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[0:01] Mikayla Petrilla: Hey everyone, and welcome to Tea Time with Mikayla.

[0:05] Mikayla Petrilla: This is Tea Time, and I'm Mikayla, and you are listening on the Broadway Podcast Network.

[0:14] Mikayla Petrilla: So, what is this podcast? What are we doing? Who am I? That's a secret I'll never tell. XOXO. If you get that reference, we're already best friends.

[0:24] Mikayla Petrilla: Uh, well, here's the tea friends. The industry is changing, and I want to understand why and how.

[0:30] Mikayla Petrilla: In the era of our lore, 2026, we are noticing major shifts in how shows survive, how artists take care of themselves, how auditions happen, careers are built, how union and non-union work is shifting, how social media factors in, and honestly, just all the things.

[0:46] Mikayla Petrilla: I have questions on every facet of our industry right now, because I want to understand and I want to learn. So I'm putting on my little Nancy Drew meets Harriet the Spy hat, and getting to the root of it all.

[0:58] Mikayla Petrilla: Tea Time with Mikayla, thank you, Broadway Podcast Network, for creating this with me, uh, is designed as a warm, smart, tea-themed conversation series.

[1:09] Mikayla Petrilla: Equal parts tea party, truth telling, and theater salon. Uh, this idea really started a few years ago when I went back to visit where I studied abroad in Oxfordshire in the UK.

[1:19] Mikayla Petrilla: Uh, when I was there, we had morning and afternoon tea time, and I loved the ritual of it. The pause, the gathering, the chance to sit down, pour something warm, and actually talk.

[1:29] Mikayla Petrilla: So this show is a little British high tea, a little salon series, a little comedy, and a good brew. Certainly a lot of puns, which is perfect for me because puns are important, and it gives me an excuse to use the many, many mugs and teacups currently taking over my kitchen.

[1:44] Mikayla Petrilla: I have too many, and yet somehow, not enough. My goal is to create a thoughtful space for creatives to share stories of career craft and personal evolution through candid conversation.

[1:56] Mikayla Petrilla: But I also want this to be a place where audiences can bring their own questions to. Almost like a little dear Abby meets old school radio call-in show for the theater industry.

[2:05] Mikayla Petrilla: So you can send in the questions you are itching to ask, but never got the chance to. The things you wonder about auditions, representation, casting, sustaining a career, building a creative life, and what actually happens behind the scenes.

[2:19] Mikayla Petrilla: A little bit about me. I am primarily a musical theater performer. However, I've gotten into this industry through every side door imaginable.

[2:29] Mikayla Petrilla: As a performer, comedian, creator, producer, and someone who has built so much of her career around community and connection. And I do believe that community is the heartbeat of this industry.

[2:40] Mikayla Petrilla: But this industry is also a business. It exists in a city and a country that has gone through a lot of whiplash. So how do we keep going? How do we keep creating? How do we keep nurturing artists and audiences while still understanding the realities of the business?

[2:55] Mikayla Petrilla: How do we balance creativity with strategy, sustainability, ambition, and care? And what are all the things that no one told us? The things we didn't learn in school, the tools, the resources and conversations I wish I had when I was just a fledgling green girl in this industry.

[3:12] Mikayla Petrilla: Uh, not alphabet green, I'm more of a Glinda, just uh new in the industry green. You know what I mean.

[3:19] Mikayla Petrilla: Well, that's what Tea Time with Mikayla is here to explore. I'm sitting down with Tony and Drama Desk nominated actors, creatives, representatives, casting directors, producers, writers, and culture makers to ask the questions people are thinking, but don't always get to ask.

[3:35] Mikayla Petrilla: We're talking process, preparation, rejection, reinvention, show business, self-care, career longevity, backstage realities, and the honest truth behind how this industry actually works.

[3:48] Mikayla Petrilla: Y'all, I'm getting boots on the ground and a seat at the table. And I'm gonna understand how the shows are made, how the careers are built, and how we get through to the other side with a little more clarity, connection, community, and joy.

[4:01] Mikayla Petrilla: So pour yourself a cup, because you are now part of this little community, and the kettle is on. This is Tea Time with Mikayla.

[4:10] Mikayla Petrilla: Our first episode drops on June 1st, and I am so excited to have you here with me, virtually or in person. Uh, the guest lineup is incredible, and I feel so excited and so grateful that I get the opportunity to highlight these wonderful artists and bring them to your ears or your screens, or both.

[4:29] Mikayla Petrilla: I guess both, right? Because if you're seeing it, you're also listening to it. Although sometimes I like putting the subtitles on, but I have the subtitles on, but I also listen to it. You know what I mean?

[4:40] Mikayla Petrilla: You could do it all. You could do it all. Feel free to like, follow, subscribe, all the things that I'm supposed to tell you to do. Do it all. Do it all, friends. And I'll see you on June 1st.

[4:53] Mikayla Petrilla: So mark your calendars and put on the kettle. First episode drops then. See ya.