Kathleen Collins: Tell About It

Lauren Weedman: A Good Bingo

Have a question or comment for Rhonda? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2358873/fan_mail/new] Lauren & Rhonda talk about writing and performing solo theater, doing T.V. as a stepping stone to touring solo theater, the role of personal identifiers in casting, LGBTQIA+ representation, learning from mistakes, being adopted and advice for parents of adopted kids, and so much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes! -- Lauren Weedman [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Weedman] is an award-winning performance artist, playwright, author, painter [https://www.laurenweedmanstudio.com/], teacher and host.  She is known for her regular role on the HBO [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBO] television series Looking [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_(TV_series)] (2014–2015) and its subsequent series finale television film Looking: The Movie [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking:_The_Movie]. She is also known for her roles in films such as Date Night [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_Night] (2010) and The Five-Year Engagement [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five-Year_Engagement] (2012) and for appearing as a guest star on various series - most recently Hacks [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacks] and Abbott Elementary [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_Elementary] . She was a correspondent on The Daily Show [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Show] from 2001 to 2002 and has written and performed several solo shows, including Homecoming [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homecoming_(2001_play)], BUST, and The People's Republic of Portland.  She is author of two comedic memoirs, A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body: Tales from a Life of Cringe and Miss Fortune: Fresh Perspectives on Having It All from Someone Who Is Not Okay. For information about how to apply for her Hudson Valley Summer Intensive on creating solo performance, check out her official website [https://www.laurenweedman.com/].

Jake Hart: Bucket Filler

Have a question or comment for Rhonda? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2358873/fan_mail/new] Jake & Rhonda talk about what it is to be a working actor, the sometimes transactional nature of friendships, unions (sort of), our opinions about AI, the complicated and shifting nature of identity, and so much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes! - Jake Hart is a professional actor known for Big George [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28520390/?ref_=nmbio_mbio], Shades of Blue (2016) [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4118584/?ref_=nmbio_mbio] and Person of Interest (2011) [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839578/?ref_=nmbio_mbio]. Find out more on IMDB [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2778849/], Casting Networks [https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/b8c9ffb4-7dda-11ec-8501-27269504a873], and Actors Access [https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/jakehart].

Em Majewski: Luck Favors the Prepared

Have a question or comment for Rhonda? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2358873/fan_mail/new] Em & Rhonda talk about being an emerging theater artist in Seattle, making connections, keeping relationships going, directing new work, the power of community, acting our hearts out, gratitude, and so much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes! - Em Majewski is a Seattle-based actor, director, and producer. Originally from California, they moved up north to pursue a BFA in Acting and Original Works at Cornish College Of the Arts, graduating Magna Cum Laude in the spring of 2025. Within their work, they have a passion for telling stories that push for progress, and challenge audiences to think deeper about the systems they live in. Em believes the transformative power of theater can radically change an individual’s experience of themselves, their community, and the world at large, and carries this ethos into all of their creative practices. Outside of the theatre, you can find them volunteering as a Teaching Artist with Freehold’s Engaged Theater Program, or caring for their house plants! For more details about Em's past work and upcoming projects, visit https://www.em-majewski.com [https://www.em-majewski.com]  Program Director  – The PULSE of Union Arts Center [https://www.unionartscenter.org/community-events/] Teaching Artist – Freehold Engaged Theatre [https://freeholdtheatre.org/theatre-lab/engaged-theatre/] Residency  UPCOMING:  Helena -  A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bread & Roses Theatre Co. [https://www.breadandrosestheatrecompany.org/] July 2026  Director - Rat Cage by Coco Justino, Annex Theatre [https://annextheatre.org/season-39/mainstage/rat-cage/] October 2026

Kathleen Collins: Tell About It

Have a question or comment for Rhonda? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2358873/fan_mail/new] Kathleen & Rhonda talk about telling stories, choosing to leave a dream job, teaching the craft, family and career, visiting Germany in the 1980's, the power of the professional reach-out, practical jokes, and so much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes! - Kathleen has an M.A. and an M.F.A in Theater from the University of Washington. She was the Artistic Director of the Honolulu Theater for Youth, the only professional theater in the State of Hawaii where she traveled with her company all over the Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, and the New Orleans World Fair. Kathleen and her family then moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where Kathleen headed the Actors Company of Pennsylvania at the Historic Fulton Opera House. Kathleen was in charge of a mainstage season for adults and a Youth Touring season. While at the Fulton, Kathleen helped raise 15 million dollars, did a major remodel of the Fulton and acquired housing for the New York actors who were cast in the shows. In 1982, Kathleen represented the United States at a conference for Directors in East Berlin. Kathleen returned to Seattle in 1998 where she taught as Professor of Theater in the Original Works Program at Cornish College of the Arts, from which she retired and was awarded Professor Emeritus status. She has directed in the Pacific Northwest at the Seattle Children’s Theater, for the New Century Theater and readings at ACT and Seattle Rep. Kathleen traveled to Russia in 1974 as a performer in the Wizard of Oz with her college production. The Cold War was not over and the power of the arts to bring people together was a life-changing experience where she understood the mantra: Art heals.

Rhonda J Soikowski: Little Steps

Have a question or comment for Rhonda? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2358873/fan_mail/new] Rhonda talks about her journey through the year, the healing and motivating power of memory lane, and so much more.  A gift for the listener this holiday season. Thank you for listening to Past The Blue Mailbox Season 2.  Make sure you follow us where you get your podcasts, so you'll be notified when Season 3 is on its way. Talk soon! Rhonda out.