EP#145: Beneath the Tar - An Interview with Allan Trautman

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08/05/22 • 40 min

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Join Justin as he chats with actor and puppeteer Allan Trautman about the Tarman, Return of the Living Dead, Jim Henson, puppetry, Dinosaurs, and more!
Allan Trautman bio:
"Allan Trautman was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Miami Beach with his family at the beginning of 9th grade. He began acting in Miami Beach Senior High under the direction of famed drama teacher Jay Jensen. He spent four years in St. Louis at Washington University, earning a BA in Physics and Drama. He then earned an MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts, where he met his wife, Diane. While in St. Louis, he began his puppetry career working on The Letter People at public TV station KETC. He performed in all 60 15-minute episodes, each one shot on a Friday (he skipped classes).
Two years after graduating from CalArts, while working full-time at Leo's Stereo in the San Fernando Valley, a friend told him about an audition notice for a "puppet school" sponsored by Sid and Marty Krofft. Allan spent the summer of 1980 at what were a series of workshops under the direction of Tony Urbano. There he met other young puppeteers who all became lifelong friends-Bruce Lanoil, Kevin Carlson, Tim Blaney, and others.
Much of the 1980s were spent working on projects for the Kroffts and for Dave Pavelonis and his Peppercorn Productions, as well as pursuing his acting career. During this time he was sent on an audition for Return of the Living Dead, and was cast as the Tarman, who went on to become an iconic zombie film character-among the first to ask specifically for "Brains!"
In 1990, as part of the then-pending purchase of The Muppets by the Walt Disney Company, Jim Henson came to Los Angeles to direct Muppetvision 3-D, an attraction for Disney's theme parks. Again, a friend was able to get Allan into the audition, and this was the beginning of Allan's career with The Jim Henson Company and the Muppets.
In 1991 Allan joined the cast of the ABC-TV series Dinosaurs as the animatronic puppeteer for Fran Sinclair. That show remained in production for 65 episodes, until the end of 1993, introducing Allan to sophisticated animatronics. This experience continued with movies like Babe, Men in Black, Doctor Dolittle, Jack Frost, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Monkeybone, Cats and Dogs, Men in Black II, and The Country Bears.
After Dinosaurs, two producers on that show requested his presence on their next show, Unhappily Ever After, a sitcom on the brand-new WB Network. Allan puppeteered Mr. Floppy, the lead character's wise-cracking (imaginary) talking bunny, voiced in front of a live audience by Bobcat Goldthwaite.
In the meantime, Allan's work with The Muppets included videos such as It's Not Easy Being Green and Muppet Classic Theatre, the movie Muppets from Space, and, for TV, Muppets Tonight, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In the summer of 2005, Allan became a founding member of Puppet Up!-Uncensored, Henson Alternative's puppet/improv show. He performed in the show off-Broadway, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, on tour throughout the U.S., and on the historic Chaplin Stage on The Jim Henson Company lot. He also acted as puppetry technique instructor. He was one of three on-set puppeteers during production of The Jungle Book (2016), and was a core puppeteer on The Happytime Murders. Allan continues to work in physical as well as digital puppetry, in shows such as Splash and Bubbles for PBS Kids, and has moved into directing for that show and others."

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EP#144: Sleepless in Sunnydale - An Interview with Harry Groener

Join Justin as he chats with stage and screen actor Harry Groener about Broadway, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, theater life, dance, musicals, the mayor, and more!
Harry Groener bio:
"Harry Groener (born September 10, 1951) is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (seasons 3, 4 and 7).
Groener's reputation in New York City rests almost entirely on his work in musical theater. However, the bulk of his roles outside New York have been in classical drama or contemporary plays like Eastern Standard. His Broadway credits include Is There Life After High School?, Will Parker in Oklahoma! (Tony Award nomination, Theatre World Award), Munkustrap in Cats (Tony Award nomination), Georges/George in Sunday in the Park with George, and Bobby Child in Crazy for You (Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations)."
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EP#146: To Blackwater and Beyond - An Interview with Benjamin Byron Davis

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Join Justin as he chats with stage and screen actor Benjamin Byron Davis about Lord Byron, the history of acting, Dutch van der Linde, Rockstar, Red Dead, mushrooms, and more!
Benjamin Byron Davis bio:
"Benjamin Byron Davis is an accomplished actor, writer and director, known for his dynamic range and versatility in portraying complex characters. His commanding voice and formidable and magnetic screen presence in film, television, performance capture and theater have garnered legions of fans and social media followers worldwide.

Ben appears in Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," written and directed by longtime friend and collaborator James Gunn. The film, which takes place after 'Thanos' was defeated in "Avengers: Endgame," is the culmination of the iconic trilogy; its highly successful predecessors, "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), amassed over $1.6 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Ben plays hapless OrgoCorp Security Guard 'Bletelsnort' opposite Guardians 'Mantis' (Pom Klementieff) and 'Drax' (Dave Bautista). GOTG Vol. 3 was released on May 5, 2023 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and earned $289 million globally on opening weekend.

In the can is a starring role in the "Borderlands" feature film, which is Lionsgate, Eli Roth and Tim Miller's eagerly anticipated adaptation of the uber successful video game. Ben plays Pandora's arms dealer 'Marcus Kincaid,' opposite Cate Blanchett's infamous outlaw 'Lilith.' An important character within the Borderlands universe, 'Marcus' is a weapons dealer and entrepreneur who appears in all the main Borderlands video games. He is known for his gruff demeanor, sharp wit, distinctive accent, penchant for telling tall tales about his past exploits and willingness to do whatever it takes to make a profit. Borderlands is one of the world's most successful game franchises, with more than 68 million units sold-in worldwide and includes "Borderlands 2" which is the highest-selling title in the history of 2K; and "Borderlands 3," which was awarded Best Ongoing Game at Gamescom 2020.

In the arena of performance capture, Ben created the iconic character of 'Dutch van der Linde,' the complex, compelling and charismatic gang leader in Rockstar Games's Red Dead Redemption (2010) and Red Dead Redemption II (2018). The character of 'Dutch' was described by Twinfinite as "one of the greatest villains of this generation," and they selected Ben as the "Best Actor of 2018." "Red Dead Redemption II" upon release had the largest opening weekend in the history of entertainment generating $725 million in revenue in 3 days and (as of May 2023) is the 8th highest grossing video game of all time!

In recent film performances, Ben played 'Agent Burleigh' in Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" opposite Paul Rudd and Randall Park; and 'Antonio Fowler' in the action/horror/thriller "The Belko Experiment," written and produced by James Gunn. A veteran of over thirty episodes of television, Ben has delivered memorable comedic and dramatic turns in series roles.

Ben was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of three brothers. His parents are retired, Jessica from teaching and William from finance. Ben graduated from the Noble and Greenough School (MA), where he was awarded the Eaton Prize for Excellence in Performing Arts, went on to attend the University of Chicago where he sat on the board of the University Theatre, and finally to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with honors and a Playwrights Horizons Theatre School "Achievement in Acting" award (1996).

His early work in theater featured two solo shows that he wrote and performed: "In Absentia" (HERE, NYC, 1995 and The Evidence Room, LA, 2001); and "Big Shot" (Lillian Theater, LA, 2002 and Trilogy Theater, NYC, 2002). Ben has appeared in numerous stage roles, including 'Lord Byron' in "Bloody Poetry" (nyte/Classic Stage Company, NYC, 1998) and 'Woland' in "The Master and Margarita" (Zoo District/Hudson Backstage, LA, 2000).

Directing in theater, Ben's projects have included the one-act play "Godfather Death" (Sacred Fools Theater Company, 2001/LA Weekly Award nomination for best director) and the development and direction of acclaimed poet/performer Joe Hernandez-Kolski's solo shows."
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