Sue Gilad — The Business of Broadway

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What does it take to build something that moves people — literally and figuratively? In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Sue Gilad — Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and co-producer of Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders, Who's Tommy, and Buena Vista Social Club — for a conversation about creative risk, resilience, leadership, and what the theater industry can teach us about life. Sue's path wasn't a straight line. She started as an actress, realized her real joy was in building — the team, the story, the room — and pivoted to producing before most people even knew that was a career. Today, she's behind some of the most celebrated shows on Broadway, driven not by the promise of profit, but by an irrational, unwavering love for the art form. This episode is about far more than Broadway. It's a frank, joyful conversation about the power of rejection, the discipline of creativity, what it means to lead a room full of artists, and why the skills of a theater kid might be exactly what the world needs most right now. Timestamps: 3:10 — What does a Broadway producer actually do? 5:34 — Finding the show: 8-10 years to develop a Broadway musical 6:37 — The art meets commerce challenge — and what makes a story evergreen 9:07 — How scripts get optioned and what writers actually get paid 14:30 — Each show is its own startup: fiscally and artistically 17:41 — From actress to producer: the pivot that changed everything 20:28 — The first show Sue ever produced — and the friend who handed her the script 22:07 — "I loved being in the room where we're all strangers — and two weeks later you can't imagine one person being gone" 26:32 — How Sue builds her team and what the "no jerks rule" really means 29:13 — The CEO and the janitor: what it means to lead a Broadway show 30:01 — Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders, and the moment a show tells you it needs to fly 31:37 — Investors, risk, and why you can't make a living but you can make a killing 35:30 — Recoupment on Broadway — and why it's getting harder 36:09 — The Stay Gold Project: turning teenage boys into theater kids 36:49 — Ticket prices, access, and the fight to bring new audiences into the theater 38:27 — Social media and how it drives ticket sales today 42:32 — The rise of Orthodox women's theater: a new creative frontier 45:28 — AI, creativity, and why analog theater is going to matter more, not less 46:23 — COVID and Broadway: 18 months dark, and how they kept skills alive 47:33 — "You can't make a living, but you can make a killing" 51:37 — Rejection in theater — and why "no" never means no forever 51:40 — What theater kids become in the real world 59:30 — October 7th, antisemitism on Broadway, and Sue's most important contribution 1:02:03 — Fast Five: rock bottom moments, sacrifices, skydiving with her daughter, and her message to women About the Guest: Sue Gilad Sue Gilad is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer whose credits include Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders (Best Musical, Tony Award 2024), The Who's Tommy, Buena Vista Social Club, and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, among others. She began her career as a performer, discovering along the way that her true passion was building — assembling teams, developing stories, and creating the conditions for theatrical magic to happen. A longtime collaborator with producing partner Larry Rogowsky, Sue is known for her relentless optimism, her refusal to treat rejection as permanent, and her deep belief that theater has the power to open hearts and change minds. Through initiatives like the Stay Gold Project and the Matinee Mission, she works to bring first-time theatergoers — especially young people — into Broadway houses across the country. Sue is a proud mother of three, a passionate advocate for the arts in education, and someone who would happily pay for the privilege of doing what she does. This episode was made possible by our friends at Roth & Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory. We are grateful for their continued partnership in making these conversations possible.

Why Are We So Afraid of Female Voices? | Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt

What does it take to be a woman with a loud voice in a world that keeps telling you to be quiet? In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt — journalist, rebbetzin, and co-founder of the Altneu Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side — for a conversation about ambition, authenticity, and what it really means to lead. Avital's path has been anything but conventional. A Russian-born writer who published her first viral essay at 20, landed bylines in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, and Foreign Policy, and spent years as a features editor and news editor before pivoting to co-build one of New York City's fastest-growing Orthodox synagogues — all while navigating the deeply complex terrain of being a bold female voice in the frum community. This episode is about far more than one woman's story. It's a frank, urgent conversation about the cost of conformity, the crisis of female spiritual leadership in Orthodox communities, and why, if we don't change, we're going to lose an entire generation of women. Timestamps: * 2:39 — Avital's background: growing up Russian-speaking, a literary home, and big dreams * 5:34 — The power of teachers and mentors in igniting ambition * 6:37 — Being told her drive for ambition was a "yetzer hara" — and going for it anyway * 9:07 — Writing for Haaretz, personal essays, and finding her voice as a religious woman * 11:36 — The Forward years: breaking stories on the Orthodox community and navigating controversy * 12:52 — Going viral before going viral was a thing; the tznius essay at age 20 * 17:41 — Writing about her dating life and using authenticity as a filter * 20:28 — Freelancing and hitting her byline bucket list: NYT, The Atlantic, Vogue, and more * 21:08 — The reality of gatekeeping in journalism and being relentless despite rejection * 22:07 — "Winners always find a way to win" * 22:22 — Meeting her husband: the story, the promise she broke, and the NYT essay that brought them back together * 26:32 — Writing a book: 700 words a day and the unglamorous daily discipline * 29:13 — Why the digital world has flattened us — and why that's dangerous * 30:01 — On shidduchim, being yourself, and differentiation in dating * 31:37 — "It's gonna be really hard to build leaders — especially women — who aren't bold enough to be authentic" * 31:45 — Building genuine belonging vs. conformity in frum community life * 35:30 — The controversy and the courage: hate mail, threats, and choosing truth anyway * 36:09 — Post-October 7th: a shift in priorities and the luxury of community criticism * 36:49 — How the Altneue Synagogue was born — out of crisis, pregnancy, and 40 people in a living room * 38:27 — The convergence: how Avital's journalism career and community building came together * 42:32 — From a living room minyan to 600 people and the Pierre Ballroom * 45:28 — October 7th and the surge of young Jews searching for connection * 46:23 — Building real commitment: charging membership before they had a building * 47:33 — The shul as a product: finding the gap and doubling down on differentiation * 51:37 — "When you engage the women, you engage the whole family" * 51:40 — "We felt the hand of God in this" — 722 member families and counting * 59:30 — "There should be leadership on both sides of the mechitza" — Avital's defining statement * 1:02:03 — Women spiritually checking out vs. going "woke" — what Avital is actually worried about * 1:05:08 — Materialism as the symptom of women with no inner spiritual life * 1:08:14 — Halacha vs. Masorah: having the honest conversation * 1:12:14 — "If we don't change, we're going to lose" — what senior Rabbonim are actually saying * 1:15:09 — "We are so afraid of female voices" — the media we consume and the messages it sends * 1:18:45 — The JWE's mission and why this podcast exists * 1:19:25 — Modeling: the text from a young woman that Avital saved * 1:20:10 — Blurred girls' faces in magazine ads and the message sent to young women * 1:37:39 — Fast Five: controversial thing she's ever done, her superpower, and her final message About the Guest: Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt is a journalist, rebbetzin, and community builder based in Manhattan. A daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, she grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey, in a deeply literary home, and knew from childhood that she wanted to be a writer. She studied at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University) and went on to build a distinguished career in journalism, with bylines in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, Glamour, Haaretz, and The Forward, where she served as features editor. She later served as news editor at The Real Deal, covering New York City politics and real estate. Avital is also the co-founder of the Altneu Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which she built alongside her husband, Rabbi Benji Goldschmidt. What began in 2020 as a living room minyan of 40 people has grown into a community of 722 member families — known for its intellectual rigor, inclusive spirit, and vibrant women's section. The shul has become a model for engaged, differentiated community building in the modern Orthodox world. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Avital is currently at work on her first book. She is passionate about female leadership in the frum community, the importance of authenticity, and helping women reconnect to a rich inner spiritual life. This episode was made possible by our friends at *Roth & Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory. We are grateful for their continued partnership in making these conversations possible.*

28. maj 20261 h 19 min

Sue Gilad — The Business of Broadway

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