Little Known Facts With Ilana Levine

Sammi Cannold is a director who is one of Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, class of 2019. Recent theater credits include Evita (New York City Center), Endlings (New York Theatre Workshop, A.R.T.), Ragtime on Ellis Island, Violet on a moving bus (A.R.T.), and Allegory (La Jolla Playhouse WOW). Upcoming projects include Carmen (Lincoln Center w. MasterVoices), a documentary film, and a feature film. Associate director credits include the Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre... (dir. Rachel Chavkin). Sammi has also served as an Artistic Fellow at the A.R.T., a member of Cirque du Soleil's Creative Cognoscenti, and a Sundance Institute Fellow and developed work with Playwrights Realm, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York Stage and Film, Cirque du Soleil, and Nickelodeon. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A. from Harvard University. www.sammicannold.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actress/director/playwright/educator/activist Regina Taylor is a Meadows Distinguished Visiting Artist. She is the playwright-in-residence at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, a three-year appointment through the National Playwright Residency Program established by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and HowlRound Theatre Commons. Taylor is also writing new plays for Audible and for Southern Methodist University (the black album, about what it is to be Black in 2020).Her playwright credits include Bread (Edgerton Award, WaterTower Theatre); Crowns (four Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Director); Oo-Bla-Dee (Steinberg-ATCA award); Drowning Crow (Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club); The Trinity River Plays (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award); and stop.reset. (Signature Theatre Residency 5).Taylor received the Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theatre at Fordham University at Lincoln Center. An artistic associate of Goodman Theatre, Taylor is its most produced playwright.Taylor is featured in Netflix’s

A vibrant and diversely talented actress, Zoey Deutch can recently be seen in Sony’s highly anticipated sequel to ZOMBIELAND for director Ruben Fleischer, starring opposite Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson. She also can be seen in Ryan Murphy’s first series for Netflix THE POLITICIAN, starring opposite Ben Platt and Gwyneth Paltrow, and is currently shooting its second season. Most recently, Deutch starred in and produced the independent feature BUFFALOED, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and just released for Magnolia to rave reviews. Deutch can also be seen as the female lead of Netflix’s hit romantic comedy SET IT UP starring opposite Glen Powell. Recently announced, she and Glen will be reteaming with the same team of filmmakers for a new Netflix romantic comedy, tentatively titled MOST DANGEROUS GAME with Deutch and Powell also on board as exec producers. Additional credits include Max Winkler’s FLOWER, Russo-Young’s BEFORE I FALL, which premiered at Sundance Film Festi

Steve Basilone is an American television writer and producer. He attended Emerson College in Boston before eventually moving to Los Angeles to pursue several writing opportunities. He eventually ended up on "Community" from 2011 to 2013 penning a number of episodes alongside his writing partner (and former Emerson College classmate) Annie Mebane. Basilone has since moved on this other projects including the "The Michael J. Fox Show". He was married to Lauren Morelli, a fellow television writer who works on the Netflix original series "Orange is the new Black". Morelli filed for divorce after two years upon coming out as a lesbian in 2014. Basilone currently serves as writer and producer of the ABC sitcom "The Goldbergs". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kurt Sutter is a storyteller. That obligation has manifested into writing, producing, directing, and acting. Born and raised in the homogenous suburbs of Jersey, his home positioned between the Mafia-stronghold neighborhoods to the west and Rahway State Prison to the east. Sutter would struggle with those conflicting influences -- absolute authority and unbridled rebellion -- for most of his life. After graduating from Rutgers University with a BA in Mass Media & Film, Kurt spent several years as an actor in NYC, performing in off-off-Broadway theatres, meatpacking warehouses, and NYPD holding cells. His theatre work eventually led to teaching and directing and in the mid-nineties he joined the faculty of The Gately-Poole Acting Studio on Theatre Row, teaching the Sanford Meisner Technique and directing productions at The Nat Horne Theatre. In the late 90’s Kurt was awarded an MFA Fellowship to attend Northern Illinois University. In Chicago, his exposure to the dramatic masters -- Strindberg, O'Neill, Genet

Annabelle Gurwitch is an actress, activist, and New York Times bestselling author of five books including her latest You're Leaving When, Adventures in Downward Mobility. Other books include: I See You Made an Effort (a Thurber Prize finalist), Wherever You Go, There They Are; and Fired! (also a Showtime Comedy Special). She’s written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, amongst other publications and is currently adapting You're Leaving When? for HBO, centering on her Los Angeles Times op-ed about hosting an at-risk housing insecure couple in her home which was recognized with a 2020 Los Angeles Press Club excellence in journalism award. Gurwitch was the longtime cohost of Dinner & a Movie on TBS; a regular commentator on NPR; and host of WA$TED for the Discovery Channel. Her acting credits include: The World Premiere of Donald Margulies' Coney Island Christmas, The West Coast Premiere of Wendy MacLeod's Women in Jeopardy, and the West Coast Premiere of David Gr

Jeffrey Omura is an artist, activist, labor leader, and candidate for New York City Council District 6. As an actor, he recently appeared on TV in The Blacklist, Limitless, Succession, and Hawaii Five-0, and he's known for his work onstage across the country. He's a founding member of both Fair Wage Onstage and Be An Arts Hero, and an elected officer of Actors' Equity Association. If elected, he will be the first openly gay person to represent District 6 and the first Japanese American ever elected to office in New York State.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jennifer Todd has been a film and television producer for over 20 years, and some of her notable credits include THE WAY BACK (2020), ALICE IN WONDERLAND and ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, MEMENTO, and the AUSTIN POWERS franchise. In 2017 and 2018, Jennifer produced the 89th and 90th Annual Academy Awards with Michael DeLuca for ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. She currently serves as an Academy Governor representing the Producers Branch.  Jennifer is currently producing films under her banner, Jennifer Todd Pictures, with a first-look feature deal at MGM. She is partnered with director Thomas Kail (FOSSE/VERDON, HAMILTON) in television, under an overall deal with Walt Disney Television Studios. She also currently serves as an Executive Producer on the Showtime series CITY ON A HILL. Prolific in both independent and studio films as well as television, Jennifer has been nominated for three Emmys, two Golden Globes, and the PGA David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Longform Televi

JEREMY WEIN (Producer) is a producer and director based in New York City. Jeremy is the founder and artistic director of the virtual theatre initiative Play-PerView. His additional producing credits include Open Mike Eagle: Anime, Trauma, + Divorce: Live Emotional Processing Event (Dynasty Typewriter) Kevin McDonald: ALIVE (Theatre Row, Dynasty Typewriter), Neva (Brooklyn College) Godspell (2011 Broadway Revival) Faux Snow (Thespis Theater Festival), Take Me Home (Incubator Arts Project, Associate Producer, dir. Meghan Finn) and the 2012 documentary The Bitter Buddha (Co-Producer). He is also the founder of the New York City Podcast Festival, which he produced from 2013-2018. His directing credits include 8 by Dustin Lance Black (BMCC) and Neva by Guillermo Calderon (Brooklyn College). He recently produced the debut EP for The U.S Open (featuring Shawn Randell, William Jackson Harper, Steven Boyer, Diana Oh, Jeff Biehl and Bobby Moreno), which will be released later this year. Follow him on Twitter: @ThisMySh

Jordan Thierry is a documentary filmmaker, activist, and storyteller. He has worked for over a decade to highlight the stories of people of color and working to undo the ongoing legacy of systemic racism in the U.S.A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate Burton is best known for her Tony nominated work on Broadway (where she last appeared in Present Laughter with Kevin Kline) and for her Emmy nominated work in Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. On film, she was most recently seen in Where’d You Go, Bernadette! She can also  be seen on television in Inventing Anna, Prodigal Son, Charmed and Supergirl. She is a professor at USC and lives in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Internationally renowned theater choreographer and director, SERGIO TRUJILLO is the first ever Latinx recipient of the Tony Award for Best Choreography. He was honored with the Tony in 2019 for AIN’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS. Additionally, he won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for MEMPHIS. Sergio was previously nominated for several awards including a Tony Award for ON YOUR FEET!, Drama Desk Awards for HANDS ON A HARDBODY, LEAP OF FAITH, MEMPHIS, and JERSEY BOYS, a Lucille Lortel Award for SAVED, and received an Ovation Award for EMPIRE. He made his Broadway debut in 1999, dancing in JEROME ROBBINS’ BROADWAY. As a dancer, he has performed on Broadway in GUYS AND DOLLS, VICTOR/VICTORIA, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, and FOSSE. Sergio made his choreographic debut in 2005 with Broadway’s ALL SHOOK UP. His success expanded from there with JERSEY BOYS — which continues to grow in popularity worldwide. In 2011, four of his productions ran simultaneously on Broadway: NEXT T

Eden Espinosa is most recognized for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Elphaba in "Wicked” on Broadway and in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other credits include originating the title character in “Brooklyn the Musical”, Flora in “Flora the Red Menace,” and Maureen in the closing company of “Rent” on Broadway. Eden also originated the role of Sadie Thompson in the world premiere of “Rain”, at the Old Globe Theater. She portrayed Eva Peron in TPAC and Studio Tenn’s production of “Evita”. In 2017 she toured Denmark and London playing Emma Borden in the rock musical “Lizzie”. She played Mary Flynn to rave reviews in Maria Freidmans productions of “Merrily We Roll Along” at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. Eden was Daniela in Kennedy Center’s “In The Heights”. Also portrayed Anita in West Side Story for the BBC PROMS at the Royal Albert Hall. Most recently she originated the role of Tamara De Lempicka in the world premiere of “Lempicka” at Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Rachel Chavkin. Her telev

Howard Sherman is a theatre administrator, writer, and advocate. He has been executive director of the American Theatre Wing and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, managing director of Geva Theatre, general manager of Goodspeed Musicals, and public relations director of Hartford Stage, as well as interim director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts. He has also held administrative positions at the Westport Country Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays.  Since 2012, he has been the US columnist and a feature writer for The Stage newspaper in London, and in 2018 was named Contributing Editor of Stage Directions magazine. His writing has appeared in a number of other publications including Slate, The New York Times, The Guardian, and American Theatre magazine.  Howard frequently consults, writes and speaks on issues of censorship and artists’ rights in both academic and professional theatre and he created the Arts Integrity Initiative in 2015 to focus on those e

After graduating from Yale University with a B.A. in Theatre Studies, Josh made his professional acting debut in the Broadway production of Aaron Sorkin’s A FEW GOOD MEN. He went on to star as Jeremy Goodwin in Sorkin’s critically acclaimed television series SPORTS NIGHT. Later, Josh co-starred as Will Bailey in Sorkin’s multi- Emmy winning THE WEST WING. Other Sorkin credits include the hit features THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT and MALICE.  For three seasons, Josh portrayed multi-millionaire Peter Alpert on USA Network’s hit IN PLAIN SIGHT. Josh’s film credits include the comedy A VIEWFROM THE TOP with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike Meyers, IN THE LINE OF FIRE with Clint Eastwood, and BULWORTH with Warren Beatty and Halle Berry. For seven seasons, Josh co-starred as David Rosen on ABC’s hit show SCANDAL. A co-creator of Bravo’s hit show CELEBRITY POKER SHOWDOWN, and a co-host of the podcast THE WEST WING WEEKLY, Josh was seen recently as President Siebert on the final season of THE BIG BANG THEORY. He can currently be s

MAURICIO MARTÍNEZ is a Mexican Emmy Winning actor, Broadway veteran and recording artist. He recently starred as Emilio Estefan in On Your Feet! The Story Of Emilio & Gloria Estefan on Broadway and in the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical memoir Unmasked at PaperMill Playhouse. He can also be seen in NBC Universo’s original Emmy Wining TV series “El Vato” on Netflix.  Mauricio’s television credits include multiple Telenovela’s in Univision and Telemundo like Señora Acero and La Mujer Del Vendaval as well as the 40th Annual Kennedy Honors on CBS and “The 2019 Gershwin Prize” on PBS (performing next to artists like Patti Labelle, Cindy Lauper, Rita Moreno, Andy García and Gloria Estefan).  In the Mexico City stage, Mauricio starred in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Saturday Night Fever, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweet Charity, the premiere Spanish versions of Off Broadway's The Last Five Years, Songs From An Unmade Bed and Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge, among others.  Mauricio has released tw

Julia Murney last appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked after playing the role on the national tour for which she received an Acclaim Award. Other New York credits include Lennon, The Wild Party (Drama Desk nomination), The Vagina Monologues, Falling (Drama Desk nomination), A Class Act, The Landing, Saved, Crimes of the Heart, Queen of the Mist, and Time and Again (Lucille Lortel nomination). She’s been seen regionally all over the U.S.- Signature, Muny, Williamstown, Reprise!LA, Sacramento Music Circus, NCT, Lyric, Rubicon and Goodspeed, to name a few-and in concert she has performed solo shows nationally as well as in NYC at Feinstein's/54 Below, Birdland, Joe's Pub & Ars Nova. Symphony appearances have ranged from Carnegie Hall to The Kennedy Center, Caramoor to Town Hall, from Malaysia to Maui & a lot of spots in between. Among her TV credits are Madam Secretary, 30 Rock, Sex and the City, Elementary, Brothers and Sisters, Ed, NYPD Blue, all the Law and Orders, First You Dream and about a gazillion v

Max von Essen is a Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy nominated singer and actor best known for his role as Henri in the award winning production of An American in Paris on Broadway. Most recently, he completed a year long run in the Broadway production of Anastasia and then toured the country in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Falsettos. Other Broadway credits include Evita, the revivals of Les Miz and Jesus Christ Superstar, Dance of the Vampires, and the closing company of the original Les Miz. Additional New York credits include Yours Unfaithfully, Death Takes a Holiday, The Jerry Springer Opera, Hello Again, Finian's Rainbow and The Fantasticks. Tours include Xanadu, West Side Story and Chicago. TV & Film include Law & Order: SVU, Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Royal Pains, Gossip Girl, Seven Lovers, Sex and the City 2, and the webseries Submissions Only. Max's concert work has brought him all across the country and Canada, including The Kennedy Center, Birdland Jazz Club and a recent solo deb

Nicole Kang stars in the CW television series BATWOMAN as Mary Hamilton. Kang was also  seen on Greg Berlanti's Lifetime/Netflix series YOU. In the highly successful show, based off of Caroline Kepnes’ bestselling novel, she starred as Lynn alongside Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail and Shay Mitchell. Her other television credits include: THE CODE, INSTINCT and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. On the big screen, Kang was most recently seen in SWALLOW, which premiered at the TriBeCa film festival, and will next be seen in TEN MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, THE SOCIAL ONES and FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. She has starred in numerous productions on stage including the 2016 production of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY at the Folger Theatre, for which she earned a Helen Hayes Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play. Kang is an NYU BFA trained actress and a proud member of The Actor’s Studio.  #ProtectMary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you navigate managing the social media site for an entertainment magazine when there is a national crisis happening? How do you share content that works for both older and newer Broadway fans? How do you keep the conversation about theater going when there is no live theater due to a global pandemic? Meet Felicia Fitzpatrick the social media director for Playbill- the theater publication known all around the world to theater lovers. Felicia is the first black female department head at Playbill and is a pioneer in the social media landscape. She also hosts  “CALL AND RESPONSE” a podcast that explores the intersection of Blackness and the performing arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices