Find Your Light

Venus-Tyané studied Musical Theater in Berlin, Germany. She has worked as a performer for many US productions, including Nickelodeon and Stories that Soar! She has performed in various large productions internationally, from  Friedrichstadtpalast to Jazzclub Neukölln. Venus-Tyané worked as the Musical Director for the performing arts school JMEM Berlin, and the subsequent touring production. She has toured throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Czech Republic, India, South Korea and Japan. She has a passion for the arts and people's stories as expressed through their various cultures and is dedicated to making a positive impact that has a world ripple effect.   Host: Emily Stamets [email protected] @theEmilyStamets on every social channel

Dr. Kate Busselle is Founder of Heartland Intimacy Design & Training, which offers academic, accessible, and affordable intimacy training entirely online through self-paced asynchronous modules. She is also Assistant Professor of Movement and Stage Combat at the University of Oklahoma and is an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. As a researcher, Kate is an expert in de-roling and debriefing techniques, staging sexual violence, intimacy in new play development, and theatrical intimacy pedagogy.    Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/heartlandintimacydesign Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlandintimacydesign/ Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Twitter: https://twitter.com/Heartland_ID Heartland Intimacy Design & Training Website: https://www.heartlandintimacydesign.com/ My website: https://www.katebusselle.com/   Your host is Emily Stamets. Find me on all the socials @theEmilyStamets, or email me: [email protected]  

Ebony Madry currently works for Brite Ideas CTS as a Lighting Designers and Project Manager. Prior to COVID-19, Ebony oversaw the installation of audio, video, and lighting for corporate and exclusive events. Ebony has been blessed to make the shift to virtual and hybrid events with Brite Ideas CTS. Ebony Madry is a graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a MFA in Lighting Design. Ebony also received a BFA in Design from Texas Tech University. Additionally, Ebony worked as an electrics assistant for The Arkansas Repertory Theater for their 2013-2014 season. Ebony began working in theater during high school, after falling in love with Broadway Tours like The Wiz, The Color Purple, and The Lion King. ​ Most importantly, Ebony Madry understands that the representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) is invaluable. Therefore, she loves to dedicate her energy and work to collaborate with artists, designers, and productions that feature and uplift those populations. In addition to her dedication to diverse projects, Ebony actively mentors other female BIPOC students. She has served on several diversity panels including the “Queer People of Color Festival” at UC, Irvine and USITT/Live Design “A Conversation on Diversity and Anti-Racism in Entertainment”. ​ Ebony Madry has worked with several notable artists including Matthew Morrison, Michael Franti, Brandi Carlisle, Melissa Etheridge, Christian Vincent, Leslie Ishii, and Paul Barnes.

Cindy Cooper (who also writes as Cynthia L. Cooper) often addresses topic of justice, women and human rights in lightly stylized plays that use a blend of drama and comedy.  Her plays have been produced in New York at Primary Stages, The Women’s Project, Wings, Lincoln Center’s Clark Studio, MultiStages, New Circle Theatre Co, WOW Café, Museum of Tolerance, and many other venues, as well as in Chicago, Minneapolis, DC, Philadelphia, Boston, L.A., Montreal, Budapest and Jerusalem. A two-time Jerome Fellow, her plays are in 17 volumes and she has won awards from Pen & Brush, Samuel French, the Malibu International Festival, Quixote Foundation, and others. She is the founder of ReproFreedomArts.org, a theater group that has travelled to 20 states to open up conversations about reproductive rights, and she is one of four artistic instigators of StatueFest, a new theater project about women who deserve statues. Cindy is also a journalist and an author; her book, ‘Mockery of Justice,’ was made into a CBS-TV movie. Prior to becoming a playwright, she worked as a lawyer for underserved clients. She is on the Executive Committee of Honor Roll Playwrights and lives in New York City.   FIND HER HERE: www.cyncooperwriter.net FB: Cynthia L. Cooper TW/Insta @cyncooperwrtr Also: www.ReproFreedomArts.org   Host: Emily Stamets (@theemilystamets) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

In this conversation with improv artist and commercial airline pilot Laura McGhee (she/her), we talk about staying calm under pressure, the power of resilience, and how bringing a little humor to the table can save lives. In addition to being a proud alumna of The Second City Theater Toronto, Laura has an Honors Bachelor of Arts Degree from The University of Western Ontario. In Canada, Laura has written and performed on CBC RADIO and at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. In 2002, Laura became the first person ever to script an entire show for The Second City. It was called Students Rule and toured public and secondary schools across Canada. She has also written and performed in 8 shows of her own. Her one-act play, entitled Joyride, won the Special Merit Award in the 7th Annual National Playwriting Competition. It has been performed in Vancouver, Orlando and Chicago. Another international credit for Laura was an all-female stage version of Reservoir Dogs entitled, Reservoir Bitches. Reservoir Bitches premiered in Toronto and then played at the DR2 Theater in New York City. Reservoir Bitches received a Canadian Comedy Award Nomination for Best Play and has since been produced by theater companies in Halifax and Minneapolis. Laura’s television writing credits include the 2001 Canadian Comedy Awards – which aired on THE COMEDY NETWORK and CTV. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for this project. She has also written for the show, Eleven Cameras, which was developed by the CBC. And her screenplay, Breadwinners, made it through to the quarter-finals – out of thousands of entries - in the Scriptapalooza Writing Competition here in the U.S. She has also appeared in Canadian and American television commercials, on numerous shows for THE COMEDY NETWORK and CTV as well as the critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME film, Common Ground, with Brittany Murphy. Several years ago, Laura decided to begin a second career in aviation. She took some time away from entertainment to train to become a pilot. Laura became an Instrument and Multi-Engine-Rated Commercial Pilot as well as a Certified Flight Instructor. This past year, she acquired her Airline Transport Pilot certification and is type-rated in an Embraer 175 and presently flies for United ExpressJet Airlines. In Los Angeles, Laura was accepted into the PlayGround –LA Writers Pool at the Zephyr Theater for their 2015/2016 season. Her play, A-Types, premiered at The Second City Hollywood the next year. Laura has also taught and directed improv and sketch comedy at The Second City Hollywood for the past 5 years. And she created and hosts a monthly improv show there called HIT Show – Historical Improv Theater. Laura’s latest creative endeavor is an amalgamation of her two loves – writing and flying. She has a Web series about her flying experiences as a flight instructor, entitled Lady Pilot – www.lady-pilot.com … “We’re not lady pilots. We’re just pilots”.   Host: Emily Stamets

Dr. Kate Browne (she/her) helps changemakers learn to love the spotlight. She is a speaker coach and personal brand expert with a background in theatre education and writing pedagogy. Kate holds a PhD in autobiographical rhetoric (or, how people write and speak about themselves) and her writing about body image and popular culture has appeared in Runner's World, Refinery29, FabUPlus, and Girls Gone Strong. Kate is also the lead speaker coach for TEDxNormal, a communication workshop facilitator and a singer. Follow Kate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @drkatebrowne Host: Emily Stamets (she/her) @theemilystamets

In this episode, I talk about Theatre for Young Audiences as a profession, how working at Payless Show Source can change your life, and the value of authentic kindness with Lynne Childress.    Lynne Streeter Childress (she/her) is a playwright, actor, teaching artist, singer, director, and the founder and artistic director of Building Better People Productions, a professional theater company based in Annapolis, MD, that does shows for young audiences all based in themes of kindness, respect and the things that make us all better people. Her show, “We Got It!: A Show About Empathy”, is among several of BBPP’s shows that are currently traveling to schools in Maryland and surrounding areas. This is her 25th year in professional theater, with much of that experience in theater for young audiences.  This includes performing at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and Adventure Theater, and teaching for institutions like the Folger Shakespeare Library. Through all those experiences, Lynne has seen firsthand how theater can communicate the most important things in the clearest and most interesting of ways, especially to young people. Lynne lives in Annapolis, MD with her husband and son.   Host: Emily Stamets

Personalized money, the value of flexibility, and how to pursue your artistic dreams and the lifestyle you want (it's possible!). Rhianna Basore (she/her) is an award-winning actress, director, and writer.  She has been performing professionally for over 20 years in in stage, film, and TV, both here in the US and abroad.  Her work as a content creator and director/producer includes CRAPSHOOT! (scheduled to headline the 2020 Marfa Fringe and will be featured at the Reykjavik Fringe in July).  Her love of the creative life and its pursuits has sparked a passion for helping artists build financial stability.  She believes that better creative work comes from a healthy relationship to money.  Her background managing small nonprofit organizations creates a unique but flexible point of view that helps creatives ebb and flow with the tide of today’s gig economy.   Www.Rhiannabasore.Com Www.Selftrustfund.Com   Host: Emily Stamets

In this episode, I speak with Margaret Dilloway (she/her) about using improv to work through social anxiety, the connections between performing and novel-writing, and the value of YES, AND. Margaret Dilloway is the author of 8 novels for adults and children, including the American Library Award-winning MOMOTARO: XANDER AND THE LOST ISLAND OF MONSTERS and THE CARE AND HANDLING OF ROSES WITH THORNS. She writes in the genres of contemporary and historical women’s fiction; middle grade fantasy; and middle grade contemporary.  Descended from samurai and coal miners, Dilloway incorporates themes about the intersections of race, class, and culture within families and communities, as well as invisible disabilities. In her spare time, Dilloway loves performing long-form improv, hiking, baking, and trying to achieve a pull-up. She lives in San Diego with her family.   www.margaretdilloway.com  https://www.facebook.com/margaretdillowayauthor/   Host: Emily Stamets Original Music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor Graphics: Tiffany Spence

Why is that you can start a project with tons of excitement and energy, but then you get halfway and UGGGHHHH it's suddenly so much harder??? Join me in this session of the Green Room where we chat about why that happens, and wtf to do about it.   Join future Green Room sessions live: emilystamets.com/greenroom   Host: Emily Stamets (she/her) Original music: Jaclyn S. O'Connor (she/her) Graphics: Tiffany Spense (she/her)