Why I‘ll Never Make It
Episodes
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Welcome to Season 7!
One of the joys that can come from being an actor, besides getting to perform on stage, and feeling the energy of a live audience, is that of working with other wonderful actors and collaborating on stage as well as building friendships off stage. Throughout the past six seasons, I’ve had the pleasure of bringing on some of these wonderful castmates, and not only share with you their stories, but I to get to learn a little more about them as well.
This past year I was cast in my second production of 42nd Street, this time at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. You heard from Kate Baldwin last season, and so for this first episode of the season, I wanted to bring on another wonderful performer from that production.
Blake Stadnik is probably most well known for his role as Jack Damon in NBC’s This Is Us, but he’s actually been performing since his childhood thanks to his mother, who introduced him to dancing and performing after he lost the majority of his eyesight due to Stargardt’s Disease. He went on, though, to get his BFA in musical theater from Penn State University.
In our conversation, Blake will talk more about this disease and how it’s impacted his life on and off stage. We’ll also discuss the responsibilities of being an actor, and how Blake has had to remind himself at times why he is a performer. Lastly, he shares the tragic events that led to his father’s passing, the impact of that loss, and the ways in which he carries on his father’s legacy.
Timeline of this episode's conversation:
03:12 - Blake and Patrick discuss 42nd Street at Goodpseed
06:54 - How Blake dances with Stargardt's Disease
13:53 - Story #1: Not getting cast because of his disability
19:47 - The limits others place on Blake vs. those he places on himself
33:11 - Story #2: Blake's internal struggle with selfishness for being an actor
38:55 - Story #3: Losing his father just as he was about to start This Is Us
49:23 - Missing his father and carrying on his legacy
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If you wanna listen to our full conversation (with Audition Stories and the Final Five questions) as well as get episodes a week early from now on, then become a monthly or yearly subscriber to Why I’ll Never Make It. Though producing this podcast is rewarding in its own way, I’m essentially a one-man operation, and it is both costly and time-intensive to put together each episode. So for just $5-10/month you’ll not only support these podcasting efforts, but you’ll also get to access to these extended conversations and other bonus content. Your financial support of this podcast is greatly appreciated:
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Why I’ll Never Make It is an award-winning, Top 25 Theater Podcast hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones, and it is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. Background music in this episode by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Jan 23, 2023
Welcome to Season Seven!
Monday Jan 23, 2023
Monday Jan 23, 2023
Welcome to Season Seven of Why I’ll Never Make It, an award-winning theater podcast. After a few weeks off, I’m so excited to be back for another year of great guests and wonderful discussions. Some of these artists are just getting started in the business, while others are Tony-nominated actors and directors.
I’m your host and producer, Patrick Oliver Jones, an actor and singer living in New York City with more than 30 years of experience. This season I’ll be talking with guests every other week as they share meaningful stories and experiences that have affected them and their careers. The defining moments uncover personal setbacks as well as professional failures.
As always your support of this podcast is both needed and appreciated. One of my ongoing efforts is to transcribe each episode for more accessibility to deaf and hard of hearing artists. But that takes time and money, something in short supply as a one-man production team, so please consider a one-time donation or monthly subscription:
Donors will get a shoutout on the podcast.
Subscribers get the added benefit of bonus content as well as early access to every episode.
Subscriber episodes include the full interview along with Audition Stories and the Final Five questions.
So as you can see there’s a lot to look forward to in 2023! Join me on Mondays every other week for engaging stories and candid conversations as we talk more about Why I’ll Never Make It.
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Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
A Look Back at 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Happy birthday and thank you for joining me as Why I’ll Never Make It turns 5 years old today! It was on December 28, 2017 that this theater podcast began from very humble beginnings and has slowly gained attention and even some accolades in the past five years of talking with actors and creative professionals.
There’s a certain kind of magic in the art of theatre, as the Tony award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell once said, ”It has the power to transform an audience, an individual, or en masse, to transform them and give them an epiphanic experience that changes their life, opens their hearts and their minds and the way they think.” The same can be said of podcasting as well.
Why I’ll Never Make It strives to engage and enlighten with every episode as I have insightful and meaningful conversations with artists who truly share from the heart about their own experiences and challenges in this industry. And in this anniversary episode I’ll be sharing some of those former guests of the past year as well as provide an overview for what this podcast has accomplished in 2022.
Please consider a monthly subscription to bonus episodes OR a one-time donation, which will help offset the cost of producing this podcast. Whichever way you choose to contribute, your support is so very much appreciated!
Guests mentioned and featured in this retrospective episode...
Matt Vinson and Matte O'Brien - writers of Anne of Green Gables
Kate Baldwin - Tony-nominated actress
Barton Cowperthwaite - dancer and actor on stage and screen
Elizabeth Swain - acting teacher and Broadway actress
Steven Warner - former child actor and professional ice skater
Brian Patacca - podcaster and life coach for actors
Briana Packen - actress and movement coach
Al Blackstone - Emmy-winning director and choreographer
Judy Tenuta - award-winning comedian
Muriel Miguel - Artistic Director of Native American Spiderwoman Theater Company
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Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast hosted by Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. It is also a part of Helium Radio Network and a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance.
Background music in the episode is by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Back in September of this year, news came out that both shook and shocked the Broadway theater world: Phantom of the Opera will be closing and have its final performance in February 2023. After 35 years, the longest running Broadway show in history, this iconic show was going to be leaving the Majestic Theater for good. That closing date has since been updated to April 16th, no doubt due to the increase in ticket sales after that initial closing announcement, nonetheless the end of an era is near.
I’ve worked with many a performer who have never known a Broadway without Andrew Lloyd Webber and Phantom of the Opera. This show was the first musical I ever really fell in love with, I mean that cast recording album has sold millions of copies (with an all-new, eight-disc Global Edition recently released). I certainly listened to that original cast recording with Michael Crawford ad nauseam in high school, and it was a big inspiration for me wanting to not only pursue theater but actually set my sights on a Broadway career, which has yet to come to fruition. But my guest today has been on Broadway with this show for 15 years, and he’ll be sharing some fascinating and funny stories from his long tenure with Phantom of the Opera.
Jeremy Stolle is the final guest for season 6, and he and I first met doing Gaston at Disney World down in Florida. Now, if that sounds familiar to you, Will Swenson is another Broadway actor who’s been on the podcast, and he and I also shared Gaston duties during my time at Disney World. But Jeremy left Disney and came to New York a little bit before me, and during his years with Phantom has performed the featured part of Passarino in the ensemble, the supporting role of Piangi, and has also played the two leading roles of Raoul as well as the Phantom himself. We talk about what has kept him at the show for so long and the various opportunities, experiences, and mishaps it’s given him these past 15 years.
Support this podcast in one of two ways:
Subscribe to WINMI and get Bonus Episodes
Make a one-time Donation to the podcast
Timeline of this episode's conversation:
01:49 - Jeremy and Patrick discuss their Gaston beginnings
07:07 - Jeremy struggled when he first came to NYC
09:43 - Personal histories with Phantom
20:31 - Story #1: Phantom and the infamous swoosh
28:18 - The pressures of playing the Phantom
33:14 - Story #2: Raoul and the cheeky bow
39:08 - The differences between Phantom and Raoul
43:14 - Story #3: Meeting his idol, Anthony Warlow
48:48 - Sharing a dressing room with Denzel Washington
Jeremy Stolle Has an Idea...
The stamina of doing 8 shows a week is certainly something that every performer has to train for and be able to maintain, but there is also a stamina for auditioning. Going in, time and time again, to sing 32 bars or perform a monologue, or go through a scene with a reader or another actor. This takes preparation and constant readiness for whatever may come at you in the audition room. This especially true when it’s a role that you have either done before or have auditioned for many times previously, you have bring a fresh energy to it each time.
Well, in this week’s audition story Jeremy talks about one of the many times he has auditioned for Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. Although this time he tried a different take on the character, with hilarious results. To get bonus episodes with Audition Stories and more, become a monthly or yearly subscriber and earn the title of WINMI Producer. You’ll be helping maintain and sustain this podcast while also getting extra conversations with guests like Jeremy. You could even give it as a gift...now there's an idea :)
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Why I’ll Never Make It is an award-winning, Top 25 Theater Podcast hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones, and it is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. Background music in this episode by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Do you want to be famous or do you want to be an actor? Very few truly achieve both. For most of us it’s a choice, and the direction we choose impacts the roles and opportunities that we pursue going forward. Today’s guest has been presented with both during his career and came to discover which one mattered more to him.
Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers (Part 3)
In the early 2000s, Ben Curtis was training to be a serious actor at NYU, but one commercial audition for Dell computers completely changed the trajectory of his life and career. He became the face of the computer company, performing in about 26 national commercials over the span of four years. Ben shares with us the lessons he learned from reaching a level of fame that he never imagined, but he also talks about how it led him down some dark paths that took him years to resolve and come out of.
02:28 - Welcome and Ben talks about coming to NYC
06:02 - Story #1: Becoming the Dell Dude
11:01 - The business of commercial acting
16:34 - When Ben realized he was "famous"
21:31 - Story #2: The reality check of getting arrested
33:55 - Story #3: Surviving 9/11 through drugs and alcohol
41:14 - Lessons he has learned and now shares with other men
Subscribe to WINMI and get Bonus Episodes
OR
Make a one-time Donation to the podcast
----------
Why I’ll Never Make It is hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. 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.
Background music in the episode by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Follow WINMI: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Dude, You're Getting Well
Ben's mission with the podcast is to share the real challenges that leaders, innovators, and influencers face every day as humans -- to show that it's okay to be human and have hard days, that all people experience pain and challenges. He wants to shed light on how we overcome these odds, the tools that we can use for self-care and sur-thrival, all while growing our vision and sharing these lessons with others.
Audition Story
In this week’s bonus episode, Ben shares an experience back in Chattanooga when he had to choose between playing on the school’s soccer team or doing theater. He couldn’t do both. While you can probably guess which one he chose, as often happens it didn’t quite turn out quite the way he had hoped. Subscribe to WINMI and get access to this and other bonus episodes.
Final Five Questions
In this interview, Ben shared his journey from fame to failure and points in-between. And the conversation continues on the WINMI Blog as he answers five final questions about “making it” and useful advice he's received.
Discover even more about Ben here.
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Elaine Romanelli Battles Criticism and Self-Doubt as a Singer and Songwriter
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
One of the greatest obstacles to becoming a better performer is thinking you aren’t good enough, that the dreams and aspirations you have for yourself are just too far out of reach and beyond your capability. So in today’s episode we explore that feeling with someone who knows all too well the crippling effect of self-doubt and self-criticism.
Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers (Part Two)
Elaine Romanelli is a singer, songwriter, and actress who has performed off Broadway and on radio as well as hosted an improvised streaming show and released three vocal albums of original music. She also teaches singers and composes church music, so Elaine stays pretty busy. But she also recognizes the importance of fostering collaboration and finding her own tribe of like-minded souls. Not only has it helped her as she continues to create new work, but it has been a source of support when her own confidence is tested and that self-doubt creeps back in.
02:21 - Welcome and how Elaine found WINMI
02:29 - Story #1: Why she left classical music
10:59 - Her experiences with criticism and finding her own voice
22:47 - How to listen to Elaine's audition story
24:11 - Story #2: Losing her singing partner and going solo
37:22 - Story #3: Finding connection and her own tribe
49:58 - Combining art and activism as one piece in the puzzle
Subscribe to WINMI and get Bonus Episodes on Supercast
OR
Make a Donation to the production of this podcast
----------
Why I’ll Never Make It is hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. 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.
Background music in the episode by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Follow WINMI: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Singer/Songwriter and Her Three Albums
These studio albums and EPs explore personal journeys and showcase Elaine's unique voice and storytelling. They range from pop/rock and jazz to blues and alternative, with a dash of country thrown in for good measure.
"Life as a solo artist can be isolating, with so much time spent alone writing, practicing, organizing, booking, driving for hours on end. There’s more to do every day than one person possibly could manage."
And as host and producer of this podcast, I can certainly relate to the joys and frustrations of doing it all on your own. This gets back to the idea of collaboration and finding your tribe we speak about in this interview (44:21), having a support system in place to carry us through when it all gets a bit overwhelming.
Audition Story
There is no better place to have fun than the audition room. However, the pressure of performance and booking the role can often get in the way of enjoying ourselves. In this week’s audition story Elaine talks about a time when she was determined to show her personality and bring a bit of levity to the audition process…and singing a song about farting certainly helped her achieve that goal. Subscribe to WINMI and get access to this bonus episode.
Final Five Questions
In this interview, Elaine explores her journey from singer to songwriter with hopes of returning to theater again soon. And the conversation continues on the WINMI Blog as she answers five final questions about “making it” and lessons she’s learned along the way.
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Jules Helm Explores Personal Growth and Self-Discovery On Stage and Off
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Every November, as the weather and leaves continue to change and we enter a season of Thanksgiving as well as gift-giving, this podcast sets aside a few episodes to focus on how we can make our lives and our careers better and more fulfilling. And so we begin the third annual presentation of this enlightening series...
Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers (Part One)
You’ll hear from artists, coaches, and performers and how they have a found balance between their on stage and off stage lives, providing perspective and insight from their own challenges and experiences. Jules Helm starts us off with a focus on self-care and personal growth, using movement and acting techniques to bring both our mind and body into alignment. He will be sharing his own journey of self discovery as he learned to better love himself and be more comfortable with others, keeping performance onstage rather than having it mask the rest of his life as well. We will also get into the various techniques he teaches to bring actors into a more authentic presentation of themselves as well as their characters. As Jules says, “The first step toward great acting is deeper self-discovery and realization,” which is a great place for us to start bettering ourselves and bettering our careers.
02:42 - Jules and his hometown of Portland
08:26 - Story #1 and being inspired by Charlie Chaplin
18:52 - Story #2 and how the world conditions us
31:45 - Story #3 and his teaching of actors
44:12 - The Williamson Technique
Subscribe to WINMI and get Bonus Episodes on Supercast
OR
Make a Donation to the production of this podcast
----------
Why I’ll Never Make It is hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media, LLC. 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.
Background music in the episode by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Follow WINMI: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
The Williamson Technique
Developed by Loyd Williamson, this movement practice is most often taught to actors in conjunction with the Meisner Technique, because it pairs well with the particular emotional demands placed on actors. Williamson collaborated with and was a student of American choreographer and dancer Anna Sokolow. He was watching Sokolow’s dancers move freely and without tension, while at the same time he observed Meisner’s actors were crippled physically by the size of their emotional lives. Thus, the development of the Williamson Technique began as a movement training for actors that is loosely based in modern dance. It is designed to help the actor access and inhabit a physical instrument (i.e. the body) that is open, released, vulnerable, expansive, and responsive. The Williamson Technique emphasizes these primary objectives:
Free the actor’s instrument by accessing awareness and permission. Cultivate the student’s connection to his personal, ‘truthful‘ experience, and the permission to act on it expansively.
Enhance the actor’s sensual (of or relating to the five senses) relationship with the world, thereby creating a vivid connection with and sensitivity to impulses.
Bring that freedom and connection with one’s surroundings into ensemble collaboration and the creation of original physical performance.
Audition Story
Connection is definitely one of the bed rocks of acting and performing on stage, whether it’s with the fellow performers on stage or the audience itself. In our main conversation, Jules mostly talked about a connection with ourselves first and foremost, but there is also the important connection with the role or the show that we’re in or auditioning for. In this week’s bonus episode Jules shares an audition story that took him out of his comfort zone and into the world of the Blue Man Group.
Become a monthly subscriber to get access to this and other bonus episodes.
Final Five Questions
After our main conversation, Jules sat down to answer the five final questions. Among several topics, he shares what success has meant to him (a continuation of what he mentioned in the second story) and what frustrates him most about this industry, particularly in New York City. Read it all on the WINMI Blog.
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
The life of an actor is often a cross between a seesaw and a rollercoaster. Sometimes it’s as simple as an up or down choice between opportunities and trying to find the balance in our life and work. While other times we’re just along for the ride (especially when it comes to auditions and callbacks), going in ways we can’t control and just doing our best to make the best choices in the moment. And today’s guest reminds us how unpredictable that rollercoaster be and that finding balance can oftentimes be difficult.
Ricky Schroeder has been dancing since he was 3 years old and has gone on to do a variety of projects from musicals like Kinky Boots and Hairspray Live to television shows including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Pose. Now, his name may sound similar to another actor from Silver Spoons and NYPD Blue, but on Twitter he’s quick to point out he’s not that Ricky Schroder. In fact, he’s been working to make his mark as more than just a dancer but rather an all around performer in the areas of acting, singing, and even improv. So this conversation with Ricky will be slightly different from other episodes as it highlights a journey common to all actors, one of hopeful expectation as well disappointing missed opportunities.
The shows we discuss in this episode:
Kinky Boots
Once Upon a One More Time (Britney Spears musical)
Muriel’s Wedding (musical)
The Last O.G. (starring Tracy Morgan)
POSE (starring Billy Porter)
Younger (starring Sutton Foster)
Broadway 4D
Bye Bye Birdie Live
The Last Five Years - available to monthly supporters...become one today :)
Learn more about WINMI Podcast at whyillnevermakeit.com
Please consider a monthly subscription to WINMI and get Bonus Episodes as well OR if you'd rather, you can make a one-time donation to help offset the production costs of this podcast. Whichever way you choose, your support is so very much appreciated!
Career Transition for Dancers
Ricky spoke about expanding his own artistic work and efforts beyond dancing because of his love of acting and singing and wanting to be seen as more than just a dancer. While this rings true of many dancers looking to open up more creative and career opportunities for themselves, some are looking beyond dance for other reasons. That’s where Career Transition for Dancers (and the Entertainment Community Fund) steps in.
Maybe you're a professional dancer dealing with a career-threatening injury or illness and aren't sure what to do next.
Perhaps you feel burnt out in your dance career, wondering if there’s anything else you could do for work.
You're possibly thinking of starting a family or are simply looking for more financial stability but don’t know where to start.
Whatever your situation, the Career Transition For Dancers program offers career counseling, educational scholarships and panel discussions to assist you in navigating these choices and expanding new opportunities for your next chapter.
Final Five with Ricky Schroeder
After this main conversation, Ricky sat down to answer the five final questions. Among several topics, he shares why "making it" is an elusive concept and how social media can put undue pressure on some performers. Read it all on the WINMI Blog.
Follow Ricky: Twitter | Instagram | Website