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Beyond the Curtain breaks down barriers and explores the human stories of successful performing arts individuals. It delves deep into their life journeys, shares tips for success and fosters human connection.
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 23, 2020
Wednesday Sep 23, 2020
Today I am speaking with the brilliant James Maxfield! Jimmy is a very talented creative with a diverse career that spans across TV, musical theatre and commercial dance. He has succeeded as a performer, dance captain, choreographer and creative producer and has a lot of knowledge and experience to share!
Most recently Jimmy worked as Creative Producer for The Voice Australia and Creative Director for Dancing On Ice UK. He has choreographed for The Masked Singer Australia and has been Dance Captain for several TV and musical theatre productions including X-Factor, The Rocky Horror Show, My Fair Lady and Wicked.
Jimmy has performed in a long list from musical theatre productions from The Boy From Oz, Wicked, Sweet Charity and Grease, Miss Saigon and A Chorus Line. As a commercial dancer he has toured with Kesha and Samantha Jade, and has performed live with many artists including Taylor Swift, Rita Ora, Kylie Minogue, Kelly Clarkson, Ricky Martin and Wynter Gordon.
In today's chat we discuss his childhood in Sydney, how as a dancer you are a business, his transition from music theatre and commercial dancing to creative production, his experience working on The Voice Australia and confronting what your identity is aside from your career. Jimmy is a bundle of energy with a genuine passion for the performing arts industry. He shares many experiences and lots of advice, there's a lot to take from this one! Enjoy!
+ Follow Jimmy
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
I am so excited to bring you today’s episode with the incredibly talented, Sarah Alice Burns!
Sarah is a professional dancer, model and artist development coach born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. After several years of working overseas as a dancer, Sarah decided to take a leap of faith and move to the 'City of Angels'. After several setbacks and countless ‘no’s, she soon became accustomed to understanding that the LA dance industry was not for the faint hearted.
Sarah's fierce determination for success and extreme passion for her craft drove her to exceed all expectations and she went on to dance for an amazing list of artists including Brandy, Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, Meek Mill, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Janelle Monáe, Kelly Rowland, Usher, Ne-Yo, Hailee Steinfeld and QUEEN BEY! Her hard work, talent and determination was rewarded with continuous work dancing for Beyoncé, for four years. Sarah joined Beyoncé on world tours, award shows, feature films, music videos, the infamous Super Bowl and the worldwide Ivy Park campaign.
In our chat, Sarah and I talk all things Beyoncé, life in LA, her career as a commercial dancer, rehearsing for the Super Bowl (think 14 hour days, 7 days a week, 3 months!), audition prep, self-care and Sarah’s program ‘Industry LA’.
Sarah has such a beautiful energy! She has a strong sense of self and is super driven and yet super sweet at the same time! It seriously felt like a fun chat with a girlfriend and I just wanted to go have a wine and dance the night away with her! I hope you enjoy listening to everything Sarah has to share.
+ Follow Sarah
+ Follow Industry LA
+ Sarah's website
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Sep 09, 2020
Wednesday Sep 09, 2020
On today’s episode I chat with one of the brightest stars in Australian comedy! The very talented and hilarious comedian, Steph Tisdell. Steph is a proud Indigenous woman who is taking the comedy world by storm. Ever since she won the 2014 Deadly Funny National Grand Final, Steph has been a hit with audiences and critics alike and is now a regular on Australian mainstream TV shows such as The Project and Hughesy We Have A Problem. She was a part of the Aboriginal Comedy All Stars line-up, who sold out during their festival run at Edinburgh Fringe, before heading to London’s Soho Theatre. Steph’s 2019 spot on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala went viral and she was invited to host the gala in 2020.
In our chat we discuss Steph’s childhood in Brisbane with her mixed-race family, her pivot from studying Law/Journalism to a career in comedy and its power to address social justice issues, the importance of BIPOC representation in the arts and the pressures Steph has faced with the unrealistic expectation and responsibility to represent the entire Aboriginal community. We also discuss mental health challenges and Steph’s career highlights including the Edinburgh Comedy Gala and filming her first feature film “Love You Like That.”
Sharing this chat with Steph was like talking to an old friend. I loved her as soon as I started chatting with her and was struck by her warmth and authenticity throughout our conversation. She has this amazing hearty laugh that comes from the depths of her soul and fills the whole room with a golden happy glow, and every time she laughs it just makes me want to laugh! She is honest, brave, intelligent and a whole lot of fun. There is so much to take from this episode and I hope you enjoy the listen!
+ Follow Steph
+ Steph's website
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
In today’s episode I have a beautiful chat with Cristina D’Agostino. Cristina is a very talented musical theatre performer who has graced the stage in many shows including Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, The Addams Family, Matilda, Strictly Ballroom, and Jersey Boys – which she starred in only four months after giving birth to her first child!
Cristina has most recently worked as Resident Choreographer on ‘Shrek The Musical’ and is currently studying a masters of counselling whilst baking her second child in Melbourne’s lockdown.
In this chat we discuss her childhood in Mt Gambier, her journey in musical theatre and the many performance experiences she has had, as well as her work as Resident Choreographer on ‘Shrek The Musical’. We also talk all things motherhood! Cristina shares her experience entering motherhood, maintaining a career in the performing arts and her blog ‘The Show Can Go On.’
Cristina, and her husband Jordan, have somehow managed to strike the balance between a traditional life journey of getting married, buying a house and starting a family, whilst both maintaining successful careers in the performing arts. Cristina shares the triumphs and challenges of how they make this work!
It’s a special episode showcasing a different perspective on the performing arts, with lots of inspiring nuggets of gold for anyone who has ever considered starting a family or maintaining a long distance relationship whilst working as a performer. Enjoy!
+ Follow Cristina
+ Follow The Show Can Go On
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
Today on the podcast I bring you the supremely talented, intellectual and somewhat mysterious, Michael Ralph. I say mysterious as I have always thought Mikey is such a private person. It was such a joy to share this special chat with him where he generously shared details about his upbringing and personal experiences.
In this chat we discuss his childhood and upbringing in New Zealand, the climb to success as a Choreographer and Director in Australia, self producing his own work, the highlights and challenges of his career so far, plus loads of advice for budding performers and choreographers!
This episode is a really special insight into how Mikey thinks and experiences the world. There is SO much inspiration to take from it. Hope you enjoy the chat :)
+ Follow Michael
+ Check out Michael Ralph's choreography
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Hello! Welcome to the second episode of Season 2!
Today I have a very special episode prepared with the gorgeous Morgan Choice. Morgan is a professional commercial dancer who was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and has spent the last 8 years working in LA. In Australia, Morgan was the co-owner of the successful contemporary dance company ‘Tannos and Choice’ and she performed as the understudy of the lead, Carmen, in national tour of the hit musical Fame. Morgan landed her first job in the states dancing for Britney Spears on her ‘Piece of Me’ residency at just 22 years old. Since then she has performed with many artists including J Balvin, Christina Aguilera, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monae, Wynter Gordon, Jessie J, Kendrick Lamar and many more!
In this chat, Morgan shares so much! She delves into her experience landing her first gig in the states, the difference between the LA and Aussie dance scene, how she stays fit and healthy between auditions and gigs and her daily routine on tour. She tells me about some dance highlights performing at Coachella and at Madison Square Garden, as well as some very confronting personal truths.
This episode is full of love and hope and I hope you receive a piece of that as you listen.
Morgan is a beautiful example of being sure of who you are and living your truth openly in the world. I want to thank her again for sharing so generously in this chat.
+ Follow Morgan
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Welcome to Season 2 of Beyond The Curtain!
We are kicking off the season with an incredibly inspiring episode with the wonderful Kelley Abbey. Kelley is an award-winning Australian dancer, singer, actress, choreographer and creative director. Her resume is truly too long for me to even begin to do justice here! Just SOME highlights include leading lady in productions Sweet Charity and Fame – The Musical (which she both starred in and choreographed!), choreographer, performer and creative motion capture consultant on Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar winning feature film Happy Feet, and most recently Creative Director on the rebooted Warner Brothers version of Dancing With The Stars.
In this episode we discuss an array of topics including being a commercial dancer in the 80s, her lead role experience on Sweet Charity, working on Happy Feet and DWTS, social media, self-care and many words of wisdom! I was struck by Kelley’s authenticity and generous spirit from the moment I first contacted her and throughout our recording process. It was a true joy to share this experience with her. I hope you enjoy the first episode of Season 2 with this truly beautiful soul.
+ Follow Kelley
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
After a brilliant first season full of fun and inspiring episodes, we are back for SEASON TWO! With a stellar line up of incredible creative and performing artists sharing their human stories, we have an insightful, thought provoking and inspiring season in store. Here is a preview of some guests you will be hearing from. First episode drops August 12th!
+ Insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Website www.beyondthecurtain.com.au
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
Checking in for a quick episode to take a trip down memory lane and celebrate the beautiful highlights of Season One's incredible guests! Season One of Beyond the Curtain is wrapping up, however SEASON TWO is already underway and looking AH-mazing!! I can't wait to bring it to you super soon. Taking a quick break to give you a chance to catch up on any episodes you have missed and revisit your favourites. It was so emotional listening back to all of these beautiful guests in this little summary! I hope you enjoy reminiscing and I look forward to be back in your ears very soon. Love, Sam.
Be the first to know when Season 2 drops:
+ Insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Website www.beyondthecurtain.com.au
+ Find us on Youtube
Saturday Jun 27, 2020
Saturday Jun 27, 2020
Musical Theatre Buffs, this one is for you!
Karli Dinardo is an Aussie performer who moved to New York City straight out of high school and never looked back! After completing college at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC, Karli has performed in a plethora of incredible musical theatre productions.
Performing in a variety of positions including ensemble, dance captain, swing, and understudy, Karli has graced the stage in shows such as Flashdance, West Side Story, The Music Man, 42nd Street and in the First National Touring Company of Hamilton. Karli is currently a First Company member of Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway as the dance captain, swing and understudy for Nini.
In this chat we discuss the journey Karli has been on that led to such great success and celebrate the hard work she has put in to achieve her goals. Super driven and quietly confident, Karli is a very inspiring and motivational leader in the performing arts, whilst remaining humble and caring. There is much to take from this chat! Enjoy!
+ Follow Karli
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube