This week, we talk with Kelundra Smith about the many writing hats she wears as a culture and theater critic, playwright, arts and culture journalist, and Managing Editor of American Theatre Magazine. We dive into what inspired her to write The Wash and Younger (a prequel to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun), how her Southern perspective in…

The 2024 WNBA season tipped off just last week, and we are celebrating with Criscia Long! She is the Senior Director of Entertainment for NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, the Long Island Nets, and WNBA’s New York Liberty. We dive into how she embraces commercial and concert dance, what she learned during her time as a pro NBA dancer, and what it was like orche…

We are BACK IN THE HABIT, y’all! After three years away, we are kicking off season six with a catch-up episode. We highlight some of the incredible accomplishments of some podcast alums, as well as hear from four previous guests about how their lives have changed since their podcast episode aired. We chat with Marc J. Franklin (Episode 12), Vincent…

Happy 30th Anniversary to Beauty and the Beast! 30 years ago today, Disney’s first musical premiered on Broadway and we are celebrating with a special episode. In honor of the milestone, we chatted with three Black actors who have played Belle: Briana Brooks from ZACH Theatre’s 2018 production (Austin, TX), Jade Jones from Olney Theatre Center’s 20…

After a long hiatus, we are BACK for a special holiday episode! We take you inside the creation of Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker, the jazz-steeped reimagining of the classic ballet that runs at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre this month. We talk with producers Ron Simons and Valencia Yearwood, conductor and pianist Harold O'Neal, and …

Hiawayi Robinson should be turning 16 this year. But in 2014, the 8-year-old girl from Prichard was raped, murdered and left in a pile of trash on an abandoned lot. But, who did it? | Amir Jennings was last seen with his mother, Zinah Jennings, in Columbia, South Carolina, around the week of November 22, 2011. Where is he now? --- Send in a voice m…

Destiny Fitzpatrick was shot and killed on July 5, 2022 in Atlanta, GA by her boyfriend. | Featured missing Person: Myra Lewis --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/support

Azsia Johnson was shot in the head while pushing her 3-month-old daughter in a stroller to go meet with her child's father. | Missing person: Tiffany Starks-Foster went missing on March 1, 2021. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ill…

Updates on both Felicia Johnson and Kierra Coles cases. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/support

Montreach Mitchell was shot and killed by her boyfriend, Timmy Brooks, at the Wyndham Garden Hotel. Listen in to find out his motive. | Featured missing person: D'Wan Sims.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/support…

Zymere Perkins, a sweet, adorable child nicknamed “ZP,” was deprived of food and sleep, thrown into icy showers, and relentlessly beaten with belts and sticks by his mother and her boyfriend. Zymere died Sept. 26, 2016 after months of abuse. | Featured Missing Person: Codi Bigsby --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/…

Lauren Juma was shot and killed inside her home after she was allegedly held captive by her mother's boyfriend. | 11 Missing Black Men --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/support…

Brittany Booker had been trying to help a friend two months ago when police say the pair were ambushed by the friend's recent ex-boyfriend, Terry L. Jackson, who beat both women with a hammer. Authorities believe the man later returned to town and killed Booker. | Featured Missing Person: Alexis Ware of South Carolina--- Send in a voice message: ht…

Pamela & AJ Isabell were fatally stabbed while they slept along with three other family members who survived. Ella Goodie was last seen March 9, 2022. Tune in to find out more as I dive into both stories. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/po…

Arthur 'Archie' Eversole was a beloved hip-hop recording artist based in Atlanta, Georgia who was shot and killed by his own brother. But why? Tune in to find out what happened. Featured Missing person: Felicia Johnson missing from Houston, Texas. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this…

In this episode, Buffy will talk about the Shamaya Lynn case and why gun safety is important to teach your children. Our featured missing person in this episode is Shawtyeria Waites.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/su…

For the season five finale of call and response, we celebrate FREEDOM. In a time where fear and scarcity feel wide-spread, how can we claim freedom, abundance, and liberation for ourselves? We talk with five artist-creators about what artistic freedom means to them. Hear from actor and multidimensional storyteller Ja'Michael De'Shawn, director Mira…

For season 5's penultimate episode, we talk with artivist Britton Smith, who you’ve seen on Broadway in Be More Chill, Shuffle Along, and After Midnight, about how he learned to embrace his authentic self, what he’s learned from his work with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, and why he started his funk liberation band, Britton & The Sting.…

We are so hype, so thrilled, and so excited that call and response podcast has hit of 100 episodes! To celebrate the milestone, we’re looking back at the previous 99 episodes, highlighting and reliving some of the best moments—the joy, the tears, and the thought-provoking conversations on what it means to exist at the intersection of Blackness and …

We talk with Gerald Caesar, soon to be seen in the Dear Evan Hansen movie adaptation, about making his Broadway debut in A Bronx Tale, performing with Choir Boy on the Tony Awards, and navigating social media pressures and nuances.

We talk with Tony winner Tonya Pinkins about what she learned from starring in Caroline, or Change, why she initially didn’t want to move to New York City, and how she grew from her experience as the writer-director-star of the award-winning socio-political horror film Red Pill.

We chat with Ain’t Too Proud star Jawan M. Jackson about how his support system encouraged him to pursue music, what his journey to New York City was like, and why he is committed to giving back.

We talk with the leadership team of the Obie-winning The Fire This Time Festival—executive director and founder Kelley Girod, producer Julienne Hairston, associate producer and director of TFTT New Works Lab A.J. Muhammad, and artistic director Cezar Williams—about how the festival has cultivated the feeling of family, why freedom of voice is essen…

We chat with Broadway performer Zurin Villanueva about what she gained from attending Howard University, how she felt performing in the musical adaptations of the iconic movies Clueless and Mean Girls, and why learning from Savion Glover in Shuffle Along changed her dance game.

We talk with The Lion King and Kiss Me, Kate star Adrienne Walker about studying vocal performance at Spelman College, fighting assumptions as a Black soprano, and launching her multimedia series 32 Bar Cut.

We chat with Ty Jones, the Producing Artistic Director of Classical Theatre of Harlem and an award-winning stage actor (NAACP, OBIE) about rebuilding the organization to make an uptown impact, finding inspiration for programming, and creating theatre that is all about the people.

We talk with Tony-nominated producer and recently named Global Producer of the Year Brian Moreland about the producer contributions to diversifying audiences, the need to break free of hamster-wheel conversations, and the necessity of rediscovering the North Star of Theatre.

We talk with The Muny’s Director of Education Tali Allen about when she fell in love with music education, what her Gen Z students have taught her, and why being “the only” can feel both exhausting, yet rewarding.

We chat with actor-musician and Howard University’s BFA Musical Theatre Coordinator Marty Austin Lamar about the dare that led him to musical theatre, the power of education in the pursuit of equity, and the lessons he brings from his acting career to the classroom.

We talk with award-winning playwright, author, and University of Texas professor Dr. Lisa B. Thompson about why theatre is like a postcard, the importance of intergenerational connections, and how her work in academia and the theatre world inform each other.

We chat with marketing executive and entrepreneur Khalilah Elliott about finding mentorship as Black women in the performing arts space, working at iconic institutions like the Apollo Theater and Disney Theatrical, and forming her own company, Gafford Communications.

We talk with talent manager and entrepreneur ChiChi Anyanwu about her game-changing experience at the McCarter Theatre, the origin story of creating her own management company, and the important three C-words that inform her work with her clients.

Welcome to the land of Kyle Taylor Parker! We talk about his liberating experience in Kinky Boots, infusing his truth into his work, and producing his solo album Broadway Soul, Vol. 2 during the time of the ‘Rona.

We chat with Jhanaë Bonnick about her journey to and life as a Broadway stage manager— the lighting cue that made her fall in love with it, three skills she recommends for success, and the important foundation she considered when building Slave Play's stage management team.

We talk with Memphis Symphony’s assistant conductor Kalena Bovell about finding her love of music by accident, inspiring the next generation of classical musicians, and collaborating with Rob McClure on the Ragtime-themed Conductor Cam music video.

After a tumultuous and unpredictable year that completely shook up the world, we’re back at the mic and looking to the future! The season five premiere episode kicks off with Nick Daly, a musical theatre and playwriting student at the University of Michigan and the winner of Playbill’s Search for a Star contest. We discuss his experience of perform…

Destiny Harrison was a young “goal-getter” and salon owner was murdered days after she told authorities she feared for her life.| Featured Missing Person: Jason Sims, Jr.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/support…

Charlene Gaither was strangled and stabbed to death on Feb. 9, 2008 by her long time boyfriend, James Hawkins, Jr. in their Raleigh apartment. | This episodes featured missing person is Tiana Neshelle Martin.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illicit-deeds/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com…

We chat with ART/NY’s Director of Operations and TedxBroadway alum Jim Joseph about his journey to theatre, the rewards and challenges of working in arts administration, and NFL’s Rooney Rule that inspired his TedxBroadway talk.