wanted it to.

[7:58] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. No, there's pictures of me like hours old on the lawn. Like, you know, they're just holding me in the grass.

[8:05] Alan Seales: Wow.

[8:06] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[8:06] Alan Seales: That, that's cute.

[8:08] Sarah Stiles: It's, yeah.

[8:09] Alan Seales: I think, yeah, I'll call it cute.

[8:11] Sarah Stiles: It's cute. It's a little weird, but it all adds to the story of today.

[8:17] Alan Seales: Are you, do you think you want to do that with your kids one day?

[8:21] Sarah Stiles: I don't, listen, I don't think I'm having my own kids. My boyfriend has two fabulous children and I take care of them. But, yeah, I don't think I'm having kids.

[8:31] Alan Seales: You never know. Never say never.

[8:32] Sarah Stiles: I don't know. I'm kind of old, man. I had a big birthday last week.

[8:35] Alan Seales: Till those, what, the big 2-0?

[8:37] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Well, yeah, double that.

[8:38] Alan Seales: 2-1?

[8:39] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[8:40] Alan Seales: I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid.

[8:41] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah. You're, yeah, you're older than me. That's right.

[8:44] Alan Seales: No, I turned 40 on Thursday.

[8:46] Sarah Stiles: Oh, happy late birthday.

[8:47] Alan Seales: Yeah. Yeah. I'm proud of it. I was working. I was in Vancouver shooting season three of Get Shorty, and then I took a red eye that night to fly back so that I could make it back in for the Friday night of Tootsie. It was kind of awesome, though. There's something great about working on your birthday, and I was doing two really awesome jobs on different sides of the country.

[9:11] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah. I took a red eye back.

[9:12] Alan Seales: In a different country.

[9:13] Sarah Stiles: I took a red eye back two weeks ago, and I still haven't recovered.

[9:15] Alan Seales: Yeah. I was kind of, I was a little out of it yesterday, but I feel better today. But, yeah, working two jobs, two big jobs.

[9:21] Jillian Ackman: I didn't know Get Shorty worked, filmed in Vancouver.

[9:24] Sarah Stiles: Well, they didn't. The first season we were in Albuquerque, which was super fun, because New Mexico is like beautiful, and we did lots of traveling and excursions on weekends. And then we shot in LA last season, and now we're in Vancouver. I don't know. They can't figure out where they want to be. So we keep going. Well, I'll just go wherever they are.

[9:41] Alan Seales: That's nice, though. They just fly out.

[9:43] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty nice. It's a nice flight from here. The direct is Cathay Pacific. So it's the flight that goes to Hong Kong. So you get dim sum on the plane.

[9:55] Alan Seales: Ooh.

[9:55] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. It's kind of fabulous.

[9:56] Alan Seales: I love those types of airlines.

[9:58] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You feel so baller.

[10:00] Alan Seales: Slippers and the masks and everything.

[10:02] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah. All of it. The lotion. You're like, I don't put lotion on my hands, but I'm gonna.

[10:06] Alan Seales: Because I gave it to you, damn it.

[10:08] Sarah Stiles: It's free.

[10:10] Alan Seales: So, okay. Born in Mass. Raised in New Hampshire. What was your childhood like? Where did you get into the performing and whatnot?

[10:22] Sarah Stiles: I did gymnastics when I was little, which I wanted to be more performing than it actually was a sport. So I felt like, I think that was sort of my first like, oh, people are applauding. That feels great. Let's keep doing that. And then I started doing some dance. I mean, I grew up in a very small town in New Hampshire, and there was not a lot of options for me. But my fourth grade teacher, was that fourth grade? No, fifth grade, Mrs. Grandmont thought that I would enjoy theater. And so she convinced my mother to, she circled a bunch of like ads in the paper for different summer camps. And she convinced my mom to set me up with those. And so I did. That's when I started in fifth grade. And then I just fell deeply, deeply in love.

I remember that there was one week called Broadway Week. And it was all like really, give my regards to Broadway and Hernando's Hideaway. And we were learning all these songs. And that's where I sort of found my voice. And I was totally hooked from then on.

[11:28] Alan Seales: And how old were you then?

[11:29] Sarah Stiles: That was fifth grade. How old are you in fifth grade? I don't know.

[11:34] Alan Seales: Eight.

[11:35] Sarah Stiles: Eight, 11.

[11:37] Jillian Ackman: Two, two fingers. Jillian says you're two fingers old.

[11:41] Alan Seales: No, I don't know. 11, yeah.

[11:42] Sarah Stiles: 11 sounds about right.

[11:44] Alan Seales: Yeah. Pre-pubescent, mind you. I think I got my period like backstage. Yeah, I actually totally did. Can we talk about this? Is this inappropriate? Of course.

[11:55] Sarah Stiles: TMI, get ready, y'all. Yeah, I'm very, it's all of my firsts.

[12:01] Alan Seales: We're on stage.

[12:02] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[12:04] Alan Seales: Oh, man. I did a local production of Aladdin years ago. And it wasn't called Aladdin because they couldn't afford the rights to it.

[12:11] Sarah Stiles: Oh, stop it.

[12:12] Alan Seales: But I was like 22, 23, something like that. And Jasmine was 15 or 16 and had never kissed in a minute. I was her first kiss.

[12:22] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah. Yeah. How old were you?

[12:24] Alan Seales: I was like early 20s. I was out of college.

[12:26] Sarah Stiles: And she was 15?

[12:29] Alan Seales: Yeah, like 15 or 16.

[12:30] Sarah Stiles: I don't know. This sounds like an inappropriate story.

[12:32] Alan Seales: I mean, that's where the story is. Because we're still friends on Facebook.

[12:37] Sarah Stiles: Okay, good. It worked out okay.

[12:40] Alan Seales: Oh my God, that's hilarious. Yeah, that is weird when that happens. I don't know. My first kiss was not on stage, thank God. But I've done it a lot since then.

[12:51] Sarah Stiles: The most awkward, no, I guess not awkward, enjoyable slash, okay, I'm kind of enjoying this moment is I was Knicki in Grease. And there's like three pages of script where it's like Knicki and Rizzo make out.

[13:05] Alan Seales: Make out, yeah.

[13:06] Sarah Stiles: That's a long time.

[13:07] Alan Seales: Yeah, it is. Yeah, during whole scenes, right? I did Grease a couple times. I did Grease with Liza Kritzer and Andy Karl. Yeah, it was that, how crazy.

[13:15] Sarah Stiles: And that's a lot of groping.

[13:17] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[13:17] Sarah Stiles: You just kind of go with it. Anyway.

[13:21] Alan Seales: So, I was reading that you originally wanted to be a fashion designer or thought you could be one?

[13:26] Sarah Stiles: When were you reading that?

[13:27] Alan Seales: It was on the internet.

[13:29] Sarah Stiles: Oh man, I don't know who said that. I mean, listen, I love fashion. I do love clothes. I have never really wanted to do anything else with this. Maybe I said that at one point because I thought, oh, I should have, I should say I want to do something else. So, if this doesn't work out, there's like, I'm not completely delusional. But yeah, so I picked fashion. That seems like another really steady, no, I don't know. I mean, yeah, I love, I would love, I have a dream about getting some time in my life to open up so that I can take some like sewing classes. I really think it'd be fun to make my own clothes. I'd probably wind up in like crazy tutus on every red carpet, but I'd be okay with that.

[14:10] Alan Seales: Make your own stuff and-

[14:11] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[14:12] Alan Seales: You like start a fashion line with Bob Mackie.

[14:14] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, totally. I mean, I had, I did, I knit for a while and I would sell, I would crochet and knit hats and sell them to like chorus girls. That was like a survival job.

[14:25] Alan Seales: No, for real, like made my rent for a number of months doing that.

[14:31] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[14:32] Alan Seales: That's sort of crazy, but they had lots of bright flowers on them and I mean-

[14:37] Sarah Stiles: So you're one of those people that can just knit, knit a whole thing in like 10 minutes.

[14:42] Alan Seales: I turn around and you're like, okay, here's a hat.

[14:43] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. I'm kind of like that. Yeah. Because I don't follow patterns. So I choose really chunky yarn and just get it done quick. I don't have the patience, like the people that can sit and like knit a sweater. I can't do that. I can't follow, I can't follow the pattern. I don't even know what I'm doing. I just keep going until something, I'm like, oh, that'll hold.

[15:00] Alan Seales: I have never, well, I've held the chopsticks. What are they called?

[15:06] Sarah Stiles: The chopstick needles?

[15:07] Alan Seales: Needle. Yes. Sewing needles. I've held them and I don't know what to do with them.

[15:12] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[15:13] Alan Seales: I think it would be kind of fun to like sit on the subway and listen to my podcast.

[15:17] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[15:17] Alan Seales: Knit a little bit.

[15:18] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. It's very relaxing.

[15:20] Alan Seales: I could teach you. We could have a session. Not right now. It might take a little longer.

[15:23] Sarah Stiles: I don't have any chopsticks with me.

[15:25] Alan Seales: Yeah, you're right. You're right.

[15:27] Sarah Stiles: Could you actually use chopsticks or do you need a little hook thing on the end?

[15:30] Alan Seales: You definitely can't use chopsticks.

[15:35] Sarah Stiles: I don't know.

[15:36] Alan Seales: No, I bet you could. I don't know. Maybe.

[15:38] Sarah Stiles: I've never tried it.

[15:39] Alan Seales: You could like MacGyver this together. Take chopsticks and a paper clip.

[15:43] Sarah Stiles: Okay. Yeah.

[15:44] Alan Seales: With some tape.

[15:44] Sarah Stiles: No. Oh, you're talking about like a crochet hook.

[15:46] Alan Seales: Oh, is there a difference?

[15:48] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Because a knitting needle doesn't have the hook on it.

[15:51] Alan Seales: What?

[15:52] Sarah Stiles: I know.

[15:53] Alan Seales: You're blowing my mind right now.

[15:54] Sarah Stiles: Oh, good. That's the first one. Let's see how many times I can do it.

[16:00] Alan Seales: You're going to learn things today. Get ready.

[16:02] Sarah Stiles: I will. I've learned that my facts are wrong about pretty much everything that's come out of my mouth so far.

[16:10] Alan Seales: What was your name?

[16:11] Sarah Stiles: Sally Shrugs.

[16:12] Alan Seales: Sally Shrugs.

[16:13] Sarah Stiles: Just call me Sally.

[16:14] Alan Seales: Sally Shrugs. Yes.

[16:16] Sarah Stiles: Okay. So let's start then with Spelling Bee because that was your Broadway debut.

[16:22] Alan Seales: When did you move to New York? So Spelling Bee was 2005, you said.

[16:26] Sarah Stiles: Oh, I don't know. I can't remember the year of that. It was a long, long time ago.

[16:29] Alan Seales: You were like, but were you in New York years before you landed the job or what?

[16:32] Sarah Stiles: I got there in 2000. Yeah. Because remember, we all thought that the world was going to end in 2000 and my mom was really freaked out about me being here, but I was like, I think it'll be okay, but I'll just avoid Times Square just in case. Yeah. I got there like, I don't know, fall right before 2000. And I did a bunch of, my first job was a non-equity tour of Titanic. And then I booked a lot of regional stuff and Spelling Bee, I was auditioning for Spelling Bee for like the San Francisco company, which I didn't get, but that's how I got the vacation swing because they liked me enough to just call, when they needed somebody to call me in like a few months later. So, but I'd been here a little while when that happened.

[17:16] Alan Seales: That was so exciting. Your Broadway debut was so exciting. You still remember where you were when you got the call?

[17:21] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. I was actually on tour with Tommy Doon doing Dr. Dolittle and I had to leave and we were like, oh God, how are we going to get out of this? But they did. They let me go.

[17:31] Alan Seales: Where you were also doing puppet work.

[17:33] Sarah Stiles: I know. My God, I totally was. Santino keeps ribbing me about all of this. I have a lot of puppets in my life. I don't know why. It's like three and two of them, some pretty graphic puppet sex.

[17:46] Alan Seales: I was going to say, yeah, puppet sex with two of them.

[17:49] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Like, yeah. I don't know. I never dreamed of holding that title. I think it's like a record.

[17:57] Alan Seales: It should be.

[17:58] Sarah Stiles: I don't know of any other shows.

[18:01] Alan Seales: Yeah. Right?

[18:02] Sarah Stiles: Listeners, write in, feedback at theaterpodcast.com. How many puppet shows are there on Broadway, especially, that have sex in them?

[18:10] Alan Seales: Yeah, there we go.

[18:10] Sarah Stiles: That's what I want to know.

[18:13] Alan Seales: So that opened in 2013, or 2003.

[18:16] Sarah Stiles: And that was my first time replacing. I was a part of that company for a year. So that felt more, that was like a bigger deal. And that was, yeah, that was pretty awesome doing that. But also kind of a weird entry, because my put-in happened on a Friday, and then that the local one strike happened the next day. And that lasted like two weeks or something, or two and a half weeks. So I, yeah, that was a weird way to join that company too.

[18:47] Alan Seales: But that's, we talked to Anne Harada a couple weeks ago for this podcast, and she was saying that like backstage, everyone's like, it's very, they're very, everyone's friendly. It's like, it is like a family. Contrary to what you see on stage, it's very like, nice and polite and happy backstage.

[19:05] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Wait, what do you mean contrary to on stage?

[19:07] Alan Seales: Well, on stage, it's all dirty and sex and internet's for porn.

[19:11] Sarah Stiles: Oh, you mean Avenue Q specifically?

[19:12] Alan Seales: Yes.

[19:13] Sarah Stiles: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was such a great company. I loved being a part of that show. I really did.

[19:18] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[19:19] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[19:19] Alan Seales: Funny, weird people.

[19:21] Sarah Stiles: It, gosh, I saw it. I've seen it multiple times over multiple years and in different people every time. And it's just always, always so good. I'm so sad that it closed.

[19:33] Alan Seales: Yeah. It had a nice long run though.

[19:35] Sarah Stiles: It did.

[19:36] Alan Seales: It was pretty awesome.

[19:36] Sarah Stiles: It did. It had a very good run. And so then I guess that was, so that was 05. And then the next, I guess Shakespeare in the Park is an off-Broadway credit, yeah?

[19:50] Sarah Stiles: I guess. Is that technically?

[19:51] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[19:51] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[19:52] Alan Seales: It's technically off-Broadway.

[19:52] Sarah Stiles: Yeah.

[19:53] Alan Seales: So Into the Woods with some amazing people.

[19:56] Sarah Stiles: Oh, my God. Yeah. That was, that was a dream. That was a dream role. Like for real. That, getting that part, I got that part. Again, kind of a weird story because we, they were looking for something very specific physically that I was, didn't match. And so they wouldn't see me for the longest time, but they had a really hard time casting it. And then they, you know, my manager, just who I've been with forever, my manager, Brian Leader, he just bullied them into seeing me. And finally I got, I got in there and he was like, you know, they're going to, you need to go in with like a solid take about what you want this girl to be, because it's not the typical version. So I went in with like combat boots and this little, like, you know, very goth.

Like I went kind of goth and dark and a lot of heavy eyeliner and just went in like a murderer. That was my idea was that she was like, really like intense and had, and maybe a little scary. So I went in with that take and they, the cast, Heidi loved it at the public. And so they, they called me back in. It was very quick. Like they were starting rehearsals that Monday or Tuesday or something of the next week. And I went in, had a callback, a series of callbacks, again, got another callback and say they were in rehearsal. I knew they were in rehearsal. It was two days in at this point, called in again. And there were like three of us and Gideon Redd with us, who was already cast as Jack. They were all downstairs rehearsing and they were, they were auditioning us upstairs.

And it was, I said, it was like the bachelor or something. I'm like, who's going to get the rose? Because basically they said, you're going to go in, Steven and James will be there along with the rest of the team and you'll audition. And then we will, everyone will leave and we'll let you know who is coming back to rehearsal. I mean, that's what it was. And it was my birthday. Wow. And I got the rose.

[21:52] Alan Seales: You got chosen. But I went directly into rehearsal that afternoon.

[21:55] Sarah Stiles: That's awesome. Yeah. One of the first people I met was Amy. I walked up and Amy's like, Amy Adams is just sitting on the couch and I'm like, oh my God. But I knew Jesse because I had done On a Clear Day. So Jesse was a buddy of mine. So that felt like, that felt really good.

[22:10] Alan Seales: Right. How long did On a Clear Day run for?

[22:12] Sarah Stiles: Not long. It was so short. It was sad. We worked on that because we did a bunch of, you know, we did it in New York stage and film and we had some workshops, vineyard. And I ultimately, I don't think it ran for more than like two or three weeks once we opened. Wow. Yeah. It opened in the winter time.

[22:32] Alan Seales: Yeah. I was going to say it was like around Christmas.

[22:37] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. We were rehearsing all during that time. Yeah. And doing previews and stuff. Yeah. Does that, I mean, do you see that coming or was, is it kind of staying, you're open and you're like, oh, the audience isn't full. What's going on?

[22:43] Alan Seales: I don't know. I mean, I think you get, you don't want to believe that. So you, I think we all really thought because of Harry that we would be there for a little while, but we knew the show wasn't just, it just wasn't gelling. It just wasn't like that, that sort of magic feeling we had at New York stage and film, just never, we were kind of kept waiting for it to happen. And it never really happened. And I don't know why it was sort of sad, but, but there were some great things that came up of it and meeting Jesse was, and Jesse's like introduction to, you know, New York. It was really cool to be there and witness that. That was, that was cool.

[23:26] Alan Seales: Yeah. I didn't realize that was like one of her. That was her first. She came right from Chicago. Wow. That's awesome.

[23:37] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Yeah. So that was cool. That was definitely cool. Yeah. Like the, the casts, the people I've, I see like one of the through lines of interviewing people is that the, I equate this to sort of, it's not trauma, but I sort of think that like an intense emotional experience when you are with somebody with, with people and with them day in and day out and experience these emotional highs and lows especially like we're opening a show and it's closing.

[24:01] Alan Seales: I know.

[24:06] Sarah Stiles: And then you bond with them in a way that, that I, I guess most people never have the opportunity to, to experience.

[24:12] Alan Seales: Yeah. I wrote this whole thing on like theater family. And I, I really believe that like the family that develops in, in the different shows and the different productions, they are so special and they're so unique and it is, it's super painful saying goodbye to them. But then again, you, when you see them again, you kind of just fall right back into that, that thing. I don't know that just, that love never goes away. It really is like you, you do, you bond really fast and pretty deep.

[24:45] Sarah Stiles: We, it's kind of, working in theater. Yeah. It's kind of your job to be emotionally vulnerable.

[24:50] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[24:50] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. And you live with them. You basically live with them.

[24:54] Alan Seales: Yeah. Like I remember talking about that with Hand to God, because on, for Hand to God on our floor, it was Michael, Michael Oberholzer and Geneva Carr and I were on one floor. And I always say that I'm like, oh yeah, that year we shared an apartment. We literally did. I mean, it's so, so it is, it's weird when you, when you aren't doing that, when you're not seeing them every day and the highs and the lows and all the birthdays and the, you know, everything.

[25:11] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. It's, it's interesting. I, I, I imagine backstage it's like, it's actually really tiny too, in most theaters.

[25:29] Alan Seales: Yeah. Not in here. The Tootsie is huge.

[25:35] Sarah Stiles: Oh, is it really? The marquee is so big.

[25:40] Alan Seales: Yeah. It's weird. It's weird, but not, that's not usual.

[25:45] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. It's very tiny in most Broadway houses.

[25:50] Alan Seales: Yeah. So you're almost on top of each other anyway.

[25:54] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. And then going through these emotional experiences. I think it's different like, cause I, I, I think there's something about, because you're doing the same thing every night too, that you have to find ways of investing in it that are new and fresh. And a lot of that has to do with your backstage life too. Like when you're doing TV and film, you're just, you have to do things over and over again in a day or in an hour or two, but then you're, then it's over and it's gone. So you bond with those people in, you know, in some ways it's like the scene work and stuff, it's, it gets very intimate and very real and very deep, very quick, but then you move on from it. But in theater, it's like you're, you, you relive it constantly. And it is just as much about your, your backstage world as it is your onstage world. So like both lives are, are constantly. So the offstage world.

[27:11] Sarah Stiles: Have you? I feel like that's a loaded question. You've got stories.

[27:15] Alan Seales: That's called being married.

[27:18] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, we're human. You know, we get on each other's nerves, but I don't know. I've been lucky. I've had some... I can't think of a cast that really was hard to be around. I really can't. I've loved all of the people and the experiences that I've gotten. It's... I've sort of noticed that as the more experienced everyone gets, the more... I guess the closer towards your high-end professionals. Like, in community theater, everyone... I mean, nothing against community theater, but it's like, I've worked with so many people who think they are divas in community theater. Big fish in a small pond. Or, like, when I was doing regional theater, I would work with these kids who were straight out of conservatories, who were always the hot shit in their hometown, and they get out in the real world.

And they're like, what do you mean I'm not getting the lead? I don't deserve to be in the back. I'm like, everyone has got to eat a little bit of humble pie every now and then. But then it is so hard to exist in this city and exist in the Broadway world and exist in theater in general. That if you've made it to where you are, that you're just like, yeah, this is... We're all normal people. We're all... We worked our ass off to be here. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's like... I just say this cast in particular, Tootsie, is just so lovely. And I think it's because everyone in the cast is so good at what they do. And the work, the material is so good. And they're getting... All of us are getting to do what makes us special and unique.

So there's confidence in that. And there's really... I think it all comes out of insecurity, right? That's when things start getting weird. So there isn't any of that. Everybody's super confident in what they do. We have deep respect for each other. And so there's none of that. I don't know. There really isn't any of that weirdness. Nobody's trying to one-up each other or trying to prove themselves because it's all been proven. Everybody gets their laughs and does great work. And we make each other laugh. God, rehearsal is so much fun.

[29:40] Alan Seales: Yeah. It's a crazy town. I can imagine. I mean, I've seen the show. It made me laugh so hard. It's like Robert Horn. He won the Drama Desk Award for Best Book.

[29:47] Sarah Stiles: And the Tony. And the Tony, yeah. Just amazing, amazing, amazing work. When did you get involved with the project? How long have you been with the show?

[30:04] Sarah Stiles: I did a reading. So Scott Ellis, I'd never worked with before. And they asked me to do a reading at Second Stage of a different project. And I really wanted to work with him. And I loved the people involved and I thought the project was cool. And so I did that. And it was one of those really quick in and out kind of things. And I took some big swings at this character that I was playing, which was sort of a wild lady. But it was a very funny piece. And Scott, I loved working with him. And I could tell he liked working with me too. And at the end of that project, he said, you know, I have something that I think you're really right for. I'm going to be contacting your agents. And I thought, oh, well, okay.

We'll see if that happens. But he did. Like two months later, did it take that long? I think it did. Maybe a month, two months. He contacted them and said, I want her to do this reading of Tootsie. And they sent me the script. They said, are you interested? I read the script. And I was like, oh, my God. I know her. I have to play her. It just was this feeling. She just leapt off of the page. I could hear her immediately. I could see her. And we did the reading, which was just a table read. Again, super fast. They taught me the song, which the first time I heard the song, I just about shit my pants. I was really freaked out. The patter song? I was like, oh, God, girl, there's going to be so much stress.

What's going to happen? Having to learn this. Yeah. What's going to happen? Learning it and doing it for the first time, I was like, oh, my God, I'll never be as nervous as when I have to do this. But it also was so good. I was very excited. But anyway, so I learned the song and did the table read. And they called very soon after that. It was like a month later. I got a call from my agent and manager. They conference call me whenever I have either when I've booked something or when I'm fired. And I hadn't auditioned for anything because it was like Christmas. It was the holidays. So I'm like, why are you both calling me? What is going on? And they said, you know, they want to offer you the out of town in Chicago and the Broadway contract.

And I went, what are you talking about? I didn't even know it was going out of town. There hadn't been any press on it yet. So I didn't realize it was that close, you know, that all that. And I think I said to them, I was like, are you are they sure? Because that's like months from now. They don't they want to, like, look at other people like, are they sure they want to commit to me? And they're like, what is wrong with you? You're so Sandy Lester. It's ridiculous. I got over that real quick. I was like, yeah, let's make that happen. Well, Sandy Lester got you your second Tony nomination. Congratulations.

[33:02] Sarah Stiles: Thank you so much. Oh, God, I love the character. Yeah, Sandy is such a neurotic character. It's funny. It's funny that you said that in the in the show now, like everyone's secure and everyone's happy. Drama is like that is Sandy Lester is nothing but no security. But I am very secure in how I play neurotic.

[33:25] Alan Seales: In 1982, the film originally came out, Tootsie, which was 37 years ago. Obviously, a lot of the traditional tropes about, you know, gender roles and women specifically have been updated since then. Were you when you knew that like, OK, this project is Tootsie? Did it was did anything like this run through your mind or were you like, oh, I want to see how they did it? Like the Me Too movement is all part of this time frame.

[34:02] Sarah Stiles: I should say yes, but I'm going to say no. And I think that this is why I'm not like I really want to like write and do and create my own content and all those things. But I don't I don't do the big picture thing. I really I go into roles like and when I'm reading scripts and when I'm thinking about things, just very singularly focused on what the character just the character. And to me, the script that I got felt like. This is someone that totally lives in this time period, and it didn't feel I didn't see her as a victim. I really didn't. I didn't think she sounded like that. And I think I found her to be actually very brave, even in in the writing of it. So I yeah, I didn't God, I got asked about this whole much during the whole award season.

I never had good answers. It's hard. I mean, I think Robert Horn did a great job. And David Yazbek and Scott Ellis, they really they worked really hard. I know Santino and Lily worked very hard to make sure that it felt current and it wasn't offensive and all of and all the things that need to be to fit into this this era, which is very different.

[35:06] Alan Seales: What kind of audience feedback do you get? Do you get anything at the stage tour about that specifically?

[35:12] Sarah Stiles: Well, yeah, specifically. But then I guess more in general, is there? Well, I guess. Yeah. Start with that. Is there anything specifically about the feedback I get? Mostly when people want to talk to me about it is they just say, oh, I'm so glad that I feel like I'm being represented up there. And I think what I love about that is people really they see her and see how destructive self-destructive she can be and neurotic and she can be totally narcissistic and crazy at times and insecure and all the things. But she's still completely lovable and and succeeds and never in a lot of ways, not maybe and she doesn't get the role necessarily, but she doesn't stop like she she's she keeps trying and and there's a lot of strength in that.

And so I think when people are telling me, man, I can see my they're they are proud to say that. And I like that, you know, like they're like, I feel like that's me. And they have a huge smile on their face. So it's not like, oh, man, that's me. Let's all go kill ourselves. So I feel like that's I don't know, I'm proud of that. But that's mainly what I get at the at the stage door. Yeah, they don't talk to me as much. I know Lily gets a lot of that because Lily has made this very a character that it's very different than it was in the movie. You know, I haven't seen the movie in so long. I didn't want to because I didn't want to carry guard. I just all I remember is that she's incredible in it. And I watched a couple of clips and I was like, Nope, can't do this because she's too good. And I don't want and I know I can't do that. So I don't want to get in my head.

[37:03] Alan Seales: Well, you do you and you were incredible. Yeah. Obviously, he got the Tony nom. So so you are very, very good.

[37:12] Sarah Stiles: Well, no, I feel good. I feel I found my way in to her. Yeah, that's, that's a lot of fun. I enjoy I enjoy how different each character is.

[37:20] Alan Seales: Yeah, they are right. Everybody's different. Everybody's unique. And like I said, everybody stands up there and they like the the the relationship between Santino and and his his roommate, either guy Andy, like, he's just like, whatever, I'm not taking the shit from you.

[37:36] Sarah Stiles: Oh, they're so it's such a buddy. comedy. Yeah, really? I mean, it's like, that's the that's kind of the love story right there. They're like the best couple in the show.

[37:44] Alan Seales: I know. I'm so happy that Sandy ends up with him. Spoiler alert.

[37:47] Sarah Stiles: I know it's spoiler.

[37:49] Alan Seales: Spoiler alert. But how do you balance all of the like, you were talking about billions, or we haven't talked about billions. You're on billions season four, you're in Get Shorty season three. Now and you're still doing Tootsie. Do they let you out of shows to go film? How does that work?

[38:05] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, so I don't know how I got so lucky, but I'm working with such amazing people on all of these projects. And they have really bent over backwards to make it possible for me to do all of this stuff. So because originally, I was, I'm as I was a series regular on Get Shorty. So what that means is they own you basically. So when we were in negotiations for Tootsie, we weren't sure I was gonna be able to do it because technically, I couldn't. But Davey Holmes, who's a showrunner of Get Shorty the Creator. He's always been so supportive of my Broadway life, and that I am a theater baby at heart. And so much so that in season one, I started off just as the secretary of Ray Romano's character, Rick.

And when he found out that what my background was, because he didn't know, he wrote in that I was a singer. And since then, it's totally evolved. And I cannot wait for people to see what happens in season three. And I cannot spoil it. But if you are a fan of Broadway and of Tootsie, and you're going to freak out, that's all I'm gonna say that sort of really spoils a lot. But it's very exciting what they've done in season three with my character. So they let me, he basically gave me his blessing to come and do this project. And then turns out Scott Sanders, who's our producer on Tootsie is a huge Get Shorty fan. So in return, he's been super gracious and been like, yeah, go off and film when you need to. I mean, they wanted me during, they started shooting season three during the award season. And so I was not available. So this last week they shot, I did all of my

[40:01] Sarah Stiles: For four different episodes in four days. But that's crazy. Like, nobody does that. Like, they literally waited. They were different directors and different, I mean, it's, I got, I'm so lucky to be working with these people who really just, they want to support the work. So, it's been great. And Billions, Billions shot this fall and I was, I wasn't in, which episode was it? My last episode was supposed to be episode 10 because we were just starting rehearsals for Tootsie. And so, oh, actually, it started off when we were in Chicago. So, we were in Chicago doing the out of town and they were flying me, they're flying me to New York to shoot Billions on my day off. And then I was flying back to Chicago and doing, you know, we're doing like tech and like previews.

It was, it was actually kind of, that was pretty brutal. But then, and then when I got home, we had that hiatus. I shot Billions. And then when Tootsie started back up again, I was supposed to end for episode 10 so that I could just jump back into Tootsie because they really couldn't give me the time off. And then they wanted me for the last episode. And that happened, the scene that they wanted me for happened to be the first day of tech for us at the marquee. And I'm not in the first, the opening number in the first transition. So, they let me go and shoot it because they knew they wouldn't get to me that day.

[41:28] Alan Seales: Oh, wow.

[41:28] Sarah Stiles: So, like people have been, I mean, my God, I've been so, so lucky. They've really been working their butts off to make it all happen.

[41:35] Alan Seales: That's nice. I mean, that speaks to your character too, I think, to your character as a real person, not your character on stage, you know, that people are so willing to bend over backwards to work for you and make your career work. I think that says a lot.

[41:50] Sarah Stiles: Thank you. Yeah, I don't know. I think, I hope so.

[41:57] Alan Seales: So, in Get Shorty, and we were talking about this a little bit off mic that there's a lot of nudity.

[42:02] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, yeah.

[42:04] Alan Seales: In Get Shorty.

[42:05] Sarah Stiles: Did you, were you handed the script and you were like, so by the way, there's gonna, you're gonna be like totally naked.

[42:10] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, they asked me about it. So, that actually wasn't even the first time I got naked. The first time I got naked was in I'm Dying Up Here with Showtime. Did you ever see that show? I'm Dying Up Here? It was Jim Carrey produced it. It was all about stand-up comics. And I played literally this, I played Tony the Tiger. That's what they called her. And she was a chuckle fucker, which is a fangirl.

[42:39] Alan Seales: Of comedians.

[42:39] Sarah Stiles: Yeah, of comedians. I didn't even realize that was a real thing. So, that was the first time I signed a nudity writer and I had to do like three different really weird sex scenes for that as a guest star. So, you just like fly in and you're like, hi, nice to meet you. And here I am totally naked. But it was such a fun character and such a cool, it was such a great episode that I was like, yeah, I'm definitely game. I'm definitely going to do it. And then when Get Shorty happened, I don't know. It was such a great moment for my character and it was totally different than the last one. It was very vulnerable and it was fully nude, which I hadn't done yet. I had to wear a merkin, which I named Sylvia.

You know what a merkin is? My little hairpiece. My pubic hairpiece. And that was interesting. But yeah, I don't know. I just, I don't want to do, I won't do the nudity if it's gratuitous, but if it really makes sense and it's going to add to the moment, I mean, my agent manager will hate me saying this, but I'll always take my top off. I'm a hippie baby, remember?

[44:01] Alan Seales: I was going to say, I mean, there's got to be some level of personal comfortability you've got to have and personal confidence.

[44:04] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. I don't know. I mean, I'm so not. If you talk to my sister or my boyfriend, you'd be like, oh God, I'm constantly downing my body and all those things. But I just, there's something about when I get in these women, these characters that I play, I consider them like, they're like my children. Those are my children, like Gladys and Sandy and Bonnie on Billions. These are women that I want to, that I birth and I take care of them and I want to see them shine and I want them in their best light and I want them to feel great about themselves. So it's easy to do that when you're playing somebody else. I mean, Gladys is super confident and is very sexual and very open and so it didn't feel hard at all to go there with her. I don't know. I think if Sandy had to get naked, that'd be harder. I think she'd have a harder time getting naked.

[45:09] Alan Seales: Yeah. In front of people.

[45:09] Sarah Stiles: Right. Because she's a little bit, she feels much more uncomfortable in her own skin. Yeah. She grows to feel comfortable, but in the beginning, at least, it starts off. I don't know. I guess it's kind of all about that.

[45:18] Alan Seales: Yeah. I'm thinking, I'm in my own head here. I'm trying to think of what I would do. Yeah. I guess it's all part of, it's part of the character and I don't remember if someone told me this once or if I read it somewhere, but the most awkward part is taking your clothes off or putting it back on once you're either naked or clothed, it's all fine.

[45:33] Sarah Stiles: Yeah. Totally. Yeah. The first time, yeah, it's weird. Oh, the first time you get, yeah. Well, somebody don't really know. Well, that was easier actually. Doing the guest star when I didn't know these people. I didn't know the crew. I didn't know the cast. I was just coming in and I spent two weeks working on this episode with them, so I got to know them by the end, but I didn't know them. This time around with Get Shorty, I got naked in episode eight. So I'd already had like eight episodes to get to know everybody and we'd been like hanging out a lot in the crew. So that was weird. That was definitely weirder. But then I don't know, there's something kind of great about it. And I like that, you know, I don't have like, I'm not, I don't have a model body.

I'm like, I'm a regular girl. So I like being able to be a regular girl and be like, yeah, I can get naked and I can be sexual and I can be sexy and you know, that's, this is what I look like. And yeah, I don't know. I like that. I like that in general these days, there's a lot of representation across the board and we're seeing more gay characters. We're seeing more characters of color. We're seeing more people with your, like you said, your normal body, not your model body or the, you don't have to go to the gym eight million times a week to get on TV anymore. So yeah, it's cool. Yeah, I really like that a lot.

[46:58] Alan Seales: Did your parents, do your parents watch those scenes?

[47:05] Sarah Stiles: I made my mom watch I'm Dying Up Here, the whole episode with me. And she was like, with you. Yeah, because I was so proud of it. And I didn't really think about how weird it was. And if you saw that, I mean, that is a weird character. The stuff I did on that. It was kinky and weird. But I was so proud of it. I wanted her to see it. And she, I guess I will just say I didn't watch Get Shorty, but they've all seen it and they love it. You know, who hasn't seen it? Santino, he won't get, he won't go past episode seven. He's like, I can't do it. Can't do it. It's like, I love the show. Can't do it. Can't do it. Like fair, fair. I get it. Wow. Yeah. All right. Good for you.

[47:50] Sarah Stiles: It's weird. I don't know. I watched it with my boyfriend. I remember that he, he kind of watches it with his sort of grin, but like maybe painful grin watching it. And he thinks it's super cool. But then occasionally it just like leans in. He'll be like, oh yeah, you're really going for it in that. Aren't you? It's harder for him to watch the making out that's weirder. Making out with somebody is like, and honestly, those are the weirder scenes. Those are harder to shoot personal. That feels way more personal than just being like naked with someone, like with these weird pieces that you have to wear on your body parts, like so that you're not actually touching each other, but it's not romantic because there's lights and cameras and like a room of people. So sweaty. And you're just like, oh my God, it's just lasting forever.

[48:42] Alan Seales: Yeah. Yeah. It's weird. Well, well, more power to you. So we'll, we'll wrap up here. And at the, at the end of the podcast episodes here, we ask every guest three standard questions. First one, very simply is what motivates you?

[48:55] Sarah Stiles: Oh, um, what motivates me? I don't know. It's, it's the, the, the love of it. I, I love, I love the feeling of, I call it being in the pocket when, and I think that it's a lot to do with the comedy, but like when you're just riding that wave and you were like, you are just fully, fully in it. Like there's nothing you can do to get out, to get tossed off that surfboard. Um, that feeling is such a rush. And I've, there's been nothing else in my life that has come close to, to that feeling. I guess I'm an addict. That's what it is. That's my drug. Just that laughter. It's laughter. It's the, it's the, um, it's the leaning in, you can feel it. You can just feel that energy and laughter leaning in.

All of it is love. That's what it feels like. It feels like love. So it feeds me. And, um, and I keep trying to find different ways to make it happen. Not really, not just for myself, but because you're bringing joy to people. And so to watch people explode and laughter, like I want to do that for people. That's, that's what drives me.

[50:28] Alan Seales: And what advice would you give to your younger self and younger people now listening, starting out down a similar path?

[50:36] Sarah Stiles: Oh gosh. Um, I mean, it's that thing about just really, really figuring out who you are and, and embracing that. Um, it's so easy to get caught up in what you should be or, um, what you should look like, or, you know, uh, making the right decisions. I think, uh, it's so important to just exist in the moment. It's the same thing. Like when you're on stage, the best work you can do is when you're just really present. And that's like that in life, like you have to find a way to really be okay in the moment. And that, that will open up all the doors.

[51:25] Alan Seales: And last question then, if you could only see one show for the rest of your life, but you can see it as many times as you want, what would you see?

[51:32] Sarah Stiles: Um, is it like a theater show?

[51:34] Alan Seales: Well, pick a theater and a non-theater show.

[51:34] Sarah Stiles: Okay. Well, uh, always Into the Woods comes to my mind because it's just everything. It's all the, it's so funny. It's so joyful. It's so sad. And it makes you think it's just, I think it's the most beautiful, beautiful musical. I really do. Um, so I would see that. And then, gosh, gosh, I don't know what the other one would be like a, like a film or something.

[52:08] Alan Seales: Oh, anything. It could be a live show. Do you have a band that you like?

[52:12] Sarah Stiles: Gosh, I don't know. I don't know that I can even answer that. I think it's too hard to pick one.

[52:22] Alan Seales: Okay. Well, we can find you on Instagram and Twitter at, at Lulu Bell Styles. Any, anywhere else?

[52:30] Sarah Stiles: No, that's it. Just the instas and the twits. And you can get more of this podcast, more of me at the theater podcast.com, but you can also use our short link now, ttp.fm. If you don't know how to spell the theater podcast. So ttp.fm slash iTunes slash Google play slash anywhere you want to subscribe and it will forward you to wherever you need to go. You can get me at theater underscore podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Listen and subscribe in review, spread the word. This is produced by Jillian Hockman, edited by Matthew Hendershot. And of course, thank you to jukebox, the ghost for the intro and outro music, Sandy shrugs. Thank you so much for being here.

[53:09] Sarah Stiles: Thank you for having me.