The Stage Dive Podcast for Actors Rappers Singers Dancers Magicians Comedians
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Unlock the Story Star Courage Life Within
Every week, Jack Dawkins explores the art and ecstasy of live performance with his guests.
Get inspired by their captivating conversations with experienced performers, entertainers and artists who share their insights and experiences to help you reach your full potential as a performer or artist.
We’ve spoken to beatboxers, stand up comedians, rappers, magicians, actors, and even tour guides!!
We highlight and promote the stories of anyone who captivates attention for a living.
Know a Perfect Guest Artist Performer For Our Show?
We are always on the lookout for people with unique perspectives and experiences that can help to expand our audience’s perception of what is possible.
But we are not just looking for glorified success.
We want the real stories, the struggles, the second guesses and the failures.
Whether it is about life as a performer, the music industry, your why of becoming an infamous celebrity or any other topic related to performance and arts – we want to hear from you!
Tune into Our Latest Episode
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Whitney Chanel! They discuss how she found comedy as an outlet after the passing of her mother, depression and other emotions, as well as earning the right to not be funny as a comedian.
About Whitney Chanel
Whitney Chanel is a New York City Comedian seen on Vh1, Bravo, Buzz Feed and The Sweet Spot. Her comedy takes you to a place where you can be your authentic self and hear your stories and life expriences through someone else. She’s a force to be reckoned with but has jokes you’ll want to share with your mother!
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by William Hung! After going viral on American Idol, William decided to continue on his journey as a performer and turn to public speaking. William and Jack discuss visualization, performance in poker, and more!
Click here to listen to the full episode.
About William Hung
After his American Idol audition, William Hung’s rendition of “She Bangs” became famous for all the wrong reasons. Despite the harsh criticism he endured, William persevered—having gone on to attract a cult following, released three albums, and even performed live with Ricky Martin in Las Vegas.
A motivational speaker and professional optimist, William is proof that the underdog can succeed when you rise above the haters and choose to be happy.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Alex. A dancer based in Greece, she brings inside into the mental and physical components of dance, from feeling emotions before dancing, quitting or not wanting to practice, and treating her body like an athlete.
Click here to listen to this episode.
ABOUT ALEX
Alexandra Filippidou is a freestyle dancer and performer currently based in Greece. She specializes in Waving while mixing techniques from other styles like Popping, Animation and contemporary. She loves to explore with her movement and sees dance as her playground. She travels a lot around the world giving workshops and sharing her mentality around dance and life, and how these two are connected.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Voodoo Onyx. A mom of twins, embryologist, burlesque dancer, and magic seeker, Voodoo talks about bringing the audience into the performance and finding magic.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Isaac Knox. A freestyle rapper and comedian, Isaac discusses authenticity when performing, finding comfort to stray from the plan, word nerd-ing, and starting his day with rest!
ABOUT ISAAC KNOX
EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg has not heard of Isaac Knox, the freestyle rapper & comedian. This saddens Isaac. But he & his freestyle rap company Free Daps have reached & delighted thousands of people who have never worked at The View or been called Sister Mary Clarence. Now he teaches improv rap classes, in part, to fill a Whoopi shaped hole in his heart.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Michaela “Micki” Ekström, the first woman to ever compete in the Swedish Beatbox Championships despite only starting in 2021. They talk theater, improv, beatboxing, and more!
ABOUT MICKI
Micki was born and raised in Sweden. She first started beatboxing in January 2021. On December 10th 2022, she became the first ever woman to compete in the Swedish Beatbox Championships.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Chris Cardillo, a musician creating partnerships at DICE. They discuss performer health in terms of canceling shows, hyper-regional differences in music styles and venue options, and more!
ABOUT CHRIS CARDILLO
Chris Cardillo has a patchwork past — he’s worked with war veterans & children in the mental health realm, created & launched successful brands, booked shows & events, performed & released music, ran a music venue, and is currently leading live music partnerships at DICE. He’s a natural liaison with an intuitive ability to read the room and make people feel at home. Chris has Philly roots, spent a few years in California, and currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife & daughter.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Diane Jorge, a Miami comedian. On this episode, they discuss having a panic attack on stage, misogyny towards women comedians, and making mistakes in a time of cancel culture.
ABOUT DIANE JORGE
Diane Jorge is a lot of things – actor, comedian, storyteller & Walter Mercado impersonator. This Miami native performs all over South Florida telling jokes and embarrassing true life stories. In fact, she recently won The Moth StorySLAM in Miami. When Diane is not imitating her Cuban parents or singing awkwardly on stage, she’s also performing improv & sketch comedy, including two solo improvised shows: Solovela, an improvised telenovela based on audience suggestion & Mercado de la Fortuna, an improvised show that includes very Miami tarot cards and Walter Mercado fashion.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Rayner and Sandi. The trio share stories around inner child work, gender norms, following your intuition, and supporting one another.
ABOUT RAYNER & SANDI
Rayner a Venezuelan, performing artist from Miami who writes thoughtful bars. He focuses on his own mental health journey with my music, and try to stand in my truth as authentically as he can. Sandi Stock (they/she) is an actor, rapper, singer, and arts administrator that has been performing professionally for over a decade. They love interacting with the audience and creating connection through positivity and vulnerability. They have a passion for bringing untold stories to the world and uplifting unheard voices through the arts.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by BS. They discuss the magic of crowd work, caring about your audience, considerations when building a set, as well as how BS got into teaching various aspects of rap.
ABOUT BS
David “BS” Bradshaw has been an active emcee, beatboxer, and event host for the past decade.
Oscar Collazos is a Colombian-American bilingual stand-up comedian, actor, writer and voice over artist in New York City.
Oscar’s passion for entertaining came at a very young age. Born in Cali, Colombia, his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when he was just seven years old. Desperate to try to fit in, Oscar would act out in class drawing laughs from his classmates but stares from his teachers. Oscar was voted the funniest person in his third grade class and ran home to tell his parents the good news, but it wasn’t what they wanted to hear.
Later on while attending the University of Florida, he interned at NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien. This led him to try stand-up comedy and the rest is history. Now a seasoned veteran more than twenty years in, Oscar can be seen at comedy clubs and theaters across the country still doing what he’s loved to do since third grade – making people laugh.
You can catch him performing in New York City or in South Florida as well as traveling the nation with the Hilarious Colombian Americans.
In this short bonus episode, Jack Dawkins covers 3 areas of performance that have been on his mind lately: Energy, Connection, and Memory. He shares his experience in performing, while also holding himself accountable as he continues to grow. What key areas of performance are top of mind to you?
Click here to listen to the full episode!
ABOUT JACK DAWKINS
Jack Dawkins is a storyteller, a rapper, and a poet. He also cooks good food and runs really far. His use of the English language has been compared to Michael Phelps’ performance on Saturday Night Live: Wildly entertaining for none of the reasons you would expect. He is, at his core, and in his music, deeply human, and a lover of excessive comma use. Most importantly, he loves you.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Morgan Gold. They discuss lessons from being a super fan, the energy around performance, and the creation of Girl’s Night Out, a safe space for female and non-binary individuals to test out material.
ABOUT MORGAN GOLD
Morgan Gold is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer from Chicago, IL. Her signature falsetto, storytelling and infectious melodies have paved a lane in which she stands alone. Blending a mixture of dark R&B and cinematic pop, Morgan creates an enticing atmosphere that welcomes you into her world. At 23 years old, she has released four EP’s and over 20 singles since 2018. Morgan fearlessly continues to redefine her sound. Her two most recent projects “SPOTLIGHT” (2021) and “HEALING” (2021) have pushed her momentum and reputation into promising new heights.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Derric Gobourne Jr. They discuss the origins of Neo Jack Swing, what it’s like to direct a two-hour show, and his new album: SH!NE.
Listen to the full episode here.
ABOUT DERRIC GOBOURNE JR.
Derric Gobourne Jr., known to his fans as the King of Neo Jack Swing, is a 24 year old singer, songwriter, dancer, and producer from Sarasota, Florida. Derric’s music has garnered over 1 Million Streams worldwide, while accumulating 13 Top 100 Hits and 2 Top 10 Albums. He recently released his sophomore album, SH!NE, which hit No. 8 on the iTunes R&B Soul Albums Chart in Japan. Derric’s goal is to be the greatest entertainer of all time and to inspire as many children as possible, all over the world.
This week, Jack Dawkins is joined by Brandon Guzman. They discuss life as a touring actor, performing a bilingual show, the importance of Latin actors, and more!
ABOUT BRANDON GUZMAN
Brandon Guzmán is an actor, singer and rapper who is currently on The Young Audience outreach tour, as the male lead in “Casa Alfonsa.” Brandon graduated from the University of Tampa in 2018 with a BFA in Musical Theatre. He was born and raised in Florida but life as a performer has taken him all over the United States. Some of his recent roles include; Native Gardens (Ensemble), The Guava Tree/El Guayabo (Emi), and The Office! A Murder Mystery Parody (Dwight Schrute). Brandon is passionate about telling stories that touch the hearts of his audience and continues to pursue opportunities that will help to encourage and build up the communities he performs in.
Join Jack Dawkins and Glenn Webb in the first episode of Stage Dive. Tune into this episode if you are willing to learn on what goes into making a show so captivating, how to nail your crowd work, how to best position yourself to other theaters and programming personnel and more.
ABOUT GLENN WEBB
As a Director of Programs for the Dairy arts Center in Boulder, Colorado, Glenn is a consummate professional with over 25 years of experience and 10,000 individual live performances.