The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Intimate, personal conversations with the biggest talents from professional theatre, tv, film, and more. Hear their secrets, what makes them laugh, stresses them out, and how they manage the anxiety of success. We feature both stars and creatives such as producers, stage managers, directors, press and marketing agents, or even the people who own the theaters or productions themselves. This is a podcast for artists, made by artists. With over 2 decades of experience in film and theatre both as cast and creative, host Alan Seales speaks with Broadway, TV, film and beyond’s biggest talents to learn more about not only how the world of theatre and performing operate, but also what makes it so real and human. In-depth, personal, behind-the-scenes conversations will highlight special details of the industry that most people may not know exist, will always find out what makes the guests love their craft, what makes them tick, and what truly inspires them. Part of the Broadway Podcast Network.

Episodes

Ep424 - Sadie Dickerson: From Competitive Swimming to Sandra Dee

December 16, 2025 • 38 mins
Transitioning from competitive swimming to the stage requires a specific kind of discipline, but Sadie Dickerson has mastered the pivot. She opens up about the intense audition process for Just in Time, which spanned months and a cross country move to Los Angeles, only to receive the life changing offer while house sitting with some very old dogs. She also shares stories about her time working at a Comic Con t-shirt stand and coach...
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Ep423 - Christian Cowan: Dressing Lady Gaga at Eighteen with Super Glue and Sequins

December 9, 2025 • 43 mins
Christian Cowan’s journey to the top of the fashion world is anything but traditional. He opens up about applying to Central Saint Martins with a literal soup can instead of a standard portfolio and explains how a childhood obsession with insects helped him understand high fashion structures. He also shares the wild story of receiving a commission from Lady Gaga at just 18 years old while he was still a first-year student who barel...
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Ep422 - Kevin Del Aguila: The Actor Who Accidentally Became Everything

December 5, 2025 • 53 mins
Kevin Del Aguila has one of those careers that feels impossible on paper but makes perfect sense once you hear him talk about it. He shares how acting and writing grew side by side almost accidentally, from staging one-acts with unemployed friends to becoming the secret ingredient that finally unlocked Altar Boyz. Kevin opens up about years of temp jobs, the anxiety of switching to a full-time artistic life, and the surprising mome...
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Ep421 - Gabrielle Nevaeh: Flying From All That Into the Upside Down

December 2, 2025 • 55 mins
Gabrielle Nevaeh’s journey to Stranger Things: The First Shadow feels like a real-time coming-of-age story. In our conversation, she opens up about growing up painfully shy in Florida, discovering acting at a performing arts school, and then making the leap to Los Angeles at just twelve years old with nothing but six suitcases and a dream. From navigating the whirlwind of Nickelodeon fame, to essentially attending “Nick High,” to j...
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Ep420 - Kimiko Glenn: Hang Out Forever and the Art of Being Unapologetically You

November 25, 2025 • 58 mins
Kimiko Glenn brings a mix of honesty, humor, and delightful chaos to this conversation, opening up about the vulnerable journey behind her new single Hang Out Forever and why the music video takes such a hilariously dark turn. She talks about songwriting as her personal diary, how she finally found the courage to share it publicly, and why creative control feels like oxygen after years of being the “vessel” for other people’s visio...
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Ep419 - Nathan Lee Graham: The Working Actor’s Working Actor

November 18, 2025 • 53 mins
This conversation with Nathan Lee Graham goes deeper than expected, mixing sharp humor with real insight into a career built on consistency, curiosity, and craft. He reflects on growing up between St. Louis and Los Angeles, navigating a childhood shaped by divorce, experimental schools, and parents who understood early on that the arts were his home. Nathan talks about discovering his calling in high school, the moment Marin Mazie ...
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Ep418 - Nasia Thomas & Casimar Valles: The Haus Is Where Where Kids Go and Grow

November 11, 2025 • 43 mins
Two artists with big hearts take center stage to talk about building a true home for kids in the South Bronx. Casimar Valles shares how The Haus of Performing Arts grew from an uncle’s dream into a community hub that picks students up after school, feeds them, and lets them stand up and create instead of being told to sit still. Broadway powerhouse Nasia Thomas jumps in with lived proof of what early arts access can do, reflecting ...
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Ep417 - Phillip Johnson Richardson: Mental Health, Identity, and the Work

November 4, 2025 • 48 mins
We go deep with Phillip Johnson Richardson on the real stuff behind a Broadway glow up. He opens up about being a young Black man showing vulnerability onstage, the pressure to be perfect, and how identity, belonging, and mental health shape the work. We talk about choosing when to step away, the cost of staying, and the tools he uses to keep his center steady when the noise gets loud. Quick heads up: if you hear a low rumble while...
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Ep416 - David Armstrong: Broadway’s Untold Story- Who Really Created the American Musical

October 14, 2025 • 80 mins
Originally recorded for my other podcast Was It Chance? with my co-host Heather Vickery, this conversation with director, producer, educator, and author David Armstrong felt like a perfect fit for The Theatre Podcast as well. David shares stories from his remarkable 40-year career in theatre — including his years leading Seattle’s Fifth Avenue Theatre, where he helped develop Hairspray before it became a Broadway smash. We dive in...
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Ep415 - Ari’el Stachel: When Performing Becomes Survival

October 7, 2025 • 57 mins
Tony Award–winner Ariel Stachel sits down for a candid and deeply personal conversation about his new Off-Broadway solo show Other. More than just a performance piece, the show is a marathon of vulnerability — exploring identity, anxiety, and the pressure to belong — and Ariel shares how it feels to put his entire self on stage for 90 minutes without a break. We talk about why he treats performing like athletic training, why thera...
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BONUS - "Romy & Michele: The Musical" Performances and Interviews from Press Day

October 3, 2025 • 47 mins
The cult-favorite film Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion has officially made the leap to the stage, and we got a front-row seat at the press day for Romy & Michele: The Musical. From the long road of development to the joy-filled energy the show brings today, this conversation takes us inside the creative journey of bringing Romy and Michele’s world to New York. Across a series of interviews, the cast and creative team share wh...
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Ep414 - Marisha Wallace: Royal Performances and Radical Honesty

October 1, 2025 • 64 mins
Marisha Wallace brings both powerhouse vocals and fearless honesty to this conversation, diving deep into what it really means to lead Cabaret during one of the most politically charged times in recent memory. She shares how audience reactions shifted depending on the day’s headlines, and how she embraced the role not just as entertainment, but as activism—using art to help people process the world around them. From growing up in ...
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Ep413 - Nik Walker (from the vault)

September 24, 2025 • 85 mins
Originally aired as episode 120 on December 9, 2020. Nik Walker is an artist, educator, and activist who made his Broadway debut in Motown The Musical. He spent 3 years with the Broadway and touring companies of Hamilton, adding both Aaron Burr and George Washington to his resume. Other stage credits include Peter and the Starcatcher (off-Broadway), and regional productions at La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe and The Denver Cente...
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Ep412 - Ian Knauer & Mike Abrams: Was Old Deuteronomy the Right Jellicle Choice?

September 16, 2025 • 53 mins
When two podcasts collide, the conversation gets wild — and that’s exactly what happened when Mike Abrams of The Wrong Cat Died joined me for this crossover episode with actor Ian Knauer. We cover Ian’s journey through Broadway, the West End, regional theater, and even his time performing on Disney Cruise Line. Along the way, Ian shares the perseverance it took to finally land Cats after years of auditioning, what it was like stepp...
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Ep411 - Jack Viertel: The Secret Architect of Broadway Hits

September 9, 2025 • 52 mins
Jack Viertel has quietly shaped Broadway for decades, guiding landmark productions from behind the scenes while rarely stepping into the spotlight himself. In this conversation, he opens up about the art and the business of theatre, reflecting on how shows get chosen, how failures and successes both shape a career, and why Broadway has always been in a cycle of decline and rebirth. We also wander into the bigger picture — what the ...
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Ep410 - Burke Swanson: From Third Grade Stand-Up to the Netflix Universe

September 2, 2025 • 56 mins
Burke Swanson brings the heart, humor, and metaphysical musings to this episode in a way that’s rare and deeply refreshing. From his early days as a third-grader doing stand-up at a summer camp to stepping into the Netflix universe as Hopper Jr. in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Burke shares the moments that shaped him—and the ones that continue to ground him. We go well beyond credits to talk about the importance of ensemble e...
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Ep409 – Alison Jaye: Stranger Things Have Happened on Broadway

August 26, 2025 • 55 mins
What happens when one of the biggest TV shows in the world makes the leap to Broadway? Alison Jaye takes us behind the scenes of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, where she steps into the role of Joyce Maldonado in a production unlike anything Broadway has ever seen. With audiences made up largely of first-time theatergoers, Alison describes what it feels like when the show plays like a full-on rollercoaster one night and like a h...
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Ep408 - Gerianne Pérez: Six Degrees of Mincemeat

August 19, 2025 • 56 mins
Gerianne Pérez joins us for a candid and hilarious conversation about her winding path from choir kid to Broadway scene-stealer. She shares how an early love of a cappella shaped her artistry, why walking away from a “safe” office job was the best decision she ever made, and what it’s like to audition for Six in front of a room full of other queens going for the same role. We get into her current adventure in Operation Mincemeat, w...
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Ep407 - Alex Serino: Why Do We Have Books?

August 5, 2025 • 63 mins
Alex Serino didn’t take the “traditional” path to Broadway, but his journey is one fueled by community, heart, and hustle. A proud Boston native, Alex grew up surrounded by music, theater, and an extended family that felt more like a village. From band kid to puppeteering Audrey II, to a standout performance in The SpongeBob Musical and hosting Emerson’s EVVY Awards, his love of performance kept evolving until it landed him on one ...
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Ep406 - Ayanna Nicole Thomas: Embracing Neurodivergence, One Spell at a Time

August 1, 2025 • 45 mins
Ayanna Nicole Thomas didn’t follow a traditional path to Broadway—but that’s exactly what makes her story so compelling. After growing up between the Bronx and LA, she eventually made her way back to New York to study musical theatre. But right before her senior year, she booked her Broadway debut in How to Dance in Ohio—a show that celebrates neurodivergence and gave her a sense of belonging she didn’t expect. Now, she’s playing R...
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