Weekly Round-Up:

• Read “A Ritual Guide for What We’ve Learned and Lost in Covid” from Ritualist and The Joy List.
• Listen to Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast episode, “What a World You’ve Got Inside You” with Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows on the new translation of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet 
• Listen to the Still Processing podcast episode, “The People in the Neighborhood.”

ANDREW KEENAN-BOLGER is an actor, director, author and filmmaker. Broadway: ‘Jesse’ in Tuck in Tuck Everlasting (Drama League Award nominee), ‘Crutchie’ in Newsies (Outer Critics Circle nominee). Off-Broadway: Seven Deadly Sins, Mary Poppins, Seussical, Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol. 1st Nat'l Tours: Spelling Bee, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Mary Poppins, Ragtime. TV: The Undoing (HBO), Three Rivers (ABC), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Nurse Jackie (Showtime), Looking (HBO), The Other Two (HBO). Film: The Rewrite, Marci X, Are You Joking? Andrew is the co-creator the critically acclaimed series Submissions Only and co-author of the children’s series Jack & Louisa (Penguin Random House). B.F.A. University of Michigan. Follow him at @KeenanBlogger.

MAGGIE KEENAN-BOLGER is the co-founder of Honest Accomplice Theatre (HAT), a New York-based theatre and media company, producing art for social change from the perspective of historically excluded communities since 2012. Along with many successful NYC productions, HAT has also toured with shows about gender and sexuality for the last seven years. In 2016, Maggie produced and directed HAT's first episode of the free educational webseries, The Trans Literacy Project, and has been releasing episodes since. This includes an episode currently being used in sexual harassment trainings throughout the state of New York. In November, Maggie produced and directed Unmuted, a live, online theatrical performance during a time of social isolation. Featuring 20 artist innovators from around the country, the show tackled topics like the Black Lives Matter movement, disability, climate change, and our connection to our ancestors. Individually, Maggie has toured the country as a performer, sex educator and teaching artist and was recognized by the White House when she was appointed an LGBT Leader of the Next Generation by then Vice President, Joe Biden. A two-time Point Foundation scholar, Maggie was named a “Person to Watch” by The Advocate and can be seen on The Good Wife with Julianna Margulies and in the movie Admission with Tina Fey.

Weekly Round-Up:

• Listen to The Memory Palace podcast episode, “A White Horse”, recommended by Andrew.
• Check out the art by Black disabled artist, Rana, recommended by Maggie.
• Read the Story Corps questions to get a good conversation going, recommended by Celia. 
• Learn more about Maggie’s company Honest Accomplice Theatre’s Trans Literary Project.
• Read the Psych Central article, “Coping with Grief: The Ball & The Box” by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

ASHLEY PARK is a Tony Award nominated actress, currently starring as “Mindy” in the hit television series Emily in Paris. For her performance, she became the first Asian American Actress to receive a Critics’ Choice Nomination for “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.” She will next appear in Bleecker Street’s upcoming feature Mr Malcom’s List. On stage, Park is perhaps best known for originating the role of “Gretchen Wieners” in the Broadway production of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls. In addition to her Tony nomination, she received Drama League, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Chita Rivera Award nominations for her performance in Mean Girls. That same season, Park garnered critical acclaim for starring as “Mwe” in KPOP, for which she won the esteemed Lucille Lortel Award for Lead Actress in a Musical and was nominated for her second Drama League and Drama Desk Awards of the season. Other Broadway credits include: Grand Horizons; Mamma Mia!; The King and I; and the recent revival of Sunday in the Park with George. On television, Park reunited with Tina Fey for Peacock’s new hit series GIRLS5EVA and was previously seen in the critically-acclaimed Netflix limited series Tales of the City. Other television credits include Apple TV+’s Helpsters and PopTV/Lionsgate Television’s Nightcap. Park is the proud recipient of Actor Equity Association’s 2018 Clarence Derwent Award, and in 2019 was honored with the inaugural Marin Mazzie Award for Empowerment by the Cancer Support Community. Her outreach as a social activist and a cancer survivor has stayed important to her through her dedicated work and support of service organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Park graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Musical Theater.

Weekly Round-Up:

• Listen to the Still Processing podcast episode with Cathy Park Hong.
• Read the Harvard Business Review article, “To Dismantle Anti-Asian Racism, We Must Understand Its Roots” by Lily Zheng.
• Listen to Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast episode, “A Life Worthy of Our Breath” with Ocean Vuong.
• Watch highlights of the late Marin Mazzie in The King and I, which she starred in with Ashley.

Most recently, SHAKINA NAYFACK made television history starring in NBC’s Connecting… as  the first transgender person to have a starring role in a network comedy. She can also be seen in Amazon’s GLAAD Award Winning Transparent Musicale Finale, which she helped write and produce, and Hulu’s Difficult People, for which she was a writing consultant. Her play Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club premiered on Audible in 2020 in collaboration with Williamstown Theatre Festival and was recognized with a 2021 Drama League Award for Best Audio Theatre Production. She is the Founding Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory, where she helped to develop hundreds of new musicals including Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize winning musical, A Strange Loop and her own autobiographical glam rock odyssey, Manifest Pussy.

Weekly Round-Up:

• Watch the documentary Disclosure on Netflix.
• Listen to the On the Rookie podcast episode “The Roadmap For Liberation, feat. Janet Mock” and then read Janet’s book, Redefining Realness.
• Read My Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein.
• Visit Shakina’s website to learn more about her work and download her award-winning Audible play, Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club.
• Support the Juneteenth Jubilee, organized by Intersectional Voices Collective.

JAVIER MUÑOZ is an actor and activist whose impressive body of work spans theater, film and television. Javier is best known for co-creating the role of, and starring as, "Alexander Hamilton” in the cultural-phenomenon musical Hamilton on Broadway for two years, after Lin-Manuel Miranda departed the show (and was his alternate prior to that).  He got his break starring as “Usnavi” in In the Heights on Broadway, also created by Miranda. Javier will soon star in the dark comedy indie feature, Monuments. On the TV side, he’s appeared on Shadowhunters, Blindspot, Quantico, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and will soon be heard voicing the character of “Ohm” on Disney’s upcoming animated series Eureka. Recent theater credits include The New Englanders at MTC and the starring role in the North American premiere of Stephen Lloyd Helper’s A Sign of the Times.  Javier is also an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights and a Global Ambassador for (RED), which fights to end HIV/AIDS. Muñoz was honored with the prestigious OUT100 "Breakout of the Year" award in 2016, as well as the Howard Ashman Award by the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Javier now serves on the Board of GMHC as well.

Weekly Round-Up:

• Read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
• Watch the short documentary, Short Fuse about Danny Sotomayor, a Chicago activist
• Listen to Slate’s What’s Next podcast episode “Larry Kramer Wouldn’t Be Quiet” 
• Read about Javier Muñoz Day
• Support and learn more about the organizations Javi mentions: GMHC, Broadway Green Alliance, and BCEFA.

SARA BAREILLES first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her widely successful hit "Love Song," which reached No. 1 in 22 countries around the world from her debut album Little Voice. Since then, Sara has taken home a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance for her performance of “Saint Honesty” and has received seven more Grammy® nominations, two Tony nominations and three Emmy nominations. Her book, “Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song,” was released in the fall of 2015 by Simon & Schuster and is a New York Times best seller. Making her Broadway debut, Sara composed the music and lyrics for Waitress, and made her Broadway acting debut in 2017 by stepping into the show's lead role. In 2019, Sara released her fifth full-length album entitled Amidst The Chaos. For this body of work, she joined forces in the studio with legendary Academy® Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett.  Always looking to try something new, Sara teamed up with her writing and producing partner, Jessie Nelson, J.J. Abrams and Apple, and executive produced Little Voice: a 10-episode musical drama series featuring her original music. In September, 2020, Sara released More Love – Songs From Little Voice Season One,  which features her personally performed and recorded versions of the ten songs from the series. Most recently, Sara wrapped filming a brand new Tina Fey scripted musical-comedy series for Peacock called Girls5Eva. Her brand new record, "Amidst the Chaos: Live from the Hollywood Bowl," is also releasing in 2021. 

Weekly Round-Up:

• Watch The Gap by Ira Glass
• Read Wolfpack by Abby Wambach
• Read The Atlantic article “What Happens When Americans Can Finally Exhale” by Ed Yong
• Watch the trailer for Sara’s new show, Girls5Eva streaming now on Peacock
• Download Sara’s album, Amidst The Chaos Live From The Hollywood Bowl

JOSHUA HENRY made a name for himself in his Tony-nominated turn in Scottsboro Boys and as 'Aaron Burr' in both the touring and Chicago companies of Hamilton. He made his stage debut as Judas in Godspell at the Paper Mill Playhouse, followed by his Broadway debut in In the Heights. Other Broadway credits include American Idiot, Porgy and Bess, Bring It On: The Musical, Violet, Shuffle Along, and most recently as 'Billy Bigelow' in the revival of Carousel. On film, He is remembered as Jennifer Hudson’s fiancé in Sex and the City. Henry released his debut EP, Guarantee in early 2021 via S-Curve Records/BMG. 

Weekly Round-Up:

• Read You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience, edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown.
• Read Melissa Eisler’s Chopra.com article, “5 Ways to Cultivate Faith When Times Are Tough.”
• Listen to Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast episode “Brené with David Eagleman on The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain”
• Listen to Joshua’s new EP, Guarantee. You can watch the official video for “Guarantee” here.

Tony Award-winner and five-time Tony Award nominee LAURA BENANTI is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. This May, Benanti stars in the film Here Today opposite Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish and as a guest star on the Showtime series Cinema Toast. This Fall on Netflix, Benanti will be seen in Sara Colangelo’s WORTH starring opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, Benanti will be seen in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick, Tick...Boom! for Netflix and is currently in production on HBO Max’s much awaited “Gossip Girl” reboot.

In 2020, Benanti created and executive produced the HBO Max special, HOMESCHOOL MUSICAL: CLASS OF 2020, an unscripted musical special featuring students from across the U.S. Additionally, Benanti released a self-titled studio album for Sony Music Masterworks.

In 2019, Benanti made a triumphant return to Broadway as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Since making her Broadway debut at the young age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music, Benanti has wowed audiences in numerous musicals and plays. Other Broadway roles include: ‘Amalia Balash’ in She Loves Me, for which she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown for which she was nominated for a Tony Award, and won both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards; In The Next Room, or the Vibrator Play; The Wedding Singer; Nine; her Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated performance of ‘Cinderella’ in Into the Woods; and her Tony® nominated turn in Swing! Benanti earned the 2008 Tony Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her revelatory portrayal of 'Louise' in the Broadway revival of Gypsy opposite Patti LuPone. 

Weekly Round-Up:

• Read the Lit Hub article, “Eula Biss on How Motherhood Radicalized Adrienne Rich.”
• Read Ayad Akhtar’s New York Times piece from 2017, “An Antidote to Digital Dehumanization? Live Theater.”
• Listen to Simon Sinek’s A Bit of Optimism podcast episode, “The One with Brené Brown.”
• Read Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism which Laura recommends in the episode.
• Watch Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 on HBOMax inspired by Laura’s online movement, #SunshineSongs, for which she also served as Executive Producer.
• Buy the digital album Laura produced for Ghostlight Records, Singing You Home: Children’s Songs for Family Reunification, with proceeds benefiting RAICES and ASTEP.