Sometimes, we have to give up one dream and find another, providing an opportunity for growth and discovery.

The finale of season three features stories about the power of community from a high school teacher learning from her students, an executive challenged to remake her life, an opera singer realizing that the seeds she planted long ago have suddenly bloomed, and an Indian classical dancer who achieves a milestone for her community.

Intro: “Shine” with Anna Woods, former drama theater and theater director for Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose, California.

Act One: “A Path Through The Dark” with Lisa Hilas, president and director of Onstage Vacaville in Vacaville, California.

Act Two: “A Full-Circle Moment” with Ersian Francois, an opera singer, producer and arts administrator in Washington, D.C.

Act Three: “Finding Your Footing” with Rukhmani Mehta, co-artistic director of Leela Dance Collective in Los Angeles, California.

You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

In our final episode of season three, we bring you the story of an arts administrator facing a career-changing diagnosis and three other inspiring stories of second acts. Coming your way August 13.

Finding your voice is hard, but summoning the courage to use it can change your life and the lives of those around you.

Whether it’s helping others recover, how advocating for yourself becomes advocating for those like you, or re-claiming a harmful narrative, episode five brings three powerful stories from arts workers who use their stories to help others heal, grow, and learn.

Intro: “Harnessing Healing” with Payton Rhyan, a theater administrator and full time masters student in Performing Arts Administration at New York University.

Act One: “Leaps and Bounds” with Tristan Grannum, the Director of Community Engagement and Rehearsal Director for Brooklyn Ballet in Brooklyn, New York.

Act Two: “Strings Attached” with Sheila Gaskins, a teaching artist and puppeteer from Baltimore, Maryland.

You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

The loneliness of being the only Black dancer, a revelation on horseback, and the touching story behind a magical puppet show for an audience of one.

Episode 5 features three inspirational, untold stories from arts workers. Coming to your ears July 30th.

Often, our sense of self can feel rigid. Like who we see in the mirror is who we’ll always be. But how we see ourselves is changeable, and sometimes a dramatic event shakes our self image to the core. Including stories from an artist who had to re-evaluate her career through her mother’s eyes and a dancer whose life was turned head-over-heels, episode four highlights significant changes in our perceptions of ourselves and how we fit into the world.

Intro: “This or That” with Chloë Zimberg, a dancer and creative director of ODC Theater in San Francisco, California.

Act One: “Parallel Tracks” with Heidi Latsky, a dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Heidi Latsky Dance in New York City.

Act Two: “Striking A Chord” with Azadi Amaan, a pianist and composer in Shelton, Washington.

Act Three: “Body Signals” with Maura García, a dancer and choreographer living on the homelands of the Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation in Texas.

You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

Next week, four inspiring stories about radical shifts in perspective. Turn on automatic downloads and tune in on July 9th.

Artists are often the voice for social movements. Some make it their life's purpose, while others are thrust into politics by circumstance. Episode three shares inspiring stories from artists navigating identity, society, and the industry. First we share a story from a singer with a mission. Then, from a performer dragged into a political battle. And lastly, from a groundbreaker who confronted racism and found a gateway to tell her story through art.

TRIGGER WARNING: There is discussion of disordered eating between 24:05 and 25:10.

Act One: “Songs In The Key Of Change” with Wayna, a recording artist based in Washington, D.C.

Act Two: “The Kindness Of Strangers” with Dennis Porter, a variety artist and owner of Happy Faces Entertainment in Kansas City, Missouri.

Act Three: “Bravery in Brass” with Dr. Jazzie Pigott, a tuba player and composer in Baltimore, Maryland.

You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

Artists who are changing the world take the spotlight in next week’s episode, coming to your feed June 25th!

Systemic barriers to equality are apparent throughout the industry, but at a certain point you can't keep dancing around the red tape. You have to break through it. Episode two is all about arts workers that are breaking down barriers. But these storytellers don’t just shine a light on inequality, they offer a tangible and inspirational path forward.

Intro: “Eyes and Ears” with Sabrina Martinez, an audio describer in Houston, Texas.

Act One: “Tours and Tribulations” with Justine Bayod Espoz, the executive director of Torito Arts in Chicago, Illinois.

Act Two: “Mobilizing To Move Forward” with Daniel Phoenix Singh, the executive director of Metro Arts Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee.

You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

Episode two arrives June 11th – featuring inspirational stories of arts workers breaking down systemic barriers.