EPISODE 450 - ADAM PLATT

Adam Platt is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and was chief restaurant critic between 2000 & 2023. He won the James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for Restaurant Reviews in 2010. During the course of nearly twenty-five years in the magazine business, Platt has written for a variety of publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Observer, Esquire, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is the author of The Book of Eating and is currently writing another book. He lives in New York City.

He can be found as @plattypants on all social media platforms.

EPISODE 449- ERIC BOGOSIAN

ERIC BOGOSIAN (Playwright) is the author of plays, solos, and novels, including TALK RADIO, subUrbia, and PERFORATED HEART. He received a Drama Desk award, three Obie awards, and a Guggenheim fellowship. He has also been nominated for the Pulitzer and a Tony award. Bogosian earned the Berlin Silver Bear for writing and starring in the film adaptation of his play TALK RADIO. His historical account of "Operation Nemesis," the death squad that avenged the Armenian Genocide, was published by Little, Brown in 2015. As an actor, Bogosian has starred in LAW & ORDER: CI (NBC), BILLIONS (Showtime), SUCCESSION (HBO), the Safdie brothers' UNCUT GEMS, and most recently INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (AMC) as the interviewer, Daniel Molloy. He produces a website, 100monologues.com, featuring dozens of New York's most vibrant actors. Bogosian is married to director Jo Bonney.

EPISODE 448 - JAKI BRADLEY & NATALIE MARGOLIN

Jaki Bradley is the director and Natalie Margolin is the writer of the run away Off -Broadway hit, All Nighter.

EPISODE 447- MERRI SUGARMAN

Initially an actress ('Les Miserables', 'Aspects of Love', et al.), Merri found herself out West some years back where she quickly made a name for herself at Liberman/Hirschfeld Casting, then Liberman/Patton Casting, working on such shows as Seinfeld, Party of Five, HBO’s Band of Brothers, the feature film My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the Miramax feature film "Playing By Heart", starring Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie. 

In 2000, Merri moved to Dreamworks Studios as the Casting Executive in charge of TV Pilots and Series- including "Spin City", “Freaks and Geeks” and the critically acclaimed "The Job", starring Denis Leary. She was then offered a position as the Director of Casting for Dramas and Movies at ABC Television, overseeing the casting of the series "Alias", "NYPD Blue", "The Practice" and the made for television movies "Gilda Radner - It's Always Something" and "The Music Man", starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth, to name just a few. 

Merri then returned to the East Coast to teach and coach actors – something she still does (and loves) as time permits, when Tara Rubin offered her a Senior Casting Director position where she’s been happily ensconced ever since, working on, among many others - the Broadway, touring and international companies of THE WHO’S TOMMY, COMPANY, AIN’T TOO PROUD, JERSEY BOYS,THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISERABLES, SCHOOL OF ROCK, MISS SAIGON, A BRONX TALE, CLUELESS the Musical, TREVOR the Musical (2023 Artios Award) and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (2024 Artios Award)

The TRC office is also responsible for the casting of Billy Crystal’s series “Before” for Apple TV and the Broadway productions of The Outsiders, SIX and Death Becomes Her, just to name a few 

Merri also casts for many theaters regionally – including The Papermill Playhouse, Lyric Opera of Chicago, 

The Old Globe, Seattle Rep, The Goodman and The La Jolla Playhouse. 

She is the very proud Casting Director of the critically acclaimed web series SUBMISSIONS ONLY and also boasts having cast many other independent TV & film projects, workshops and readings.

In 2024, Merri took on some passion projects on the side, as well. These include the highly acclaimed and starry concert production of “FOLLIES” at Carnegie Hall for Transport Group’s annual benefit gala, and a reading of a new play at The Actors Studio written by Lyle Kessler (“Orphans”) and directed by Academy Award winner Bobby Moresco – starring Chazz Palminteri, Tim Blake Nelson and Gina Gershon. In addition, Merri is now also the Casting Director at The South Carolina New Play Festival.

Merri has been a Big Sister to Jenny via the amazing Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for the last 25 years, is an alumni officer of the professional sorority Kappa Gamma Chi (BFA in Musical Theater - Emerson College), a member of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and was recently recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College in 2021. She has been a Tony Voter for the past eleven years and is a proud member of the Casting Society of America (CSA)

EPISODE 446- CAROLINE AARON

Caroline Aaron is known to theatre, film and television audiences, as well as a published author and playwright.

She made her Broadway debut in Robert Altman's "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean,Jimmy Dean" and later appeared in the film. The following Broadway season, she starred in the revival of "The Iceman Cometh". She next starred in Mike Nichols's Broadway smash comedy "Social Security". She returned to Broadway starring in "I Hate Hamlet." She headlined the west coast premiere of Wendy Wasserstein's "The Sisters Rosensweig" and was acknowledged with both a Helen Hayes and Dramalogue Award. Next on Broadway she starred in Woody Allen's comedy "Honeymoon Hotel". She headlined Lincoln Center's award winning play "A Kid Like Jake." She played the title role in "All The Days" at the McCarter Theatre and was named best actress by several newspapers in the New York/New Jersey area. She headlined "Call Waiting" at The. Odyssey theatre which became a hit and was later made into a film available on Amazon Prime.

On film Caroline has been in over a hundred films and is frequently in demand from top directors including Woody Allen, the late Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, Paul Mazursky, and Robert Altman.

Favorite film roles include “21 & 22 Jump Street”, “Just Like Heaven", "Nancy Drew", "Surveillance", "Love Comes Lately", "Edward Scissorhands", "Anywhere But Here", The Big Night", and "Bounce" among others. Later this year she will be seen in "Theatre Camp", "Between Two Temples", and "The Fourth Dementia".

Television audiences are also familiar with her work as a guest star on hundreds of shows. She has recurred on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ghosts, Episodes and Transparent. She is best known for her role as Shirley Maisel on the hit Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Photo Credit- Walter McBride

EPISODE 445- TAYLOR POLIDORE WILLIAMS

Currently leading the cast of Netflix’s BEAUTY IN BLACK, Taylor stars as Kimmie, a stripper whose fate takes a turn when she crosses paths with the wealthy, dysfunctional family behind a cosmetics dynasty and a devious trafficking scheme.

This past summer, Taylor was seen starring opposite Meagan Good in Tyler Perry and Amazon Prime Video’s fan favorite film DIVORCE IN THE BLACK, which topped the Amazon charts for several weeks after its debut. Taylor is perhaps best known for heavily recurring in FX’s critically acclaimed SNOWFALL as well as The CW’s ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING. She is also an accomplished voice over artist, having voiced characters for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Peacock, among others.

Taylor is a proud alumna of HBCU Clark Atlanta University and is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is extremely passionate about the rights and welfare of young people and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for youth in foster care.

EPISODE 444- ABUBAKR ALI

Abubakr Ali starred in Anything’s Possible (MGM/Orion Pictures) dir. Billy Porter, and was the titular lead in Netflix/Dark Horse’s series “Grendel.” He recently finished working on Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming untitled Netflix feature film. Other credits include “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (NBC), “Walking Dead: World Beyond” (AMC), “Power Book II: Ghost” (Starz) and “Katy Keene” (CW). Theatre credits include Toros (Second Stage), Inherit the Wind (Pasadena Playhouse), We Live in Cairo (A.R.T.), Kiss (Yale Rep), Twelfth Night (Yale Rep) and work with The 24 Hour Plays, Roundabout Theatre Company, NYTW, Atlantic Theater Com­ pany, The Public and others. MFA: Yale School of Drama. @theabubakrali

Photo Credit- Ari Michelson

EPISODE 442- PETER GALLAGHER

PETER GALLAGHER has delivered critically acclaimed performances on film, television and stage. Film: sex, lies and videotape; American Beauty (SAG Award); The Player; Short Cuts (Golden Globe); The Idolmaker; Dreamchild; While You Were Sleeping; The Underneath; To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday; Center Stage; Mr. Deeds; and Palm Springs. Television: “Grace and Frankie” as Nick, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” as Mitch, “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Hamilton, “Law & Order: SVU” as Chief Dodds, Schmidt’s dad on “New Girl,” “Covert Affairs” as Arthur Campbell, “Togetherness” (Critic’s Choice TV Award nomination), “Californication,” “Rescue Me” and “The O.C.” as Sandy Cohen. Broadway: Guys and Dolls (Drama Desk nomination), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Tony Award nomination), The Real Thing (Clarence Derwent Award), The Corn Is Green (Theatre World Award), A Doll’s Life, Noises Off, The Country Girl, Grease (original production), Hair (first revival) and On the Twentieth Century.

EPISODE 441- GREY HENSON

Grey Henson most recently played Buddy in Elf the musical on Broadway. He received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for his performance as Damian in the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls. He was recently seen playing Michael in tick, tick… BOOM! at the Kennedy Center and Storyteller 2 in the Tony nominated musical Shucked on Broadway. He played the role of Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon on Broadway after originating the role on the first national tour. Grey recurred as Tate in Girls5Eva on Netflix and can be seen in the Sony Pictures film A Journal for Jordan directed by Denzel Washington. Carnegie Mellon University Drama.

EPISODE 439 - SPENCER GARRETT

Spencer Garrett  is a third-generation actor whose career spans 30 years in film, television and theatre. The son of former SAG President and multi-hyphenate actor/activist Kathleen Nolan ('The Real Mc Coys, 'Peter Pan' on Broadway) and grandson of actors Clara Kennedy and Stephen Ellsworth - all of whom plied their trades on the famed Goldenrod Showboat Theatre on the Mississippi River in St Louis - Spencer has had acting in his bones since childhood. The choice to follow in his family's footsteps and 'join the circus' at an early age was an easy one.

Spencer has been fortunate to have worked with some of his director heroes over the years, and some film highlights include 'Public Enemies' and 'Blackhat' for frequent collaborator Michael Mann, 'Air Force One', 'Charlie Wilson's War' for Mike Nichols, ‘Thank You for Smoking' and ‘The Frontrunner’ for Jason Reitman, ‘Bobby'(SAG Award Nomination for best ensemble) ‘The Way’ and ‘The Public’ for Emilio Estevez’ , Nicole Holofcener’s ‘ Lovely and Amazing', 'Bombshell', and Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time n Hollywood'. Other notable films include ‘Iron Man 3, 'Transformers 2' and many more.

Broadway: ‘Roots and Wings'. Off Broadway and regional: 'In the Moonlight, Eddie' and 'Alone Together' at Pasadena Playhouse and Lynn Nottage's 'By The Way, Meet Vera Stark' at The Geffen, as well as 'Adaptation', Brooke Smith and Dennis Boutsikaris at Ensemble Studio Theatre, ‘Gunplay’ for Naked Angels. He received a Dramalogue Award for his work in the world premiere of Jack Heifner’s ‘Heartbreak’ at The Hudson Guild.
 He is a frequent contributor to Los Angeles’ renowned Word Theatre, having performed numerous roles around the country, most recently at Guild Hall in East Hampton with Brian Cox. For L.A. Theatreworks Spencer has performed in 'The Lion in Winter' opposite Alfred Molina, 'Zoot Suit' with the Original Cast, 'The Country Girl' opposite Mare Winningham and 'Oedipus' with Harry Lennix. In Summer 2023 Spencer starred in ‘Windfall’ at Bay Street Theater, directed by Jason Alexander, to rave reviews.

Over 150 major guest or recurring roles in television including 'Will and Grace' ,'Chicago P.D', 'Mad Men', "Madam Secretary', 'Law and Order', 'Luck','Aquarius',"Bosch', 'For All Mankind', 'The Magicians','Masters of Sex', 'The West Wing' 'House of Cards', 'Star Trek;TNG',' Insecure' and 'All the Way' and 'Game Change' for director Jay Roach.
He can currently be seen starring opposite John C.Reilly, Sally Field, Adrien Brody and Jason Clarke as legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn in Adam McKay's 'Winning Time' for HBO MAX, now streaming seasons 1& 2. He just completed principal photography on ‘The Residence’, a limited series for Shonda Rhimes and Netflix, opposite Giancarlo Esposito and Uzo Aduba , and ‘Tempest’, a limited series for Disney+ filmed in Seoul, S Korea, as the President of the United States.

As a Producer: 'Below The Beltway' (Best Film, Newport Film Festival) starring Tate Donovan, Sarah Clarke and Xander Berkeley, and ‘Nobody Leaves Til’ Jesus Comes’ which recently had its world premiere at Dances With Films.
With Garrett/Gordon Productions he produced the global hit podcast 'America 2.0' starring Laurence Fishburne, Kate Walsh and Patrick J. Adams, currently streaming on all podcast platforms as well as 2020’s ‘Quarantine' for IGTV to raise funds and awareness of the SAG-AFTRA Covid19 Relief Fund.

A supporter of numerous charities over the years, Spencer has performed 10 times in support of the NBCC (National Breast Cancer Coalition) in the 'Les Girls' cabaret and supports The Motion Picture and Television Fund and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, as well as Project A.L.S and S.A.Y: the Stuttering Association for the Young. He is a proud graduate of the class of 1981 from The Hyde School in Bath, Maine, and served on its Board of Governors from 2012-2016. He is a proud member of the Motion Picture Academy (AMPAS) and Television Academy (ATAS). He attended Duke and Fordham Universities and currently teaches a master class at The Ruskin School in Los Angeles. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

EPISODE 433- GREG GERMANN

Greg Germann is an actor known for his work in film, television and on Broadway where he starred with Mark Rylance in BOEING BOEING.  He was a member of Circle Repertory Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre and has performed at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, La Mama, Second Stage among others.  Created roles in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, Only You, Found A Peanut and many more.

He has also appeared in numerous films including TALEDEGA NIGHTS, FRIENDS WITH MONEY, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, SWEET NOVEMBER, QUARANTINED, ONCE AROUND, among others.

Greg is best known for the many characters he has created on the small screen, including Tom Koracick on GREY’S ANATOMY and Richard Fish on ALLY McBEAL, as well as House of Lies, Once Upon a Time and many more.  

During the war in Afghanistan Greg traveled there twice as a goodwill ambassador, visiting thousands of troops from Kandahar to Kabul along with dozens of Forward Operating Bases (F.O.B’s) across the country.

For over 15 years he’s been involved with Anthony Shriver’s organization BEST BUDDIES, which is dedicated to creating employment and inclusive living opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).  At one time serving on the California Advisory Board.  

For almost 20 years Greg has had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for THE PEOPLE CONCERN Los Angeles, which is dedicated not just to manage the unacceptable crisis of people experiencing homelessness, but ending it!  Greg recently served as the Board Chair.

EPISODE 438 - JULIANNA MARGULIES

Broadway: Festen. Stage: Ten Unknowns (Lucille Lortel Award), The Vagina Monologues, Intrigue With Faye, The Substance of Fire, Fefu and Her Friends. Television: “The Morning Show,” “Billions,” “The Hot Zone,” “Dietland,” “The Good Wife” (two time Emmy and SAG Award winner, Golden Globe, Critics Choice awards), “The Sopranos,” “The Grid” (Golden Globe nomination), “The Mists of Avalon” (Golden Globe nomination), “ER” (Emmy and six-time SAG award winner). Film: Millers in Marriage (upcoming), Three Christs, The Upside, Stand Up Guys, City Island, Snakes on a Plane, The Darwin Awards, Slingshot, Ghost Ship, Evelyn, The Man From Elysian Fields, What’s Cooking?, The Newton Boys, A Price Above Rubies, Paradise Road and Traveller. Author: Sunshine Girl: An  Unexpected Life.

EPISODE 437- MARIA DIZZIA

Maria was last seen in the Broadway Revival of Macbeth and starred in the national tour of Heidi Schreck's acclaimed play What the Constitution Means to Me. Other Theatre: If I Forget, The Layover, Belleville (2013 Drama Desk Nomination), Uncle Vanya, In the Next Room (2010 Tony Award nomination); Eurydice and many more. 

She made her directorial debut with the Amios Theater Company production of The Loneliest Number (2018 NY Innovative Theater nomination) and most recently directed Marin Ireland's Pre-Existing Condition at the Connelly Theater.

In 2019 she starred in the Academy Award winning short The Neighbors' Window directed by Marshall Curry for which she also earned the Best Actress Award at the Short Shorts Festival. Maria portrayed Polly on three seasons of Orange is the New Black and had recurring roles on The Staircase, The First Lady, The Undoing, 13 Reasons Why, Horace and Pete, Louie, Emergence, Red Oaks and Royal Pains. 

Other select television and film credits include: The Good Nurse, Christine, Life and Beth, The Outside Story, The Deuce, The Newsroom, Prodigal Son, While We’re Young, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Margin Call, The Good Wife, Master of None, Elementary, Fringe, Law & Order and Law & Order Criminal Intent.  

She can currently be seen in Paramount+’s series School Spirits, the independent films My Old Ass & Christmas Eve in Miller's Point as well as recurring on Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Before with Billy Crystal and Judith Light.

EPISODE 433- ROSS MEYERSON

ROSS MEYERSON is best known for his work as an award-winning television and film casting director. He won an Emmy for his work on ‘Damages’ in 2007 as well as having received seven additional nominations. The short film “Red, White and Blue” his last casting project has been nominated for a 2024 Oscar. He has been nominated sixteen times for CSA’s prestigious Artios Award and was fortunate enough to have won twice for ‘Homeland’ and ‘Rescue Me’. Other notable shows Ross has cast include ‘The Affair’, ‘The Americans’. ‘Nurse Jackie’, ‘’Dexter : New Blood’, “The Equalizer’, ‘The Expanse’, ’The Big C’, ‘The Following’, ‘Seven Seconds’, ‘Hunters’, ‘In Treatment’, ‘Sneaky Pete’, ‘True Blood’(pilot) and many others. The list of showrunners, writers and directors he has had the privilege of working with include Alan Ball, David Milch, Denis Leary, Peter Tolan, Paul Feig, Kevin Williamson, Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg, Brett Ratner, Bryan Cranston, George Nolfi, Dan Futterman, Clyde Phillips, Sarah Treem and Veena Sud.

In addition to his work as a casting director Ross has also works producing and developing new works for the screen and stage. He recently produced ‘I’ll Be Right There’ starring Edie Falco, Bradley Whitford, Michael Rapaport, Charlie Tahan, Michael Beach, Jeanie Berlin and Sepideh Moafi . ‘I’ll Be Right There” was selected in the Hampton, Newport, Santa Barbara and Jackson Hole Film Festivals. He will begin shooting his next film, ‘The Yeti” in late January. His next project in development is the feature film ‘Juliet’ written by Jen Richards and recently chosen for the GLAAD list and The Black List.

EPISODE 432- ROBERT GREENBLATT

ROBERT GREENBLATT is one of television’s most prolific executives and producers, with a career spanning broadcast television, cable, streaming, and the Broadway stage. As Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment until 2020, he  ran HBO, TNT, and oversaw the launch of HBO Max which — as Max — now has over 100 million subscribers. 

As Chairman of NBC Entertainment from 2011 to 2018, he brought NBC back to #1 after a decade in last place with acclaimed series such as The Voice, the Chicago trilogy, This Is Us, The Blacklist, Smash, Superstore, and The Good Place. His passion for theatre resulted in reviving the lost art of live musicals on television and NBC became the proud home of The Sound of Music Live! (seen by 20 million people), Peter Pan Live!, The Wiz Live!, Hairspray Live!, the Emmy-winning Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!, and Annie Live! (for which he was also executive producer).

Greenblatt is a Peabody and Golden Globe-winning producer in television with credits that range broadly from The Gilded Age and Six Feet Under to The Hughleys, American Family, and Elvis. He is also a prolific Broadway producer and the recipient of four Tony Awards and two Oliviers. He is currently lead producer with Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg of the musical adaptation of Smash, which will debut on Broadway in April,  2025.

Prior to NBC, Greenblatt was President of Showtime Networks from 2003 to 2010 engineering a significant renaissance of that cable network with a string of hits such as Weeds, Dexter, Shameless, Nurse Jackie, Californication, This American Life, and The Tudors. He began his career at Fox Broadcasting where he is responsible for indelible shows that included Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, The X-Files, Party of Five, Ally McBeal, King of the Hill, and The Sopranos, a pilot he developed that eventually found its way to HBO. 

He is a member of the Board of Center Theatre Group, the Television Academy, the Broadway League, and the Producers Guild of America. He proudly hails from Rockford, Illinois where his love of the theatre and music was fostered in high school and at local community theaters.

EPISODE 431- ALYSE ALAN LOUIS

ALYSE ALAN LOUIS (Dawn). Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Teeth (Playwrights Horizons/OCR). Since 2011, she’s been part of Teeth’s development. Broadway: Amélie (OCR), Disaster, Mamma Mia! Off-Broadway: Drama Desk nomination for Soft Power (Hillary/The Public/Grammy nominated OCR); White Girl in Danger (Second Stage/OCR); A New Brain (Encores!/ OCR); The Civilians’ Pretty Filthy (Abrons/ OCR). @alyselouis

EPISODE 430- GREG GERMANN

Greg Germann is an actor known for his work in film, television and on Broadway where he starred with Mark Rylance in BOEING BOEING.  He was a member of Circle Repertory Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre and has performed at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, La Mama, Second Stage among others.  Created roles in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, Only You, Found A Peanut and many more.

He has also appeared in numerous films including TALEDEGA NIGHTS, FRIENDS WITH MONEY, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, SWEET NOVEMBER, QUARANTINED, ONCE AROUND, among others.

Greg is best known for the many characters he has created on the small screen, including Tom Koracick on GREY’S ANATOMY and Richard Fish on ALLY McBEAL, as well as House of Lies, Once Upon a Time and many more.  

During the war in Afghanistan Greg traveled there twice as a goodwill ambassador, visiting thousands of troops from Kandahar to Kabul along with dozens of Forward Operating Bases (F.O.B’s) across the country.

For over 15 years he’s been involved with Anthony Shriver’s organization BEST BUDDIES, which is dedicated to creating employment and inclusive living opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).  At one time servingon the California Advisory Board.  

For almost 20 years Greg has had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for THE PEOPLE CONCERN Los Angeles, whichis dedicated not just to manage the unacceptable crisis of people experiencing homelessness, but ending it!  Greg recently served as the Board Chair.

EPISODE 429- LAURA DONNELLY

Laura grew up in Belfast, Ireland, and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

She won the ‘Best Actress’ Olivier Award and was further nominated for a Tony Award and Evening Standard Theatre Award for her portrayal’ of ‘Caitlin’ in the critically acclaimed production of Jez Butterworth’s THE FERRYMAN, directed by Sam Mendes.

The "triumphant, bold piece of theatre” appeared at the Royal Court and Gielgud Theatre in London before transferring to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. 

Laura now stars in THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA on Broadway, a new play by Butterworth and Mendes. Donnelly reprises her role from its debut on the West End which saw her earn a ‘Best Actress’ Olivier nomination. Other stage highlights include her role as ‘Other Woman’ in THE RIVER (West End and Broadway) written by Butterworth and directed by Ian Rickson, THE WASP (Trafalgar Studios), PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! (Donmar Warehouse), JUDGEMENT DAY (Almeida Theatre) ROMEO AND JULIET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (both at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and DANCING AT LUGHNASA (Lyric Theatre, Belfast). 

For television, Laura starred alongside Gael Garcia Bernal in a Marvel Studios one-off Halloween special called WEREWOLF BY NIGHT (Disney+) and as ‘Amalia True’ in HBO’s fantasy series THE NEVERS also starring James Norton, Eleanor Tomlinson, Olivia Williams and Nick Frost. She is also known for playing 'Jenny Fraser’ in the Golden Globe nominated drama, OUTLANDER. Further credits include the International Emmy Award winning series, SUGAR RUSH (Channel 4), THE FALL (BBC) starring Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson, MERLIN (BBC), the ABC production of MISSING, the BAFTA award-winning drama OCCUPATION (BBC), BRITANNIA (Amazon Studios), HEX (Sky One) and BEST (BBC). 

Laura’s film credits include Fox Searchlight’s TOLKIEN, THE PROGRAM (StudioCanal), HELLO CARTER (Bankside), DREAD (Seraphim Films), INSATIABLE (Kirby Films) and RIGHT HAND DRIVE (Pine Road Pictures).

Photo Credit- Lee Malone

EPISODE 428- KENNETH LONERGAN

Plays: This is Our Youth (The New Group, 1997 Drama Desk Award Best Play nominee; 2015 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play nominee); The Waverly Gallery (2001 Pulitzer Prize finalist); Lobby Hero (Playwrights Horizons, 2001 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award Best Play nominee; 2003 Olivier Award Best New Comedy nominee, 2018 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play nominee); The Starry Messenger (The New Group, 2009); Medieval Play (Signature Theatre, 2012); Hold on to Me Darling (Atlantic Theater Company, 2016; 2024) and The Waverly Gallery (Broadway, 2018).


Film: You Can Count on Me, 2001 Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Screenplay; Margaret – Extended Edition, 2012 European Film Critics’ FIPRESCI Award; and Manchester by the Sea; 2016 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, 2016 BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Screenplay, among numerous other international awards and nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Director. Screenplays include Analyze This (co-writers Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan) and Gangs of New York (co-writers Jay Cocks and Steve Zaillian; 2003 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay).

Teleplays: “Howards End” (BBC and Starz Network 2017-2018, 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Mini Series nominee).

Mr. Lonergan lives in New York City with his wife, J. Smith-Cameron, and their daughter, Nellie. 

EPISODE 427 - HILLS OF CALIFORNIA STARS- NANCY ALLSOP & LARA McDONNELL

NANCY ALLSOP- Theatre includes: The Hills Of California (Harold Pinter Theatre, West End); The Fever Syndrome (Hampstead Theatre); God Bless the Child(Royal Court Theatre); Annie (Piccadilly Theatre, West End); The Sound of Music(International Tour); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Manchester Cathedral). Television includes “Young Wallander” (Netflix).

LARA McDONNELL - Lara’s feature credits include the Academy Award-winning Belfast, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh for Focus Features/Universal; Artemis Fowl, also directed by Kenneth Branagh, for Disney; Greatest Days for Elysian Films; Visitation (Blinder Films); The Delinquent Season (Parallel Films) and Love, Rosie (Canyon Creek/Constantin Films). Television includes “The Last Bus” (Wildseed/Netflix), “The Holiday” (Chalkboard), “Ballistic” (Automatik Entertainment/New Regency) and “To Walk Invisible,” written and directed by Sally Wainwright for BBC. Stage work includes the title role in Matilda for the RSC/West End and The Hills of California in the West End.