Why I‘ll Never Make It
Episodes
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing in our way as actors is ourselves. Whether it’s self-doubt and a disbelief in our own abilities or maybe it’s giving too much weight to the criticism or expectations of others, or maybe a shift in priorities comes along and we have to make life decisions that go against our creative ambitions.
To kick off season six, I’m talking with actor and coach Briana Packen about ways we can stop getting in our own way. She brought three stories with her today: one about the importance of training and mastering our craft, a second one how the me too movement still has ramifications today for her as a mother and teacher, and finally the need for balance and stability not only as an actor but as an individual as well.
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Help WINMI Transcribe Every Episode
One of my goals this season is to help Deaf/hard-of-hearing actors like John McGinty access the Why I’ll Never Make It podcast by offering transcriptions of each and every episode (I actually did it once). However, this is both time-consuming and would add a major cost to the production of this podcast (approximately $5000 per season). Regardless, I think the effort is worth it, don't you? So I’ll definitely need your financial help to make this a reality.
Please consider a one-time donation (via PayPal) or a monthly subscription to bonus episodes (via Supercast), which will help offset the cost of this important service. Whichever way you choose to contribute, your help is so very much appreciated!
This Month's Artist Resource: Movement 4 Everybody
For about a decade now, Briana and her colleague Julia Crockett have been teaching movement to actors at conservatory programs and are thrilled to finally offer their classes to people not currently enrolled in an acting or university program. These classes are designed for everyone – artists, non-artists, professionals, unprofessionals, dancers, non-dancers, people afraid of dance, queers, beards, clowns, tops, bottoms, switches, queens, kings, cat AND dog people. You can strengthen your artistic physical practice, crack open your creativity, become more present in your body, or simply have a good time. Whatever your reason for going, you will leave feeling stronger, more connected, more creative, and with a richer connection to your body and others. Contact them for the latest class schedule or follow them on Instagram.
The Final Five
For the past few seasons, the Final Five has been a bonus episode to this podcast, but for Season 6 it’s going to be in the form of a blog post where guests will answer five final questions. And Briana starts it off by talking about learning from her mistakes and the ability we have as actors to grow and change throughout our life and career. You can find her Final Five on the WINMI Blog.
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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 Blue Dot Sessions and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers (Part Two)
This is a continuation of part one’s look at voiceover work and acting behind the mic. You will hear from a group of actors, directors, and producers applying voiceover and acting techniques into their radio play podcast called Standby for Places. As the pandemic was shutting down most opportunities for actors, this group of artists found a way to keep acting and producing throughout the pandemic.
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Standby for Places was co-created by Freda Mattea, Margie Zarcone, and Graydon Gund. They then brought on Dunya Karam and others to make it a full audio drama production team. And I’ll be talking with three of them today. They’ll give us a bird’s eye view as well as hands-on experience of the art and craft of producing audio dramas, which gives us actors a new way to both exercise and explore our creativity. To be a part of their audio drama productions, contact them via email: info@standbyforplaces.org
Podcast hosted by Patrick Oliver Jones - https://www.pojones.com
Follow Standby For Places - Instagram / Facebook
Learn more about Storytelling and Communication
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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 Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Kate McClanaghan Helps Actors Find Their Voice
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers (Part One)
Today begins the second annual presentation of this month-long series with actress and voiceover coach Kate McClanaghan. We will be touching on the various aspects of voice work and technique but also addressing some fundamental struggles every actor faces.
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About 30 years ago Kate founded Actors’ SOUND ADVICE with fellow producer and coach Jeff Finney. Together they sought to provide an honest and personalized approach to career consulting, voiceover coaching, and demo production. And as both an actress and casting director, Kate has a unique dual perspective of what is expected of us as actors, both in the audition room as well as in performance. So while this episode may be focusing on the art and craft of voiceovers, these lessons and insights are useful to most any actor on stage or on screen as well.
Podcast hosted by Patrick Oliver Jones - https://www.pojones.com
Follow Sound Advice - Website / Backstage / 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 John Bartman is in the Public Domain.
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
In part one of our conversation Misty Rosas talked about an opportunity to finally pursue one of her first passions as an artist -- singing -- and the thrill of opening for her favorite band Air Supply.
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In the second half of our conversation we’ll talk a bit more about that journey to becoming a singer again. We also get into how to handle our own inner critic, and I’ve even included the final five questions in this episode, where we do an even deeper dive into her work in the Mandalorian. But first Misty shares the joy and fulfillment that can come from finally saying yes to yourself.
Watch the full interview with Misty on YouTube - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTYRUFqmHBCZjAZ999bHTbha-2CR3yVGu
See Misty dancing - https://www.imdb.com/video/vi556710937
Follow Misty - Website / Instagram / YouTube
Support WINMI and get access to Members-Only Episodes on Supercast.
Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or 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.
For more of Misty's music go to http://www.mistyrosas.com/music.html
Other music in the episode by Borrtex is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Here in America, we just marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11. And on the eve of that anniversary a live recording of the Broadway production of Come From Away was released. It featured many past and present members of the cast. But one of the original cast members, Rodney Hicks, was absent from the filming. And in part one of our conversation, Rodney takes us through his long journey with the show and how it came to a sudden end. But he reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is still some light to be found.
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Follow Rodney - Website / Playwrights Center / Instagram
Support WINMI and get access to Members-Only Episodes on Supercast.
Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or 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 that comes from Soundstripe ("Retreat" by Gold Coast) is used under a Promo Enterprise Agreement.
Other music in the episode provided by Karaoke Queen Brasil is used under Creative Commons.
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Darren Darnborough - British Actor and Producer & CEO of WeAudition
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Whether from personal experience or hearing stories from the past two episodes on this podcast, you know that almost anything can happen in an audition room. Sometimes it’s magical moments, while other times are filled with frustration. Yet even still, the most “perfect“ audition doesn’t always lead to a call back or a contract. It is this uncertainty that can bring both excitement and dismay. Not to mention the fact that auditioning for the stage is slightly different from auditioning for the screen. And with me today to discuss these differences is television and film actor Darren Darnborough, CEO of WeAudition.
Listeners of this podcast get 25% off a WeAudition Membership by using the promo code WINMI25. https://www.weaudition.com
Darren grew up in London and started to work as a professional actor around the age of 16. He earned a degree in film and media from the University of London but has also been very entrepreneurial throughout his career. In 2002, for example, he co-created StuckForStaff.com – the world's first online marketplace for promotional staffing.
But in 2006 he decided to relocate to Los Angeles to focus on his acting career and has appeared on shows like MacGyver, 2 Broke Girls, and True Blood. He was even writer and director of his own film called Stefano Formaggio, which is available on Amazon prime.
I first met and got to know Darren when he reached out to me as the CEO of WeAudition.com back in January of this year. He is someone truly dedicated and motivated to helping all actors get better at their craft and reach even greater heights in their career. And I’m very proud and grateful that he’s become a big fan of this podcast. You’ll certainly be hearing about more collaborations together in the future. But for today, I sit down with Darren to talk about his own journey as an actor, the wonderful opportunities he’s been given as well as the hard lessons learned along the way. He reveals a lot during our conversation and gave me new perspective not only on auditioning but the art and business of being an actor as well.
Part Two of our conversation can be found at https://youtu.be/IfPxrNynsoU
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Sign up for the monthly WINMI Newsletter.
Support WINMI and get access to Members-Only Episodes on Supercast.
Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or 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.
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.
Monday Aug 16, 2021
Monday Aug 16, 2021
This summer has seen actors returning to the stage as some regional theaters have returned to normal with a summer season and live audiences. And with that of course has seen an increase in auditions. So it is with great pleasure and excitement that I welcome you to the third annual Audition Stories here on the podcast. The last time these audition episodes were on the podcast was a month before the Covid shutdown. And there have been a lot of guests with a lot of great stories since then.
Today’s episode, brought to you by We Audition (promo code: WINMI25), is actually part one of these wonderful tales from the room where it happens. Now, we’ve been doing a lot of self tapes lately, but it's time for a need a reminder of the happy and hysterical things that can happen in person and in front of the audition table. And at the end of this episode none other than Bryan Cranston has some sage words of wisdom we can all apply to auditions and self-tapes.
Here's the list of former guests sharing their audition experiences:
Chaz Wolcott - triple threat performer who also directs & choreographs
Megan Carver - actress and singer who also produces films
Damian Thompson - classically-trained actor who does musicals...occasionally
Meredith Aleigha Wells - dancer and singer diagnosed with POTS
Carrie Bernans - actress and stuntwoman in Black Panther
Alex Pires - actor and writer who created his own web series
Kimberly Faye Greenberg - actress and singer known for her Fanny Brice show
Christophe Zajac-Denek - little person actor, musician, stuntman, and podcaster
Eric Jordan Young - actor and singer who directs and produces
Bryan Cranston - amazing actor who tells us a thing or two
Get more audition episodes by joining WINMI and supporting the work of this podcast. I love sharing these stories and episodes, and I hope that you'll choose to donate as much as you've benefited yourself from this podcast. Thank you!
Check out Artist Resources and follow WINMI on Instagram or 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.