Alexis Hasbrouck is currently a swing on the North American tour of Hamilton and my guest for the next two episodes! Alexis has been dancing since she was three years old, studying absolutely everything: ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, pointe, musical theatre dance, contemporary, lyrical, you name it.

This week, Alexis talks about the musical theatre program at Rider University (which she loved!) and taking a year off to do Cats on the Royal Caribbean Oasis cruise ship. By the time Alexis was ready to finish her last semester, COVID hit and her whole college experience moved online. While Alexis waited for the entertainment industry to open back up she found her second true love: teaching elementary school special education, which she hopes to return to someday. 

After leaving what Alexis describes as a very toxic atmosphere doing Cats, she joined the first national tour of Moulin Rouge and had an incredible time. She was so thrilled to be a part of it, she learned everything she could, and she never took a second of it for granted. All the while, Hamilton kept calling...

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Today I’m wrapping up with the Philip Tour’s Alex Nicholson. Alex covers Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Mulligan/Madison, King George III, and George Washington. He’s performed with Hamilton on Broadway, all over the country with the And Peggy and Philip Tours, and the show even gave him his first professional credit in his home country of Canada. 

This week, Alex talks about the full experience of being on tour with Hamilton including going from the And Peggy tour to joining the Philip Tour, spending a few months in Chicago as Man 6 and doing a Burr Bootcamp (and going to amazing restaurants), and how he realized he absolutely loves being a full time standby.

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Alex Nicholson is currently on the Philip Tour covering Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Mulligan/Madison, King George III, and George Washington. His Hamilton journey begins in 2017 and will lead him to his Broadway debut, traveling the United States, and allowed him to reclaim Toronto after a traumatic college experience. 

In between Hamilton auditions,  Alex was thriving in the regional theatre world performing in shows like Ragtime, Jersey Boys, and In the Heights. When 2020 hit he helped his in-laws keep their diner alive: the local gem and true definition of a mom and pop joint Uncle Charlie’s Finer Diner in Massachusetts.

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Alex Nicholson is on the pod!  Alex is currently a standby on the Philip Tour covering: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Mulligan/Madison, King George III, and George Washington. He’s performed with Hamilton on Broadway, all over the country with the And Peggy and Philip Tours, and also got to perform in his home country of Canada. 

This week Alex talks about his amazing high school experience, healing from the trauma caused by abusive and gaslighting college professors, and the total game changer that was Circle in the Square Theatre School. Alex also explains his work visa situation, opening his own theatre company, and passionately discusses The Real Housewives of both Salt Lake City and New York City.

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Uncle Charlie's Finer Diner

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Aisha Jawando (Angelica Schuyler, the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton) wraps up her series by diving into her full Hamilton experience, including how she originally turned it down. From overcoming her intimidation to finding her (and Angelica's!) voice in a show about men, Aisha takes us on a deep dive into how her personal connection to Angelica leads to a layered, moving, and feminist performance. Plus, Aisha answers questions from the Patreon Peeps and talks about going back to save the day at Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the last minute, her goal to be on the big screen, and why she doesn't believe in time travel of any kind.

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Aisha Jawando (Angelica Schuyler, the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton) is back for round two, talking about her experience doing The Book of Mormon and Motown, and how she's always a little bit in "swing mode" even when playing a principle role. Aisha also tells the incredible story of originating the role of Alline Bullock and working with the legendary Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. When she eventually took over the role of Tina (from the fantastic Adrienne Warren), Aisha explains how she learned about leading a company, setting boundaries, and rewiring her brain to work outside her comfort zone.

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Aisha Jawando (Angelica Schuyler, the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton) is on the pod! In this episode, she talks about her childhood, her training, and the start of her career, including why she (wrongly!) thought lead roles weren't in the realm of possibility for her. Plus, her side hustle of selling pre-loved jewelry, her connection to her Nigerian culture, and dealing with being on tour as a Black woman.

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Aisha's Vintage/Pre-Loved Jewelry

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This week wraps up my chat with Zach Bravo, a swing on Hamilton’s Philip Tour. He talks about his experience as Rum Tum Tugger on the 40th Anniversary Tour of Cats and he candidly discusses his mental health. Zach is also taking questions from the Patreon Peeps talking about dream roles and superheroes, and Zach leaves us with some very, very inspirational final words.

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Zach Bravo (Swing on Hamilton’s Philip Tour) is back and this week we’re talking about Zach’s amazing family, his experience at Pace University, and why he’ll always defend Spiderman: Turn off the Dark. 

Zach started off not wanting to listen to Hamilton before seeing it but like so many of us… he lost that battle. His first time listening to the album was euphoric and finally seeing the show was fantastic but he was intimidated by the choreography. Fun fact: as that was happening, his mother leaned over in the middle of the performance and said, “I can totally see you in this show.” 

This week, Zach walks us through his Hamilton audition process and talks about how booking the show felt like psychosis: after five years of work and stress and auditions they suddenly need him in Detroit… TOMORROW.

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Zach Bravo (Swing on Hamilton’s Philip Tour) is here! This week, Zach talks about growing up as a Puerto Rican only child in Queens whose whole life changed when he tagged along to his cousin’s dance class. Thanks to his incredibly supportive family Zach grew up training to do what he loves, from performing Aladdin Jr. to thriving at the famous LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York City.

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