Groundhog Day Week(s) continues on Day 2 as Dan is joined by Andrew Coshan (Billy) & Conor Neylon (Gus) who use to live together!

We talk about performing during a heatwave, the quick changes in Groundhog Day, the rapid pace casting experience, the complexities of learning the show, what makes the show special, trying to rise to Andy's level, Australian's loving the darkness & subtlety of the show, the bittersweet nature of moving on from a show, never feeling like you've actually "made it", being available to opportunity, Conor's pursuit of his own work including the award winning musical Beep Test, the importance of creating your own work, not being apologetic of the way you you've tried, being on the journey of confidence, Coshan's thoughts on trying stand up comedy, having multiple pathways, resilience, failing bravely, and a whole lot more!

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Groundhog Day Week(s) officially kicks off as we begin on Day One with the delightful, and very talented Ashleigh Rubenach who of course played Nancy in the Melbourne production of the show.

We discuss the plans to do a podcast within a podcast, the surprising reactions to Groundhog Day, Andy Karl's embrace of the Australian company, performing Groundhog Day by night and rehearsing Sunset Boulevard by day, an unwavering trust in knowing what to do for a living, a tap audition that led to Ashleigh's first job in Anything Goes, exploring the possibilities of screen acting, the vulnerability experienced while performing the self contained number of 'Playing Nancy', the first time Ashleigh felt like she was stepping into her own, the opportunity to create a character from scratch in Cry Baby, not knowing when your luck will change, having a super suit on while on stage, realising you add value, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by a veteran, indeed, a legend in the industry, Simon Burke! Simon has been working as an actor for 50 years! It was an absolute privilege having the opportunity to sit down for this chat.

We talk about Simon's dresser Lorraine, the audience responses for Wicked, taking on the role of the Wizard, finding a profession in acting early, learning on the job, seeing acting as a trade, the best things about getting older, objectively seeing what your function is in a play, moving to London, pushing outside your comfort zone, testing yourself, dealing with the No's, Simon's approach to dancing in a show, getting Play School over Anthony Warlow, ambition, the unexpectedly lean period in Simon's career, the sadness when a show ends, the ease of being kind and generous, and a whole lot more!

A truly WONDERFUL conversation.

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Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer, and musical theatre superstar, Morgan Palmer! This was such a fun filled episode, and it's Morgan's first ever podcast! Absolutely nailed it!

We talk about the ongoing rehearsals for Sunset Boulevard, the lucky break in between Moulin Rogue and Sunset Boulevard, upcoming performances at the Sydney Opera House, letting go of the fear of worrying about the next job, longevity in shows, opportunity to be available, wanting to originally be a priest, finding a love for dancing, overcoming an arthritis condition, seeing Phantom of the Opera for the first time, taking off the humility hat, being inspired by others, formative Book of Mormon experience, finding a sense of flow on a long running show, the stage door, the importance of the audience, nerves, a fear of talking to strangers, no matter what it's going to happen, a question for Simon Burke, exploring writing, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by the sensationally talented performer originally from Australia and now quickly making a name for himself on Broadway, Daniel Assetta! I really enjoyed this chat with Daniel! He is such an inspiration for a lot of people out there!

We talk about about Daniel's adventure of starting over on Broadway, the first week in New York, an emotional moment knowing exactly where he should be, the complexities of moving from Australia to New York, settling into a new life, the worthy risk of pursuing the dream, taking time to process the fact that he now works in a Broadway theatre, playing William Shakespeare in & Juliet, overwhelming audience reactions in America, pushing through injuries, continuing to learn, redefining what you want, quieting down the doubt, Book of Mormon, dealing with pressure, being a proud husband, performing on TV for Drew Barrymore, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by phenomenal human being and theatre legend, Josh Piterman. This was a very cathartic, open, and honest chat, and I was left feeling way more lighter after this recording. One of my favourite conversations I've had on the podcast!

We chat about returning to the West End, Phantom of the Opera, singing on live television, fear of failing in public, a transformative performance, experiencing waves of bliss, taking time off, anxiety in performing, leaning into imperfections, desires to do the unthinkable, the need for validation, telling stories, spiritual growth, looking inward, diligence & discipline, putting yourself out there, acting confident, the way we talk to ourselves, daily journals, being hypercritical, applauding our own successes, deadlines, writing a book, working on Cats, forming friendships, and a whole lot more!

This was an incredible conversation!

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Dan is joined by actress, singer, dancer, and all round supercalifragilisticexpialidocious talent in the industry, Stefanie Jones!

We talk about Stefanie's return to Mary Poppins in an upcoming UK & Ireland tour, getting the role of Mary, working with former guest of the show, Jack Chambers, the demands of Mary Poppins, travelling with a show, publicity, recovery after a show's run, Zombie! The Musical, first job on Les Misérables, working at Village Cinemas Gold Class, the balance of hard work, settling into a production, taking moments to be proud of your work, stage door, not living with any regrets, and so much more!

This was such a fun chat!

If you have the opportunity, be sure to catch Stefanie & Jack Chambers return in Mary Poppins for their UK & Ireland tour!

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Dan is joined by actress, Debra Lawrance, an absolute legend in the industry. This was such a wonderful conversation with one of Australia's best!

We talk about Debra's work in Please Like Me, the importance of storytelling, authenticity in mental health portrayal, wanting to be a doctor, discovering where she wanted to be, NIDA's vintage year, a Mad Max story, exploring the fear of performing, the power of women's voices, being affirmed by John Clarke, collaboration, working on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, becoming sick, being a good planner, working with John Cena & Zac Efron on Ricky Stanicky, reading reviews, the ridiculousness of politics, and a whole lot more!

So many great stories in this one!

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Dan is joined by immensely talented author, Tobias Madden. Australia was lucky enough to have Tobias back home from New York for the launch of his new book, Wrong Answers Only. This was quite a special episode!

We chat about life in New York, coming back to Australia, navigating the performer lifestyle, aging in the performing industry, chasing happiness, taking a leap from performing to becoming an author, finding a new creative voice, the first book, early rejection, the hard work of getting published, the power of connecting with readers, representation, making time to write, staying active, writing young adult fiction, overcoming isolation, the book launch, hearing your words turned into an audiobook, and a whole lot more!

Go and have a read of all of all of the books including Anything But Fine, Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell, and of course, Wrong Answers Only! Link to Tobias' website below.

https://www.tobiasmadden.net/

The podcast also has a Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/GameofLifewithDanandHarman

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Dan and Harman ring in the 100th episode of the podcast with documentarian, writer, and comedic person, John Safran! Settle in and help the boys celebrate with this incredible conversation with one of our most fascinating, insightful, and imaginative creative.

We talk about literally being crucified, audience expectations, the impact of digital overload on creativity, embracing ambiguity, exploring pranks, breaking into Disneyland, social commentary, working with Father Bob on Triple J, controversy, personal storytelling, challenging audiences, the agony of writing fiction, the complexities of creativity, turning obstacles into opportunities, the deceptive tactics of Phillip Morris, and a whole lot more!

Here's to another 100!

Link to John's website below.

https://johnsafran.com/

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