#43 - Jen Waldman: The Titanic Leader

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his
salary depends on him not understanding it.”  If we looked at
the industry like a cell, Jen Waldman would be the mitochondria, or
the powerhouse. With a lustrous career on stage, Jen began to
venture into other facets in the industry breaking down barrier
after barrier as an acting teacher - acting coach - leadership
coach - podcaster - business owner - director/choreographer. “When
it's working at it’s best,” Waldman says of her outlook on theatre,
“I think of theatre as really responsible and relevant story
telling with an eye on the impact that you seek to have not only on
the audience, but the audience’s audience.” Not everything needs to
be loaded with emotion, pathos, or drama, but we do need to hold
ourselves accountable when creating theatre. Jen continues how when
she sees theatre, she tries to go on a day where there is a
talkback available in hopes of continuing the circular experience
of taking responsibility, unpacking the story as a community, and
calling yourself in for how one sees the show.  In this
episode we speak about theatrical environments, multi-hyphenate
potential, how a Swing on Broadway is a multi-hyphenate in itself,
the individual journey, and how the industry can prevent the growth
and experience of the multi-hyphenate.  And speaking of the
stunting of the multi-hyphenate experience, Waldman goes in on how
the multi-hyphenate potential is there for everyone and it is
infuriating the way our industry has tried to dissuade people from
having multiple pursuits. This episode is incredibly inspiring to
any artist at any level, so dive into Jen Waldman’s incredible
outlook and be inspired to get to work, no matter the ways show
business tries to silence your impulses. This episode also features
a question from Luisa L. which touches on burnout in the segment
You Got A Question. Jen is the founder of Jen Waldman Studio, a
creative home and training studio for professional theatre Artists
. On March 12, 2020, when Broadway shut down, JWS Artists were
appearing in 14 Broadway shows. On April 5, 2020, JWS moved its
entire operations online and is now a creative home to theatre
Artists in 39 states and 13 countries. Jen brings her 20+ years of
Broadway experience into the world of business and served as the
Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre and as the Artistic
Director of Breaking Bread Theatre Company. She served a 5 year
term as the Theatre Chair for the National YoungArts Foundation,
and was awarded a Proclamation from the City of New York in 2009
for her work galvanizing the Broadway community in support of
marriage equality. She has directed and choreographed productions
at theatres across the country. Earlier in her career, Jen worked
as an actor, appearing on Broadway in Titanic and Wicked, also
touring the US as Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East. Jen is
the co-host of the podcast The Long and the Short of It with
PeterShepherd. Connect with Michael: @themichaelkushner (IG
and TikTok) @dearmultihyphenate (IG)
www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced by Alan Seales and
the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices