Dawn Troupe is an actor, director, producer, and Bay Area legend! She recently made her Broadway debut in last year's revival of 1776, and has appeared in countless plays and musicals for TheatreWorks, Berkeley Rep, Broadway By the Bay, Hillbarn Theatre, and more, including original workshop casts for Memphis and Dave Malloy's Moby Dick: A Musical …

Emma Atherton is a wardrobe professional, having worked as a dresser on the Broadway productions of Hamilton, Great Comet..., Frozen, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, and currently dressing Josh Groban in the revival of Sweeney Todd. We discuss what a dresser does during the performance, the mechanics of stressful quickc…

Tamra Glaser is a professional vocal and acting coach most well known for her stint as Christine Daae in the Los Angeles production of The Phantom of the Opera, opposite Michael Crawford. She is the founder of College Audition Mentors, a program where her students have been accepted to every major theatre program in the country. Together we discuss…

Boo!!! Are you frightened yet? Mitchell Ralston aka Mr. Spooky is an aficionado of all things supernatural and creepy, sharing his favorite facts and stories on social media. He has experience with ghost hunting and an extensive knowledge of huanted theaters. Scaredy-cats beware! This ep gets spooooooky!!! We discuss the true story behind the Phant…

Sammi Cannold is one of the most in-demand young directors in the business. She directed Stephanie J. Block in Sunset Boulevard at The Kennedy Center earlier this year and is currently helming a hit revival of Evita at American Repertory Theatre. She has staged shows at New York City Center, Ellis Island, A.R.T., Lincoln Center, and on a moving bus…

Lady Glamb is a multi-hyphenate. She is a fabulous actor, arts educator, minister, model, and social media sensation, with thousands of followers (aka Glambabies) on Instagram and TikTok (@33glamb). She and Noah met through social media a few years ago and quickly became bosom buddies. Glamb is a fabulous diva who has been performing and teaching f…

Gennine Harrington is a choreographer, actor, and teacher who has worked with theatre companies all over the Bay Area, most notably Tri-School high school theatre for over twenty years, and Hillbarn Theatre, where she has worked with the youth conservatory (with both Noah and Xandra!) for over ten years as well. Together with Xandra and Noah, they …

Danny Martin is an actor, director, and educator, a true veteran of Bay Area community theatre. He is currently the artistic director of Coastal Repertory Theatre in Half Moon Bay. He is committed to creating a more inclusive community and is excited to be presenting an upcoming season at Coastal Rep with all female directors. Tune in for our discu…

Juan Castro is a New York-based actor and TheatreWorld zoom veteran. He recently moved to NYC from the Bay Area, where he performed in many local productions. He is also an avid theatre-goer and cannot wait to attend Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Bad Cinderella.” Noah and Xandra chat with Juan about the state of auditioning in New York theatre, the crazin…

Shawn Ryan is the co-founder and director of Young Actors’ Theatre Camp, an overnight camp for young performers (ages 8-18) that offers classes in scene study, musical theatre, filmmaking, dance, the art of drag, and more! YATC holds a special place in Noah’s heart because he spent his teen years attending and then later working there, a place he g…

This week we chatted with Jonathan Lewis (host of the Sweaty Oracle Show podcast), a theatre commentator who shares news, gossip, and hot takes on social media @SweatyOracle. We discuss why the Muppets have lost their edge, how much a broadway ticket should cost, Sunset with Stephanie, whether Andrew Lloyd Webber should retire (he should), upcoming…

Randy O’Hara is the artistic director at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City, starting off as an actor from the East coast who made his Hillbarn debut as Quasimodo in Hunchback of Notre Dame (2017), soon taking over as the Conservatory Director, creating theatre through innovation during the pandemic, and eventually taking the helms as Artistic Directo…

Teagan and Makena Reynolds are sisters who create musicals together! Their most recent project is a new original musical, Jinx, for their alma mater, Borel Middle School. Last year they wrote and Makena directed The Emily Dickinson Musical, presented at the University of Utah. They’ve also acted in high school and community theater alongside Noah a…

Matt “Maestro” Mattei is a music director and piano player for theaters and schools all over the Bay Area, plus he is the biggest Andrew Lloyd Webber fan on this hemisphere! He even runs a Lloyd Webber Facebook fan group! Noah and Xandra chat with their friend of over a decade about all things Lord Andrew. Matt shares his takes on why Bad Cinderell…

Meena Shayesteh is a professional stage manager on the Disney Cruise Line, actively stage managing Frozen: A Musical Spectacular, Disney Dreams, and The Golden Mickeys. She's also worked and performed with Noah and Xandra for many years at Hillbarn Theatre and San Mateo High School, and was an original TheatreWorld Readings founding member back in …

Jim Ambler is an accomplished actor who kickstarted his career in the original broadway companies of Footloose and Saturday Night Fever, going on to tour all over the world in major productions of The Producers, West Side Story, Damn Yankees, and others, until he returned to his home in the Bay Area, where he’s been performing all over the place ev…

We’re back! This week Noah and Xandra interview their amazing high school drama teacher, Brad Friedman. Brad was the drama director at San Mateo High School for 28 years and ingrained a high level of arts education into the school and community, winning numerous awards, wowing audiences, and instilling a love for the performing arts in generations …

Start spreading the news! Xandra went to NYC and saw a plethora of theatre! She shares her experience and gives the hottest takes on the current productions of the stunning revival of Company, the star-studded Into the Woods, the powerful yet controversial Paradise Square, the overblown Funny Girl, the most classic Phantom of the Opera, and decaden…

Mr. DeMille, he’s ready for his closeup! Broadway Bob is a Chicago-based theatre critic, TikTok commentator, and creator/host of "The Sunset Project", a detailed history of the iconic megamusical Sunset Boulevard. Noah and Xandra chat with Bob about his lifelong obsession with Patti LuPone, many of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s controversies, the worst sho…

Noah and Xandra spoke with physical theatre, Bouffon, and Clown expert Nathaniel Justiniano. Nathaniel is the founder and artistic director of the Naked Empire Bouffon company (based in San Francisco), has directed, created, and starred in numerous theatrical productions, worked as a movement designer, and taught Noah’s physical comedy/clowning cla…

Roll out the red carpet, it’s the 2022 Tony Awards! Noah and Xandra break down the nominees for Best Musical, the new wave of historical musicals, Noah’s Tony necklace, the trouble with modern jukebox musicals, and more! Listen to the end for a special call-in interview with the legendary Carol Channing! Check out the ridiculous "R&H Goes Pop!" her…

Meow! This episode was a real treat for Noah because he got to gush about his favorite musical with his friend Lauren Louis, who currently stars as Demeter in the current North American tour of CATS! Let's get Jellicle! We discuss the training process at kitty boot camp, our thoughts on the Cats movies (2019 and 1998), the unspoken subtextual relat…

Hello, gorgeous! TheatreWorld founding member and current NYU Tisch student Sarah Gloss joins us to share her thoughts on the new Broadway revival of Funny Girl starring Beanie Feldstein, which she saw in previews at the August Wilson Theatre. We discuss Beanie's stage presence and singing chops, our mutual obsession with Ramin Karimloo (dreamboat …

Virginia Musante taught drama at Bowditch Middle School in Foster City, CA for 37 years! Apart from blessing multiple generations with the gift of drama, she also taught Xandra and Noah at a formative time in their lives! They've both performed in several shows directed by Virginia as well as worked together for years on production staff at the Hil…

Aishy Panwar stars as Ariadne in Unwound: Beyond the Labyrinth, a new musical by Amanda Gulla. The story follows Ariadne as she navigates two different timelines: as a mortal and as a goddess. Themes of loneliness, letting the past go, and genderqueer Greek gods pervade this haunting and stunning new musical, which can now be viewed in concert form…

Ashley Chiu stars as Sleeping Beauty in the new jukebox musical, "Once Upon a One More Time," an original tale of classic storybook princesses regaining their agency and taking back their power, set to the music of pop icon Britney Spears. With the show headed to Broadway next season, Xandra and Noah chatted Ashley up about what Britney Spears has …

Actor Hannah Herbert-Hunt and her father Keith Herbert are bringing you an original sci-fi musical called The Journey Home, a story of four young humans known as "stewards" living on a giant ark designed to transport humanity on a 700+ year journey to a new solar system, where a new life awaits. They reflect on the many forms their show has taken i…

This week we spoke with Gary Stanford Jr., an actor/director/choreographer/activist who has worked with seemingly every theatre company in the Bay Area! His latest mission has been serving on the boards of several local theatres, spearheading the push for diversity and antiracism in the theatre community. We discuss the changing tides of racial dis…

Hello! Welcome! In their inaugural episode, Noah Bender and Xandra Nemchik reminisce on the origins of TheatreWorld, an online theatre company they started in April 2020, where they have since produced and performed zoom readings over 35 popular musicals, with performers from around the country. They discuss the joys and limitations of zoom theatre…

Welcome to the TheatreWorld Podcast with Xandra Nemchik and Noah Bender!!! Tune in every other Friday for insightful interviews with some of the most interesting movers and shakers from around the world of theatre! First episode launching on February 11! Subscribe please! Follow us on Instagram @TheatreWorld_Readings Noah: @bendernoah Xandra: @wond…