SEASON 3 Season Finale! Episode Eighteen. "Walking Away From Broadway" Synopsis: At the end of a season of incredible stories, Sean looks to the future and finds inspiration chatting with Bobby Steggert: an actor who experienced a life-changing epiphany while working on a Broadway stage. Content warning: Strong language. Thank you to Bobby Steggert. And thank you to YOU for your support for this Season 3 of the podcast! We could not have done it without you. He...

SEASON 3 Episode Seventeen. "The Court Watson Story Part Two" Synopsis: Court Watson sets out to tell his story to the media and to hold his former employer accountable for what happened to him on Roanoke Island. Thank you to Court Watson. Content warning: Content dealing with sexual harassment and sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available by contacting the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. Help is also available a...

SEASON 3 Episode Sixteen. "The Court Watson Story Part One" Synopsis: Sean investigates what happened between Tony award-winning Broadway costume designer, William Ivey Long, and college student, Court Watson, on Roanoke Island some twenty years ago. Thank you to Court Watson and Adam Stocker. Content warning: Content dealing with sexual harassment and sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available by contacting the Nationa...

SEASON 3 Episode Fifteen. "Franki Take A Bow"Synopsis: Sean investigates whether the unsafe practices of a college theatre program contributed to a young woman's tragic mental health spiral.Special Guests: Franki Mastrone, Jessica Webb, Professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Content warning: Content dealing with sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available by contacting the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. Help i...

SEASON 3 Episode Fourteen. "Sean Has Questions For The Union."Synopsis: After hearing the frustrations of listeners about the lack of action by the actors' union in many of the season's workplace stories, Sean goes looking for answers from the union.Special Guest: Abbey Crowley, Business Representative for the Division for Harassment and Discrimination.Special thank you to Abbey Crowley and Gabriela Geselowitz of Actors' Equity Association. Additional thanks to Eddie Pendergraft,...

SEASON 3 Episode Thirteen. "Loving Someone Traumatized By The Industry"Synopsis: Sean's investigating the mental health ripple effect that occurs when an employee is traumatized by an employer. Actor Eddie Pendergraft (the actor from Wicked in Ep 10 "Another Wicked Story"), Eddie’s husband Tony and clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Sherman are all on board to share their insights. Special thank you to Eddie Pendergraft, Tony Mansker, and Dr. Michelle Sherman. And Carole an...

SEASON 3 Episode Twelve. "The 2nd Annual Stage Combat Holiday Special!"Synopsis: Sean's reuniting with some of our guests from Season 3 for the holidays to ask probing questions such as "Would you choose The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree or the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree?"Special thank you to Bret Shuford, Brad Bass, Pamela Bob, McKey Carpenter, Kaylin Seckel, Chryssie Whitehead, Alex Griffith and Justin Gerrish. And Ian. Coming up in 2 weeks: Ep 13 "Loving Someone Trau...

SEASON 3 Episode Eleven. "Revealing Your Darkest Secret: ABC News' Matt Gutman"Synopsis: Thinking about the power of disclosing our secrets causes Sean to revisit his 2023 interview with ABC News' Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman. Special thank you to Matt Gutman, LaQuet Sharnell Pringle and Amelia Morse.Coming up in 2 weeks: It's the Stage Combat Holiday Special!Hear more of Sean's conversation with LaQuet and Amelia at STAGE COMBAT AT PATREON.patreon.com/StageCombatThePod...

SEASON 3 Episode Ten. "Another Wicked Story: Eddie"Synopsis: Another actor from Wicked on Broadway comes forward to tell Sean his story about the toxic work environment he experienced there and how it traumatized him for years.Special thank you to Eddie Pendergraft.Hear Wicked actor Brad Bass' account of what he called "witch hunts" backstage at Wicked at STAGE COMBAT AT PATREON.patreon.com/StageCombatThePodcastIt's the companion to Season 3. Plus "Sean Goes Off Script" to dive ...

SEASON 3 Episode Nine. "The 'F' Word"Synopsis: Sean investigates whether there's a problem with using the "family" word in our workplaces.Special thank you to Bret Shuford, Michael McGurk, Nicole Perry, CorBen Williams, Jeanine Bruen, Michael Passaro, Kirsti Carnahan, Greg Roderick, Juliet Lambert Pratt, Mia Scarpa and Frank Mastrone. Stage Combat The Podcast is member supported programming. If you believe in what we are doing, why not support us by becoming a member at STAG...

SEASON 3 Episode Eight. "Putting It Out There: Your Mental Health Story On the Stage"Synopsis: Sean meets two very different performers who claimed their mental health stories by creating their own one-person solo shows: Legendary drag queen Varla Jean Merman aka Jeff Roberson and Broadway actor Chryssie Whitehead. Content warning: Content about suicide.Dial or text 988 24/7 to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are in crisis.Follow Varla Jean Merman on Instagram at @var...

SEASON 3 Episode Seven. "You're Under Investigation: Laura' Story"Synopsis: After hearing Sean's story about the botched workplace investigation at the Goodspeed Opera House, listener Laura shares her own bonkers workplace investigation story that ended with devastating consequences. Content warning: Content about suicide.Dial or text 988 24/7 to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are in crisis.Special thank you to attorney Mark Carey. Stage Combat The Podcast is member supported p...

SEASON 3 Episode Six. "Charlie At the Crossroads"Synopsis: Sean meets Charlie, a 23-year-old Boston theatre program student. Two months before his graduation, Charlie has an unfiltered conversation with Sean about his hopes, his dreams, his frustrations and how Stage Combat the Podcast has affected him personally as he sits at the crossroads of his life. Strong language.Thank you to Charlie Zuckerman.Stage Combat The Podcast is member supported programming. If you believe in...

SEASON 3 Episode Five. "Somebody's Going to Get Hurt"Synopsis: Sean asks whether theatre audiences actually understand the dangers that actors face when it comes to staged combat sequences on stage. And do the actors themselves fully understand the risk they are taking on with every performance.Guests: Actor/fight instructor McKey Carpenter; Broadway actor Kaylin Seckel; Boston Conservatory at Berklee fight instructor Angie Jepson. If you're only listening to Stage Com...

SEASON 3 Episode Four. "It's All In Your Mind(fulness)"Synopsis: Almost five years after his collapse from a panic attack on the Goodspeed Opera House stage, Sean looks back at his own search for mindfulness and checks in with a few friends along the way to see how their doing it.Special thanks to somatic psychologist Dr. Brian Tierney @thesomaticdoctor; actor and yoga instructor MaryJayne Waddell @maryjaynewaddell; West End actor Alexander Evans @thepilatestenor; Coloring Broadway CEO...

SEASON 3 Episode Three. "Looking for Jeff"Special Double Length Episode.Synopsis: Sean undertakes a compassionate investigation into the tragic 2018 suicide death of Chicago The Musical actor Jeff Loeffelholz. Content warning: strong language; content and conversations about suicide.Dial or text 988 24/7 to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are in crisis.Special thank you to David Sabella, Brian Rardin, Willem Bart Ebbink, Brian Martin, Brien O'Brien, William Harrison and Bridget ...

SEASON 3 Episode Two. "How Are We All OK With This?" Part 2.Synopsis: Synopsis: Sean continues to explore the problem with toxic stage managers and investigates whether our jobs can physically make us sick.Content warning: strong language.Editing by Alex Griffitt. Mixing and Sound Design by Justin Gerrish.Written and Directed by Sean Hayden for Haywood Productions, LLC.Produced by Haywood Productions, LLC.Special thank you to Pamela Bob, Bret Shuford and Brad Bass for CLAIMING TH...

SEASON 3 PREMIERE! Episode One. "How Are We All OK With This?" Part 1.Synopsis: One year after telling his own podcast story of trauma while working at one of the country’s most powerful theatres, Sean explores the stories of listeners who responded to his story. First up: there seems to be a problem with toxic stage managers on Broadway.Content warning: Contains strong language.Editing by Alex Griffitt. Mixing and Sound Design by Justin Gerrish.Written and Directed by...

Season 3 Trailer. What happens when actors stop being quiet and start speaking up? Season 3 of Stage Combat the Podcast premiering July 23rd!In 2023, Sean told his story in Season 1 and 2 (in something that sounded like a true crime podcast.) Now it's time to hear your stories!Biweekly we are bringing you provocative stories from performing artists everywhere who just want to be heard. Who want to be seen. Who want to be validated. Just like you.Enjoy this preview of t...

We’re closing out 2023 and an amazing Season 2 of Stage Combat with a holiday bang!It’s THE STAGE COMBAT HOLIDAY SPECIAL! Get your Santa mug out and fill it with hot chocolate and settle in. We’ve got an hour of holiday music and stories as Sean pops around the country to share holiday greetings with some of our favorite guests from two seasons of Stage Combat!No matter what holiday you celebrate, let’s celebrate each other!And there’s a special announcement about Stage Combat at the en...