Tbd With Ldt

The books I read as a kid and as a young adult made lasting impressions on me, shaping my personal perspectives and behaviors in powerful and positive ways. What books or media did you consume as a young person that shaped and influenced your adult self?

As a result of racial bias and racial profiling, a Starbucks employee called the cops on two real estate agents who were waiting inside the store for a potential client to arrive for a business meeting. The gentlemen were arrested, despite their innocence (they were not acting against any official Starbucks policy by simply waiting in the cafe), and there was an immediate response from the public when news of the arrest broke. Since then, Starbucks has taken some major strides to not only apologize to the two men, but to actively seek out ways to prevent this sort of incident from happening in the future. As a result, Starbucks will be closing all stores and some corporate locations (a combined total of over 8,000 locations, nationwide) across the US on May 29th to hold racial bias trainings which are currently being designed "with input from groups including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Anti-Defamation League" (NYTimes). This is a notable step in the right direct

An apology for the potential sound of stomping feet from the neighbors' kids who live above us turned into an episode-length musing on renting an apartment, and memorable neighbors.

Gentlemen, start your engines, and may the best woman...win! Yes, henny, today's episode is about one of my FAVORITE things, RuPaul's Drag Race. Listen up and hear how Drag Race helped get me through the 2016 Presidential Election, learn which Queen I went to school with, and get a micro-mini lesson about how RuPaul's Drag Race has opened up the LGBTQ narrative to a wider audience while also celebrating the empowerment of finding one's one voice and choosing one's own family.

Here's the gritty reality folks: I'm a recovering alcoholic who, in addition to being an actor, ally, and artist, also gets to deal with anxiety, social anxiety, depression, and otha' fun (read: not fun) stuff. In this episode of "TBD With LDT," I discuss how my social anxiety has shifted over the years, and what it's like dealing with it while also in recovery. Nearly every single human being has their social anxiety dial turned up just a notch -- it's what keeps us on our toes when we meet new people or are in new situations. But for some of us, the social anxiety dial is turned up -- and sometimes, it's blasting.

The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) has been posting a series of awesomely inspiring infographics, featuring facts/quotes from articles and studies regarding the positive impact of theatre on students. It is SO inspiring that I've dedicated a podcast episode to "Theatre in our Schools," sharing a few of the EdTA posts with you and discussing the benefits of theatre and of arts education in general. Keep the arts in our schools and enrich the lives of children everywhere!

#TriggerWarnings: This episode, among other things, discusses depression, anxiety, binge eating (briefly), repression, and PTSD (also briefly). There's been a lot on my mind lately -- a lot of personal stuff. Stuff like self-reflection that's resulted in some discovery. Or gratitude for being a self-aware human being, and for awareness in general. Stuff like who I am and where I've come from and the realities of my life and how they've shaped me. This episode is a little rambly, and a lot deep, and I'm actually really pleased to share it with you. Join me for a publicly private exploration of this thing called life.

The somber truth is, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the power of narrative. I would have taken myself out of this world if not for the strength, hope, inspiration, and fortitude that I found in books. In this episode, I discuss a recent revelation I've had about feeling like an outsider since I was at least three years old (and how that must have shaped me), and then I fondly list some of the female writers and female protagonists who inspired me -- and sometimes saved my life. #RepresentationMatters, friends. We're making steps in the right direction, and it's progress which saves lives. What are some narratives that shaped your life in a positive way?

What is the job of an artist -- an actor, a writer, a musician, a dancer, etc? What do people REALLY mean when they tell an artist to "shut up and do your job?" What does it mean when someone tells an actor "just shut up and say your lines--leave the politics out of it...I didn't pay for you to mouth off about your beliefs," or any number of dehumanizing commands? In this episode, I sound off on why this particular line of critique really gets under my skin, and I give a little history lesson on just how interconnected politics and art has always been.

10th episode of TBD With LDT! Too bad my brain is too mushy to enjoy it! I was in need of inspiration, so I turned to Storycorps.org and their question generator...but first I waxed sentimental about what a great organization Storycorps. If you haven't checked them out-- DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND GET INTO 'EM!

Gary Thomas suggested that I talk about surviving tech week -- that dreaded week before a play opens, when all elements come together for the first time. One thing I forgot to mention? Humor! Humor helps, even if it's just laughing at yourself when there's a snafu. Here's some tips on staying calm, self-care, and creating a productive collaborative environment -- tips that work for all disciplines, not just theatre!

On today’s episode, Jeremiah Ripley and I sit under a stairwell in the TVFM building at CSULA and talk about the things we do when we’re bored, music and music festivals and large crowds, and getting in trouble in high school.

In which I walk in from Day 1 of spring semester of grad school and record an episode. Discussion of narrative as the primary way that humans learn....and a special surprise guest! JOEL MORRISON!

I've been playing Skyrim (PS4 Special Edition) lately, which has resulted in odd dreams and me reminiscing about some dreams I had when I was a kid...followed by some memories of truly bizarre childhood LDT behavior. Ah, neuroses.

Last night I logged into an ancient email account and was ambushed by memory lane...so today I’m talking about the tricky nature of memory, what it’s like to revisit old emails (tangent: why doesn’t every BA/BFA/BS program have mandatory classes in “Email Writing For Your Field?”), and transitional periods of life (and their anniversaries).

In this episode, I get a little emotional as I reflect on how the ladies are doing it for themselves, and how toppling the hierarchies will save us all.

Episode Three of TBD With LDT is about representation and narrative...and it's the first of a series on representation/narrative.  I hope to hear from some of you who would like to be guests in the Representation/Narrative series on TBD With LDT. I'll leave you with a quote from the last few minutes of this episode: "When you're missing from the story, people don't have to worry about you.  They don't have to think about you as a human being, they don't have to think about legislation that benefits you, they don't have to think about going out of their way to help you on the street, they don't have to think about your troubles and your own human issues and the fact that you, like them, have feelings, right?  If you are missing from the story, then nobody has to give a shit about you.  But if you are in the story, then people cannot ignore you."

The 2nd episode of TBD With LDT: radio plays, local theaters, the 1940’s, Fred Astaire is NOT Frank Sinatra (thank God), and Mark Hamilton’s sandwich bit. Go see PTP’s Radio Cavalcade in Modesto this Sat, Dec 16, 2017 at 8:00pm!

The first episode of “TBD With LDT” — in this ep, I riff on Ye Olde Days of Social Media, and think deep thoughts about social media audience and branding. Because why not?