In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with actor, singer, dancer, and creator J. Harrison Ghee about the transformative journey of freeing yourself to see yourself, spreading the ministry of love, connecting to your Divine Feminine, expanding the bounds of creative storytelling, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: J. Harrison Ghee
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Durham Performing Arts Center Rising Stars
PJ Morton - Smoke and Mirrors
New York Theatre Workshop - Saturday Church
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - Broadway 2026
The Shindellas - Lullaby
Trailblazers of the Week:
Dylan Weinberger
Guest Bio:
Tony and Grammy Award winner J. Harrison Ghee (they/them, all pronouns with respect) made history as the first non-binary actor to win in the Leading Individual Performance category for creating the role as Daphne/Jerry in Some Like It Hot, which also garnered them Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Also on Broadway, Ghee starred as Lola in Kinky Boots, created the role of Andre Mayem in Mrs. Doubtfire, and co-starred opposite Harry Connick, Jr. as Johnny Hooker in The Sting. Ghee captured audiences as the Lady Chablis in the musical premiere of Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil. On television, Ghee was selected to play the title role in Robyn's Story on the hit Fox anthology series Accused, directed by Billy Porter; starred as Kwame in Netflix's Raising Dion, and guest starred on HBO's High Maintenance.
A Fayetteville, North Carolina native, Ghee moved to New York City to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and began their professional career working at Tokyo Disney on cruise ships and national tours. They live by the mantra: “You have to free yourself to see yourself,” with the hope of inspiring people to dream big and to chase those dreams.
An outspoken advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Ghee has been involved with many organizations, including Broadway Cares, GLAAD, and God's Love We Deliver, among others. Ghee hopes to create roles and conversations that reach beyond what was and into a realm of infinite possibilities.
Find J. Online:
Follow The Zora Project on Instagram
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with director, choreographer, producer, and creator Tanya Birl-Torres about tripping and falling into a theatrical career, drawing inspiration from chosen ancestors, daring to stay in the center of yourself, increasing visibility of parenting in theatre, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Tanya Birl-Torres
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
The Shed - Join Tanya for the July 19 activation, Glitter in the Dust: Exploring the Work Song Tradition
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Trailblazers of the Week:
Alex Elle - Insight Timer meditations
Katie Spelman - The Agnes Index
Guest Bio:
Tanya Birl-Torres (she/her) is a multi-faceted artist and proud partner and mother of two. Select collaborations include: the World Premiere of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Goodman Theater), How I Learned What I Learned (OSF), Peter and the Starcatcher (OSF), Twelfth Night (The Public Theater), The Red Letter Plays (The Signature Theater), As You Like It (The Guthrie Theater), 2024 Critical Breaks artist in residence, 2023 MAP fund and NoMAA grantee for her original choreo-play, A Play in three Movements. Tanya is a 2023 CitizensNYC NewYorker4NY honoree featured as “Women breaking glass ceilings & exercising their voice in NYC & beyond”. Tanya currently serves as the Social Practice Artist in Residence at The Shed Performing Arts Center in New York City for her new work, The Zora Project, where she is directing, choreographing, and envisioning a cosmic theatrical offering to the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston.
Find Tanya Online:
Follow The Zora Project on Instagram
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy discuss funding shifts in the arts in 2025. We get ourselves up to date on what’s been happening with the National Endowment for the Arts, chat about alternative funding visions for theatre and the arts, and share action steps you can take to support the arts in your own community. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
National Endowment for the Arts website
Pittsburgh Arts Council - Trump’s Impact on the Arts: A Running List of Updates
Broadway World - The NEA Grant Terminations and What it Means for the Future of American Theatre by Cara Joy David
American Theatre - NEA Abruptly Pulls Arts Grants on a Massive Scale
Broadway League - Broadway’s 2024– 2025 Season Wraps with 14.7 Million Attendances and Grosses Of $1.89 Billion
Women & Theatre Podcast S4E9: Danielle DeMatteo
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Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with composer and music director Deborah Wicks La Puma about the critical importance of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), championing women musicians and writers, building pipelines to support young people of all backgrounds falling in love with theatre, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton
Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA
Trailblazers of the Week:
Joy Huerta - Real Women Have Curves
Guest Bio:
Composer and music director Deborah Wicks La Puma (she/her) is one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today. Popular titles include Ella Enchanted (based on the book by Gail Carson Levine) with Karen Zacarías, She Persisted (based on the book by Chelsea Clinton) with Adam Tobin, and Elephant and Piggy’s We Are in a Play and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus with bestselling children’s author Mo Willems. With Willems, she also created the animated movie Naked Mole Rats Getting Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience and the upcoming animated series Unlimited Squirrels.
She has music directed at theaters across the country, including the Guthrie, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Honors include the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA, an off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical, two Parents’ Choice Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Adaptation. A proud Mexican American and “Navy brat” who grew up in Brazil, Portugal, and California, La Puma is a member of TYA/USA, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild.
Find Deborah Online:
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with puppeteer and puppetry advocate Julia Schemmer about keeping the art form of theatrical puppetry visible and vibrant, the importance of apprenticeship for learning a craft and creating opportunities for emerging talent, being at peace with where you are in transitional moments, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Julia Schemmer
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Best of Broadway Puppetry Halloween Spectacular at 54 Below
Glorious Ladies of Puppetry (GLOP)
Trailblazers of the Week:
Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
Guest Bio:
Julia Schemmer (she/her) is a puppeteer, producer, and pal based in New York City! She’s the founder of Puppetry on Broadway, a collective of puppeteers, fabricators, and designers working on, off, and around Broadway. Select production credits include Broadway: A Beautiful Noise, Back to the Future, Lempicka, MJ, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. TV: American Idol, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Schemmer holds a BA from Wilmington University in Communications and Marketing.
Find Julia Online:
Follow Puppetry on Broadway on Instagram
Visit Puppetry on Broadway’s website
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
Thanks for listening!
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with producer and RISE Program Manager Victoria Detres about embracing humanity through storytelling, creating a culture of care in the theatre industry and beyond, building sustainable theatrical spaces that are inclusive of artists from underrepresented groups, and more. We also highlight Hannah Cowley as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Victoria Detres
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Check out Victoria’s mini-interview - from the Women & Theatre Season 4 RISE bonus series
Women’s History Month:
Expand the Canon - A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley
Trailblazers of the Week:
Team Women & Theatre: Beth Rosebrook, Sylvia Blair, Courtney Seyl, Ally Varitek
Announcements:
Join us for virtual co-working on April 8 at 11am ET on Zoom!
Stay tuned for Women & Theatre Podcast Season 5 Part 2, coming June 3!
Guest Bio:
Victoria Detres (she/her) is a Puerto Rican and Albanian producer born and raised in New York City. She is passionate about building a platform for contemporary theatre’s innovative voices, particularly those of the global majority. While highlighting these voices, Victoria also aims to dismantle the structures that do not allow for access and restructure for equity and accessibility. Formerly, Victoria has worked as the Producing Assistant at Octopus Theatricals and Associate Producer at Broadway & Beyond Theatricals. Victoria is one of the co-founders of the RISE Theatre Directory, in partnership with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Miranda Family Fund, and Maestra Music. Currently, Victoria leads RISE Theatre as the Program Manager. Additional credits include THE KITE RUNNER (The Hayes Theatre, Associate Producer), SOCIETY Theatre Collective’s productions of Mona Mansour’s BEGINNING DAYS OF TRUE JUBILATION and Emily Zemba’s THE STRANGERS CAME TODAY (The New Ohio, Line Producer). Learn more at www.victoriadetres.com.
Find Victoria Online:
Check out Victoria’s RISE Theatre Directory profile
Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn
Follow Victoria and RISE Theatre on Instagram
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with composer and orchestrator Julie Richardson about balancing multiple personal and professional roles, redefining the boundaries of womanhood, finding a creative process that works for you and a creative community that inspires you, and more. We also highlight Lesya Ukrainka as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Julie Richardson
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Space by L M Feldman at Central Square Theatre
Check out Julie’s pumpkin carving and other amazing projects on her website!
Musical Theatre Writing Collective
Hello Sunshine - Reese Witherspoon
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
Women’s History Month:
Expand the Canon - Stone Host by Lesya Ukrainka
Trailblazers of the Week:
Other:
Donate to the Collective Transformation fundraiser for Transgender Law Center!
Guest Bio:
Julie Richardson (she/her) Jis a Boston-based musical theater composer, orchestrator, music director and sound designer. Her musical HACK, PUNT, TOOL, written with collaborators Daniel Levine, Rachel Bowens-Rubin, Zara Barryte, and Danbee Kim, was produced in 2012 by the MIT Musical Theater Guild and had a revival with the same group with a revised book and score in 2017. Julie orchestrated the world premiere production of JACK & AIDEN by Tova Katz and Lane Michael Stanley at Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, TX in 2023. She is currently composing the music for an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s TO THE LIGHTHOUSE with collaborator Amy Andrews. Julie is also a YouTube creator with a channel called Finishing the Score, in which she invites viewers to follow along with her songwriting journey and learn new skills along the way. Her video topics range from composition and lyric techniques to music software and audio gear. She is a proud founding member of the Musical Theater Writing Collective, as well as a member of The Dramatists Guild, Maestra, ASMAC and Ring of Keys.
Find Julie Online:
Follow To the Lighthouse on Instagram
Check out Julie’s YouTube channel
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy dive into the juicy topic of Taking Control of Your Career. We discuss finding the “why” behind your goal, breaking it down into manageable steps, identifying your resources, building systems of accountability, and more. We also highlight Wakako Yamauchi as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Check out our Season 4 discussion about Goal Setting!
Visualization resource: Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain
Women’s History Month:
Expand the Canon - And the Soul Shall Dance by Wakako Yamauchi
Trailblazers of the Week:
Rachel Chavkin - SDC Foundation One on One Conversation
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with actor and writer Maria Wirries about creating equitable spaces, telling diverse stories rooted in truth, embracing the fluidity of identity, building diversity at the highest decision-making levels of the theatre industry, and more. We also highlight Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Maria Wirries
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Old Friends - opens on Broadway March 25!
BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop
Stephen Sondheim: A Life by Meryle Secrest
Women’s History Month:
Expand the Canon - Los Empeños de Una Casa (House of Desires) by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Trailblazers of the Week:
Announcements:
Join us for virtual co-working on Tuesday, March 11 at 11am ET on Zoom!
Guest Bio:
Maria Wirries (she/they) is a Performer, Composer, Lyricist, and self-proclaimed Swamp Witch. Select credits include: Old Friends (Broadway), Dear Evan Hansen (Broadway and First National Tour), Kinky Boots (Off-Broadway Revival), and Penelope or How the Odyssey Was Really Written (Off-Broadway). She is currently in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and has developed her own original musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House, the Paramount Theater, and Penn State University.
Find Maria Online:
Check out Maria’s work on YouTube and Spotify
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with theatre historian, author, and producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper about exploring under-appreciated corners of the theatre industry, embracing the ephemeral nature of theatre and seasons of life, the historical continuum of gender equity, and more. We also highlight Zora Neale Hurston as part of our Women’s History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes:
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Jennifer Ashley Tepper
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out
Women Writing Musicals accompanying playlist
Women’s History Month:
Expand the Canon - Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston
Trailblazers of the Week:
Michael Radi - Musical Theatre Writing Collective
Kelly Bishop - The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir
Join us for the Women & Theatre Season 5 Launch Party on February 27 on Zoom!
Guest Bio:
Jennifer Ashley Tepper (she/her) is an acclaimed theatre historian, author, and producer. She is the conceiver of The Jonathan Larson Project, which starts previews in February 2025 at the Orpheum Theatre, off-Broadway, following an acclaimed 2018 concert premiere and cast recording. She has been the Creative and Programming Director at 54 Below for the past decade. She has curated or produced over 7,000 shows in this position. Her leadership at the beloved venue has gained praise from publications including The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, Playbill, Newsday, The New York Post, and more.
Tepper's four volumes of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series have been called an "inspiring Must-Read" by NBC New York and occupied the #1 spot on Amazon.com's Best Sellers List in Broadway & Musicals. Her new book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out, was published in November 2024. Women Writing Musicals is the first-ever book about female musical theatre writers.
Tepper is the producer of the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Love In Hate Nation, recent projects that are part of a decade-long collaboration with the group known as Joe Iconis & Family. On Broadway, Tepper has also worked on [title of show], The Performers, Godspell, Macbeth, and The Parisian Woman. She was historian consultant on the tick, tick... BOOM! movie (directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda for Netflix) and co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series If It Only Even Runs A Minute. Her work as a theatre historian also encompasses celebrated live talks and events, including at TEDxBroadway, BroadwayCon, The Museum of Broadway, Thespian Festivals, and more. Tepper received a 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. She was named one of the 10 professionals on Backstage Magazine's "1st Annual Broadway Future Power List", which stated: "Proving herself both a zeitgeist predictor and theatrical historian with her eclectic programming, Tepper is leading the conversation on contemporary musical theatre.”
Find Jennifer Online:
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Susan Danish from the National Women’s History Museum. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Susan Danish, National Women’s History Museum
Music: Chloe Geller
Listen to all published episodes of the Women & Theatre RISE Series here.
Many thanks to RISE Theatre, Maestra Music, Playbill, and all the amazing organizations working to increase equity in theatre!
Episode Resources:
National Women’s History Museum
Resource: For Educators, By Educators
About National Women’s History Museum:
Founded in 1996, the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is an innovative virtual-first museum dedicated to uncovering, interpreting, and celebrating women’s diverse contributions to society. A renowned leader in women’s history education, the Museum brings to life the countless untold stories of women throughout history, and serves as a space for all to inspire, experience, collaborate, and amplify women’s impact—past, present, and future. They strive to fundamentally change the way women and girls see their potential and power.
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Martha Steketee from Women Count. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Martha Steketee, Women Count
Music: Chloe Geller
Listen to all published episodes of the Women & Theatre RISE Series here.
Many thanks to RISE Theatre, Maestra Music, Playbill, and all the amazing organizations working to increase equity in theatre!
Episode Resources:
About Women Count:
The Women Count report series looks at Off- and Off-Off-Broadway hiring patterns to inform national conversations about gender parity in the American theater. The goal of the report series is to change the conversation from anecdotes to advocacy on behalf of female and non-binary playwrights, performers, and off-stage theater workers.
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Broadway director Schele Williams about authentic representation onstage and off, storytellers’ responsibility to choose values over biases, the diverse manifestations of women’s power, becoming friends with failure, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Schele Williams
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History
Your Legacy Begins: First Words to Empower
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Women & Theatre: Hannah Coffman interview
Guest Bio:
Schele Williams (she/her) is a director committed to cultivating new musicals and devised work with authentic representation on stage and off. Profiled in Variety’s Top 10 Broadway to Watch, she is currently directing the upcoming Broadway revivals of Aida (Disney Theatrical Group) and The Wiz, as well as the premieres of Mandela the Musical and Indigo. She made her Broadway directorial debut this season with The Notebook (co-directed with Michael Greif). She will also be helming Hidden Figures, currently in development (Disney Theatrical Group). Schele has directed at regional theatres and festivals across the country and has a long history of work on Broadway in Rent, Aida, and Motown: The Musical. Passionate about pairing social justice with the arts, Schele is a founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization committed to dismantling systemic racism on our streets and stages. She has been a member of Broadway Inspirational Voices for over two decades and serves as Chairperson of the Board, and also serves on the board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Schele is the author of the children’s book Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History and recipient of a 2022 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor.
Find Schele Online:
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Sandy Sahar Gooen from TEMPO. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Sandy Sahar Gooen, TEMPO
Music: Chloe Geller
Listen to all published episodes of the Women & Theatre RISE Series here.
Many thanks to RISE Theatre, Maestra Music, Playbill, and all the amazing organizations working to increase equity in theatre!
Episode Resources:
About TEMPO:
TEMPO (Trans & Expansive Music Professional Organization) is an organization for artists under the trans/gender expansive umbrella as well as the music umbrella, predominantly within musical theatre. We work intercommunally and intracommunally. We partner with other organizations that share our goal of opportunities for growth as music makers for groups who have been historically overlooked.
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Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with SheNYC Arts artistic director Danielle DeMatteo about building new approaches to break down barriers and increase gender equity in theatrical spaces, the arts industry’s power as a voting bloc, feminist rage that leads to needed change, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Danielle DeMatteo
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Guest Bio:
Danielle DeMatteo (she/her) is a writer/composer, photographer, and Artistic Director of SheNYC Arts. After working in the creative department at Jujamcyn Theaters (working on such shows as Kinky Boots, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Something Rotten!, two seasons of Encores! at New York City Center, and more), she focused her work on fixing the gender gap in the Broadway industry. She founded SheNYC Arts in 2015 and is eternally grateful to all of the other talented arts workers who have helped it grow and develop since then into a nationwide nonprofit organization that operates in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Outside of SheNYC, most recently she was on the worldwide Production team at Disney Theatrical Group, working on Frozen, The Lion King, and Aladdin around the globe. As a writer, her musicals have run off-Broadway, in Boston, and Chicago; her most recent piece, QUEEN ANNE, was the 2021 recipient of the Brooklyn Arts Council grant for musical theatre. In addition to her work in theater, she was one of the original organizers of the Women's March on Washington and has worked on a number of New York political campaigns, including as the Campaign Manager for Art Chang's 2021 Mayoral run. She was recently featured in Forbes Magazine, was named one of Five Women to Watch as Broadway Returns by Shonda Rhimes' publication, Shondaland, and is on the 2024 Broadway Women's Fund's Women to Watch list.
Find Danielle Online:
SheNYC Arts - follow on Instagram!
SheLA Arts - follow on Instagram!
SheATL Arts - follow on Instagram!
SheDFW Arts - follow on Instagram!
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Andrea Prestinario from Ring of Keys. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Andrea Prestinario, Ring of Keys
Music: Chloe Geller
Listen to all published episodes of the Women & Theatre RISE Series here.
Many thanks to RISE Theatre, Maestra Music, Playbill, and all the amazing organizations working to increase equity in theatre!
Episode Resources:
Follow Ring of Keys on Instagram
About Ring of Keys:
Ring of Keys is an artist service organization that fosters community and visibility for musical theatre artists - onstage and off - who self-identify as queer women, transgender, and gender non-conforming artists.
The only organization of its kind, the Ring of Keys community is made up of actors, directors, dancers, singers, stage managers, lighting designers, dramaturgs, artistic directors, producers, casting directors, librettists, lyricists, composers, props designers, scenic designers, sound designers, choreographers, costume designers, and production managers who self-identify as lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, femme, masc, non-binary, and the diversity of genders that queerness contains. They represent 850+ individuals in 40 US cities, Toronto, and London. Ring of Keys strives to kick (ball-change) the closet door open to create a vibrant, diverse musical theatre landscape for the future.
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Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy chat about goal setting! How do we set personal and professional goals for ourselves and work toward achieving them? How do we cope with failure? How do we celebrate our successes? All this and more in today’s episode! Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT)
Marlo Hunter - Freelance Artist’s Manifesto
Women & Theatre Blog - Gayle Seay
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with director Rachel Klein about socioeconomic barriers to working in theatre, mentorship as a tool to make theatre work more accessible, the challenges of earning respect as a woman leader, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Rachel Klein
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends
Esther, Heart of a Queen at the George Theater
Spells of the Sea at the Kennedy Center
Women & Theatre Podcast S2E8: Networking
Guest Bio:
Rachel Klein (she/her) is a New York City-based stage director specializing in new play and musical development. Off-Broadway: The Gospel According to Heather (Theatre 555; starring Katey Sagal); Red Roses, Green Gold (Minetta Lane Theatre/ft. the music of the Grateful Dead); Around the World in 80 Days (The Davenport Theatre); The Anthem (Lynn Redgrave Theatre); The Opposite of Love (Royal Performing Arts Space). Selected NYC: Tink! (NYMF); More Than All the World (Theatre for the New City); Circus of Circus (The House of Yes). Selected Regional: The Suffragist (Gallagher Bluedorn Theatre; starring Nancy Opel), Dead Certain (composer: Air Supply's Graham Russell); 54 the Musical (House of Independents; starring Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Frankie Grande). Selected workshops and readings: High Priest (Paul Iacono’s Warhol Factory play); Helen (Starring Bonnie Milligan), Medusa: A New Pop Opera. Charity: Ms. Klein directed the charity roast of Michael Musto raising funds for the Callen Lorde Community Health Center, featuring Rosie O'Donnell, Bruce Vilanch, and Jinkx Monsoon. Ms. Klein is a proud member of SDC, founding member of Iconoclast Theatre Collective, guest teaching artist at Fordham University, serves on the New Musical Screening Committee for NAMT, directed Double, Double for Bite-Sized Broadway (ft. Richard Kind), and is the Director/Showrunner of the audio series The World to Come (ft. Adrienne Barbeau). Up next: Esther, Heart of a Queen (The George Theatre, Houston); Spells of the Sea (The Kennedy Center, DC).
Find Rachel Online:
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Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
The Women & Theatre RISE Series presents mini-interviews conducted at the Inaugural RISE Summit with network partners of RISE Theatre, all of which are organizations working to increase equity in the theatre industry. In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with Marty Strenczewilk from Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Marty Strenczewilk, Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective
Music: Chloe Geller
Listen to all published episodes of the Women & Theatre RISE Series here.
Many thanks to RISE Theatre, Maestra Music, Playbill, and all the amazing organizations working to increase equity in theatre!
Episode Resources:
Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective website
Follow Creative Nations on Instagram
About Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective:
Creative Nations Indigenous Artists Collective is an all Indigenous-led artists collective, founded in 2020 at The Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, CO. They operate the Sacred Space, a permanent establishment for Indigenous Artists to create and share their work. Creative Nations’ goals are to create a space for creation and collaboration, as well as foster opportunities for all Indigenous artists to thrive.
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with music director, artist, and educator Rose Van Dyne about building inclusivity, aligning actions with personal values, leaning into the intersection between community service and artistic expression, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode!
Episode Notes
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Guest: Rose Van Dyne
Music: Chloe Geller
Episode Resources:
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert
Musical Theatre Educators Alliance
Guest Bio:
Rose Van Dyne (she/her) is a multifaceted artist and educator based in NYC. She is the co-founder of @BroadwayCooks, an organization that provides fresh food for houseless and hungry community members in Times Square and the five boroughs. Recent credits include: Actor— 1776 (Broadway, National Tour, ART), The Lonely Few (Off-Broadway at MCC), Cambodian Rock Band, All’s Well That Ends Well (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Interstate (Mixed Blood Theatre). Music Director— Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert tour (BlackInkPresents), Allegiance (54 Below), Dragon Baby (ART), Spring Awakening (Montclair State University), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Out of the Box Theatrics), American Theatre Wing Songwriters Competition (2020–2022). Educator— Pace University, Marymount Manhattan College, BroadwayVox. www.rosevandyne.com, @rose_van_dyne
Find Rose Online:
Thanks for listening!
Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.
The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!