Robert Hartwell, Charlie Sutton and More Appear on THE ENSEMBLIST's 'Double Duty' Podcast

By: Aug. 26, 2013
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Mo Brady (The Addams Family, SMASH) and Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Chicago, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) announce the release of The Ensemblist's fifth episode: "Double Duty."

The Ensemblist is an inside look at the experience of being a Broadway performer- from the first rehearsal through performing eight shows a week and beyond. Whether you're an experienced theatre professional or just a passionate fan, The Ensemblist gives listeners the opportunity to get to know new performers and the great work they do onstage, while also shedding light on some of the hidden innerworkings of Broadway.

Joining the company of a Broadway show is every musical theatre actor's dream. The only thing better than getting cast in one Broadway show is getting cast in two Broadway shows. Some very lucky individuals have the stressful but rewarding task of tackling this two-show challenge at the same time. In the theatre community, this is known as double duty.

The "Double Duty" episode of The Ensemblist features interviews with three actors who spent a few weeks living the dream twice over: Robert Hartwell (Memphis, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Cinderella), Matthew Steffens (Promises, Promises, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) and Charlie Sutton (Kinky Boots, Catch Me If You Can, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Wicked).

In the 19-minute podcast, our guests speak about how they keep their wits about them while managing to handle so much information- scheduling, rehearsals, performances, and having to keep it all organized. Sutton shares what it was like balancing pre-production for Aladdin, put-in rehearsals for How To Succeed... and performances at City Center Encores - all in the same week. Steffens shares a story of literally running up and down Broadway from rehearsals for Women on the Verge... to make his half-hour call time for Promises, Promises.

New episodes of The Ensemblist can be downloaded every two weeks through the iTunes store by searching for "The Ensemblist." Episodes can be also be downloaded directly from Podbean at theensemblist.podbean.com.

Upcoming episodes will feature Broadway performers sharing the experiences about doing the same show on Broadway and on tour, and about what it really means to use those special skills.



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