EPISODE 509 - DANE LAFFREY

Dane Laffrey is a Tony Award-winning designer, creative and producer based in New York City. He studied at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art and resided in Sydney from 2002 - 2006.

On Broadway he’s designed the set for The Lost Boys (Palace) Maybe Happy Ending (Belasco) which won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Musical and for which Dane won Tony, Drama Desk Awards and Henry Hewes Awards, Parade (Jacobs) which won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; set and costumes for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (Nederlander), which he co-conceived with director Michael Arden and for which he is nominated for Hewes and Tony Awards; the 2018 Tony-winning revival of Lynn Ahren's and Stephen Flaherty's Once On This Island (Circle in the Square) for which he received Henry Hewes, Drama Desk and Tony Award nominations; set and costumes for the acclaimed Deaf West revival of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening (Brooks Atkinson); set for the Broadway premiere of Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love (Friedman).

In New York, around the US, and internationally Dane has designed world premiere plays and musicals by writers including Todd Almond, Will Aronson and Hue Park, Nell Benjamin, Rachel Bonds, Nilo Cruz, Lindsey Ferrentino, David Greenspan, Noah Haidle, Lucas Hnath, Sam Hunter, Sarah Jones, Tom Kitt, Michael John LaChiusa, Dan LeFranc, Matthew Lopez, Craig Lucas, Charles L. Mee, Alan Menken, Kim Rosenstock, Martin Sherman, Jenny Schwartz, Stephen Schwartz and Jen Silverman.

Dane’s work in New York has been seen at theatres including Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center Theatre, The Public Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Atlantic Theatre Company, Transport Group, MCC, Playwrights Horizons, B.A.M. Harvey, Vineyard Theatre, The Joyce, SoHo Rep., Labyrinth, The New Group and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, among others.

His work has been seen at major theaters around the US including Center Theatre Group, The Geffen Playhouse, The Goodman, The Humana Festival, The Hollywood Bowl, The Old Globe, Huntington Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Baltimore Center Stage, Deaf West / Wallis Annenberg Center, Shakespeare Theatre D.C., Denver Center Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, South Coast Rep., Baltimore Center Stage, Seattle Rep., Woolly Mammoth, Two River Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, The Studio Theatre D.C, Yale Opera, Long Wharf Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Signature Theatre Company, and others.

Internationally, Dane has worked in Hamburg, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Oslo and throughout Australia.

Dane has served on the advisory committee for Lincoln Center Theatre's LCT3 and as a guest artist / guest designer at Yale School of Music, The Juilliard School, NYU, Carnegie-Mellon University,  Interlochen Arts Academy, The University of Western Sydney and NIDA. He has served on the faculty of Purchase College.

Dane won a 2017 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Set and Costume design and has been nominated for 3 Tony Awards, 3 Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, 9 American Theatre Wing Henry Hewes Design Awards, 5 Ovation Awards (winning 2), and a Sydney Theatre Award, as well as numerous regional accolades. 

EPISODE 508 - ZHAILON LEVINGSTON

Zhailon Levingston  is a Louisiana-raised storyteller, director, and activist who co-directed CATS: The Jellicle Ball, an immersive reimagining of the classic musical that premiered in 2024 at New York City’s Perelman Arts Center. The production earned him an OBIE Award (co-directing) as well as a Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding Direction of a Musical. 

Zhailon’s first “Broadway” job was selling tickets to Broadway shows in Times Square. In 2017 he sold concessions for multiple Broadway theaters. At 27 years old, he became the youngest Black director in Broadway history, directing the Broadway production of Chicken and Biscuits. His other directing credits include Wonderful Town at New York City Center Encores!; Reconstructing at Brooklyn Academy of Music (co-directed with Rachel Chavkin); Little Miss Perfect (Olney Theater Center); Patience at Second Stage Theater; and Table 17 at MCC Theater (Lortel Award nominee for Outstanding Direction) and currently at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse. 

Levingston is a board member of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Artistic Director of Inheritance Theater Project, and co-created a ‘Theater of Change’ course at Columbia University School of Law that is still being taught today. Once a year he returns to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana to direct.

EPISODE 507- MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT

Michael James Scott plays Nurse Francois on Scrubs.

 His previous television credits include Apple TV’s critically acclaimed animated series CENTRAL PARK, Showtime’s BLACK MONDAY and Hallmark’s A HOLIDAY IN HARLEM.

Michael is no stranger to commanding an audience. He is currently making history as the longest-running Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, a performance that has earned him critical acclaim and a devoted fan base. A powerhouse in the theater world, he was also an original cast member of The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!, and Hair, cementing his reputation as a versatile, scene-stealing performer.

Beyond the stage, Michael showcased another side of his artistry with his 2020 holiday album A Fierce Christmas, featuring beloved classics like “Christmas Time Is Here,” “This Christmas,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

EPISODE 506- MICHAEL TOWNSEND- SECRET MALL APARTMENT

Michael Townsend draws on everything. For over twenty years he has been spear-heading collaborative drawings using low-adhesive tapes that can be stuck on facades, sidewalks, walls, whatever without permanent repercussions.The drawings started as nightly guerrilla raids on the surfaces of Providence, Rhode Island and as interest in these ephemeral works grew he has been invited to perform over 500 of his Tape Art creations on walls around the world.His work with the Tape Art medium has optimized his efforts as a community artist and he has worked collaboratively with tens of thousands students both young and old. The uniquely accessible nature of his teaching practice have made this participatory work a good fit for prisons, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, nursing homes and communities struggling to have their voices heard.When he is not pressing tape onto walls, Townsend might be found in front of a computer editing footage from his films, choreographing short dance pieces, working on a subterranean sculpture pieces or working relentlessly on one of his epic secret projects. Townsend and his collaborators became an international curiosity when it was discovered that they were building a fully-functioning apartment space inside theProvidence Place Mall that they had occupied, undiscovered, for four years. The project was ended abruptly before the wood floors were installed.

EPISODE 505 - JAMAAL FIELDS-GREEN

Jamaal Fields-Green is a multi-hyphenate talent, with experience and accolades across acting, singing, writing, and directing. A Musical Theatre graduate, Jamaal refined his theatrical skills and began to craft his identity as an artist during his time at the prestigious Hartt School. Most recently he led the company in MJ the Musical on the West End. A globally recognised role, Jamaal’s portrayal showcases his ability to embody a character and is a testament to his deep understanding of his craft across music and acting. Prior to MJ the Musical, Jamaal brought to life the characters of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Chicago company's rendition of Hamilton: An American Musical and appeared on TV with appearances on Freeform’s That Thing About Harry and Chicago PD. Beyond acting, Jamaal wrote and directed an award-winning short film - The Inevitable - and recently released an EP of original songs titled ‘What Was the Reason’. Jamaal is currently signed with talent agency Curtis Brown.

EPISODE 504- RAFAEL MONSERRATE

Rafael Monserrate is an accomplished Producer and Director with more than two decades of experience creating acclaimed unscripted and narrative content. He has executive produced and directed over a dozen television series, including History Channel’s Alone, the award-winning survival series hailed by The New Yorker as “the best reality show on television,” now in its 13th critically acclaimed season and streaming on Netflix. A two-time feature film director, his credits include Peel (Sony Pictures), starring Emile Hirsch and Amy Brenneman. 

His work spans large-scale competition formats, intimate documentaries, and character driven narrative films, unified by a cinematic sensibility and a commitment to emotional truth. Most recently, he directed, executive produced, and completed production on Teenhood, a four-part docuseries of unprecedented access to four American teens over 50 transformative days. He is currently developing The Colony, a feature film exploring the formative years and ideological awakening of Malcolm X. Across formats, Rafael crafts stories that are intimate yet expansive, grounded in lived experience, and designed to resonate long after the screen goes dark.

EPISODE 503- ROSIE GLEN-LAMBERT & HAILEY MCAFEE

Rosie Glen-Lambert is a bicoastal theatre director originally from Los Angeles and currently based in Brooklyn. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Attic Collective, an award-winning Los Angeles based theatre company. Rosie is also a proud Kilroy who fights for and believes in the importance of gender parity in the American theatre. Rosie was recently the associate director of Babbitt, written by Joe DiPietro, directed by Christopher Ashley, and starring Matthew Broderick (La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre Company). Recent directing work includes Swallows (La Mama), The Robots: A New Chamber Opera (Project [BLANK]), नेहा & Neel (Wagner New Play Festival), and a benefit performance of Love Letters (La Jolla Playhouse, Featuring Matthew Broderick and Ellie Kemper). Rosie was a 2025 Director for Moxie Arts NYC's Incubator Lab. Rosie received her MFA in directing from UC San Diego.

Hailey McAfee is an actor, writer, director, and associate artist of The Attic Collective. Recent acting credits include Three Exorcisms and Iphigenia in Splott (LA Theatre Bites Best Solo Show Winner, Best Actress Nominee, Hollywood Fringe Best of The Broadwater Winner, Best Solo Show and Top of Fringe Nominee). Directing credits include The Hostage Situation (Inkwell LAB) Here Comes the Night (SheLA Festival), Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin (Inkwell LAB) and Hedda Gabler (Hollywood Fringe Best of The Broadwater Winner, Best Drama Nominee, LA Magazine Top Pick of Fringe). She has a degree in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz.

EPISODE 502- LIZ TUCCILLO

Liz Tuccillo was a writer on "Sex and the City" and co-authored the bestselling book "He's Just Not that Into You." She went on to create the WB TV series "Related" and worked on the TV shows Smash, Sweetbitter, Alaska Daily and American Sports Story. She was the showrunner for HBO's Divorce for its third season and is currently the showrunner and creator of "Best Medicine," an adaptation of the British Doc Martin, starring Josh Charles that was recently picked up for its second season. She has developed television and film with Will Smith, Ali Wentworth, Chelsea Handler, Debra Messing, Lauren Graham among others at Warner Bros, NBC, ABC, Starz, Peacock, Shondaland, Amazon, Fox, and Fx.

EPISODE 500- BELLE BURDEN

Belle Burden is an attorney specializing in juvenile immigration cases. Her work has appeared in The New York Times. Belle attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard College and received her JD from New York University School of Law. She lives in New York City with her three children. She is the author of Strangers: A Memoir Of Marriage which is on The New York Times bestseller list.

EPISODE 499- RYAN SPAHN

Ryan Spahn is a Drama Desk Award–winning actor and writer. Select theater credits include- Richard II (Red Bull), Danger and Opportunity (East Village Basement), The Antiquities (Playwrights Horizons), Jordans (The Public), Merry Me (NYTW), Good Enemy (Audible), Jane Anger (New Ohio), Summer & Smoke (CSC), Daniel’s Husband (Westside), Moscow x6 (MCC), Exit Strategy (Primary Stages), Gloria (Vineyard). Select TV/Film: Sub/liminal, Zero Day, Elsbeth, AHS: Delicate, Succession, Modern Love, The Bite, Chicago P.D. Ryan co-wrote the feature film He’s Way More Famous Than You and wrote the play Inspired By True Events (Concord Theatricals, Theatrely’s “Best of 2024.”). Juilliard graduate and the first teenaged Borg on Star Trek: Voyager.

Ryan Spahn is a Drama Desk Award winning actor who appeared in the Off-Broadway casts of Danger and Opportunity (East Village Basement), Richard II(Red Bull), The Antiquities (Playwrights Horizons), Jordans (The Public), Merry Me (NYTW), Good Enemy(Audible), Jane Anger (New Ohio), Daniel’s Husband(Westside), How To Load A Musket (59e59), Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow (MCC), Summer and Smoke (CSC), Exit Strategy (Primary Stages), and Gloria (Vineyard).

Regional work includes the Goodman Theatre (Jeff Award nomination), Shakespeare Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkshire Theatre Group, Philadelphia Theatre Company (Barrymore Award nomination), and Williamstown Theatre Festival.

On television, he’s been seen recently in Sub/liminal, Zero Day, Elsbeth, AHS: Delicate, Succession, Modern Love, The Blacklist, The Bite, and Chicago P.D..

Ryan co-wrote the feature film He’s Way More Famous Than You and is the playwright of Inspired By True Events (Concord Theatricals, Theatrely’s “Best of 2024”), which premiered during Out of the Box Theatrics’ Obie Award–winning season. He is a Juilliard graduate (BFA) and was the first teenage Borg on Star Trek: Voyager.

EPISODE 497- CLINT RAMOS

Clint is a highly beloved, internationally acclaimed artist. He wears many hats - as Lincoln Center's Artist-in-Residence  and the Producing Creative Director for New York City Center, Encores!. Clint earned a Tony nomination for Maybe Happy Ending costume design and is the first person of color to win a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play for Eclipsed. 

As the first year of his Lincoln Center Artist-in-Residence continues, Clint takes on curation of the beloved American Songbook series in 2026, featuring an iconic lineup of artists. He is also currently designing the costumes for The Metropolitan Opera’s highly anticipated production of Tristan und Isolde (March 9 - April 2, 2026). 

In addition, Clint co-founded and leads Springboard to Design, a tuition-free theatrical design mentorship and education program for high-school students from underrepresented communities.

Clint has a discerning eye for style and approaches design, whether designing for stage or screen or styling himself, with intentionality and effortless sophistication. He is recognized as one of Asia's most influential creatives and is fresh off a sold-out run of Into the Woods in the Philippines, working as Artistic Director.

Clint was born and raised in Cebu, Philippines, and now lives in New York with his husband and daughter. He serves on the Advisory Board of the American Theatre Wing and is a co-founder of Design Action. A lifelong advocate for equity in theatre and film, Clint is committed to creating a more inclusive industry for People of Color and championing the rights of immigrants.

EPISODE 498- BRADLEY WHITFORD

Bradley Whitford, a classically trained stage actor, gained fame as “Josh Lyman,” on NBC’s 'The West Wing,' which earned him his first Emmy award in 2001. He went on to win Emmys in 2015 and 2019 for his work in 'Transparent' and 'The Handmaid’s Tale' and is grateful to have had the opportunity last year to direct the show’s fifth season penultimate episode, “Allegiance.” He is currently filming “The Diplomat” alongside his West Wing co- star, Allison Janney.

Whitford appeared in AMC’s limited series 'Parish' alongside Giancarlo Esposito, a drama about a taxi driver whose life is upended after picking up a Zimbabwean gangster. He also starred in the independent film 'I’ll Be Right' There with Edie Falco and completed work on Netflix’s limited series 'The Madness,' opposite Colman Domingo.

He is also known for his work in the Oscar-nominated films 'Get Out,' 'The Post,' 'Scent of a Woman,' and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 'tick, tick… BOOM!' Whitford also produced the documentary, 'Not Going Quietly,' about the life of progressive activist Ady Barkan. Other notable film credits include Warner Bros’ 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters,' Disney’s 'Saving Mr. Banks,' and HBO’s Lyndon B. Johnson biopic, 'All The Way,' among many others. 

TV credits include Apple TV+’s 'Echo 3,' NBC’s 'Perfect Harmony,' which he executive produced and starred in; FOX/Netflix’s 'Brookline Nine-Nine,' Showtime’s 'Happy-ish,' ABC’s 'Trophy Wife,' CBS’ 'The Mentalist,' FOX’s 'The Good Guys,' and NBC’s 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,' among others.

 Growing up in Wisconsin, Whitford studied theater and English literature at Wesleyan University and attended the Juilliard Theater Center. He has appeared on Broadway in Aaron Sorkin’s 'A Few Good Men' and in 'Boeing, Boeing' with Mark Rylance. Off-Broadway credits include 'Curse of the Starving Class,' 'Measure for Measure' at Lincoln Center, and 'Three Days of Rain' at Manhattan Theatre Club. Regional credits include the title role in 'Coriolanus' at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., and Oberon and Theseus in 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' at Hartford Stage. In 2021, Whitford starred in the Old Vic’s production of 'A Christmas Carol' at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles as “Ebenezer Scrooge.” Also at the Ahmanson, in 2023, Whitford recently played the scene-stealing “Narrator” in the hit farce 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong.'

EPISODE 497- SAM TUTTY

Sam Tutty is an Olivier Award winning actor and singer. Following his graduation from drama school he originated the role of Evan in the Tony Award Winning Musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, in the West End. His performance garnered widespread acclaim from critics, eventually going on to receive numerous awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards, Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in Leading Role in a Musical in 2020. Being aged 22 at the time, he is one of the youngest winners of this prestigious theatrical award in history. Following its sell-out run at The Kiln Theatre, Sam transferred the role Dougal in the new two-hander musical ‘TWO STRANGERS’ to the Criterion Theatre in the West End, directed and choreographed by Tim Jackson.

EPISODE 496- ARIANNA DAVIS

Arianna Davis stars as series regular ‘Madonna’ in the new NBC cheerleading comedy Stumble opposite Kristin Chenoweth and Taran Killam. 

Filling the current void of cheerleading media which dominated the early aughts and 2010s, Stumble is being prioritized by NBC as its next big comedy. Arianna’s character, a curvy, Black college cheerleader with a chronic illness, is a breath of fresh air in the on-screen cheerleading space which has long been devoid of diverse representation.

 Arianna is a true triple threat – in addition to acting, she is a professional dancer who started dancing at just two years old, as well as a singer-songwriter.

Arianna

EPISODE 492- DAWN PORTER

Dawn Porter is an acclaimed American documentary filmmaker and founder of Trilogy Films, known for her storytelling on social justice, history, and cultural icons. Her celebrated documentaries, including Trapped, John Lewis: Good Trouble, and The Lady Bird Diaries, air on platforms like HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, CNN, PBS and others. Another film from Porter’s recent work, Luther: Never Too Much, highlights the life and legacy of Luther Vandross. Produced with Sony Music Entertainment, Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole, and Colin Firth’s Raindog Films, this intimate portrayal of the Grammy-winning artist was recently released in theaters and premiered on CNN/MAX on January 1, 2025. Her recent work, The Sing Sing Chronicles won the Best Documentary Emmy at the 46th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

Porter’s achievements are widely recognized. A three-time Sundance film festival Alum, her film Gideon's Army was nominated for an Emmy and an Independent Spirit Award and won the prestigious Ridenhour Prize as well as the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award. Trapped also earned a Silver Gavel, as well as a Peabody Award and the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Social Impact Filmmaking, while John Lewis: Good Trouble won the 2021 NAACP Image Award. She received the Critics' Choice Impact Award in 2022 and Gracie Awards in both 2022 and 2023. Recently, Porter was awarded the National Humanities Medal by former President Joe Biden, elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and received the IDA Career Achievement Award.

EPISODE 495 - FRANCES TURNER

Frances Turner is a dynamic performer who brings complexity and authenticity to every role.

Turner stars opposite Walton Goggins in Prime Video’s hit series Fallout, from creator Jonathan Nolan. Currently in its second season, Turner returned as 'Barb Howard', the pre-apocalyptic wife of Goggins’ 'Cooper Howard' and key player in Vault-Tec Corporation. After its first four weeks, season two already ranks as the sixth most watched season ever on Prime Video and is even higher rated than season one. 

Turner is also known for her work on Prime Video’s The Boys, NBC’s New Amsterdam, and her standout turn as a series lead in The Man in the High Castle, produced by Scott Free and created by Frank Spotnitz. Additional credits include ABC’s The Finest, directed by Regina King, and Netflix’s After film franchise.

Before embarking on her acting career, Turner built a successful foundation as a corporate attorney. A graduate of Cornell University and Georgetown University Law Center, she practiced law at a major firm before transitioning to the screen.

Photo Credit- Steve Granitz for Getty Images

EPISODE 491- MAGGIE DOYNE & JEREMY POWER REGIMBAL

Maggie Doyne is co-founder of the BlinkNow Foundation and Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School in Surkhet, Nepal. At age nineteen, she used her babysitting money and worked with the local community to build a home for orphaned children in war-torn Nepal. In 2010, she and her team opened a school for five hundred of the region’s most impoverished children. Throughout the past decade, BlinkNow and Kopila have worked to deepen and grow the organization through grassroots community development efforts.

Her work has been championed by Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist Nicholas Kristof and the Dalai Lama, among others. The story of BlinkNow’s beginnings has been featured on the Huffington Post, VH1, MTV, and DoSomething.org. Maggie was named Glamour magazine’s Woman of the Year and was used as an example for her groundbreaking work at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy. In 2015, she was named CNN Hero of the Year.

Maggie’s story carries a message of hope, love, and the possibility of how the smallest individual acts can spark huge world change. She believes that poverty, hunger, and violence will be alleviated when children are provided with their most basic needs and human rights—a loving, happy childhood, nutrition, and a quality education. She believes that this can be achieved during her lifetime.

Jeremy Power Regimbal is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer whose work spans feature films, documentaries, and advertising, with a focus on intimate storytelling and social impact.

In his early 20s, Jeremy founded The Lab Magazine, a globally distributed publication featuring long-form conversations with cultural icons including Willem Dafoe, Sam Rockwell, Wes Anderson, Marina Abramović, and Noam Chomsky.

At 27, he made his directorial debut with the psychological thriller In Their Skin, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically by IFC. His documentary-driven commercial work for brands such as MasterCard, Nike, and Chevrolet has been recognized by AdWeek, Creativity, and Ad Age, and earned a Young Director Award nomination at the Cannes Lions Festival.

Over the past decade, Jeremy has lived and worked extensively in Nepal, directing Between the Mountain and the Sky, an intimate feature documentary produced by the Emmy-winning Duplass Brothers. The film has screened at more than 40 festivals worldwide, winning over 30 awards including the Audience Award at Mountainfilm Telluride, and has received a North American theatrical release. Alongside the film, Jeremy led a global impact campaign that reached more than 15 million people and helped raise over $2 million in support of BlinkNow, the nonprofit at the heart of the story.

Through his production company, MPWR Content, Jeremy blends cinematic storytelling with a deep commitment to social good, creating films and photography that amplify underrepresented voices and help catalyze real-world change in communities around the globe.

EPISODE 490- MARC SHAIMAN

Marc Shaiman is a renowned American composer, lyricist, arranger, and music producer known for his work across film, television, and theater. Shaiman began his career as a musical director and arranger for Bette Midler before expanding into film scoring. He gained prominence with his work on films such as When Harry Met Sally, The Addams Family, Sister Act, City Slickers, A Few Good Men, Sleepless in Seattle, The American President, and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, on television with SNL, and on recordings with Harry Connick Jr. and Mariah Carey. Shaiman earned widespread acclaim for co-writing the Broadway musical Hairspray alongside his longtime co-lyricist Scott Wittman. The duo has also co-created the musicals Catch Me If You Can, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Some Like It Hot, and Smash. He has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards and has won a Tony, two Emmys, and two Grammys. Marc Shaiman is celebrated for his versatile, emotionally resonant music and his ability to blend classic musical theatre sensibilities with modern storytelling. Born and raised in New Jersey, he currently lives in New York with his husband, Lieutenant Commander (ret) Lou Mirabal. For more information visit www.marcshaiman.com.

Photo Credit- Robert Trachtenberg

EPISODE 489- NICHOLAS CLAR

Nicholas Clar is an Ohio native actor and content creator. Alumni of Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance, Neighborhood Playhouse and Atlantic Theatre Company Acting School. Nicholas has worked with Cleveland’s Playwright’s Local and Ceaser’s Forum among other New York and North East Ohio theatre companies. Nicholas has been on staff at Little Known Facts Podcast since 2019. @iamnickclar

EPISODE 488- IRENE SOFIA LUCIO

After a celebrated run off-Broadway and rave reviews, Irene Lucio has returned to the role of Isadora in the groundbreaking play. LIBERATION explores the universal themes of freedom, identity, and resilience, set against the backdrop of historical and contemporary struggles for justice. Isadora is an Italian immigrant filmmaker who entered a green-card marriage.

New York Theatre Guide called her performance “sharp and witty… toggling back and forth between humor and heartbreak with natural ease.”

Irene is perhaps best known for her role in Jeremy O. Harris’ award-winning play SLAVE

PLAY where she starred as Patricia and played the role in all four forms of the show. She also wrote a Spanish series titled ‘SúperEllas’ for Canela TV. A show for children about Latina trailblazers, it won the Best Non-English Program – Family Programming at the 48th Annual Gracie Awards.

As a Latinx woman born and raised in Puerto Rico, Irene seeks roles which showcase the importance of diverse representation in the arts. Fluent in Spanish and a graduate of Princeton and Yale’s esteemed acting program, she currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and 2 year old son.