Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine

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Episode 295 - Mary Clay Boland May 02, 2022

Show notes

Mary Clay Boland is a two time Emmy award winning casting Director.

Boland started her career at Circle Repertory Theater where she had the honor to work with many brilliant playwrights and actors. Circle Rep was the perfect atmosphere to hone Mary Clay’s casting instincts and enable her to witness the best acting has to offer. Transitioning to television Boland became the Casting Associate at Walken/Jaffe Casting where she was the Casting Associate on the first two seasons of the Emmy award winning show The Sopranos as well as the feature films But I’m a Cheerleader, The Legend of Wiry Spindell, First Look and many other films over a three year period.

Boland then moved on to the casting department of Warner Brothers Studios television where she worked on casting over 40 pilots including Everwood, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, George Lopez, and Without a Trace. While at Warner Brothers, Boland also cast the first two seasons of Third Watch, NBC and Witch Blade. In addition to that Boland was also responsible for the New York casting of their existing LA based shows ER, THE WEST WING, and FRIENDS. Throughout her career, Boland has also served as the Casting Director for many independent films that have played heavily on the festival circuit. Such films as MARCONI BROS. starring Dan Fogler, BEST THIEF IN THE WORLD starring Mary Louise Parker, CONFESS starring Melissa Leo, and many more.

Mary Clay worked as the Casting Director for CBS’ AS THE WORLD TURNS for 8 years and won two Day Time Emmys for Outstanding achievement in casting a drama series.

Boland went on to open her own company where she cast the first season of the Adult Swim series YOUR PRETTY FACE IS GOING TO HELL. She also cast a Warner Bros. Web series FINDING CODY starring Cody Simpson. She cast the film FOUR which won best ensemble cast at the LA Film Festival.

For the last eight years Mary Clay has focused on motherhood while also keeping her foot immersed in the Louisville Film community. She has resided on the board of the Louisville Film Society. She was appointed by the mayor to be on the Louisville Film Commission. On the commission she acted as a liaison between New York and Los Angeles film productions that wished to shoot in KY and take advantage of their state tax film incentives. She taught media and film studies as a guest lecturer for the Governor’s School of the Arts and has also led multiple workshops on auditioning technique.

In 2022 Mary Clay took over as head of MCM Creative’s casting division where she will be focusing on scripted television and features. MCM is a full service production and post-production facility located in midtown Manhattan. www.mcmcasting.com

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Episode 294 - Kathleen Monteleone Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

Kathleen Monteleone is an actress, singer/songwriter, producer and writer who captivates audiences with her memorable performances and storytelling.

Born in Germany, Kathleen is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College where she majored in theatre/musical theatre. Her career kick-started when she competed for the role of Sandy on NBC’s GREASE: You’re the One That I Want. Soon after she landed roles as Elle Woods in the national tour of Legally Blonde The Musical and Dede Halcyon-Day in Tales of The City The Musical. She made her Broadway debut originating the role of Heather Stovall in Hands On A Hardbody.

On the television side, Kathleen’s credits include the feature Are You Joking? directed by Jake Wilson, TNT’s Good Behavior alongside Michelle Dockery, and Comedy Central’s Goatface with Hasan Minhaj.

Monteleone will next be seen starring in the feature film American Reject, which she also wrote and produced. The film, directed by Marlo Hunter, is a big-hearted comedy about a finalist who gets the boot from America’s hottest singing competition and is forced to move back in with her mother as reality cameras follow her every move. It is inspired by Kathleen’s true story and is a tale of finding oneself that features original music. The film won both “Best of Fest” at the Adirondack Film Festival and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at Bend Film Festival in 2020. In addition, the film screened at the New Orleans Film Festival and the Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival in November of the same year, where the Las Vegas jury awarded Kathleen “Best Actress.” The film is set to release on-demand in April 2022.

Monteleone splits her time between New Orleans and New York City with her husband and 4 children.

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Episode 293 - Sharon Wheatley Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

Sharon Wheatley originated the role of Diane in COME FROM AWAY where she appears nightly at The Schoenfeld Theater. Sharon can also be seen in the film version for Apple TV +, and on the cast recording. Previous Broadway includes Avenue Q, Les Misérables, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Also a writer, Sharon’s most recent book DRIVE Stories From Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere, about finding happiness in hard moments, came out March 1, 2022 and is available on her website sharonwheatley.com and wherever books are sold.

Sharon is mom to Charlotte and Tobi, and wife to stage manager, Martha Donaldson. They are animal people, often unable to sit on their own couch due to the four legged creatures seeking comfort there.

Sharon grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and went to college there, getting her BFA in musical theater from CCM. Sharon has done a little TV stuff and a little film stuff, but really loves writing most of all. In addition to her most recent book, DRIVE, Sharon has a previous memoir, ‘Til the Fat Girl Sings.

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Episode 292 - Peri Gilpin Apr 11, 2022

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Episode 291 - Brad Oscar Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Brad Oscar has been seen on Broadway in Mrs. Doubtfire, Something Rotten! (Tony nomination), Big Fish, Nice Work..., The Addams Family, Spamalot, The Producers (Tony nomination), Jekyll & Hyde and Aspects of Love. National Tours: The Phantom of the Opera, Young Frankenstein, Jekyll & Hyde. West End: The Producers. Off Broadway: Broadway Bounty Hunter, Nassim, Sweeney Todd (Barrow Street Theatre), Forbidden Broadway (Theater East). Regional credits: The Gods of Comedy (McCarter/Old Globe), Hairspray (KC Starlight), The Squirrels (La Jolla Playhouse), Fiddler on the Roof (Barrington Stage), Barnum (Asolo Rep, Maltz Jupiter Theatre; Carbonell Award for Best Actor, Musical), The Mystery of Irma Vep, Cabaret, Damn Yankees (Arena Stage). Film: Ghost Town, The Producers. TV: Madam Secretary, Smash, The Good Wife, three Law & Order.

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Episode 290 - Elaine Del Valle Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

Elaine Del Valle is a Brownsville, Brooklyn bred Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate filmmaker.

She is the winner of the HBO Latinx short film award, and was featured in the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Director showcase. Her films have been supported by WarnerMedia 150, Knight Foundation, Fractured Atlas and the Sundance Institute.

As a WRITER/DIRECTOR her short films, Me 3.769 and Princess Cut, went on to air on HBOmax. Her most recent project, Brownsville Bred recently won the Audience Award at the 2022 SXSW Festival in the “Episodic Pilot Competition” category

Showrunner/Director/Screenwriter: Elaine Del Valle, Producers: Adrienne Lovette, Elaine Del Valle, Leslie Cohen, Debbie Esko-Gold, Eddie Frente

Elaine is a Lynn Shelton award finalist and two-time Imagen Impact award nominee. Redefine Magazine and Miami New Times named her a Filmmaker to Watch. Ad Age called her short documentary, Tagged (filmed entirely on a mobile phone) “compelling.”

While Elaine loves expressing emotion through her camera, she’s most proud of being referred to as an “actor’s director.” Her many years as an ACTOR trained by Wynn Handman at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, combined with her passion to bring authentic Latina voices to entertainment is what led her to create her autobiographical one-woman stage play, Brownsville Bred.

Elaine went on to perform Brownsville Bred off-Broadway, where the New York Times raved, "From Girlhood Trials To Onstage Triumph."

Empowered and fulfilled by the experience, Elaine would continue to act while creating content representative of her Latina experience. Elaine's most recent acting role is as a recurring guest star in the ABC series Queens.

As a WRITER/CREATOR, Elaine's original drama pilot, The System, landed a pilot order with CBS and Sutton Street Productions (Jane The Virgin). Under her banner company, Del Valle Productions and Casting, Elaine is a CSA casting director who has cast talented actors in hundreds of projects and PRODUCED over 50 film titles.

Elaine spends her free time speaking at youth director & arts programs in underserved communities.

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Episode 289 - Will Swenson Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

Broadway: Waitress, Disaster, Les Miserables, Hair (Tony Award Nomination), 110 in the Shade, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Brooklyn: The Musical, Lestat. Off-Broadway, tours and concerts: Assassins, Rock of Ages, Camelot (NY Philharmonic), The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island, Adrift In Macao, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, Fame. Will's first feature film as a writer and director was Sons of Provo, which won several film festivals, and was released in 2005.

He is married to actress Audra McDonald.

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Episode 288 - Eleri Ward Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

ELERI WARD is an New York City-based actor, singer, and musician whose original pop music has been called “soaring” (Nexus Music Blog), “astonishing” (Rising Artists), and “dreamy” (Neon Music). Her most recent EP, Friction, was released in 2021. She has been singing and acting since she was eight years old, and has always strived to carve out her own space with the uniqueness she brings to the theater. Eleri studied songwriting at Berklee College of Music before transferring and graduating from The Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Musical Theater and an emphasis in Songwriting, which shows itself clearly in the way she has taken on the Sondheim canon. www.eleriward.com @eleriward

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Episode 287 - Steven Sater Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

Steven Sater is the author and lyricist of Spring Awakening, winner of eight Tony Awards on Broadway and produced in 25 countries around the world. He has also collaborated with Duncan Sheik on Umbrage (HERE); Nero (Magic Theatre, New York Stage and Film); The Nightingale (La Jolla Playhouse and American Conservatory Theater); and the critically acclaimed album Phantom Moon (Nonesuch). Other plays include the long-running Carbondale Dreams; Perfect For You, Doll (Rosenthal Prize); Umbrage (Steppenwolf New Play Prize); A Footnote to the Iliad (New York Stage and Film); Asylum (Naked Angels); and a reconceived musical version of Shakespeare’s Tempest (Lyric Hammersmith). He is currently at work with Burt Bacharach on a new musical as well. Additionally, Sater works as a pop/rock lyricist and screenwriter (the forthcoming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake for Sony Pictures). Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score, the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle awards for Best Lyrics, the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Spring Awakening.

His most recent project includes the Grammy nominated album Some Lovers , co written with Burt Bacharach.

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Episode 286 - Jamie Bernstein Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

Jamie Bernstein is a writer, narrator, broadcaster and filmmaker who has transformed a lifetime of loving music into a career of sharing her knowledge and excitement with others.

Inspired by her father Leonard Bernstein’s lifelong impulse to share and teach, Jamie has devised multiple ways of communicating her own excitement about orchestral music. Beginning 15 years ago with “The Bernstein Beat,” a family concert about her father’s music modeled after his own groundbreaking Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, Jamie has gone on to design, write and narrate concerts for worldwide audiences of all ages about the music of Mozart, Copland, Stravinsky, and many others.

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