From the moment Tom DeTrinis and I began chatting on Skype, I knew this conversation was going to be a good one! Tom is a an angry actor/writer/director/producer who has been at it since 8. From TV shows like Community and 90210 to camp theater in LA and NY, he has brought his personal point of view to everything he works on. We talked about the things that mutually piss us off, but also about how Tom’s work makes an effort to heal and move forward through it all. His latest show, Making Friends, is running now online with the IAMA Theater Company, and you should go check it the moment you finish this podcast!

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If you like comedy, therapy, and #poignancy, then you’ll love today’s conversation with award-winning comedian, actress and writer, Melinda Hill. She uses laughter as medicine in Inappropriate, her new comedy special about moving from trauma bonding to trauma mending. Melinda and I hopped right into the deep end of the pool with our conversation and covered creative process, her podcast, and the value of sharing things on stage that most people would never tell a soul.

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Sharrell D. Luckett is an award-winning artist, author, and professor who was introduced to me by my longtime friend and frequent collaborator Adam Fitzgerald. With just a glance at her work, I knew she would be a fantastic guest for the podcast. Digging more deeply, I discovered a magnificent poet, musician, and speaker whose work explores issues of race, performance, gender, weight and self-esteem. In today’s conversation we explore her book, Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches, through her own experience as a student and educator. I feel so honored to have been able to talk with Dr. Luckett this week!

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Jill Carnegie serves as Campaign Strategist for the Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, and as a participant in the group’s efforts for a number of years, I have worked closely with Jill in many different capacities. This last year was my first to focus on triage for rescued birds, which gave me a more complete picture of the tremendous amount of work that goes into this rescue year after year. Jill and I discuss the evolution of this work that brings together so many facets of New York City activists, some of our experiences, and go deep into the “why” that keeps her fighting for this cause.

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