The Art of Kindness: Pop Culture & Positivity with Robert Peterpaul

Acclaimed poet and illustrator Rupi Kaur (#1 New York Times bestselling book milk and honey) joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul for a spectacular season three premiere! The powerhouse delves into her writing process, how she stays motivated on tough days, her new short film with Stacy's entitled Rise (which premiered at Sundance 2023 and celebrates the resilience of women) and all things kindness, of course.

Rupi Kaur is a Canadian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author. Born in Pinjob, India, Kaur emigrated to Canada at a young age with her family. She began performing poetry in 2009 and rose to fame on Instagram, eventually becoming a popular poet through her three collections of poetry. Rupi wrote, illustrated and self-published her first poetry collection, milk and honey. Next came its artistic sibling, the sun and her flowers. These collections have sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into over 40 languages. Her latest collection, home body, debuted #1 on bestseller lists across the world. As she has done from the very beginning, Rupi self- produced Rupi Kaur Live, the first poetry special of its kind, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video in 2021. Rupi’s work touches on love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity and migration. 

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio.

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Oscar-nominated actor Chris Sarandon joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul for a holiday special! The star discusses working on Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, acts of kindness he received throughout his illustrious acting career and much more.

Chris Sarandon was born and raised in West Virginia to restaurateurs Chris and Cliffie Sarandon. He eventually earned a degree in speech at West Virginia University and then a master's degree in theater from The Catholic University of America. In 1968, Sarandon settled in New York City, where he obtained his first television credit on the series The Guiding Light, which led to some TV movie roles before he made his acclaimed turn in Dog Day Afternoon in 1975. The performance earned him nominations for Best New Male Star of the Year at the Golden Globes and even the coveted Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Some of his other screen roles over the years include: the long-running series ER, co-starring with Dennis Hopper in the 1983 movie The Osterman Weekend, starring opposite Goldie Hawn in Protocol, and the cult classic horror film Fright Night. Of course, Chris is forever remembered for his endearing turn in The Princess Bride, leading the film Child’s Play and then voicing the main character of Jack Skellington for one of the most beloved holiday films of all time: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Since it’s the Broadway Podcast Network, we also have to note that Sarandon has appeared on Broadway many times, including: The Rothschilds, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Light in the Piazza.

Check out Chris' new podcast Cooking By Heart and find out more at www.chrissarandon.com.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" suite by Danny Elfman/Munich Radio Orchestra & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio.

We are supported by the Broadway Podcast Network.

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Broadway and television star Gabrielle Ruiz joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss her hack for accepting compliments, working on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, new Christmas song Twinkle Twinkle and much more. Plus, Mrs. Peterpaul joins us for your kindness tip of the week!

Today’s guest is Broadway star, singer, actress and dancer Gabrielle Ruiz. The triple threat broke onto the Broadway scene starring in shows like If/Then with Idina Menzel, Evita with Ricky Martin and In The Heights with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin loved her work on the latter so much that he referred her to the team of a new CW pilot called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The rest of course is history as Gabrielle has become best known for bringing to life Valencia Perez on all four seasons of the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Gabrielle has also lent her voice to series like Star Trek: Lower Decks, a hit podcast called What Friends Are For and now new music! She released her first original holiday single this year called Twinkle Twinkle, which will give you all the holiday feels.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

We are supported by the Broadway Podcast Network.

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Broadway star Kate Reinders joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss her role as a champion of dreams both on and offscreen, advice for aspiring musical theatre performers, working on Disney's High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and much more. Plus, a special surprise from her co-stars Matt Cornett and Mark St. Cyr!

Kate Reinders was raised far from the bright lights of Broadway in Spring Lake, Michigan. One summer changed her life forever, when she attended a theater camp thanks to the support of her parents. Flash forward, Kate is now a bonafide Broadway star. In 2001, she made her debut in the short-lived Broadway musical comedy The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a swing and understudy for characters Amy Lawrence and Becky Thatcher, played by Kristen Bell. She then joined the 2002 Broadway revival of Into the Woods as an understudy. Her first starring role came in the 2003 revival of Gypsy as June; she went on to play Caroline in the 2005 jukebox musical Good Vibrations. Later that year, Kate played Glinda in the Chicago production of Wicked, alongside Ana Gasteyer as Elphaba; for which received glowing reviews. She went on to replace Megan Hilty as Glinda in the Broadway production. On Broadway, Kate is perhaps most known for originating the role of Portia in the 2015 musical comedy Something Rotten! Onscreen, Kate has been seen in shows like Ugly Betty, Modern Family, and Anger Management. As of 2019 fans know her most for playing drama teacher Miss Jenn in the hit Disney Plus show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. 

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

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Nina West (RuPaul's Drag Race) joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss her new book The You Kind of Kind, collaborating with Dolly Parton, believing in yourself, acting in WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story alongside Danielle Radcliffe, touring the country with Hairspray and much more! Plus, don't miss surprise guest Cassie Carroll for a special kindness tip of the week before her and Rob get married.

Nina West is an American drag queen, actor, singer, songwriter, and LGBTQ+ activist played by Andrew Levitt. She was named the “Most Googled Drag Queen in The World” from 2020-2021 with over 7.8 billion unique searches. She rose to national prominence in 2019 with her appearance on VH1’s Emmy-winning show RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11, where she placed sixth and won Miss Congeniality. In 2021, she returned to the show as a guest and was anointed “America’s Sweetheart” by RuPaul herself. She made history at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2019 when she became the first-ever person to walk the carpet in full drag, while her season won five Primetime Emmy Awards including Best Reality Competition Show.

On June 17th, 2020, Nina released a charity partnership with country music legend and possibly the best person on the planet (besides my Cassie), Dolly Parton - The "Dolly X Nina: Kindness is Queen '' Collection - with all proceeds going to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and The Nina West Foundation to benefit LGBTQ+ youth and literacy. It sold out in hours. Speaking of philanthropy, Miss West has raised over $5million for charity and is often on the front lines of LGBTQIA issues. 

In 2021, she partnered with Nickelodeon and Blue’s Clues for a series of Pride videos that went viral with over 2 million views. Nina hosted the first-ever DISNEY PLUS “This Is Me: PRIDE Celebration Spectacular,” a celebration of the LGBTQ community with Disney classics reinterpreted by LGBTQ artists like Hayley Kiyoko, Todrick Hall, and Alex Newell. She returned to the show in 2022 and performed with Disney Legend Alan Menken in a tribute to Disney Legend Howard Ashman. She has also fronted major advertising campaigns for multinational companies Pepsi, Pantene, Lane Bryant, BOMBAS, Bubly, and Procter and Gamble.

Nina is currently headlining the brand-new national tour of the Broadway Musical HAIRSPRAY from original Producer Jerry Mitchell in the lead role of Edna Turnblad, for which she has received rave reviews. Her first ever children’s book THE YOU KIND OF KIND is out NOW through PA Press. As if she’s not busy enough, Nina co-stars alongside Daniel Radcliffe and an all-star cast in the ROKU Original Movie WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story, which is also out now.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

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Casting Director Karlee Fomalont (CSA) joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss how we can make auditions kinder for both actors and CDs, amazing advice for artists, why she sleeps out for Covenant House and much more.

Casting Director Karlee Fomalont (CSA) was born and raised in Los Angeles and currently resides in New York City. She is a 2-time Artios Award Nominee and graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where her acting training made for a seamless transition into casting. She began her career at CBS Primetime NY and ABC Primetime NY, then transitioning into independent, working on projects such as Baz Luhrmann's Netflix series "The Get Down," Steven Spielberg's "The Post" and Tamara Jenkins' "Private Life" (both for which the casting team was nominated for an Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting). Karlee has worked with Rori Bergman for over 7 years, with credits including "Yearly Departed" (Amazon), "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" (Starz), "Run the World" (Starz), "Living With Yourself" (Netflix), "Love Life" (Netflix), "The Good Cop" (Netflix). Film credits include J. Blakeson's "I Care a Lot," Charlie Kaufman’s "I’m Thinking of Ending Things," Nicole Holofcener’s "The Land of Steady Habits," among many others. Karlee also casts short films and features independently, including Amazon Studios' feature film "I'm Your Woman" starring and produced by Rachel Brosnahan.

Most importantly, Karlee gives back! For her 5th year in a row, she is leading Team Casting to sleep out in support of the young people who call Covenant House home. Covenant House works tirelessly to meet the most basic and immediate needs of at risk young people overcoming homelessness, but also sets them up to work towards their brightest futures through educational programs, job training, legal + mental health services and more.

Special thanks to: Rachel Brosnahan for taking part in our Compliment Game and Matt Feeney for audio editing assistance!

Support Karlee's Convenant House Fundrasier here!

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

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Happy Halloween! Disney's Hocus Pocus 2 Costume Designer and Costume Designer Guild President Salvador Perez joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss how he put his own magical spin on the franchise while still paying homage to the original cult classic, acts of kindness from stars like Bette Midler during brisk night shoots on Rhode Island, the fantastical alternate ending to Hocus Pocus 2 and much more!

Salvador Perez is a one of a KIND costume designer with a diverse resume. He has designed for many TV series including CASTLE, MOONLIGHT, VERONICA MARS and 6 Seasons of THE MINDY PROJECT where he was nominated for an Emmy for costume design. Salvador has also worked on movies such as PITCH PERFECT 1, 2 and 3, THINK LIKE A MAN 1 and 2, MEN OF HONOR and DRUMLINE. Born and raised in Central California, Perez moved to Los Angeles to attend The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising to pursue a career in fashion design. Once other Costume Designers discovered his costume manufacturing talents, he began running the costume workrooms and assisting on films like TITANIC, THE FLINTSTONES, and BARB WIRE. Outside of film and TV, Salvador designed and developed the “Movie Legends Line” for the J. Peterman Catalog, he designed a line of Jewelry for Bauble Bar, and designed a signature line of colorful coats for GILT.COM. He most recently designed Hocus Pocus 2 with Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. Salvador is also the elected president of the Costume Designers Guild.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez, "I Put A Spell on You" Disney & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

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Tony-winner Gavin Creel (Into the Woods) joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul LIVE from the red carpet of Jay Armstrong Johnson's I Put A Spell On You Hocus Pocus benefit to talk acts of kindness, onstage giggles and more. Enjoy this special LIVE 60th episode!

Gavin Creel is a bonafide Broadway star, shining bright ever since he made his debut as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which he received a Tony nom by the way. He then starred in Broadway productions of HAIR (also Tony-no​minated​​​​), La Cage Aux Follies, She Loves Me, Waitress and Book of Mormon (which he also did on the West End and got an Olivier Award for). Gavin finally won a well-deserved Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler. Most recently, Gavin has graced the star-studded cast of New York City Center Encores! critically acclaimed production of INTO THE WOODS starring as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince. The celebrated production has transferred to Broadway and keeps getting extended.

Gavin has ​also ​shone on screen in tv shows like Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Stories” and the sweet movies “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmastime.”​ ​Of course, nothing makes Gavin shine brighter than the kindness he exudes. From co-founding Broadway Impact, the first and only grassroots organization to mobilize the nationwide theater community in support of marriage equality, to treating his castmates and crew with kindness, Gavin is a beacon of light.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez, "I Put a Spell on You" by Jay Armstrong Johnson & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

We are supported by the Broadway Podcast Network.

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Broadway star Jay Armstrong Johnson (On the Town, The Phantom of the Opera) joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss acts of kindness on Broadway, his Hocus Pocus-inspired benefit concert I Put A Spell on You and more!

Over the course of his 5 Broadway shows, Jay Armstrong Johnson has cemented himself as a triple threat. From his debut in Hair, which he shares a kind story about during our chat, to his more recent turn as Raoul in Phantom of the Opera’s 30th anniversary year, Jay is always a standout. Following Phantom, Jay originated the role of Banko in Roundabout Theatre Company’s world premiere show Scotland, PA. His performance earned him critical nominations from both the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. He was also the recipient of a 2020 Outer Critics Circle Award Honor for his performance. Jay’s other Broadway credits include the original casts of Catch Me if You Can, Hands on a Hardbody, and the celebrated revival of On the Town. On screen, Jay is also known to audiences worldwide as genius hacker Will Olsen in ABC’s Quantico.

Jay created the annual live show I Put A Spell on You as a tribute to the beloved cult classic movie Hocus Pocus with larger-than-life performances and choreography, over-the-top costumes and makeup and a healthy dose of Broadway magic. In their search to find beauty, youth and immortality, the bewitching and beloved Sanderson Sisters return from the dead and gather their most famous friends to help them lure the children of New York. This year, those famous friends include Broadway stars like Gavin Creel, Krista Rodriguez, Robyn Hurder and more. The show will be ALIVE at Sony Hall in Times Square on October 23 at 8PM. Most importantly, it benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Tickets start at $35 for the dance floor and are on sale now at broadwaycares.org/spell.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez, "I Put a Spell on You" by Jay Armstrong Johnson & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

We are supported by the Broadway Podcast Network.

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Disney Legend Jodi Benson joins The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss working on The Little Mermaid, her new book Part of My World, learning to let go of perfectionism and much more.

Jodi Benson has been a part of all of our worlds since she swam on the scene in 1989 as the voice of Ariel in Disney's iconic animated film The Little Mermaid. Of course, Jodi has also lent her talents to some other incredible characters over the years. An accomplished, singer, dancer, and actress, Jodi got her start on Broadway performing the iconic song "Disneyland" in the Howard Ashman/Marvin Hamlisch musical Smile, and she earned a Tony nomination for her role as Polly Baker in the hit Gershwin musical Crazy for You.

After striking animation gold with The Little Mermaid, Jodi went on to voice Barbie in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 and delighted Disney fans with a cameo in Enchanted before reprising her role as Ariel once again in Ralph Breaks the Internet. In 2011, the Walt Disney company honored Jodi's contributions by officially naming her a Disney Legend. It’s a well-deserved accolade as Jodi carries the torch of being a Disney princess with such grace and joy. Of course, people on the outside always wonder what it must be like to live the life of a Disney royal. Lucky for us all, Jodi has shared a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes stories in her new book Part of My World: What I’ve Learned from the Little Mermaid about Love, Faith and Finding My Voice. She also wrote the forward for Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara, which explores the legacies of the Princesses and what they represent today. Both books are available now.

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Music:

"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez, "Part of Your World" by Jodi Benson & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio

We are supported by the Broadway Podcast Network.

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