On this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Odom Jr. takes us behind the scenes of his Broadway homecoming in “Purlie Victorious,” the Tony winner’s first time on stage since “Hamilton.” “Theater as a whole really is fighting for its place on the American stage, for its usefulness and its value to us. But it feels as necessary and as valuable as ever before to me,” Odom Jr. says. “So this company [in “Purlie Victorious”] is going to fight the good fight. We literally couldn't have a better text, we couldn't have better themes. We will have our work cut out for us, but I think we're set up to follow through with our intention.” --- Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Vinnie Mancuso, senior editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Follow Backstage and In the Envelope on social media: - https://www.facebook.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/intheenvelope - https://www.instagram.com/backstagecast Looking to get cast? Subscribe here: www.backstage.com/subscribe Browse Backstage casting listings: https://bit.ly/3mth68e Check out our community-driven virtual programming, The Slate: https://bit.ly/2WDNXf0 Backstage stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement: https://bit.ly/3cuMBt5 Special thanks to... - Host: Vinnie Mancuso - Producer: Jamie Muffett - Social media: Karen Jenkins - Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins - Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Oriella St. Louis

In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast” is looking back at one of our favorite guests—Emmy nominee and the MCU’s Winter Soldier himself, Sebastian Stan. (Originally released April 2022) -- Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Vinnie Mancuso, senior editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Follow Backstage and In the Envelope on social media: - https://www.facebook.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/intheenvelope - https://www.instagram.com/backstagecast Looking to get cast? Subscribe here: www.backstage.com/subscribe Browse Backstage casting listings: https://bit.ly/3mth68e Check out our community-driven virtual programming, The Slate: https://bit.ly/2WDNXf0 Backstage stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement: https://bit.ly/3cuMBt5 Special thanks to... - Host: Vinnie Mancuso - Producer: Jamie Muffett - Social media: Karen Jenkins - Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins - Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Oriella St. Louis

Casting director Eric Dawson is almost as responsible for Ryan Murphy’s vast TV empire as, well, Ryan Murphy himself. Along with his partners Robert J. Ulrich and Carol Kritze at Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting, Dawson has been in the audition room with Murphy since the late 1990s; he’s cast “Glee,” every season of “American Horror Story,” and, most recently, ‘Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,’ which earned him his eighth Emmy nomination. On this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Dawson explains the intricacies of a Ryan Murphy audition room, the challenges of sifting through hundreds of self tapes to find the perfect Dahmer, and how the creative team landed back on their first choice of Evan Peters. --- Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Vinnie Mancuso, senior editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Follow Backstage and In the Envelope on social media: - https://www.facebook.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/intheenvelope - https://www.instagram.com/backstagecast Looking to get cast? Subscribe here: www.backstage.com/subscribe Browse Backstage casting listings: https://bit.ly/3mth68e Check out our community-driven virtual programming, The Slate: https://bit.ly/2WDNXf0 Backstage stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement: https://bit.ly/3cuMBt5 Special thanks to... - Host: Vinnie Mancuso - Producer: Jamie Muffett - Social media: Karen Jenkins - Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins - Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Oriella St. Louis

Alex Brigthman is no stranger to diving headfirst into Broadway shows based on beloved titles—after all, he’s a two-time Tony nominee for leading roles in “School of Rock” and “Beetlejuice.” But his latest project is in a bigger boat altogether. “The Shark Is Broken,” a new play that opened August 10th, captures the behind-the-scenes turmoil of Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster, “Jaws.” Co-written by Ian Shaw—who also stars as his father, Robert—the show sees Brightman donning the sweater of 70s-era Richard Dreyfuss alongside Colin Donnell as Roy Scheider. “You can't turn your head in any city without seeing some [“Jaws”] shirt, hat, license plate. So I know that's a big deal, and the added pressure for me is that I'm playing the one person who's still alive who has a chance to see it,” Brigthman tells us. “ ‘Pressure’ is the right word, but it's not a pressure that terrifies me. It's interesting, and I'm always excited about doing new things. This version of a new thing is like tight-rope walking with somebody's child.” On this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Brightman gives us a glimpse of his intensive character-creation process, as well as a backstage look at the most emotionally fraught moment in “The Shark Is Broken.” --- Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Vinnie Mancuso, senior editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Follow Backstage and In the Envelope on social media: - https://www.facebook.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/intheenvelope - https://www.instagram.com/backstagecast Looking to get cast? Subscribe here: www.backstage.com/subscribe Browse Backstage casting listings: https://bit.ly/3mth68e Check out our community-driven virtual programming, The Slate: https://bit.ly/2WDNXf0 Backstage stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement: https://bit.ly/3cuMBt5 Special thanks to... - Host: Vinnie Mancuso - Producer: Jamie Muffett - Social media: Karen Jenkins - Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins - Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Oriella St. Louis

*This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike* Ayo Edebiri is everywhere in 2023, a year that includes five film roles, appearances in eight TV series, and her first ever Emmy nomination for playing sous-chef Sydney in Hulu’s “The Bear.” So it’s taken a bit to get used to the downtime she’s in now, thanks to careful planning (plus concurrent strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA). Either way, she needed the space to, in her words, “be a human being.” “It feels so trite but it's the most crucial thing,” she says. “Any [artist] who is so consumed with making things, making things, making things, there's no reserve in the well. There's no real life in you.” On this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Edebiri explains her journey from stand-up stages and writers rooms to a packed performance schedule, as well as how she feels about taking on her biggest project yet—the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie “Thunderbolts.” --- Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Vinnie Mancuso, senior editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Follow Backstage and In the Envelope on social media: - https://www.facebook.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/backstage - https://www.twitter.com/intheenvelope - https://www.instagram.com/backstagecast Looking to get cast? Subscribe here: www.backstage.com/subscribe Browse Backstage casting listings: https://bit.ly/3mth68e Check out our community-driven virtual programming, The Slate: https://bit.ly/2WDNXf0 Backstage stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement: https://bit.ly/3cuMBt5 Special thanks to... - Host: Vinnie Mancuso - Producer: Jamie Muffett - Social media: Karen Jenkins - Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins - Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Oriella St. Louis