The Roundtable with Robert Bannon

Yuriy Sardarov, Laura Lapidus, and Tedra Millan join The Roundtable with Robert Bannon to talk all about To Have & To Hold!

The trio takes us inside the project, what first drew them to the story, and the chemistry that makes it all work. They talk about finding the humor and humanity in the material, building relationships between their characters, and what audiences can expect.

Yuriy also talks about his career and life after his memorable run as Brian “Otis” Zvonecek on Chicago Fire, while Laura and Tedra share their own journeys and what made this project one they wanted to be part of.

It’s a fun, easy conversation about the work, the people behind it, and what happens when the right group of artists comes together to tell a story.

Catch the full conversation on The Roundtable with Robert Bannon, available on BroadwayWorld, Broadway Podcast Network, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and more.

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #ToHaveAndToHold #YuriySardarov #LauraLapidus #TedraMillan #ChicagoFire #BroadwayWorld #BroadwayPodcastNetwork #BPN #Entertainment #Actors #Interview

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Ruby Garnet is doing it ALL!

The actress, writer, producer, director, and Marine veteran joins Robert on The Roundtable to talk about her new Western, Dogwood! Ruby stars as Harriet Beckwith, a widowed mother fighting to protect her family and her future in the aftermath of the Civil War. The film also stars Eric Roberts and James Storm.

Ruby talks about creating the film, stepping both in front of and behind the camera, bringing this Western to life, and the wild journey that took her from serving in the Marines and as a federal intelligence officer to making movies!

It’s a conversation about taking chances, telling your own stories, and betting on yourself. Come hang with us!

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #RubyGarnet #Dogwood #EricRoberts #JamesStorm #Western #IndieFilm #Film #Movies

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What happens when some of the world’s most celebrated playwrights are asked to put American democracy onstage?

Jay Wahl, Executive Director of Vermont’s historic Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, joins Robert Bannon on The Roundtable to talk about Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, an ambitious new playwright commission bringing together 36 female-identifying writers from around the world — from Pulitzer, Tony and Emmy winners to Olivier and Oscar nominees — to explore democracy through original short plays and monologues.

Conceived by Wahl and led by the Flynn Center in partnership with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the project is about much more than creating new theater. The works will be collected in an anthology, with performance rights waived so theaters and communities across the country can present the pieces free to the public ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The goal? To create spaces for conversation, disagreement, listening and connection at a moment when democracy can feel particularly messy.

Jay takes us behind the scenes of how the project came together, why women+ playwrights are at the center of the conversation, and why live theater remains such a powerful place to wrestle with the issues shaping our country. He also talks about his own journey in the arts, his leadership of the Flynn since 2021, and his belief in creating work that reaches beyond traditional theater walls and brings communities together.

In Jay’s words, a scrappy team is making the whole thing happen — and in many ways, the messiness of creating Women+ on the Edge of Democracy may be the perfect metaphor for democracy itself.

It’s theater. It’s politics. It’s community. And it’s a conversation about what happens when artists are given the space to ask big questions about who we are, where we are headed, and what democracy means right now.

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #JayWahl #WomenOnTheEdgeOfDemocracy #FlynnCenter #TheFlynn #SusanSmithBlackburnPrize #Democracy #Theater #Theatre #Playwrights #WomenInTheatre #AmericanTheatre #NewPlays #PerformingArts #ArtsAndCulture #MidtermElections #CivicEngagement

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What happens when the political world you built your life around suddenly changes—and you’re forced to figure out who you are without it? Playwright John Harney joins Robert Bannon on The Roundtable to talk about his timely new play, Somewhere, Virginia, making its world premiere September 8–12 as part of Theater for the New City’s 14th Dream Up Festival.

The drama follows Clare, an ambitious congressional chief of staff who abruptly walks away from Washington following the 2024 election and disappears from the lives of those around her. When she unexpectedly summons three former colleagues to an old house in the Virginia countryside, the reunion forces them to confront careers and relationships changed by the election—and the question of what comes next. Meanwhile, an unseen mother upstairs and the history buried in the land outside give the story an almost haunting presence.

Harney talks with Robert about creating a play that wrestles with politics without simply becoming a political play, the complicated relationships among these four Washingtonians, and how America's past continues to echo through its present. Directed by Anna Rebek, the 90-minute production stars Jake Steinberg, Janelle Clayton, Chase Cortland Erwin, and Laura Whittenberger.

Somewhere, Virginia plays September 8–12, 2026 at Theater for the New City in New York City. Tickets are $18.

Tickets and show information at the Dream Up Festival

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#JohnHarney #SomewhereVirginia #DreamUpFestival #TheaterForTheNewCity #TNC #NewYorkTheatre #OffOffBroadway #NewPlay #Playwright #Theatre #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon

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You can’t stop the beat — and Amy Rodriguez is ready to bring Tracy Turnblad back to life!

Amy Rodriguez joins The Roundtable to talk about starring as Tracy in OFC Creations’ upcoming production of Hairspray. After previously taking on the iconic role on the national tour, Amy is stepping back into Tracy’s dancing shoes for a brand-new production in Rochester, New York.

We talk about returning to a character she knows so well, what Tracy means to her now, the joy (and stamina!) of Hairspray, and why the show’s message of acceptance, representation, and standing up for what’s right still hits just as hard today.

OFC Creations kicks off its 2026–2027 Broadway in Brighton Series with Hairspray, running September 24 through October 11 at the OFC Creations Theatre Center. Directed by Eric Vaughn Johnson and choreographed by Jasón N. Wells, the production brings together professional performers from across the country for one of musical theatre’s ultimate feel-good shows.

For tickets and more information, visit OFC Creations.

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#AmyRodriguez #Hairspray #HairsprayMusical #TracyTurnblad #OFCCreations #BroadwayInBrighton #RochesterNY #MusicalTheatre #Theatre #Broadway #YouCantStopTheBeat #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon

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It’s morphin’ time… but this time, there’s a mystery to solve! Sean C.W. Johnson, beloved by fans as Carter Grayson, the Red Lightspeed Ranger on Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, joins us at The Roundtable as he gets ready to hit the New York stage with Cristi’s Case Crackers.

Sean has built a career that goes far beyond the Ranger suit, with credits including My Little Eye, CSI: Miami, JAG, 7th Heaven, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and more. Now he’s jumping into the outrageous world of Cristi’s Case Crackers, the murder-mystery comedy series that mixes classic whodunit storytelling with pop-culture parody, big characters and plenty of unexpected twists.

We talk about stepping onto the stage, joining the Case Crackers family, the enduring love for Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, and what it’s like to have fans still celebrating Carter Grayson more than 25 years later. From saving the world to solving a murder, Sean C.W. Johnson is still ready for action!

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#SeanCWJohnson #PowerRangers #PowerRangersLightspeedRescue #RedRanger #CarterGrayson #CristisCaseCrackers #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #NYCTheatre #OffBroadway #Theatre #MurderMystery #PowerRangersFans

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For years, one question followed one of Saturday Night Live’s most recognizable characters: “Is Pat a man or a woman?”

More than 30 years later, We Are Pat is asking a much bigger question.

Julia Sweeney, who created and played Pat on SNL, and director Rowan Haber join Robert on The Roundtable to talk about the documentary and the complicated legacy of a character that became a pop-culture phenomenon.

Rowan brings together trans and nonbinary voices to examine Pat through a contemporary lens, while Julia looks back openly at creating the character, what Pat meant at the time, and how her own understanding has evolved in the decades since.

The conversation goes beyond whether Pat “aged well.” We talk about comedy, intention versus impact, gender, representation, the changing cultural landscape, and what can happen when an artist is willing to revisit their own work instead of running away from it.

It’s thoughtful, funny, sometimes uncomfortable, and exactly the kind of conversation We Are Pat was made to start.

Catch Julia Sweeney and Rowan Haber on The Roundtable with Robert Bannon, available on BroadwayWorld, Broadway Podcast Network, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and more.

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#WeArePat #JuliaSweeney #RowanHaber #SNL #SaturdayNightLive #ItsPat #Pat #Documentary #LGBTQ #TransVoices #Nonbinary #QueerFilm #QueerStories #GenderIdentity #RepresentationMatters #Comedy #PopCulture #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #BroadwayWorld #BroadwayPodcastNetwork

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You know Dyllón Burnside from his unforgettable work as Ricky on the groundbreaking series Pose — but this time, Dyllón is telling his own story.

Dyllón joins Robert on The Roundtable for a candid conversation about his debut album, Genesis, and the deeply personal journey behind the music.

At the center of the conversation is “Garden,” the album’s bold lead single. Written from Eve’s perspective in the Garden of Eden, the song takes imagery that has been used for generations to talk about temptation, shame, and sin and turns it into something rooted in intimacy, freedom, sensuality, spirituality, and queer liberation.

Dyllón opens up about growing up in the church, finding his own relationship with faith, and what it means to finally take control of the narrative after years of bringing other people’s stories to life on stage and screen.

We also talk Pose, representation, Black queer artistry, the journey of creating Genesis, and why this new chapter feels like more than an album — it feels like a declaration of exactly who Dyllón Burnside is as an artist.

It’s honest. It’s grown. It’s spiritual. And yes — we went there.

Catch Dyllón Burnside on The Roundtable with Robert Bannon, available on BroadwayWorld, Broadway Podcast Network, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and more.

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#DyllonBurnside #Genesis #Garden #PoseFX #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #BroadwayWorld #BroadwayPodcastNetwork #NewMusic #BlackQueerArtists #QueerMusic #LGBTQArtists #QueerJoy #BlackMusic #MusicInterview #ArtistSpotlight #NewAlbum #DetroitMedia

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Sometimes an interview becomes something more than an interview. Tony Award winner Laura Benanti joins Robert Bannon on The Roundtable for a chat that is equal parts hilarious, vulnerable, thoughtful, and wonderfully unfiltered.

Benanti is bringing her acclaimed one-woman comedy show, Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, to George Street Playhouse for a limited engagement August 26–30 at the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater in New Brunswick. Following an acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements, the show mixes original songs and storytelling as Benanti takes on motherhood, people pleasing, aging, marriage, and the sometimes messy work of figuring yourself out.

But this conversation goes much deeper than promoting a show. Laura and Robert talk about what happens when the need to please everyone starts to disappear, the freedom that can come with getting older, motherhood, career, vulnerability, and learning to laugh at the parts of ourselves we once tried so hard to hide. And because this is Laura Benanti, even the deepest moments somehow find their way back to laughter.

It is the kind of conversation The Roundtable was made for: two artists talking openly about life, the business, and all the complicated stuff in between. There are big laughs, some unexpectedly emotional moments, and the reminder that sometimes the funniest people are funny precisely because they are willing to tell the truth.

Nobody Cares stars and was created by Benanti, features songs co-written by Todd Almond, and is directed by Anne Tippe. The 65-minute show plays George Street Playhouse August 26–30, 2026.

Tickets and information for Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#LauraBenanti #NobodyCares #BroadwayWorld #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #GeorgeStreetPlayhouse #Broadway #TonyAwards #Theatre #NewJersey #NewBrunswick #Motherhood #Comedy #BroadwayInterview

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For five seasons, Outer Banks has taken viewers on one wild ride — treasure hunts, family drama, romance, danger, and enough twists to keep fans guessing until the very end. Now, as the Netflix hit wraps its run, Julia Antonelli joins Robert on The Roundtable to celebrate the show that became a global phenomenon. The fifth and final season arrived August 20, bringing the adventure to a close after a run that Netflix says generated nearly 200 million views across its first four seasons.

Julia has been part of the Outer Banks family from the beginning as Wheezie Cameron, younger sister to Sarah and Rafe and a member of one of the show's most complicated families. She talks with Robert about joining the series at a young age, watching both herself and the cast grow through the years, stepping back into Wheezie's world for the final season, life on the set, and what it feels like to say goodbye to a show with such a passionate fanbase.

It’s a fun look back at the Kooks, the Pogues, the Camerons, and the ride that changed Julia’s life — plus what she hopes comes next as she begins a brand-new chapter beyond the Outer Banks.

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

#JuliaAntonelli #OuterBanks #OBX #WheezieCameron #Netflix #OuterBanksNetflix #TheRoundtable #RobertBannon #BroadwayWorld #Pogues #Kooks #TVInterview

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