EPISODE 120- Joe Iconis with special guest performer- Lauren Marcus

Joe Iconis is a writer and performer.

As a composer - lyricist - book writer, he has authored the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Bloodsong of Love, The Black Suits, ReWrite, Theaterworks USA’s The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We The People, and the currently in development Hunter S. Thompson Musical and Love In Hate Nation.


Albums: Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording), Two Player Game, Things To Ruin (Original Cast Recording) and The Joe Iconis Rock and Roll Jamboree all available on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. Joe’s songs appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s “Smash” and his writing has been featured in The New York Times and The Dramatist.

His concert act, Joe Iconis and Family, frequently plays The Beechman Theater, 54 Below, and Joe’s Pub. The original cast recording of Joe’s theatrical rock concert Things To Ruin, is out on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight records.

He has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, and is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, a Jonathan Larson Award, an ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, a Doris Duke Grant, and a MAC John Wallowitch Songwriting Award.

Lauren Marcus stars in the Broadway musical Be More Chill. She is a singer-songwriter and actress living and performing in New York City. She likes to call her music throwback-indie-folk-pop-rock-with-a-touch-of-the-country, but doesn't mind if you call it whatever you want.

Lauren started performing her original music live in Glasgow, Scotland while studying abroad. Over the past several years she has been playing some of the most acclaimed venues in NYC, including Joe’s Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, Arlene's Grocery, The Path Cafe, Caffe Vivaldi, Le Poisson Rouge, and 54 Below. Lauren released her debut EP, Never Really Done With You, in July 2016.

As an actor, Lauren has performed in many Off-Broadway and regional shows and holds a Bachelor of Music from New York University and Master of Arts from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT- Joe Iconis and Lauren Marcus are married.

EPISODE 119- STEVEN LEVENSON

STEVEN LEVENSON  is the Tony Award-winning book writer of Dear Evan Hansen. His plays include If I Forget, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, Days of Rage, and The Language of Trees. Honors include the Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Award, and the Helen Hayes Award. He worked for three seasons as a writer and producer on Showtime’s Masters of Sex and is a founding member of Colt Coeur and an alumnus of MCC’s Playwrights Coalition and Ars Nova’s Play Group. His work has been published by Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts. A graduate of Brown University, he is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. and the WGA. Upcoming projects include the limited series Fosse/Verdon (FX) and the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…boom! 

EPISODE 117-BONNIE MILLIGAN

Bonnie Milligan is currently making her broadway debut to critical acclaim starring in Head  Over Heels. Previous to HOH, Bonnie was seen playing the original role of Pat in the first national tour of Kinky Boots and off broadway in God Bless You, Mr Rosewater (Encores!), Gigantic (Vineyard), Jasper in Deadland (Prospect). Television credits include the recurring role of Kathryn on Search Party (TBS), Happy! (Sci Fi) and the upcoming new series from Ben Stiller. Twitter: @beltingbonnie Instagram @beltingbons 

EPISODE 115- RORY O'MALLEY INTERVIEWS ILANA

Rory O’Malley asked Ilana to be a guest on his podcast “Living The Dream” and this week Ilana shares the episode on her own podcast platform.

Rory starred as King George III in the smash hit Hamilton on Broadway and in Los Angeles. He is best known for starring in the original company of The Book Of Mormon on Broadway.  He received both Tony and Drama Desk nominations for playing openly closeted Mormon Elder McKinley and performing the show stopper "Turn It Off".  Most recently he was seen on stage in back to back Off-Broadway productions at Second Stage's Nobody Loves You (Drama Desk nomination) and Little Miss Sunshine.  His broadway debut was in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and regionally, he created the role of Richie Cunningham in Garry Marshall’s Happy Days The Musical for Goodspeed Opera House and Paper Mill Playhouse. Rory expanded his repertoire of pasty white dudes by butchering the song “Cadillac Car” as lead singer of ‘Dave and the Sweethearts’ in the Paramount Pictures film Dreamgirls.

Most recently, Rory was seen on the CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. He can also be seen on the small screen in episodes of Partners with Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence, Nurse Jackie, The Good Wife, Law and Order: SVU, and 1600 Penn.

This year Rory premiered his autobiographical show Pub Crawl to a sold out crowd at Joe's Pub in New York City.   Pub Crawl is his tale of being raised in an Irish pub in Cleveland by his single mom and all the bar's eclectic patrons. Rory tells his hilarious coming of age story using classic Irish pub songs from The Wolftones, U2, Van Morrison and more with music direction from Tony and Grammy Award winner, Stephen Oremus.

Rory is a Co-Founder of Broadway Impact, an organization that mobilizes the theater community to take action on fighting for marriage equality. Along with Jenny Kanelos and Gavin Creel, Rory was there from it's inception and has organized large rallies, phone banks, and theater events; all for the sake of marriage equality.  Currently Broadway Impact is producing the play 8, conceived by Rory and edited by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black.  8 uses the original transcript of the trial that overturned Prop 8 in California and puts it on a stage for theaters all across the country to perform and hold talkbacks.  Rory has had the pleasure of performing around the country in the piece with many great actors and activists including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Larry Kramer, Cleve Jones and many more. Currently 8 has been produced in over 400 theaters, including in all 50 states and in 7 countries.

Rory lives in Los Angeles with his husband Gerold Schroeder. He is very happy:)

He is a political activist and is the visionary behind #BeltTheVote , To learn more go to Beltthevote.org

Little Known Fact: Because singer and superstar, Josh Groban, got a record deal, Rory got his spot in the musical theater program at Carnegie Mellon... And the rest is musical theater history.

EPISODE 113- NICOLETTE ROBINSON

Nicolette Robinson is an actress and singer known for stellar performances in theatre and on television.

This fall, Robinson made her Broadway debut stepping into the lead role of “Jenna” in the multiple Tony Award nominated musical, WAITRESS. With a book by Jessie Nelson, music by Sara Bareilles, and direction by Diane Paulus, the show has played to full audiences over almost 1,000 performances. On September 4, 2018, Robinson became the first African-American woman and the first mother to play the lead role.

Robinson appeared Off-Broadway in the 2015 production of BROOKLYNITE at the Vineyard Theatre, directed by Michael Mayer from a book he co-wrote with Peter Lerman, which earned a 2015 Off Broadway Alliance Award nomination for Best New Musical. She also starred in the new musical, INVISIBLE THREAD, for director Diane Paulus and Second Stage Theatre. Of her performance, Time Out New York wrote that Robinson was “poised and possessed of an ethereal soprano… marvelous.”

INVISIBLE THREAD began its life as WITNESS UGANDA – in which Robinson also starred – with book, music, and lyrics by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews. It was based on the true story of Matthews' humanitarian trips to Uganda, and his work to fund his nonprofit, Uganda Project. The musical premiered in February 2014 at Cambridge's American Repertory Theater before transferring to Off-Broadway.

Robinson also co-starred in Barrington Stage Company’s A LITTLE MORE ALIVE, with book, music, and lyrics by Nick Blaemire. In this heartfelt and original folk-pop musical, two estranged brothers reunite at their childhood home after their mother’s funeral. An unexpected revelation distorts their memories and uncovers secrets. Robinson starred as ‘Lizzie’, the hospice worker who’d been caring for the mother, and the Berkshire Eagle called her “luminous.”

On television, Robinson co-starred with Ruth Wilson and Dominic West as ‘Jane’ on Showtime’s Golden Globe Award-winning drama series, THE AFFAIR. She has also appeared on HART OF DIXIE, UNFORGETTABLE, PERFECT COUPLES, and COLD CASE, among others.

Nicolette received the Princess Grade Award for Theater and is a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles School of Theater, Film, & Television. She is primarily based in Los Angeles, where she resides with her husband, Leslie Odom Jr., and their baby daughter.

EPISODE 112- SPENCER DAY

SPENCER DAY is a unique #1 Billboard charting pop/jazz performer who has appeared at venues from Lincoln Center to the Hollywood Bowl. Born in Utah, raised in rural Arizona, and currently living in New York City, Day has wandered amid the expansive and diverse landscape of American music, developing an artistic sensibility that borrows from numerous sources: jazz, musical theater, cabaret, soul, folk, traditional and contemporary pop. He uses intuition and improvisation as his primary tools to craft a sound that is familiar, yet fresh and innovative at the same time. Day’s album Vagabond peaked at #11 on the Billboard Album Chart and stayed on the chart for 47 weeks. The lead single, “Til You Come To Me,” peaked at #3. His recent album, Daybreak, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart. Angel City, Day’s seventh and latest album, was recorded at Capitol Records with the support of the 20 piece Budman-Levy Orchestra. Using the fabled city of Los Angeles as a backdrop, the recording continues Spencer’s meditations on love, fame, narcissism, and how an artist can maintain integrity and authenticity. New Yorkers will be able to find their own parallels in the themes of the songs. The album’s lyrics and melodies reveal something of a stylistic departure from Spencer’s previous records, although you’ll certainly find his unique blend of blue-eyed soul, pop and film noir moodiness from the classic jazz era. Incorporating slices of life from legends and nobodies, the city of dreams is built on projections and fantasy, light and darkness. The video for the album’s first single, “72 and Sunny,” debuted on People.com, which praised the “the song’s bright, hopeful lyrics with retro-themed visuals.” The album’s second single, “Angel City,” was the #1 Most Added track this week from the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart, in addition to being #1 Most Added track on the Groove Jazz Music Chart. The Washington Post praised his “cool jazz sensibilities” and “cleverly crafted tales,” with Time Out New York calling him “a compelling, quirky singer-songwriter.” According to The San Francisco Chronicle, “his melodies are infectious, his arrangements are dazzling and, most of all, his delivery is heartfelt and, often, heartbreaking. He is not only a superb pianist, but a brilliant arranger, who consistently celebrates the partnership between his voice and the piano. “

LITTLE KNOWN FACT - He auditioned on a dare and ended up being a finalist on Star Search. 

EPISODE 111- EDUARDO A. BRANIFF

Eduardo A. Braniff is the executive Director of Silkroad, the music and learning collective founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Before joining Silkroad’s staff, he served as a board director of Silkroad and was CEO & Creative Director of the global design firm Imagination. His work has consistently leveraged the value of multiple disciplines towards influencing culture. Additionally, Eduardo is a certified life coach focused on working with the creative community. He lives in Los Angeles where he is an avid supporter of the arts serving on the boards of Independent Shakespeare Company and L.A.N.D. Los Angeles Nomadic Division.

Little Known Fact - Eduardo is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of “Men’s Vows” a digital magazine dedicated to supporting men who marry. You can find @mensvows on IG and FB.

EPISODE 110- BE MORE CHILL- A LIVE PODCAST EVENT

Be More Chill’s Composer and Lyricist - Joe Iconis, Producer -Jennifer Ashley Tepper and it’s stars, George Salazar and Lauren Marcus join Ilana for a live  podcast recording on stage at SubCulture in NYC.

The conversation is hilarious and poignant and secrets are revealed about the making of Be More Chill and.... there is a lot of amazing singing!

EPISODE 109- JASON ALEXANDER

Though best known for his award-winning, nine year stint as the now iconic George Costanza of television’s Seinfeld, Jason Alexander has achieved international recognition for a career noted for its extraordinary diversity. Aside from his performances on stage, screen and television, he has worked extensively as a writer, composer, director, producer and teacher of acting. In between all that he has also become an award-winning magician, a notorious poker player and a respected advocate on social and political issues. 

For his depiction of “George” on Seinfeld, Jason garnered six Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, an American Television Award and two American Comedy Awards. He won two Screen Actor Guild Awards as the best actor in a television comedy despite playing a supporting role and in 2012 he was honored to receive the “Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement” from the Actor's Fund.

Aside from Seinfeld, Jason has starred and guested in shows as The Grinder, Drunk History, Friends, Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Criminal Minds, Monk, Franklin and Bash, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bob Patterson, Listen Up, Hit the Road, Orville and Young Sheldon. He also starred in the television films of Bye Bye Birdie, Cinderella, A Christmas Carol and The Man Who Saved Xmas. Additionally, his voice has been heard most notably in Duckman, The Cleveland Show, American Dad, Tom and Jerry and Kody Kapow.

His many films include: Pretty Woman, Jacob’s Ladder, Love Valor Compassion, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dunston Checks In, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Shallow Hal. In addition he directed the feature films For Better or Worse and Just Looking. He is also a distinguished television director, overseeing episodes of Seinfeld, Til Death, Everybody Hates Chris, Mike and Molly, Criminal Minds and Franklin and Bash. He won the American Country Music Award for his direction of Brad Paisley's video “Cooler Online.” 

While still in college, his desire to work as a stage actor in New York came to be with his debut in the original Broadway cast of the Hal Prince/Stephen Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along. He continued starring on Broadway in the original casts of Kander and Ebb’s The Rink, Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound, Rupert Holmes’ Accomplice and his Tony Award winning performance in Jerome Robbin’s Broadway. Jason also authored the libretto for that show which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. After moving to LA, Jason continued working in the theater, notably serving as the artistic director for the Reprise Theatre Company and for the hit West Coast production of Mel Brook’s The Producers in which he starred along with Martin Short. Most recently, Jason returned to Broadway to star in the Larry David comedy Fish in the Dark at the Cort Theater and recently appeared in the John Patrick Shanley’s The Portuguese Kid at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

He has also helmed a number of stage productions including: The God of Hell at the Geffen Playhouse; Broadway Bound at the Odyssey; an updated revival of Damn Yankees and The Fantasticks, as well as Sunday in the Park with George for Reprise and most recently the world premiere of Windfall by Scooter Pietsch for the Arkansas Repertory Theater.

Mr. Alexander tours the country and the world performing his one-man show, “As Long As You’re Asking, a Conversation with Jason Alexander,” which contains music, comedy and conversation. He can also be seen in his whimsical salute to Broadway musicals with some of the finest symphony orchestras throughout the United States. You can stay in touch with Jason via Twitter (@IJasonAlexander)

EPISODE 108- JENN COLELLA

Jenn Colella  stars on  Broadway in Come From Away ( Tony nomination.) Previous Broadway credits include If/Then, Chaplin, High Fidelity and Urban Cowboy(Outer Critics Circle Award nomination) and off-Broadway in Beebo Brinker, Lucky Guy, Slut and Closer Than Ever. Her regional work includes Annie Get Your Gun (PCLO); Peter Pan (Sacramento Music Circus); Side Show (Kennedy Center). She's been seen on screen in Feed The Beast, Elementary, All My Children, The Good Wife and Rescue Me.

She will star this fall on the television series The Code.

EPISODES 106 and 107- DAVID KORINS Parts One and Two

Here are Ilana's conversations with  the extraordinary designer David Korins in two parts.

David's Broadway credits include - Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Motown, Annie, Bring It On, Chinglish, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, Magic/Bird, Godspell, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Lombardi, Passing Strange and Bridge and Tunnel. He has also worked extensively both off-Broadway and regionally. David’s opera credits include The Gospel of Mary Magdalene at San Francisco Opera and Oscar and Life is a Dream at the Santa Fe Opera. In 2011, David served as Kanye West’s creative director designing several concerts in the United States and abroad. David has designed installations across the country for festivals including Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and The Great Googa Mooga. He has been the production designer for several feature films, television specials and series on NBC, CBS, HBO, Bravo TV, IFC, Comedy Central, Lifetime and the Game Show Network. David has done commercial work for Target, Samsung, World MasterCard, McDonald’s and Friendly’s. He has received a Drama Desk Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, three Henry Hewes Awards and the 2009 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design.

EPISODE 105- JASON ROBERT BROWN

JASON ROBERT BROWN  has been hailed as “one of Broadway’s smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and his “extraordinary, jubilant theater music” (Chicago Tribune) has been heard all over the world, whether in one of the hundreds of productions of his musicals every year or in his own incendiary live performances.  The New York Times refers to Jason as “a leading member of a new generation of composers who embody high hopes for the American musical.” Jason’s score for “The Bridges of Madison County,” a musical adapted with Marsha Norman from the bestselling novel, directed by Bartlett Sher and starring Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale, received two Tony Awards (for Best Score and Orchestrations). “Honeymoon In Vegas,” based on Andrew Bergman’s film, opened on Broadway in 2015 following a triumphant production at Paper Mill Playhouse.  A film version of his epochal Off-Broadway musical “The Last Five Years” was released in 2015, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan and directed by Richard LaGravenese. His major musicals as composer and lyricist include: “13”, written with Robert Horn and Dan Elish, which began its life in Los Angeles in 2007 and opened on Broadway in 2008 (and was subsequently directed by the composer for its West End premiere in 2012); “The Last Five Years”, which was cited as one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best of 2001 and won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics (and was subsequently directed by the composer in its record-breaking Off-Broadway run at Second Stage Theatre in 2013); “Parade,” written with Alfred Uhry and directed by Harold Prince, which premiered at Lincoln Center Theatre in 1998, and subsequently won both the Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best New Musical, as well as garnering Jason the Tony Award for Original Score; and “Songs for a New World,” a theatrical song cycle directed by Daisy Prince, which played Off-Broadway in 1995, and has since been seen in hundreds of productions around the world, including a major revival at New York’s City Center in the summer of 2018.  

 His newest collection, “How We React and How We Recover”, was released in June 2018 on Ghostlight Records. His previous solo album, “Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes”, was named one of Amazon.com’s best of 2005, and is available from Sh-K-Boom Records. A concert film featuring Anika Noni Rose was broadcast on PBS.  His collaboration with singer Lauren Kennedy, “Songs of Jason Robert Brown”, is available on PS Classics. Jason’s piano sonata, “Mr. Broadway” was commissioned and premiered by Anthony De Mare at Carnegie Hall. For the musical “Prince of Broadway,” a celebration of the career of Harold Prince, Jason was the musical supervisor and arranger.

 Jason lives with his wife, composer Georgia Stitt, and their daughters in New York City.  Jason is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802.  Visit him on the web at www.jasonrobertbrown.com.

Little Known Fact: At his Bar Mitzvah Jason Robert Brown performed an original song about a terrible break up  he experienced with a girlfriend. The only catch- he did not have a girlfriend. 

EPISODE 104 - GEORGE SALAZAR

George Salazar is best known for originating the role of "Michael Mell" in Be More Chill (coming to the Signature off-Broadway this summer) and for his Drama Desk-nominated performance in off-Broadway's The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. He was previously seen off-Broadway in Keen Company's Drama Desk-nominated revival of tick, tick... BOOM! and in David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's hit off-Broadway immersive musical, Here Lies Love. George made his Broadway debut singing "Light of the World" in the 2011 Revival of Godspell and toured with the second national company of Spring Awakening prior to that. Regional credits include the world premiere of Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz's Be More Chill, the world premiere of Joe Iconis, Lance Rubin, and Jason "SweetTooth" Williams' Broadway Bounty Hunter, the world premiere of Raging Skillet, and "Chip Tolentino" in ...Putnam County Spelling Bee. He was also a cast member of the 10th Annual CBS Diversity Showcase in Los Angeles.

George's TV credits include CBS' BULL, HBO's DIVORCE, & appearances on CBS' LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, ABC'S THE VIEW, OWN'S THE ROSIE SHOW, and the 2012 TONY AWARDS telecast. He appears on various recordings including GEORGE SALAZAR AND JOE ICONIS: TWO-PLAYER GAME (Ghostlight), BE MORE CHILL (Ghostlight), THE LIGHTNING THIEF (Broadway Records), GODSPELL (Sh-K-Boom), BROOKLYN CRUSH (Broadway Records) and MOMENT BY MOMENT.

For more information, follow him on Instagram and Twitter @georgesalazar or visit his website at www.thegeorgesalazar.com

LITTLE KNOWN FACT- Before deciding he wanted to pursue a career in the arts George thought he was going to pursue a career in medicine as a Neurosurgeon.
 

EPISODE 103 - BETH MALONE

Tony Award Nominated, Beth Malone, currently stars as “The Angel” in the Tony-award winning play Angels in America, with Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane.

Beth Malone was nominated for her game-changing role of “Alison” in Fun Home. Writing for the New York Times, Ben Brantley singled out Beth’s performance as one that “expertly turns seeming self-effacement into penetrating presence.” Steve Suskin, reviewing for the Huffington Post, called Beth “powerful…the glue that holds the show together.” CBS New York added to the chorus of praise by publishing an entire article, frankly headlined, “Why Beth Malone Should Win the Tony.”

Malone grew up on Haystack Road in Castle Rock and got her Equity card at The Country Dinner Playhouse under the loving guidance of Bill McHale. She attended Loretto Heights College in its final year of existence and went on to work at Arvada Center, Denver Center, Boulder’s Dinner Theater and Little Theater of the Rockies at UNC, where she graduated.

Malone starred as the titular character in the world premiere of a wholly reimagined version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, directed by Kathleen Marshall. She recently reprised her role at The MUNY in St. Louis this past July. She originated the role of “June Carter Cash” in Ring of Fire on Broadway, as well as the roles of “Betty Jean” in The Marvelous Wonderettes and Alison in Bingo off-Broadway.

Malone’s previous film credits include The Comedian with Robert DeNiro, Hick with Eddie Redmayne, Twist of Faith and The Interview.

Select television credits include a large recurring role on Braindead , a Guest Starring role on Bull and The Good Wife, all for CBS. Comedy Central’s Reno 911 and Wanda Does It, along with the Fox pilot Second Nature. Other past television roles include Laying Low, Judging Amy, What’s On and One Minute Soaps.

She is the author and star of the critically acclaimed one-woman show Beth Malone: So Far.

Little Known Fact: A really great amazing night of karaoke directly led her to being cast in her first Broadway musical... many years later.

EPISODE 102- ANDREW KEENAN-BOLGER

Andrew Keenan-Bolger is an actor, director, author and filmmaker. He recently starred as “Jesse Tuck” in Tuck Everlasting on Broadway (Drama League Award nominee). He created the role of "Crutchie" in the Original Broadway Cast of Newsies (Outer Critics Circle nominee) and in the record-breaking Newsies: The Broadway Musical film. Other Broadway: Mary Poppins, Seussical, Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol. 1st Nat'l Tours: Spelling Bee, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Mary Poppins, Ragtime. Theater: “Jesse Tuck” in Tuck Everlasting at The Alliance Theater (dir. Casey Nicholaw), Ever After at Papermill Playhouse (dir. Kathleen Marshall), Family Furniture at The Flea Theater (dir. Thomas Kail). Film: “Billy Frazier” in The Rewrite starring Hugh Grant, To Dust (2018), Marci X, Are You Joking? TV: Three Rivers (ABC Pilot), Nurse Jackie (Showtime), Looking (HBO), Naked Brothers Band (Nickelodeon), One Life to Live. Podcast: Bobby in Marvel's Wolverine: The Long Night. B.F.A. from the University of Michigan. His work as a filmmaker has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The Associated Press and New York Magazine. Director of the award-winning short films Sign and The Ceiling Fan. Along with collaborator, Kate Wetherhead, he is the co-creator the critically acclaimed webseries, Submissions Only (www.submissionsonly.com) and co-author of the children’s series Jack & Louisa (Penguin Random House).

Little Known Fact: Andrew's children's book series begins with a very real experience that happened to Andrew when he was 15. 

EPISODE 101 - MATT BOMER

Matt Bomer is one of Hollywood’s most exciting actors working today.

After receiving a BFA Degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Bomer moved to New York where he worked on such acclaimed productions as “Spring Awakening” and “Grey Gardens.” He also starred as Ernest Hemingway in “Villa America” at the Williamstown Theater Festival.

Soon after, he got the lead role on the ABC series “Traveler,” produced by Academy Award winners Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks. He had recurring roles on the Fox series “Tru Calling” and on the NBC series “Chuck” before landing the role of ‘Neal Caffrey’ on USA Network’s “White Collar.” The show, which was one of the highest rated and most critically acclaimed scripted shows on cable television aired for six seasons. He has also guest starred on the hit Fox series “Glee” and on the NBC series “The New Normal.”

In 2014, Matt starred alongside Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts and Jim Parsons in the critically acclaimed screen adaptation of “The Normal Heart” for director Ryan Murphy. For the film, which is based on the Tony Award-winning stage drama of the same name, Matt won a Golden Globe Award and a Critics’ Choice Award and he received an Emmy® Award nomination. In 2015, Matt starred alongside Kathy Bates and Lady Gaga in the critically acclaimed FX series “American Horror Story: Hotel.”

Most recently, Matt starred in Amazon’s drama series “The Last Tycoon” alongside Lily Collins, Rosemarie DeWitt and Kelsey Grammer for director Billy Ray.

This spring, Matt made his directorial debut with a critically acclaimed episode of “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”

In addition to Matt’s success on the small screen, audiences have seen him star in a variety of feature film roles.

Matt’s feature film credits include a starring role in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” “Flight Plan” with Jodie Foster, Andrew Niccol’s “In Time” alongside Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried and the sci-fi dramadey “Space Station 76” with Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson.

In 2015, Matt reteamed with Channing Tatum in “Magic Mike XXL,” the sequel to the 2012 blockbuster film “Magic Mike” in which he starred with Tatum and Matthew McConaughey for director Steven Soderbergh.

In 2016, Matt starred opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in the the action drama “The Nice Guys” for director Shane Black. He also appeared in Antoine Fuqua’s feature “The Magnificent Seven.”

Last year, Matt starred in “Walking Out” for directors Alex Smith and Andrew J. Smith. The film, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, is about a teenager who journeys to Montana to hunt big game with his estranged father. Father and son struggle to connect, until a brutal encounter in the heart of the wilderness changes everything.

Matt also appeared on stage in the Broadway and Los Angeles readings of Dustin Lance Black’s play “8” where he was joined by such acting luminaries as Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John C. Reilly and Ellen Barkin.

This spring Matt stars in the Broadway production of “The Boys in the Band.” The show opens at the Booth Theatre on May 31.

Upcoming, Matt will star in and produce a film based on Hollywood film legend Montgomery Clift. Ira Sachs will direct from the screenplay Ira co-wrote with Mauricio Zacharias.

Little Known Fact: Originally the role of Neal Caffrey, on the long running series White Collar, was conceived as British but after many auditions  Matt changed their minds and the rest as they say...is history.

EPISODE 100 - MATTHEW BRODERICK Recorded Live

In celebration of 100 episodes Matthew Broderick joined Ilana for a live podcast event and  proceeds from the  ticket sales went  to The Trevor Project. 

    Broderick is a two-time Tony award-winning stage actor and instantly recognizable film presence, Matthew Broderick was most recently on screen in Rules Don’t Apply opposite Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Lily Collins. He will next star in Look Away alongside Chloe Sevigny and Aidan Turner set for a 2016 release. On stage, Broderick most recently starred in A. R. Gurney’s comedy Sylvia alongside Annaleigh Ashford. Previously he starred in the smash Broadway hit It’s Only a Play opposite his frequent co-star Nathan Lane, as well as the award-winning Broadway run of Nice Work If You Can Get It. Additionally, he starred in the Broadway production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple and The Foreigner at the Roundabout Theatre. In 2005, he starred in the feature film version of The Producers, reprising the Tony-nominated performance he gave on Broadway in this smash hit musical.  A New York native, he made his professional stage debut opposite his father, James Broderick, at age 17 in the production of On Valentine’s Day.  His performance in Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy, won him the Outer Critic’s Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. Broderick won his first Tony Award for Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, and starred in the play’s sequel, Biloxi Blues.  He won his second Tony for his role as J. Pierrepont Finch, in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Broderick also starred in the record-breaking production of The Producers for which he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his role as Leo Bloom. Additional theater credits include Night Must Fall and Taller Than a Dwarf. On screen, Broderick starred in the critically acclaimed You Can Count on Me opposite Laura Linney.  He also earned considerable acclaim starring opposite Reese Witherspoon in the Independent Spirit Award winning political satire Election, directed by Alexander Payne.  Broderick has also starred in such blockbuster movies as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Glory, War Games, and Disney’s The Lion King, as the adult voice of Simba.  Additional credits include Dirty Weekend, Tower Heist, Margaret, Bee Movie, Then She Found Me, Deck the Halls, The Last Shot, The Stepford Wives, Inspector Gadget, Godzilla, Addicted to Love, The Cable Guy, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, The Night We Never Met, The Freshman, Family Business and Max Dugan Returns.In addition to his stage, screen and Broadway credits, he has also appeared on Modern Family, 30 Rock, the Showtime film Master Harold…and the Boys and received an Emmy nomination for the TNT production of David Mamet’s A Life in the Theater in which he starred opposite Jack Lemmon.

EPISODE 99 - ROBBIE ROZELLE

Robbie Rozelle is a director, writer, performer, producer and graphic designer. He has directed and written or co-written sold-out cabaret shows for Tony Award nominees Melissa Errico and Kate Baldwin, Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Women on the Verge...), RuPaul's Drag Race season 7 contestant Mrs. Kasha Davis and frequent collaborator Jessica Vosk (Elephaba in Wicked), among others. In 2017, he sold out Feinstein's/54 Below twice with his debut cabaret solo act, "Songs From Inside My Locker", which was nominated for a BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award (in addition to nominations for Best Director). He returns to 54 Below this June with his all new show “Bustin’ Out”. As a record producer, he co-produced the Tony Award Season albums for the past two years, and is currently in the studio producing Jessica Vosk’s highly anticipated solo album. For three years, Robbie served as the graphic designer and creative director for Playbill, culminating in the design he is most proud of, the branding of #PlaybillPride, a 30-day initiative of the LGBT movement in the theatre that included a redesign of their historic logo for the month of June 2014. He currently serves as the in-house designer for Grammy-winning record label Broadway Records, where he designed the iconic "What the World Needs Now is Love" in response to Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. He can often be found tweeting jokes and random musings at @divarobbie.

Little Known Fact: He is called the "Diva Whisperer" because of his uncanny ability to create incredible cabaret shows for the most famous women of Broadway. 

EPISODE 97 - JESSE TYLER FERGUSON

Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Broadway: On the Town, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award), Fully Committed(Drama Desk Award). Off-Broadway:  Log Cabin  (Playwrights Horizons), Newyorkers (MTC), Little Fish(Second Stage), Where Do We Live (Vineyard Theater). Public Theater / Shakespeare in the Park: On the Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale, The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest. The Hollywood Bowl: The Producers, Spamalot, Sondheim on Sondheim. TV: “Modern Family” (5 Emmy nominations, 4 SAG Awards), “The Class,” “Ugly Betty,” “Web Therapy,” “Night Cap.” Co-Founder of TieTheKnot.org, raising funds to protect LGBTQ Equality.

Little Known Fact: Jesse was the very first actor to be cast on the ABC hit sitcom, Modern Family!

EPISODE 95 - JOE ICONIS AND JENNIFER ASHLEY TEPPER

JOE ICONIS - As a composer - lyricist - book writer, he has authored the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Bloodsong of Love, The Black Suits, ReWrite, Theaterworks USA’s The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We The People, and the currently in development Hunter S. Thompson Musical and Love In Hate Nation.

The original cast recording of his musical phenomenon Be More Chill has over 80 million streams, and his song “Broadway, Here I Come!” was hailed by the New York Times as a new entry in the Great American Songbook.

Albums: Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording), Things To Ruin (Original Cast Recording) and The Joe Iconis Rock and Roll Jamboree all available on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. Joe’s songs appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s “Smash” and his writing has been featured in The New York Times and The Dramatist.

His concert act, Joe Iconis and Family, frequently plays The Beechman Theater, 54 Below, and Joe’s Pub.  The original cast recording of Joe’s theatrical rock concert Things To Ruin, is out on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight records.

He has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, and is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, a Jonathan Larson Award, an ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, a Doris Duke Grant, and a MAC John Wallowitch Songwriting Award.

JENNIFER ASHLEY TEPPER - Jennifer is the Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein’s/54 Below, where she has curated or produced over 3000 shows, including musicals in concert, original solo acts, theatrical reunions, songwriter celebrations, and more. Tepper's leadership at the venue has gained praise from publications including The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, Playbill, Newsday, the New York Post, and more.

As a writer, Tepper has authored three volumes of The Untold Stories of Broadway series, published by Dress Circle. NBC New York has called the books an "inspiring Must-Read". On Broadway, Tepper has worked on The Performers, Godspell, Macbeth, and this season’s The Parisian Woman. In addition, she’s the co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series, If It Only Even Runs A Minute, now in its 8th year.

As a public speaker and theatre historian, Tepper has delivered celebrated talks, including at TEDxBroadway. She collaborates often with the group known as Joe Iconis & Family. Tepper 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."