Episodes

  • Sònia Victoria Werner Is Reshaping the Arts By Making Space For Women

    Sònia Victoria Werner Is Reshaping the Arts By Making Space For Women
    Aug 22 2025
    From childhood improv classes to building a women-led production company, Sònia Victoria Werner has carved out an artistic path that’s as bold as it is inspiring. An actor, writer, producer, director, makeup artist, content creator, and entrepreneur, she thrives on telling authentic stories that cross cultures and push boundaries. You’ll soon hear her voice in a highly anticipated Netflix animated reboot and an upcoming AAA video game, but that’s just one part of her ever-expanding career. In our conversation, Sònia takes me back to the scrappy, no-budget film that first sparked the idea for Lighthouse Ladies and how that small project grew into an award-winning company with a team of eighteen. She talks about the challenges of standing out in an industry that so often relies on name recognition, the sting of rejection and ghosting, and the ways she continues to create space for women and underrepresented voices. And as a special bonus, she shares one of her audition stories—something usually reserved just for subscribers. — Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please ⁠subscribe⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠donate⁠⁠. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • FINAL FIVE: Joseph Zellnik, Musical Theater Composer and Author

    FINAL FIVE: Joseph Zellnik, Musical Theater Composer and Author
    Aug 5 2025
    Joseph Zellnik is back for a candid and insightful bonus conversation about his journey as a writer and composer in the world of musical theater. Through these five final questions, Joseph shares personal stories from his early career including the lessons learned from his first professional show and the challenges of trying to resonate with an audience. He opens up about the evolution of his writing style how he now defines success and the importance of finding stories that you are uniquely qualified to tell. The discussion also touches on changes he’d like to see in the industry—like making theater more affordable and recapturing the energy of the collaborative process—and the importance of having passions and fulfillment beyond the stage. — Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe⁠ or ⁠donate⁠. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    17 mins
  • Joseph Zellnik Combines Murder, Mystery, and Musical Theater

    Joseph Zellnik Combines Murder, Mystery, and Musical Theater
    Aug 1 2025
    Joseph Zellnik is a musical theater composer, and along with his playwright brother David they are best known for their 2010 musical, Yank! This Off-Broadway production picked up Best Musical nominations from the Drama Desk Awards, the Outer Critics’ Circle, and the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Beyond that, Joseph has also written mystery novels, including The Sound of Murder, the first in his "Musicals Are Murder" series, which cleverly combines fictional crimes with real theater history. He even has an upcoming book, The Periodic Table of Broadway Musicals, written with his husband. We also dive into a fun connection we both have with Oklahoma!, his frustrations with the musical production process, and his thoughts on how Broadway has changed over the years—especially when it comes to “spoofsicals" like Spamalot. It is a unique and candid conversation about the craft, the history, and the sometimes-messy realities of creating theater. — Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe⁠ or ⁠donate⁠. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • FINAL FIVE: Nick Rashad Burroughs, Broadway Actor in Kinky Boots and King Kong

    FINAL FIVE: Nick Rashad Burroughs, Broadway Actor in Kinky Boots and King Kong
    Jul 25 2025
    In the previous episode, we explored Nick Rashad Burroughs' journey from Alabama to Broadway. And now we're getting even more personal. Join us as Nick answers the Final Five questions, revealing key lessons he's learned, his hopes for the performing arts industry, and what truly drives him as an artist.Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
  • Nick Rashad Burroughs Embraces His True Self and Finds a Path to Broadway

    Nick Rashad Burroughs Embraces His True Self and Finds a Path to Broadway
    Jul 18 2025
    Think Alabama isn't a breeding ground for Broadway stars? Think again! This week, we're joined by the phenomenal Nick Rashad Burroughs, who defies expectations and proves that talent truly knows no geographical bounds. From his early life in a deeply religious family in Birmingham, Alabama, Nick's sports-focused journey took an unexpected turn with an accidental audition that led him away from sports and the idea of becoming a pastor. Nick also shares the raw and inspiring story of how he reconciled his artistic truth with his upbringing, the deeply personal challenges he faced coming out, and the profound significance of his mother witnessing him perform in drag on a Broadway stage. We dive deep into his remarkable career, from his Broadway debut in Kinky Boots right out of school, to navigating the massive spectacle of King Kong (and its critical reception), and the intense emotional demands of portraying Ike Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He even earned a Broadway World Award for his portrayal of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. This is a conversation about trusting your instincts and committing to your authentic self, creating an extraordinary life even when the path is completely unexpected and requires immense courage and creative risk. This is a story about guts, grit, and the incredible rewards of fully embracing who you are. --- Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe⁠ or ⁠donate⁠. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Theater Tol Takes Performing Arts to New Heights - Hannah Snow and Benjamien Lycke

    Theater Tol Takes Performing Arts to New Heights - Hannah Snow and Benjamien Lycke
    Jul 4 2025
    Theater Tol was founded in 1998 by Lot Seuntjens, and this international company became known for its multidisciplinary performances, using images, drama, music, amd hardly any spoken text. And while they do perform all over the world, They don't use conventional theaters, instead preferring “unusual” locations: the site of an old factory, a park, a market square, a beach or the banks of a river. Whether its summer or winter, performances are held outdoors, sometimes tailor-made for a specific location or in collaboration with other artists and theater companies. Two members of Theater Tol join the podcast: performer Hannah Snow and composer Benjamien Lycke. Together, we discuss what it’s like to tour internationally with massive gear, adapt to unpredictable weather, and perform in places as far-reaching as Colombia, Taiwan, and Spain. We also talk about the realities of post-Covid touring, the frustrations of unreliable arts funding, and the magic that keeps them coming back to the sky—despite it all. Whether you're an artist, a theater lover, or just someone fascinated with what it takes to bring large-scale performance to life above a crowd, this episode offers a rare look behind the curtain (or rather, up in the clouds). --- Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • FINAL FIVE: Ravi Jain & Miriam Fernandes, Artistic Directors of Why Not Theatre in Toronto

    FINAL FIVE: Ravi Jain & Miriam Fernandes, Artistic Directors of Why Not Theatre in Toronto
    Jun 27 2025
    In the previous episode, Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes shared the winding paths that led them to co-lead Why Not Theatre, and how they’ve forged careers on their own terms. It was an incredibly honest and inspiring conversation—but there’s still more ground to cover. That’s why I’m so glad to have them both back with me for the Final Five Questions. This is where we get a little more personal—digging into the lessons they’ve learned along the way, the changes they hope to see in this industry, and what continues to fuel their work as artists and storytellers. --- Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
  • Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes Push the Bounds of Theater and Keep Asking Why Not

    Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes Push the Bounds of Theater and Keep Asking Why Not
    Jun 20 2025
    Toronto is home to the third-largest English-speaking theatre district in the world—and at the heart of its thriving independent scene is Why Not Theatre, co-led by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes. In this episode, they share their winding and deeply personal journeys through an industry that often made them question whether there was a place for artists like them. Ravi opens up about balancing the security of institutional roles with the pull of founding his own company, while Miriam talks about being cast in limited, unimaginative roles and eventually choosing to train abroad—despite losing all her funding. Both faced major turning points where leaving the business seemed like the only option. But together, they’ve carved out a new kind of space—most recently with Mahabharata, a sweeping, two-part adaptation of the Sanskrit epic that blends ancient philosophy with modern theatrical storytelling. From Toronto to the Barbican to Lincoln Center, their work is reshaping what Canadian theatre can be. And our conversation is about risk, reinvention, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission and start creating the work you want to see in the world. —Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 17 mins