Down the Yellow Brick Pod
Down the Yellow Brick Pod is a podcast community preserving and peeling back the curtain on the wonderful world of Oz and its irreversible impact on culture. Join good (trouble) witch co-hosts Emily Kay Shrader and Tara Tagliaferro over the rainbow for an escape! Past deep dives include the original 1900 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the MGM Classic, The Wiz, Return to Oz, Wicked, and more! New episodes drop every Sunday evening and we thank you for listening!
Episodes
435 episodes
"Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" (Part 2) with Derek Lajeunesse
Tara and EmKay dive into the world of Judy Garland for a special three part series! Special guest Derek Lajeunesse joins to break down pre-production of the miniseries, EmKay shares highlights from the first hour, and Tara shares highlights fro...
"Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" (Part 1) with Derek Lajeunesse
Tara and EmKay dive into the world of Judy Garland for a special three part series! Special guest Derek Lajeunesse joins to break down pre-production of the miniseries, EmKay shares highlights from the first hour, and Tara shares highlights fro...
Animal Activism with The Protego Foundation (with Campaigns Director Brittany Drake)
Tara and EmKay dive into the world of animal activism with the help of Brittany Drake, Campaigns Director at The Protego Foundation! Brittany shares about Protego's mission to protect animals, their new Defying Captivity campaign, and how to ge...
"The Witch of Maracoor" by Gregory Maguire (Part 2)
Tara and EmKay continue the Another Day series with Gregory Maguire's "The Oracle of Maracoor," joined by Patreon Robert Berg! Rabbit holes include highlights of the novel, questions from the series, and more!Show Notes:
"The Witch of Maracoor" by Gregory Maguire (Part 1)
Tara and EmKay continue the Another Day series with Gregory Maguire's "The Oracle of Maracoor," joined by Patreon Robert Berg! Rabbit holes include background on the novel, love for our audiobook narrator, and more!Stay tuned for Part 2 ...
"Somewhere..." - A new Oz graphic novel by Angelo Thomas
Tara and EmKay are joined by Angelo Thomas, author of the brand new Oz graphic novel "Somewhere..."! Rabbit holes include inspiration behind the creation of the graphic novel, collaborating with illustrator Rebecca Butterworth, and more....
"The Oracle of Maracoor" by Gregory Maguire (Part 2)
Tara and EmKay continue the Another Day series with Gregory Maguire's "The Oracle of Maracoor," joined by friend of the pod Michael Luongo! Rabbit holes include background on the novel, favorite trilogy series, and more!Show Notes:
"The Oracle of Maracoor" by Gregory Maguire (Part 1)
Tara and EmKay continue the Another Day series with Gregory Maguire's "The Oracle of Maracoor," joined by friend of the pod Michael Luongo! Rabbit holes include background on the novel, favorite trilogy series, and more! Stay tuned for Part 2 d...
"West of Wicked" with author Nikki St. Crowe
Step into the world of Nikki St. Crowe's "West of Wicked," out April 14th, 2026! Join for a discussion of this new novel, a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, "where the villain gets the girl...and the girl gets the power."Show Notes:<...
"The Brides of Maracoor" by Gregory Maguire (Part 2)
Tara and EmKay RETURN for Season 7: Too Much, Too Much to Mention! Kicking off the season is Gregory Maguire's "The Brides of Maracoor," joined by pod squad member Nate Hallett. Rabbit holes include background on the novel, reactions to plot po...
"The Brides of Maracoor" by Gregory Maguire (Part 1)
Tara and EmKay RETURN for Season 7: Too Much, Too Much to Mention! Kicking off the season is Gregory Maguire's "The Brides of Maracoor," joined by pod squad member Nate Hallett. Rabbit holes include background on the novel, comparisons to Greek...
Bethany Weaver: Dorothy in "Wicked" and "Wicked: For Good"!
In the last teaser episode before Season 7 officially kicks off next week, Tara and EmKay are joined by Dorothy from the "Wicked" films, Bethany Weaver! Bethany shares how she got cast in the films, favorite moments on set, and more.
"Alice With a Why" with author Anna James
Tara and EmKay are joined by author Anna James to discuss her brand new novel "Alice With a Why"! Rabbit holes include thoughts on what kind of friendship Alice and Dorothy would have, the research Anna did before putting pen to paper, and more...
Making History with Lencia Kebede: "Wicked" Broadway's current Elphaba!
Broadway's current Elphaba, Lencia Kebede, joins the pod to talk all about her journey to the stage, the highs and lows of playing everyone's favorite green girl, and so much more!Show Notes:
End of Season 6 Awards and Gratitution!
Tara and EmKay recap an iconified Season 6 to close out 2025! Awards are given out for the moments that made us laugh, cry, feel gratitution, and more. Thank you for another incredible season, listeners!Show Notes:
"If You Believe" The Wiz Broadway's 50th Anniversary Film with Dee Dee Bridgewater & Samira Fuller-Farquhar
Tara and EmKay joyously speak once more with Good Witch of the pod, Dee Dee Bridgewater, joined by filmmaker Samira Fuller-Farquhar, to discuss "If You Believe" The Wiz Broadway 50th Anniversary Film!Show Notes:
Ruthless with Ruth! Ruth Plumly Thompson with James Huntington
Tara and EmKay are thrillified to dip their toes into the world of Ruth Plumly Thompson and the continuation of the Oz books. James Huntington "Jay from the UK" joins to help break down her backstory, three of her novels, and so much more!<...
The Masters Behind the Curtain Series: Myron Kerstein
Tara and EmKay are thrillified to speak to the editor of the Wicked films, Myron Kerstein! Rabbit holes include Myron's road to editing, a day in the life of editing Wicked, and so much more.Show Notes:
The Wiz Live 10th Anniversary! (Part 3 - Act II) with Corey Antonio Rose
Tara and EmKay joyously wrap up their celebration of The Wiz Live's 10th anniversary with Corey Antonio Rose! Rabbit holes include favorite highlights of Act II, major changes from the stage show, and more. Show Notes:
The Wiz Live 10th Anniversary! (Part 2 - Act I) with Corey Antonio Rose
Tara and EmKay are thrilled to be celebrating The Wiz Live's 10th anniversary with Corey Antonio Rose! Rabbit holes include favorite highlights of Act I, major changes from the stage show, and more. Stay tuned for Act II this Friday!Show...
The Wiz Live 10th Anniversary! (Part 1 - Background) with Corey Antonio Rose
Tara and EmKay are thrilled to be celebrating The Wiz Live's 10th anniversary with Corey Antonio Rose! Rabbit holes include Ken Harper's journey of bringing The Wiz Broadway to life, a brief history of NBC's live musicals, and more!*Note...
Peel Behind the Curtain Series: Professional Vocalist with Amber Sauer (plus Dancing with the Stars Wicked Night!)
Tara and EmKay continue into the Peel Behind the Curtain series, where they break down truths and bust myths behind different industries and experiences. In today's episode, special guest Amber Sauer joins the pod to share her journey as a prof...
Wicked in Brazil! Non-Replicas and More with Superfan Paulo Samu
Tara and EmKay are thrilled to be diving into Wicked musical non-replicas, specifically Brazil's multiple productions, with superfan Paulo Samu! Rabbit holes include the theater scene in Brazil, major changes in the Brazil non-replicas, casting...
"Wizard of Oz: The Official Graphic Novel of the Film" with writer and illustrator Soo Lee
Tara and EmKay are joined by writer and illustrator Soo Lee to share all about Dynamite and Warner Bros. Discovery's new "Wizard of Oz" graphic novel celebrating MGM's 85th Anniversary! Soo shares about the process of adapting the MGM film to t...
SPOILERS! NYC "Wicked: For Good" Premiere and Initial Reactions (with Charlie Champion)
SPOILERS ABOUND in this episode!! Tara and EmKay share about their experience attending the New York City premiere of "Wicked: For Good," their initial impressions of the film, and takeaways from sharing the experience with friends from near an...
