Synopsis
With her unique style of hosting, Ilana Levine gives her listeners up close and personal access to today's biggest stars from Broadway, Film and Television. Her intimate and revealing conversations with Tony Award, Academy Award, Grammy Award and Emmy Award winners gives listeners the feeling they are part of a conversation between old friends. Guests include Julianne Moore, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Platt, Uma Thurman, Aasif Mandvi, Octavia Spencer, Edie Falco, Allison Janney, Beanie Feldstein, Judith Light, Molly Ringwald, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Chenoweth, Anthony Rapp, Jason Alexander, Tony Shalhoub, Griffin Dunne, Kaskade, Laura Linney and many more.New episodes are released on Tuesdays.
Episodes
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Episode 265 - Ethan Slater and Nick Blaemire
04/10/2021 Duration: 41minEthan Slater is an actor, writer and musician (mostly) based in New York. He was nominated for a Tony Award, and won the Drama Desk Award for playing SpongeBob in The SpongeBob Musical, which also happened to be his Broadway debut! As a writer, some upcoming projects include the films Intervenors and Silent Mode, both of which he co-wrote and co-stars in. He’s released two EPs of original music, available on Spotify (or wherever you listen to stuff). As an actor, other theater includes: Who’s Your Baghdaddy..., PEMDAS, Camelot (Lincoln Center), and when theater returns this fall (!), he will be playing Lee Harvey Oswald/The Balladeer in Assassins at Classic Stage Company. Some TV/film credits: Fosse/Verdon (FX), Law and Order (NBC), Murphy Brown (CBS), SpongeBob: Live On Stage (Nickelodeon), Evol, Untitled Vanessa Del Rio Biopic (upcoming), Kurt. (upcoming). IG: @ethanslater TW: @ethansaslater Nick Blaemire is a writer and performer based in Brooklyn. At 23 years old, Nick wrote the Broadway one-night-sensat
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Episode 264 - A Tribute to Willie Garson
27/09/2021 Duration: 01h22min1964-2021 Rarely at a loss for work, Garson had appeared in over 300 episodes of television and more than 70 films. Garson is best known for his long runs on television, as Mozzie on WHITE COLLAR, Stanford Blatch on SEX AND THE CITY, and Henry Coffield on NYPD BLUE. Other TV series include ASK HARRIET, and JOHN FROM CINCINNATTI. He had been recurring as the grifter with a heart of gold Gerard Hirsch on "HAWAII 5-0" since 2015. Born in New Jersey, he started training at The Actors Institute In New York, before majoring in Psychology and Theater at Wesleyan University. After graduation, he quickly started landing guest roles on shows such as CHEERS, FAMILY TIES, THIRTYSOMETHING, LA LAW, as well as continually recurring on a wide array of shows including XFILES, TWIN PEAKS, TWO & A HALF MEN, STARGATE, PUSHING DAISIES, THE PRACTICE, ALLY MCBEAL, JUST SHOOT ME, SPIN, SALVATION, etc etc. His favorite longform on TV was Dr. Kreutz for Steven Spielberg in the acclaimed miniseries TAKEN. On the big screen, other th
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Episode 263 - Ngozi Anyanwu and Daniel J. Watts
20/09/2021 Duration: 36minNGOZI ANYANWU is a playwright, storyteller, and most recently a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award winner. Previous productions include Good Grief (Vineyard Theatre in NYC / Center Theatre Group in LA) and The Homecoming Queen (sold-out world premiere run at Atlantic Theater Company). Good Grief was on the Kilroys List 2016 and a semifinalist for the Princess Grace Award, and won the Humanitas Award. The Homecoming Queen was on the Kilroys List 2017 and was a Leah Ryan Finalist. Her play Nike… (Kilroys List 2017) was workshopped at The New Black Fest in conjunction with The Lark and The Strand Festival in conjunction with A.C.T and Space on Ryder Farm. Ngozi also has commissions with NYU, The Old Globe, Two Rivers Theatre, Atlantic Theater, and Steppenwolf. Anyanwu has also received residencies from LCT3, Space on Ryder Farm, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The New Harmony Project, New York Stage and Film, and Page 73. She attended Point Park University (BA) and received her MFA in Acting from University
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Episode 262 - Aneesa Folds and Anthony Veneziale
13/09/2021 Duration: 46minANTHONY VENEZIALE (Two-Touch) is conceiver and co-creator FLS and FLS Academy. Founding member of American Immigrants (San Francisco). He has used improv techniques to create endeavors with Thomas Kail & Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights, Bartlett, “The Electric Company”), Daveed Diggs (The Freeze), numerous networks/companies (HBO, Cartoon Network, Sesame Workshop, Boardwalk Pictures, Google) and co-founded speechlessinc.com, an improv thinking company that helps humans create, collaborate, and find their authentic voice. STAGE: Freestyle Love Supreme, Servicemen, Death in One Acts, and Trashin': Time to Waste. TV: ”Sex and the City”, “Freestyle Love Supreme”. ANEESA FOLDS made her Broadway debut in Freestyle Love Supreme in 2019. Off-Broadway/NYC: Sistas The Musical. Regional: North Shore Music Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Arrow Rock Lyceum. National Tour: Ragtime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 262 - Maddie Baillio
06/09/2021 Duration: 42minMaddie Baillio can be seen in the live action remake of CINDERELLA on Amazon. Maddie stars in the film as one of the evil step-sisters to Camilla Cabello’s Cinderella and Idina Menzel’s step-mother. She is a trained musical theater actress who first burst onto the scene as Tracy Turnblad in NBC’s HAIRSPRAY LIVE! After beating out thousands for the role. She most recently starred in the Netflix film DUMPLIN’. Maddie is also an accomplished vocalist who has performed at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Summer Break
31/08/2021 Duration: 04minIlana shares a quick end of summer note Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 261 - Adam Pascal
24/08/2021 Duration: 36minAdam Pascal was born on October 25, 1970, in the Bronx and raised in Syosset, New York. He started singing in various rock bands when he was 12, playing the local New York club scene for many years, and has been singing in bands, as a solo artist, in movies, or on the Broadway stage ever since. In 1996, Adam tried out for the then unknown, off-Broadway production of Rent. He landed the role of Roger Davis. Adam was nominated for a 1996 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical), and won a Drama League and Obie award for his performance as Roger. The Show went on to become a worldwide success and one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. In 1997 He reprised the role of Roger (the first of several times he would do so) for the West End Premiere of Rent. In 1998, Adam’s career expanded to the big screen in the independent film SLC Punk! In 2000, Adam was cast as Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice’s new Broadway musical Aida, for which he received a Drama League award. In May of 2000, his debut solo album, M
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Episode 260 - Rosanny Zayas
17/08/2021 Duration: 47minRosanny currently stars as a series regular lead on Season 2 of Showtime’s THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. She will next be seen in Sam Esmail's limited series ANGELYNE for Peacock and UCP. Among her many NYC theater credits, Rosanny starred in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for the Public Theater (Shakespeare in the Park). She recently performed the role of “Natasha” in the Roundabout Theater’s workshop of Anton Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS spearheaded by Resident Director Sam Gold. Rosanny's brilliant performance in the titular role of Jose Rivera's MARISOL while at Juilliard catapulted her into the NYC theater world. Rosanny is a major talent out of Juilliard – recurring recently on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK for Netflix, MODERN PERSUASION on Hulu, as well as THE CODE, and INSTINCT for CBS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 259 - Bill Irwin
09/08/2021 Duration: 53minBILL IRWIN: Original member of Kraken and San Francisco's Pickle Family Circus. Original works include: On Beckett, Old Hats, Fool Moon, Largely New York, The Harlequin Studies, Mr. Fox: A Rumination, The Happiness Lecture, and The Regard of Flight. Theatre: The Iceman Cometh, Show Boat (SF Opera), Endgame, Bye Bye Birdie, Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Waiting for Godot (2009 Drama Desk Nomination), Broadway/West End revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2005 Tony Award, Helen Hayes Award), The Goat or Who is Sylvia, King Lear, Accidental Death of An Anarchist, 5-6-7-8 Dance! , Waiting For Godot at Lincoln Center, Scapin, The Tempest, Garden of Earthly Delights, Texts for Nothing, A Flea In Her Ear, 2003/2004 Signature Theatre Playwright in Residence, The Seagull, A Man's A Man, 3 Cuckolds. Television: PBS Great Performances: Bill Irwin Clown Prince, Third Rock from the Sun, Northern Exposure, Sesame Street, Elmo's World, The Regard of Flight, Closing Ceremony 1996 Olympic Games, The Cosby Sh
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Episode 258 - Eric Petersen
02/08/2021 Duration: 52minEric Petersen stars in the AMC series “Kevin Can F*** Himself” alongside Annie Murphy. A dark comedy that mixes single-cam and multi-cam shooting in front of a studio audience to re-examine the trope of the passive sitcom wife while peeking into her secret life, the series was developed by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack and created by Valerie Armstrong. A veteran of television and the Broadway stage, Petersen’s previous television credits include the TV Land series “Kristie,” and voicing Ant’ney the pigeon on the hit DreamWorks’ animated show “Madagascar: A Little Wild” now available on Hulu/Peacock. On stage Petersen has starred in the hit Broadway production and national tour of “Shrek: The Musical,” as Shrek, “School of Rock” as Dewey Finn, the musical “Escape To Margaritaville,” as Brick, and “Peter and the Starcatcher.” Petersen hails from the Chicago suburb of Carol Stream, Illinois. He attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where he earned a degree in Acting. He currently resides in both
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Episode 257 - Lillias White
26/07/2021 Duration: 51minDescribed by The New York Times as a “one-of-a-kind performer who combines the sass of a classic blues mama with the skill of a Broadway star,” Lillias White is world-renowned for her glorious voice and extraordinary ability to communicate the heart of a song. Her performance in Cy Coleman’s Broadway musical, The Life, won her the TONY® AWARD for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She was nominated for a second TONY® AWARD for her brilliant work in Fela! Additional Broadway credits include: Barnum, Dreamgirls, Cats, Carrie, Once on This Island, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Chicago. Other Off-Broadway and Regional Credits include The Public Theater’s Romance in Hard Times, for which she won the OBIE® AWARD, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (directed by Phylicia Rashad), for which she won the NAACP AWARD, and the Carnegie Hall Concert version of South Pacific, starring Reba McEntire, which was also broadcast on PBS’ Great Performances. In addition to receiving Broadway acclaim, Lillias is int
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Episode 256 - Alyssa Limperis
19/07/2021 Duration: 39minAlyssa first trained at UCB, and continues to do stand up all over the country. She has performed her solo show “No Bad Days”, in which she uses stand-up, sketches and even Zumba to look back on losing her father to brain cancer, at multiple festivals including Providence Fringe, Cinderblock and Improv Boston. She continues to host a podcast with May Wilkerson called “Crazy; in Bed”, where the two best friends join each week to discuss mental health, pop culture and more. Alyssa stars in the Gravitas Ventures film, TOO LATE, which can be found in select theaters and on digital platforms including iTunes, Google Play, Fandango Now and all major cable/satellite platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 255 - Andy Señor Jr.
12/07/2021 Duration: 41minAndy Señor Jr. was born and raised in Miami, Florida. In the summer of 2021 he made his film directorial debut with the HBO Original Documentary Revolution Rent, Executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris . He was the Associate Director of Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s musical On Your Feet! on Broadway, Netherlands, and UK West End Productions as well as Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. He served as Associate Director on the new musical FLY at Dallas Theatre Center w Jeffrey Seller. Andy made his professional debut in the Tony Award winning musical RENT as "Angel," playing the role on Broadway, London’s West End, and US National and International Tours. Later he became the Assistant Director to Michael Greif on the RENT revival Off Broadway, and went on to re-stage the production in Tokyo, Japan and the historic production in Havana, Cuba. Most recently he directed two new Nilo Cruz plays, Tsunami and Farhad and the Secret of Being. He holds a BFA in Theatre from F
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Episode 254 - Kimiko Glenn
05/07/2021 Duration: 57minKimiko Glenn is best known for her work as 'Brook Soso' in the award-winning Netflix series ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, which garnered her three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series. As well as her work voicing ‘Peni Parker' in the Oscar winning animated phenomenon SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDERVERSE. Recently, Kimiko can be seen in the YouTube Original, LIZA ON DEMAND, and the Freeform feature GHOSTING starring opposite Aisha Dee. She appeared in the second season of THE GUEST BOOK on TBS and DRUNK HISTORY as 'Maya Lin' on COMEDY CENTRAL. She has also guest starred on HBO's hit-series, HIGH MAINTENANCE, and was in second season of the Facebook Watch series SACRED LIES opposite Juliette Lewis. On the big screen, Kimiko was most recently seen in the feature film CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET starring opposite Alexandra Daddario. Her other feature credits include the feature film NERVE alongside Emma Roberts and Dave Franco and the feature film, IN REALITY. Kimiko is also known for her recurr
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Episode 253 - Britton Smith
28/06/2021 Duration: 52minBritton Smith is Co-founder and President of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC), In addition to his work as an advocate and facilitator and adjunct prof. at Columbia Law School, Britton is a Broadway actor recently featured in Be More Chill, Shuffle Along and After Midnight. Front man and songwriter Britton Smith leads Britton & The Sting with electric passion and mission for total community. The pack of musicians embody liberation in their fusion of SOUL, funk and it’s unique electro-neo groove. Recently featured in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Fault Magazine, and The New Yorker - Britton & The Sting’s latest single “Burn” was highlighted on Paper Magazine’s “Bops Only” 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right” list, as well as a featured 2020 NPR Tiny Desk Submission Top Pick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 252 - Sammi Cannold
21/06/2021 Duration: 59minSammi Cannold is a director who is one of Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, class of 2019. Recent theater credits include Evita (New York City Center), Endlings (New York Theatre Workshop, A.R.T.), Ragtime on Ellis Island, Violet on a moving bus (A.R.T.), and Allegory (La Jolla Playhouse WOW). Upcoming projects include Carmen (Lincoln Center w. MasterVoices), a documentary film, and a feature film. Associate director credits include the Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre... (dir. Rachel Chavkin). Sammi has also served as an Artistic Fellow at the A.R.T., a member of Cirque du Soleil's Creative Cognoscenti, and a Sundance Institute Fellow and developed work with Playwrights Realm, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York Stage and Film, Cirque du Soleil, and Nickelodeon. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A. from Harvard University. www.sammicannold.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 251 - Regina Taylor
14/06/2021 Duration: 30minActress/director/playwright/educator/activist Regina Taylor is a Meadows Distinguished Visiting Artist. She is the playwright-in-residence at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, a three-year appointment through the National Playwright Residency Program established by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and HowlRound Theatre Commons. Taylor is also writing new plays for Audible and for Southern Methodist University (the black album, about what it is to be Black in 2020).Her playwright credits include Bread (Edgerton Award, WaterTower Theatre); Crowns (four Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Director); Oo-Bla-Dee (Steinberg-ATCA award); Drowning Crow (Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club); The Trinity River Plays (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award); and stop.reset. (Signature Theatre Residency 5).Taylor received the Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theatre at Fordham University at Lincoln Center. An artistic associate of Goodman Theatre, Taylor is its most produced playwright.Taylor is featured in Netflix’s
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Episode 250 - Zoey Deutch
08/06/2021 Duration: 46minA vibrant and diversely talented actress, Zoey Deutch can recently be seen in Sony’s highly anticipated sequel to ZOMBIELAND for director Ruben Fleischer, starring opposite Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson. She also can be seen in Ryan Murphy’s first series for Netflix THE POLITICIAN, starring opposite Ben Platt and Gwyneth Paltrow, and is currently shooting its second season. Most recently, Deutch starred in and produced the independent feature BUFFALOED, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and just released for Magnolia to rave reviews. Deutch can also be seen as the female lead of Netflix’s hit romantic comedy SET IT UP starring opposite Glen Powell. Recently announced, she and Glen will be reteaming with the same team of filmmakers for a new Netflix romantic comedy, tentatively titled MOST DANGEROUS GAME with Deutch and Powell also on board as exec producers. Additional credits include Max Winkler’s FLOWER, Russo-Young’s BEFORE I FALL, which premiered at Sundance Film Festi
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Episode 250 - Steve Basilone
31/05/2021 Duration: 52minSteve Basilone is an American television writer and producer. He attended Emerson College in Boston before eventually moving to Los Angeles to pursue several writing opportunities. He eventually ended up on "Community" from 2011 to 2013 penning a number of episodes alongside his writing partner (and former Emerson College classmate) Annie Mebane. Basilone has since moved on this other projects including the "The Michael J. Fox Show". He was married to Lauren Morelli, a fellow television writer who works on the Netflix original series "Orange is the new Black". Morelli filed for divorce after two years upon coming out as a lesbian in 2014. Basilone currently serves as writer and producer of the ABC sitcom "The Goldbergs". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Episode 249 - Kurt Sutter
24/05/2021 Duration: 54minKurt Sutter is a storyteller. That obligation has manifested into writing, producing, directing, and acting. Born and raised in the homogenous suburbs of Jersey, his home positioned between the Mafia-stronghold neighborhoods to the west and Rahway State Prison to the east. Sutter would struggle with those conflicting influences -- absolute authority and unbridled rebellion -- for most of his life. After graduating from Rutgers University with a BA in Mass Media & Film, Kurt spent several years as an actor in NYC, performing in off-off-Broadway theatres, meatpacking warehouses, and NYPD holding cells. His theatre work eventually led to teaching and directing and in the mid-nineties he joined the faculty of The Gately-Poole Acting Studio on Theatre Row, teaching the Sanford Meisner Technique and directing productions at The Nat Horne Theatre. In the late 90’s Kurt was awarded an MFA Fellowship to attend Northern Illinois University. In Chicago, his exposure to the dramatic masters -- Strindberg, O'Neill, Genet