The StageLync Podcast

Episode 127 – Changing careers and the Performing Arts with Franchesca Wong

On this episode, we are joined by Franchesca Wong, talking all about changing careers and entering the performing arts as a young adult. Franchesca is a Canadian-born Chinese actress and corporate role player based in Hong Kong. Raised in both Canada and Hong Kong, Franchesca graduated from the University of Calgary - Haskayne School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 2012. She worked as a Business Development Officer for two years in Hong Kong. She then returned to follow her passion in drama and studied Acting at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She received multiple scholarships, as well as Outstanding Student Award during her studies.
After graduation, she was an actor-in-residence at We Draman Group (HK) in 2020-21 and she has performed in multiple stage, TV, film and voice-over productions. Apart from acting, she has been an MC for multiple events and has great passion for drama education. She has taught drama at different institutions including the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and local schools in Hong Kong. Outside of work, Franchesca is an adventurer and outdoor lover, she engages in all types of hiking, scuba diving, travelling and yet to discover adventures.
@franchesca_wong
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 126 – battleROYAL 2 with Brendan Shelper and Judith Hoch

In this episode, we are joined once again by the CEOs of battleROYAL Berlin, Brendan Shelper and Judith Hoch, following Esch 2022. battleROYAL is an entertainment company based in Berlin. They are a studio of bold creatives, strategists and event professionals working between the domains of culture and commerce. Technology and innovation are defining parts of their work and process. Founded in 2011, battleROYAL Berlin has staged some of the largest sport and cultural events throughout Europe and Middle East such as the European Capital of Cultures Aarhus 2017 and Esch2022, and have worked for several Fortune 500 firms, including BMW, Porsche and American Express. battleROYAL Berlin regularly publishes articles, sharing insights on their work and practices. You can find a selection on our Theatre Art Life website as well. 
Brendan Shelper is an executive creative director with 20+ years of experience in the culture, event, and entertainment industry, and founder of battleROYAL Berlin. Working at the intersection of creative strategy and emerging technologies, Brendan envisions compelling ways to bring large-scale activations to life. His roots stem from physical theatre, major cultural ceremonies, and Olympic openings.
Judith Hoch is a business and culture manager, with 15+ years of experience in the performing arts, entertainment and events sector. As the former COO of battleROYAL, Judith set the operational framework for the team, making sure that each project got the people and budget it required. She led major international productions, overseeing team structures, budgets, and processes. Appointed as Co-CEO in 2022, she is joining co-founder and Co-CEO Brendan Shelper as strategic lead of the company.
https://esch2022.lu/en/ https://battleroyal.berlin
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 125 – Dance with Bengt Jörgen

In this episode we are joined by Bengt Jörgen, talking all things dance. Bengt Jörgen is a co-founder of Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, and serves as its Artistic Director and CEO. In 1992, his artistic vision led to the formation of a partnership with George Brown College in Toronto, where he is the Artistic Director of the full-time dance program. Bengt strongly believes in classical ballet as a powerful language and foundation to engage contemporary audiences with dance. He is committed to ensuring ballet is relevant to, and has a place in the life of Canadians living in communities from coast-to-coast. Bengt shares about his work bringing dance to all kind of communities, large and small, urban and rural, across Canada. 
https://canadasballetjorgen.ca/#
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 124 – Filmmaking with Ema Edosio

In this episode we are joined by Ema Edosio, talking all things filmmaking. Ema is an award-winning Nigerian filmmaker, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Ogun State University. She then went on to the New York Film Academy and Motion Pictures Institute of Michigan in the United States, where she majored in cinematography and directing. In 2013, Ema returned to Nigeria, where she has worked as a television director with major Nigerian Televisions stations. She talks all about her fascinating work and life in film.
https://www.instagram.com/emaedosio/
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 123 – Physical theatre with CarlosAlexis Cruz

In this episode we are joined by CarlosAlexis Cruz, talking all things theatre and physical performance. Cruz holds an MFA in Physical Theatre from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, where he studied a range of movement techniques including Commedia dell’Arte, Laban, Lecoq-based theatre dynamics, Alexander Technique, as well as an extensive voice training in the Linklater voice method. As part of his thesis project, he went on to train Circus Arts and Chinese Acrobatics under the tutelage of Master Coach Lu Yi at the San Francisco Circus Center. He specialised in the disciplines of Aerial Straps and Acrobatic Rope. Cruz is the Assistant Professor of Physical Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, offering students rigorous training in physical theatre, stage acrobatics, circus arts and vocal techniques. 
In the professional realm, CarlosAlexis was a fulltime company member of the Do Jump! Dance Theatre, and Imago Theatre, touring nationally and internationally. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Pelú Theatre project; a physical theatre company mainly interested in researching the convergence between Contemporary Circus Arts and Theatre as well as the founder and producing artistic director of The Nouveau Sud Circus Project, a contemporary social circus initiative rooted in the “underground” dance/acrobatic/physical theatre scenes present in the vast array of cultures in the urban regions of Charlotte.
https://nouveausud.org/about-1
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 122 – Acting with Patrick Oliver Jones

In this episode we are joined by Patrick Oliver Jones, talking all things acting, arts and entertainment. Born and raised in Birmingham Alabama, and now living in New York, Patrick Oliver Jones is proud of bringing Southern charm to his Northern way of life, as well as his varied career in the entertainment industry. From theatre and voiceovers to short films and podcasting, Jones has been blessed with a multitude of opportunities in show business. Each year, he strives onward and upward, as he continues to grow and learn both as an artist and an individual. Jones talks to us all about the ups and downs of working in the arts and entertainment, changing direction, and what he's experienced along the way.
https://www.pojones.com/
https://whyillnevermakeit.com
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 121 – Stage management with Igor Kobelev

On this episode we are joined by Igor Kobelev, talking all things stage management. Igor takes us on a journey of his humble roots as a vinyl loving boy from Moldova to landing his first dream job working with Cirque de Soleil. Based in the United Arab Emirates, Igor has had extensive exposure to a variety of clients from diverse backgrounds in the areas of events and project management. 
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 120 – Ballet and dance with Tim Tompkins

In this episode we are joined by Tim Tompkins, talking all things ballet, dance, and movement. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Tim Tompkins began his classical ballet training at the age of twelve with former Cuban ballerina Dulce Anaya. He graduated high school at the Harid Conservatory (a Russian ballet school in the United States) in 2005. After graduation, he was invited to join the Houston Ballet.
In 2007, he joined the Goh Ballet in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he performed several major roles in various ballets such as The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, Napoli and Don Quixote. It was in 2008 that Tim decided to settle in Montreal to join the Ballet Eddy Toussaint de Montréal as the principal dancer of the company. In 2010, Tim won the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition held in Sibiu, Romania for Best Couple with his partner Klara Houdet. At the same time, he added to his credit several perfomances of the repertoire of Mr. Eddy Toussaint such Un Simple Moment, Souvenances, Bonjour Brel and L’Ireparrable Saint-Georges (winner of the prize of the president during the competition in Sibiu). Some time later, he became the ballet master for the professional company as well as the École de Danse Eddy Toussaint.
https://balleteddytoussaint.org/en/company/general-director
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 119 – On stage and backstage with Patricia Masera

On this episode, we are joined by Patricia Masera, talking about her work both onstage and backstage. Patricia Masera was born in Paraguay. In 1997 she co-founded the Aerial Theatre Group Nhi-Mu (www.nhimu.com) a ground-breaking theatre alternative for the Paraguayan scene. She was awarded with the B’nai Brith award for excellence in Theatre in 2006; that same year she was also awarded with a Fulbright Scholarship to North Carolina School of the Arts, where she obtained her MFA in Performing Arts Management. After graduating in 2009, she worked both in Asuncion, Py and New York, US, establishing residency in the latter in 2012. Since then, she has been working as an Associate to Fred Gallo, technical director for several Broadway Musicals and president of PRG Scenic Technologies. Her most recent projects include, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, NYC and San Francisco, King Kong, Live on Broadway, Phantom of the Opera, Asia Tour, MJ, the Micheal Jackson musical and Funny Girl. In Addition to the technical and physical aspects of a production, Patricia has continued to explore theater and its creative aspects producing, directing, and doing site specific work. After working on the Women Residency project Kaos, mujeres en residencia in Paraguay in 2021, Patricia and Nhi-Mu are celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary working on a performance piece as artists in residence of the Oklahoma International Dance Festival in July of 2022.
http://www.nhimu.com/
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Episode 118 – Acrobatic performance with Sita Bhuller

In this episode we are joined by Sita Bhuller, talking all things performance. Born and bred in London, Sita has spent the last 15 years on the road as an acrobat and aerial artist. With a background in gymnastics and a degree in sports and exercise sciences, she fell into the world of performance by happy accident. Her first performance role was as stunt artist for Legoland in Windsor, England. Since then, Sita has travelled the world from Macau to Denmark working with an array of stellar circus and aerial companies. Highlights include working with Franco Dragone Entertainment Group on The House of Dancing Water, a stint in Las Vegas on Le Reve, a role on BBC One’s professional gymnast television show Tumble, the Asian tour of Cavalia, Cirque du Soleil’s world tour of Toruk and most recently choreographing and directing the aerials and acrobatics for the Danish tour of Tarzan the musical. Sita is a trained yoga teacher and has undertaken a variety of roles throughout the years, from performer to choreographer, director, coach and captain. She now finds herself playing mum, on tour with Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios, with her partner Alex (a performer in the show) and their two sons Kody and Otis.
We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!
@theatreartlife
Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.