Dan is joined by magician, Christopher Wayne in the final "Going Abroad" themed episode!

We recorded this chat while Christopher was in Boston preparing for a 70 city tour of The Naked Magicians!

We chat about being able to meet legends in the magic world, Carrot Top being the nicest guy you'll ever meet, preparing for a seventy city tour of The Naked Magicians, the nitty gritty of putting on a show, curbing the ego, having a wake up call while touring, finding pure joy in entertaining people, moving to Boston, opening a residency in Boston, falling in love, the weirdness of introducing new cast members into The Naked Magicians, not putting his name on the poster, knowing the show was always going to be bigger than him, the times he and Mike Tyler argued while they were on tour, looking after each other, losing a knuckle, creating The Naked Magicians, the audience being an important component in helping to form the show, getting advice from Teller, staying original as a magician, presentation, making shows about the audience's experience, wanting everyone to win, leaning into comedy, failing drama & comedy in school, trying and failing, risk taking, hitting rock bottom, finding sobriety, working with Christian Hull, reshaping how we look at our relationship with alcohol, feeling creatively crisp, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan is joined by Mackenzie Dunn & Kohan Van Sambeeck, the first couple on the podcast! Mackenzie and Kohan frequently work on the same musical theatre shows, including the most recent Australian production of Annie! MacKenzie is the singer, actor, and dancer while Kohan is on the other side of things, often taking on MD responsibilities or seen working in the orchestra pit! 

We chat about the first time they met, being in entirely separate worlds at work, working with kids, carrying the lessons you learn from job to job, the responsibilities of conducting, being hyper aware of the conductor on stage as a performer, having the space to create their own work, not forcing creativity, collaborating with Rubin Matters, releasing the music, dealing with creative blocks, challenging each other, One Day in September, the difficulty of getting new Aussie musicals off the ground, shedding light on an important topic, the wild time when One Day in September finally opened, the incompleteness of art, coming from a show business family, working with your mum, willing to put in the hard yards, finding routine on a commercial contract, being in a career that requires people to like you, Mackenzie's friendship with Javon King, future projects, working with a Wiggle, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer now based in the UK, Sam Parkes in the third "Going Abroad" themed episode!

We chat about the process and move over to London, the difficulty of setting up your life in a different country, being a fresh face in the audition room, the stressful part of having to prove yourself again, the group of Australian performers that congregate in London, getting the job on Matilda, stepping into the machine of Matilda, the exciting and nerve wracking life of a swing, the process of becoming comfortable working on Matilda, digging into the work, the similarities and differences between working in Australia and the UK, the never ending run of The West End, learning to space out holidays, remembering to have a day before he starts his day, stepping into a London theatre for the first time, the reaction he received from people back in Australia after getting Matilda in London, initially being a BMX rider, realising he could make a career as a performer, his schooling experience, getting thrown into the deep end early, the cruise ship experience, being able to invest in your career, getting Moulin Rouge, Sam's advice to people thinking about moving overseas, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan is joined by actor, singer and songwriter, Rubin Matters!

We chat about feeling the best when he's able to combine singing, acting, and dancing, finishing off his long run on Beauty and the Beast, readjusting to the routine of life, being a workaholic, the need to create, the difficulty of splitting focus, the challenges of releasing music, the reception to his first song I Can Walk Away, collaborating with Mackenzie Dunn, Kohan Van Sambeeck, and Oscar Sharah, becoming addicted to creating his own music, reaching the conclusion that he should share his work, having a lot of ideas for new music, the ways his music resonates with him differently now, his songs being played during warmups, the proudest song, fighting for ideas, the chance to perform his own work in front of an audience, embracing uncertainty, backing yourself, the experiences of getting his first job, going on as Gaston for the Melbourne opening night of Beauty and the Beast, getting lost in scenes, learning to expect whatever you don't expect as a swing, letting go of perfectionism, developing backstage superstitions, trusting himself more, and a whole lot more!

Check out Rubin's music! Links below.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EZdA8qZtvCmHcrv9H1mUX

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdoqZyvmDszOTzoD1doErNQ

Cover Photo: Matty Parker

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second "Going Abroad" episode, Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer and currently a part of the ensemble for Moulin Rouge in The Netherlands, Patrick Whitbread!

We chat about the initial plan of moving to London, forcing himself to move outside of Australia, the mental game of moving to Europe, experiencing yourself in a different context, settling into everyday life, the sensory overload, communication barriers, being taught Dutch, the lack of mainstream theatre shows in The Netherlands, thinking about life after his current contract, feeling the shock of the Dutch winter, having a good time, being obsessed with theatre, the fluidity of confidence, healthy competition, the first audition, working in hospitality, the carnage like experience of Cats, Book of Mormon, the thought of doing the same show again, the love of travelling, the sacrificial life of a performer, doing a psychology degree, the leave policy in The Netherlands, the thought of forgetting lyrics, the skill of asking yourself why, observing the leads of a show, screenwriting, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan is joined by actor, singer, and one of the best dancers and flippers of all time, Keanu Gonzalez!

I caught up with Keanu while he was doing the Melbourne run of Annie!

We chat about a question left behind from Jason Arrow about his most done flip, the most inappropriate show to do a flip, the viral explosion of the Easy Street dance number, filming the Melbourne Annie promo video, the change of pace of getting out of the theatre, the first love of tennis, martial arts, booking his first musical with Baz Luhrmann, becoming comfortable as an actor, finding truth in playing the bombastic comedy relief, muscle memory, the dislike of opening nights, not looking at reviews, comparing yourself to others, seeking advice from others, being a hard worker, keeping hobbies outside of work, the art of video games, not finishing school, the Cats experience, showing up, the emotional moment when his Dad saw him perform, living a whole lifetime on a show, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo: Matty Parker

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In a new series of episodes focusing on Aussies living and working abroad, Dan welcomes actor, singer, and currently playing The Duke in the world tour of Moulin Rogue, James Bryers!

We chat about saying yes pretty quickly to the world tour of Moulin Rogue, valuing the craft, the difficulty of taking on the character in Sister Act, feeling miscast, culture shock, finding a dead body his first night in London, seeing the differences in the way people approach work, the process of working with many different creative teams, the feeling of receiving a genuine standing ovation, initially wanting to wear a suit and carry a briefcase, being introverted, a life changing brunch, the bitter experience he had during UNI, being cast as a swing in Jersey Boys, a King Kong audition experience, enjoying the journey, experiences we have that lead us to certain opportunities, learning to be the best version of who you are, putting yourself out there, challenging yourself more, finding content and happiness, trying to enjoy being in the moment, seeing more seen in Australia, advice from Colette Mann, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan is joined by actor, comedian, and writer Danny Woodburn who is best known for television shows and movies including Seinfeld, Monk, Jingle All the Way, Death to Smoochy, Billions, and The Witcher to name a few.

We chat about living and working in the UK filming The Witcher, paying more attention to accessibility, the differences in a European and American film crew, working 23 hours straight, mentoring, the business changing so dramatically since he started, sneaking into studio lots, keeping up with the modern age of social media, influencers, writing with his wife, Danny's thoughts on AI, questioning ethics as an artist, studying science, spending time in a body cast, using his humour as a defence mechanism, finding and crafting a character, having an audition ritual, the vacation of work, not liking musicals, working with Robin Williams, appreciating the audience response, only writing what you can see and film, growing up in his package, grappling with saying no to stereotypical roles, his activism, sticking to it, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan welcomes back returning guest, Charlie Clouser!

Charlie really set the tone early on for what I really wanted to podcast to be going forward, so it was such a pleasure having him back on the show to reconnect!

We chat about instances in which he hasn't been a good communicator, fighting for ideas, mitigating damage, practicing diplomacy, helping people's creative projects to the finish line, projects going away, his connection to the Saw franchise, the prospect of someone else composing the iconic Hello Zepp theme, the current state of entertainment, going off on tangents, overpromising, always giving people an out, not being precious about your own work, under delivering, no truly objective view, working on early projects with various limitations, noticing consequential conversations in the moment, enjoying the process, doing something outside the familiar, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

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Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer Taye Grant! Taye is currently in the ensemble for the Australian production of Back to the Future: The Musical. This was recorded only a month or so before Taye started rehearsals!

We chat about the road of getting a job on Back to the Future, always being someone that's had a blind competence, preparing for the show, being in the child's cast of Matilda, realising the tangible career as a performer, his experience working on Dusty, lessons learned from previous work, holding your own, staying show fit, being in the process of finding a routine, hyper fixating, going back to high school life after Matilda, taking things as they come, the weirdness of missing school to do a commercial musical, falling in love with performing and touring life, the natural progression to becoming a performer, going to WAAPA, needing to know who you are, not being competitive, not being attached to any audition, the process of getting an agent, thinking about the future, and a whole lot more!

Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.