Dear Multi-hyphenate

Many people go to college for theatre so one can become an educated actor. Through technique and tools, this will help the actor sustain a healthy and rich career. But what are students getting in terms of theatre business? My NYU student, Natalie Rebenkoff, graduated and took off with flying colors by digging into her multi-hyphenate potential and producing her first piece of work, The Nursery, an unpublished Clifford Odets one-act. The production co-stars Cameron Monaghan from the ever popular television show, Shameless.

So how does one graduate and produce their own work? What comes easy? What comes hard? What do we learn along the way? This episode is a great resource for actors who are deep in learning their technique but can also understand how to produce their own work – and not let each artform distract the other. 

Natalie Rebenkoff is a New York-based actor, writer, and producer from Hermosa Beach, California. Her recent theater credits include Smokeshow (Edinburgh Fringe), Hamlet (RADA), MotherBoard (Experimental Theatre Wing), and I’m Sorry for Your Troubles (Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute). Her film credits include Don’t Look Up opposite Leonardo Dicaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. She would like to thank Walt Odets, Robert Ellerman, her family, and friends for all the support in bringing The Nursery to life and is excited to finally share this story.

Cameron Monaghan is an American actor, writer, director, and photographer. With a career of over 25 years, he is perhaps best known for his series regular roles as Ian on ‘Shameless’ and ‘The Joker’ on Gotham. In addition, he stars in the ‘Star Wars: Jedi’ game series. Supporting roles include ‘The Giver’ with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, ‘Paradise Highway’ with Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman, and the lead role in ‘Jamie Marks is dead’ which premiered at Sundance, amongst countless other projects. He studied screenwriting at SNHU and has attended directing courses at the Australian Film and Television School (AFTRS), The Actors Studio at Pinewood UK, and Marjorie Ballentine Theatre Company. He most currently filmed TRON: ARES for Disney.

Clifford Odets' The Nursery will be staged Off-Broadway October 10-12 at The Sam Theatre, with Stella Diji directing. The unpublished one-act will be presented by Point 5 Collective, in collaboration with The Lee Strasberg Creative Center. 

Set in the 1950s, The Nursery follows an upper-middle class couple who are forced to confront the long-simmering fault lines in their troubled marriage. When the suppressed emotions of their union explode during a pivotal conversation, the strength of their love is tested.

The Nursery was discovered in the archives of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Visit TheNurseryPlay.com for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannah Solow is probably one of the funniest people on the planet. She creates hysterical characters on social media, is a stand up comic, and musical theatre performer. In this very funny episode, we dive into specific social media practices, grabbing control of your career, how getting cast in Broadway’s hit OH, MARY! came to be, and brilliant gems of stories from being in the industry – including what it was like to tour the country in Daniel Fish’s OKLAHOMA!, for instance. 

Hannah Solow is currently understudy to Mary Todd Lincoln and Mary’s Chaperone/Bill in Oh, Mary!, written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, at The Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. 

She received her BFA in drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has performed everywhere from The Kennedy Center to a hostel in Chinatown. She traveled to over 20 cities across the country performing as “Gertie Cummings” in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” directed by Daniel Fish. She performed on Broadway at The Cort Theatre as the “understudy” to Mike Birbiglia in his show, The New One. 

For many years she performed weekly at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade with musical improv team, Rumpleteaser, and monthly with house sketch teams. She has performed her original standup, characters and songs at The Bell House, Caroline’s, Club Cumming, Littlefield, and many more places/basements. She has taught improvisation to students pre-K through fifth grade across both Manhattan and Brooklyn. They were way funnier than she is. @babymcgoo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Dear Multi-Hyphenate! It is Season Two and let’s kick it off with superstar multi-hyphenate Lea Delaria. In this episode we discuss all about how and when to identify as a certain type of artist, unheard stories of working with Lea’s idols, hysterical and inspiring stories about projects like POTUS and Orange is the New Black, and of course Lea’s new brunch show at 54 Below… Brunch is Gay, currently running one Sunday a month at 54 Below. 

Lea was the first openly gay comic on television in America, and is an accomplished Jazz performer who has performed in concert venues all over the world. She is best known as ‘Big Boo’ from Orange is the New Black (3 SAG Awards). Lea can currently be seen in the indie feature film Potato Dreams of America, and in the Indigo Girls jukebox feature film, Glitter & Doom. Lea recently starred in the Off-Broadway Revival of Tennessee Williams' play, The Night of the Iguana, directed by Emily Mann. TV credits include Girls5Eva, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, East New York,The Blacklist, Physical, Reprisal, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Shameless, and Broad City. Film credits include Cars 3, Support The Girls, and First Wives Club. Broadway credits, POTUS Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (Bernadette), The Rocky Horror Show (Eddie/Dr. Scott) and On The Town (Hildy), Obie and Theatre World Awards. @realleadelaria www.leadelaria.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I love self tapes in the post pandemic world.”

Why? Why does Adam love self tapes when so many other actors don’t? How can we embrace them? In fact, how can we embrace and adapt post-pandemic practices into our lives? Let’s face it – the industry looks different. So, we have to shift. And Adam DeCarlo has done a great job at doing just that. 

Adam DeCarlo is an award-winning actor and filmmaker based in NYC. Adam was born and raised in Orange County, California; where he began studying acting at the Tony Award-Winning regional theatre, South Coast Repertory. After graduating High School, he studied as a Theatre major at Fullerton College, where he performed in many of their productions and served as a Theatre Arts Ambassador for the department for two years. He then transferred to the University of California, Riverside (UCR) where he continued to study theatre and graduated with a BA, as a double major in Theatre and Media/Cultural Studies.

Upon graduating from UCR, Adam moved to New York City and studied at the renowned Circle in the Square Theatre School. While living in NYC, he has appeared on several hit TV shows on Netflix, FOX, HULU, HBO, and A&E. Adam is the writer & director of two award-winning short films, ‘Lost & Found’ & ‘Skeletons’. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“What ever jobs you have on your path to where you're trying to get to to your vision all matter. And the fact that we call these things a side hustle or we talk about ‘the unwanted jobs' and all of those types of descriptions… it's not empowering people.” -- Jodi Carter

When it comes to being an artist, what is the first thing we have to know about money? 

According to Jodi Carter, it’s a new language. A wow, do we discover a new language in this episode. This episode is deeply, deeply personal and Michael and Jodi truly get into a vulnerable conversation about money. It might be something all artists can relate to. 

What is “ifcome” and how does it change our perspective of money managing?

How do we work around the starving artist paradigm?

The pressure to say yes and show up. Is it healthy?

The myth of uncertainty and the myth of someday.

Things we make up to ourselves when it comes to money. 

A big financial hug.

Jodi Carter, CPA, has spent decades helping individuals, couples, and families – from all different financial levels and circumstances – make countless choices. This unique view sparked her desire to reach people how to live their best lives. Jodi founded Financial Insight Training to help people shift their lives from stress to freedom.

As a lifelong supporter of the arts, Jodi knew she has to create a program specifically tailored to the unique needs of artists, who live with fluctuating income and need specialized guidance for managing their finances. The IfCome® Paradigm is the framework for creative people to live as thriving artists. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If I were king of the mountain and I got to say how all arts education was – I would actually say the idea of being curiously creative is key; testing out all the ideas and options.” – Scott Barnhardt

This is a wildly fun and informative podcast for artists of all ages – especially those looking into studying theatre in college. Here’s what you’ll find in this episode:

The college audition mindset

The falsehoods of being a “starving artist”

What is true about being a “starving artist”?

Lucrative ways of working in the theatre

Leaning into the type of artist you want to be known as

The worth of a college degree

SCOTT BARNHARDT is a musical theatre actor, theatre maker, writer, educator and Independent Education Consultant (IEC). He is also the owner and creator of The Creative College Journey, a bespoke approach to college guidance working exclusively with creative applicants (writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers)—helping families handle both the academic and artistic aspects of a college application with the goal to lower stress and increase clarity and enjoyment throughout the process. As a teacher and administrator, he most recently served as Lead Faculty for the Contemporary Musical Theatre + Film BFA program at Hussian College Los Angeles, and before that as the Director of Musical Theatre at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). He is a graduate of Wagner College (BA, Theatre/Speech) and UCLA (MFA, Playwriting). His acting credits include the original Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon (Elder Harris/Elder Thomas, u/s Elder McKinley, Asst. Dance Captain) and the Deaf West Broadway Revival of Big River at Roundabout. Other NYC: Yank! (The Old Globe Workshop), Bye Bye Birdie (City Center Encores!). National tours: The Boy Friend directed by Julie Andrews, Deaf West's Big River, the Detroit company of White Christmas and the Japanese tour of Disney on Classic with the Tokyo Philharmonic. At OCSA, along with teaching audition prep and a class called Mind|Body|Voice, he directed the virtual production of Now. Here. This. (the first full-length musical to be shot and presented entirely during quarantine), Evita (in association with Musical Theatre West), the High School premiere of Jasper in Deadland, The Drowsy Chaperone, Xanadu, 9-to-5 (alongside Jessica Lea Patty). He was also seen in concert with students at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Coming Home with Krysta Rodriguez and Scott Barnhardt. Scott has taught workshops, master classes and built programming for UCLA, The Grammy Foundation, Professional School for the Arts, American Ballet Theatre, University of Michigan, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, MTCA of OC, Cal State Fullerton, Broadway Dreams, Broadway Classroom, International Thespian Festival, EdTA Professional Development, Florida Thespian Festival and The Performing Arts Project among others. Awards and grants include the 2004 Tony Honor (Big River), Grammy Citation for Best Cast Album (The Book of Mormon), Tim Robbins Playwriting Award, Sono Osato Scholarship, Caroline H. Newhouse Scholarship and the George Burns & Gracie Allen Fellowship in Comedy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Collaboration is the most crucial thing you can do. Even if you are writing a solo show for yourself, for your family’s story, show it to somebody – share it with somebody.” - Rob Madge

Rob Madge is about to open their solo play on Broadway – so how did it go from home videos to fringe to West End to Broadway? Listen to this amazing episode and learn all about the new play My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?). This is the second part to Dear Multi-Hyphenate's 100th Episode celebration!

Transitioning from a child actor into an adult actor.

How does a show go from Fringe to Broadway?

Handling the weight of Broadway with humor.

Sense of play. 

Rob Madge is a theatre maker, writer and actor. They began working professionally in theatre at the age of 9, having spent the majority of their childhood forcing their family to help them put on shows in the living room, most of which are now documented on Rob’s social media channels. Rob is best known for their show My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) which was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the 2023 Olivier Awards. Following this ongoing success, Rob won Best Creative Debut at The Stage Debut Awards, 2023 and the Attitude Award for Best Theatre Production, 2023. Most recent credits as a performer: Peter Pan (London Palladium). Theatre credits as a performer include: My Son’s A Queer (Writer/Performer: Turbine Theatre, Edinburgh, West End); Jack and the Beanstalk (London Palladium); Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Macbeth (Gielgud Theatre), Oliver! (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Les Misérables (25th Anniversary International Tour and Concert), Matilda the Musical (Courtyard Theatre, RSC), Bedknobs & Broomsticks (UK Tour/World Premiere),Timpson the Musical, Held Momentarily, Leave A Light On, Roles We’ll Never Play. TV credits include: The Sarah Jane Adventures, That Mitchell and Webb Look, The Armstrong and Miller Show, Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Poirot: Appointment with Death. Rob’s debut play My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?) played to sold out audiences at the Turbine Theatre in 2021 and won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production. My Son’s a Queer is headlined the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Underbelly (George Square) in 2022, and debuted to five-star reviews at the Garrick and Ambassadors in the West End. The play script is published by Nick Hern Books. Rob graduated with a Masters in Musical Theatre from the Royal Academy of Music, being awarded the DipRAM. Rob writes and performs their own skits on their social media channels which, as a result, have amassed a following of over 300,000 collectively, with over 11.3 million likes.

Twitter: @rob_madge_02

Instagram: @robmadge02

TikTok: @rob_madge_

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The greatest success for actors comes … when they sort of let go of the idea that there's something that they need to be and they relax into the idea that who they are is the gift and they just need to bring that to the work.” - Busy Philipps

Happy 100th episode of Dear Multi-Hyphenate! We are celebrating with two parts of a big 100th episode celebration. Let’s start with the amazing Busy Philipps as we discuss…

An artist’s superpower

Rise to stardom

Knowing yourself

Bad rep, good rep

How Tina Fey supported Busy

Mean Girls… and so much more.

Busy Philipps has starred in numerous movies and television since her breakout role in “Freaks and Geeks” in 1999. In 2018, Philipps released a collection of humorous autobiographical essays in her book, “This Will Only Hurt a Little,” that was immediately a New York Times bestseller, offering unfiltered and candid stories about her life. Currently, Philipps stars in the hit comedy series “Girls5eva” opposite Sara Bareilles, which Netflix recently picked up for a third season. Produced by Tina Fey, the acclaimed series centers on a one-hit wonder girl group from the '90s who try for another chance at pop stardom. Philipps can also be seen in “Mean Girls” playing Regina George’s Mom — a fan favorite. Recently, she also appeared in a scene-stealing recurring turn in three episodes of Freeform’s hit comedy series “Single Drunk Female.” In 2020, Philipps launched her podcast “Busy Phillipps is Doing Her Best” with her creative partner, Caissie St. Onge, featuring conversations reflecting on when setbacks led to better opportunities. @busyphilipps

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If I had just focused on this one thing, I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to experience the life that I’ve had, which has been pretty sick.” -- Jordan Kai Burnett

In this episode we discuss…

Agism in the industry

Is there a French Woods and Stage Door competition?

Humping dogs!

Are we ever too young to do a show in youth theatre?

Allowing yourself to be a theatre nerd!

What happens to your personal life when you open yourself up to new artistic experiences.

Paying your bills based on your art.

Checking off boxes.

Maintaining family expectations.

How acting has taken a backseat in performances today.

JKB just finished the sold-out run in the world premiere production of Gene & Gilda, playing their comedy idol – Gilda Radner. They just returned from their Las Vegas debut starring as the Emcee for Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike Live which played at both the Hard Rock and legendary Sahara Hotel & Casino. They were featured in the same role for Finding Magic Mike on HBOMAX. Favorite credits include: Romy & Michele: the Musical - Heather Mooney (5th Avenue Theater, Seattle - Gregory Award Nom, best supporting actress in a musical) Found - Denise (West Coast Premiere, IAMA Theater Company directed by Moritz Von Stuelpnagel.) Scissorhands: The Musical as Scissorhands, in Los Angeles. Was lucky enough to work side by side with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on their Romeo & Juliet Project as Benvolia. Co-creator of Daisy & Jordan's Sunday Brunch of Shame with comedy partner, Tony Award winner, Daisy Eagan. A graduate of Emerson College and a student of both The Groundlings and the Upright Citizens Brigade. @JkaiB jkaib.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices