Explore every episode of the podcast ACT: a new podcast series with host Dawn A. Westbrook about the craft of acting, the art of directing and embracing the process

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George Bernard Shaw once said, "Don't wait for opportunity, create it.  Geoffrey Nauffts is a Producer, a Broadway and Television Actor, a Tony-award nominated playwright and television scriptwriter, and a director. He has worked as an actor on and off Broadway, regionally, and extensively in film and television. He’s directed plays by Kenneth Lonergan, Frank Pugliese, Theresa Rebeck, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Steven Belber’s critically acclaimed Tape in New York, LA, and London. His writing credits include; Baby Steps, an award-winning short film starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer, a CBS movie of the week, Political Animals, Greg Berlanti’s Emmy-nominated mini-series for USA, and 13 seasons for ABC as a writer/producer on shows such as: Brothers and Sisters, Grand Hotel, Nashville, and A Million Little Things. His critically acclaimed play Next Fall received the Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Award in 2010 for Best New American Play which was nominated for a Drama League, Drama Desk, and a Tony Award. He is currently developing an original new musical with the internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke and this month he is directing his best friend of 44 years, Michael Mastro (Season One, Episode One) in Michael's autobiographical one-man show called I WANNA BE GOOD - and I am seeing it next week.  I adore these 2 men and this conversation with Geoffrey was a delight.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did recording it.

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Billie McBride is one of Denver's top theatre personalities. I first saw her when she appeared in LOVE LETTERS at Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company on Valentine's Day. The show was wonderful, but Billie stood out to me as someone I wanted and needed to know; but, it was her immediate & kind response (to this unknown Boulder commodity) that led me to realize, YES, she was as wonderful as I dreamed she would be.  Billie NEVER STOPS WORKING.  She is currently directing MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET which opens this weekend at Littleton's Town Hall Performing Arts Center.  The show opens on November 21 and plays through December. (See below for ticket information)

I also saw her in Heartbeat of the Sun, a world premiere at Cherry Creek Theatre written by the prolific and local playwright Melissa McCarl.  She played Joan in The Year of Magical Thinking at the Aurora Fox Theatre, directed for The Denver Center Academy’s One-Act Play Festival, and directed the musical Memphis at the Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton. She spent 20 years in NYC before moving to Colorado to do theatre and Television. Her NY Broadway stage credits include Torch Song Trilogy (Helen Hayes) (just wait until you hear her story about working with the fabulous Harvey Fierstein), Safe Sex (Lyceum), and The Kurt Weill Cabaret (Bijou Theatre).  Since moving to Colorado she has worked in many theatres as a director and actress including the DCTC, The Arvada Center, Curious Theatre, Miners Alley Playhouse, And Toto Too, The Denver Children’s Theatre, CSFAC, CCT, and TheatreWorks.   

Her TV and film credits include All My Children, Secret Storm, The Return of Ironside, Perry Mason, The Shining, and The Laramie Project.

Billie has won 3 Henry Awards for acting and directing in the Colorado area, The True West Award for Theatre Person of the Year (2016), the Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award in (2014) and a True West Award  again in both (2021 and 2023).

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Charles Busch is a creative genius!  With his quick wit and hysterical way of weaving stories, he is that person who can make you laugh at times when you think you may never smile again. I have always loved comedians and interviewing Charles Busch was not unlike reading his book LEADING LADY: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy - both were hysterical, informative, and yet extremely moving.  I've loved Charles since 1984, he wasn't aware of HOW MUCH until I got to tell him during our interview.  Busch is an award-winning actor and playwright who has entertained audiences for over 50 years.  To this day, his 2001 Tony-nominated play, THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE, is my favorite comedy, and 24 years later, there hasn't been another to take its place. He has written over 21 plays, 4 screenplays, and 1 novel.  (He is currently working on a murder mystery novel). He has received various Drama Desk nominations and career achievement awards. In 2023, he was honored with a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both a performer and a playwright. Busch also received the Flora Roberts Award for Sustained Achievement from the Dramatists Guild Foundation. Charles is a memorable cabaret performer, a comedian, and a masterful storyteller.  Tomorrow night (November 18, 2024) at 7:00 p.m. in NYC at the historic Gershwin Theatre, Mr. Busch will be inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.  I am sure you join me in personally congratulating him on being recognized with such an esteemed honor as I can think of no one else who is more deserving.  Please enjoy this fun interview.  Finally, I want to say that I've always felt there is no greater person in the world than someone who can make you laugh.  Charles Busch IS the person who can make you laugh a little louder, and smile a little bigger.  And IF you're lucky enough to be in his presence (if even in a theatre for 2 hours) you'll feel like your life just got infinitely better.

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Actor/Director/Playwright Paul Stroili takes to the mic for episode 5 in an interview with Dawn.  Paul is currently working with Jeff Daniels at the Purple Rose Theatre in OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY GRINCH IN FIGHT WITH RUDOLPH POLICE which is a world premiere both written & directed by Jeff Daniels himself.  Paul is a Resident Artist at Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre, where his play A Jukebox for the Algonquin, enjoyed a World Premiere in the summer of 2023. It received a Wilde Award for Best New Play. His latest play, My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War will have its World Premiere at PRTC in April of 2025. Stroili’s autobiographical solo show Straight Up with a Twist toured the U.S. for over nine years, culminating in a twice-extended Off-Broadway run. As an actor, his television credits include Empire, Chicago P.D., and Undercover Bridesmaid along with Malcolm in the Middle, Brother’s Keeper, Getting Personal, Chance of a Lifetime and The Untouchables, as well as the films Only Dance Can Save Us, The Beating, Gratitude, Cold Justice, The Wrong Profile and The Real Whatever.  His stage credits include Doll’s House Part 2, God of Carnage, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Souffle´, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear, Ghosts, Wonder of the World, Confessions of a Catholic Child, Under Milkwood and A Flea in her Ear. A native of Connecticut, he attended the State University of New York at New Paltz.  He lives in his adopted hometown of Chicago.

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Richard (Rick) St. Peter is an award-winning stage director, producer, and educator with more than 20 years of experience in professional and academic theatre. He has worked internationally with the English Theatre of Ukraine, Prague's MeetFactory, and the National Theatre of Romania in Craiova, Romania. During the height of the Covid Pandemic, he was one of 100 international directors -- and the only American-- to participate in the National Theatre of Romania's (Craiova) Hektomeron(www.hektomeron.com) adapting and directing The Fifth Story from Day the Seventh of Boccaccio's Decameron. The production, billed as 100 Days/100 Stories/100 Directors from 100 Countries was streamed worldwide throughout 2021. During the 2016-2017 academic year, he had the honor of serving as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Craiova in Romania. For the university, he directed Sarah Kane's 4:48 Psychosis (4:48 Psihoza) and also guest-directed a series of new international one-act plays under the title Private Spaces (Spatiu Privat) at the Romanian National Theatre in Craiova. From 2003-2009 he served as the Artistic Director of Kentucky’s Actors Guild of Lexington, where he produced over forty shows and directed more than ten. Notable directing credits include Hamlet (production featured in January 2008 "American Theatre" Magazine), Rabbit Hole, All My Sons, Stop Kiss, Tartuffe(freely adapted by Charles Edward Pogue), and world premiere productions of Long Time Travelling (by New York Times best-selling novelist Silas House) and Checking In (by Brian Hampton). Other regional credits include Avenue Q and The Rocky Horror Show (both at the Warehouse Theatre, SC), the world premiere of Charles Edward Pogue's adaptation of A Flea in Her Ear (SC's Centre Stage), Romeo and Juliet (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company), The Laramie Project (Barksdale Theatre), subUrbia(Theatre IV), and Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop (Theatre IV, Barksdale Theatre and TheatreVirginia). Since 2006, Dr. St. Peter has served as a visiting lecturer at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in London, England (https://www.bruford.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-courses/american-theatre-arts/). He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Program Coordinator at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA, He has taught or guest lectured at Trinity College (Dublin), the University of Kentucky, Texas Tech University, Centre College (KY), Christopher Newport University (VA), Virginia Commonwealth University, Clemson University, the University of Toledo, and others. From 2016-2020 he served as the inaugural Chair of the Directing Committee of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), is a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, a 2007 participant in the LaMaMa/Umbria International Directors Symposium held in Spoleto, Italy, and a 2002 recipient of a Princess Grace Foundation Theater Award. He previously served as the Associate Artistic Director of TheatreVirginia and Barksdale Theatre (Virginia). Dr. St. Peter received his M.F.A. in stage directing from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1998 and his Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Texas Tech University in 2013.

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Amanda Berg-Wilson is the co-founder and artistic director of The Catamounts Theatre Company, an immersive theatre experience in the Boulder/Denver area.  She has directed over fifteen productions, including God’s Ear (2011 Camera Eye Award, Best Director), Failure: A Love Story (2013 True West Nomination, Best Director), and Rausch (2018 True West award, 2019 Henry Award nomination). 

Under her direction, The Catamounts have received eight Westword Best of Denver awards, four True West awards, thirteen Colorado Theatre Guild nominations, and six Daily Camera Eye Awards, among other awards. She has also doubled the Catamounts’ operating budget two and a half times in just eight years.

Before The Catamounts, she co-founded and served as Artistic Director of Striding Lion, a Chicago-based performance group that operated for sixteen seasons.

She was a finalist for the 2018 True West Theatre Person of the Year, was highlighted in Westword magazine as one of “100 Colorado Creatives,” received a 2014 BCAA Theatre Fellowship, and her work has been profiled in American Theatre magazine. Elsewhere in Colorado, she has performed with the Curious Theatre Company and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Off-Center wing. She directed the hit immersive staging of The Wild Party and conceived of and created Between Us: The Whiskey Tasting for DCPA’s Off-Center, and is Assistant Director on Off-Center’s Theatre of the Mind, a new immersive theatre piece by Mala Gaonkar and Rock n Roll Hall of Famer David Byrne. She directed 9 to 5 and Pride and Prejudice at Creede Repertory Theatre in Creede, Colorado.

Amanda graduated cum laude with a BA in English and Drama from Kenyon College in Ohio.

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Humble, Kind. Uber-talented, and Devoted to storytelling since she was a child are just a few takeaways from my interview with Candace Joice.  From the moment I met her, I knew she had "IT" - and let me tell you, she has "IT" in spades.  She is an avid reader, and ever since her first stage role as a duckling, she relishes the experience of collaborating with a writer's words whether on stage, on film, or in recording an audiobook. Candace holds a master's degree in theater and has over ten years of regional theater credits as an actor and director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company; Miners Alley Playhouse and The Catamounts Theatre.  Candace draws from a wealth of experience to immerse listeners in compelling storytelling. Onstage, she has played characters as diverse as Elizabeth Bennett and Eddie Van Halen. She's just as versatile in her booth, jumping smoothly from the depth and vulnerability of literary fiction to the many character voices of genre novels, to the focus and authority of nonfiction. And when she's not in her booth or on stage? You'll probably find her playing with her dog or baking bread, macarons, pies, and cakes!  Candace most recently assistant directed HAMLET at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts until October 6th and her new audiobook The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers drops on October 21, 2024!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Schmigadoon Season One AND the new season of Virgin River, honey Troy McLaughlin is on a roll!

Troy McLaughlin and I go way back and I knew I wanted him on as a guest on ACT this season and was so happy that he found the time to give to both you and me.  We met at Varina High School, in Richmond, Virginia but I was (…ha hem) just a little older than he!  I first met him when he was a fabulous trumpet player in the marching band and as I was the drum major.  And THEN…Troy broke loose and broke loose he DID!  While at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA he decided a communications major wasn’t what he wanted to do – he wanted to be a performer, focusing primarily on tap and theatre dance.  So, he transferred to the now-closed University of the Arts in Philadelphia (which makes him very sad) and some 40 years later, Troy has worked with some of the best in the business. From Disney’s THE LION KING (SWING), and SPIDERMAN (Las Vegas), to a 2 year stint in Germany in  STARLIGHT EXPRESS (SWING) and you haven’t heard anything until you hear him sing FREIGHT in German!  While in New York City he danced with Manhattan Tap, The Radio City Rockettes Show (understudying the late Gregory Hine’s brother Maurice and the great Harold Nicholas YUP of the famous Nicholas Brothers.  He met Gregory a couple of times and you’ll hear those stories in the podcast.  In Vegas, he worked on the rigging for SPIDERMAN with Julie Taymor and The Siegfried and Roy Show as a CatMan (you don’t want to miss the photo on the FB page!)  Troy teaches, and choreographs, he does hip-hop, body percussion, and creative movement. he works in television, theatre, film, and his own dance company Troy’s BobShop.  You can find more about it at www.bobshop.ca  His main love (besides his family wife and two daughters who are all in the business) is teaching students and teachers of all ages and levels to help them gain the confidence they need to close in on their potential.

If you happen to be in Vancouver Canada this week for the Fringe Festival in the beautiful Granville Island Theatre District, Troy’s Dance Works will be on the stage with the Chuck Taylor Ballet at the Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver to celebrate storytelling through dance.  Troy’s piece is about self-acceptance and individuality in a conformist world…all told through multiple styles of dance.  For more information, please check out the Waterfront Theatre website at  https://granvilleisland.com/venue/waterfront-theatre

Schmigadoon is going live on stage at the Kennedy Center in January so we’ll see if Troy gets asked to join the cast (fingers crossed) … he is the love interest of someone on the new season of Virgin River also coming to Netflix in January.  Stay tuned...

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Frank Wood was raised in Boston, MA and he comes from a family of politicians. His father was a political scientist who served under the Lyndon Johnson administration and his sister, Maggie Hassan was the 81st Governor of New Hampshire from 2013-2017.  She was elected to the senate in 2016 and is a junior US Senator.

His passion for theatre was ignited during his college days at Wesleyan University when he got to act in the Canterbury Tale Shepherd’s plays.  It was the challenge of the actor was not only the fun part, but it got me out of myself, in a kind of extravagant, self-parody, satire, falling down comedy, that made us reach out to the audience.  And that is the reason he is in theatre.

“When my character says things that I can’t say in real life is not only why I love acting, but why I need it.”

He’s a Tony award winning actor for his work as Gene in Warren Leight’s SIDEMAN which also won the Tony in 1999 for Best Play.  On Broadway he has appeared as Bill in AUGUST:  OSAGE COUNTY; Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner’s Pulizer Prize-winning play ANGELS IN AMERICA; the Night Clerk in O’Neill’s HUGHIE opposite Forest Whitaker.  He has appeared in numerous television shows such as: Mozart in the Jungle, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order SVU, Medium, and Modern Family; and films such as: JOKER, POLLACK, & MICHAEL CLAYTON.

I loved talking about the acting process with the very talented and lovely man.  Enjoy!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Born in the small town of Lubbock, Texas, Steven Skybell knew at the age of 10 as Pavel the peasant boy in the local theatre version of Fiddler on the Roof that the stage was where he belonged.  A graduate of both Yale University's undergraduate and graduate theatre studies programs, in 1988 Steven stepped right off the stage at Yale Repertory and onto the boards at the Neil Simon Theatre for his broadway debut in Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness!

Classically trained in Shakespeare, ironically Steven does not think of himself as a musical theatre performer. But to everyone else? His performance as Tevye in the Yiddish version of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF directed by Joel Grey is a tour de force and the performance of a lifetime.  The show was sold out and seen by celebrities and politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Hugh Jackman, Baryshnikov, Lin-Manuel Miranda (to name a few).

The production won the 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Revival, the 2019 Critics Circle Special Citation Award and Steven won the 2019 Lucille Lortel for Best Lead Actor in a Musical.  The show was the brain child of both Joel Gray and the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's (NYTF) Artistic Director, Zalmen Mlotek. 

Steven has appeared on broadway in shows such as, Love! Valour! Compassion!, WICKED, and The Full Monty.  He and his husband, Michael Cole (who is Stephen Schwartz's personal assistant), live a couple of hours north outside the city in a little town known as Mahopac, NY.  They have 2 children "fur babies" named MacKenzie and Caleb both are Blue Merle Australian Shepherds.  If you ever find yourself on the lake in this lovely little hamlet, you might even see Tevye slaloming across the wakes and doing some tricks.

I will tell you that that Steven is as lovely to converse with as he is on stage.  Honest.  Charming.  Kind.  Funny.  Interesting.  He says the trick to acting is If the thought is clear then the actor's message will get across.  Steven Skybell is truly a very rich man!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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If you are like me, you've seen this week's guest more than you can even remember.  He's a face that has appeared on so many tv sitcoms, dramas and comedy specials it's impossible to name them all.  Born in Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY,  Brian is a true New Yorker.  He was an absolute delight to interview.  So funny.  So open.  So raunchy.  Did I mention raunchy? 

As a stand-up comic, Brian has appeared on numerous television show to almost every comedy club to name a few, Dangerfield's, Caroline's Comedy Club, Stand Up NY, Comic Strip Live, Boston Comedy Club, Catch a Rising Star and the list goes on and on.  He has been on shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, Mad Men, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Conan, Bones, A Million Little Things, Castle and played Gordon in Three Sisters, Stuart Miller on Stacked with Pamela Anderson, and THAT list goes on and on.  His raspy, sexy voice has been used for commercials and video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Need for Speed. 

A few years ago, during a stand up routine one of Brian's eyes started to go blurry and not soon after he was diagnosed with MS.  Needless to say with COVID, the lack of work for all entertainers as well as SAG's new health insurance minimum annual income being raised from $16,000/yr to $25,000/yr (in the year of a pandemic) Brian has had to find other means for making money.  He has started a fund me page on www.patreon.com/brianscolaro where those interested can enjoy his quick wit weekly for only $5.00 a MONTH!  And the clips are hysterical.  His new book How to Punch a Monkey can be purchased on Amazon for $12.99 and on Kindle for $9.99 and his new recording Then/Now can be purchased on iTunes.  All worth it. I know. I bought them all.  Donate if you can because Mr. Scolaro is worth every penny and much, much more!  I hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did doing it.  (EXPLICIT LANGUAGE and CONTENT)

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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One of the most talented actors I have ever seen on stage, Dan Ruth is a true showman, a writer, a musician, an actor, a director and a friend.  A studied actor, the alcoholism that  trapped and spun him into a downward spiral was the one thing that miraculously turned his life around.  He singing voice is as powerful and passionate as Mandy Patinkin, his unrelenting comic timing will make your face hurt from laughing so hard, and his gut-wrenching personal tragic story about how he turned his life around are all a part of what make this man such an inspiration.  His show "A Life Behind Bars" has won numerous awards such as:  2018 Bistro Award for "Outstanding Solo Play," 2018 MAC Award for "Best Spoken Word Artist," 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival Producer's Encore Award, the 2016 Best Autobiographical Show award at United Solo Festival and last but not least the 2018 Martha Hill Newell Playwright's Fund Award.  Dan's have a bar towel will travel attitude will put this ball-of-energy actor back on the road again with his tour de force as soon as this COVID-19 thing is over. "A Life Behind Bars" is the perfect show for any producer looking to get audiences running back into their theatre seats and experience just why live theatre is an electric, and enjoyable way to spend one's evening.   You can also find Dan on Instagram @danruthbkny ;  FB @danruthbkny ; OR Twitter @ danruthbkny.  His website is www.danruthbkny.com

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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I'll let these famous people give comedian, Jeff Caldwell's intro:

• Dennis Miller - "This guy is incredible!"
• Craig Ferguson - "Very funny!"
• George Carlin - "Funny and Smart!"
• David Letterman - "Very, very funny!"

Jeff is such an approachable person.  Kind to everyone, this comedian believes that humor is best when commonalities are found and that the stage is not a preferred platform for exclusions or bullying.  Known to other comedians as "The Stand Up Guy" - Jeff is JUST that.  

During the podcast, we discuss the similarities of both stand up and comic acting.  In this career we all have to deal with disappointment, but when the Paramount and CBS sitcom that centers around you as the main character (and Bob Newhart as your dad) falls through, getting back up on the horse again is more than difficult.  His wife, Kathy who worked for Lorne Michaels grounds him and proves to be an excellent sounding board for jokes before he ever says them in front of an audience.  He has toured with Jon Stewart, and worked with Rosie O'Donnell and Lewis Black (to name a few and believe me ther are many more!)  When we stopped recording the episode, I asked what was for dinner.  Well, Jeff had eaten a tomato (from his garden) sandwich with Hellman's  before he logged on and I quickly challenged him that his next sandwich MUST be made with Duke's or he wasn't really living. I promised to send him a jar and Jeff, it's in the mail!

I hope you enjoy Jeff's down-to-earth humor and the rapport he quickly establishes to anyone who is lucky enough to chat with him!  Keep up with this Jeff on FB, Twitter and Instagram so when this crazy quarantine is over...you can see him on the stage where he very definitely belongs!  

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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I met Brad in 1981.  He was already a star in the theatre department at Virginia Commonwealth University and his commitment to the craft of acting was inspiring and unwavering even back then.  He is funny, kind and has become a master (and I don't use that word lightly) on how to manipulate the camera in your favor.  His studio in Santa Monica is called Brad's Class and I would give anything to be a student on a regular basis so much so that - I am "committed" to taking his on-line class.  (See the ACT FB page for more information and his reduced rates.)  He has worked with such greats as George C. Scott, Jack Lemmon, Elizabeth McGovern, Isabella Rossellini and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Turn on any tv show and you'll see his face, whether it's on Star Trek, Medium, Bones, Grimm or Cold Case, Brad is sure to creep you out.  LOL.  For actors in the business today, Brad reinforces during the interview, that it's all about submitting that perfect self-tape, and in order to do that the actor must be willing to draw the viewer in.  Because, he believes that film and tv is about personality with a touch of sensuality and very little movement, whereas the stage requires expressive skills such as big voices and loud gestures. (You'll hear his skill during the podcast when he gives us a sneak peak into his audition for the serial killer in CSI Miami.)  Its ridiculously creepy as his one simple movement towards the microphone transforms his voice into a vibratory resonance that stimulates both excitement and terror within seconds.  Brad is a thrill-seeker both in life and on the screen.  I loved catching up with Brad and I hope you enjoy your hour with "Mr. Horror" - the master of creating the movie monster!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Dr. Karen Turner Ward and I met back in 1983.  She was a force to be reckoned with back then and her energy and creativity still abounds.  She adds theatrical expertise, musical prowess, and a kind heart to every production she touches and every person she meets.  She has toured nationally with shows such as Mama Dee's Girls that she not only wrote but share the stage with the lovely Jennifer Holliday (who she has also written songs for under the non de plume K.T. Price!)  When she sent me some of her songs, I literally got goosebumps within the first 4 measures listening to a song called "A Love To Call My Own."  Karen has chaired the theatre department at Hampton University for over 37 years, a private historically black university that was founded in 1868 by both black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War.  She is a published author, composer, actress, director, producer, has won numerous awards, chaired committees on leadership and strategic planning.  She has done all of this while playing her most important role, of single mother to her beautiful daughter, Jade who has followed in her Mama's footsteps and is making her mark in the world as an actress (she is beautiful), director and producer working with such greats as Troy Rowland Studios in LA.  On top of chairing the theatre department at Hampton University, Dr. Karen (as I call her) is in charge of all special events and ceremonies at the university where she has met President Obama and the late Honorable John Lewis.  I am honored that she said yes to talking with me and I hope you enjoy her as much as I did.  WOW...love this lady!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Jon Kretzu lives in the beautiful pacific northwest and a graduate of Cal State.  He bills himself as a director, dramaturge and journalist and is one of the busiest and energetic theatre directors in Portland, OR.  He has worked professionally all of the world and was the Associate Artistic Director at ART (Artist Repertory Theatre) for 20 years and directed over 50 shows.  His passion for music guides him towards his artistic vision for most of the plays, operas and musicals that he has the privilege to direct.  Working on various adaptations of classical works is one of his favorite past times having worked with some of the BEST in our profession: playwrights Tracey Letts (August Osage County), Richard Kramer (thirtysomething and Once and Again) and Joseph Fisher (Cupid and Psyche).  Talking shop with Jon was educational and lively. I hope you enjoy!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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I met Toney Q. Cobb in the mid 1990's and immediately fell in love with not only the actor, but the man himself.  As Toney says, he came to this career later in life and feels very blessed to have met some wonderful mentors and friends.  His work with the African American Repertory Theatre Company under the tutelage of the late Ernie McClintock and Richmonder, Derome Scott Smith were the most influential in his career as far as his acting career.  Jazz acting technique is a very fluid type process that brings each actor to moments of truth by taking them to honest RE-actions and feeding off of each other.  It's not improve, it's more like a jazz riff as the actors create music together during the course of the show.  Enjoy! 

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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You know when you meet a woman that just changes the room the moment they step inside?  Well...that's Eva DeVirgilis!

HER magazine named Eva's TEDxRVA presentation as one of the most inspirational talks in TEDx history and her one woman show IN MY CHAIR has taken her around the world.  She is an active member of the ACLU,  LGFB (Look Good Feel Better) and Safe Harbor.  Eva is not only a masterfully skilled actress, but she brilliant and benevolent.  She uses her gifts for the "better good" and infuses her positive energy and light with anyone in her presence.  

My hour spent talking with Eva is probably one of the most electric and inspirational conversations I have ever experienced talking about theatre, women's rights, racism, self-help and beauty.  I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast as much as I did in the making of it.  

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Eva!  (that's with a long E...!)

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Mark Delabarre and I became friends in the early 1980’s where we met at Virginia Commonwealth University. His gorgeous tenor voice, handsome face and height (I believe he is 6’4) caught my attention immediately.  He’s not only talented but just a lovely soul.  He has lived in NYC for about 30 years and made a living as late night comedian, model, television actor and if my memory serves me correctly gives a pretty mean back rub!  He took that talent and became a certified massage therapist so when “in between jobs” as we like to say in the theatre – it sounds better than unemployed – he has a steady job.  The Actor’s Fund helped him with funding - he tells us how tap into that opportunity.  Mark studied at Bada in Oxford (British American Drama Academy) with the master himself, James Barton who authored PLAYING SHAKESPEARE.  He was Will in the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies (that boy can rope!) and has some great advice for actors of all ages.  Enjoy!!!

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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I met Cliff Morts in the early 1990's at Mill Mountain Theatre.  He was playing the gentleman caller in A GLASS MENAGERIE.  What struck me immediately was the honesty and ease in which he delivered each line.  We later got to play on stage together (if only in a staged reading) and I realized that his honesty made me better.  He was just SO present and in the moment. Every moment.  That honesty has served him well as a television actor. As a coach, he tells his acting students "The stage is about acting, but film is about behavior."  Let that one sink in.  It makes a lot of sense.  He was lovely to interview and it was great catching up with such a successful friend.  Enjoy Cliff's readings of his own work in PRAYING SMALL at the beginning and the end of the podcast.  

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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I met this week’s guest back in 2015 when he designed sound for a show that I was directing at Richmond Triangle Players in Richmond Virginia.  He is now  Artistic Director of that theatre.  Lucian Restivo is a force to be reckoned with – he is a one man band and I don’t think there is anything in theatre that he cannot do.  Hiring him as the Artistic Director of Richmond Triangle Players was a brilliant move on their part before somebody else nabbed him up!  Last year in 2019 his award-winning production of The Laramie Project was not only gorgeous but Matthew Sheppard’s parents actually came to a special preview and he says this production will always hold a special place in his heart.  His win as director during last year’s ARTISIES was a moment the city of Richmond will never forget when he asked his love of his life, Luke Newsome to become his husband.  The Coronavirus epidemic and quarantine has put a hold on their nuptials but he guarantees me that it will happen as soon as possible once all of this is over.  Let’s don’t wait any longer – here’s Lucian. 

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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I met Michael Mastro in 1988 at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain on the River Thames.  His stories about a life in the theatre over the last 39 years are both funny and insightful.  For me, it's stories like his hysterical broadway debut understudying Mario Cantone in Love! Valour! Compassion! to hearing Bernadette Peters sing "You Made Me Love You" TO HER DOG that makes Michael's life seem touched by an angel.  His stories paint a portrait of an actor whose both contagious laugh and gracious heart make him a gem to anyone who's lucky enough to find themselves in his presence - if only for a podcast hour.   (NOTE:  HBO Paterno with Al Pacino, Michael plays a family friend, NOT Joe Paterno's lawyer.)

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com

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Week One is an introduction of ACT's host, Dawn A. Westbrook and what to expect in the coming weeks.  This week Dawn polled actors on the ACT Facebook Page.  "Ever heard the phrase "actors are the lowest on the totem pole?"  See what the listeners and fans had to say.

To learn more about ACT contact Dawn Westbrook by heading over to her website at www.dawnwestbrook.com