This week in the green room, Stephanie gets schooled in classical music by her guest Amanda Noelle Neal. Amanda grew up as a chorister in Sacramento, followed her vocal dreams to NoLA, and on to Chicago where she was also bitten by the inevitable improv bug. The two share first performance stories. and Amanda doesn’t shy away from sharing some challenges she faced as a half-black/half-Filipino girl in a white opera chorus.

Listen in as the two bond over auditions, nerves, makeup (and its snafus), and what it’s like to perform with their significant others. If you also love ska but don’t know why, or have performed a dance between sticks of bamboo, this episode is for you.