This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Joe Rosko: Welcome to Built For The Stage Podcast. This is Joe Roscoe, founder and host of Built For The Stage, Broadway's number one fitness platform with clients in over 20 Broadway shows, the West End in London, Australia, Tokyo, Disney, collegiate theaters across the country, you name it. We got clients everywhere. We're your one-stop shop for all things theater and fitness. So if you want to try a free trial, go to builtforthestage.com and you can work alongside me as your coach on an interactive fitness app, builtforthestage.com. Special thanks to our producing team, Broadway Podcast Network. You can check them out at bpn.fm. All right, let's get on to our special guest. Special guest as always. I ran across their content, I think first on YouTube, probably in the pandemic days, God rest his soul, may it never return.

And then they were just taking social media by storm as well and just interviewing casual people like Martha Stewart and Idina Menzel, you know, all these people. And I just had to reach out because I really respect what they've done with their page, their brand. I also ran into them maybe about like, oh, has it been a year ago? On a sidewalk after a show once and we got to meet in person for the first time. And they were just as lovely in person as they seemed in all of their content. So I was like, I got to have them on the show. So please welcome to the show a Broadway journalist, Broadway personality. You've seen them on many carpets and many of YouTube blogs and all that. They go by, you know, like any other important person does like Beyonce, Usher, etc. Please welcome to the show, Shoshana from Bway show. Hello, Shoshana. Welcome to the Stage Podcast. Thanks so much for joining us.

[2:19] Shoshana: Thanks for having me. What an introduction.

[2:23] Joe Rosko: Yeah, it's the best one you've ever gotten, right?

[2:25] Shoshana: I really enjoyed that.

[2:27] Joe Rosko: If you ever need a hype man, just call me up. I'll be there on the ones and twos to give you the best intro out there. So yeah, but I meant all that sincerely. Big fan. And such a fan of your work that like, usually, I've done over 200 episodes. And I've done the intro that many times, obviously, I can do it in my sleep. But I don't know, your presence brought some type of anxious energy, like, Oh, I can't mess up in front of Shoshana, like she's so good. Like, I gotta, I gotta nail this. I gotta nail it.

[3:04] Shoshana: Well, you nailed it. I was very impressed. Thank you so much.

[3:10] Joe Rosko: Okay, I can't wait for these puns to be dropped throughout this. So yeah, I actually got to work with Chris Catelli recently, we're working together. And I was watching one of your vlogs. You're interviewing him about I think Schmigadoon.

[3:24] Shoshana: Yeah.

[3:29] Joe Rosko: And he used one of your show puns very nicely. I was a big fan of that. So that was great. But before we get started, I wanted to play this video of you, just a little snippet because it gives a great backstory of, I don't know, just like the origin story of this journey. And really something I wanted to dive into. So let me pop this up, you know, me and my big tech team here, aka myself. So so far, so good. All right, here we go. Let's see what we can do.

[3:58] Shoshana: I never could have imagined I'd already be covering opening nights on Broadway within the first year of creating Bway show. It just goes to show how years of hard work and preparation pay off in unimaginable ways. This year, I also enrolled in the Freestyle of Supreme Academy because isn't live reporting just freestyling by another name? My passion for Broadway that made me leave my on-air reporting job in Texas and move back to the greatest city in the world. You see, before I even had a Bway show, I had my trusty sidekicks by my side.

[4:36] Joe Rosko: I wanted to show that part because not only did I think that I look up to you because you were brave enough to just like take the leap of starting this and putting yourself out there, but you're in Texas like you're doing a whole other thing. And then you were like, you know what, I'm following my passion. I'm moving. You say I think you said back to New York. So maybe you're from there. I can't wait to get that backstory. So walk us through like, how did Bway show come about?

[5:07] Shoshana: Yeah, and that was such a walk down memory lane making that video looking at all those 2019 red carpets. That was wonderful. So thank you very, very much for that wild experience. So I am from New York originally. It's wonderful here. I grew up a theater kid going to Broadway shows, Bway show, Broadway shows. So like 13 Newsies, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening, like that hairspray. That is what I grew up on. So I lived in Westchester and Edgemont. Or as like Jonathan Larson would talk about the Scarsdale Jewish Community Center. And then I went to University of Maryland, go Terrapins. And I studied broadcast journalism. And then as a journalist who wants to be on television, they say, you know, you're gonna have to go to a small town. And whoever kind of like gives you that first invite, you just go with it. And I knew I wanted to go somewhere warm. And so when West Texas called, I was like, I guess that's where I'm going. Oh, I know. It's wild.

[6:24] Shoshana: Aka a different country. Literally, Texas is its own country in itself, for sure.

[6:30] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Yes.

[6:32] Shoshana: Okay. So, so New York Broadway girl goes down to West Texas. Okay, go ahead.

[6:38] Shoshana: Yeah. So before I was a theater reporter, I was a news and sports reporter. So I covered like, I was the Big Spring beat reporter. But I also did the Game of the Week. And I did Friday Night Lights. So I think this is especially interesting for like, Built for the Stage because of all the sports and athletics of it all. So like, if you know, Friday Night Lights, like the book and the TV show and all that. I was like, in the thick of it. We like, travel to different small towns in West Texas. I lived in Odessa. I went to the Odessa Permian game like it was wild. I learned so, so much about...

[7:22] Joe Rosko: Sure. For everyone listening, sorry to interrupt. Friday Night Lights. She's talking about high school football on Fridays, which is the equivalent of Broadway in New York City. It is the most important, it's more important than professional football. High school football on Fridays in Texas is crazy. So there's a lot of pressure on Shoshana as her first gig covering this, right?

[7:43] Shoshana: Yeah, no, I appreciate you jumping in for that because it was wild. It is like the way that some of the parents would, like, it was like things were closed across Odessa and like everyone was there. And I, it was amazing. It was like such a wild experience. And I would, so I would film the game the first half basically, on like my professional video camera. And then I at halftime, I'm like trying to in real time, go back to sports talk. So I was going to be like at intermission.

[8:17] Joe Rosko: Right, right, right.

[8:18] Shoshana: At halftime, I'd run up to there was like a press booth, or a press box, and then I'd edit together the highlights. Then I'd watch the second half of the game. And then I would go live on the field with the winning team.

[8:32] Joe Rosko: Got it.

[8:33] Shoshana: So it was like a very high pressure, but exhilarating experience. To be on that field. I love sports. I love like, it was almost easier to go live than it was to do like a filmed report because it's like the adrenaline of it all. It's like a Broadway show, right? Like it is live no matter what, when 11 PM hits, like, no matter how prepared you are, the show must go on.

[8:59] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Okay, so that you're already getting prepared for your red carpet and other interviews that you're doing at these awards or opening night. So when you're down there, how long are you down there? And what makes you take your return to New York?

[9:17] Shoshana: That is a fantastic question. So I was there from 2017 to 2019. Wild years to be in West Texas. I did make some very wonderful friends. So I will say that and they treated me with such incredible hospitality. I also just have to say like, if I hadn't had that experience, I don't know if Bway show would exist in the way it does today, right? Like, being an on-camera reporter, doing all the like producing, filming, editing, writing on-camera work, like, you are basically a one-woman show out there with the support of your colleagues. But like, when I was doing those reports, sometimes I wouldn't even have like a videographer, it was like, just me setting up the shot with a producer in my ear. Like it was a wild experience.

And so when my contract was up, they asked if I wanted to renew it. And I was like, Thank you so much. No, I don't. And I was driving one day from Odessa to Big Spring. And I just had an epiphany about becoming like, I was like, I've been listening to a lot of Broadway podcasts. I've always been such a theater girly. And I was like, there's no one really doing the specific niche of like a professional journalist, who is also just like a mega fan who grew up in theater and like wants to represent like the fans of Broadway, but in a professional journalist environment. And so it was really exciting. I just kind of like, I drove back from Texas to New York, I sold my car and I lived off of that in 2019.

It was a wild experience. I don't think I'd do it in any other way. I mean, like extra funding would have been great. But like, with any show, I feel like it kind of had that, like starting at the fringe vibe, right? Like, we are just like, I knew, I knew I could do it because I'd basically been doing that for two years, but in a different way. And people would always ask my opinion for like, Hey, I'm going to New York, what Broadway show should I see? And it was like, it was so baked in. And one thing I forgot to even mention. So I had this morning segment, where I would drop two theater references every morning. And like, no one ever realized it or recognized it was like, so wild. And these are things I'm writing at like 2:30 in the morning.

But I was so committed to the bit. So I'd write it in. So it would sound like, oh, that's a weird way of saying that sentence. But it, you know, it like still worked. So it'd be like, for the election of 2018. When you rise up, make sure you bring your donations to you know, the Salvation Army. Like, it was like, yeah, small little things. But it was it was like my little way of like, staying true to my weird theater, puns and stuff. And that is just like who I am as a person. And so I love that, like, doing that on television definitely helped for this like Bway show creation of my pun world.

[12:42] Joe Rosko: Very cool. Okay, so once you get here in 2019, do you go through this adventure? Do you have a full-on business plan from A to Z? Do you know exactly where this thing's going? Or do you just start putting one foot in front of the other and it's just evolved to what it's evolved into right now?

[13:02] Shoshana: Just like one of my favorite musicals in 13, we put one foot in front of the other. Just keep walking on. Thank you for that little setup. That was great. The crowd goes wild. Amazing. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. So you just start, yeah, tell us a little bit about that beginning journey. And then if there was any, like, click moments, we're like, Oh, what if XYZ or Oh, I just met this person, this door might be open, I'm gonna run through it.

[13:30] Shoshana: Totally. I think it was all like, I knew that if I showed up, I could make it work. I know. I know. We love it. So it was kind of chaos, which is kind of like how my life is. So it was January of 2019. And I remember that it was BroadwayCon. And so I was like, this is a great place for me to just start filming to start introducing myself. Like, it was it was crazy. I would send out like a lot of emails to people, but I just kind of like...

[14:35] Shoshana: I didn't know it at the time, but I had a bad back. And so sometimes, like Broadway theaters aren't physically accessible for people, not even just in the audience, but on stage. And of course, with like Jenna Bainbridge from Subs and now Wicked, we're hearing a lot. We're making some really big strides in Broadway, but it's like, why did it take so long? And like, I'm thinking of Ali Stroker a few years ago, like, it is so important to be looking at theater in the bigger picture. And I'm just like, fascinated with theater and people's ability to do this eight times a week. And so I just like put myself out there. And then early on, I made some friends, I don't remember how I got connected to this group.

But there was like a group of theater professionals from all over the industry who would meet, like every other Monday. I'm still friends with some of them today, which is like pretty cool thinking back to that. Brian Campione, who works at Playbill now, like we met at this thing. And so there would be like an ask and an offer. And I was like, my dream is to cover Broadway opening nights, like I have my own equipment, I know how to do all this, I can make like a video package. And theaterpizazz.com was looking for a new person. And so I jumped on board. And I remember I did a waitress press day with Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan, this was like, pretty early on. And then my first opening night was Be More Chill, which was amazing.

And I had met Joe Iconis at this Guggenheim event. And he remembered my name. And I remember thinking how special that was, like, the person who created this Broadway musical that's about to open remembered my name from the small event two weeks ago. Like, that was, it was a very meaningful start to this journey. So I always hold like Be More Chill and Theaterpizazz in like a very special place of my heart, because they're the ones that believed in me. Then we will fast forward a little bit.

[16:45] Joe Rosko: Can we pause there? I'd love to pause about Theaterpizazz.

[16:52] Shoshana: Yeah, yeah. So listening, you might just if you're listening out there, thank you for listening, by the way. You might just be like, Oh, that just how lucky that just landed in show's lap. But the reality is, is that she said something a little bit earlier, which is the important part, which is that she just kept putting herself out there. And that is so easy, but so difficult. And for those of you that are like, Oh, I just want to do the thing I want to do something you have to put yourself out there. It doesn't come naturally for everyone. There are things that you can do to work through it. But I wanted to zoom in and ask you about that show. Has that just been ingrained in you since a child?

Or does it take a lot for you to put yourself out there? Like, how was that process for you of like, Oh, I'm just going to talk to anyone and anywhere, anytime I'm going to do it? Or did you have to struggle through it? Yeah. Tell us about what that meant for you to put yourself out there.

[17:50] Shoshana: Joe, I have to say as an interviewer, I'm very impressed right now. Great job. Well done. That was really wonderful to like, pause. I was just like, because I was like, Oh, my origin story. I just got to like barrel through this. And you were like, Wait, wait, wait, I have a question. So well done. First of all. Thanks so much. Thank you. So I'd say it's a combo. Like I've always felt pretty comfortable speaking to people, public speaking, like both in just like every day, and then also like studying broadcast journalism. Like there are some people who like, Oh, I'm going to go into print or I'm going to go into magazine or radio, like going into TV kind of made sense for me because I love talking to people and I feel very comfortable on camera, which are two things that I think you're kind of either like comfortable with or you have to really work on.

Like those were always just pretty like natural for me. That being said, it is still very scary to put yourself out there in a new environment where, you know, especially as a woman where you're kind of told like to just let you know, like, don't make a big deal or don't be too loud. Like I'm a very loud person. And I'm a very colorful person. So it is it does take maybe some extra like encouragement within myself sometimes to be like, okay, show like you can do this. And like, once I give myself that little pep talk, then I'm fine. But I think it is important for people to know that even people like me who are extreme extroverts, like it is still scary to put yourself out there in an unknown.

I mean, some could say that you're going into the unknown, into the unknown, into the unknown. Literally, as I like posted my Redwood video today, I was like, ha ha ha ha, I'm gonna make so many Adena Menzel wicked frozen rent references. Ha ha ha. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like, it is interesting how both are true, right? Like I am very comfortable speaking with people like today for our conversation. I was like, I'm going to make some Earl Grey tea. And then I'm going to hop onto this call. Right? Like I didn't have to really emotionally prep for like, an interview. I was like, I feel pretty confident that we're gonna have a great rapport. And I'm I don't have to like stress about it. Yeah. Like, when I get ready for an opening night, I am like, you know, I have kind of like a routine.

And I know that is fat, like, going into the future a little bit from this conversation. But I think it's important to note that even people who are very comfortable putting themselves out there, like there's different levels of putting yourself out there. And like rejections hard for anyone. So whether like, you're rejected from a show that you're auditioning for, you're rejected from a carpet, you're rejected from press tickets, like, there are even things that are really small in the grand scheme of things like it can get to you. So it's important to like, have that foundation of like friendship. And like, a lot of my friends are like, I know that this is like you, they see me putting myself out there and they see the like wins and losses.

And they've been really helpful on this journey. I feel like we can spend a whole hour on just we could do like a workshop with show on how to put yourself out there. Because it's not just about bravery, there is a craft or an art to it, if you will, or a best practice of doing it. Because you could just come across, I don't know, awkward, abrasive, too much, whatever it might be. And then you strike out and then you're like this putting yourself out there thing really doesn't work when in fact, it does. But maybe you're just so maybe there's a part two with show and we'd talk about that. All right, let's let you continue on with, you know, you get this gig with Theaterpizazz.

[21:52] Shoshana: Okay, Theaterpizazz. And then you get to cover Be More Chill.

[21:57] Joe Rosko: Yep. Okay, Be More Chill. And then now we're back. Here we go.

[22:02] Shoshana: Excellent. So that was a great first chapter. I will always be grateful to Sandy Durell for making this happen. You know, this is someone with her passion project, she didn't have a lot of funding. And she let there was like a lot of freedom and creativity. But as someone who wanted to do this full time, it really wasn't like a full time job. And I didn't get like, the creative. I didn't get to like keep all of my videos like just for myself. So I was like, this chapter is done. I'm so grateful for it. And I was introduced somehow to New York Theater Guide. And they were also looking for an opening night person with their own stuff. So I started doing opening nights for them, either on camera or behind the scenes doing the camera work and editing, which was also wonderful.

And I got to do so many opening nights and experiences, like the Tony Awards in 2019. That was a really, really special experience for me being on camera. And they had the rainbow flowers, which like for my little queer heart was like, Oh my god, this is perfect. I was a great design that year. That was a great design, great design. And it was like the year of Hadestown who like, I love Hadestown. I love Beetlejuice. Like it was a really strong year personally, of like musicals that I loved. And people who I'd connected with, like Alex Brightman, I will always be grateful for who like, remembered me from Broadway Bakes. And then we did an interview at Broadway and Bryant Park. And my like, Broadway and Bryant Park Beetlejuice videos blew up. I mean, that was like, almost a real start to Bway show. It now was Beetlejuice fans were crazy. I love them so much.

[23:46] Joe Rosko: Now, that was a serendipitous moment for you. Because if you're going to connect with any lead in any show that had a huge, like fanatical following, it was that show they are they did not mess around.

[24:03] Shoshana: No, I have a video with like all of the Beetlejuice videos and my interview with Alex Brightman, that has like 2 million views on YouTube right now, which is wild. And then like a second video, I think it's the Say My Name video with Alex Brightman and Sophia Ann Caruso, which has a million views. Like, it was one of those things where like there was clearly an interest for Beetlejuice and fans and like Alex Brightman gave so much of his time to the fans. And I feel like we connected on that like pure just like love of theater, grateful for being here. How can we give back way? And he was always so nice. And we just like we love committing to the bit. And so that that kind of just started. And then it was like, I don't know exactly time wise.

But let's say maybe like a year later, I was like, this is a really wonderful experience. Thank you for all the opening nights. Thank you for the introductions. But I just like believed in myself so much that I was like, if I'm gonna not be making like a full time salary doing this, I want to at least be able to say I did it my way. And so I said like, thank you so much. I'm gonna go solo. And so I that's when like, it went from like Bway show for other companies to like Bway show on the red carpet. And like, there were a lot of rejections early on, especially right, like, and I'm still dealing with that stuff, right? Like it. I'm not afraid to talk about it. But I think it was a really important moment of like, if I'm, if I moved back to New York to pursue this, I really want to like, believe in my vision.

I don't want like, you know, the news director to like tell me how to do it. I was like, I really want to like feel out how to do it. And I think early on, I was doing a lot more of that same journalism style videos of like a video package like a reel that I would do for like the 6pm news. And that was wonderful. And I love doing it. But it kind of like, it felt very like for television, which is great. But I realized later on that, like, I just love talking with people like the I always, this is so true. I always just wanted to like, Hamilton and bird up like I just wanted to be in the room where it happens. I love that. I love that. Right? Like, that's the that's the title of your memoir, maybe something like that.

It could be I, I would talk to Lynn about that. I think he'd be okay. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. Got to run it by it. But yeah, gotta run it by him. But I, I knew that like, from the early days of like, I knew I wasn't gonna be an Olympic athlete. So how could I get to cover the Olympics? Oh, I'm gonna volunteer and be like a sports journalist. That is true. I like volunteered at the Rio 2016 Olympics. And I went like, amazing. Yeah. So like, I've always believed that like, okay, maybe I can't be dream number one of like being in the Olympics or being on Broadway. That's maybe a little out of reach. And that's fine. So how can I still find myself in those rooms and talking to the people? Oh, I'll be a journalist. I love talking to people. So that's like the Avenue Q that I found.

[27:26] Joe Rosko: Yes, that is the Avenue Q that you found. I love that for you. Okay, so the rejection I wanted to zoom in, I wanted to take another break on the rejection part. Because that I think to me as an entrepreneur or as a creator or an artist or performer, I think the willingness to be rejected and the resilience to keep moving forward through it is maybe the single handedly most important thing that there is to this because I don't know people get rejected, they quit and then it's over and what could have been never is or never was. So yeah, talk us through I don't know, are there any huge memories or like

[28:41] Shoshana: I have a very specific journey of like, I studied broadcast journalism, I then flew across the country to be an on-air reporter. And then I like followed my passion and did this like, I think a lot of people think that I just like woke up one day and was like, I love Broadway and I'm going to do interviews. Which is great if that's your journey and like more power to you. But I don't want it to sound like I just, I think because I have a very like bubbly personality that it can almost, I'm like, one thing that has been really tough is that it feels sometimes like it's less professional, because it's like so high energy. But that's just me being me. And I really want to show up as my authentic self.

Like that is just like, who I am as a person. And so I know how to do the like, on air, giving the facts, giving the like, I know how to do that. And I'll do it for like a more serious topic. But I want to relate to the people at home, I want to relate to the person I'm interviewing, and I want like on a red carpet for the actors have a fun time. And so that's kind of why I've been doing all that. All that to say back to your actual question is like, it, it took me and it's still taking me like up until this day of figuring out like, what is my Bway show voice? And how am I going to present that person and that voice forward, while still being true to myself being true to my mission and my vision.

And accepting that that means that I'm going to get some rejections, right? Like I used to cover a lot of musicals and plays. And now I mostly cover musicals because I'm such a musical person. And I think that makes sense, right? Like it is a bummer to not get some of the plays, but I would rather get more the musical like, if they're like, she's more of like a happy musical person. Like I remember when I sent an email for Shucked and I was like, this is corny. There are puns, please, like I must be on this carpet. And then I got on the carpet and I was like, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Like that one was one of those like, I know in my soul that I am the right person to be on this carpet.

Oh, yeah, that felt amazing. And like on the flip side of things, like, I was recently invited to cover the Othello opening night. And that felt like a major win. I could have seen myself not getting invited to that because of like, it's a more intense, it's a dark show. And there's some really big stars. Or sometimes I'll do interviews. And sometimes I'll do photos and videos. And like, I, I obviously my number one is always to do interviews, but sometimes I'll do photos. And so I was like, I like remember feeling really grateful. Like when I got that email being like, you can do interviews for the Othello carpet. I was like, Ooh, maybe I am being seen as someone back who like, can be like happy and fun, but also like, knows how to feel out the carpet.

And there were like a lot of big celebrities. But then like, I'm not covering Good Night and Good Luck in two days. And so, like, Eve, I just, I like to be very open and honest that like, I am so grateful for the opportunities that I've had, and I continue to have, and it is still a struggle like having a major win like Othello and then feeling like bummed that I'm not gonna be at Good Night and Good Luck. I'm dealing with both of those and I have to just keep pushing up.

[32:21] Joe Rosko: Yeah, if I might, if I could personally just give the opinion of if you weren't who you were though, and choosing to be that relatable voice of the fans that gets to almost be like the representative of all of us that gets to talk, you might have never gotten Othello either. You put yourself in that position as, hey, I'm going to really embrace this niche, if you will. And that's made you out to be who you are. And if you're just being, I don't know, the neutral journalist, everyday TV personality person, you might not have had the George Clooney show or Othello. So right. Yeah, you just and I think that's an important thing to note with everyone is like, if you try to serve everyone, you'll serve no one or you know, it really goes back to they say if you try to please everyone, you won't please anyone. But like, that's you can't serve two masters. You got to choose your avenue queue, like show said, and just stick to that path and go with it.

[33:27] Shoshana: I may like add one thing to that, because the Othello carpet, I really was like, okay, like, I'll, I'll chat with the cast. I knew that we weren't chatting with Denzel, or Jake, like they'd said in the email that no one's going to interview them, they're gonna like, in house, just send it out. And I was like, great. I felt like almost no pressure, right? I was like, I've already spoken with a lot of these cast members. Some of them are my friends, like, and any VIP is outside of the cast that I get great. Like I felt I was there with my friend Ryan, we were like, we are going to have so much fun, we are going to get some great coverage. This is going to be a great night. We went in like with a very positive attitude.

And one of the best moments besides from like interviewing Martha Stewart, which was I got to hear about it. I got to hear. Yeah, we will like take a quick note with that. And yeah, so Jennifer Nettles comes by. And I was like, a long term Sara Bareilles, Waitress, Jennifer Nettles fan. I've been wanting to ask Sara and Jennifer about this musical that they wrote or started writing years ago called Lesbians. And this is one of those journalistic moments that has been in the back of my brain every time I've seen both of them. And also, sometimes you're interviewing someone about something very specific, like Waitress, when I was like at the Tribeca Film Festival. And I wanted to really focus Sara's interview on Waitress, I thought that would be respectful.

But it has been in the back pocket for years and years. The fact that I got to like ask Jennifer Nettles at the Othello opening night about it. And she was delighted. And then the response from the fans has been amazing. That was like, yes, I, I belong here. I deserve to be on these carpets. Like I'm asking real journalistic niche questions that they want to talk about. So that felt like a major win.

[35:21] Joe Rosko: Yeah, it's always great when you get like that raised eyebrow reaction of like, oh, I thought you're gonna ask me like, what's it feel like to be in the audience tonight, but you just pulled out something that you did your homework, obviously, or you know, it's always great to have someone be surprised with the knowledge you're bringing to the question. So that was kudos to you.

[35:43] Shoshana: Thank you. Um, I want to jump in some other shows are going on right now in this year's Tony season. Um, maybe you can make this almost a segment to show stopping moments, yeah, that you might have seen this, this season, were there any musicals that you're in the audience? And there was a number or some type of moment where you were like, jaw dropped? Holy shit. What's going on right now? Whoa.

[36:10] Shoshana: I feel like so many, so many, right? Yeah, right. So many. And then there's gonna be another question of like, is this is one of the most I feel like stacked seasons we've had in a good, good bit.

[36:24] Joe Rosko: Yes.

[36:25] Shoshana: These are like my off the dome, just like quick thoughts. Um, I've had the pleasure of seeing Maybe Happy Ending twice. And the first time I was like, Oh, yeah, I really like this. Like I saw right around opening, and I saw it a second time on like this fan night. And I was like, this musical has moved me so deeply. Like I love Helen Jason. I love Darren Criss. And I love that whole company and creative team. And there was something about being in a room full of fans, seeing this show for a special night that felt like such a warm hug. And I just, I was very grateful that day. Like my friend had offered me a ticket, shout out to Andrew. And that felt like a very like, Oh, does this mean I'm an insider in this?

You know, like that? That was really cool. And then on the same token, like seeing Smash first preview was like, Oh my god, theater kids galore. We were just like, happy little theater kids like it almost didn't even matter what what we were about to see. It just mattered that we were there that we got the references and getting to see people that I've gotten to know over the years like Krista Rodriguez and Caroline Bowman and Miss Robin Herter, Tony nominee, like her highness, iconic. And then like, something that happened yesterday, two days ago, I was on a red carpet for Maestra Amplify on Monday night. And Krista Rodriguez, like on her way to Smash pokes over and like looks over at me and goes, Hi, hi, Joe. And I and like, I was like, Hi, and runs over and I was like, Oh my god, like, yeah, that like, to me, like, it was such an exciting moment that was like, so small, and yet so big.

[38:16] Joe Rosko: Mm hmm. For the Smash fans out there from the TV series. Back in the day, circa, I don't know, 2012, or whatever that was. It's different I hear and they didn't try to like, recreate it from it's, yeah, it's like as exact twin up there. They try to make it its own. I've heard.

[38:39] Shoshana: Yeah. Do you go? Do you leave the theater saying like, I don't know, it honored the series per se, but yet it was its own thing. And you still liked it, even though you're a true Smash fan from its origin?

[38:52] Joe Rosko: Yeah, definitely. I am so intrigued to see how they are going to continue evolving it throughout previews. Because once again, first preview, this was one of those shows that I was like, I have a feeling like the first preview to opening night journey is going to be very theater esque, right? Like, there's going to be a lot of changes. But seeing some of those numbers that I loved growing up, like watching on TV in real life, with some of my favorite actors was amazing, right? There were standing ovations galore. There was glitz, there was glam. There was the Deborah Messing scarf, you know, we we had it all.

[39:30] Shoshana: Yeah, yeah. Okay. And then there were mid mid show standing ovations and songs. They saw. Yeah, this is like this, you got Sunset Boulevard, it's happening, Gypsy, it's happening. It's happening in Smash now. Am I missing any? I feel like, oh, I'm sure. I mean, I feel like if we were real women have curves, I feel like Tatiana Yeah, I think I saw that she got a mid mid show standing. Oh, I think I'm so excited to see that one.

[40:06] Joe Rosko: I have Okay, so I see that and Smash and Boop it the weekend of the Tonys in June. And then this weekend, I'm seeing Buena Vista. I'm seeing Floyd Collins. And I'm seeing hmm, Friday, Saturday. Oh, I'm seeing Old Friends. I'm so I'm seeing Old Friends tonight.

[40:33] Shoshana: Oh, amazing. Okay. One of my clients since Oh, he's Oh, gee, 2018 2019. Jacob Dickey is just like casually singing with Bernadette and Lea up there like no big deal. No, but he's just I don't know making a story for the rest of his life that he could sell.

[40:52] Joe Rosko: Yeah. We're working on so I have this new YouTube series. It's called Show Me as a new playlist, I just uploaded the Redwood one today, I have to send a song to my editor for Old Friends. And then that's going to go up this week as well. But I'm thinking of when I did the interviews for the Old Friends press day. It's like, there are things in life that just fill you up, right that fill your cup. And those, like, I mean, first of all, anytime I get to interview Bernadette Peters is just like a checkmark in my life. And then you add Lea Salonga and you're like, okay, and then you add all these like other people like Daniel and like, it was such a fulfilling day. And throughout these like, six years now, I guess of creating the Bway show, I've always felt like there was something missing of like, I'm doing all these interviews, but I'm uploading clips.

And I'm like, I've still been trying to figure out like, is this a vlog? Is this a podcast? Like, how am I going to do this? And then my friend Becky Treisman, who's a Broadway associate producer, AP, I don't know, oh my god, some of these terms in theater, there's too many terms. But she was like, I believe in this vision you have. So we're like now taking all these interviews, either from a red carpet, or from a press table.

[42:17] Shoshana: I wanted to do theater interviews. I had a feeling like that YouTube would kind of be the platform, and that was all that I had. That's all I came. Yeah, and now that I have this deeper vision, working with a producer, working with an editor, like, this is something that can keep growing and maybe a very cool sit-down interview series that would be great too. It just feels like it's all happening.

[42:50] Joe Rosko: Yeah, you just have to keep, again, putting one foot in front of the other.

[42:53] Shoshana: Yeah, it has to have changed. It has to have evolved because social media and the way technology is evolving by the second, we have no choice but to pivot. It's like if you don't pivot, then you're just, uh, I don't know, Blockbuster, and you're gone. Bye! Like, yeah, you didn't evolve.

[43:10] Joe Rosko: Okay, well please let us know when all this can be found and watched and listened to. I'm excited to see what might come of that.

[43:15] Shoshana: Did you see "Death Becomes Her" yet?

[43:17] Joe Rosko: Yes!

[43:18] Shoshana: Oh my god, I feel like the writing of that show, yeah, I feel like the writing of that show you're just probably obsessed with, right? Because I was, it was just like, it kind of was, uh, it wasn't shocked, but it had that same, like, yo, zingers are just one after the other. Like, this, it was like, if any, if you're just listening, you can't see my jazz hands, but it was like musical theater, like at its core. You know, it gave me like, uh, when I saw "Some Like It Hot" a few years ago, it gave me that, where it's like, this is music, this is musical theater, like this is it.

[43:51] Shoshana: Yeah, "Death Becomes Her" really is such like an insider's view of theater, and especially for the gays, which is a song in it. Like, I was smiling so wide because it was so well written, it was so well sung, it was like such a theatrical, there are so many quick changes, it was so vibrant. The ensemble gets to shine, like it really felt like, and some of the moves that they were doing were so athletic.

[44:20] Joe Rosko: Oh my goodness, ensemble member swings, understudies, they are heroes.

[44:24] Shoshana: Yeah, forever that ensemble, that ensemble is stacked.

[44:28] Joe Rosko: Yeah, they have the who's who of ensemble members in that.

[44:31] Shoshana: Yes, for sure. Yes, and then like those leading the front lines, oh my god, like their connection with each other. I mean, I'm just thinking like Megan Hilty and Jennifer, they're like our Avengers Endgame, right? Like the fact that they are two comedy musical theater legends who are so funny but have voices that'll kill you.

[44:55] Joe Rosko: Oh my god, and then show, show, you said Robin Hurder, you said Robin Hurder, Megan Hilty.

[45:01] Shoshana: Oh, sorry, Megan Hilty and Robin Hurder from "Smash." I have, they're all, uh, Audra, I have them all in, in my, Nicole, who is going to win leading actress this year? Like who, how, how are you going to do it? You can't, it's got to be a tie. It's got to be just everyone nominated wins pretty much.

[45:22] Joe Rosko: I love them all. I can't even tell you. I don't know. I'm thinking back to when like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey all were nominated and they went up on stage and they held hands like a pageant. That's what I want from this year's leading women in Broadway.

[45:38] Shoshana: Yeah, I have the chills, right? Like that, it's gotta be that. It's too epic.

[45:43] Joe Rosko: Okay, you won't answer. I know who's gonna win. I appreciate the effort, but I mean, I think it can go in so many different ways. I will say like every performance I've seen, I'm just blown away.

[46:01] Shoshana: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, I had to interrupt with that, but um, so fair. I also don't know if I said Robin Hurder instead of Megan Hilty in "Death Becomes Her" because Megan Hilty was of course in "Smash," where Robin Hurder is now playing her character.

[46:20] Joe Rosko: Right, right.

[46:21] Shoshana: And so now I don't, I don't know. We'll have to like, we're in the, we're in the musical theater matrix right now or, uh, what's the Leonardo DiCaprio movie where there's like four layers? What's, what was that one called?

[46:34] Joe Rosko: Yeah, I'm talking about, uh, oh shoot, someone drop it in the comments once you listen. But anyways, uh, all right, so I want to wrap up with just a couple of fun things that I wanted to know about you in your theater. You've been to a lot of shows, right?

[46:47] Shoshana: So many.

[46:48] Joe Rosko: Have you ever been late to a show and had to have been seated late to the show?

[46:53] Shoshana: I feel like this was a really targeted question because I have no concept of time, so thank you so much, Joe.

[46:59] Joe Rosko: Uh, yes, it wasn't at all. It was a random shot in the dark, and the reason I wanted you to say yes is because I want your strategy because I feel like there's, yes, the ushers have their protocol to follow, but I feel like you're so savvy and have seen so many shows, uh, like myself. Like, I think we are a qualified usher for sure.

[47:18] Shoshana: Totally. What is your stance on like how to best get your ass in that seat without ruining the experience for everyone? Like what's your, what's your, uh, strategy here?

[47:27] Shoshana: Oh my god, that's such a good question. So I am like famously not good at time, and also I'm really desperately trying to get better at that. If anyone has suggestions, please message me. I would love to get better at that. Um, I think my biggest thing, like I really desperately try, like even if I'm going to be like later than I'd like, it's like how can I make sure to get there before the lights go down?

[47:52] Shoshana: Well, at Redwood, instead of like the seven-minute Broadway rule, like you know how they start seven minutes late? They started like three or four minutes late, so it was like 7:04 and I walked, I like sprinted there. Um, I goofed. We were having a roommate dinner and I was like, I've got a few more minutes because now that I live in Hell's Kitchen, you know, you think like, oh, this is going to take 10 minutes, but it takes 15. So I sprint there, I'm like out of breath, and I'm like, I'm so sorry, and they're like, it's okay, the show started, you'll just hang in the back. And I was like, the show started? Like, I mean, it is like 7:03, right? Like, yeah, I was like frustrated, but I like sprinted to make sure I wouldn't be late.

[48:34] Shoshana: And so at first I was like, oh my god, but you know, the Netherlander, I was in the back. This was like, this was the first time I saw it. I've now actually seen it three times, so like I've now filled in the blank. But you know, they had me stand in the back, and then I apologized to the ushers, and they were like, no worries. And then what I did was like I made sure that my jacket was in my bag and my playbill was like away so that like they were like, okay, in one minute we're gonna run down during the applause, you go in, you just like cut to your seat. Luckily I was on the aisle, thank goodness, like I didn't have to like go through people. But I was like, once I get to my seat, how can I not be a nuisance? Because that is like, yeah, I always feel so bad if I'm like taking out a mint.

[49:21] Shoshana: Actually, a good note, it's a really great time if you're like cheering people on, you can cheer with your voice and then you can unwrap your like throat lozenge or your mint.

[49:30] Joe Rosko: Oh, you took one of my next questions! My next question was going to be what's your favorite snacks and drinks if you have any when you go see the show and what's your strategy on opening and yada yada yada? Because these are like, you know, you go to the shows a lot and you experience like, oh, I love that there's people and excitement around me, but there's times when I could just watch this myself so I'm not disrupted by all these random ass people doing stupid stuff.

[49:55] Shoshana: So, okay, so yes, everyone unwrap your shit during applause. Just use your, yes, just scream and say woo and open that M&M bag. Just get it over with. The slower you do it, we still hear you. It's worse. Just get it.

[50:10] Shoshana: Wait, I once, I will never forget this. Oh my god, I was at a play. It was matinee. Um, I will not like call out who this person was, but we were like, it was a press day, like they didn't like a press seating. It was like a, you know, regular matinee, but I had press tickets, and somebody was like unwrapping their chips and like opening, and like chips are so loud. Like, you gotta be conscious of what you're eating, and this person, this was like a quiet play, and I swear they're just like reaching into the chip bag, rustling, and then like, and we are all looking at each other like this has got to be a joke, right? Like it was so loud. Like there's no way you don't know that like everyone can hear you in that moment. And then like you thought it was done, and then they're unwrapping their candy, and you're like, who are you? It was insane.

[51:06] Shoshana: So my things are I always have either throat lozenges or mints because I talk a lot and my, I lose my voice a lot, as you know from the last time we were supposed to do this, and I just like lost my voice. I'm getting better at it. I've gone to like vocal coaches.

[51:23] Joe Rosko: Oh nice, good.

[51:24] Shoshana: Yeah, yeah, shares from "Merrily We Roll Along." I went to her place, she's amazing. If you need a recommendation, she does it in person or virtual. Big, big fan. Um, shout out.

[51:36] Shoshana: So if ever "Merrily," actually "Merrily We Roll Along" off-Broadway, I got a solo press ticket for it. That was one of the best theater experiences of my life, genuinely.

[51:49] Joe Rosko: Why? Tell us, tell us.

[51:51] Shoshana: It felt like I was really respected as a journalist to get a ticket to this sold-out phenomenon. Like, I'm sure they had a very select few number of tickets, and the fact that I'd like done a lot of off-Broadway and smaller galas for them, the press team, and they were like, yes, we can give you a press ticket felt really special. So I like deeply, deeply appreciated it and like honored that it wasn't that like I don't expect to get everything, but I really appreciate what I do.

[52:19] Shoshana: And then when I sat there, I mean, New York Theater Workshop is so small and intimate, and to get to see those stars and this ensemble so close, and you could tell how special it was, like before Broadway, before even like the big reviews, it was just one of those moments that you were seeing history. You were seeing magic. Like, I don't care how famous someone is, it was like the passion and talent of seeing, you know, Jonathan, Dan, and Lindsey's chemistry as a trio was so remarkable, and you could tell that they were friends.

[52:55] Shoshana: And like then seeing some of my friends taking that stage with them and being like, they are just as good. They are holding their own, and this felt like a full company of "Merrily We Roll Along" that like seeing it on Broadway was amazing. Getting to see first preview and the final show were things I'll never forget, but seeing it off-Broadway was like peak theater experience.

[53:15] Joe Rosko: Love it, love it. All right, Sho, I'd love to speak for another hour, but I'll, we're gonna let you go. Thank you so much for being on the show.

[53:23] Shoshana: Yeah, we need to do maybe a part two on putting yourself out there.

[53:27] Joe Rosko: Yeah, and I also feel, I also feel like you shared your story so well in this that you could just take the audio recording of this, enter it into ChatGPT, and you could already start your memoir of "In the Room Where It Happened."

[53:41] Shoshana: So yeah, that's a possibility.

[53:43] Joe Rosko: Okay, Sho, thanks so much, and yeah, hopefully I can see you in person again soon. Please, uh, don't be a stranger.

[53:50] Shoshana: Thanks!

[53:52] Joe Rosko: All right, everyone, Sho from @BWAYSHO. Check her out on YouTube or obviously the Insta for all things Broadway news. She is, I'm going to just say it, the voice of the people. She's the people's voice. She is that relatable theater lover that also just happens to be a professional journalist that, uh, sharpened her axe at "Friday Night Lights" in Texas. Like, that's how this all went down.

[54:22] Joe Rosko: So again, thanks, Sho. Check her out at BWAYSHO, that's just S-H-O because it's her show and she runs it. All right, I'm Joe Rosko with Built for the Stage. If you're watching, got this backdrop here. I run this street Broadway. We have a special shirt for Broadway Cares, Equity Fights Aids, the Broadway run coming up this weekend. Uh, going to be warming up our runners for the 10K and 5K. Uh, if you want a chance to win a shirt like this, uh, you can try out our free trial at builtforthestage.com. Actors or athletes train like one later.