The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside
The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside is a podcast about the creative life—onstage and off. Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, writer, and choreographer James Whiteside shares behind-the-scenes conversations, solo reflections, and personal essays on art, career longevity, creativity, and identity. Episodes range from intimate monologues to candid interviews with dancers, artists, and friends, offering an honest look at the process behind the performance.
Episodes
In this episode of The Stage Rightside, James sits down with longtime friend and manager Garen Scribner for a candid conversation about life after dancing, career pivots, and what it really takes to build a sustainable creative life.
Garen shares his path from the stage to management and producing—through graduate school at Harvard, rejection, reinvention, and ultimately founding a practice built on long-term thinkin...
In this episode, I read my latest Substack essay aloud and share some of the DMs it sparked—thoughtful, funny, and occasionally surprising. I also talk about the feedback I just received from my literary agent on my new book and what it’s like to sit with notes, doubt, and excitement all at once. A behind-the-scenes look at the writing life, the reader response, and the messy middle of making something new.
Adver...
This week on The Stage Rightside, James checks in from rehearsal season—with a purring cat, a recovering back spasm, and plenty of opinions. As ABT prepares for tour with Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale, he reflects on jealousy, insecurity, and how most Shakespearean disasters could be solved with better communication.
Along the way: unhinged New York subway behavior, thoughts on the ethics of&nb...
In this episode, I talk with my dear friend and fellow dancer Cassandra Trenary about what it means to leave a dream — not because it’s broken, but because you’ve outgrown it.
Cassie shares why she chose to leave her life as a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre to join the Vienna State Opera, what it felt like to step into the unknown, and how injury, heartbreak, and stillness became the catalyst for chang...
James talks about his upstate writer's retreat and why Avatar needs a gay focus group.
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James wishes Stage Rightside listeners a Happy New Year, tells tales of his Christmas, and reads a brand new kids' story called "Johnny Newcastle".
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James does a post-show Nutcracker download with ABT Principal ballerina Isabella Boylston and reads his very first essay for Substack.
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James talks about Met Season with ABT, Vail Dance Festival, and staging his ballet "New American Romance" in Mexico City.
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James talks to ABT Principal dancer Cassandra Trenary about their performance of Giselle at the Metropolitan Opera House and her decision to leave ABT to join Vienna State Opera.
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James talks to ABT Principal Dancer Catherine Hurlin before and after their performance of Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera House.
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In this special episode, James recaps the Spring touring season, accompanied by costume designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung.
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James talks about his early years in dance, his training, and his first years as an apprentice in a big ballet company.
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James and Reid talk about ballet costumes; faves, mishaps, and least faves!
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James chats about which female roles he'd want to dance, what he did on his layoff from ABT, and why straight men at the gym annoy him.
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James chats about Tr*mp's Kennedy Center, the WAP en pointe, and drunk gay people.
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James talks about a typical rehearsal day, what he eats, and... poop in the tiles?!?!
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James chats with himself about Smile 2, Rose Gray, and being a gay gay gay person who only plays straight people. Big wahhhh!
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James and Reid talk noodles, circle j*rks, Beyonce, and Alien Romulus.
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Michael returns for the first episode of 2025! We chat about Sasha DeSola, resolutions, Darci Kistler's beautiful penche, Unity Phelan, the Nutcracker, and more!
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James chats with Michael about becoming a repetiteur (someone who teaches ballets from scratch), retiring from Miami City Ballet, and their early days together in Boston Ballet circa 1904.
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