The Jayme Starr Podcast

Meghan Picerno is a classically trained opera singer turned broadway star. Picerno has always had a love for music and the genre of opera and always dreamed of taking it to new heights. She began her journey with Love Never Dies (The Phantom of the Opera sequel) and got to travel the country playing the iconic Christine Daae. (Alongside Season 2's Rachel Moore). She then joined the world tour of The Phantom of the Opera where she played the same role, but in different countries all around the world such as Israel and Singapore just to name a few. Eventually, Picerno made it big on Broadway with this role which is very near and dear to her heart. In fact, she was the principal Christine Daae when the world shut down because of the COVID pandemic. Playing in this Andrew Lloyd Webber production has positively impacted Picerno's career and has been a has influenced all of her wonderful accomplishments.

Syndee Winters is an actress who is no stranger to musical theatre. One of her biggest dreams in life was to take part in the Lion King whether it was on Broadway or the national tour, and luckily she got to do both. Not only did she do both, but she got to play Nala in both productions. Bringing music that the world has fallen in love with is something Winters got to do when she was cast in Motown: The Musical. 8 times a week she got to sing and dance to songs that were created right in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Winters got the chance to work as a standby for all three Schuyler Sisters in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. She really hit the jackpot and got to play three of the most well known roles on Broadway currently. Additionally, Winters is one of the stars of Disney Princess: The Concert. Over the course of the year, Winters has been on the road traveling the country and performing with other Broadway stars singing music from the Disney Princess films for audiences of all ages. 

Katie Boeck is an actress, singer and songwriter. She has always had a passion for music, and knew it was something she wanted to share with the world. Boeck released an EP, Speaking of You back in 2014. This six song EP allows listeners to experience her singing from the heart. Ever since the release of that EP, Boeck has released new singles over the years which are available wherever  you stream your music. In addition to having a passion for being a singer/songwriter, Boeck has also starred on Broadway. She took part in the revival of Spring Awakening, where she provided the voice of Wendla. Boeck shares the role with a deaf actress, Sandra Mae Frank. She got to sing, and also play the guitar when potraying this role. This show earned a Tony nomination in 2016 for Best Revival of a Musical. Boeck hopes to keep continuing sharing her love for music with the world, and hopes to maybe be back in New York on Broadway someday.

Cassy Surianello is a professional dancer. She has been on the dance floor ever since the age of 2, where she would dance around in her little ballerina outfit and her diaper. Since that moment she was hooked, and hasn't left the dance since. Surianello has experience in all different kinds of dance styles both as a performer and a choreographer. When she was in college, Surianello discovered that she also had a love and appreciation for musical theatre dance in addition to what she was already trained in. Little did she know that this was going to take her on her next professional adventure. Surianello was part of the national tour of Fiddler on the Roof where she got to dance her heart out all around the country. Getting to explore the US was a huge highlight of her career thus far, and she hopes to maybe do more of it in the future. Surianello's love for dance is proven every time she gets up on the stage. 

Ilda Mason is a true triple threat in the world of entertainment. Mason was born and raised in Panama where she discovered her love for the world of performing. She even got to be a pro on the Panama version of Dancing with the Stars. One of her biggest dreams was to come to America and perform on Broadway and do what she loves in New York City. Mason learned English over time with the help of NSYNC and Britney Spears' music, and got to study at a conservatory which has gotten her to become the performer she is today. Mason has toured the country twice with Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella and On Your Feet! The Story of Gloria and Emelio Estefan (with Season 1's Marina Pires). Her dreams really came true when she booked being a dancer in the Steven Spielberg West Side  Story film, where she got to work with legends. (Other cast members in that film include Season 1's Jonalyn Saxer and Season 3's Tanari Sade Vazquez) Her journey with the hit musical didn't stop there, Mason was a swing in the 2020 revival of West Side Story on Broadway, but never had the chance to go on because of COVID and everything shutting down. West Side Story has a very special place in Mason's heart and she hopes to continue to introduce the show to many more generations to come.

Julie Benko is a Broadway star who is no stranger to the world of musical theatre. One of her first big gigs was booking the national tour of the Broadway musical. Spring Awakening. In this production, she was in the ensemble and understudied the roles of Wendla and Ilse. Her Broadway debut, was in the very iconic, Les Miserables where she starred as Cosette along side Brennyn Lark (featured in earlier this season). Prior to this engagement, she  also toured the country in the ensemble for the 25th anniversary national tour. Next stop in the world of Benko's career was sharing her Jewish heritage in the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. In this show, she was in the ensemble and understudied Hodel and Chava. This production included Broadway legend, Danny Burstein, rising superstar, Jessica Vosk and Season 1 podcast guest, Dee Roscioli. Now, fans can catch her every Thursday night (or standing by) in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl where she is playing Fanny Brice. Benko was the original stand by for the lead role which was originated by Beanie Feldstein and co starred Ramin Karimloo and Jane Lynch. This past summer she got the chance to play Brice full time on Broadway before actress, Lea Michele came into the role, and Benko now plays the role every Thursday evening and on nights that Michele calls out. Benko is truly a wonderful addition to the musical theater business and she truly is....... the Greatest Star (see what I did there?!)

Abby Jaros is an actress based in New York City. She began her career with one of her first loves, musical theatre. Jaros was on the non-equity national tour of Joesph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat where she was in the ensemble. In the show, she loved that the director/choreographer, Andy Blakenbuehler decided to have female members of the ensemble play roles that would typically be portrayed by male members of the ensemble. Once that show came to an end, Jaros joined the national tour of the ensemble of Hamilton. 8 times a week she was one of the dancers in the cream and white outfits with the knee high boots wasn't going to take anyone's shots. (see what I did there? :)) When the COVID pandemic came around, Jaros knew it was time to make a transition from doing musical theatre to focusing more on TV and film. Although she is still passionate about the world of theatre, she wants to spread her wings fly toward different opportunities that can possibly come her way. 

Lynsey Fuller is a reality TV star. She is one of the stars of the Discovery+ series, Love in the Jungle. In this series, single people are put in the jungle and try to find love. However, they can't act as human beings. The challenge in this show is that they have to act like an animal when it came to communicating with the other contestants on and off the cameras. This means that they don't even get the chance to speak to one another while being on the show. The only time Fuller and her cast mates were able to speak the English language was when sitting down to do the interviews. In this show, Fuller's animal was a tiger. This was a perfect animal for her because it is one of her personal favorites. Being on a reality TV show is something that Fuller has always dreamed of doing. Ever since the Jersey Shore and Real World days, Fuller always wanted to contribute to the reality TV world, and she now has gotten the chance to, and she hopes to be able to do it again soon. 

Courtney Liu is a musical theatre star who is currently in one of the most beloved shows of all time, Te Phantom of the Opera. In this show, Liu is in the ensemble where she is mainly a ballerina. Growing up, Liu had a love for ballet and took part in it growing up. She not only did ballet, but she explored all different styles of dance in prior and during the early stages of her career. Liu also holds a masters degree in Dance and has taught classes at Duke University, and has shared her passion with future professional dancers. For the past few years, Liu has gotten the chance to be in New York City getting to take the stage in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway eight times a week. Musical theatre fans can watch her in action when she takes part in telling such a beloved story that is loved by so many.