Why I‘ll Never Make It

In the second half of our conversation, Erin Cherry focuses on her weekly show Sundays with a Cherry on Top, a health and lifestyle show that showcases Black Culture in all its forms. She also joined playwright Mfoniso Udofia, Ngozi Anyanwu, and Chinyere Anyanwu as a founder producer of NOW Africa. This playwrights festival seeks to introduce, and sometimes reintroduce, artists and academics to the masters of African Dramatic Literature, both classic and contemporary.

Thank you for joining me and Cherry for these episodes. Stay tuned next week for my conversation with Adrienne Walker from The Lion King.

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Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

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Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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For almost a year now Actors have had very little in the way of exercising and using our creative muscles, so in this episode I wanted to remind us of the craft and joy of acting. As Black History Month continues here on the podcast, who better to discuss the ins and outs of acting with than Emmy-winning actress Erin Cherry.

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Cherry, as she prefers to be called, coaches and teaches actors at Maggie Flanagan Studio in New York City. It’s a Meisner based acting program, which basically aims to help actors get out of their head and behave instinctively to the surrounding environment. Well, Cherry put her training and coaching to good use in the Amazon Prime show After Forever. In 2019 she received her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series. 

In part one of our conversation, Cherry talks about her first love, theater, and the amazing experience she had sharing the stage with Andre DeShields. She talks about making that transition from the stage to the screen and how us actors can handle the consistent self doubt and rejection we face. 

Follow Cherry: Website / Instagram / Twitter 

Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. And John Bartman's music is Public Domain.

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The life of any actor is one of going in and out of employment. But for Geoffrey Owens back in 2018, his side job was captured in a photo and spread across the Internet. In part two of our conversation for Black History Month, Geoffrey opens up about what led to his job at Trader Joe’s. We talk about the importance of work and how hard it can be for Actors to find it.

Follow Geoffrey: Website / Instagram / IMDB

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Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Bortexx is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Throughout his career Geoffrey Owens has been an actor, director, and teacher. But for more than 35 years he has been known as Elvin from The Cosby Show. As we kick off Black History Month here on the podcast I sat down with Geoffrey to talk about his own history as an actor, the lucky breaks that have come his way as well as the hardships he’s faced, the photo that surfaced in 2018 of him working at Trader Joe’s, and what it means to be so singularly identified with one show.

Links and References: Huxtable family watches "I Have a Dream" • Carsey/Werner Production • Alvin Poussaint Interview • Claire sets Elvin straight 

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Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Kevin MacLeod, and Chad Crouch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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I think it’s fair to say that artist are an emotional bunch in general. We feel things deeply and react with conviction. And that goes for the wonderful and exciting emotions but also goes for the heavy and worrisome emotions as well. In part two of my conversation with Ashley Monique Menard, she reveals the yen and yang of her confidence and her self-doubt, she compares her dating life to Broadway, and has a few choice words for perfectionism. 

Join WINMI to listen to the Final Five episode: join.whyillnevermakeit.com

Don't forget to check out EGCC.edu for free college course and degree programs.

Thank you for joining me for part one of my conversation with Ashley. Come back next week when I talk to Cosby Show actor and theater coach Geoffrey Owens.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

All this and more can be found at the website: whyillnevermakeit.com 

Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In theater or really in any performing art, we have certain genres or types of characters and stories that fit us better than others. And today’s guest Ashley Monique Menard found her niche in comedy. But often, even what we’re good at doesn’t really begin to blossom and grow until we really hone that craft and work on it.

So in part one of our conversation we’ll talk a lot about that comedy, how it’s helped her find and strengthen her voice, but also how an honest assessment of her talents and limitations was key in finding the best ways for her to shine. One of those ways was going back to school to learn more about business and writing and marketing, and she’s doing it all for free. And she’ll share how you can do it for free as well: EGCC.edu

Thank you for joining me for part one of my conversation with __________. Come back for part two in just a couple of days.

Follow Ashley: Website / Instagram / Twitter 

Join WINMI: Website / Memberships / Instagram / Twitter 

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

All this and more can be found at the website: whyillnevermakeit.com 

Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the host of NPR‘s the big listen, Lauren Ober was basically podcasting about podcasts and through that became a bona fide podcast expert. Maybe you’ve thought of starting your own podcast. In part two of our conversation, she takes us through her production process on Spectacular Failures and what it takes to make a great podcast. 

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Thank you for joining me for part two of my conversation with Lauren Ober. Come back next week for for my discussion with actress and comedian Ashley Monique Menard.

Follow Lauren: Website / Instagram / Twitter 

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

All this and more can be found at the newly updated website: whyillnevermakeit.com 

Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here on Why I’ll Never Make It, we focus on the challenges and setbacks that artists face, but there is one podcast out there focusing on the Spectacular Failures of companies and organizations. Lauren Ober is the host and producer of that podcast and is also a journalist, a noted speaker, and voice coach. In part one of our conversation She and I discuss some of the parallels between being onstage and behind a mic, but we focus mainly on the rise and fall the big Broadway production company Livent.

Listen to "The Curtain Falls on a Big Broadway Company" on Spectacular Failures.

Thank you for joining me for part one of my conversation with Lauren Ober. Come back for part two in just a couple of days.

Follow Lauren: Website / Instagram / Twitter 

Join WINMI: Website / Memberships / Instagram / Twitter 

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

All this and more can be found at the newly updated website: whyillnevermakeit.com 

Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to part two of my conversation with Justin Guarini! He’s already shared pivotal moments from his childhood and given us a cautionary tale of his college experience. So we pick up with his decision to stick with American Idol instead of making his Broadway debut with The Lion King. 

Get Justin's book Audition Secrets and learn his tips and secrets to auditioning. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

Follow Justin: Website / Instagram / Twitter

Join WINMI: Website / Memberships / Instagram / Twitter 

Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

Music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy New Year to you! And welcome to the premiere episode of Season Five.

Today’s guest is Justin Guarini, who you probably know from American Idol but has done so much more and has a lot to teach us about becoming an artist, finding our own path, and realizing that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Get Justin's book Audition Secrets or possibly win a signed copy of this book by becoming a member of WINMI as a Maker, Producer, or Artist. Sign up for one of these memberships by January 31, 2021, and one lucky winner will get Justin’s tips and secrets to auditioning. 

Follow Justin: Website / Instagram / Twitter

Join WINMI: Website / Supercast / Instagram / Twitter 

Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 

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Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:

All this and more can be found at the newly updated website: whyillnevermakeit.com 

Thank you for joining me for part one of my conversation with Justin Guarini. Come back for part two in just a couple of days.

All music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices