The District NOW: Patrick Flynn’s State of The Original Cast Podcast
If The Original Cast is not a podcast on your iTunes subscription list, you are missing a wonderful way to get to know DC theatre community members and what cast albums inspired them to pursue their chosen career.
Patrick Flynn, creator and host who is heavily involved in the DC theatre scene, gave us his “State of the Podcast” of where things stand with the show 20 months after its debut in 2015. In its short existence, the guest list grew quickly to include many personalities from DC’s Holly Twyford to Broadway’s Daisy Eagan, and everyone in between.
“I didn’t really have a lot of expectations for it. I just did it because I wanted to do it, and a podcast of its kind didn’t exist yet,” explained Flynn.
“People love the nerdy-ness of the discussion!” Flynn explained about how the audience received it and stayed faithful. “[The guests] are talking about a shared love of a specific thing.”
In the show’s early episodes, Flynn asked his guests what original cast album inspired them enough to work in theatre, which yielded a plethora of fun conversations that spanned from the contemporary like Les Miserables to the classics like Anyone Can Whistle.
However, Flynn knew that this format could only take the show’s content so far, which transformed his inquiry into asking about albums that generally inspire his guests.
“I can’t just keep doing the same thing. Eventually I would like to travel to do interviews and attempt more live shows,” Flynn said. Thus, with these plans comes the creation of a new Patreon page to launch on December 27 – with a special monthly bonus for all donors: The Original Cast Goes to the Movies featuring conversations about movie musicals and movie songs – to help Flynn and the show achieve the new goals.
“It’s been a fascinating entre into people who I might normally just run into at shows and events, but now [I] have an excuse to meet someone in a really real way,” Flynn said referring to having the opportunity to lead sit-down interviews with his peers.
Flynn elaborated saying, “People stop being their publicity-self and can be their fan-self of a [show] they are passionate about.”
The next episodes will feature on December 13: a conversation with actor Holly Twyford, described by Flynn – and most of the community – as the First Lady of DC theatre to close out the year.
On December 27: the pilot of The Original Cast Goes to the Movies featuring Moulin Rouge for Patreon donors.
In January 2018: a two-episode serving of dramaturg Lauren Halvorsen comparing Andrew Lippa and Michael John LaChiusa’s versions of The Wild Party.
All past episodes of The Original Cast are available to stream on iTunes, so make sure you subscribe and donate to the Patreon page to keep the dream alive!
