Little Known Facts With Ilana Levine

John Rubinstein originated the title role in the Broadway musical Pippin, directed by Bob Fosse, and won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his performance in Children of a Lesser God. Other Broadway appearances include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ragtime, Hurlyburly, M. Butterfly, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Drama Desk nomination), Getting Away with Murder, Fools, Love Letters, and the 2013 Pippin revival. He appeared off-Broadway in Counsellor-at-Law (2005 Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics' Circle and Drama League nominations), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Urban Blight, Cabaret Verboten, and Morning's at Seven. Regionally: Wicked in LA, and the international tour of the Pippin revival. He starred in the TV series, “Family” (Emmy nomination), and “Crazy Like A Fox”, and over 300 episodes. Films include “Being the Ricardo’s”, “Hello, I Must Be Going”, “21 Grams”, “Red Dragon”, “The Boys from Brazil”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Daniel, Zachariah,” and “Getting Straight”. He directed th

Peter Friedman - has been in the original New York productions of works by Wendy Wasserstein, Simon Gray, C.P. Taylor, Charles Fuller, Annie Baker, Amy Herzog, Max Posner, Greg Pierce, Jennifer Haley, Deborah Zoe Laufer, The Debate Society, Rachel Bonds, Lauren Yee, Will Eno, Michael Mitnick, Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, Gunnar Madsen, Joy Gregory, John Lang, Susan Stroman, David Thompson, John Kander, Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty. He’s performed in NYC revivals of plays by Paddy Chayefsky, Reginald Rose, Donald Margulies, Chekhov, and Shakespeare. Film: The Savages, Safe, Single White Female. TV: “Brooklyn Bridge,” “High Maintenance,” “The Muppet Show,” “The Affair,” “The Path,” “Succession.” Sydney Lemmon - Off-Broadway debut. Broadway: Beau Willimon’s The Parisian Woman. Film: TÁR, Firestarter, Velvet Buzzsaw. Television: “Helstrom,” “Succession,” “Fear the Walking Dead” (Saturn Award Nomination). She can next be seen alongside Halle Berry in the forthcoming feature film The Mother

Danielle Anne Trussoni is a New York Times,[1] USA Today,[2] and Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling novelist. She has been a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction jurist,[3] and wrote the "Dark Matters" column for the New York Times Book Review for five years, from 2018-2023. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, where she was a Maytag Fellow. Her novels have been translated into 33 languages. Her work includes six books: Falling Through the Earth (2006), Angelology (2010), Angelopolis (2012), The Fortress (2016), The Ancestor (2020), and The Puzzle Master (2023). The Puzzle Box is forthcoming in 2024. She is the recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Society of America award, the Dana Award in the novel, and The New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year[4] for her first book. In addition to being published in The New York Times Book Review, she has also been published in The Guardian, The New York Times Magazine, and Tin House. Her writings have been widely anthologized. A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer

Heather Hach is an accomplished screenwriter, Broadway librettist, and novelist. Her work includes screenwriting for Freaky Friday and What to Expect When You're Expecting, and she was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award for her work on Legally Blonde: The Musical. She was formerly an improv comedy cast member with ComedySports, an editor at Sports and Fitness Publishing, and a judge on MTV’s reality show “The Search for the Next Elle Woods.” Her upcoming book, The Trouble with Drowning [GreenLeaf Book Group] comes out October 17, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Randy Rainbow is a four-time EMMY® and GRAMMY®- nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer, satirist, host, and New York Times bestselling author, best known for his popular web series, The Randy Rainbow Show. His musical parodies and political spoofs have garnered him worldwide acclaim and four consecutive EMMY® nominations for Outstanding Short-Form Variety Series. His debut solo album, A Little Brains, A Little Talent (Broadway Records), earned him a 2023 GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Comedy Album”. Touring the U.S. with his sold-out solo musical comedy concerts, the influencer and Internet sensation's viral comedy videos have received hundreds of millions of views across all social media and digital platforms. His fresh take on politics and current events has led to interviews and profiles by The Washington Post (magazine cover story), CBS Sunday Morning, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, NPR, ABC News, OUT, People, and Entertainment Weekly. As the Washington Post noted, “Ra

Vineyard Folk by Tamara Weiss & Amanda Benchley The true soul of Martha’s Vineyard, captured through the eyes of the talented artists and artisans who live there.     Vineyard Folk leads us on an intimate journey into the lives and inspirational places of some of the many talented artists who have always made up the larger community of Martha’s Vineyard. The island, located just seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod, has a long history as geographic muse: Lillian Hellman and William Styron wrote overlooking the Vineyard Haven harbor, and Thomas Hart Benton—whose influence is still felt in island painters today—depicted the stone walls and winding roads of what is known as “up-island” more than a hundred years ago.  Now, a new generation continues to build on these creative legacies, inspired by the island’s ever-changing light, endless beaches, historic towns, and rolling fields. Vineyard Folk features painters, potters, poets, musicians, and actors, among many others, and the unique ways they work, live, and

Laurie David is an award winning producer and activist. For over a decade she has been dedicated to raising awareness and making real change to environmental issues. She is the executive producer of the Academy Award winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth and other socially relevant docs including Fed Up. Biggest Little Farm, Mayor Pete and the Social Dilemma. She is also the author of -The Family Dinner - Great Ways To Connect With Your Kids One Meal At A Time, The Down To Earth Guide To Global Warming and Imagine It- A handbook for a happier planet. Kate Taylor recorded her first album, Sister Kate, in 1971. Her second album KATE TAYLOR was produced by her brother James Taylor in 1976.She has since released many records, raised a family and continues to write original songs and perform them all over the world.  Judy Belushi Pisano met her first husband John Belushi while still in high school. She was instrumental in his career while forging her own path in the entertainment industry. Judy worked wi

Jose Llana returns to Broadway in the highly anticipated production of David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love, for which he earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for creating the role of “Marcos” at the Public Theatre. He most recently starred as The King Of Siam in Lincoln Center Theater’s Tony Award Winning revival of The King & I on Broadway, the US National Tour and the UK Tour. Previous Broadway credits include Chip Tolentino in William Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award, dir. James Lapine), El Gato in Wonderland, Wang Ta in David Henry Hwang’s adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, Angel in RENT (dir. Michael Greif), Jessie-Lee in Streetcorner Symphony and his debut as Lun Tha in the 1996 Revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I opposite Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips. Off-Broadway appearances include Adam in Falling For Eve (York), Gabey in On the Town (dir. George C. Wolfe, Delacorte) and Adam Guettel’s Saturn Returns (dir. Tina

Paul Rudnick is a novelist, playwright, essayist and screenwriter, whom the New York Times has called, “one of our pre-eminent humorists.” His plays have been produced both on and off Broadway and around the world, and include I HATE HAMLET, JEFFREY, THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, VALHALLA, REGRETS ONLY, and THE NEW CENTURY. He has won an Obie Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and the John Gassner Playwrighting Award, and two of his short plays have been included in STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAYS. His novels include SOCIAL DISEASE and I’LL TAKE IT, both from Knopf and PLAYING THE PALACE from Berkley. He’s a regular contributor to The New Yorker and his articles and essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Vogue and Vanity Fair. HarperCollins has published both Mr. Rudnick’s Collected Plays and a group of essays entitled I SHUDDER. His essays have also been included in the New Yorker anthologies FIERCE PAJAMAS and DISQUIET, PLEASE.Mr. Rudnick is rumored to be quite close

Liana Hunt is a New York City based actor, singer and dancer who has appeared on Broadway, National Tours, regionally, on television and in films.  Originally from Vermont, Liana received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and graduated with honors a semester early to star as Sophie on the National Tour of Mamma Mia!. After touring the country with the show, Liana was brought to Broadway, making her Broadway debut as Sophie in Mamma Mia! at the age of 23. Liana also starred on Broadway as Katherine Plumber in Disney’s Newsies. She has returned to Broadway this summer in Back to the Future Musical that is adapted for the stage by the movie’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and is directed by the Tony Award-winning John Rando. She stars in the production as ‘Lorraine McFly’. Liana has performed on stages all across the country. Some of her favorite National Tour credits include the role of Nessarose in Wicked and Margo in Steve Martin an

Max Chernin Broadway: Parade, Bright Star, Sunday In The Park with George. NYC: Brooklynite (Vineyard), Golden Apple (Encores!) Regional: Passing Through (Goodspeed), Daddy Long Legs (Theatre Raleigh), Elf (Pioneer). Television: “Dickinson,” “Blacklist.” CCM Alum. @maxcherns. Alfred Uhry (Book) is distinguished as the only American playwrights to have won a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and two Tony Awards. A 1958 graduate of Brown University, he began his professional career as a lyric writer under contract to the late Frank Loesser. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 with Here’s Where I Belong, which ran for one night. He had better luck with The Robber Bridegroom in 1976, which won him his first Tony nomination. He followed that with five recreated musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. His first play was Driving Miss Daisy, which began life at the 74-seat upstairs theatre at Playwrights Horizons in 1987 and went on to run for three years and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

Mahira Kakkar: Off-Broadway: 7 Minutes, Waterwell; Here We Are, Theater for One; Addressless, Rattlestick; Opus, Primary Stages; Harper Regan, Atlantic; Romeo and Juliet, Public Theater; The Winter’s Tale, TFANA; When January Feels Like Summer, EST; Henry VI, NAATCO; Arturo Ui, Classic Stage Company; Ms. Witherspoon, Playwrights Horizons; Clive, The New Group. Regional: Life of Pi, A.R.T.; Skylight, McCarter Theatre; Rafta Rafta, Old Globe; Our Town, OSF; Monsoon Wedding, Berkeley Rep; Bedroom Farce, Huntington Theater Company; Inana, Denver Center; The Crucible, Cleveland Playhouse; Five Mile Lake, McCarter Theatre; Comedy of Errors, Hartford Stage, Jesus in India, Magic Theater. Film/TV: “A Suitable Boy” (series lead), “Manifest” (recurring), “New Amsterdam,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Blacklist,” “Louie,” “Odd Mom Out,” “Sweet Refuge,” “Bite Me,” Hank and Asha (Napa Valley Film Festival Best Actress, Wild Rose Festival Best Actress, Slamdance Audience winner, Bronze Lens winner), “Law & Order,” “Orange Is the New

Micaela Diamond starred as Lucille Frank in the Tony Award winning revival of Parade in 2023. She made her Broadway debut as ‘Babe’ – the youngest Cher – in The Cher Show. She recently appeared in both The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical and Leanord Bernstein’s opera Mass at the Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Row, and Ethan Coen’s A Play Is A Poem in Los Angeles. Television and film: NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live,” Peggy in Tick, Tick… Boom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ANDREW BURNAP - won the 2021 Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his performance in Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry, after a successful run at the Young Vic in London and a transfer to the West End. Additional theater credits include the titular role in the West Coast premiere of Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride (Geffen Playhouse, director Mike Donahue), Nicky Silver’s This Day Forward (Vineyard Theatre, director Mark Brokaw) and Troilus in Troilus and Cressida (The Public, director Daniel Sullivan). TV and Film credits include the upcoming The Front Room (A24) and Disney’s live-action Snow White; as well as “Under the Banner of Heaven” (Hulu); “WeCrashed” (AppleTV+); The Chaperone (director Michael Engler); and Spare Room. Andrew graduated from the Yale School of Drama. DAKIN MATTHEWS - LCT: Henry IV (Drama Desk Award). Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Iceman Cometh, Waitress, The Audience, Rocky, The Best Man, A Man for All Seasons. New York: Shakespeare

Katey Sagal has entertained audiences in a variety of dramatic and comedic roles throughout her notable career. Her television credits include “Sons of Anarchy” (Golden Globe Award), “Superior Donuts,” “8 Simple Rules,” and “Married…With Children.” She has also appeared in feature films including “Bleed for This,” “Pitch Perfect 2” and “The Good Mother.” An accomplished singer, Katey has released the CDs “Well” and “Room” and performs with her band The Reluctant Apostles. Her first book, “Grace Notes: My Recollections,” was published in 2017 by Simon and Schuster. Katey can currently be seen on “The Conners” on ABC and starred in the title role of the ABC series “Rebel.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gavin Creel received a Tony Award® for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler. After making his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, for which he received his first Tony Award® nomination, Creel went on to star in the Broadway productions of HAIR (Tony Award® nomination), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, SHE LOVES ME, THE BOOK OF MORMON, and WAITRESS. Creel was among the star-studded cast of New York City Center Encores! critically acclaimed production of INTO THE WOODS starring as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince. The celebrated production transferred to Broadway where Creel reprised his role as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince opposite Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Joshua Henry, Julia Lester and Patina Miller.  Gavin received an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Elder Price in the London Production of THE BOOK OF MORMON and also appeared on the West End in MARY POPPINS, HAIR, and WAITRESS. This fall, Gavin brings WALK ON THROUGH: Confessions of a Museu

ALFRED UHRY is a graduate of Brown University. He is the only American playwright to have won a Pulitzer Prize (Driving Miss Daisy), an Academy Award (Driving Miss Daisy) and two Tony Awards (The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Parade). In 2014 he was inducted into both the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and the Theater Hall of Fame. He is the proud father of four daughters and the proud grandfather of six granddaughters and two grandsons. He lives in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Javier Muñoz is an actor and activist whose impressive body of work spans theater, film and television. He is best known for starring and co-creating the role of "Alexander Hamilton'' in the hit musical HAMILTON on Broadway for two years after Lin-Manuel Miranda departed the show (and was his alternate prior to that). He got his break starring as “Usnavi” in IN THE HEIGHTS on Broadway, also created by Miranda. Javier starred in the dark comedy indie feature, MONUMENTS, opposite David Sullivan & Marguerite Moreau, the indie feature LOVE RECONSIDERED and stars in THREE MONTHS, opposite Troy Sivan and Judy Greer, on Paramount+. He voices a lead character in the Disney Jr. animated series, Eureka! Other TV credits include recurring role on Shadowhunters, Blindspot and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Javier is also an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights, a Global Ambassador for (RED), which fights to end HIV/AIDS, and supporter of GMHC. Jessie Mueller is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning actress and singer. She was

Alex Brightman is a two-time Tony-nominated actor for his performances in Beetlejuice the Musical and School of Rock. Other Broadway credits include Matilda, Big Fish, & Glory Days. Most recently, Alex was seen on stage in Lewberger's The Wizard of Friendship as Ketih's Dad. You can also hear him on the upcoming cast recording of The Wizard of Friendship as Flim Flam the Sausage Man. Alex can be seen on the current (and final) season of The Blacklist on NBC as forensic analyst Herbie Hambright. Other TV credits include Law & Order: SVU, Documentary Now!, The Good Fight, Blue Bloods, and Important Things w/ Demetri Martin. Alex is the voice of Pugsley/Temeluchus on the acclaimed Netflix animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park. Other cartoon credits include Helluva Boss, Teen Titans Go!, and the upcoming Scooby Doo and the Haunted High Rise. As a writer, Alex has developed series with NBC, Universal Studios, 20th Century, and Warner Brothers. He is currently developing Cleaners, an animated musical comedy, wi

In the fall and winter of 2021/2022 Laura Cahill taught screenwriting to 8 young acting students from Kyiv on Zoom in English. Their last class was February 6th, 2022. The war started 18 days later. Most of the students fled their homes. Laura reunited with her students and started teaching them playwriting. On May 1st, she started teaching a second playwriting class that had been advertised on a a Telegram channel for art programs for Ukrainian Youth. It was supposed to last four weeks. Most of those students were still in Ukraine, but some had fled. The May class went so well, they decided to keep going, so on June 1st, the two classes came together and formed Young Playwrights Ukraine. On July 24th, six months after the war started, they had a reading of 18 short works with professional actors on Zoom for an audience. The cast included noted actors David Morse, Cara Buono, Ann Dowd, Kevin Corrigan, Misha Brooks, Bridgette Lundy-Paine, Ivanna Sakhno, Stefanie Lavie Owens, Oona Laurence and others. The play