October 2, 2025 • 31 mins
Elaine welcomes Frankie Ann — a multi-talented singer, dancer, comedian, and producer — for a heart-to-heart about visibility, validation, and the messy beauty of creative life. Frankie Ann shares her journey through the highs of national tours and TV appearances, the lows of health setbacks, and the ultimate realization: your art becomes more powerful when you stop seeking approval and start creating from love.
Takeaways:
- Early recognition doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing — persistence is key.
- Success without self-worth can feel empty.
- Vocal charisma and pacing can turn any story into a showstopper.
- What you want at 20 may not be what you truly need at 40 or 50.
- True mastery comes when you perform for you first
- “Shrink or shine? The story you tell yourself decides.” ✨
- “Confidence isn’t perfect. It’s presence.” 💃
- “Stop apologizing for existing. Own your voice.” 🎤🔥
- “Humor connects faster than any PowerPoint.” 😂💡
- “Don’t wait to feel ready. Speaking your truth makes you ready.” 🌈✨
You can reach FrankieAnn here:
FrankieAnnecomedy@gmail.com
Hopefest, Thursday Oct 9th at 6:30pm
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Connect with your Host, Elaine Williams:
Check out Captivate the Mic Podcast on Elaine's YouTube Channel
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Want to schedule a free chat with Elaine? Click here to book a zoom date!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
this is Elaine Williams withCaptivate The Mic.
This is a podcast to help youbecome a more effective speaker
communicator.
Whether you're doing videos,whether you're on stage, whether
you're podcast guesting, I amusing my 50 million years of
experience and having amazingguests.
And you are going to love thisnext guest.
(00:27):
I met her through anothercomedian, Craig Shoemaker.
This woman is so inspiring.
She has amazing stories and whatI love most though, I want you
to listen.
Her stories are great, but shehas beautiful vocal variety.
Beautiful vocal charisma.
She pauses.
She does great pacing.
(00:48):
She's truly a master storytellerin addition to fabulously
talented and inspiring.
So this is my friend FrankieAnn.
A comedian, speaker, coach,producer, director, she's done
so many things.
You are in for such a treat, andI can't wait for you to fall in
(01:09):
love with her the way I havefallen in love with her.
So enjoy I Hello and welcome toCaptivate the Mic with Elaine
Williams.
You are in for such a treat.
I am so delighted to have thisphenomenal woman on my show.
(01:32):
We met through a mutualcomedian, Craig Schumaker.
This woman has toured thecountry.
She's a superstar.
She's danced with CNC MusicFactory.
She sang with Barbara Streisand.
Frankie Ann, I am so excitedthat you're here.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Thank you for having me.
(01:53):
And I have to makeclarification.
I didn't dance with CNC MusicFactory.
I sang my own single.
I opened up for them.
Okay.
I stand.
Don't wanna, I don't wanna takecredit from any dancers who are
back to working their off.
Okay.
So just if you're in yourfifties I loved CNC Music
factory.
Gotta make you sweat, do youlike, I just remember just
jamming out to them.
I loved them.
(02:13):
I thought they were so cool.
And yeah.
Yeah, it was fun.
I actually was I had my singlestandup had just come out and.
I was working in quad recordingstudios in Manhattan, where
Martha Washington was recordingone of her original singer.
Now, Martha Wash was thevocalist.
Everybody dance now.
She was the extra singer.
(02:33):
Done, and Freedom was working atthe studio.
Like mixing up time timeframes,but Freedom had been working.
I knew Freedom from when I wasjust, producing and writing in
my own studio there at Quad, hewas working at Quad.
Then he became part of CNC MusicFactory.
Then Martha came to me and theyasked me to choreograph the
(02:56):
Martha Tour, which ended upcoinciding when I, my, my record
was coming out.
And so that's how I also endedup.
With CNC, it was all thesethings happening very quickly at
the same time.
So I got ended up touring withmy record stand up as the
opening act.
So that was really exciting.
That is one thing I really wannatalk about.
So we met a couple years ago andthen we over Zoom.
(03:18):
I was taking a class and then wemet when I was in LA and
visiting my cousin and had thisfabulous brunch.
You have such an interesting.
Passionate, beautiful story.
And I think that a lot of peoplecould get inspiration and
comfort and motivation from it.
Can you just tell people alittle bit about your, how you
(03:42):
started?
Yeah, on East Coast.
I think I started young.
I was in the studios AFR, a verydear friend of mine to this day.
Her name is Lisa Ratner, veryreputable and successful.
Songwriter found me in highschool.
And so her and anotherincredible vocalist, Sandy
Farinas, that was Lisa Ratnerand Sandy Farina.
I found me in high school.
(04:02):
She was substitute teaching andthey had written a song for
Streisand.
They had written a song forDolly part and they were up and
coming, young songwriters.
So she was just supplementingteaching and she grabbed me and
this other friend of mine andbrought us into the studios.
And my first foray in singingwas doing backup with Sandy.
(04:22):
Jingles and Lisa went on to domore jingles with Sandy and went
on to do more music and write,hit songs so some people might
not know what a jingle is.
So can you explain that?
So a jingle is a commercial, anaudio commercial, such as Sandy
did I don't know if I can singthem on and you, I, without
(04:45):
having any kind of beeps ononline, but commercials for
major companies.
Sandy did Budweiser, she did JCPenney.
The one I did was TWA and sevenup.
I did backups for those on, soit's jingles, it's singing, it's
music that was on commercials.
So if you go, if you booked anational one, you were woo.
So I just thought a lot ofpeople might not know what a
(05:07):
jingle is, and they were majorwriters in that industry.
And so I got, that's how I gotmy start.
In the music industry that way.
I was working, I was playingaccordion before that and music
before that.
Okay.
Wait, can you just back up?
So you were in a World Cupaccordion contest.
My twin and I, we we had acousin who actually like a third
cousin, my mother's cousin ofcousin who was highly reputable,
(05:31):
Madeline Bel Fury in theaccordion world.
And so when I first wanted tostart on the violin, I brought
that home and they pulled thataway from me immediately.
No string instruments for you.
And then they put me on theaccordion with my twin and we
went off and did competitionafter competition.
And I think it was, we were 17.
Wow.
I was still in high school andit was in Washington DC the
(05:52):
competition, and we took firstplace in the World Cup al
competition.
So anybody out there who used toplay the accordion as a kid, I
might have known you'cause itwas a very small circuit, but
yet nationwide, that's who knewabout the accordion.
Okay, so now I wanna know aboutthe dance.
I love the dance story with yourteacher and the mentor and.
(06:17):
That's a deep story.
I was.
Going into high school in, in onour school system.
I was raised in Maplewood, inSouth Orange community and New
Jersey and the school systems wewent to ninth grade in the
junior high and then 10, 11, 12in high school.
And I was, I was always fightingmy weight as a kid and I wanted
(06:39):
to dance and I was alwayswatching movie.
Musicals were a big deal for me,and I wanted to dance.
I wanted to do what they did.
My, my family, we didn't have alot of money.
We had a lot of kids, five kids.
And a lot of, pressuresfinancially.
So I babysat to raise some moneyto take an adult school summer
(06:59):
school program through the highschool system and the high
school dance teacher wasteaching it that summer.
So I was taking the class twicea week and I was just loving it.
And I think prior to that, all Idid was like a ballet class
locally, which I also babysat totake lessons, but I was not
trained.
(07:19):
And.
By the end of the summer, every,actually, every class after our
dance class, through the summer,we would swim.
She was also the swim coach andwe had access to the swimming
pool, and it was few weeks,maybe six or eight weeks, may,
probably eight weeks.
The last class, I had auditionedfor the company.
(07:41):
I forgot to say that I hadauditioned for the company at
the end of my year in ninthgrade, and I did not make it
into the company.
And it's a company that in highschool you would give up your
lunch period, you would eatlunch in the studio there was a
dance studio full on floors andmirrors.
Her name was Janet Hicks.
She would she fought for thatwith the school system and had
that built out.
And we would literally.
(08:02):
Give up our luncheon and dancefor two hours and train.
And she would bring people infrom Manhattan.
And I didn't get in and I wasterrified and I was scared.
And yet I took the summer schoolprogram and at the end of the
summer she swam up to me afterour last class and invited me to
be part of the company.
And yeah, that was prettyspecial.
So I that's amazing.
(08:23):
And then I love it that youwould, she would drive you into
Manhattan on a Saturday.
You have, oh my goodness.
And you, and then you, and youwould learn, you would work with
Broadway choreographers at Stepsand Broadway dance, and then you
would, she would, and she woulddrive you back, and then you
(08:44):
would teach everybody thecombination.
She would drive me in on aSaturday.
It was Saturday morning now shewould come pick me up from my
family home and then we woulddrive back into Manhattan and I
had no idea the geography at thetime, what was actually
happening.
But she was literally drivingWest 25 to 30 minutes to pick me
up to go east into Manhattan,another 45 to an hour.
(09:08):
And then.
I take the class at, it wasJojo's Dance Factory at the
time, and then she would take meback west home where she would
then have to go back east to herhome.
That was a lot for somebody todo, and I didn't recognize that
for years.
I didn't understand it foryears.
I was a kid.
Isn't that funny?
What a gift.
And so you got to be exposed toall of this beautiful talent in
(09:31):
New York City and then, they sayif you wanna learn something,
teach it.
So coming to teach it, thatmust've been amazing.
It was wonderful, and yet it wasfrustrating because again, I was
not trained and Right.
And I remember you're late tothe party, which I can relate.
I felt very I became a dancer inmy, at 19, I always felt like,
(09:52):
oh, I was scrambling, and Ibroke down one day.
I was crying'cause I wasfrustrated.
I wasn't getting thecombination.
I'm like, I'm never gonna begood at it.
Like she goes, child, justrelax.
She goes, this is anintermediate advanced class and
you're a beginner.
And I'm, and then I'm like,what?
What are you doing?
Taking me into these classes?
But she saw me, she saw mytalent.
(10:14):
She pushed, she saw your heart.
She saw my heart, she saw mytalent, she saw me.
And I worked to develop andteaching it to the My peers on a
Monday was a great opportunity.
I love it.
I the choreograph.
Frankie and I cried a lot too inmy dance company.
I remember just feeling suchpassion and a frustration that I
(10:38):
didn't have more training andtechnique.
And now a quick message.
Are you a female business owneror a female in corporate and you
know it's time to work on yourspeaking.
It's time to work on yourexecutive presence.
You know it's time.
You are meant for more.
My name's Elaine and I've helpedhundreds of people just like you
(11:00):
get more comfortable.
More confident and become atruly charismatic speaker so
that whenever you stand up tospeak, whether it's in front of
five people or 5,000 people,lean in anticipation.
When you are a charismaticspeaker, you have an unfair
advantage and people can't evenput their fingers on it.
(11:21):
So if this resonates with you,if you are ready for more, you
know you're meant for more,click the button below.
Let's schedule a call.
I'd love to chat with you andfind out what you're up to, what
you're committed to, what you'reexcited about, and see if
there's a way we could possiblypartner or work together.
And now back to the show.
(11:45):
So I love that.
I've always I feel like we haveso much in common.
Okay.
So it's our passion.
You have the passion.
It's our passion that drove ourfeet, not the technique.
And then later the techniquecame in.
'cause then I realized I gottaget some technique if I'm gonna
keep doing.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So you're going from that andthen, fast forward, what's the
next big, I know there's amillion little things, but, oh
(12:08):
gosh.
Can you get us to, I don't know,the CC factory or when I
graduated high school I wentover I ended up getting a
scholarship to a dance programdown at Duke and I went there.
Then I left and I went backbecause I wanted to be in New
York and I got my first job atthe Playboy Club in Manhattan.
That was my, oh my God, payingjob.
(12:29):
I was 18 years old.
I was making$600 a week.
It was a fortune.
I was rich.
And I was going to collegeagain, and I was going to
college with no eyelashes andred hair'cause of the boa from
Cabaret.
The number of cabaret was dying,my hair, and every time we put
false eyelashes on, he'd take'emoff.
So I'd be in school, in thedaytime, like with no eyes.
(12:50):
So then went from there to goingon tour.
I auditioned for a band, a top40 band, and I loved singing.
I wanted to be more of a singerand be in the front, and then I
worked through that.
Then I re fast forward, joinedLisa again and got into more
songwriting.
She helped teach me how to dosongwriting and then I went off
(13:11):
and had other partners who thenhelped me and I got to stand up
When I had the recording studioat Quad, I went on tour and I
told you that part about goingout with CNC Music Factory doing
talk shows.
I was on.
Oh gosh.
I was on every day with JoanLondon.
I was on my gosh, party, USA andthings were taking off.
(13:32):
And then I was on tour.
I was early twenties at thatpoint.
Early twenties.
Okay.
But nationally touring and beingon tv.
On tv.
Tv.
And then I went to California.
I was with two pop groups thatone was called Pajama Party, and
they had a hit record called Yse.
That hit the billboard charts.
I think it was top 60 on the popcharts.
(13:52):
It was a hit pop recordnationally, and I was called in
to choreograph that.
And when they heard me singing,there was some, one of the
singers that something happened,whatever.
And then they offered me the jobto be in the group.
So I toured with them and I alsotoured with a group called
Amaretto, which had a hit recordcalled Clave Rock.
And.
That's actually on my Instagrampage.
(14:13):
That cut.
And then I got into the solothing with Sama as the solo
artist.
Went to California and then Iwas paralyzed and that's when
everything just really messedwith my head and yeah.
So you're I'm making it, I'm ontv, I'm touring.
Woo.
And then you're not walking.
(14:33):
Yeah.
Oof.
I crushed.
And what happened?
What happened was I had to takecare of my body.
I couldn't move.
I was, I remember at one point,I remember at one point I was,
when it happened on tour, theyput me in a body brace and I was
so stubborn, man, Elaine, I wasso stupid and stubborn, and I
(14:57):
said, no, before I leave, I needto do this one show.
And they're like, what?
You can't, what are you doing?
And I said, put me in the brace.
Carry me on stage, put me on astool, close the curtain, and
when the song starts, I'm gonnaask, who wants to dance?
Flooded the stage.
Nobody saw me sitting there.
See, I remember this story whenI very first met you.
(15:19):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then at the end of the song,I opened my jacket and I exposed
my brace.
So you really improvised.
Yeah.
And then I realized I can't dothis.
This is crazy making.
I can't, people carry me around.
And so I had to heal and gothrough therapy and walk.
I remember two miles an hour ona treadmill and I didn't think I
was ever gonna get back at it,but then I did.
(15:40):
The body's an incrediblemachine.
If we take care of it, ourbrain, our spirit, our attitude,
and I was my career and my lifebasically was threatened at that
point.
And I'm like a whole nother.
Being of me showed up in hereand I was like, i'm not done
yet.
Wow.
(16:01):
Wow.
Okay.
So fast forward, so you've done,you've worked on documentaries
you've been a producer for majorpodcasts.
You've acted.
You've done many things and ifyou could give a super tip for
somebody who wants to be morecreative or who wants to get
(16:22):
more into film or stand up orwhatever, what would you, what
are what are a couple of supertips you would tell them?
Wow.
So where, because of where I'mat today in my life, no one
could have told me this when Iwas 25.
So if someone's listening who's25, maybe you can hear it, but
if not, that's okay too.
(16:43):
But what I've learned.
Is that I cared so much.
I wanted so badly, and I, and itwas too much.
It was for the wrong reasons.
I wanted to be loved.
I wanted to be seen, I wanted soresonating with this.
Yes.
And yeah.
And so I did everything as yousaid.
(17:04):
Like I went from singer, dancer,actress I moved to Harvard,
voiceover.
I'll do this.
I ended, yeah.
Yeah.
And then I went back and didBroadway tours and I sang with
Streisand.
I did that.
I did all these things because Iwanted to do them.
And I'm grateful.
I'm super grateful.
There was a time when I'm like Iwas crying with my mom.
I don't know who I am.
I'm doing all these things.
She goes, you're all thosethings.
And I was okay.
(17:25):
And it was like, all my friendshave a title, singer, dancer,
actress, director, them doingall this stuff.
That's okay too.
Just watch the motive, you knowwhat's behind the want.
And today it because I'm moremature emotionally spiritually,
all of that.
(17:45):
I do what feels good with thegood people that I want to do it
with, which is really importantand.
I don't, I'm not here toconvince you, which is what was
driving me earlier in my earlydays.
I was trying to convince you tohire me as opposed to, oh my
gosh, please love me.
I need validation.
(18:06):
Yeah.
As opposed to being okay withwho I am and being talented and
using my talent to live my lifeas opposed to pushing it on you.
And that's the different, andthat's being totally honest.
And now it's i'm, who would'veknown, like I just did this
thing on Instagram.
I was like, I realize, what'sthe irony of my life?
(18:27):
My first record called Stand UpOpening for an internationally
acclaimed hit record and group.
On my first TV show out ofPhiladelphia Dance Party, USA,
and here I am fast forward doingstandup comedy, opening up for
international comedians.
(18:48):
One having been from Philly,that's Craig Shoemaker, and now
on tour with Mike Marino.
So it's like this whole turn ofevents in full circle with my
life.
I am so grateful because I getto use those other skills and
carry them with me.
And still do it.
I still have projects that I'mworking on and hope to get some
more financing to finish, likethe documentaries I've done.
(19:09):
And yeah.
Mother, I'm not done with that.
I'm not done with that.
But I love it and I love that,anytime I'm speaking in front of
20 year olds, I'm like, this isthe decade to make the mistakes,
to meander off here, to gobackwards, to realize, oh, not
doing that, tried that.
Not I think you were drivenmaybe not always by the best
(19:31):
motives.
I can relate to that.
Of like seeking validation orjust, I just loved performing so
much and.
As painful as the rejectioncould be.
I also feel like it gave me suchan interesting experience, like
running around New York Cityauditioning in these crazy
(19:51):
little offices and some castingdirectors would hold auditions
in their apartment and, justgoing to these buildings you
would never know, normally youwould never go to, and it was so
fascinating.
And getting to see parts of thecity you might not have seen.
And I love touring because yougo to places and sometimes
you're like, okay, I never needto come back here.
(20:14):
But, you have these reallyfascinating experiences and I
think that's so delicious.
And I think that, that, that'swhat I'm hearing in your story
for sure.
No, I'm grateful.
I'm super grateful.
And I just wanna say if thereare 20 year olds listening
today, or even any young talent,no matter how old you are.
Be very careful, be smart.
(20:35):
Just use your brains and takecare of yourself to, in any
business, yeah.
You know what I'm gonna, I'mgonna add on to that because
some people might be like, becareful.
So there are charlatans, like inany industry, and if anyone is
ever saying, you have to pay me.
To go get you headshot or youhave to pay me to get this
(20:57):
audition, you should run becausethat is not how the industry
works.
And as a woman, I'll neverforget this, Frankie Ann.
And then we're coming back toyou.
As I was always running around,open calls, small calls, big
calls, and for some reason Ibrought my boyfriend with me to
this one audition.
And every, I'm like, thank you.
(21:20):
So we get to this and it's thisguy's apartment and it's a very
creepy scene.
And I look on his table and he'sgot stacks of beautiful young
actresses.
With their numbers, with theiraddresses, like stacks and
(21:41):
stacks of headshot and resumes.
And he's just some producer.
And I remember I just got theheebie-jeebies and I remember my
boyfriend was like, are theyusually like this?
And I was like, no.
Usually they're at an office orthere's other people.
So you know, if you ever feellike you are.
Spidey, since it's going off,you can always excuse yourself
(22:04):
and leave graciously you.
If it doesn't feel right at anypoint, stop, turn around and
bring a friend with you, becauseunfortunately there are.
Charlatans and bad people in theindustry and there are beautiful
people and amazing people likehow I got to meet Frankie Ann.
So anyway, I just wanted to jumponto that.
(22:24):
Frankie Ann, tell us, I know youhave some really cool things
coming up.
Can you tell us about what's,what you're excited about?
Yes, I am touring with Mr.
Mike Marino.
He's an incredibly hystericalcomedian.
He's internationally known.
He is, I knew him.
I worked with him a millionyears ago, so I was like, Mike
Marino.
Yeah.
(22:44):
And he's out of Jersey, myoriginal home state.
And I met him through no, notthrough Craig.
I met him actually throughanother friend.
But he's, he knows Craig butanyway, so I've been working
with him over the last fewyears, in and out and last year
we did I did the tour with himand I was honored to be able to
open up for him on several showsand this year even more.
And I'm really grateful for theopportunities.
(23:07):
Super grateful.
'cause here's the interestingthing about standup comedy,
okay?
I have sang, danced Act, film,television, Broadway tours, you
name it.
What do you all do?
We rehearse.
We learn, we go to rehearsalpractice, you warm up, up, we
practice, you sweat you come todance class with 53 layers on,
(23:28):
people don't know this.
So you come to class and you'reall bundled up'cause you're
cold.
And then as you warm up at thebar, you slowly peel away the
layers.
But some people are like, whatare you doing?
Are you stripping?
Like I've had, I've been in yogaclass and people were like, what
are you doing?
And I was like, oh, I'm just.
Warming up.
But a lot of people dunno that.
So we get to, we, that's therehearsal process.
(23:50):
That's the learning process,right?
So I entered to standup comedy,which was, by the way, the
greatest fear I have ever facedin my life.
And I say, amen, sister.
Like I repelled off an 80 footmountain cliff in Mexico.
Alone with a bunch of strangerswho I went to the bathroom with
and said, here's my parents'phone number in case the rope
(24:11):
breaks, call'em, because Irealized, oh, I'm in another
country.
But my point is.
That was nothing compared to thefear I faced within myself
doing.
When I said I wanna do this, Iproduced a series called live
nude comedy for Showtime back in2009 or 10.
Great comedians and WhitneyCummings and Crystal Leah and
(24:32):
you there just so many, oh,that's so great.
Talented comedians.
And I was like, oh my God, thisis so cool.
How do they do that?
How do they do that?
So I went on with my life asdirecting and producing more
then, and then one day I said.
Bucket list.
First was tango.
Learned that next was standupcomedy.
Yeah.
I wanted a tango because I wasalways dancing and nobody ever
(24:53):
wanted to dance with me'cause Iwas a dancer.
I love tango.
Follow.
So I went to one of thoseschools and he goes, what do you
wanna do?
You know how to dance?
I said, no, I wanna learn how tofollow.
Which is very hard, especiallyif you've been a woman who's had
to drive.
To allow yourself to be led.
Woo.
I was a solo dancer.
(25:13):
I did Anita, I was Anita on WestSide Story.
It's like you choreographed it.
I just did it.
I didn't know how to follow.
Anyway, so did that and thenstandup comedy was next.
So I get to this I'm like, okay,how do you write your own
material?
Who's teaching that?
And I went to classes or coachesand they're like, no, don't do
that.
Do it this way.
(25:34):
And I'm like, but how did youget there?
They don't always get, you'renot gonna be in my pocket every
time I'm trying to, write a bit.
So fast forward.
There, there's no school.
There's schools, but there's noschool and there's no rehearsal
hall.
There's open mics, and thenthere's shows.
And so I drill like crazy.
I walk miles and miles drillingand drilling and drilling and
(25:57):
talking out loud.
You say it out loud, I like tosay it out loud.
Out loud.
Out loud.
Yeah.
And then do you do warmups.
Then you go on stage and you, Irecord it to a and I listen back
and I'm brutally honest now withmyself.
I'm like, I like that joke, butthey don't, I think I need to
cut it.
So that's the difference with,singing, dancing, acting,
(26:17):
producing, directing.
You get, you can go to schoolfor that.
There's really no school.
So I had a teacher tell me once,one of the reasons you always
wanna record.
Is, it's never quite as good asyou as it felt, and it's never
quite as bad as you thought.
Like I remember having thissensation of I just ate it and
(26:38):
then listening and going, oh, Idid get laughs.
I just didn't remember.
Or I expected a much biggerlaugh.
And then I've also had thefeeling of ugh.
I was so great and then Ilistened to it and I'm like,
you're okay.
Do you, is has that been yourexperience or?
One thing I remember I wastaught when I was doing theater
(27:00):
was if you are in your head,you're not in the moment.
If you hear the audience, you'renot doing your job.
Because being present, andthat's the thing about me
drilling, it's like to get tothe point where I'm not at all
thinking about.
The bits, the jokes, the wordsthat it's such a natural part of
my subconscious that I'm presentwith the audience.
(27:21):
And that's the difference alsois that I'm breaking the fourth
wall.
When you're acting, you're notbreaking that wall in, in
comedy, you are, you're breakingthat wall.
You're having a conversationwith an audience who's
communicating through laughter.
Hopefully nobody's hecklingthrough words, but that happens.
But the conversation is in thatplace so that if I'm in my head,
(27:45):
which I have been, because I,I'm only doing this, we're
human, you human not 30 yearslike Mike or Craig.
When you do it over and overagain, it just gets to be more
natural, which is what theseguys that do it so well make it
look like everything isscripted, everything.
It is.
I, people go, oh, the other dayand it's no, that was 20 years
(28:07):
ago.
Or you Yeah.
And it, the goal is to make itfeel like these are just coming
off instantaneously.
Easy for me to say.
Yeah.
And but it's scripted andcrafted and practiced and
punched or not, or thrown away.
And yeah.
I'm Frankie and okay, so youhave some shows coming up.
Can you tell us, can you tell usif anybody's on the East Coast,
(28:30):
where do they go?
What do they do?
Yes.
If you're on the East Coast, I'mgonna be back in New Jersey this
week.
Providing this airs this week.
It's October 4th.
We have two shows I'll beopening for Mike Marino at the
Roxbury Arts Alliance Theater,Insana, New Jersey.
Let me say that again.
Ana.
SUCC.
(28:51):
No, I'm not even gonna try it,Ana.
And and then we have a show onthe ninth.
It's a hope fest.
It's it's a benefit where I'llbe hosting that with Mike and
his brother Mar.
Paul Marino, the Paul Marinoband will be on that show as
well.
And then.
The big audience at theamazingly historic former
(29:11):
Vaudevillian Theater called theBrook Arts Theater.
Center Theater Brook Arts CenterTheater in Bound Brook, New
Jersey is on October 11th at8:00 PM That's one show that's
got nearly almost a thousandseats.
It's a big theater, so you cango to mike marino.net for
tickets or look at my Instagram,which is Frankie.
(29:35):
Ann with an eco productions,don't ask me why I did it that
way, but Frankie Ann underproductions and all that
information's on my Instagrampage.
Okay.
That's great.
I'm so excited.
And you had such a windy,adventurous journey.
Is there any final super tip orwords of wisdom that you would
(30:00):
like?
The listeners to, to take.
So something I, I just wroterecently was thinking about not.
Not finishing, falling down,trying to stay in that race, but
falling down, breaking my back,or having this other detour that
I didn't expect.
We can't see around corners.
(30:21):
I cannot have a crystal balltell me what my life is gonna
look like, no matter how much Ithink I'm gonna win that race or
get that job.
If it wasn't for me falling, Iwould not be who I am today.
Resilient, hungry, focused.
And that is part of what Iaccept today, is that I go with
(30:42):
the flow.
I do the best I can with what Ihave today and then I have to
let go of that outcome and dealwith it as it flows.
So that's my, ah, you can be awinner if you can accept that is
beautiful.
That is so beautiful Frankie,and thank you so much for
sharing your stories I'm gonnaput all the links and dates in
(31:05):
the show notes and if you arelistening or watching and have
somebody who is stuck.
In their artistic journey, orthey just feel, stop.
Please send them this episodeand subscribe, rate, and review
so that we can keep getting outthe word out.
My, my mission is to help healthe world.
One joke, one video, one story,one other comedian at a time,
(31:28):
and I need a whole crew to doit.
So thank you so much forwatching.
Thank you again, Frankie Ann.
This was great.
Thank you.
Okay, everybody.
Bye for now.
Bye.
this is Elaine Williams withCaptivate The Mic.
This is a podcast to help youbecome a more effective speaker
communicator.
Whether you're doing videos,whether you're on stage, whether
you're podcast guesting, I amusing my 50 million years of
experience and having amazingguests.
And you are going to love thisnext guest.
(00:27):
I met her through anothercomedian, Craig Shoemaker.
This woman is so inspiring.
She has amazing stories and whatI love most though, I want you
to listen.
Her stories are great, but shehas beautiful vocal variety.
Beautiful vocal charisma.
She pauses.
She does great pacing.
(00:48):
She's truly a master storytellerin addition to fabulously
talented and inspiring.
So this is my friend FrankieAnn.
A comedian, speaker, coach,producer, director, she's done
so many things.
You are in for such a treat, andI can't wait for you to fall in
(01:09):
love with her the way I havefallen in love with her.
So enjoy I Hello and welcome toCaptivate the Mic with Elaine
Williams.
You are in for such a treat.
I am so delighted to have thisphenomenal woman on my show.
(01:32):
We met through a mutualcomedian, Craig Schumaker.
This woman has toured thecountry.
She's a superstar.
She's danced with CNC MusicFactory.
She sang with Barbara Streisand.
Frankie Ann, I am so excitedthat you're here.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Thank you for having me.
(01:53):
And I have to makeclarification.
I didn't dance with CNC MusicFactory.
I sang my own single.
I opened up for them.
Okay.
I stand.
Don't wanna, I don't wanna takecredit from any dancers who are
back to working their off.
Okay.
So just if you're in yourfifties I loved CNC Music
factory.
Gotta make you sweat, do youlike, I just remember just
jamming out to them.
I loved them.
(02:13):
I thought they were so cool.
And yeah.
Yeah, it was fun.
I actually was I had my singlestandup had just come out and.
I was working in quad recordingstudios in Manhattan, where
Martha Washington was recordingone of her original singer.
Now, Martha Wash was thevocalist.
Everybody dance now.
She was the extra singer.
(02:33):
Done, and Freedom was working atthe studio.
Like mixing up time timeframes,but Freedom had been working.
I knew Freedom from when I wasjust, producing and writing in
my own studio there at Quad, hewas working at Quad.
Then he became part of CNC MusicFactory.
Then Martha came to me and theyasked me to choreograph the
(02:56):
Martha Tour, which ended upcoinciding when I, my, my record
was coming out.
And so that's how I also endedup.
With CNC, it was all thesethings happening very quickly at
the same time.
So I got ended up touring withmy record stand up as the
opening act.
So that was really exciting.
That is one thing I really wannatalk about.
So we met a couple years ago andthen we over Zoom.
(03:18):
I was taking a class and then wemet when I was in LA and
visiting my cousin and had thisfabulous brunch.
You have such an interesting.
Passionate, beautiful story.
And I think that a lot of peoplecould get inspiration and
comfort and motivation from it.
Can you just tell people alittle bit about your, how you
(03:42):
started?
Yeah, on East Coast.
I think I started young.
I was in the studios AFR, a verydear friend of mine to this day.
Her name is Lisa Ratner, veryreputable and successful.
Songwriter found me in highschool.
And so her and anotherincredible vocalist, Sandy
Farinas, that was Lisa Ratnerand Sandy Farina.
I found me in high school.
(04:02):
She was substitute teaching andthey had written a song for
Streisand.
They had written a song forDolly part and they were up and
coming, young songwriters.
So she was just supplementingteaching and she grabbed me and
this other friend of mine andbrought us into the studios.
And my first foray in singingwas doing backup with Sandy.
(04:22):
Jingles and Lisa went on to domore jingles with Sandy and went
on to do more music and write,hit songs so some people might
not know what a jingle is.
So can you explain that?
So a jingle is a commercial, anaudio commercial, such as Sandy
did I don't know if I can singthem on and you, I, without
(04:45):
having any kind of beeps ononline, but commercials for
major companies.
Sandy did Budweiser, she did JCPenney.
The one I did was TWA and sevenup.
I did backups for those on, soit's jingles, it's singing, it's
music that was on commercials.
So if you go, if you booked anational one, you were woo.
So I just thought a lot ofpeople might not know what a
(05:07):
jingle is, and they were majorwriters in that industry.
And so I got, that's how I gotmy start.
In the music industry that way.
I was working, I was playingaccordion before that and music
before that.
Okay.
Wait, can you just back up?
So you were in a World Cupaccordion contest.
My twin and I, we we had acousin who actually like a third
cousin, my mother's cousin ofcousin who was highly reputable,
(05:31):
Madeline Bel Fury in theaccordion world.
And so when I first wanted tostart on the violin, I brought
that home and they pulled thataway from me immediately.
No string instruments for you.
And then they put me on theaccordion with my twin and we
went off and did competitionafter competition.
And I think it was, we were 17.
Wow.
I was still in high school andit was in Washington DC the
(05:52):
competition, and we took firstplace in the World Cup al
competition.
So anybody out there who used toplay the accordion as a kid, I
might have known you'cause itwas a very small circuit, but
yet nationwide, that's who knewabout the accordion.
Okay, so now I wanna know aboutthe dance.
I love the dance story with yourteacher and the mentor and.
(06:17):
That's a deep story.
I was.
Going into high school in, in onour school system.
I was raised in Maplewood, inSouth Orange community and New
Jersey and the school systems wewent to ninth grade in the
junior high and then 10, 11, 12in high school.
And I was, I was always fightingmy weight as a kid and I wanted
(06:39):
to dance and I was alwayswatching movie.
Musicals were a big deal for me,and I wanted to dance.
I wanted to do what they did.
My, my family, we didn't have alot of money.
We had a lot of kids, five kids.
And a lot of, pressuresfinancially.
So I babysat to raise some moneyto take an adult school summer
(06:59):
school program through the highschool system and the high
school dance teacher wasteaching it that summer.
So I was taking the class twicea week and I was just loving it.
And I think prior to that, all Idid was like a ballet class
locally, which I also babysat totake lessons, but I was not
trained.
(07:19):
And.
By the end of the summer, every,actually, every class after our
dance class, through the summer,we would swim.
She was also the swim coach andwe had access to the swimming
pool, and it was few weeks,maybe six or eight weeks, may,
probably eight weeks.
The last class, I had auditionedfor the company.
(07:41):
I forgot to say that I hadauditioned for the company at
the end of my year in ninthgrade, and I did not make it
into the company.
And it's a company that in highschool you would give up your
lunch period, you would eatlunch in the studio there was a
dance studio full on floors andmirrors.
Her name was Janet Hicks.
She would she fought for thatwith the school system and had
that built out.
And we would literally.
(08:02):
Give up our luncheon and dancefor two hours and train.
And she would bring people infrom Manhattan.
And I didn't get in and I wasterrified and I was scared.
And yet I took the summer schoolprogram and at the end of the
summer she swam up to me afterour last class and invited me to
be part of the company.
And yeah, that was prettyspecial.
So I that's amazing.
(08:23):
And then I love it that youwould, she would drive you into
Manhattan on a Saturday.
You have, oh my goodness.
And you, and then you, and youwould learn, you would work with
Broadway choreographers at Stepsand Broadway dance, and then you
would, she would, and she woulddrive you back, and then you
(08:44):
would teach everybody thecombination.
She would drive me in on aSaturday.
It was Saturday morning now shewould come pick me up from my
family home and then we woulddrive back into Manhattan and I
had no idea the geography at thetime, what was actually
happening.
But she was literally drivingWest 25 to 30 minutes to pick me
up to go east into Manhattan,another 45 to an hour.
(09:08):
And then.
I take the class at, it wasJojo's Dance Factory at the
time, and then she would take meback west home where she would
then have to go back east to herhome.
That was a lot for somebody todo, and I didn't recognize that
for years.
I didn't understand it foryears.
I was a kid.
Isn't that funny?
What a gift.
And so you got to be exposed toall of this beautiful talent in
(09:31):
New York City and then, they sayif you wanna learn something,
teach it.
So coming to teach it, thatmust've been amazing.
It was wonderful, and yet it wasfrustrating because again, I was
not trained and Right.
And I remember you're late tothe party, which I can relate.
I felt very I became a dancer inmy, at 19, I always felt like,
(09:52):
oh, I was scrambling, and Ibroke down one day.
I was crying'cause I wasfrustrated.
I wasn't getting thecombination.
I'm like, I'm never gonna begood at it.
Like she goes, child, justrelax.
She goes, this is anintermediate advanced class and
you're a beginner.
And I'm, and then I'm like,what?
What are you doing?
Taking me into these classes?
But she saw me, she saw mytalent.
(10:14):
She pushed, she saw your heart.
She saw my heart, she saw mytalent, she saw me.
And I worked to develop andteaching it to the My peers on a
Monday was a great opportunity.
I love it.
I the choreograph.
Frankie and I cried a lot too inmy dance company.
I remember just feeling suchpassion and a frustration that I
(10:38):
didn't have more training andtechnique.
And now a quick message.
Are you a female business owneror a female in corporate and you
know it's time to work on yourspeaking.
It's time to work on yourexecutive presence.
You know it's time.
You are meant for more.
My name's Elaine and I've helpedhundreds of people just like you
(11:00):
get more comfortable.
More confident and become atruly charismatic speaker so
that whenever you stand up tospeak, whether it's in front of
five people or 5,000 people,lean in anticipation.
When you are a charismaticspeaker, you have an unfair
advantage and people can't evenput their fingers on it.
(11:21):
So if this resonates with you,if you are ready for more, you
know you're meant for more,click the button below.
Let's schedule a call.
I'd love to chat with you andfind out what you're up to, what
you're committed to, what you'reexcited about, and see if
there's a way we could possiblypartner or work together.
And now back to the show.
(11:45):
So I love that.
I've always I feel like we haveso much in common.
Okay.
So it's our passion.
You have the passion.
It's our passion that drove ourfeet, not the technique.
And then later the techniquecame in.
'cause then I realized I gottaget some technique if I'm gonna
keep doing.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So you're going from that andthen, fast forward, what's the
next big, I know there's amillion little things, but, oh
(12:08):
gosh.
Can you get us to, I don't know,the CC factory or when I
graduated high school I wentover I ended up getting a
scholarship to a dance programdown at Duke and I went there.
Then I left and I went backbecause I wanted to be in New
York and I got my first job atthe Playboy Club in Manhattan.
That was my, oh my God, payingjob.
(12:29):
I was 18 years old.
I was making$600 a week.
It was a fortune.
I was rich.
And I was going to collegeagain, and I was going to
college with no eyelashes andred hair'cause of the boa from
Cabaret.
The number of cabaret was dying,my hair, and every time we put
false eyelashes on, he'd take'emoff.
So I'd be in school, in thedaytime, like with no eyes.
(12:50):
So then went from there to goingon tour.
I auditioned for a band, a top40 band, and I loved singing.
I wanted to be more of a singerand be in the front, and then I
worked through that.
Then I re fast forward, joinedLisa again and got into more
songwriting.
She helped teach me how to dosongwriting and then I went off
(13:11):
and had other partners who thenhelped me and I got to stand up
When I had the recording studioat Quad, I went on tour and I
told you that part about goingout with CNC Music Factory doing
talk shows.
I was on.
Oh gosh.
I was on every day with JoanLondon.
I was on my gosh, party, USA andthings were taking off.
(13:32):
And then I was on tour.
I was early twenties at thatpoint.
Early twenties.
Okay.
But nationally touring and beingon tv.
On tv.
Tv.
And then I went to California.
I was with two pop groups thatone was called Pajama Party, and
they had a hit record called Yse.
That hit the billboard charts.
I think it was top 60 on the popcharts.
(13:52):
It was a hit pop recordnationally, and I was called in
to choreograph that.
And when they heard me singing,there was some, one of the
singers that something happened,whatever.
And then they offered me the jobto be in the group.
So I toured with them and I alsotoured with a group called
Amaretto, which had a hit recordcalled Clave Rock.
And.
That's actually on my Instagrampage.
(14:13):
That cut.
And then I got into the solothing with Sama as the solo
artist.
Went to California and then Iwas paralyzed and that's when
everything just really messedwith my head and yeah.
So you're I'm making it, I'm ontv, I'm touring.
Woo.
And then you're not walking.
(14:33):
Yeah.
Oof.
I crushed.
And what happened?
What happened was I had to takecare of my body.
I couldn't move.
I was, I remember at one point,I remember at one point I was,
when it happened on tour, theyput me in a body brace and I was
so stubborn, man, Elaine, I wasso stupid and stubborn, and I
(14:57):
said, no, before I leave, I needto do this one show.
And they're like, what?
You can't, what are you doing?
And I said, put me in the brace.
Carry me on stage, put me on astool, close the curtain, and
when the song starts, I'm gonnaask, who wants to dance?
Flooded the stage.
Nobody saw me sitting there.
See, I remember this story whenI very first met you.
(15:19):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then at the end of the song,I opened my jacket and I exposed
my brace.
So you really improvised.
Yeah.
And then I realized I can't dothis.
This is crazy making.
I can't, people carry me around.
And so I had to heal and gothrough therapy and walk.
I remember two miles an hour ona treadmill and I didn't think I
was ever gonna get back at it,but then I did.
(15:40):
The body's an incrediblemachine.
If we take care of it, ourbrain, our spirit, our attitude,
and I was my career and my lifebasically was threatened at that
point.
And I'm like a whole nother.
Being of me showed up in hereand I was like, i'm not done
yet.
Wow.
(16:01):
Wow.
Okay.
So fast forward, so you've done,you've worked on documentaries
you've been a producer for majorpodcasts.
You've acted.
You've done many things and ifyou could give a super tip for
somebody who wants to be morecreative or who wants to get
(16:22):
more into film or stand up orwhatever, what would you, what
are what are a couple of supertips you would tell them?
Wow.
So where, because of where I'mat today in my life, no one
could have told me this when Iwas 25.
So if someone's listening who's25, maybe you can hear it, but
if not, that's okay too.
(16:43):
But what I've learned.
Is that I cared so much.
I wanted so badly, and I, and itwas too much.
It was for the wrong reasons.
I wanted to be loved.
I wanted to be seen, I wanted soresonating with this.
Yes.
And yeah.
And so I did everything as yousaid.
(17:04):
Like I went from singer, dancer,actress I moved to Harvard,
voiceover.
I'll do this.
I ended, yeah.
Yeah.
And then I went back and didBroadway tours and I sang with
Streisand.
I did that.
I did all these things because Iwanted to do them.
And I'm grateful.
I'm super grateful.
There was a time when I'm like Iwas crying with my mom.
I don't know who I am.
I'm doing all these things.
She goes, you're all thosethings.
And I was okay.
(17:25):
And it was like, all my friendshave a title, singer, dancer,
actress, director, them doingall this stuff.
That's okay too.
Just watch the motive, you knowwhat's behind the want.
And today it because I'm moremature emotionally spiritually,
all of that.
(17:45):
I do what feels good with thegood people that I want to do it
with, which is really importantand.
I don't, I'm not here toconvince you, which is what was
driving me earlier in my earlydays.
I was trying to convince you tohire me as opposed to, oh my
gosh, please love me.
I need validation.
(18:06):
Yeah.
As opposed to being okay withwho I am and being talented and
using my talent to live my lifeas opposed to pushing it on you.
And that's the different, andthat's being totally honest.
And now it's i'm, who would'veknown, like I just did this
thing on Instagram.
I was like, I realize, what'sthe irony of my life?
(18:27):
My first record called Stand UpOpening for an internationally
acclaimed hit record and group.
On my first TV show out ofPhiladelphia Dance Party, USA,
and here I am fast forward doingstandup comedy, opening up for
international comedians.
(18:48):
One having been from Philly,that's Craig Shoemaker, and now
on tour with Mike Marino.
So it's like this whole turn ofevents in full circle with my
life.
I am so grateful because I getto use those other skills and
carry them with me.
And still do it.
I still have projects that I'mworking on and hope to get some
more financing to finish, likethe documentaries I've done.
(19:09):
And yeah.
Mother, I'm not done with that.
I'm not done with that.
But I love it and I love that,anytime I'm speaking in front of
20 year olds, I'm like, this isthe decade to make the mistakes,
to meander off here, to gobackwards, to realize, oh, not
doing that, tried that.
Not I think you were drivenmaybe not always by the best
(19:31):
motives.
I can relate to that.
Of like seeking validation orjust, I just loved performing so
much and.
As painful as the rejectioncould be.
I also feel like it gave me suchan interesting experience, like
running around New York Cityauditioning in these crazy
(19:51):
little offices and some castingdirectors would hold auditions
in their apartment and, justgoing to these buildings you
would never know, normally youwould never go to, and it was so
fascinating.
And getting to see parts of thecity you might not have seen.
And I love touring because yougo to places and sometimes
you're like, okay, I never needto come back here.
(20:14):
But, you have these reallyfascinating experiences and I
think that's so delicious.
And I think that, that, that'swhat I'm hearing in your story
for sure.
No, I'm grateful.
I'm super grateful.
And I just wanna say if thereare 20 year olds listening
today, or even any young talent,no matter how old you are.
Be very careful, be smart.
(20:35):
Just use your brains and takecare of yourself to, in any
business, yeah.
You know what I'm gonna, I'mgonna add on to that because
some people might be like, becareful.
So there are charlatans, like inany industry, and if anyone is
ever saying, you have to pay me.
To go get you headshot or youhave to pay me to get this
(20:57):
audition, you should run becausethat is not how the industry
works.
And as a woman, I'll neverforget this, Frankie Ann.
And then we're coming back toyou.
As I was always running around,open calls, small calls, big
calls, and for some reason Ibrought my boyfriend with me to
this one audition.
And every, I'm like, thank you.
(21:20):
So we get to this and it's thisguy's apartment and it's a very
creepy scene.
And I look on his table and he'sgot stacks of beautiful young
actresses.
With their numbers, with theiraddresses, like stacks and
(21:41):
stacks of headshot and resumes.
And he's just some producer.
And I remember I just got theheebie-jeebies and I remember my
boyfriend was like, are theyusually like this?
And I was like, no.
Usually they're at an office orthere's other people.
So you know, if you ever feellike you are.
Spidey, since it's going off,you can always excuse yourself
(22:04):
and leave graciously you.
If it doesn't feel right at anypoint, stop, turn around and
bring a friend with you, becauseunfortunately there are.
Charlatans and bad people in theindustry and there are beautiful
people and amazing people likehow I got to meet Frankie Ann.
So anyway, I just wanted to jumponto that.
(22:24):
Frankie Ann, tell us, I know youhave some really cool things
coming up.
Can you tell us about what's,what you're excited about?
Yes, I am touring with Mr.
Mike Marino.
He's an incredibly hystericalcomedian.
He's internationally known.
He is, I knew him.
I worked with him a millionyears ago, so I was like, Mike
Marino.
Yeah.
(22:44):
And he's out of Jersey, myoriginal home state.
And I met him through no, notthrough Craig.
I met him actually throughanother friend.
But he's, he knows Craig butanyway, so I've been working
with him over the last fewyears, in and out and last year
we did I did the tour with himand I was honored to be able to
open up for him on several showsand this year even more.
And I'm really grateful for theopportunities.
(23:07):
Super grateful.
'cause here's the interestingthing about standup comedy,
okay?
I have sang, danced Act, film,television, Broadway tours, you
name it.
What do you all do?
We rehearse.
We learn, we go to rehearsalpractice, you warm up, up, we
practice, you sweat you come todance class with 53 layers on,
(23:28):
people don't know this.
So you come to class and you'reall bundled up'cause you're
cold.
And then as you warm up at thebar, you slowly peel away the
layers.
But some people are like, whatare you doing?
Are you stripping?
Like I've had, I've been in yogaclass and people were like, what
are you doing?
And I was like, oh, I'm just.
Warming up.
But a lot of people dunno that.
So we get to, we, that's therehearsal process.
(23:50):
That's the learning process,right?
So I entered to standup comedy,which was, by the way, the
greatest fear I have ever facedin my life.
And I say, amen, sister.
Like I repelled off an 80 footmountain cliff in Mexico.
Alone with a bunch of strangerswho I went to the bathroom with
and said, here's my parents'phone number in case the rope
(24:11):
breaks, call'em, because Irealized, oh, I'm in another
country.
But my point is.
That was nothing compared to thefear I faced within myself
doing.
When I said I wanna do this, Iproduced a series called live
nude comedy for Showtime back in2009 or 10.
Great comedians and WhitneyCummings and Crystal Leah and
(24:32):
you there just so many, oh,that's so great.
Talented comedians.
And I was like, oh my God, thisis so cool.
How do they do that?
How do they do that?
So I went on with my life asdirecting and producing more
then, and then one day I said.
Bucket list.
First was tango.
Learned that next was standupcomedy.
Yeah.
I wanted a tango because I wasalways dancing and nobody ever
(24:53):
wanted to dance with me'cause Iwas a dancer.
I love tango.
Follow.
So I went to one of thoseschools and he goes, what do you
wanna do?
You know how to dance?
I said, no, I wanna learn how tofollow.
Which is very hard, especiallyif you've been a woman who's had
to drive.
To allow yourself to be led.
Woo.
I was a solo dancer.
(25:13):
I did Anita, I was Anita on WestSide Story.
It's like you choreographed it.
I just did it.
I didn't know how to follow.
Anyway, so did that and thenstandup comedy was next.
So I get to this I'm like, okay,how do you write your own
material?
Who's teaching that?
And I went to classes or coachesand they're like, no, don't do
that.
Do it this way.
(25:34):
And I'm like, but how did youget there?
They don't always get, you'renot gonna be in my pocket every
time I'm trying to, write a bit.
So fast forward.
There, there's no school.
There's schools, but there's noschool and there's no rehearsal
hall.
There's open mics, and thenthere's shows.
And so I drill like crazy.
I walk miles and miles drillingand drilling and drilling and
(25:57):
talking out loud.
You say it out loud, I like tosay it out loud.
Out loud.
Out loud.
Yeah.
And then do you do warmups.
Then you go on stage and you, Irecord it to a and I listen back
and I'm brutally honest now withmyself.
I'm like, I like that joke, butthey don't, I think I need to
cut it.
So that's the difference with,singing, dancing, acting,
(26:17):
producing, directing.
You get, you can go to schoolfor that.
There's really no school.
So I had a teacher tell me once,one of the reasons you always
wanna record.
Is, it's never quite as good asyou as it felt, and it's never
quite as bad as you thought.
Like I remember having thissensation of I just ate it and
(26:38):
then listening and going, oh, Idid get laughs.
I just didn't remember.
Or I expected a much biggerlaugh.
And then I've also had thefeeling of ugh.
I was so great and then Ilistened to it and I'm like,
you're okay.
Do you, is has that been yourexperience or?
One thing I remember I wastaught when I was doing theater
(27:00):
was if you are in your head,you're not in the moment.
If you hear the audience, you'renot doing your job.
Because being present, andthat's the thing about me
drilling, it's like to get tothe point where I'm not at all
thinking about.
The bits, the jokes, the wordsthat it's such a natural part of
my subconscious that I'm presentwith the audience.
(27:21):
And that's the difference alsois that I'm breaking the fourth
wall.
When you're acting, you're notbreaking that wall in, in
comedy, you are, you're breakingthat wall.
You're having a conversationwith an audience who's
communicating through laughter.
Hopefully nobody's hecklingthrough words, but that happens.
But the conversation is in thatplace so that if I'm in my head,
(27:45):
which I have been, because I,I'm only doing this, we're
human, you human not 30 yearslike Mike or Craig.
When you do it over and overagain, it just gets to be more
natural, which is what theseguys that do it so well make it
look like everything isscripted, everything.
It is.
I, people go, oh, the other dayand it's no, that was 20 years
(28:07):
ago.
Or you Yeah.
And it, the goal is to make itfeel like these are just coming
off instantaneously.
Easy for me to say.
Yeah.
And but it's scripted andcrafted and practiced and
punched or not, or thrown away.
And yeah.
I'm Frankie and okay, so youhave some shows coming up.
Can you tell us, can you tell usif anybody's on the East Coast,
(28:30):
where do they go?
What do they do?
Yes.
If you're on the East Coast, I'mgonna be back in New Jersey this
week.
Providing this airs this week.
It's October 4th.
We have two shows I'll beopening for Mike Marino at the
Roxbury Arts Alliance Theater,Insana, New Jersey.
Let me say that again.
Ana.
SUCC.
(28:51):
No, I'm not even gonna try it,Ana.
And and then we have a show onthe ninth.
It's a hope fest.
It's it's a benefit where I'llbe hosting that with Mike and
his brother Mar.
Paul Marino, the Paul Marinoband will be on that show as
well.
And then.
The big audience at theamazingly historic former
(29:11):
Vaudevillian Theater called theBrook Arts Theater.
Center Theater Brook Arts CenterTheater in Bound Brook, New
Jersey is on October 11th at8:00 PM That's one show that's
got nearly almost a thousandseats.
It's a big theater, so you cango to mike marino.net for
tickets or look at my Instagram,which is Frankie.
(29:35):
Ann with an eco productions,don't ask me why I did it that
way, but Frankie Ann underproductions and all that
information's on my Instagrampage.
Okay.
That's great.
I'm so excited.
And you had such a windy,adventurous journey.
Is there any final super tip orwords of wisdom that you would
(30:00):
like?
The listeners to, to take.
So something I, I just wroterecently was thinking about not.
Not finishing, falling down,trying to stay in that race, but
falling down, breaking my back,or having this other detour that
I didn't expect.
We can't see around corners.
(30:21):
I cannot have a crystal balltell me what my life is gonna
look like, no matter how much Ithink I'm gonna win that race or
get that job.
If it wasn't for me falling, Iwould not be who I am today.
Resilient, hungry, focused.
And that is part of what Iaccept today, is that I go with
(30:42):
the flow.
I do the best I can with what Ihave today and then I have to
let go of that outcome and dealwith it as it flows.
So that's my, ah, you can be awinner if you can accept that is
beautiful.
That is so beautiful Frankie,and thank you so much for
sharing your stories I'm gonnaput all the links and dates in
(31:05):
the show notes and if you arelistening or watching and have
somebody who is stuck.
In their artistic journey, orthey just feel, stop.
Please send them this episodeand subscribe, rate, and review
so that we can keep getting outthe word out.
My, my mission is to help healthe world.
One joke, one video, one story,one other comedian at a time,
(31:28):
and I need a whole crew to doit.
So thank you so much forwatching.
Thank you again, Frankie Ann.
This was great.
Thank you.
Okay, everybody.
Bye for now.
Bye.
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