The Ensemblist

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Latest Episodes:

#216 - Touring Broadway (feat. Sabrina Imamura) Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

First National Tours are one of the most important calling cards for the Broadway community. Staged in New York City to cross the country, these facsimiles of Broadway shows bring the experience of attending a Mainstem musical to theatrelovers across the country. But how similar are these touring productions to their Broadway counterparts? And what’s the experience for performers who pick up their lives to travel the country in one of the casts?

Sabrina Imamura opened the first national tour of Hamilton in early 2017. Performing in the show’s ensemble took her along the West coast for about a year and a half before Broadway called, where she’s been in the show’s Mainstem ensemble since mid-2018. I asked her into the studio to tell about how performing in two productions differed, both onstage and off. Here’s our conversation...

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#332 - What We Miss (feat. Keely Beirne, Taurean Everett, Camden Gonzales) Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

We are in the midst of an unprecedented time right now. As artists, We thrive on human interaction, community, and togetherness. With all of that stripped away, it has been difficult for many of us to find ways to be creative. To find ways to have hope that the theatre industry will rise again. This industry we love so much has its ups and downs, its difficult struggles, and its moments of pure joy. I spoke with three talented ensemblists, and more importantly, excellent humans, about what they miss most about one night in the grind of an 8 show week. Taurean Everett recounts his time at The Cher Show, Keely Beirne about her time in the late Frozen on Broadway, and Camden Gonzales remembers life on the road with Hamilton.

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#213 - Touring Broadway (feat. Josh Burrage) Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Joshua Michael Burrage has performed with not one, but two first national tours: Newsies and A Bronx Tale The Musical. In between, he made his Broadway debut in the recent revival of Cats. I asked him into the studio to talk about those two tours, and how those experiences differed from performing on the Great White Way. Here’s our conversation...

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#212 - SpongeBob SquarePants (feat. Lauralyn McClelland) Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Just last night, television viewers got to see what Broadway audiences fell in love with last year: SpongeBob SquarePants the musical. The big, little musical the could surprised fans of the production when it was announced earlier this fall that it would be taped for broadcast featuring much of the show’s original Broadway cast, including my guest for this episode Lauralyn McClelland.

Lauralyn is a veteran of seven Broadway shows, including Rock of Ages, Matilda The Musical, My Fair Lady and SpongeBob, where she played an airborne mermaid among other fantastical characters. I asked her into the studio to tell me about the experience of filming the show, how it differed from the stage production and her favorite moments of canonizing the incredible production on film. Here’s our conversation...

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#209 - Creating Characters (feat. Jennifer Smith) Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Jennifer Smith is a legend of the Broadway stage. In the last 35 years, she originated and understudies more than 40 roles on Broadway. Back in 2016, she joined Ensemblist co-creator Nikka Graff Lanzarone and I in the studio to talk about creating ensemble roles in four of her Broadway shows: Tuck Everlasting, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Producers and Victor/Victoria. Here’s our conversation...

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#205 - Creating Characters (Beetlejuice - feat. Jill Abramovitz) Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Jill Abramovitz slayed Beetlejuice audiences in her duel roles of Maxine Dean and Juno. She’s so incredible that we here at The Ensemblist bestowed her one of our first ever Season Standout awards. We asked this veteran of Broadway’s Cinderella and 9 to 5 into the studio to talk about how she developed those roles into some of the funniest moments in what is already a very funny show. Here’s our conversation…

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#203 - Creating Characters (The Lightning Thief - feat. Ryan Knowles) Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

The Lightning Thief employs a cast of seven actors to bring the story of Percy Jackson on stage. Much of the show’s small cast is tasked with creating multiple characters, none more than actors Ryan Knowles. Using a versus title facility of voice and movement, he creates strikingly specific characters over and over in the show, including Charon, Hades and many many more. Here’s our conversation…

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#197 - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (feat. Dimitri Moise, Rashidra Scott, Kevin Duda, Brittney Johnson) Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

This month, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical will shutter its doors after nearly six years on Broadway. Along the way during its 2,418 public performances, The Ensemblist has been lucky to share stories from many of its ensemble members. In honor of its closing, we wanted to share some of our favorites from our early years, as well as a new story to the podcast from one of the show’s touring cast members.

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#195 - Hurt and Healing (feat. Alicia Charles) Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Alicia Charles is currently twirling, gliding and tapping her way through Agrabah as part of the ensemble of Aladdin on Broadway. Although she made her debut in the show in early 2017, she was sidelined early into her tenure there when she underwent surgery to remove uterine fibroids. How do you recover well enough to sing and dance eight shows a week when there’s a giant scar healing on your abdomen? Well, here’s our conversation...

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#192 - Hurt and Healing (feat. Taurean Everett) Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Taurean Everett made a splash last season in the ensemble of The Cher Show. He brought the house down as Bob Mackie’s Assistant by wearing only a loincloth and a beaming smile. Taurean was also the lead campaign image for this year’s edition of Broadway Bares. It goes without saying that this is a guy who takes care of his body. However, that fitness was called into question when he was injured in an audition toward the end of the summer. Here’s our conversation…

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