Women & Theatre Podcast

S5E10: J. Harrison Ghee

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with actor, singer, dancer, and creator J. Harrison Ghee about the transformative journey of freeing yourself to see yourself, spreading the ministry of love, connecting to your Divine Feminine, expanding the bounds of creative storytelling, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! [https://womenandtheatre.com/podcast-episodes/j-harrison-ghee/#transcript] Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: J. Harrison Ghee Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: Durham Performing Arts Center Rising Stars [https://www.dpacnc.com/community/dpac-rising-star-awards] PJ Morton - Smoke and Mirrors [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFFbsziji4k] New York Theatre Workshop - Saturday Church [https://www.nytw.org/show/saturday-church/] Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil [https://midnightbroadway.com/] - Broadway 2026 The Shindellas - Lullaby [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuxvkOgRqic] Trailblazers of the Week: Dylan Weinberger Autumn Angelettie [https://autumnangelettie.com/] Guest Bio: Tony and Grammy Award winner J. Harrison Ghee (they/them, all pronouns with respect) made history as the first non-binary actor to win in the Leading Individual Performance category for creating the role as Daphne/Jerry in Some Like It Hot, which also garnered them Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Also on Broadway, Ghee starred as Lola in Kinky Boots, created the role of Andre Mayem in Mrs. Doubtfire, and co-starred opposite Harry Connick, Jr. as Johnny Hooker in The Sting. Ghee captured audiences as the Lady Chablis in the musical premiere of Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil. On television, Ghee was selected to play the title role in Robyn's Story on the hit Fox anthology series Accused, directed by Billy Porter; starred as Kwame in Netflix's Raising Dion, and guest starred on HBO's High Maintenance. A Fayetteville, North Carolina native, Ghee moved to New York City to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and began their professional career working at Tokyo Disney on cruise ships and national tours. They live by the mantra: “You have to free yourself to see yourself,” with the hope of inspiring people to dream big and to chase those dreams. An outspoken advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Ghee has been involved with many organizations, including Broadway Cares, GLAAD, and God's Love We Deliver, among others. Ghee hopes to create roles and conversations that reach beyond what was and into a realm of infinite possibilities.   Find J. Online: Follow Tanya on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sohumanity] Follow The Zora Project on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thezoraprojectnyc] Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here [https://forms.gle/vdMKv6VUdVR9k1NPA]. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/womenandtheatreproject] and Facebook [https://facebook.com/womenandtheatreproject], and consider making a donation [https://ko-fi.com/womenandtheatre] to support our work. Thank you for listening!

S5E9: Tanya Birl-Torres

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with director, choreographer, producer, and creator Tanya Birl-Torres about tripping and falling into a theatrical career, drawing inspiration from chosen ancestors, daring to stay in the center of yourself, increasing visibility of parenting in theatre, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! [https://womenandtheatre.com/podcast-episodes/tanya-birl-torres/#transcript] Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Tanya Birl-Torres Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: The Zora Project [https://www.theshed.org/program/series/27-the-zora-project] The Shed [https://www.theshed.org/] - Join Tanya for the July 19 activation, Glitter in the Dust: Exploring the Work Song Tradition [https://forms.gle/sUBrJh2PAXDKfQcg6] Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil [https://midnightbroadway.com/] Trailblazers of the Week: Alex Elle [https://www.alexelle.com/] - Insight Timer meditations [https://insighttimer.com/alex_elle] Katie Spelman [https://www.katiespelman.com/] - The Agnes Index [https://www.instagram.com/theagnesindex] Guest Bio: Tanya Birl-Torres (she/her) is a multi-faceted artist and proud partner and mother of two. Select collaborations include: the World Premiere of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Goodman Theater), How I Learned What I Learned (OSF), Peter and the Starcatcher (OSF), Twelfth Night (The Public Theater), The Red Letter Plays (The Signature Theater), As You Like It (The Guthrie Theater), 2024 Critical Breaks artist in residence, 2023 MAP fund and NoMAA grantee for her original choreo-play, A Play in three Movements. Tanya is a 2023 CitizensNYC NewYorker4NY honoree featured as “Women breaking glass ceilings & exercising their voice in NYC & beyond”. Tanya currently serves as the Social Practice Artist in Residence at The Shed Performing Arts Center in New York City for her new work, The Zora Project, where she is directing, choreographing, and envisioning a cosmic theatrical offering to the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston. Find Tanya Online: Follow Tanya on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sohumanity] Follow The Zora Project on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thezoraprojectnyc] Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here [https://forms.gle/vdMKv6VUdVR9k1NPA]. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/womenandtheatreproject] and Facebook [https://facebook.com/womenandtheatreproject], and consider making a donation [https://ko-fi.com/womenandtheatre] to support our work. Thank you for listening!

S5E8: Arts Funding Shifts

In this episode, Hayley and Amy discuss funding shifts in the arts in 2025. We get ourselves up to date on what’s been happening with the National Endowment for the Arts, chat about alternative funding visions for theatre and the arts, and share action steps you can take to support the arts in your own community. Click here for a transcript of the episode! [ https://womenandtheatre.com/podcast-episodes/arts-funding-shifts/#transcript] Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: National Endowment for the Arts website [https://www.arts.gov/] Pittsburgh Arts Council - Trump’s Impact on the Arts: A Running List of Updates [https://www.pittsburghartscouncil.org/blog/trumps-impact-arts-running-list-updates] Broadway World - The NEA Grant Terminations and What it Means for the Future of American Theatre [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/The-NEA-Grant-Terminations-and-What-it-Means-for-the-Future-of-American-Theatre-20250519] by Cara Joy David American Theatre - NEA Abruptly Pulls Arts Grants on a Massive Scale [https://www.americantheatre.org/2025/05/05/nea-abruptly-pulls-arts-grants-on-a-massive-scale/] Broadway League - Broadway’s 2024– 2025 Season Wraps with 14.7 Million Attendances and Grosses Of $1.89 Billion [https://www.broadwayleague.com/press/press-releases/broadways-2024-2025-season-wraps-with-147-million-attendances-and-grosses-of-189-billion/#:~:text=The%202024%2D2025%20season%20is,(after%202018%2D2019).] Oregon Arts Rising [https://www.gofundme.com/f/oregon-arts-rising] Women & Theatre Podcast S4E9: Danielle DeMatteo [https://whale-beige-anpr.squarespace.com/podcast-episodes/danielle-dematteo] 5 Calls app [https://5calls.org/] Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here [https://forms.gle/vdMKv6VUdVR9k1NPA]. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/womenandtheatreproject] and Facebook [https://facebook.com/womenandtheatreproject], and consider making a donation [https://ko-fi.com/womenandtheatre] to support our work. Thank you for listening!

S5E7: Deborah Wicks La Puma

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with composer and music director Deborah Wicks La Puma about the critical importance of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), championing women musicians and writers, building pipelines to support young people of all backgrounds falling in love with theatre, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! [https://womenandtheatre.com/podcast-episodes/deborah-wicks-la-puma/#transcript] Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Deborah Wicks La Puma Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton [https://www.shepersistedbooks.com/] Mo Willems books [https://www.pigeonpresents.com/] Bardcore Pink Pony Club [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7jOobdrdGo] Maestra Music [https://maestramusic.org/] Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA [https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/] Trailblazers of the Week: Joy Huerta [https://www.instagram.com/joy/?hl=en] - Real Women Have Curves [https://www.realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com/] Nikki Lynette [https://nikkilynette.com/] - Get Out Alive [https://www.igetoutalive.info/] Guest Bio: Composer and music director Deborah Wicks La Puma (she/her) is one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today. Popular titles include Ella Enchanted (based on the book by Gail Carson Levine) with Karen Zacarías, She Persisted (based on the book by Chelsea Clinton) with Adam Tobin, and Elephant and Piggy’s We Are in a Play and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus with bestselling children’s author Mo Willems. With Willems, she also created the animated movie Naked Mole Rats Getting Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience and the upcoming animated series Unlimited Squirrels.  She has music directed at theaters across the country, including the Guthrie, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Honors include the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA, an off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical, two Parents’ Choice Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Adaptation. A proud Mexican American and “Navy brat” who grew up in Brazil, Portugal, and California, La Puma is a member of TYA/USA, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. Find Deborah Online: Visit Deborah’s website [https://crunchynotes.com/] Follow Deborah on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dwlapuma/?hl=en] Thanks for listening! Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here [https://forms.gle/vdMKv6VUdVR9k1NPA]. The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/womenandtheatreproject] and Facebook [https://facebook.com/womenandtheatreproject], and consider making a donation [https://ko-fi.com/womenandtheatre] to support our work. Thank you for listening!

S5E6: Julia Schemmer

In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with puppeteer and puppetry advocate Julia Schemmer about keeping the art form of theatrical puppetry visible and vibrant, the importance of apprenticeship for learning a craft and creating opportunities for emerging talent, being at peace with where you are in transitional moments, and more. Click here for a transcript of the episode! [https://womenandtheatre.com/podcast-episodes/julia-schemmer/#transcript] Episode Notes Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews Guest: Julia Schemmer Music: Chloe Geller Episode Resources: Puppetry on Broadway [https://www.instagram.com/puppetryonbroadway] Best of Broadway Puppetry Halloween Spectacular at 54 Below [https://54below.org/events/the-best-of-broadway-puppetry-halloween-spectacular/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaf3vtzrMhLQi7T7CJt-_Tp75TvQGeC-UYEmK1Zpu0Kw5efGCYtxUaJy-rCAyA_aem_z7Ix1P8SXpzxsAZG5UlujQ] Glorious Ladies of Puppetry (GLOP) [https://glop.us/] Disney Dreamers Academy [https://www.disneydreamersacademy.com/] Trailblazers of the Week: Cole Escola [https://www.coleescola.com/] - Oh, Mary! [https://www.ohmaryplay.com/] Burnout [https://www.burnoutbook.net/] by Emily and Amelia Nagoski Guest Bio: Julia Schemmer (she/her) is a puppeteer, producer, and pal based in New York City! She’s the founder of Puppetry on Broadway [https://www.instagram.com/puppetryonbroadway/?hl=en], a collective of puppeteers, fabricators, and designers working on, off, and around Broadway. Select production credits include Broadway: A Beautiful Noise, Back to the Future, Lempicka, MJ, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. TV: American Idol, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Schemmer holds a BA from Wilmington University in Communications and Marketing. Find Julia Online: Follow Julia on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/msjuliadarling] Follow Puppetry on Broadway on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/puppetryonbroadway] Visit Puppetry on Broadway’s website [https://www.mangomoonproductions.com/puppetry-on-broadway?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacqdQG5K-vkrwDYsdb7lqXHPhUL9Xgkt-r-jxkPXQBmBIqtMomf40mTFrqMuQ_aem_WZC1G6C8UqufbHUvYloyLQ] Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here [https://forms.gle/vdMKv6VUdVR9k1NPA]. Thanks for listening! The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/womenandtheatreproject] and Facebook [https://facebook.com/womenandtheatreproject], and consider making a donation [https://ko-fi.com/womenandtheatre] to support our work. Thank you for listening!