Will Swenson, Justin Guarini, Gabrielle Ruiz And More Share Their Audition Stories On the WHY I'LL NEVER MAKE IT Podcast

This summer has seen actors returning to the stage, and some regional theaters have returned to normal with summer seasons and live audiences. Broadway is also making a comeback as a handful of shows have either opened or announced dates for the Fall. And with this increased activity of show openings, there has of course been an increase in auditions as well. So this week, WINMI's third annual Audition Stories has come to the podcast. The previous audition episodes were released just a month before the COVID-19 shut down. And there have been a lot of guests with a lot of great stories since then.

Listen below!

This year's Audition Stories, in partnership with WeAudition, come in two parts. The first is with superb regional and off-Broadway performers, and the second features notable names from the Broadway stage. Podcast host Patrick Oliver Jones (First Wives Club) has compiled a wide-ranging collection of audition tales lovingly titled "The Good, The Bad, and the Hysterical." These stories are from both the audition room as well as Zoom and self-tape submissions.

Part One includes stories from Chaz Wolcott (triple threat performer and director/choreographer), Megan Carver (actress and singer who also produces films), Damian Thompson (classically-trained off-Broadway actor), Meredith Aleigha Wells (dancer and singer diagnosed with POTS), Carrie Bernans (actress and stuntwoman in Black Panther), Alex Pires (actor, writer, and creator of P's in a Pod web series), Kimberly Faye Greenberg (off-Broadway actress and singer known for her Fanny Brice cabaret), Christophe Zajac-Denek (little person actor, musician, stuntman, and podcaster), and Eric Jordan Young (actor and singer with his own production company in Las Vegas).

Part Two includes stories from Mykal Kilgore (Hair, Motown), Hannah Elless (Godspell, Bright Star), Douglas Sills (Scarlet Pimpernel, War Paint), Gabrielle Ruiz (If/Then, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Geoffrey Owens (The Cosby Show, Romeo and Juliet), Sally Wilfert (Assassins, King David), Will Swenson (Waitress, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), and Justin Guarini (Wicked, In Transit).

Listen to both parts of Audition Stories at winmipodcast.com or your favorite podcast app.

WHY I'LL NEVER MAKE IT is one of Feedspot's Top 25 Theater Podcasts and is hosted by Off-Broadway actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones. This weekly podcast features fellow creatives sharing the realities of a career in the performing arts, all while challenging the notion of what it means to "make it" in this business. Previous guests on WINMI include Georgia Stitt (Snow Child, Mosaic), Ben Davis (La Boheme), Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, Big Fish), and Bianca Marroquín (Chicago).