- Broadway

For only the second time in my career, I’m doing back to back shows at the same theater. First there was Anne of Green Gables this past summer and now there’s 42nd Street here at the Goodspeed Opera House. It’s a show I’ve done before a few years back and in the same role as well, only this time there’s a lead producer who’s working to bring this production (and hopefully its cast) to Broadway. It has Carina-Kay Louchiey as the young starlet Peggy Sawyer and Max von Essen as the hard-nosed director Julian Marsh. I’m in the role of Pat Denning, playing opposite one of my favorite leading ladies of Broadway...
Kate Baldwin, who plays the veteran actress Dorothy Brock, joins the podcast to talk about this current production of 42nd Street and why it means so much to the both us. Then we take a surprisingly candid and unvarnished look at her career and why she was told she’d probably never have one in theater. We also discuss the ways we performers often compare ourselves to others and how to handle those times when someone else books the show instead of us.
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MAESTRA, founded by Georgia Stitt
As Kate mentions in this episode, she and Georgia Stitt have worked together for years. And it was back in 2017 that MAESTRA MUSIC was formed by this composer/lyricist and music director to give support, visibility, and community to the women who make the music in the musical theater industry. Their membership is made up of female-identifying, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers, music directors, orchestrators, arrangers, copyists, rehearsal pianists and other musicians who are an underrepresented minority in musical theater.
It was back in Season 4 that Stitt came on this podcast to talk about her career and this wonderful organization.
 
FINAL FIVE QUESTIONS WITH KATE BALDWIN
In addition to our main conversation, Kate answered the five final questions on topics that we only briefly touched on in this episode. She shares her definition of "making it" as well as what annoyed her most about some singers (riffing). She also discusses music directors, her early days in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and the importance of going where you are loved. Read it all on the WINMI Blog.
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Sometime before the pandemic, I auditioned for a small off-Broadway production of the Lerner and Loewe musical The Day Before Spring. It was at the York Theater, which is known for reviving or refreshing older musicals that may not be done very much. I wasn’t cast in that particular production, and like most failed auditions I put it out of my mind as soon as it was done. But I do remember the director behind the table, and so I finally reached out to bring him onto the podcast.
Marc Acito is a playwright, novelist, and director. He talks about the work that he does in adapting older shows or contemporary works, bringing fresh set of eyes and perspective to creative process. Marc is also a writer of his own work from plays like Bastard Jones and novels including How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater to short films like Mad/Woman. And through each of these mediums, he’s had his stumbles and failures, but he’d be the first to tell you how grateful he is for those lessons learned. 
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Why I’ll Never Make It is hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot and is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance. 
Background music in the episode by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
 
 
MAD / WOMAN
Storm Large mostly writes about two subjects: female empowerment and mental illness. Applying her songs to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's feminist classic "The Yellow Wallpaper" felt as if they were written for the material. Storm and I bonded in 2007 over the shared experiences of being just commercial enough for everyone to wonder why we weren't more successful and just alternative enough to sabotage ourselves. Perhaps not coincidentally, we both survived mentally ill mothers. At least twice mine woke up in a pool of her own blood after being beaten senseless by a raging boyfriend.
Because I wanted to create a subjective experience as liberated from the male gaze as possible, hiring an all-female crew proved essential. Their and Storm's input influenced innumerable decisions I never would have had the insight nor courage to make. I'll be forever grateful to them as well as the diverse group of post-production artists who essentially served as my film school for my filmmaking debut.
Watch it on Film Freeway 
 
Final Five with Marc Acito
After this main conversation, Marc stuck around to answer the five final questions. He shares his definition of "making it" as well as what keeps most Broadway shows from doing the same. He also discusses minimum wage, happy marriages, and one of the best theater people around, Andre DeShields. Read it all on the WINMI Blog.
Follow Marc: Website | LinkedIn 
 

As much as we actors wish it wasn’t so, auditioning really is our job. Performing it’s just an added perk, if we do that job really well. That being said though, there are times when we mail an audition and simply couldn’t have done any better, yet we still don’t book the part. Such is the life and labor of an actor.
Welcome to the annual episode of Audition Stories…the good, the bad, and the hysterical. And today you’ll be getting a sampling of the bonus episodes available to monthly supporters of this podcast. You’ll hear from the following actors, directors, and choreographers as they share their most memorable auditions:
Barton Cowperthwaite - actor and dancer from Tiny Pretty Things
Misty Rosas - actress, singer and performance artist from The Mandalorian
Carmen Cusack - actress and singer from Bright Star and Flying Over Sunset
Jerry Mitchell - director and choreographer of Kinky Boots and Pretty Woman
Al Blackstone - director and choreographer from So You Think You Can Dance
Michael Learned - famed actress from The Waltons
Kathryn Allison - actress and singer from Company and Aladdin
Briana Packen - actress and coach from Movement 4 Everybody
The Prom Tony Nominees - Caitlin Kinnunen, Beth Leavel, and
Brooks Ashmanskas
 
I love sharing these stories and episodes, but it does take time and resources to do it. Currently, about 90% of podcast production costs come out of my own pocket. So I would greatly appreciate if you would consider joining Why I’ll Never Make It and support the ongoing efforts of this podcast:
monthly subscriptions with access to bonus episodes and more
yearly subscriptions at a $20 discount off the monthly options
one-time donations to help the ongoing production of this podcast
Learn more about WINMI Podcast at whyillnevermakeit.com 
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Why I’ll Never Make It is hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. It's an award winning Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot and is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance. 
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When it comes to “making it” as a performer onstage or on screen, it’s usually as an actor, singer, or dancer.  Most people tend to gravitate toward the one(s) they’re most comfortable with and can truly express their artistry. Barton Cowperthwaite is a dancer first and foremost, with performances ranging from the opera La Traviata to Travis Wall’s Shaping Sound dance tour. The esteemed choreographer Lar Lubovitch describes Barton as a “movement poet” and credits him with having what he calls musical visualization. “Rather than hearing the music, this kind of dancer has the impression of being the music.”
But Barton has also been singing the music as well in productions at City Center Encores and in the national tour of American in Paris. He’s also been exercising his acting chops in a few movies and of course in his breakout role of Oren in the Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things. Through all of it, Barton has proven he’s much more than just a good mover and a pretty face.
In this conversation, he shares both the joys and disappointments of working on a hit TV show that ended up being canceled, he opens up about realizing his own weaknesses as a performer and needing to constantly work at improving his abilities, and he talks about the time he went on for the lead role in An American in Paris with just 15 minutes notice. 
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Ljósið (The Light) from Cylan Shaffer
Before there was American in Paris, before Tiny Pretty Things, Barton was cast as the lead dancer in a wordless and moving piece from filmmaker Cylan Shaffer. It tells the story of a man who desires to overcome the restraint of his fears and then embarks on a journey towards discovery. Ljósið is an extraordinary performance piece of stunning emotion as two dancers (including Brandon Coleman) explore the boundaries of loss, love, denial, and acceptance. Watch it here.
 
 
Tiny Pretty Things Explores Sexuality on Netflix
Fans of this show were ravenous in their love and affection for these characters. One such fan created a compilation video which highlights one of Barton's more vulnerable and intimate storylines in the show -- his character's relationship with Shane (Brennan Clost). Watch it here.
 
 
Final Five with Barton Cowperthwaite
After our conversation on the joys of dancing and the struggles of being seen as more than just a dancer, Barton answers five final questions on the inspirations and advice he's received throughout his time onstage and onscreen. You'll find his answers and more on the WINMI Blog.
Follow Barton: Website | Instagram | IMDb
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Back in the summer of 2020, the lockdowns were in full swing, there was so much uncertainty around Covid and what the pandemic would mean for the arts, and there was a new Netflix docuseries everyone was talking about, a little show called Tiger King. Well, in the midst of all that I sat down with composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa. He talked about a few of his bigger profile shows like The Addams Family, Big Fish, and of course The Wild Party as well as a Tiger King parody he did with Kristin Chenoweth.
We discuss the years of writing and rewriting he's put into his various shows as well as the challenges and big budgets that come with creating a Broadway musical—something that I have seen firsthand this summer with Anne of Green Gables and its continuing creative journey. So join me as I take a look back at this insightful and honest conversation with my friend and fellow artist Andrew Lippa. (Recorded April 8, 2020)
Website - https://andrewlippa.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/lippaofficial
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lippaandrew
Recent shows: The Man in the Ceiling, I Am Harvey Milk, Unbreakable
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Thank you for your continued understanding through Anne of Green Gables rehearsals and performances here at Goodspeed in Connecticut. Due to limited time and resources I'm not able to to get out a new episode each week, but I hope you're enjoying the smaller bonus episodes and encore interviews like this one. 
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In the previous episode, I spoke with a musical writing team about their process of writing a full show for the stage with a cast and creative team bringing their story to life. But in today’s episode I’m speaking with a singular artist about her one-woman show and the long journey it took to go from thoughts and ideas in her head to an actual production and a dramatic podcast as well.
Gina Harris has performed in theaters and jazz clubs in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. She’s a veteran of the famous improv group The Groundlings and had a leading role in the Broadway and national touring productions of Beethoven’s Tenth. A show that you’ve probably never heard of, and Gina will share with us why that is.
But she also talks about dealing with the loss of her parents and mentor, what led her to write a one-woman musical called The Magic of Ordinary Things, even though she’d never written a song before in her life, and how she went through 10 different directors before finally finding the right person to guide her creative efforts.
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The Magic of Ordinary Things (stage show and podcast)
How do you go on when the people you love die? If you could see them one more time, what would you say? What would you want to hear?
Well, Gina Harris got the chance. The Magic of Ordinary Things is a musical memoir — a theatre piece, a dream, a Sufi Tale with original music.  It tells the story of how moments missed and things once taken for granted become the stepping stones to a new life. It reminds us that it's never too late.
Written and performed by Gina Harris • Directed by Michael French
 
Final Five Questions with Gina Harris
After our conversation on the inspirations and struggles of creating her one-woman show, Gina answered five final questions on the inspirations and advice he's received throughout her time in theater. You'll find her answers and more on the WINMI Blog.
Follow Gina: Website | Instagram | YouTube
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In the last episode, I spoke with composer Matt Vinson and writer Matte O'Brien about their new musical Anne of Green Gables. It was the first time I’ve spoken with a musical writing team here on Why I’ll Never Make It, and so for the two of them I thought I would bring back a bonus episode I haven’t done in a while: The Final Five.
After that main interview they answered five final questions about what “making it” means to them, lessons they’ve learned both as individuals and as a writing team, as well as useful advice that has helped them creatively and personally.
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Writing a musical is a long process, and once the writers are have finished that last page…that’s really only the beginning of their journey. By the time an actor comes along to audition for it, there’s usually been years of drafts, workshops, and revisions. 
Listeners of this podcast know that this summer has been a welcome return to the stage for me in a new theatrical adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, my first musical since the covid shutdown. And it all started with a self-tape audition back in February of this year that then culminated in several callbacks with the creative team a few weeks later. Well today, I’m joined by two of the people who were in that audition room: composer Matt Vinson and writer Matte O'Brien.
A transcript of this interview can be found here.
While there have been individual writers and composers on previous episodes, this is the first time welcoming a musical writing team to the show. Matt and Matte have done several musicals together, but for this conversation we focus on the many years it has taken for Anne of Green Gables to get to Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut, and how they are preparing for its potential future. Matt and Matte share three stories of its humble beginnings, learning to take (and not take) feedback from others, and how actors influence the rewriting and editing process. 
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Anne of Green Gables Concept Album
As this musical has gone through various readings and workshops, there have been a number of people taking on these characters and singing these songs. And throughout this episode you’ll hear samples of music from Anne of Green Gables, taken from a Concept Album and subsequent recordings. Those featured in this episode include:
Oh, My Diana - Chris McCarrell
Different Kind of Girl - Michelle Veintimilla
The Asylum - Jenna Rubaii
I Wanna Know You - Chris McCarrell
Make a Move - Aurelia Williams
Different Kind of Girl (Reprise) - Juliette Redden
Listen as Matt and Matte answer the Final Five questions and read their Writer's Notes on Anne of Green Gables.
 
The Queer Life of L.M. Montgomery
Her 1908 novel about a red-headed orphan girl has sold more than 50 million copies and made her known throughout the world with generations of fans. But what is really known about L.M. Montgomery, who was called ‘Maud’ by close friends and family. She started out as a single schoolteacher, but went on to marry a minister, gave birth to two sons, and wrote many more books. 
But in 1985, publication began of a journal Montgomery had been keeping for fifty-three years. It was quite a shocking exposé of a woman who was often depressed, dealt with a horrible marriage, yet found her greatest happiness from deep, intimate and meaningful relationships with female friends.
And so for decades an undercurrent of Lesbianism has been debated not only for the central character of Anne Shirley but also the author herself. This came to a head in 2000 when professor Laura Robinson published a paper named “Bosom Friends: Lesbian Desire in L. M. Montgomery’s Anne Books,” where she argued that Anne had more passionate relationships with her female friends than her male love interest. This has not sat well with those who view Anne’s female friendships as both innocent and platonic.
Read more about this ongoing debate…
Bosom Friends Affair
Professor suggests Anne of Green Gables was Lesbian
The Gay Anne of Green Gables Scandal
Netflix is at It Again…Homosexuality in Anne of Green Gables
The Queer Life of L.M. Montgomery
 
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Why I’ll Never Make It is hosted and produced by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones in association with WINMI Media, LLC. It received the Communicator Award of Distinction in 2022 and is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot. WINMI is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance. 
The songs clips in this episode from the musical Anne of Green Gables are written by Matt Vinson and Matte O'Brien and used with their express permission. Outro Music is by Blue Dot Sessions and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.