This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[0:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[1:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[1:10] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[1:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[1:40] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[1:50] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[2:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[2:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[2:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[2:40] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[2:50] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[3:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[3:10] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[3:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[3:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[3:40] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[3:50] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[4:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[4:10] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[4:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[4:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[4:40] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[4:50] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[5:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[5:10] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[5:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[5:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[5:40] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[5:50] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[6:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[6:10] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[6:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[6:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[6:40] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[6:50] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[7:00] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[7:10] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[7:20] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[7:30] Michael Baxter: I am always on my leg.

[7:40] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[8:00] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[8:20] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[8:40] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[9:00] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[9:20] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[9:40] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[10:00] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[10:20] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[10:40] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[11:00] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[11:20] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[11:40] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[12:00] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[12:20] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[12:50] Douglas Goldstein: I interviewed Baxter on Arutz Sheva Radio.

[13:09] Michael Baxter: And of course, KIND. I'm creating this position of resident choreographer. I have this list of other people but I would love for you to do it. That was January, 2012. And I, at first I was like, all right what is it? We'll figure it out. Truly. What does that mean? We'll figure it out. Excellent. All right let's talk in a week after these auditions settle. And then I became the director and choreographer of the teens and my first season as the resident choreographer at the Muny was the summer of 2012, Mike Isakson's first season.

[13:45] Brendon Stimson: Wow.

[13:46] Michael Baxter: And I mean truly the rest is history because even now you've been there for, this is coming up on, so that would make it nine?

[13:52] Brendon Stimson: Nine.

[13:54] Michael Baxter: Nine, nine straight seasons. As resident choreographer for the teens and now moving up to your new position of artistic associate. So I was the resident choreographer for eight seasons, seven years and then in 2018 I was appointed artistic associate, which was, we'll probably get into this a little bit later, which I'm so grateful to the Muny. I mean, it's still going back to 2008, 2009 when I was a performer there. So I also like count those in there, but just consecutively now nine years, 2012. Has been a launching pad and a foundation again for mentorship, getting back to your point, Brendan, about who has helped you along the way. I have been very grateful for those people that have said, you, look, go.

[14:42] Brendon Stimson: Well, and also, and to speak to your tenacity to then say, okay, it's just a quick like, yes, we will figure it out. Don't know what this means, but we're gonna find out and figure it out together. And I think that speaks to the kind of determination and having such great mentors where fear is pointless. So why am I gonna be afraid? It's a new thing. Why not just tackle it? And so I think that that is absolutely coming from those mentorships and has helped shape you as a mentor, which I think is fantastic.

[15:13] Michael Baxter: I have to take a couple steps back and just acknowledge all of the teachers along the way, because what's interesting about the journey is I fell in love with dance and I cultivated that. And it became a really strict curiosity and discipline for me that I wanted to continue. And I kept it up throughout all of that, constantly taking class, constantly wanting to improve and invest in it and get better and better. So I sort of skipped some of the chapters of the journey as we're talking, but there was a lot of training and a lot of performing that took place in those years in between.

[15:50] Brendon Stimson: Hell yeah, and I think I have a side note and I could be totally wrong, but Michael, I gotta remember, we auditioned together. I think like in the same time, kind of coming up. And I remember this name, Michael Baxter, and I remember this dude, so on his leg, turning like a madman. And you said, as soon as you said 2008, 2009, and I'm like, I remember now. So did you audition for the Muny in St. Louis on the stage?

[16:23] Michael Baxter: I think it was 2008.

[16:25] Brendon Stimson: Okay, so I took, quick little side story, I took a 13 hour drive from Syracuse, because I was going to Syracuse University at the time, and we all drove down in our drove. And I remember just like seeing all these people in this high school in St. Louis, and like, this is like the audition. And I remember feeling this whole thing, and I remember specifically, Michael Baxter. I'm like, this dude's gonna hook this, this guy's got it in a second. And then come to find out, when I worked there much later, and then you were running the entire teen program, and now Artistic Associate, I'm like, wait, this is the same guy.

[17:07] Michael Baxter: Well, you came on the good year. So there were two years that I auditioned, I was there, that I didn't book.

[17:13] Brendon Stimson: Okay, I have to, so yes, dance has been my life, and it is the great unifier for me, it is passion, it is music personified, but why my first Muny audition when I was a freshman? Why did I go to the singer call? I felt like, I don't know what was going on in my head at the time. But yeah, sure, I'll go to the singer call, I'm a serious actor after all, they'll see that I can sing, and they can act, and then they'll want to call me back to dance.

[17:41] Michael Baxter: And then you're gonna sweep the floor with them.

[17:43] Brendon Stimson: Didn't book it, you know, like you sing, and they're like, thank you. You know, Michael Horsley, thank you. We had no relationship at the time. Then the next year, I went back as a dancer and did much better, still didn't book it. And then my junior year, I did.

[18:00] Michael Baxter: I certainly remember that, I just, spiky blonde hair, right?

[18:04] Brendon Stimson: Yes, well, yes.

[18:08] Michael Baxter: Like an elephant, this one, like an elephant. This one, bringing up the past, absolutely, yeah.

[18:13] Brendon Stimson: I was like, I know this. You can't forget Michael Baxter.

[18:17] Michael Baxter: Can I?

[18:18] Brendon Stimson: You can't. There was such an imprinted memory of just the cleanest triple turn I've ever seen in my life. As like a college student, I was like, he's never done this. This guy's got it, this guy's got it. I'm packing my bags right now. You know, you talk about people being on their leg, or their strengths, or you know, some dancers leap, some dancers have style. I was like, I was a turner.

[18:42] Michael Baxter: Hell yes. That was my thing. Until I met Jack Sipple.

[18:47] Brendon Stimson: This guy.

[18:48] Michael Baxter: This guy can turn. He's the center of the gods. To second what Mike Isaacson said. I mean, talk about someone who's truly on his game, always like leading with the best positive mindset, always thinking about other people and the design of what is happening. And like we said at the very beginning, definitely someone who I have always looked up to and have always asked questions to. He's always been there to answer my questions. I'm always like, so how do you, so then when do you, so what if you did that? And like just constant, and my ears are always on around this person too, because there's always that something that's going to come out of his mouth that is just like a new way of thinking. So.

[19:27] Brendon Stimson: I hope the advice was good.

[19:29] Michael Baxter: I mean, totally. Just like talking about doing, whether it was me as a Muny teen watching you in the shows and being a part of that rehearsal process, or as an actual Muny teen working with you on the touring show, that creative process was such a great learning atmosphere for me in the sense of not just being a performer, but on the creative side of like, how is this put together? And it's such a different type of show too. You have like 20, 25 minutes of how many songs can we cram in this puppy to get people excited to sit down for two and a half hours. So it's a new idea and it's just a new way of thinking. So there was always something to learn with you there. So thank you for all of that.

[20:18] Brendon Stimson: But I love the journey in the sense of, grew up in a studio, taking class, was inspired, continued that ride. You hopped on the train, went to school, still riding. Like you said, there was that gap of you were still performing in New York, touring all the amazing things. And then it led you back to the Muny for this amazing transition here. So when you think about moving forward out of that performance step, I guess, you're never done performing because you still got that triple turn. So moving forward, what is something you take with you into the choreography world as a performer? Like now when you're setting shows and you're thinking creatively about whether it's you choreographing a show or just designing a show, helping someone create that vision, what is something you bring forward from your performance background to help?

[21:13] Michael Baxter: That's a great question. And I think it sort of goes back to like the fundamentals of those auditions, Brendan, that we experienced. And if you actually sort of break down what a choreographer, a director, a casting director behind the table is looking for, they have an idea of what a role, a dancer, a scene in a show could be. And ultimately it's the performer's job to demonstrate to them what it should be. And that's where it really launches. So the number one thing that I carry with me from performance to choreography is confidence and storytelling. And I think having a point of view, having a discernible point of view in the room while you are making those choices that are musical, stylistic, that are appropriate for the moment have originality is all why good choreography is based.

And what I mean by that is it actually is about creating for those original individuals. And I think that has been the biggest thing that has stood out to me. Going back to that audition feel, if you walk in, you have a lot going on. There's a tremendous amount that is at your disposal, but having the self-awareness that you can be yourself and be at your best knowing that the people behind the table are also self-aware, wanting to be their best and bring their best for you really is the most important. And I think that really plays its way into telling good stories because that's the community idea that the community shares the same point of view as the leading player.

[23:03] Brendon Stimson: Agreed.

[23:04] Michael Baxter: Perfect.

[23:05] Brendon Stimson: Agreed. And that truthfulness I think is another huge aspect that you bring too, along with just what you said. I know whenever we would collaborate on ideas, it's always kind of like, why are you doing this? Where is this coming from? It has to connect to something, like those types of questions. So leading with that honesty and vulnerability side, I think is another huge thing that you bring to the table as well.

[23:25] Michael Baxter: In any project, yeah.

[23:27] Brendon Stimson: Thank you.

[23:28] Michael Baxter: Thank you. So Michael, you have a lot of experience, especially with teen actors from the Muny who are aspiring performers. I know Jack was once a Muny teen. I know people like Taylor Latterman were once a Muny teen. And so with these new aspiring students, and I'm sorry if you hear my dog in my background, he's having a grand old time.

[24:02] Brendon Stimson: Love Wally.

[24:03] Michael Baxter: Howling in the background.

[24:05] Brendon Stimson: Oh, hi Wally. Just celebrating.

[24:08] Michael Baxter: And just really-

[24:09] Brendon Stimson: We told him you were here today, Michael. He's really excited.

[24:11] Michael Baxter: He's practicing his high soprano for you.

[24:12] Brendon Stimson: What's that high pitched voice in the background? Oh, it must be Michael Baxter.

[24:14] Michael Baxter: Okay.

[24:16] Brendon Stimson: I have your audition reel playing in the back.

[24:19] Michael Baxter: Hopefully I'm on my leg.

[24:21] Brendon Stimson: Always, always. No question.

[24:24] Michael Baxter: With working with all these teens and how they have these very, very huge dreams and lofty goals of all the Broadway and all these things, how do you discern between, okay, you have incredibly gifted students and you have had such great mentors in your life and you yourself are a great mentor. Where is it that you see in a student? Is it just through sheer determination? Is it through like, ah, this one's gifted? How do you go about, I mean, because there's gotta be a different formula. People learn in different ways. What is the way that you kind of approach, I mean, that kind of mentorship in such a vulnerable state of a growing artist?

[25:58] Michael Baxter: It goes back to, I think what's so special about the professionalism of a teenager in St. Louis, that it's all based in this theater being in their backyard. So I actually have to acknowledge before I can answer the question about any mentorship or pedagogical approach or even just like leadership approach of how I would work with them, that I am very fortunate to be working with teenagers who already exist at an extremely high level. And that is all due to the culture of dance, of theater, of having a theater like the Muny in their backyard. So step one is that it's all based in to the great teachers and the educators that already exist here. I think what is always very important to discern for me, especially between professional and young professional is the young professional will actually step up by being challenged because they will want to do better and to do their best for you. There still is a little bit of that element of it's not necessarily pleasing, but they know that their training is still being cultured.

[28:16] Michael Baxter: So we learned it over Zoom. And then we showed up a day for a rehearsal one and I had like, I think two at a time because of COVID. They have to sit one in every section a million feet away from each other, and you can work with two at a time. It was something crazy like that. But my point is just stepping up to the plate. We learned it over Zoom, had never seen them. They have refrigerators next to them. I'm like, and split and jump, like just telling them to do the most tragic things ever in their homes, right? But then we show up and they make it happen. Like the training that has been instilled in them through Michael and the whole team there has just been so incredible. Just they know to turn it on and what it takes to, you know, take something over the finish line.

[29:15] Jack Sippel: I think what you're getting at, and I want to speak about your work this summer too, but what you're getting at ultimately is trust.

[29:23] Michael Baxter: Absolutely. And when young people and anybody watching, you know, somebody who is honest and trustworthy and is guiding you with that generosity of spirit, and they are as curious as you are about how it is all going to turn out, you all have to grab hands together. That is sort of the trial by fire nature of the Muny in general. And why should it be any different for a young person who's 12, 13 than it is for a professional who just traveled from New York City and has been on Broadway and five Broadway shows and is doing the same exact thing? It's all adrenaline and it's trust. And it is epic in nature, but I think laying that groundwork with skilled discipline, having somebody say you're capable, and then giving them a showcase to demonstrate that is all about trust.

That's amazing. And I see it too, kind of from an outsider's perspective, I guess, watching these students also who are under me grow up through that new kind of team that has taken over the Muny. It's been incredible.

[30:33] Michael Baxter: Well, and may I brag about you for a little bit?

[30:36] Jack Sippel: Do it.

[30:37] Michael Baxter: Okay. So this summer, Jack's like, I'm in town. If you need anything, let me know. Jack, come on over to the Muny. I need to talk to you about an idea. And lo and behold, Jack comes in. He's got this awesome, like laid out Hollywood number for how he's going to use the entire backlot. We had known that it was going to be a production number. We were already making lemonade out of lemons, but Jack absolutely stepped up and said, yes, I'm going to do this. He walked me through his whole plan. It was brilliant. And before he could leave, Mike Isaacson was like, well, why don't you do a second number? I mean, that is just the testament.

[31:14] Jack Sippel: I was like, okay, so I need a drone here. I need Tracy to get me the pyro. I need this, this, this. Like I had my dream list. I was like, I'm at the Muny. I know they can do whatever the heck they want. And I know where the pyro is because it was supposed to be used this summer. Mary Poppins. Okay. And it's being held. For all the listeners, there was no pyro in the number. And I know where it's at. So Tracy, if you're listening, next time, right?

[31:41] Michael Baxter: He did that with his dancers. He brought the pyro in with his choreography.

[31:45] Jack Sippel: Ah, well said, well said, well said. Very true. Well, it was, it was an amazing variety special you guys put on. It was, how many weeks was that again? Six?

[31:53] Michael Baxter: Well, it was five weeks of the Muny Summer Variety Hour Live. And what preceded it was Muny Magic in Your Home, which is actually pre-taped episodes of our Muny Magic concert series.

[32:07] Jack Sippel: That's right. That's right. The Sheldon. Oh my gosh.

[32:10] Michael Baxter: So it was 10 weeks total for our virtual season.

[32:13] Jack Sippel: Amazing. All right, Michael Baxter, we have some questions from our listeners who wrote in on our Instagram page and our Twitter at, again, underscore podcast. If you're listening, write to us. Our first question is from Nicolette. She says, what is your choreography process like?

[32:32] Michael Baxter: So when you're approaching a new material, or if it's, you know, if someone hands you a show at the Muny, say, hey, we're doing Mary Poppins. Mike Isaacson says, go. Research, research, research. To fully understand the language and make your physical movement become a text. That's what I ultimately believe is the role of the choreographer is that they have to devise and implement the physical score of the piece. And to further the story through a manifested physical score that's created with style, music, and bodies in space. You can only get to that language and understanding of the heart of that piece by doing loads of research. And the first step always is becoming familiar with the material.

For me, my way in is always music. The albums, music of the time period, music by similar artists. I sometimes even just find something that is absolutely not related to the show, but connected to the time period to get me in the zone. And that all starts with the research. So my first way in is music. Second is, you know, manifesting that music into the score and physicalizing the score and making the language of the script come to life. And I use the script constantly to write in notes and actually like getting into the paperwork. And then once I feel like I have like the paperwork figured out in paragraph form, those paragraphs have to become physical vocabulary. So for me, my step is always music to text to physical score.

[34:12] Michael Baxter: Our second question comes from Megan. She says, what are your best tips for memorizing choreography?

[34:19] Michael Baxter: Repetition. You have to live it. Listen. And you have to listen with your eyes and your ears and your soul. And why your soul is your soul is the tempo. Your soul is the rhythm. Dance exists in this time and space. So you have to listen with your heart. What happens often is people will pick up the steps. People will see how it should be. But ultimately, at its core, it has to be in line with what the tempo is. So you have to listen with your eyes, your ears and your soul.

[34:51] Jack Sippel: That's the title. By the way, you're writing that down, right? That's the title of this episode.

[34:55] Michael Baxter: Oh, yeah.

[34:57] Jack Sippel: Oh my God.

[35:00] Michael Baxter: On your leg.

[35:03] Jack Sippel: I can't believe you remember that. I'm just-

[35:05] Michael Baxter: It's ingrained.

[35:07] Jack Sippel: I am absolutely floored.

[35:09] Michael Baxter: I told you, everyone knows it. Everyone knows about it. No question.

[35:16] Jack Sippel: And, you know, auditioning itself is the interview, the act, you know, the very first dance. So the more you get into the process of interviewing, auditioning, you know, doing that, it becomes easier as well.

[35:34] Michael Baxter: I used to call it like demystifying the audition setting. I know a lot of people run into an audition. And Megan, if you're having trouble with kind of like that feeling of anxiety in an audition, you got to know, as Michael said before, everyone on the other side is also trying to bring their best. And I know if I go into an audition room and Michael Baxter's either teaching the combination or running the entire room as far as choreographer, I know that that dude on that side is cheering for me to do well. Because if they- you know that they're cheering because they want you to do well, so it makes their job easier, too.

[36:08] Michael Baxter: Absolutely.

[36:10] Jack Sippel: And our last question we have here for you is from Carolyn. And she says, what has been your most creatively fulfilling experience?

[36:18] Michael Baxter: Wow, that's deep. Thank you, Carolyn, for asking that. You know, in thinking of- a quick answer to that has to be what you just did, right? So a huge part of that is I'm talking to Brendan and Jack, who just participated in our holiday video series. So I always sort of look at the last thing. And I have to acknowledge what happened this summer at the Muny, where everything was put together and adapted so quickly to what we could do, because we couldn't do what we normally meant to do. And the creative act of taking our theatrical storytelling online and inviting emerging choreographers, talent from St. Louis and beyond to come back and make art for these purposes was really fulfilling. And I was thrilled by the energy and the tenacity and the way that everybody showed up to say yes for that experience.

It was really very moving and a very challenging, trippy time. And it was very- like Jack mentioned earlier, it was very difficult to put together safely. And I'm so thankful that it all happened the way that it did. So I have to acknowledge that. And thinking one step further back is Matt Kunkel and I had the great privilege of, again, with adrenaline and the quickest turnaround time ever, choreograph an hour and a half gala performance in three days time for 11,000 people for the Muny's 100th Centennial Gala. And that day on the platform, Jack, I don't remember, we were three days into rehearsal, we had two days in New York, we land in St. Louis, we have one designer run day, and then the fourth day, our stars, our luminaries arrive.

Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, Heather Headley, Matthew Morrison, Ken Page, Lara Teeter, Jenny Powers, Graham Roy. I mean, it was just Patrick Cassidy. It was just filled to the brim with stars. And that day on that platform, working with those Broadway luminaries for the purpose of honoring the Muny's Centennial Gala is a memory that I will never forget. Specifically from that day, I will never forget working with Tommy Tune. And we had everything staged within an inch of its life. I did not want anything to go without being mentioned. We were on it and the dancers were fantastic, Jack being one of them. And we get to Tommy's entrance. And I said, you know, I have the step prepared for you, but I ultimately want to leave it free so you can enjoy this moment. He's like, no, I want to make sure that I do your steps for your vision. And it was one of the most memorable moments that I've ever had at the Muny and I'm so grateful.

[39:25] Michael Baxter: And I remember about to enter for one of our numbers, and it was, of course, raining. And I just yelled, this is what we live for! Because all of us have been in a Muny show. Everyone participating in this gala has been in a Muny show. And we all know what happens at the Muny. It's either 90 million degrees, or it's raining. And there's a lightning streak going through you. So I just remember shouting that, and it was just the most incredible performance ever. It is always trial by fire. Here you go. I feel like I got unscathed. I mean, my only Muny experience is Newsies. And yes, the rehearsals were warm. It was a perfect week. And it was just a little bit of a breeze. But we're still sweating everything off.

And you have this Muny magic feeling. And I didn't understand the Muny magic until I actually performed there. And now I'm in every single season. I'm like, can I go back? Can I go back? I'll leave my Broadway show. I want to go back. There's this moment of the turntable turning around in the first scene when the Newsies get revealed. And I remember the first opening night, and I just were rotating. Like the whole overture is playing. And I feel drizzle. Drop, drop, drop, drop. And I remember I looked over at some other people. It was my first Muny show. And I looked over at other people who had done Muny before. And I feel like it was maybe Daryl Toffa. And he looked down, he's like, it's going to rain.

Yeah, I remember that moment specifically. And we were just kind of like, we're not going to stop. So don't expect to stop. We're going to keep going unless we see less lightning hits Michael Horsley in that orchestra pit. And we sure did. We never had a delay. We never had a cancellation. And that was awesome. Oh, man, what a great, thrilling week that was just in general. I mean, that first of all, just the galvanizing energy of the show itself. But you gentlemen up there, doing that Chris Bailey original choreography. It was an incredible week. I do not remember the rain. But I remember our tech. Something happened with our tech that we had to delay our tech till the next day and actually finish the show the next day.

Tech got majorly rained out. That was our only kind of rain thing. But and then I remember, okay, so we didn't tech any of Act Two. I think we did like the major scaffolding moves. And that's it. And I remember looking at Jack and be like, hey, so this is normal. I mean, we just don't run until it happens. He's like, yeah, it'll be fine. For your listeners. Tech at the Muny is more like a tech through. You come on out and you do the major trouble points of the show first. And then you start at the top and you go. And it's everybody learning their show around you at the exact same time in the exact same space. And it's all based on respect and trust. And at that time, Newsies, we had one tech that half of it was rained out.

So we had to finish the show the next day in the morning. We started at like 10 or 11 in the morning. Yeah, it was early in order to finish it off. Yeah, we had to finish it off and then go back through for the sweat tech. So it was like one and a half times. But I remember looking at Brendan's like, yeah, they've got it. The department got it. It's going to be fine. And for your listeners, the sweat tech is the orchestra tech during this tech through in the night. We do not have the orchestra. It is still a piano tech. So you have to do the sweat tech because it's called orchestra tech and it's called sweat tech or what was at one point called sweat tech. It no longer exists. Was middle of the day in August in St. Louis from one to six p.m. What happened in the production schedule now is we now have a piano tech in an evening.

The next day you have sits probe and an orchestra tech in the evening, which is a real adjustment to the production schedule. I mean, we went from, you know, you would start your run at one thirty a.m. because the shows were Monday through Sunday. The next one started on Monday. So they would have to take all of that stuff down, move your stuff into the theater. You start at one thirty. You run overnight. They take yours down because the other show has one more performance. And it just I mean, crazy how that was. For those that are listening, that was the infamous midnight text. Yes, where tech would actually start at midnight on the show that preceded you set you like Jack is saying, you don't actually start doing your show until one thirty in the morning and you finish at four thirty. Oh, my God. Hey, that cantina gift card. Am I right? That is no longer. That is no longer. But I think every alumni has a midnight text story.

[44:03] Michael Baxter: Oh, man. Michael Baxter, this is this segment called should have shot it. This comes from in our time with the prom movie on Netflix. Meryl Streep had an amazing, amazing performance that we all saw. There was one quick rehearsal for the camera blocking that we were. She was kind of like getting a getting a bit kind of approved by the director. She's like, I'll just show you. Just start the music and go. And she did the entire end of this entire number of not about me and killed it. Just lights, camera, everything. And it ends with this huge curtain drop and a blackout. And we all sit there just like, oh, my God. And in the moment of the blackout, Meryl screams, should have shot it. And so for us to witness that and nobody recorded anything, the cameras were not on.

It's just like our witnessing it. So we want to know, is there a moment in your life, career, anything where you've seen something or experienced something yourself where you're like, oh, did anyone get that on film? Someone should have shot it. And does it specifically have to be in the world of choreography? Not at all. It's just in in the arts. OK, anything? Yeah, I think Jack knows where I'm going. It's a Muni Muni memory. Oh, no. Yes. It was a Friday night. It was 2014. It was Hello, Dolly. What I mean, it was absolutely a golden Muni moment. It was absolutely epic. It's a Friday night. You know, nobody's ever, you know, you can. There was, you know, thousands of people in the audience, but it starts pouring down rain, so people started to leave, but thousands of people still stayed to watch this moment.

Waiter's gala finishes. And you have a little scene that you're starting to see, you know, people gathering the wings, umbrellas starting to be popped up. The orchestra members are popping up, literally packing up their instruments, getting ready to go because it's pouring down rain. And lo and behold, you know, there's a two minute little interlude and I was Stanley and, you know, you're still going. Nobody's calling it. Monica's the stage manager. She's still in the wings. Nobody's crying. It's like, keep going. Yeah, she's here. Yeah. Boom. She appears at the top of the stairs. Epic. Should have shot it. And we go boom. Rain, rain, rain. It was the most thrilling moment. And what you watch in her eyes is she says, yeah, we're doing this.

And we all took our cue from Beth. Yeah, we're doing this. We're going. And she came down the stairs. Hello, Rudy. Hello, Danny. Hello, Manny. We're going. Then we're dancing. Then we go out onto the passerelle. We're all holding on for dear life, making sure that nobody dared trip because this is a moment. Should have shot it. That should be captured always. Then the number finishes in great triumph. Wild applause. Thousands of people like soaking wet, ready to go. And she says, one more time. Encore. And we did the duck walk one more time. And then finally they called it. It was the most priceless evening as a performer, as a community, as just like a culture of being together, experiencing live theater that should have been captured somehow.

I remember telling Brendan about that story. And I was just like, yeah, the booms opened after Elegance and the rain started. You just felt like the collective sigh from the waiters just like started then. And we did the whole waiter's gallop. And I was like, I was saying I was rolling in puddles for seven minutes. And then Beth comes up bone dry, bone dry. I was just like, here I am. And we're just like sloshed over. And then when she comes down and she just stops at me and just like wipes my face for about a minute and a half, not doing any of her steps, not doing any of anything. But then she goes, one more time. And people are like in the audience, their hairs plastered to their face, lightnings going across the sky.

Oh my God. I'll never forget, I played Stanley. So she would always say, lose some weight, Stanley. And she would tap me. And I remember that night, like the tap was like, so soaking wet. There's water like spewing off of it. It's one of those like, honey, I shrunk the kid raindrops, like hitting your stomach. You know, and then you asked me, what else could I speak about? And I have to go back, you know, the theme of our conversation. And thank you, Brendan, for acknowledging this and bringing it up, the importance of mentorship. I have to do a shout out to my Muny teens throughout the years. We would get an archival video, but there would be those performances where the cast of Newsies would come and watch them do their thing.

And they would just eat it up. It was just heroic and brave and strong. And there was this, the reason that these showcases were created. And I always leave those performances thinking, should have shot it. That's exactly that feeling where they're there. When you talk about respecting the art, valuing the work, valuing the artists that help get you to where you are. They're in the audience, watching you do your thing at that age. And those are all of the moments for every single year. I can think of those performances where you should have shot it.

[50:01] Brendon Stimson: That's amazing.

[50:02] Jack Sippel: That's a good one.

[50:03] Brendon Stimson: Well, Michael Baxter, thank you so, so much for being here with us.

[50:09] Michael Baxter: Thank you.

[50:09] Brendon Stimson: What a delightful hour we had, just full of wisdom. I've loved hearing your journey again and learned so much about it and new and a lot of old things like you still got the triple turn check.

[50:21] Michael Baxter: I still got it. Oh my God.

[50:23] Brendon Stimson: But truly, thank you for taking the time to do this. This means a lot. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for everything. And Jack and Brendan, for all of the great work that you've done for the Muny throughout the years. I'm so grateful to know you and I'm honored to be interviewed by you. I mean, come on, what you accomplished this past summer, Jack Sippel, coming home to support the endeavor and working at your highest possible standard, firing on all cylinders in the middle of a pandemic, making sure that everything was rich and nuanced, 100% safe, working with all of your dancers to make sure that they understood everything via Zoom rehearsals, Zoom rehearsals, everyone to film what you did was absolutely stunning. It is something that I will absolutely never forget. I'm so proud of you. And I don't feel like that means enough for what the moment was. I'm just so glad that we had that moment to do this together.

[51:21] Jack Sippel: Thank you. Thank you. That means a lot. I was honored to do that with you.

[51:26] Brendon Stimson: Look at him gush. Look at him gush.

[51:31] Michael Baxter: Well, Michael, thank you so much. I thank you. Wally in the back. Thanks you so much. And I just got to say, like, it's an absolute pleasure to know you, work with you, and I hope we work and see you soon.

[51:43] Michael Baxter: Oh, yes. Thank you.

[51:51] Brendan Stimson: Hey, it's Brendan.

[51:52] Jack Sippel: Hey, it's Jack.

[51:53] Brendan Stimson: Thanks so much for tuning into our podcast.

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[52:14] Jack Sippel: And give us a rating if you love what you're hearing.

[52:17] Brendan Stimson: Again, from the top is produced by Dory Berenstein.

[52:19] Jack Sippel: And Alan Seals.

[52:20] Brendan Stimson: Stay tuned for our next 5678.