The Quiet Part Out Loud

Tyler Joseph Ellis (Shucked) has honed a lifelong gift of observing the world around him into a talent that both honors and finds humor in the beautiful absurdity of the theater. Driven by a deep love for the art form, he has followed his enthusiasm down a variety of paths - from actor to writer to host and comedian. He shows that keen observation of humanity is at the core of his unique artistic resonance.

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Jay Armstrong Johnson is a Broadway fixture whose success is the result of uncompromising dedication to his work - but his choice of becoming an artist wasn't always easy. Jay explores the complexities around selfishness, when choosing his own path sometimes meant that family felt abandoned by his wider pursuits.

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Ben Levi Ross (Ragtime at LCT) and Bobby share the distinction of playing Mother's Younger Brother a generation apart. They share how different upbringings in different eras contributed to their interpretation of the character. Ben's history of nonconformity to norms and expectations contrasts with Bobby's history of conformity, while both experiences offer a fascinating entry point into the psychology of a young man radicalized by period of great social change.

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Bobby saw Elisa in her first performance as the lead in Real Woman Have Curves and was so taken with her that he was determined to track her down and learn more about her. What follows is a fascinating conversation about the need to be right - something that she seemingly nailed in her many roles, on and off stage in her Broadway debut - but on a deeper level, the need to avoid being made small in environments where it's common to be underestimated.

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Mary-Mitchell Campbell is one of the busiest musical directors on Broadway. She is the resident MD at Encores! and is currently readying The Queen of Versailles with Kristin Chenoweth. But there is another side to her life that gives her invaluable perspective as an artist and human, and it is all about serving the most vulnerable among us.

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Tiffany Mann is an extraordinary singer and actor who is often hailed as a powerhouse - and so it might seem surprising that she battles uncertainty just like the rest of us. She shares what it was like to develop her talent in the context of family who are highly successful artists in their own rights, as well as the ongoing uncertainty of navigating a business that both values and minimizes the extraordinary talents of marginalized artists.

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Christian Coulson is an actor and director - an all around thinker of great thoughts, and one of Bobby's favorite people to talk to. The two friends share the complexities of a self-conscious watchfulness that was borne out of difference and an early experience in the performing arts, as well as a mutual effort in cultivating creativity and experience that is freer from self-observation and richer in presence.

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Nicholas Barasch has been performing on Broadway since the age of 10. He is now 27 and making his adult debut in Pirates! While there is a generational divide, Bobby and Nicholas share how both of their inner children sought belonging and achievement on the Broadway stage, but agree that it is only through embracing the inner child in adulthood that freedom is ever truly possible.

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Jenny Anderson has built an astounding career as the preeminent photographer of  Broadway culture - she and Bobby started in the business at around the same time, when she was working at Broadway.com.  Over the years, she has relied on her talent, and moreover, her easy way of connecting- the friendship and intimacy she has fostered with so many of the artists she captures - to help her become the most trusted photographer of the private and backstage lives of actors. 

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Host Bobby Steggert takes a break from interviewing to share his story of learning to play the cello. It turns out that learning something hard in middle age is a lot more confronting - and ultimately satisfing - than he ever could have imagined.

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