The Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast

John Michael Coppola
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Daily

Welcome to The Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast; The show where we go behind the curtain with the actors, playwrights, directors, choreographer, designers, creatives and producers shaping Chicago’s one-of-a-kind theater scene. Every episode we sit down with the folks who make this city’s stages come alive. Whether you’re a theater pro, a curious audience member, or just love a good backstage story...This podcast is for you!

  1. 4d ago

    Our Pride Month Finale!

    Our pride month concludes with clips of guests within the LGBTQ community, whom we were honored to have on the podcast during our first season.  We’re including these clips of previous guests because when we launched the podcast last July, we had just missed Pride Month and therefore they weren’t included in such an acknowledgement. And with that, let’s go, to the top of the show and our first look back to our conversation with fellow podcaster Broadway Bob Bullen! In this next clip with Paramount Artistic Director, Jim Corti, we get a glimpse into his training and his time with A Chorus Line, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and  Ragtime. Next up, we chat with scenic designer, Spencer Donovan on his process when starting a new project. Before our final clip, we want to thank you for your support of our Pride Month series. As always, it was an extreme honor to amplify these voices and that they chose to share their stories with us here on the Chicago Theater-Makers podcast. And now, here’s our final conversation with Femme Trans Artist, Sawyer Smith!

    39 min

  2. Jun 22

    The Revolutionists with guests Iris Sowlat and Leslie SR Beebe

    Our pride month celebration continues with today’s guests the director and a one of the cast members of the current local tour of ‘The Revolutionists’. Iris Sowlat holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 2018, Iris was named one of Windy City Times’ “30 Under 30" LGBT Chicagoans making a difference, and in 2019 founded Violet Surprise Theatre, with Allison Fradkin. In 2025, she directed Amy Crider’s "Buddha’s Birthday" at Lucid Theatre, Lauren Gunderson’s “The Book of Will” for Triton College, and “Come Along for the Ride” for Eco Logic. Some of her favorite Chicago directing credits include “Romeo and Juliet” (with Accidental Shakespeare Company), “The Days Are Shorter” (for PrideArts), and “ABCD” at Piven Theatre. She is the director of Violet Surprise’s current tour of “The Revolutionists”. Leslie SR Beebe formally began at Second City in 2016, completing the writing and improv programs, with several of her written sketches performed on the stages there, as well as featured in Sketch Fest 2020 at Stage773. Drawing inspiration from Lucille Ball, Moms Mabley, Robin Williams and other classic comics who made physical comedy and character work into an art-form, she has appeared in the independent short film "Who's Waldo", and is an active member of the Theater of Western Springs where her performances include “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Birthday Candles,” “Doubt” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”. She is also member of the group’s playwright’s ensemble. She has performed solo and group improv shows for many private functions, has also toured with Violet Surprise Theatre’s production of “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche" and currently “The Revolutionists”. Tickets for The Revolutionists can be found using this link. I hope you enjoy my conversation with today’s guests, Iris Sowlat and Leslie SR Beebe. Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

    33 min

  3. Jun 15

    Breaking Bread with guest Nick Sanchez!

    Today’s episode continues our Pride Month Celebration with today’s guest known here in the Chicagoland area as a cast member and understudy to the title role of Alexander Hamilton in the Chicago production of Hamilton, which he toured with for six years.  Born in Long Island, New York he received his BFA in acting from Marymount Manhattan College and shortly thereafter, made his Broadway debut as Angel in Rent and from there toured in the Off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz.  Since then, he’s been seen on Broadway and National tours such as Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Escape to Margaritaville, and in the Broadway company of Hamilton.  His creativity eventually led him to the Fashion Institute Technology, where he received his degree in interior design, a profession he enjoyed for many years in between his Broadway pursuits.  When he returned to performing and landed the tour of Hamilton like many others during the pandemic, he honed the skills of his third love: baking sourdough bread which be continued  on tour! I hope you enjoy my conversation where we talk about all this and more with today’s guest, Nick Sanchez. Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

    51 min

  4. Jun 8

    Loki and the End of the World Tour with guest Mack Alexander!

    Today episode continues our Celebration of Pride Month and today’s guest is a trans actor from the southwest suburbs of Chicago, now living in the Edgewater neighborhood.  He has been working professionally in Chicago and the surrounding areas ever since graduating with a degree in Musical Theatre from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in 2021. He was recently seen in "Fiddler on the Roof”, “Guys & Dolls" and "The Little Mermaid" (at Drury Lane) and was also a part of Flint Repertory Theatre's New Works Festival in "Laughing, Flexing, Dying" (Jayden). He is also a proud ensemble member of Sing to Cycle, a charity show benefitting the AIDS Lifecycle fundraiser in California, which ran annually for four years before the fundraiser ended. They are currently understudying the title role in “LOKI: The End of the World Tour" at LifeLine Theatre, now running through June 14th.  For tickets to “LOKI: The End of the World Tour”, please visit this link. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mack Alexander. Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

    47 min

  5. Jun 1

    It Takes Two with guests Devin DeSantis and Stephen Schellhardt!

    Todays’ guests kick off our series celebrating Pride Month. They are a couple here in town who have been part of the Chicagoland theater scene for over 10 years. Devin DeSantis is a Jeff Award nominated artist who is regarded as one of Chicago’s leading theatrical vocalists, who has been honored to work with theatre companies and symphonies around the country and the world. A graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Music, and proud member of Actor’s Equity Association, he performs on stages in and around his current home of Chicago, New York, and many other wonderfully essential Equity houses around the country.  Favorite theatre credits include “Kinky Boots”, “The Little Mermaid”, “The Who's Tommy”, “Les Miserables”, “Next to Normal”, and the regional premier of “Dear Evan Hansen” (all at the Paramount Theatre), “Waitress” (at The MUNY), “Parade” (at Writer’s Theatre), “Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein” (at Drury Lane Theatre), “Anyone Can Whistle” starring Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald, and “The Most Happy Fella” starring George Hearn (at Ravinia). He was a singer for 4 years in “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” starring The Rockettes at the world-renowned Radio City Music Hall and is a regular guest artist with the Colorado Symphony and San Diego Symphony, where you can find him every holiday season. In between concerts and shows, he is a lead singer with the Bluewater Kings Band and a member of The Four C Notes. Devin is the husband of today’s second guest, Stephen Schellhardt. Stephen is a Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actor and director hooked on theatre since the second grade when he organized, cast and put on a performance of “The Wizard of Oz” for his entire grade school. What followed has been a marvelous theatrical journey encompassing a musical theatre degree from Carnegie Mellon University’s acclaimed drama school and a professional career that has taken him all over the world. Stephen has worked as a performer, creative, and educator. He has worked with every Equity theatre company in Chicago as well as with the Lyric Opera Chicago, the Ravinia Festival, and Northwestern, Roosevelt and Rockford University. He was in the first national tour of “Altar Boyz” and performed in Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” at The Royal Winchester Theatre in England and at the Shanklin Theatre on The Isle of Wight.  Stephen also served as Associate Producer and Casting Director at Writers Theatre in Glencoe before becoming a visiting professor at Northwestern University and then Head of Musical Theatre at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt. He also served as artistic director and proud company member of BoHo Theatre in Chicago for six years. Over two decades of performing, directing and teaching professionally, Stephen recognizes that everyone has a story to tell, a song to sing and a distinct perspective to offer. His personal passion for education, social justice and employing his broad experience to help guide and coach aspiring performing artists has become a top priority.  I hope you enjoy my conversation with today’s guests, Devin DeSantis and Stephen Schellhardt. Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

    55 min

  6. Season 3 Trailer

    Season 3 Announcement!

    Hi everyone! I hope you’re enjoying a restful and reflective Memorial Day Holiday. I just wanted to take a few moments to first thank all of our fans and followers for all of your support over the last 2 seasons!  Next week we Launch Season 3 by celebrating “Pride Month”, where each episode the month we’ll feature members of the LGBTQ Theater-Making community. In July we’re back to our regular weekly programming, featuring new guests and conversations. And then in August we celebrate “National Wellness Month”, where each week we’ll have a theater adjacent practitioner covering the subjects of physical, financial, vocal and mental wellness. Of course, we’ll continue with our ‘Out of Of the Loop Series’ where we feature guests who may or may not have direct ties to Chicago, but whose work has famously been seen on the stages here or is renown on the National or global level. So, while we’re not dropping a new episode today, we hope that you’ll take some time to scroll through the archive of our first two seasons to re-listen to one of your favorites, or discover an episode you’ve yet to enjoy! Finally, if you haven’t already, we’d be so grateful if you would like, subscribe to and share this podcast with your friends and colleagues who you think would appreciate the conversations we’re having. We greatly appreciate your support so we can continue to grow and bring you these stories for many more seasons to come! Thanks again for being here, enjoy the holiday and we’ll see you next week when we launch Season 3 of the Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast. We’ll see you the boards soon!

    2 min

  7. May 18

    L.A.'s Loss is Chicago's Gain with guest Joel Gelman!

    Today’s guest was born and raised in suburban Detroit where he attended the Creative and performing Arts magnet program at Churchill High School. Moving on from there, he received his BA in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, and then his MFA in Acting from UC San Diego.  He spent 13 years in Los Angeles in guest starring roles in such shows as Modern Family, New Girl, Vegas and The Young and the Restless as well as voice over work on The Mighty Ones and Wolfboy and the Everything Factory' In regional theatre, he has been seen at Mason Street Warehouse, South Coast Rep, LaJolla Playhouse and The Hollywood Bowl!  Moving here to Chicago in 2022, he has continued working on stage in such shows as 1776, Frozen and Fiddler On the Roof and on TV in such shows as South Side, The Bear and Chicago Med. He is an outspoken supporter of actor self advocacy, mental health and the free local resource for union actors in downtown Chicago called “The Kaufherr Center.” For more info on the Kaufherr Center please visit their website. We chat about all this and more on today’s episode with my good friend, Joel Gelman. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

    41 min

  8. May 11

    Podcast For Two with guest Joe Kinosian!

    Today’s guest grew up in Milwaukee got his first training in theater and visual art at Milwaukee High School of the Arts. Moving to NYC in 2004, he worked as an art department assistant for TV shows and rehearsal accompanist on the original Broadway production of The Color Purple before getting a taste of writing and composing. Upon joining the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, he met Kellen Blair, and their first professional endeavor got quickly off the ground. Their highly acclaimed hit show Murder For Two won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical in its world premiere production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and he was nominated for Best Leading Actor. Murder For Two's New York production was also nominated for Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Awards and has played around the world. He has performed the role(s) of The Suspects over 700 times. His work has been performed at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and on Broadway at the Theatre World Awards. His show It Came From Outer Space had successful runs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and TheatreSquared in summer 2022, and Todd vs. the Titanic, and his newest show (with book writer Scott Rothman), had its World Premiere in the summer of 2024. He also wrote two children's musicals for TheaterWorksUSA with Marcus Stevens: Dragons Love Tacos (based on the bestselling book) and Live & Let Spy. In the world of podcasting, he wrote, composed the music, and provided 15 character voices for the acclaimed iHeartMedia history-comedy podcast Let's Start A Coup!; and also wrote the episode Spider-Man's Surreal Adventures on Broadway for iHeart's series Very Special Episodes. For TV, he composed "All Rise," a wacky production number for NBC's Night Court. And as an actor, he has performed in Two Pianos, Four Hands, An Act of God, Dirty Blonde, and (a lifelong dream) the title role in The Nerd.  Finally after 19 years of living in NYC, he has recently moved to Chicago making it now both his creative and permanent home base. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Joe Kinosian! Now let’s go to the top of the show!

    40 min
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About

Welcome to The Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast; The show where we go behind the curtain with the actors, playwrights, directors, choreographer, designers, creatives and producers shaping Chicago’s one-of-a-kind theater scene. Every episode we sit down with the folks who make this city’s stages come alive. Whether you’re a theater pro, a curious audience member, or just love a good backstage story...This podcast is for you!

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