ROH & RPAC On Air with Sam Bennett

Behind The Beard

Dance Captain, Melissa Hanley, joins us to chat about her upcoming ensemble role in the Rochester Opera House production of Mel Brooks' "The Producers" this August. Melissa became interested in dance at a very young age through her family and began her foray into theatre back in 2015. She talks about her willingness to cross into male roles, her love for choreography, and working with teens in the Rochester Opera House Youth Mainstage Theatre.  You'll roll with laughter when you see her as a little old lady tap dancing with her walker in "The Producers".

Practicing Out Loud!

Meet Manchester native and the lead in Rochester Opera House's production of Mel Brooks' "The Producers", Bill Hartery, as he talks shop with Sam.  Reprising the role of Max Bialystock for a fourth time, he shares about his times performing "The Producers" at the Palace Theatre in Manchester and the greatness and deeper meaning behind the role. An Equity actor, he has travelled nationally in the off-broadway tour of "Cats" as Gus, and internationally to over 30 locations in the Disney Cruise Line musical comedy, "Villains Tonight!". Promoting his role in "The Producers", Bill is committed to keep you laughing out of your seat!

Theater Everywhere!

Join two of our favorite out-of-state actors starring in Disney's The Little Mermaid, Fletcher Hooten (Sebastian), and Zeke Solis (Chef Louis) for a chat about community, making new friends, and the historic Rochester Opera House. These stars talk about the hustle & competition of the big city versus the down-to-earth atmosphere of our little city, and what it's like to be a travel actor over the summer and tackling college in the off season.

Coming together under the sea!

Join two of Disney’s The Little Mermaid stars, Ben Hanley (Scuttle) and Marcus Provost (King Triton), for a chat about their experiences over the years on the Rochester Opera House stage and the greater seacoast as well as performing with your favorite podcast host, Sam Bennett. These professionals talk about the process from script to stage while learning the entirety of this musical in less than 12 days. You’ll hear about the intensity of performing in two shows back to back and how the actors handle the stress of rehearsing for one show while performing another.

Behind The Sound Check

Welcome Rochester Opera House Sound Engineer, Nick Donlin, as he breaks his silence from behind the "ROH & RPAC On Air" podcast recording board.  Nick and Sam chat about the inner workings of sound tech at Rochester Opera House and discuss what challenges arise for the variety of productions we produce at ROH.  Contracted with ROH since reopening after COVID, Nick is in charge of mixing, designing, and staging the sound not just for our theater productions, but also rock shows and rentals. Nick shares how professionalism is key to keeping authenticity for each performance, how to adapt on the fly during productions, and how simple wardrobe choices or set layouts can make all the difference behind the mic.