Christian Telesmar is an educator, entrepreneur and actor on stage and screen, best known for his work in NCIS: LA, the Young and the Restless, and Animal Kingdom on TNT. In theatre, his work has included On the Other Hand, We're Happy by Daf James at Rogue Machine Theatre (named Best Production of 2022 by both the L.A. Times and the L.A. Drama Critics Circle) and the lead role in Radio Golf by August Wilson at A Noise Within theatre (for which he received a 2024 NAACP theatre award nomination). He lives in Sherman Oaks, California and is an LA Local Board member of SAG-AFTRA actors union. We had an amazing conversation with Christian, who shared his inspiring journey from pre-med to pursuing a career in acting. As a dedicated volunteer with the organization 'Auditions Are Work,' Christian offered invaluable insights that every actor should hear. His warmth and wealth of knowledge make this episode a must-listen. We’re sure you’ll enjoy his stories and gain insights from his experiences.

Adi Eshman is a playwright, screenwriter and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Venice Beach, CA, his plays have been produced or workshopped at USC, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, The Braid, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Tank and more. In May 2023, he earned his MFA in Dramatic Writing from the USC School for Dramatic Arts. The short film he wrote, ANNE, is an official selection at more than thirty festivals throughout the US and Canada, and won five Audience Choice Awards. ANNE was in consideration for Best Live Action Short Film for the 2023 Academy Awards. We had such a blast chatting with Adi! Hearing his story, perspective, and all those cool historical tidbits was a real treat. And truly, we were blown away by the chutzpah he's shown throughout his career. Adi is a skilled storyteller who loves to engage his audience with thought-provoking questions. Enjoy our conversation with him!

Leah Hamos is a Theatre Agent at The Gersh Agency where she works with writers, composers, directors, and designers, among others. She previously worked at Abrams Artists Agency, and with New York Theatre Workshop in development and the Lark Play Development Center in dramaturgy. We absolutely loved chatting with Leah, and hearing her story of become a literary agent. Her love of the theater is so evident, and it is so clear in speaking to her that she is such a strong advocate for her clients. We thoroughly enjoyed recording this interesting conversation, and we were also super inspired by her positive and nuanced perspective on the theatre industry. Happy listening!

Will Steinberger is a Drama League Award nominated director and producer. He has directed and developed new plays at New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, Clubbed Thumb, New Dramatists, Hartford Stage, the Drama League, and Berkshire Theatre Group. Recently, he directed Andrea Stolowitz’s The Berlin Diaries featuring David Greenspan, produced in association with The New Group. We absolutely loved speaking with Will, and hearing his story of becoming a theatre director, producer and writer. His genuineness was so refreshing, and we enjoyed hearing his perspective on all things theater. Will is super warm and has a great sense of humor. We know you’ll have as much fun listening to this episode as we enjoyed chatting with him. Happy listening!

Talisa is an actor, singer, writer, producer, and costume designer. Her play WHO BY FIRE won the 2021 National Jewish Playwriting Competition. She’s appeared on TV and film, and her theater credits include The Old Globe, Arena Stage, and A.R.T. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. In this conversation we talked about Tali’s unique journey of becoming a multi-hyphenate and how she finds inspiration for her projects. We also appreciated her honesty about sharing what it’s like balancing her career and parenthood. Talisa is so smart, driven, and talented, and she manages to do it all with warmth and a sense of ease and calm. We know you’ll love hearing her story and insights!

Jeremy Aluma is an award-winning, Jewish-American theatre director and producer of Iraqi descent. He founded the internationally touring company Four Clowns, and served as artistic director for 7 years. His directing credits are numerous and include:  Pinocchio and Robin Hood (both at South Coast Repertory, CA); Sublimity(Theatre Row, NYC); and Chad Deity (Chance Theater). Aluma has an MFA in Directing from DePaul University and is an SDC member. In this episode we dived into some deep and honest conversations about what it’s like to be a Jewish theatre maker in this moment, and ways Jeremy taps into his creativity outside of the industry. His enthusiasm and passion for collaboration and making art is abundant and inspiring ,and we can't wait for you to listen!

David Winitsky is the founder and executive artistic director of the Jewish Plays Project, the nations leading development house for contemporary Jewish theater. With the JPP, David has developed 49 plays, 27 of which have gone on to production and further development in New York, London, Tel Aviv and around the U.S. As a director, he’s worked on and off Broadway in projects including The Lehman Trilogy, new musicals Vilna: A Resistance Story and Bordello; new play Settlements at Interact (Philadelphia). In this convo, we delve into exciting upcoming events at the JPP and discuss what it’s like telling Jewish stories post October 7th. David’s warmth and honesty shine through in this episode, and we’re so excited to have him as our first guest of Season 6!

Chelsea is a writer, director, and actor living in Los Angeles. She has made 8 short films and web series with screenings at over 100 film festivals worldwide. She is one of 8 fellows chosen for the Inaugural Blumhouse and K Period Media Horror Screamwriting Fellowship, formally supported by Sundance. There, she is developing her feature film WOMEN IN JEOPARDY. As an actor Chelsea can be seen on TV in THE MINDY PROJECT, CRIMINAL MINDS, CASTLE and THE JINX. We loved chatting with Chelsea about her recent artist dates and ways to stay inspired as an artist within the ups and downs. It was also amazing to hear about her journey from being only an actor to such an impressive multi hyphenate- actor, writer, director, and filmmaker. We appreciated her honesty opening up about the effects of the strike on her career and ways she has pivoted in this time to stay creative and focused on her own projects. Chelsea has so many insights for beginning filmmakers, she is truly collaborative, smart, and generous and we know you’ll enjoy listening to this conversation.

Caytha Jentis is a writer, director, and producer. Her film/tv credits include And Then Came Love, The Other F Word, Bad Parents, and Pooling to Paradise. Her stories challenge the old tropes of motherhood with heightened reality humor. In this conversation, we chatted about Caytha’s play called Sex Work, Sex Play which will have its off broadway world premiere at the TADA Theatre on September 13th. We also talked about the inspiration for the piece and the idea of de-stigmatizing sex work. We also loved hearing Caytha’s story of how she became an an independent filmmaker and its challenges. She has some great advice for artists including “you’e a producer until someone takes that job away from you- you have to do the hustle.” We know you’ll be inspired hearing Caytha’s stories and insights.

John Frank Levey is the 4 time Emmy Award-Winning Casting Director of iconic television shows ER and The West Wing. He has also cast China Beach,  Southland, Animal Kingdom and Shameless during a nearly 40 year career. He is the author of Right For The Role, a professional memoir. He is also a director in the theatre. John has had such a prolific career in casting and directing, and we loved hearing his story, insights, and experiences. It was especially cool to hear about his new book Right for the Role, which chronicles his personal and professional career. As a heads up, we had some technical difficulties in this episode. We thank you in advance for your understanding and hope you enjoy the episode!