Why I‘ll Never Make It
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
As we came to the end of part one of our conversation Will Swenson and I were talking about the deeper questions of who we are as artists and as individuals in the absolute importance of bringing ourselves, our full selves to the stage. This is certainly one of the biggest lessons that we have to learn as actors and performers, and I throw in a couple of questions about lessons he and his wife Audra McDonald have learned from each other.
Also in this episode, the Final Five has been included. Though these five final questions are normally a bonus members-only episode, it's been added here as I try out a slightly different format for the show. What do you think?
But we start off talking about Will’s performance in the Broadway revival of HAIR back in 2009. It was certainly a vast departure from the Will I had known both on stage and off, and it seemed as though that show and the character of Berger in particular allowed him a freedom and an energy that he had never gotten to express on stage before.
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If you'd like to watch Part Two of our conversation on YouTube, then become a WINMI supporter. Click the link below to get access to other special episodes and bonus content as well.
Support WINMI and receive Members-Only Episodes
Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or Twitter
Follow Will Swenson on Twitter
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Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot, and is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance.
Music in the episode by Borrtex is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
For the next three weeks I’ll be talking with two Broadway actors and a music director about their careers in New York and their own thoughts on the Tony Awards and theater in general. I start today with actor and singer Will Swenson, a Tony nominee for his outstanding work in the revival of the musical HAIR back in 2009. He's someone I’ve known since the late 90s when we were working at Disney World in Orlando, both sharing the role of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. We are both baritone leading man, who grew up in the church, and both had first marriages that didn’t last.
We have shared so much in common that one of my initial reasons for bringing him on the podcast was to figure out what I could’ve done differently, what are the one or two things I could’ve done that would’ve let me mirror his path, his career. But instead what I came away with was a greater understanding of shared experience, of commonalities we all have, both professional and personal, that go far deeper than who is better than who or who has a better life or career.
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There’s a lot to digest here, and so I decided to split up our conversation into two parts. In this episode you’re basically getting an intimate conversation between old friends, celebrating the big moments and successes like his Broadway debut, the Mormon films he made, and of course his Tony nomination. But more importantly there’s a lot of listening, learning, and healing as we discuss the low points as well.
If you'd like to watch Part Two of our conversation on YouTube, then become a WINMI supporter. Click the link below to get access to other special episodes and bonus content as well.
Support WINMI and receive Members-Only Episodes
Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or Twitter
Follow Will Swenson on Twitter
----------
Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot, and is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance.
Music in the episode by Borrtex is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Monday Aug 23, 2021
For most theater actors, Broadway is the ultimate status to attain in this industry. It’s the highest level any of us can reach and is the utmost definition of making it. But just because an actor has been on a Broadway stage, it doesn’t mean they don’t go through the same frustrations and doubts that we go through. And that really gets to the heart of Why I’ll Never Make It and especially today’s episode, which is brought to you by We Audition (get 25% off membership with promo code: WINMI25).
This is part two of my focus on Audition Stories the good, the bad, and the hysterical. You’ll hear from the following Broadway stars about the trials and tribulations of auditioning, including those pesky self-tapes...
Mykal Kilgore - actor and R&B singer from MOTOWN and HAIR
Hannah Elless - actress and singer from GODSPELL and BRIGHT STAR
Douglas Sills - iconic leading man from SCARLET PIMPERNEL and THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Gabrielle Ruiz - quintessential triple threat from IF/THEN and CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND
Geoffrey Owens - actor and director best known as Elvin from THE COSBY SHOW
Sally Wilfert - actress and singer from ASSASSINS and KING DAVID
Will Swenson - actor and singer from WAITRESS and PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Justin Guarini - American Idol and Broadway actor from WICKED and IN TRANSIT
Here's a special gift to you for listening to these stories (and reading these notes) - a bonus video episode with Adrienne Walker sharing her LION KING audition story. Enjoy!
Get more audition episodes by joining WINMI and supporting the work of this podcast. You can choose a one-time donation or continuous monthly giving with access to bonus content. I love sharing these stories and episodes, and I hope that you'll choose to donate and help WINMI make it. :)
Listen to previous Audition Stories here and check out Artist Resources.
Follow WINMI on Instagram or Twitter - @winmipodcast
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Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot, and is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance.