Montreal Interviews

Eight years into redefining what a holiday show can be, drag powerhouses Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme are once again decking the halls, and the patriarchy, with a brand-new production of The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show....

Lauren Mariasoosay is currently starring as Eliza Hamilton in the National Tour of Hamilton,  running August 19 - September 7, 2025 at Salle Wilfred-Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montreal....

Born and raised on the West Island of Montreal, Trevor Barrette is a queer theatre-maker, performer, stage manager and teacher. I had the opportunity to chat with Barrette just prior to the World Premiere of MAX AND AARON WRITE A MUSICAL, which he has written and is directing. MAX AND AARON WRITE A ...

Yeomans is currently starring as Cady Heron in the 2nd National Tour of MEAN GIRLS, running April 22-27, 2025 at Salle Wilfred-Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montreal! MEAN GIRLS features a book by nine-time Emmy Award® winner Tina Fey, based on her screenplay for the film; music by three-time Emmy Awar...

Jayna Elise has been performing since the age of 4. She has been on stages with Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry and many more. When she was 14 years old, she appeared on America's Got Talent and followed that up with two seasons on American Idol. In addition to her performance career, she is a songwriter...

Chase Wolfe was born in Texas and raised in South Carolina. He performed often as a child, but heeded his parents’ wishes and double-majored in Chinese and Chemistry. After two years working in the home fragrance industry, he took a giant leap of faith to make the arts his career. He is currently pl...

Brittney Johnson is an accomplished and commanding performer. She made her Broadway debut in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL understudying the character (based on) Diana Ross. She quickly followed that with LES MISERABLES, a production in which she performed one character at a matinee and the other that same eve...

Nadia Verrucci is a staple of the Montreal theatre scene. She has worked as an actor, singer, director, choreographer, voiceover artist, particularly as Juno in Assassins Creed which makes her a popular guest at Comic Cons and pop culture events, and Artistic Director. I had the chance to chat with ...

Trevor Barrette was born and raised on the West Island of Montreal. Passionate about the arts, he is a queer theatre-maker, performer, stage manager and teacher. I had the opportunity to chat with Trevor as the new musical he has written, ONE DAY, has its workshop presentation this Saturday, January...

Marika Aubrey was born and raised in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. She emigrated to the US six years ago and currently resides in New York City. She is currently on tour with COME FROM AWAY, portraying Captain Beverly Bass. I had the chance to chat with her about her life and career both on...

The San Diego Symphony’s Music Director and Conductor Rafael Payare took up the notoriously difficult French horn at the age of 13. During an hour-long Zoom interview while he was in Montreal, I asked how he had managed to become a soloist less than six months later! “I have to admit it was a little...

Kiki Dranias burst onto the Montreal theatre scene in 2019 with her theatrical work, GOING UP, which went on to receive seven nominations at the 2020 Montreal English Theatre Awards (METAs), winning three for Outstanding New Text, Outstanding Emerging Playwright & Producer and Outstanding Independen...

David Hein and Irene Sankoff, the Tony-nominated husband and wife creators of Come From Away, are back with a new venture! Partnering with Destination Canada, the creative duo penned an original song, 'This is Canada Nice', celebrating Canada's beauty, generosity, and diversity....

Tune in right here today, October 29 (3pm ET), as he chats with one of Broadway favorite Beth Malone. Beth will soon join Seth Rudetsky for two very special concerts on Sunday, November 1 (8pm) and Monday, November 2 (3pm)....

Tune in right here today, October 28 (12pm ET), as he chats with Rafael Casal and Adrienne Warren, who star in one-night-only virtual Halloween benefit concert presentation of The Nightmare Before Christmas, benefitting the Actors Fund and the Lymphoma Research Foundation. ...

Tune in right here today, October 21 (12pm ET), as he chats with one of Broadway's favorite leading ladies, LaChanze. LaChanze will soon join Seth Rudetsky for two very special concerts on Sunday, October 25 (8pm) and Monday, October 26 (3pm). ...

Tune in right here as he chats with composer John McDaniel, Javier Muñoz, George Salazar, and Joshua Colley from Stick and Stones, which premieres today, October 16, 2020, as part of National Bullying Prevention Month....

Tune in right here today, October 16 (12pm ET), as he chats with Broadway's original Dreamgirl, Jennifer Holliday, who celebrates her 60th birthday in concert on Monday, October 19 (8pm)!...

Tune in right here today, October 15 (4:30pm ET), as he chats with Broadway beltress Keala Settle. Keala will soon Seth Rudetsky for two very special concerts on Sunday, October 18 (8pm) and Monday, October 19 (3pm)....

Tune in right here today, October 14 (5pm ET), as he chats with Broadway couple Jenn Colella and Chilina Kennedy about Divas For Democracy: United We Slay, which streams this Sunday, October 18 (8pm). ...

Tune in right here today, October 14 (3:30pm ET), as Richard chats with Heidi Schreck and Oliver Butler, whose What the Constitution Means to Me premieres Friday on Prime Video!...

Tune in right here today, October 14 (12pm ET), as Richard chats with the wonderful Kate Rockwell. Kate who headlines a concert with Radio Free Birdland on Thursday, October 15 at 7PM ET....

Tune in right here today, October 13 (3:30pm ET), as Richard chats with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Tiler Peck, curates and stars in A New Stage. Available to stream starting October 16, A New Stage gives you a front-row seat to experience world-class artistry from the comfort of your hom...

Tune in right here today, October 8 (12pm ET), as he chats with Tony winner Beth Leavel who will headline concerts with Seth Rudetsky on October 11 (8pm) and 12 (3pm)....

Tune in right here today, October 7 (12pm ET), as Richard Ridge chats with Noam Ash, Mike Heslin and Jay Armstrong Johnson from the new web series, BoyFriends....

Tune in right here today, October 1 (12pm ET), as he chats with Broadway's favorite couple, Orfeh and Andy Karl, who will headline concerts with Seth Rudetsky on October 4 (8pm) and 5 (3pm)....

Jeff Parry was raised in Ottawa, ON. His love of music began when he was 9 years old when he fell in love with The Beatles. He has always had a passion for. music, so after University, he moved out west to try to raise money to open a record store in Ottawa. He wound up staying in Alberta and rather...

Jason O'Neill was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He became passionate about Irish dancing, Irish culture and music as a young boy and seeing RIVERDANCE changed his life. It became his goal to become a professional Irish dancer and perform in RIVERDANCE, which he has now done for 10 years. I had ...

Helena Levitt was born and raised in Montreal. She graduated from Dawson College's Professional Theatre Program, where she says she fell in love with her craft. Upon graduation, she moved to Toronto to seek out more opportunities. After two years in Toronto, and missing her family, she returned to M...

Andrew Samonsky was born and raised about an hour north of Los Angeles in the coastal town of Ventura, CA. He majored in Music at California State University, Northridge, which just so happens my Alma Mater. Part of the Opera Program, Samonsky started taking drama classes from two professors, Peter ...

Amy Blackmore was born and raised in Greenfield Park, QC. Growing up, most of her family was involved or worked at Greenfield Park United Church. When she was very young, she began going with her mom to work. There were dance classes being taught by the Cameron School of Dance in the basement of the...

Exhilarating. Feral. Thoughtful. These are just a few choice words from The Guardian's five-star review of Rachel Bloom's recent London show. Bloom will be bringing that energy on stage for a five-night run of What Am I Going To Do With My Life Now? at this years' Just For Laughs Festival....

Alison Whitehurst was born in Sugar Land, Texas. The daughter of a professional pianist, she was exposed to music at a very early age, tagging along and watching her father play gigs from backstage. She would often sit and experiment with him at the piano and played herself for nine years. After her...

Canada's oldest professional black theatre company, Black Theatre Workshop are all set to launch their 48th season this October. The first production of the season is SOUND OF THE BEAST (SOTB), a one-woman show that uses spoken word, story-telling and hip-hop to spit rhymes from the underground and ...

Matt Manuel was born and raised in Detroit, MI, 'the heart of Motown.' He got his start as a competitive gymnast. When he was 13, he had to quit gymnastics, which he says broke his heart. His mother convinced him to try a piano lesson while his brother took a voice lesson. The teacher accidentally s...

Laurie-Anne Jean-Baptiste was born and raised in the West Island area of Montreal. She studied Cinema and Communications at Vanier College and Creative Writing at Concordia. She first delved into theatre in the 6th grade. Discovering how much she enjoyed it, she continued to be involved in theatre t...

Sam Boucher was born and raised in Montreal. He developed his passion for musical theatre at a young age, really beginning to focus on it in high school. He studied classical voice for two years at Vanier College, has just finished his first year at Concordia University and next year, he heads off t...

Tracy Braunstein's love of theatre began when she was just a child. She recalls early memories of performing ANNIE in the basement and singing 'Big Spender' into a hairbrush around the age of 6. She soon graduated to school plays and immersed herself in community theatre. When she was 17, she got on...

Brandon Howard Roy was born and raised in Beaconsfield, QC, in the West Island of Montreal. A recent graduate of Sheridan College, just outside Toronto, Roy is making his professional theatre debut in THE HOCKEY SWEATER: A MUSICAL this week at The Segal Centre....

Trista Moldovan has been part of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA for nearly 10 years, having played Christine in the 10,000th performance on Broadway as well as on tour. She is currently on tour with the show, this time playing Carlotta. The tour makes a stop in Montreal from October 4 - October 15, 2017 a...