Shows
Backstage BreakdownJen AshJen Ash is a phenomenal stage manager who has worked extensively as a Stage Manager in New York, on Tour, and beyond. She talks openly with us about the professional world, friendships, and how to balance business and pleasure.
Bio: Broadway: A Wonderful World, Days of Wine and Roses, SIX, POTUS, Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked Tours: Come From Away, Hadestown, Wicked, IF/THEN, Off-Broadway: CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Everything’s Fine, FuerzaBrutaWAYRA, Peter and the Starcatcher, Satchmo at the Waldorf, Bill W. And Dr. Bob. Regional: Goodspeed, Paper Mill Playhouse. Originally from El Paso, TX.
2026-03-2647 minBackstage BreakdownKyra BowieKyra Bowie is a performer turned amazing stage manager who has worked extensively in the new york city theatre world. She talks with us about her journey to being “behind the table" and
Kyra Bowie is a NY based Stage Manager and co-founder of Transcend Streaming. Projects that excite Kyra are new works, technically challenging productions, and stories that bring up questions that might not always be something easy to grapple with. Select credits: SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE (PSM | Out of the Box Theatrics), OUR CLASS (PSM | MART Foundation), BASEMENT, IL (PSM | NYSAF), HOUSE OF TELESCOPES (PSM...
2026-03-251h 13Backstage BreakdownAmanda SpoonerAmanda Spooner is an accomplished stage manager and educator. Amanda talks with us about all things backstage. She is now working on Purple Rain The Musical, a dream come-true that she manifested years before.
Amanda Spooner is an AEA Stage Manager and Educator, who came to Ithaca from New York City. She has worked on and off-Broadway, regionally, on tour, in events, on immersive experiences, on opera, dance, countless readings and workshops, and in television. Her specialty is in the development of new works and their world premieres, including Rebecca Tyke-min and Paula Vogel's Indecent as we...
2026-02-261h 12Backstage BreakdownRian BuksbazenRian talks to us about their life on and off-broadway and breaks down what a child guardian actually does. Rian explains how hard young artists work and the trials and tribulations of advocating for them.
Rian Buksbazen is a multi-hyphenate creative and theatrical specialist. Their work as a child guardian can be seen on shows like Leopoldstadt, Trevor the Musical off-Broadway and on Disney+, Into the Woods at Encores!, American Ballet Theater, EVIL on CBS, and many many more. They are the only transgender child guardian working on Broadway, and are a proud member of IA...
2026-02-261h 05Backstage BreakdownTyler CrowTyler Crow talks to us about his college experience studying Stage Management, getting in the room as a Stage Manager, his love of new works, and the work life balance of it all.
Broadway: The Notebook, The Cottage. Off-Broadway: What Became of Us (Atlantic Theater Company), Good Enemy (Audible Theater), Breathless; we were promised honey! (59E59), Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (New Vic). National Tours: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Kite Runner, The Prom. Regional: Barrington Stage Company, George Street Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, Theatre Aspen, and Boston Ballet. Love to my people and theatre educators ever...
2026-02-261h 19Backstage BreakdownAldora NealAldora Neal talks to us about how she got into Stage Management, touring as the Assistant Stage Manager on the Hamilton Phillip tour, working on Broadway and how she manages it all.
ALDORA NEAL is a Brooklyn native who blends her duality of stage management and dance. Her love for Hiphop, dance, and bringing people together naturally makes her an "Organized Creative". These passions have landed her in rooms with inspirational humans for which she is grateful to collaborate with and learn from daily. She is currently the Assistant Stage Manager on Hadestown (Broadway). Aldora wis...
2026-01-251h 05Backstage BreakdownRachael EllisRachael Ellis talks to us about the various levels of theatre and her time working for City Theatre in Pittsburgh.
RACHAEL ELLIS (she/they) is honored to serve as the Company Manager for City Theatre in Pittsburgh, and also loves being a part of the Patron Services team as a Box Office Associate. Over the years, Rachael has worked in various production, managerial, and patron-based positions. Highlights include Contemporary American Theater Festival (Associate Company Manager 2022, 2023, & 2024), Pittsburgh CLO (Props Intern 2018), Pittsburgh New Works Festival (Stage Manager for I Forgot to Worry, 2018), USITT (Stage Management Mentor Project, Me...
2026-01-2555 minBackstage BreakdownMatthew SternMatthew Stern talks to us about his career and life on Broadway and what it means for a Stage Manager to make the transition to the world of events. We talk about management, finances, the collegiate world, and what it means to dedicate your life to the world of theatre.
MATTHEW AARON STERN has extensive credits on both Broadway and in corporate events. Broadway stage management credits on 20+ productions, including: Finding Neverland, On The Town, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, Hands On A Hardbody, Death Of A Salesman, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, The Phantom Of The...
2026-01-251h 30
Backstage BreakdownBackstage BreakdownWelcome to Backstage Breakdown, a podcast dedicated to shedding light on the backstage world of theater and the humans who make it all happen. Join Allison Leah Hohman and Elizabeth Hathaway Emond as they interview Stage Managers and Creatives in the arts community about the magic happening backstage.
2026-01-2001 min