Live at the Lortel: An Off-Broadway Podcast

George Salazar is best known for his work on Broadway as “Michael” in the cult sensation Be More Chill, a role for which he won a Lucille Lortel Award, two Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards, and garnered nominations for both Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. His act two number, “Michael in the Bathroom” has been streamed over 50 million times. His theater credits also include “Seymour,” opposite Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, in the critically-acclaimed Pasadena Playhouse production of Little Shop of Horrors, his Drama Desk-nominated performance as “Grover” and “Mr. D” in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, “Michael” in the off-Broadway revival of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… BOOM!, David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love, The Broadway revival of Godspell, and more. He has appeared on television as “George Conway” in American Crime Story: Impeachment and recurred as “Eric Sosa” on NBC’s Superstore for two seasons. George is also the voice of “Dad Hatter” in Disney Junior’s animated series, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: I’m a huge ally and defender of Trans rights. I also care deeply about immigration/deportation, specifically the string of transfers of incarcerated people who finish their sentences for non-violent crimes only to then be transferred to ICE detainment.

Jerry Zaks currently directs his 26th Broadway show, The Music Man. He has received four Tony Awards and been nominated eight times. He's also received four Drama Desks, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and an Obie. His credits include Mrs. Doubtfire, Hello, Dolly!, A Bronx Tale: the musical, Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, Nantucket Sleigh Ride, Shows For Days, Sister Act, The Addams Family, Guys and Dolls, Six Degrees of Separation, Lend Me a Tenor, House of Blue Leaves, The Front Page, A Funny Thing...Forum, Smokey Joe’s Café, Anything Goes, La Cage aux Folles, Little Shop of Horrors, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Foreigner, A Bronx Tale, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and the original production of Assassins. He began his career directing the extraordinary plays of Christopher Durang including Sister Mary Ignatius..., Beyond Therapy, Baby with the Bath Water, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo. He directed the award-winning film Marvin’s Room, starring Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton; and Who Do You Love, which was featured in the Toronto Film Festival. Mr. Zaks is a founding member, and serves on the board, of the Ensemble Studio Theater. He received the SDC’s George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Ensemble Studio Theatre

Grammy Award winning & Tony Award Nominated Actress Danielle Brooks most recently starred on Broadway in The Piano Lesson opposite Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington. The play is directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Brooks previously starred on Broadway as “Sofia” in the Tony Award winning revival of The Color Purple. Later this year, she will star in Warner Brothers’ feature film adaptation of the musical directed by Blitz Bazawule. Brooks stars opposite John Cena on the hit HBO Max series Peacemaker, the spinoff series to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad movie. Brooks starred as the legendary Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in Mahalia. For her performance, Brooks earned the “Actress Award for Television” from the Critics Choice Association Celebration of Black Cinema & Television. Additionally, Brooks was nominated for a Critics Choice and a NAACP Image Award. Danielle Brooks starred as "Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson" in Netflix’s Emmy nominated series Orange is the New Black. Danielle is the co-founder of “Black Women on Broadway,” which honors the legacy of Black Women’s contributions to the theatre.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Black Women on Broadway

Actor/writer/director FEDNA JACQUET most recently starred as Passenger 1 in the critically acclaimed Lee Daniel's production of Ain’t No Mo for its Broadway and Off-Broadway runs. As a writer and director, her film Chante Maman Mwen (My Mother’s Song) most recently was honored at the Urbanworld Film Festival in NYC. She is a 2020-2022 National Black Theatre Playwright in Residence, 2019-2021 Huntington Theatre Playwriting Fellow, and a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting/Screenwriting. Written work for the screen includes Isaiah (ABFF/TV One Screenplay Competition Finalist), Homebase (Juilliard/NYU Grad Acting), Inheritance (2020 Tribeca Chanel Through Her Lens Finalist), and Going Home. Written plays include Pefeksyon (Playwright's Realm Finalist, DVRF Finalist, Studio Tisch), Inheritance (Classical Theatre of Harlem Playwright's Playground, Studio Tisch), Gurlfriend, and Heroes.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: The Steppingstone Foundation

Camille A. Brown - (Director/Choreographer) 3-time Tony award nominee is the first Black woman to direct and choreograph a play on Broadway in 67 years. Ms. Brown choreographed the Met Opera's critically acclaimed Porgy and Bess and Terrence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which she also co-directed with James Robinson, making her the first Black director of a Met mainstage production. She is also the founder and director of Camille A Brown and Dancers. Awards include the 2021 ISPA/International Society for the Performing Arts Distinguished Artist Award, 2020 Dance magazine Award, Bessie Award (Mr. TOL E. RAncE), Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, Doris Duke Artist Award, United States Artists Award and five Princess Grace Awards. Foundation fellowships from Ford Art of Change, Guggenheim, TED, Emerson Collective. In addition to a Tony Award nomination, Camille has received an Obie Award, two AUDELCO Awards, three Drama Desk nominations and three Lortel nominations.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Every Body Move and Social Dance for Social Change

Jessica Stone (Director) worked as an actress on and Off-Broadway, in television, and in film before transitioning to directing. Her directing career began in earnest with her all-male 2010 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has since been directing all over the country at such theaters as The Old Globe, A.C.T, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Huntington Theatre Company, Two River Theatre Company, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. Productions include As You Like It, Kate Hamill’s Vanity Fair, Barefoot in the Park, Dancing at Lughnasa, Bad Dates, Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood! (world premiere), Ripcord, Bad Jews, Arms and the Man, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Charlotte’s Web, June Moon, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Absurd Person Singular.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Mentoring young theater artists, gun safety, and helping unregistered and low propensity voters to participate in our democracy.

Shuler Hensley is a multi-award winning star of film, television, who is currently starring on Broadway in the hit musical, The Music Man.

Beginning his career in the Theatre, Shuler was cast by Susan Stroman and Trevor Nunn as Jud Fry in London in the National Theatre’s revival of Oklahoma!. Shuler wowed critics and theatre-goers alike for his haunting interpretation of Jud, and he received the coveted Olivier Award–London theatre’s equivalent of the Tony–for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical. Shuler subsequently made his Broadway debut in November 2000 portraying the relentless Inspector Javert in Les Misérables. In February 2002, the Trevor Nunn version of Oklahoma! was transferred to Broadway, and with it the opportunity for Shuler to reprise his critically acclaimed performance of Jud Fry. Shuler again became a proud award winner, this time of Broadway’s “Triple Crown”--the Tony, the Drama Desk, and the Outer Critics’ Circle.

Warren Carlyle is an Emmy Award nominated choreographer as well as a Tony Award, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award winner and 4 time Tony award nominee for both directing and choreography.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Dizzy Feet Foundation

Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) is an award-winning writer and 2020-2025 MacArthur Fellow. Her satirical comedy, The Thanksgiving Play (Playwrights Horizons/Geffen Playhouse),was one of the top ten most produced plays in America. She is the first Native American playwright in the history of American theater on that list. In Spring 2023, The Thanksgiving Play will make its debut on Broadway produced by Second Stage. She is the first female Native American playwright ever produced on Broadway. Larissa is currently developing new plays with several theaters including Second Stage Theater, Center Theatre Group, The Public Theater, Guthrie Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre. In 2019 Larissa re-entered film and television by co-creating a series at Freeform. Since then she has set up projects with Disney Channel, NBC, Dreamworks, and is writing on a series for Apple+ as well as adapting three beloved Broadway musicals.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Lakota Youth Development, Honey Lodge

Robin De Jesús is a three-time Tony Award nominated actor. Most recently, Robin joined the cast of Hulu’s Welcome To The Chippendales as “Ray Colon” opposite Kumail Nanjiani. He can currently be seen in the Netflix adaptation of Tick, Tick....Boom! (2021), directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, co-starring opposite Andrew Garfield. Prior to, he featured in the Ryan Murphy-produced Netflix film, The Boys In The Band (2020), reprising his Tony award nominated role. He can also be seen as “George” in the acclaimed indie-film Milkwater (Brooklyn Film Festival 2020). Robin received his first major film role in the cult-classic feature Camp (2003). Broadway credits include Rent, In The Heights (Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical), La Cage Aux Folles (Tony nomination), Wicked, and The Boys In The Band (Tony nomination). Additional theater credits include the Paper Mill Playhouse's productions of Grease and Godspell, and the off-Broadway productions of Malpractice Makes Perfect, Zorba Musicals In Mufti, Patti Issues, Domesticated, and Homos Or Everyone In America.

Philanthropic/Activist Causes: The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship