ROH & RPAC On Air with Sam Bennett

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Join us for great conversations about Rochester Opera House and Rochester Performance & Arts Center productions!  We'll talk shop on upcoming shows with performers, artistic staff, and other special guests.  

Episodes

  1. 08/07/2025

    Behind The Beard

    Dance Captain, Melissa Hanley, joins us to chat about her upcoming ensemble role in the Rochester Opera House production of Mel Brooks' "The Producers" this August. Melissa became interested in dance at a very young age through her family and began her foray into theatre back in 2015. She talks about her willingness to cross into male roles, her love for choreography, and working with teens in the Rochester Opera House Youth Mainstage Theatre.  You'll roll with laughter when you see her as a little old lady tap dancing with her walker in "The Producers".

    23 min

  2. 08/05/2025

    Practicing Out Loud!

    Meet Manchester native and the lead in Rochester Opera House's production of Mel Brooks' "The Producers", Bill Hartery, as he talks shop with Sam.  Reprising the role of Max Bialystock for a fourth time, he shares about his times performing "The Producers" at the Palace Theatre in Manchester and the greatness and deeper meaning behind the role. An Equity actor, he has travelled nationally in the off-broadway tour of "Cats" as Gus, and internationally to over 30 locations in the Disney Cruise Line musical comedy, "Villains Tonight!". Promoting his role in "The Producers", Bill is committed to keep you laughing out of your seat!

    30 min

  3. 07/31/2025

    Theater Everywhere!

    Join two of our favorite out-of-state actors starring in Disney's The Little Mermaid, Fletcher Hooten (Sebastian), and Zeke Solis (Chef Louis) for a chat about community, making new friends, and the historic Rochester Opera House. These stars talk about the hustle & competition of the big city versus the down-to-earth atmosphere of our little city, and what it's like to be a travel actor over the summer and tackling college in the off season.

    24 min

  4. 07/24/2025

    Coming together under the sea!

    Join two of Disney’s The Little Mermaid stars, Ben Hanley (Scuttle) and Marcus Provost (King Triton), for a chat about their experiences over the years on the Rochester Opera House stage and the greater seacoast as well as performing with your favorite podcast host, Sam Bennett. These professionals talk about the process from script to stage while learning the entirety of this musical in less than 12 days. You’ll hear about the intensity of performing in two shows back to back and how the actors handle the stress of rehearsing for one show while performing another.

    23 min

  5. 07/10/2025

    Behind The Sound Check

    Welcome Rochester Opera House Sound Engineer, Nick Donlin, as he breaks his silence from behind the "ROH & RPAC On Air" podcast recording board.  Nick and Sam chat about the inner workings of sound tech at Rochester Opera House and discuss what challenges arise for the variety of productions we produce at ROH.  Contracted with ROH since reopening after COVID, Nick is in charge of mixing, designing, and staging the sound not just for our theater productions, but also rock shows and rentals. Nick shares how professionalism is key to keeping authenticity for each performance, how to adapt on the fly during productions, and how simple wardrobe choices or set layouts can make all the difference behind the mic.

    26 min

  6. 06/19/2025

    Stars of the Show!

    Guests: Chris Bradley & Eloise Ellis Eloise tells us how reprising her role as Ariel in ROH’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid is just what she needs this summer to help reclaim her passions for theatre. Chris is excited and ready to perform as Ursula, a role he’s eyed since 6th grade. Our guests chat about just singing songs versus putting passion and heart behind the music and where these efforts make the difference for the performance. They talk about making genuine connections to their roles and how this keeps repeat productions interesting.

    22 min

  7. 06/05/2025

    The Show Must Go On!

    Guest: Grady Savage Grady Savage joins Sam Bennett to talk shop about stage managing.  Stage managers run all aspects of the performance from before the start of rehearsals until strike. We hear how she keeps things in order, on time, and how she brings the show back to order after technical malfunctions and missed cues. Starring in theatre since the early age of 8, Grady started working the technical side of theatre in her teens and throughout her college years.  Her main focus is making sure everyone is safe and has a great time!

    28 min

  8. 05/22/2025

    Bringing The Ensemble To Life

    Guests: Sam McLaughlin & Kyra Anthony Join guests Sam McLaughlin and Kyra Anthony as they chat about their ensemble roles in Rochester Opera House’s production of Annie. Sam talks about initially emerging as a musician but how that transformed into a dynamic ability to transfer from stage to pit to coaching fellow actors.  Kyra shares the exciting chaos of transitioning into understudy roles at the last minute.  Each gives positive insight for adapting to things going wrong in live theater.

    21 min

  9. 05/08/2025

    Jack Of All Trades

    Guest: Jennifer Towle Associate Artistic Director & Director of Education at RPAC, Jennifer “Jenry” Towle, talks about going into her fifth year of teaching kids' theater camp at Rochester Performance & Arts Center.  She mentions how teaching, inspiring, and empowering students helps shape and encourage positive culture in our community. A Pennsylvania native, Jenry toured the country with Hampstead Stage Company where she gained experience working with children across the country.  Jenry performs this month as Hannigan in ROH’s production of “Annie”, a character with a personality that is a complete one-eighty from her role as Director of Education.

    23 min

  10. 04/24/2025

    Good Old Friends

    Guest: Scott Severance Scott joins Sam for a witty and charming chat about his upcoming role as Daddy Warbucks in Annie and directing the ROH Summer Theatre Production of The Little Mermaid.  Scott shares his stage history and how he transforms lives through laughter.  We discuss mentoring and educating youngsters in theatre and how vital they are to every production.

    26 min
  11. You can always go Downtown!

    04/08/2025

    You can always go Downtown!

    Guest: Anthony Ejarque Join Sam Bennett as he introduces us to Rochester Opera House’s Executive Director, Anthony Ejarque. Listen to how the Rochester Opera House and Rochester Performance & Arts Center stay involved in our vibrant little city from the 60’s through today. We discuss adapting to recent arts funding cuts, engaging 1,000s of youth at our arts & education programming, HRCU $10 kid’s tickets, and an upcoming basketball game fundraiser held right in the opera house.

    24 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

Join us for great conversations about Rochester Opera House and Rochester Performance & Arts Center productions!  We'll talk shop on upcoming shows with performers, artistic staff, and other special guests.  

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