Dan is joined by actor, singer, teacher, and musical theatre superstar, Nicholas Kong! Nick has been in one of my favourite shows of all time, Australian Epic!

We chat about Nick's experience working on Australian Epic, covering The Engineer on Miss Saigon, the ease of saying goodbye to Miss Saigon, freezing up with the thought of dance calls, understanding your place, not burdening your emotions with a sense of failure, the love of teaching, being proud of forging a career in theatre without the training, becoming confident with performing as The Engineer, being open to change, the supportive environment of Miss Saigon, performing at the Sydney Opera House, touring in Asia, proudest career moment, the difficulty of getting the second job, more nerding out on Australian Epic, the Asian MT community, representation in casting, legacy, a vocal injury, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by actor, sci-fi nerd, streamer, gamer, and musical theatre superstar, Joshua Russell in his very first podcast!

We chat about his involvement working on One Day in September, stepping into the world of the Book of Mormon, holding your own on stage, being presented with new challenges for each show, managing injuries, being OK with taking a show off, running into set pieces, being a sci-fi lover, the actor's playground of Dungeons and Dragons, Riverdance, wanting to join the army, the importance of family support, putting in the work, dealing with nerves, confronting the eight show week, finding balance, the opportunity working in a creative space with his wife, staying creatively fulfilled, streaming, wanting to make a movie, putting yourself out there, meeting Hugh Jackman, Moulin Rogue, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by journalist and Channel 7 News anchor, Mike Amor!

We chat about the love of living and working in America, trapped between two cultures, Americanisms, mastering the cadence in delivering the news, voice lessons, failing Year 12 English, working as a Bank Teller, getting a cadetship, the magical way in which he fell in love with journalism, being inquisitive, embarking in TV journalism, being front and centre, gaining confidence in dealing with people, letting people tell their stories, the collaborative effort of journalism, taking a leap of faith, the importance of growth, freezing up while covering the Port Arthur massacre, live crosses, getting the job at the US news bureau, 9/11, having different views, hearing other ideas, Donald Trump, right and left leaning opinion and commentary shows, understanding what you're watching, coming back to Australia, glaucoma and nearly loosing his eyesight, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by comedian, Merrick Watts!

We chat about working in the comedy industry for thirty years, always looking forward and not looking back, never not thinking, self reflection, feeling better with a high volume of work and pressure, meeting deadlines, getting work done before it's required, always having a fully formed show ready to go, striving in chaos, commercial radio, the transformative experience of SAS Australia, being obsessed with Hollywood comedy films and the military, starting out in stand up, Idiots Guide to Wine, not having time to get bored, the variety and movement of comedy, prepared to endure, always doing things your own way, starting the journey without caring what others think, having long term plans, writing down your goals & ambitions every day, hyperfocus, switching lanes very easily, thoughts becoming your reality, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by prolific character actor, William Sadler who you may have seen in various films and television over the years including Die Hard 2, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist, The Pacific, The Blacklist, Damages, Iron Man 3, Bill & Ted Face the Music, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to name a few.

We chat about playing Sloane in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Section 31, conventions, fan response, working as a stand up comedian, discovering acting, doing the first movie, the challenge of transitioning from theatre to film, the intimacy of the camera, injuries in the theatre, an embarrassing on stage incident, being scared to death of New York, finding work, getting an agent, giving it away so they can see who you are, growing up on a farm, being torn apart as an actor, finding the fun in characters, acting with Al Pacino, feeling nervous, putting people at ease, A Stage of Twilight, playing the villain, being the plumber, respecting the crew, becoming the student he always should have been, and a whole lot more!

So many great stories in this one!

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Dan is joined by two musical theatre superstars currently in the Australian production of Dear Evan Hansen with the Michael Cassel Group, Harry Targett & Ariyan Sharma!

We chat about the opening night experience of Dear Evan Hansen, getting the job, life as a standby, the first professional bow, feeling at home on stage, learning to be yourself on stage, figuring out the show, the eight show week, high stakes learning experiences, a play with music, being truthful, a love for radio, finding a love for performing, the first week of university, hard work paying off, first professional jobs, cultivating professional relationships naturally, learning from others, watching bad theatre, treats as an actor, finding freedom in rehearsals, confronting the fears of stand up comedy, doing things scared, failing proudly, having good timing, becoming your biggest fan, not conforming, going with the unpredictable, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by two musical theatre superstars who are currently killing it in habits on Sister Act, Mel Bird & Gabriyel Thomas!

We chat about covering two major roles in Sister Act, the show always going on, being present, the second show always being the hardest show, finding out they got the show, working between two countries, making a livable wage, playing the lead, the temperamental career, knowing things will be OK, coming from a classical background, not overstepping, keeping things fun and fresh, Australian comedy, dancing through the audience in intermission, playing piano, knowing you could sing, the importance of teachers, stage door, confusing each other backstage, cherishing fan art, self doubt, arbitrary rules, breaking out of the mindset of living within other people's judgment, learning on the job, being a professional auditioner, pinch yourself moments, ending a tour in your hometown, building community, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by two musical theatre superstars and best of friends, Hamish Johnston & Jack Connor Rowan, who were recently in Miss Saigon together!

This is probably the funniest and craziest episode I've ever recorded, so strap in! No cuts!

We chat about the international tour of Miss Saigon, having a working holiday, saying goodbye to the show, being together for a really long time, getting sick towards the end of the show's run, giving yourself something to look forward to, the breaks in between, the importance of morale within a company, what they enjoy about the other's performances, covering, Jack's blue eyes, the positive with not being noticed as a swing, the non cannon character of Miss Saigon, making mistakes on stage, the excitement of live theatre, entering the white room, One Day in September, developing a healthy relationship with auditioning, reframing bravery, being delusional, Harry Potter houses, the difficulty of getting your first yes, shaking the dancer title, stunt casting, saying you're an actor, riding a motorcycle, getting the job of a movement captain, dreams of working together again, working on Utopia, trusting yourself, buying your lottery ticket, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by actor Adam Murphy, a legend in the industry, who at the time of this recording just came off the Australian production of Wicked, playing Dr. Dillamond and covering The Wizard! This is Adam's first podcast!

We chat about sitting down for the first time talking about himself, leaving Wicked, learning a show from scratch, playing an isolated character, working out a routine, being the 'older' experienced member of the cast, finding longevity in the industry, the unknowns of auditioning, not dwelling on jobs he didn't get, falling into musicals, the difficulty of finding balance being a parent and a husband while doing a show, the great feeling of saying no, an emotional performance in Mary Poppins, a Groucho Marx act, moving to New Zealand, selling vacuum cleaners, the not so straight forward path to becoming an actor, having a quiet confidence, the upcoming Follies production with VIC Opera, performing in front of Stephen Sondheim, meeting Matt Damon, being laid back, not getting hung up on perfection, feeling like something was missing, and a whole lot more!

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Dan is joined by comedian and writer, AJ Lamarque!

We chat about AJ's mockumentary, the accessibility of creating content, the pressure of putting out content, social media, wanting to be a zookeeper, go to British comedies, an accidental step into the arts, moving to Australia from the UK, the difficulty of integrating in Australia, always being able to entertain, doing the best you can do, building an inner vocabulary, improv, Dungeons and Drag Queens, translating skills from performing in drag to stand up comedy, appealing to the people who will like you, promises to yourself, creatively on demand, chatting and bantering for ideas, cultural differences, leveraging connections, identity, and a whole lot more!

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