Anna Zavelson is a rising Broadway actress and singer, best known for playing Younger Allie in The Notebook. A 2022 Jimmy Awards finalist, she previously starred as Clara in The Light in the Piazza and appeared on TV in 13 Reasons Why and Revolution. Originally from Texas, she’s currently earning her BFA at the University of Michigan. @annazavelson6355
00:00 – Welcome to Unlearning
01:56 - How We Met At Pearl Studios
04:19 - Phantom Masquerade Announcement & Working with Diane Paulus
07:13 - Balancing University of Michigan with Broadway Career
11:36 - Light in the Piazza NYC Debut - Behind the Scenes Casting Story
16:03 - Performing in the Social Media Age
18:14 - Slime Tutorials
20:22 - Light in the Piazza Success
22:34 - The Notebook Broadway
24:55 - Being a Broadway Replacement
32:30 - Redefining Success in Theater
36:27 - Wrap-Up
Follow Anna on socials: @annazavelson
Follow Veronica on socials: @thatmixedchicknyc, TikTok @veronicastern, Instagram
Addie Meny grew up in the theatre, participating in community theatre productions from the age of 3. She came home from her first summer at French Woods with an agent at nine years old, and quickly began working professionally in New York City. After taking a gap year between high school and college and participating in a program at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre, Addie began to pursue a career in arts administration. She earned her Bachelor’s in Arts Management from the College of Charleston in 2022, and worked at Spoleto Festival, Charleston Stage, and Piccolo Spoleto during her time in Charleston. She now works at Carnegie Hall as the Manager of Patron Programs, where she works on a fundraising team that manages over 1000 donors and raises critical funds to support the Hall’s mission.
Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern, Instagram @thatmixedchicknyc, TikTok
Franco Valerga was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he earned a BFA in Musical Theatre.His favorite performance credits include serving as the Evan Hansen Alternate in the Argentinian production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN (Querido Evan), Berger in HAIR at CCM, and Jesus Peña in HANDS ON A HARDBODY at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.Franco is passionate about creating art that is both meaningful and beautiful in equal measure. He believes deeply in the transformative power of performance and strives to leave a piece of himself in every project he takes on.Beyond the world of music and theatre, Franco is also deeply interested in innovation strategy and design research. During his time at the University of Cincinnati, he was a NEXT Innovation Scholar.Follow Franco on socials: @francovalegraFollow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on IG @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok
Erich W. Schleck (he/they) is a Seattle native and graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), holding a BFA in Musical Theatre. They most recently starred as Herod in the Regent’s Open Air/50th Anniversary Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and made their West End debut in Blippi the Musical, earning a 2023 Olivier nomination for Best Family Show. As a choreographer, Erich’s work has been seen in Big Fish, Spring Awakening, RENT, and Once on This Island, and they’ve served as associate to Connor Gallagher on The Secret Garden.
00:23 - Intro
1:04 - Catching up with Erich
02:09 - Patti LuPone disses Audra McDonald
12:05 - Graduating in 2020
18:37 - Booking Blippi
25:46 - Life on the Road
28:27 - West End vs. Broadway
30:21 - Getting Nominated for An Olivier Award
32:30 - Jesus Christ Superstar National Tour
39:07 - Bringing Their Queer Identity Into The Work
46:47 - The Success Question
50:25 - Outro
Follow Olivia on socials:Instagram: @olivia_the_cheechTikTok: @olivia_deicicchiFollow Veronica on socials:Instagram: @veronicasternTikTok: @thatmixedchicknycInquiries: veronicapstern@gmail.com
Olivia Dei Cicchi is a dynamic performer who made her Broadway debut in the iconic musical Wicked. Prior to joining the Broadway cast, she toured nationally with Les Misérables, where she understudied the roles of Cosette and Fantine. Her on-screen credits include the feature film She Came to Me and an appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Chapters:
00:23 - Introduction
00:52 - Seeing Boop the Musical & Death Becomes Her on Broadway
01:41 - How French Woods Changed Olivia's Life
08:52 - Why Olivia Dropped Out of Penn State MT
11:18 - Getting Discovered at French Woods15:35 - The Problem with BFA Programs
21: 26 - Olivia's Wild First Auditions in NYC
30: 21 - Les Miserables
32:00 - Re-Auditioning for Les Miserables
36:14 - Wicked
41:35 - Tour vs Broadway
43:51 - Les Mis & The Kennedy Center
47:52 - The Success Question
50:58 - One Last Thing
52:20 - OutroFollow Olivia on socials:Instagram: @olivia_the_cheechTikTok: @olivia_deicicchiFollow Veronica on socials:Instagram: @veronicasternTikTok: @thatmixedchicknyc
Lindsey Stone, your Broadway bestie and host of From the Mezzanine joins Veronica for a very exciting 2025 Tony Nominations breakdown episode! Veronica and Lindsey talk about what surprised them most about this years nominees + get into how Tony voting works. From The Mezzanine is THE podcast for fans of Broadway! Each week, Lindsey gushes and gossips about the latest breaking news in the theatre community each week as well as tracks the top shows on Broadway week to week. Veronica also joined Lindsey on From the Mezzanine this week for an IN-DEPTH breakdown of each Tony Awards category! Be sure to check it out!
00:23 - INTRO
02:21 - Who is Lindsey Stone?
5:03 - Tony Nominations First Thoughts
08:55 - How does Tony Awards Voting Work?
19:13 - Tony Nominations Snubs & Surprises
37:10 - Head over to From the Mezzanine for More!
37:51- OUTRO
Follow Lindsey on socials: @FromtheMezzanineBroadway
Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram and @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok
Rate & Review for more fun Broadway interviews and discussions xo
This one's for the Stern Spiel fans. Veronica's Dad, Charlie, joins Veronica for a short n sweet episode of Unlearning where they reflect on the first 12 episodes of the podcast and what they're looking forward to most for the next 12.Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram, @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok
Carlyn Jade Batya Barenholtz (she/they), a born-and-raised New Yorker who recently returned home after an incredible adventure. This past fall, Carlyn completed an exciting contract as part of the 47th mainstage cast of the Disney Wonder, where they sailed to Alaska, walked on glaciers, and even got to hold baby sled dogs. Carlyn earned their BFA in Musical Theater from Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music and is also a proud alum of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City, where they majored in Vocal Music.They are currently continuing their training in NYC with Actor Therapy and Jared Trudeau at BroadwayVox.Chapters:00:00 - Intro01:19 - Variety's Actors on Actors Broadway Breakdown04:52 - Catching Up with Carlyn06:50 - Boston Conservatory of Music Musical Theater Training07:43 - Cruise Ship Performer Life23:27 - Work/Life Balance on a Cruise Ship26:35 - Advice For Actors Interested in Cruise Ships30:18 - What's Next?
Melvin Tunstall, III began his writing career while still a student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music as a founding member of the AMP Theatre Company. A proud participant in the Yale Institute for Musical Theater, Melvin took a small break from writing to make his Broadway debut in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical after originating the role of “Ja’Keith” in the Toronto Company of the Broadway smash Rock of Ages. The acting bug now quenched, Melvin returned to writing with commissioned adaptations of the Broadway musicals Wonderland and The Wiz. His original musical BLooM! was a finalist in the renowned NAMT Festival in New York City. Peter, darling…, his highly anticipated new musical version of the classic Peter Pan, was commissioned by and will premiere at Casa Mañana Theatre in TX, Spring 2018. His show Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical won the Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Show in 2018. Melvin currently resides in New York City where he is hard at work writing the book, melodies and lyrics to Senior Class: a new musical Pygmalion.Follow Melvin on socials: @mtx3broadwayFollow Veronica on socials: @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok @veronicastern on Instagram
Four time Broadway performer, and recording artist Nathan Lucrezio, has been working in the entertainment business for over 15 years. He recently starred as the Lover in The Who's TOMMY on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater, and Andrew Morton in DIANA The Musical, which ran on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. Other Broadway credits include Disney's ALADDIN and Rogers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA.Follow Nathan on socials: @nathanlucrezio on Instagramhttps://www.nathanlucrezio.com/Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern, Instagram @thatmixedchicknyc, TikTok
Lizzy is a New Jersey/New York based performer, educator and choreographer. Growing up a dancer, Lizzy was introduced to the stage at a young age and it was simply; "love at first site." Fast forward, Lizzy went on to earn a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Dance Performance. While studying at Georgian Court University she not only honed her technical dance training, but developed a deep passion for arts education as well.Lizzy has most recently been seen performing at The Winter Garden Theatre in Back to the Future on BROADWAY! Previously, she performed across North America with the touring companies of Disney's Aladdin and Anastasia the Broadway musical. As of March 2025, Lizzy has launched her new private dance coaching business, "PRESENCE: Legregin Studios." Follow @lizzymarielegregin on social media for personal & professional updates.Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram and @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok.
Since graduating in 2021 (also known as her sophomore year of COVID), Kate has moved back to her hometown of New York City and has been molding her artistic identity through the many amazing opportunities she has received. She has appeared in and produced several concerts at 54 Below, Chelsea Table + Stage, and the GreenRoom 42. She has also been fortunate enough to be part of the 2022 and 2023 ensembles for BCEFA’s Broadway Backwards at the New Amsterdam Theatre in NYC. Currently, she is in the NYC premiere production of a new musical called THE ANGEL MAKERS at The Connelly Theater downtown.Kate has a strong passion and inclination for new work and has had the privilege of working on and cutting demos for many new projects, including THE ANGEL MAKERS (by Amanda Freedman & Lorenzo Pipino) and IN PIECES (by Joey Contreras). New work, especially those with contemporary music theatre or pop/rock-inspired scores, fuels her artistically, and she hopes her career is peppered with such projects.In addition to her work in theater, Kate hosts a podcast called XO, Your Unlicensed Therapist, where she engages in candid conversations about mental health, relationships, and personal growth, offering a supportive space for her listeners.Follow Kate on socials:@katepcoffey @xourunlicensedtherapistFollow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern, Instagram @thatmixedchicknyc, TikTokIf you enjoyed this episode be sure to LIKE the video!
In spring of 2022, at the ripe age of 20, Haley Dortch got the call that would change her life. She was asked to play the iconic role of Fantine on the North American Tour of Les Misérables. A role that she played for close to 3 years. In this episode of "Unlearning with Veronica Stern", Haley and Veronica recall their tour memories and connect on their experiences leading musicals in their early twenties. She also gets candid about the harder parts od how taking on a role of this caliber effected her mentally and emotionally. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check our other episodes of "Unlearning with Veronica Stern". New episodes weekly!Follow Haley on socials: @haleydortch on InstagramFollow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram and @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok
Originally from Clayton, North Carolina (right outside of Raleigh-Durham), Nicholas received his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan and graduated from UNCSA for high school drama. A multifaceted creator based in NYC, Nicholas is a lover of buffalo chicken tacos, dystopian novels, long walks in nature, mindfulness podcasts, and writing in his notebook. Currently, Nicholas can be found performing 8x a week in DRAG THE MUSICAL at NEW WORLD STAGES running until April 27, 2025.Follow Nicholas on socials: @nicholas.kraft on Instagram & TikTokFollow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram & @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTokIf you enjoyed this episode, let us know in the comments and subscribe for more!
Andrew Patino , CEO & Founder of Ursa Creatives, has always had a passion for theatre, marketing, and design. He built a lean team of highly creative individuals (video producers, editors, graphic designers, etc.) who started to collaborate to elevate and modernize brands. When the pandemic shut down the theatre industry, Andrew Patino pivoted to work at a video production company, even trying his hand at selling cardboard. He noticed a shift in the marketing landscape as businesses began to grow their digital presence organically, reminiscent of the early days of SEO. With experience, equipment, and a love for busy work, he started freelancing and quickly found success.Before long, Andrew transitioned from freelancing to building a lean team of creative professionals—video producers, editors, graphic designers—collaborating to elevate brands. Thus, Ursa Creatives was born.Now, Ursa Creatives partners with a diverse range of clients, including restaurants, influencers, consulting firms, and theatres. Driven by passion and curiosity, Andrew and his team see themselves as an extension of their clients' teams and are ready to be part of yours too.Follow Andrew on socials: @andrewpatino_ on Instagram, @andrewpatino on TikTokFollow Veronica on socials:@veronicastern on Instagram, @thatmixedchickny on TikTokNew episodes of "Unlearning with Veronica Stern" every Tuesday!
In 2022, Willem Butler graduated from Elon University and 3 months later joined the North American tour of Anastasia the Musical in the principal role of Dmitry. He has recently been seen in Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli), Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abignale Jr), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo). Willem competed and won first place in Broadway World’s first annual NextOnstage competition.
Currently, Willem is performing in the company of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Fulton Theater in Pennsylvania
Follow Willem on socials: @KillemWillem willembutler.com
Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok
Chloe Hechter made waves in the digital creator landscape when she joined TikTok as the self-proclaimed "People's (Jewish American) Princess." Before her rise to TikTok stardom, Chloe and Veronica played Little Red Riding Hood and the Baker's Wife in a theater camp production of Into the Woods. In today's episode, Chloe and Veronica discuss how Chloe transformed her sleepaway camp experiences into a thriving TikTok following of over 95,000 fans (and counting). Join us for an inspiring conversation about creativity, community, and the magic of storytelling.
Follow Chloe on socials: @chloehechterr on TikTok and Instagram
Follow Veronica on socials: @veronicastern on Instagram @thatmixedchicknyc on TikTok
Welcome to Unlearning, where we go behind the curtain for an insider’s perspective on the theater industry, break down the buzz worthy conversations on social media, and challenge the stigmas that hold us back. Together, we’re unlearning and redefining what it means to thrive in the business. It's time to rewrite the script!
Veronica Stern is a dynamic and accomplished musical theatre actress. Veronica held the principal role of 'Anya' in the National Tour of Anastasia the Musical and understudied the role of Cosette Les Miserables. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music prestigious Musical Theater BFA program.
Follow for new episodes weekly! If you like what you hear, please feel free to rate Unlearning 5 stars.
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Unlearning with guest...Sarah Alice Liddy!
Sarah is the host of "Completely Clueless" a podcast about navigating life’s uncertainties, together. In 2023, Completely Clueless was featured in the New York Times where Sarah and her former co-host sat down with the author of 'The Defining Decade,' Meg Jay and the NYT to talk about being a twenty-something and how the uncertainties presented in this time of life led them to start the podcast.
Born and raised just outside New York City in Westchester, NY, she experienced the best of both worlds—living as a suburban girl by day and a city girl every moment in between. In the spring of 2021, she graduated from Elon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre.
Since graduation, she has expanded her performing horizons by co-creating an original podcast, *Completely Fucking Clueless* (CFC). CFC serves as a corner of the internet where life’s uncertainties are explored and celebrated. It allows her to combine her passion for creating meaningful artistic experiences with her love of connecting with others.
In addition, taking charge of CFC’s social media presence led her to discover the deep connection between performance and content creation. This realization inspired her to start creating content for her personal social media channels and brands. She loves how social media provides an opportunity for creatives to take the stage whenever and however they choose. Her channels offer her the space to be her most authentic self, free from the need to conform to a "type" constructed by the entertainment industry.
For more Sarah follow:
@completelycluelesspod
@sarahaliceliddy
Follow Veronica on socials:
@veronicastern, Instagram
@thatmixedchicknyc, TikTok
Tune in to the Unlearning podcast for discussions on theater from those in the industry. Hosted by Veronica Stern.
Welcome to the PILOT episode of Unlearning with guest... Drew Elhamalawy! Fresh off the ground-breaking run of "We Live In Cairo" at New York Theatre Workshop, Drew joins the Unlearning Podcast to chat with Veronica about his journey so far in musical theater. Drew has had an incredible year, from performing with Ariana Grande at the Met Gala to working on the pre-Broadway production of "Queen of Versailles" starring Kristin Chenoweth. Drew is best known for his beautiful work in photography, photographing living legends from Audra McDonald to Angelina Jolie.
Follow Drew on socials:@drewelhamalawy @drewxphotography
Follow Veronica on socials:@veronicastern
Tune in to the Unlearning podcast for discussions on theater from those in the industry. Hosted by Veronica Stern.