In this interview, I speak with Dr. Brandon Gauthier about his newly published book, “Before Evil.” In the book, Brandon writes about the lives and formative experiences of six terrible dictators (Adolf Hitler; Joseph Stalin; Benito Mussolini; Mao Zedong; Kim Il Sung; and Vladimir Lenin) and, through that lens, seeks to answer the question: “Should we humanize the world's most inhumane leaders?” Through his writing, Brandon brings a level of emotion to the work of historiography that helps emphasize the difficulty of the topic. He challenges readers to consider what evil means, and what commonalities the lives of these awful leaders contain which may have led them to commit atrocities beyond imagining. Brandon and I also spoke in detail about why he wanted to write this book, and how his other passions (like music, gardening, and watching YouTube science videos) contribute and intersect with his work as a teacher and historian. Enjoy!

Brandon's Work

Twitter

"Before Evil" Website

Academia Profile

Brandon's Recommendations

Caroline Rose

NileRed

Simon Sebag Montefiore

Steve Anwyll

Jonas Reinhart

Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategy Cards

Paul Bloom (Chosen Suffering Podcast)

Megan Boyle, “Liveblog”

Steve Hauschildt

Show Links

Creative Consumption Website

Instagram

Patreon

Rebecca Murillo is an actor, singer, dancer, composer, writer, choreographer and assistant director. She's performed in New York City on legendary stages like the Green Room 42 and Feinstein’s/54 Below, and has also traveled internationally to perform in a Tokyo production of West Side Story. Rebecca has also received acclaim for her original musical, Not Quite Extinct, and in her most recent project, she was a member of the writing and composing team for the new musical “Breathe,” which was conceived and created by Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald.

Links to Rebecca's Work

Rebecca's Website Rebecca's Instagram Listen to Breathe License & Read Breathe

Rebecca's Inspirations & Recommendations

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Star Trek: Original Series (on Hulu) Working it Out with Mike Birbiglia

Show Links

Creative Consumption Website

Instagram

Patreon

Charlie Alterman is a Broadway music director, conductor, and orchestrator who has worked on shows like the original and recent Kennedy Center productions of Next to Normal; the 2013 revival of Pippin; and the out-of-town productions of Half-Time, among many others. Most recently, Charlie headed to Vancouver where he worked as a music consultant and vocal coach for the NBC musical comedy "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist." Enjoy!

Links to Charlie's Work & Social

Charlie on iBDB

Charlie on Spotify

Charlie's Instagram

Charlie's Inspirations & Recommendations

Succession on HBO

Dead to Me

YouTube for Random Deep Dives

Show Links

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Patreon

Gavin Creel is a Tony- and Olivier-Award-winning performer, actor, songwriter, and fantastic human. He's performed across the world in numerous Broadway shows and concerts, including Hello, Dolly!; the West End production of The Book of Mormon (the Olivier); the 2016 revival of She Loves Me, and many more. Gavin's also composed and produced several albums and personal musical works (you can hear his melodious tones in a variety of live and animated films and TV), and he’s been an advocate for and active participant in organizations like Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids; the Actors Fund; Broadway Inspirational Voices; and many more. Most recently, you might have seen Gavin's performance in the MCC Theater's Miscast gala, where he and Aaron Tveit reunited after a five-year hiatus for a truly special duet. Go and take a listen when you have a chance; the link is in the show notes below. Enjoy!

Links to Gavin's Work

Gavin's Website

Gavin On Spotify

Gavin's MCC Miscast Performance

Gavin's Inspirations & Recommendations

The 1619 Project

Black Theatre United

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids

The Actors Fund

Broadway Inspirational Voices

Show Links

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon

This week's guests are Caroline Portu and Marty Miller - or "Carol and Mart," as their fans know them. Both prolific creators, Caroline and Marty have a fan following on Instagram, where they share solo and duo videos of hilarious escapades and skits starring themselves as wonderfully weird characters. Caroline also works as an actress, a singer-songwriter, and a writer. Marty is a published writer in publications like Paper, and his social media videos have been featured on Ellen. Together, they are the creators of the "Carol and Mart Show," in which they perform original comedic songs.

Links to Carol’s Work

Carol’s Website

Instagram

Caroline On Spotify

iMDB

Links to Mart’s Work

Marty's Instagram

Marty's Articles

Carol’s Recommendations

All About Love

Fleabag

Mart’s Recommendations

Song of Achilles

MUNA

Arts Equity and Antiracist Support Resources

BroadwayWorld Collection of Links

Justice For George (NYC Racial Justice Events)

Playwrights Horizons Google Doc

Collection of Antiracism Resources

Lesson Plan for Learning More

Vote.org - Information on Registering to Vote

Show Links:

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon

Lindsay Hackney is the founder of Lindsay Hackney Photography, her wedding photography business based out of New England that she runs, along with her husband and “second shooter” Tim. Prior to starting her own business, Lindsay’s career in acting brought her around the country, performing in the national tours of The Drowsy Chaperone and The Great American Trailer Park Musical, and also in productions at notable regional houses like the Ogunquit Playhouse. Her photography business has flourished and Lindsay has been published in places like “Green Wedding Shoes,” “Style Me Pretty,” “Magnolia Rouge,” “The Knot,“ and “BRIDES.”

Links to Lindsay’s Work

Lindsay’s Website

Instagram

Lindsay’s Recommendations

Dark (Netflix Series)

Taskmaster

Watchmen

The Leftovers

Nice White Parents

Arts Equity and Antiracist Support Resources

BroadwayWorld Collection of Links

Justice For George (NYC Racial Justice Events)

Playwrights Horizons Google Doc

Collection of Antiracism Resources

Lesson Plan for Learning More

The Integrated Schools Podcast

Former Guest Projects

Jacob Tischler: Radio Play with NLBP

Aline Mayagoitia: “School to Stage” Series

Show Links:

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon

This episode, we spoke with Mason Reeves. Mason is a young actor whose resume is already impressively full. He’s worked in theaters across the US, playing historic houses like the St. Louis MUNY; the Connecticut Repertory Theatre; and the Bucks County Playhouse, where he’s spent part of this summer as an artist-in-residence. He’s also a dancer, a musician, a writer, and is currently a cast member of the 1st national tour of the Disney musical, Frozen, in which Mason is starring as Kristoff.

Links to Mason’s Work

Mason’s Website

Instagram

Mason’s Recommendations

NAACP.org

NAACP’s “We Are Done Dying“ Campaign

Watchmen

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Arts Equity and Antiracist Support Resources

BroadwayWorld Collection of Links

Justice For George (NYC Racial Justice Events)

Playwrights Horizons Google Doc

Collection of Antiracism Resources

Lesson Plan for Learning More

The Integrated Schools Podcast

Former Guest Projects

Jacob Tischler: Radio Play with NLBP

Aline Mayagoitia: “School to Stage” Series

Show Links:

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon

Jacob Tischler is a professional actor, writer, and baker. He's performed in the national tour of "Flashdance," in numerous productions across the country, and has been seen on the screen in everything from "The Deuce" to "Broad City." On top of that, Jacob has written several plays and musicals that have been produced in NYC and elsewhere, he's got a background in circus arts, and he's just started his MFA in Screenwriting (remotely, of course) at USC. And this past spring, Jacob founded "Starter: A Social Justice Bakery," where he used his skills as a baker to raise funds for initiatives to support local Vermont organizations and other antiracist groups and projects. Basically, Jacob's a Renaissance-man who's got a sprinkle of everything in his background.

Links to Jacob's Work

Jacob's Website

Instagram

Soundcloud

YouTube

Jacob's Recommendation

Starter: A Social Justice Bakery

Arts Equity and Antiracist Support Resources

BroadwayWorld Collection of Links

Justice For George (NYC Racial Justice Events)

Playwrights Horizons Google Doc

Collection of Antiracism Resources

Lesson Plan for Learning More

The Integrated Schools Podcast

Show Links:

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon

Abel Garriga is a music director and orchestrator, a conductor and piano teacher, and composer. Abel played on the international Spanish tour of "Next to Normal," and at the time of this interview, he was working as a rehearsal pianist for the Broadway production of Moulin Rouge.

Links to Abel’s Work

Linkedin

Instagram

Arts Equity and Antiracist Support Resources

BroadwayWorld Collection of Links

Justice For George (NYC Racial Justice Events)

Playwrights Horizons Google Doc

Collection of Antiracism Resources

Lesson Plan for Learning More

The Integrated Schools Podcast

Abel’s Recommendation

Collection of Antiracism Links (Compiled by Ashley Loren)

Show Links:

Creative Consumption Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon