Storybeat with Steve Cuden

Steve Cuden

A Podcast for the Creative Mind

  1. 4d ago

    Stephen Cole, Musical Theatre Writer-Session-3-Episode #403

    Stephen Cole is returning to StoryBeat for the third time. He’s an award-winning musical theatre writer whose musicals have spanned the globe. Stephen’s first production was Dodsworth starring Hal Linden. His Off-Broadway musicals include After the Fair, The Road to Qatar and Inventing Mary Martin. He won the prestigious Kleban Award for The Night of the Hunter. And Saturday Night at Grossinger’s had successful runs in Dallas, LA, Florida, and Sonoma. Broadway legend Chita Rivera toured in Casper, which was reborn as Casper-The Friendly Musical. Merman's Apprentice, premiered at Birdland in New York and won the San Francisco Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Score. Stephen's latest musical, Goin’ Hollywood, had its world premiere at WaterTower Theatre in Texas. His published books include That Book About That Girl, I Could Have Sung All Night, and MARY & ETHEL…and Mikey Who? which we talked about during Stephen’s last appearance on this show.  His current theatrical memoir, Camelton, also doubles as his one-man show, which played to sold-out crowds in New York. I’ve read Camelton, and can tell you it’s a terrifically entertaining account of Stephen’s extraordinarily challenging time writing a musical celebration for the Emir of Qatar. His reminiscence captures all the crazy sturm und drang of creating a massive musical under commission in a foreign land.

    1h 14m

  2. Jun 9

    Natalie Lander, Actress-Episode #402

    Natalie Lander was inspired to become an actress by watching her dad, David L. Lander, who was best known for playing “Squiggy” on Laverne & Shirley. Natalie has built a résumé that includes a wide range of credits as both a performer and creator. On camera, Natalie has had recurring guest star roles on The Middle, Lopez, and Major Crimes. Other guest-starring credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Étoile, 13 Reasons Why, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Castle, Hannah Montana, and more. She voiced “Goldie” on Disney Jr.’s Goldie & Bear and “Stargirl” in DC’s Justice League franchise. She’s also voiced roles in prominent video games such as Saints Row, Final Fantasy, God of War, and Fire Emblem. If you were a fan of the MTV competition show Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods, you may remember Natalie, who placed fifth in her effort to play Elle Woods on Broadway. She later wrote a one-woman show about that experience, Legally Brunette: The Search for Myself, which has had both West Coast and East Coast premieres. Most recently, Natalie completed a run of her new show, Earth to Squiggy, at the Garry Marshall Theatre, in Burbank, California, which she co-wrote, and is set to the music of her father and Michael McKean, who played Lenny on Laverne & Shirley. For the record, I’ve known Natalie for a couple of decades from when she sang on a demo of a song I wrote and produced with the composer, Rachael Lawrence.

    1h 7m

  3. Jun 2

    David Silverman, Screenwriter-Producer-Therapist-Session-2-Episode #401

    The prolific screenwriter, David Silverman, is back on StoryBeat for the second time. David has written for stars like Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Rosanne Barr, Drew Carey, Sarah Silverman, Pee Wee Herman, and others. David has co-created 5 TV series and written and produced on more than 30 different series, including hugely popular shows like Newhart, Roseanne, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Alice, Dilbert, and South Park. David co-created The Wild Thornberrys, which spawned two feature films: The Wild Thornberrys Movie and Rugrats Go Wild. Other feature films David has co-written include Stepping Out, Purple Haze, and The Flintstones Movie. As a Stanford-educated psychotherapist, David’s treated and coached aspiring writers, many of whom have gone on to sell their own feature films and TV shows. David and his wife Rogena, who is also a writer and editor, recently collaborated on their excellent book, How to Be a Rockstar Screenwriter, which contains some of the best advice I’ve read on the mindset that ambitious screen and TV writers need to succeed. Unlike most books on screenwriting, How to Be a Rockstar Screenwriter is filled with solid advice for those dealing with the challenging psychological issues facing writers who wish to work in Hollywood, as well as for those who are already successful screenwriters.  I urge anyone hoping to make it as a professional writer in Hollywood to check out this very wise book. For the record, David and I have known one another for many decades, connected by our mutual friend, the late, great Steve Sustarsic. David and Steve were a well-known, highly successful sit-com writing team. They wrote and produced hundreds of TV scripts together.

    56 min

  4. May 26

    Christine Pedi, Broadway Performer-Impressionist-Radio Host-Episode #400

    My guest today, Christine Pedi is known as the “Lady of 1000 Voices." She discovered her talent for multiple personalities through her long association with the legendary Off-Broadway revue, Forbidden Broadway, performing in companies all over the world, including New York, London, Japan, Singapore, and more. Among the dozens of personalities Christine is known to impersonate are: Liza Minelli, Rosie Perez, Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Julie Andrews, Katherine Hepburn and many, many others. She’s received a Drama Desk nomination, as well as an L.A. Ovation & NAACP Award for her work. On Broadway, Christine debuted in Little Me with Martin Short and Faith Prince, directed by a favorite StoryBeat guest, Rob Marshall. Other Broadway appearances include several peculiar offstage callers in Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio, starring Liev Schreiber, and a turn as Mama Morton in the long-running hit, Chicago. She brought her collection of divas to Off-Broadway’s Newsical the Musical, and starred in Spamilton: An American Parody, which she also co-produced. And many of you will know Christine from her long-running daily SiriusXM Radio show Broadway Breakfast on the On Broadway channel playing music of the stage & screen and interviewing Show Biz legends Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm. On Saturdays she and Seth Rudetsky co-host Dueling Divas.  And fans of Howard Stern can hear her provide the occasional celebrity voice on his SiriusXM morning show. Other Off-Broadway performances include: the title role in Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating Mating and Marriage, A Broadway Diva Christmas, Jerry’s Girls, and My Favorite Year. Christine’s performed her cabaret show, Great Dames, at many major New York venues, winning both the New York Bistro & Nitelife Awards. Her holiday show, There’s No Bizness Like Snow Bizness, has been an annual New York staple since 2008. She's even performed for President & Mrs. Clinton, playing a singing Hillary! On TV, you may recognize Christine on The Sopranos as Mrs. Bobby Baccala (4 scenes, 5 lines...dead). But she recently escaped the clutches of Dr. Death on NBC. Be sure to check out Christine’s popular, hilarious videos on YouTube, especially her “Shit Liza Says” videos. It’s brilliant, laugh-out-loud stuff. Last but not least, and closest to my heart, Christine can be found singing on the well-regarded 1994 double-CD Complete Work recording of Jekyll & Hyde, the Musical, featuring Anthony Warlow, Linda Eder and Carolee Carmello.

    1h 16m

  5. May 19

    Ron Roman, Author-Episode #399

    Ron Roman has written extensive travel, academic, and political articles for regional, national, and international publications. He studied both fiction and creative writing for his third graduate degree in Humanities from Wesleyan University.  Ron has acted in numerous Korean TV dramas and motion pictures like Operation Chromite, portraying Admiral Forrest Sherman opposite Liam Neeson’s General Douglas MacArthur.  In 2025 Ron published his alternate-history apocalyptic doomsday thriller novel, Of Ashes and Dust, which was a Finalist for the Chanticleer International Book Award in the Global Thrillers category. I’ve read Of Ashes and Dust and can tell you it’s a highly entertaining story that explores the anarchy of an apocalyptic future that includes revelations about UFOs and governmental conspiracies all set against a crumbling society. If you enjoy reading about the potential societal challenges a deteriorating world may face, I highly recommend Ron’s insight-filled book to you. Ron is also the recipient of The POET Magazine’s “Poet of the Month” award for his contributions.  Also, check out for his book A Poetic Rhapsody of the Soul, which is published by Windtree Press.  As an Associate Professor of English, English as a Second Language, and Humanities, Ron taught at the University of Maryland Global Campus-Asia. Ron resides in South Korea with his wife where he works on US military installations assisting US military retirees and dependents.

    46 min

  6. May 12

    Leslie Rasmussen, TV Writer, Author-Episode #398

    Leslie A. Rasmussen wrote TV comedies for folks like Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, and Drew Carey, while working on popular sit-coms such as Major Dad, Roseanne, ALF, The Wild Thornberrys, Sweet Valley High, Evening Shade, Norm, and The Good Life. After leaving the TV industry to raise her boys, Leslie obtained a master's degree in nutrition and ran her own business for ten years. She’s been published over twenty times in the Huffington Post and speaks on panels discussing female empowerment. Leslie’s debut novel, After Happily Ever After, has won over fifteen awards, and her second novel, The Stories We Cannot Tell, has won eleven awards. Her latest novel, When People Leave, was released in May 2025. I’ve read When People Leave and can tell you it’s a highly engaging, superbly crafted tale about death, grief, and the unraveling of a family mystery that involves three sisters going on the road together, all told with a light touch and great heart.

    1h 2m

  7. May 5

    Paige Regan, Author-Episode #397

    Paige N. Regan is a dark fantasy author known for her great ability to infuse humor into the macabre. With a focus on Young Adult and Adult novels, her captivating stories transport readers into worlds teeming with magic, myth, and murder. Her most recently published works include: Sin and Bones and Blood and Stone, which are the first two books of the Sin and Bones trilogy. Paige’s upcoming Gothic Fantasy novel, We Are Buried in the Garden, is set to be released in September 2026. I’ve read Sin and Bones and can tell you it’s an exciting dark fantasy story about a teenage girl dealing with all the difficulties involved in growing up while facing supernatural forces and influences that create unusual challenges for her to overcome. For the record, Paige and I met while she was a student at Point Park University, and I was one of her screenwriting professors.  Paige has the distinction of being the very first of my former students to appear as a guest on StoryBeat.  And I couldn’t be more proud or pleased. Truthfully, for me, this is a milestone moment.

    1 hr

  8. Apr 28

    Amy Pollack, Author, Teacher-Episode #396

    Amy Meislin Pollack was a teacher for over four decades. From her own childhood, to the classroom, to being a parent of three and grandparent to seven, she’s perfectly positioned to write her coming-of-age book series based on a mischievous young girl, Jillian Kramer, who everyone calls Jelly Bean. After 60 years of occasionally working on her Jelly Bean books, Amy took advantage of the Covid pandemic to finish them. The series began with The Adventures of Jelly Bean, which first came to Amy when her fourth-grade teacher asked her to get up in front of the class and tell stories about Jelly Bean, which she would make up as she went along. Several years later she began writing down the Jelly Bean stories, and would work on them periodically in any free time she had during her teaching career and while raising her three children. The second in the series, The Further Adventures of Jelly Bean, was followed up by The Still Further Adventures of Jelly Bean, which I’ve read. It’s a charming take on the emotional challenges confronting Jelly Bean as she tries to navigate through the relentless turmoil of growing up.  She tries to work out relationships with her friends, her parents, her older brothers, and her uncle among others. Jelly Bean’s parents don’t want her best friend, who is of mixed race, to visit. Another friend is anorexic. One brother drops out of school. A grandparent dies. In other words, it’s about the struggles many young girls face as they grow up. Amy earned advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and NYU. For six years Amy was a professor of writing, and a teacher in the tutoring center at Montclair State University.

    45 min
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5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

A Podcast for the Creative Mind

Information

  • Creator
    Steve Cuden
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    419
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Steve Cuden
  • Show Website
    Storybeat with Steve Cuden

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