#12 - Jenny Steingart: Tony Award-Winning Producer and Professional Chance Taker

Explicit content warning

03/29/22 • 63 min

2 Listeners

Unexpected tragedy may have led Jenny to her amazing successful theatrical producing career. After losing her brother in her late 20s, she founded Ars Nova to honor him and continue his legacy in the arts.

Jenny is a Tony Award winner who started in “the biz” as an entry level intern and is now a producing powerhouse. She’s worked alongside some of the greatest in our industry including Tina Fey, Joel Gray, Sir Patrick Stewart, Josh Groban, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, just to name drop a few. She co-founded Ars Nova, co-founded a Japanese animation studio called Ultra Super Pictures. She is also one of the masterminds behind bringing Freestyle Love Supreme to Broadway.

Make sure to follow Jenny on Instagram.

Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance.
More about Heather via @heather_vic keryandco on Instagram and Threads, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files
More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

In life, we grow from our failures, not our successes.
Art is essential. You’ll likely find beauty on the other side of tragedy.
Work for personal satisfaction, not awards.
Theater, art in general, is a cathartic experience for both the artist and the audience.
We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Embrace them go all in!
The unknown is scary, it’s also where the gold is.
Don’t assign judgment (good or bad) to words, thoughts or feelings. Be open-minded.
There is endless possibility when we take risks.
You can have it all, but you can’t have it all at the same time.
We feel the most joy and happiness when we’re pursuing the things we’re most passionate about.
Each of us has inherent gifts that we were born with, that come naturally and easy to us. Because they come so easy to us we often don’t recognize them as superpowers.
It takes reflection to be aware of our superpowers, prioritize it.

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Make sure to follow Jenny on Instagram.

Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance.
More about Heather via @heather_vic keryandco on Instagram and Threads, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files
More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

In life, we grow from our failures, not our successes.
Art is essential. You’ll likely find beauty on the other side of tragedy.
Work for personal satisfaction, not awards.
Theater, art in general, is a cathartic experience for both the artist and the audience.
We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Embrace them go all in!
The unknown is scary, it’s also where the gold is.
Don’t assign judgment (good or bad) to words, thoughts or feelings. Be open-minded.
There is endless possibility when we take risks.
You can have it all, but you can’t have it all at the same time.
We feel the most joy and happiness when we’re pursuing the things we’re most passionate about.
Each of us has inherent gifts that we were born with, that come naturally and easy to us. Because they come so easy to us we often don’t recognize them as superpowers.
It takes reflection to be aware of our superpowers, prioritize it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

#11 - Lulu Picart & Alison Burns: The Masterminds Behind the 10KDollarDay Podcast

How do you take a $10,000 fantasy and make it feel like reality? Well, we have no idea but Alison Burns and Lulu Picart, hosts of 10KDollarDay do! This hilarious and creative podcast came to life because Alison and Lulu embraced chance over and over again.

In this episode, Heather and Alan chat with Alison and Lulu about the crazy, winding road of chance and manifestation they kept putting them together and eventually led to their two wildly successful podcasts.

From high school theater to Disney World, to Broadway, and now taking over the podcast scene, their stories are both hilarious and inspiring. Both performers, teachers, and coaches in their own right, they are two people who have embodied the mantra of this podcast by embracing chance opportunities.

This is the first time our little theme song, STFU Alan has been performed as a duet and it’s too damn good to miss! Thanks to Alison and Lulu for taking up the challenge so willingly - They crushed it!

Listen to 10KDollarDay and The Daily Happy and where you enjoy podcasts. And if you’re an aspiring podcaster check out their podcaster retreats! Details are available on their website. You can also follow along on their super fun journey by connecting with them on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance.
More about Heather via @heather_vic keryandco on Instagram and Threads, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files
More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

Podcasting allows you to be whoever you want to be.
When it comes to creating, let your imagination run wild. There’s nothing stopping you.
Sometimes not being overly prepared allows you to relax and just say “what the fuck.” It might turn out just right.
Try things imperfectly. You can’t figure anything out unless you try.
You can go from not knowing how to do something to being extremely well respected in the industry. But you have to be willing to do the damn thing.
Don’t erase your early moments because it’s powerful to see how you’ve learned and grown. It might even be inspiring for others.
You can’t do day two if you don’t have day one.
Ask your audience what resonates with them. There’s so much you can learn from them.

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Next Episode

#13 - Christina Ray-Lynn Connelly: Artist, Actor, Dangerbot, & creator of Vagina Plushies!

This week you get to enjoy the soothing sounds of a tropical rainstorm whenever Alan speaks and ... yes ... we really DO talk about anatomically correct Vagina plushies and so much else. WOW! We had way, way too much fun in this interview. It’s one of those conversations where the laughter can’t help but make you laugh.

Christina Ray-Lynn Connelly AKA Danger bot is a voice-over artist, comedian, animal lover, fitness buff, and improviser. She’s also the designer of anatomically correct Vagina plushies that she hand makes! She has an incredibly funny Instagram account and is bursting with so much creative talent is simply cannot be contained.

Listen in on this very candid conversation about chasing your dreams, challenging taboos, and pushing societal norms for the greater good of all.

Make sure to follow Christina on her hilarious Instagram account @dangerbot and see her Vagina plushies at @xoxofeltlikelove.

Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance.
More about Heather via @heather_vic keryandco on Instagram and Threads, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files
More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

What’s the next mistake I can make so that I can really grow and learn?
Embracing the “taboo” can create space, openness, comfort, and understanding for others. It can create freedom.
Get help and allow others to support you. This is the only way to “do it all.”
Sometimes tragedy can lead to opportunity.
Ask yourself: How can I fail “differently!?”
Sometimes a certain thing is just not meant for that moment.
Stop “acting” and just “be!”
Often feeling afraid is a sign that something wonderful is about to happen.
If you’re comfortable, you’ve basically already decided you know what’s going to happen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices