SCERA Spotlight Podcast

When you are in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, you really need to 'Consider yourself part of the furniture!' to borrow a lyric from another great musical. Kyle Baugh and Caroline Glissmeyer have done just that, playing a clock (Cogsworth) and a chandelier ... just two in an enormous cast of furnishings and townspeople, heroes and villains. And we squeezed-in an interview with Paige Ford, a member of the crew. It's a fun episode to enjoy, even with some technical hiccups. 

Watch the interview on video here!

Quin Swallow, Kyle Baugh and Caroline Glissmeyer

Fans love The Pan ... So much that he's coming BACK to the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre for Peter Pan: The Musical.  We headed back out to the top of the SCERA Shell hill to chat with the lead cast members of the show!

Watch the recording of this podcast episode ... from the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre ... on YouTube

Guests: Kevin Bigler (Peter Pan), Ella Child (Wendy), Cameron Ward (John), Rome Stewart (Michael), and Nathaniel Noyes (Captain Hook)

Hosts: Rachael Gibson and Quin Swallow

It's been a long wait: Fans of Disney's Newsies, The Musical, or 'Fansies' as they are often called, have grown-up with the show in one form or another for nearly three decades. But it wasn't until this year that Utah Valley fansies could see the show, licensed and legal, in their own hometown stages. This week, Newsies will welcome thousands to the SCERA Shell as the first musical of the season.

On today's episode, we are on-site, at the Shell, and talking to several members of the cast and crew, and we'll see how much they know about Disney, musicals, their own show, and the real-life story behind it.

Guests: Michael Carrasco (director), Megan Johnson (stage manager), Cole Souza (Davey), Claire Johnson (ensemble), Skyler Mann (Race), Keely Conrad (Sniper), Tynan Hamilton (Ike), Everett Fairbourne (Scab).

Hosts: Rachael Gibson (also in the Newsies ensemble), and Quin Swallow (former real-life paperboy)

Photos by Rachael Gibson
On episode cover: Tynan Hamilton

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From left, Everett Fairbourne, Cole Souza, Tynan Hamilton, Keely Conrad, Megan Johnson and Skyler Mann.

From left, Everett Fairbourne, Cole Souza, Tynan Hamilton, Keely Conrad, Megan Johnson, Skyler Mann, Michael Carrasco, Claire Johnson and Quin Swallow

In part two of our two-part special on this year's Star Awards winners, we meet these talented and generous contributors to the arts:

Chef Todd Leonard of Utah Valley Culinary Arts

Jonah Riggs, SCERA Volunteer 

Agnes Broberg, Dramatic arts educator 

Joseph Brickey, Visual artist 

Barb Smith, Journalist and emcee for the 2019 Star Awards 

Chelsie Hightower, 2019 Star Award Winner 

Hosts: Rachael Gibson and Quin Swallow

Volunteer Jonah Riggs, keeping busy

Agnes Broberg

Barb Smith and Chelsie Hightower

Danielle Berry and Chase Elison manage the show from the tech booth

The Star Awards

Jalyn Macedone, Beatriz Melo and Tyson Wright have a lot of awkward love triangle interactions onstage during Disney's Aida, but there is nothing awkward about them or their performing skils. Quin got to interview the talented trio to learn about their backgrounds and the show ... and quiz them on how well they know each other!

New today: We have a VIDEO of today's podcast! View it here:

Watch the video version on YouTube!

This year's Star Awards were outstanding ... So outstanding we had a hard time trying to cram all of our honorees into one episode. So we stopped trying!

In this episode, learn more about the Evening of Stars Gala itself, and meet four of our honorees. We'll catch-up with the rest on a future upcoming episode!

Episode 51 with  the cast of Disney's Aida is being released WITH this episode on May 4!

Hosts: Quin Swallow, Rachael Gibson

Guests:

Carly Condie, Miss Utah Organization

Douglas Smoot 

Tina Shelley, Shelley School of Dance

Dallyn Vail Bayles

On this episode, we take you to SCERA's Scene Shop ... and it's a wonder to behold. Okay, it looks a little like a garage, but a very large and unusual one. We'll show you set pieces, props ... and, at the end, see if you can look at set models and guess the name of the show!

Hosts: Rachael Gibson and Quin Swallow

Guest: Garrett Smitt, Scene Shop Manager

Below are a few photos from our tour. To view all the photos accompanying this episode while listening to the audio:

• Play the podcast on our Web player
• View the podcast on an enhanced podcast player on your mobile device (it works perfectly on Podcast Addict)
• Download the m4a file directly here, and play in Quicktime Player or another media player that displays chapter images

We have more brilliant artists for you to meet: Michael Carrasco has talent for acting, leadership for directing, and patience and nerves of steel for working with dozens of children! He brought his bag of tricks to SCERA's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever The Musical, this year's holiday show. On this podcast, we talk with Michael about his love for theater, and how his stage experiences have shaped his life.

We'll also talk with Pageant's "Alice," Stella Parry, who very nearly steals the show on multiple occasions, with her hilarious snooty attitude. Snooty is not a thing for Stella in real-life, though, who couldn't have been nicer in talking with us about the show and why she loves to perform.

Guests: Michael Carrasco and Stella Parry

Hosts: Rachael Gibson and Quin Swallow

Michael Carrasco

Stella Parry

The work of cosumers is so under-appreciated ... They toil for hours, custom-fitting extra-specialized clothing for performers that are going to put their clothing through a serious workout. They rush to meet deadlines, please everyone ... and suffer the occasional needle sticks, burns and glitter accident for their efforts.

It's time you meet the magicians whose talent and dedication make it possible for you to see a colorful display of fantasy fashion in live SCERA performances year-round!

Guests: Deborah Bowman, Kelsey Seaver, and Danielle Berry

Hosts: Rachael Gibson and Quin Swallow

Costume shop wizards, from left: Kelsey Seaver, Danielle Berry, and Deborah Bowman

A sample of the costume shop's work: A dress for The Queen of Hearts

Deborah Bowman describes her work in the costume shop

This miniature iron gets into tight places

It's the final weekend the Wizard is in town: Two performances remain for The Wizard of Oz at the SCERA Center.

For the cast and crew of Wizard, their experience was largely shaped by the vision and energy of their director, DeLayne Bluth Dayton. It would take a lifetime to get to truly know her, but we'll give you a few minutes with her on this episode, and it will be a treat and an inspiration.

Cover photo: DeLayne Bluth Dayton sneaks into a performance, surprising her cast and a few in the audience!

Guest: DeLayne Bluth Dayton

Host: Quin Swallow