Stage Combat The Podcast
Stage Combat the Podcast is a powerful and eye-opening exploration of the dark side of the entertainment industry which also asks the question: how can we make our workplaces better for everyone? Hosted by attorney/advocate/actor Sean Hayden.
In Seasons 1 and 2, Sean Hayden took the listeners into his own harrowing workplace nightmare in the style of a "true crime podcast." Now, Stage Combat the Podcast is a riveting platform for entertainment workers from everywhere to come together, to share their own stories and to advocate for themselves and for change.
Claim Your Story today. Season 4 premieres April 27, 2026!
Episodes
60 episodes
"Are Audiences Out Of Control?"
Season 4, Season Finale Ep 10. Synopsis: Sean is getting to the bottom of why it seems like Broadway audiences are out of control with some help from Matt Koplik, host of the podcast Broadway Breakdown.Strong language....
"The Lookingglass Story: How A Theatre Responds"
Season 4, Episode 9.THIS IS PART 2 OF A TWO-PART EPISODE. LISTEN TO EPISODE 8 FIRST: "The Lookingglass Story: How We Got Here"Synopsis: Two months, the Tony award winning Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago issued a cease-and-desist l...
"The Lookingglass Story: How We Got Here"
Season 4, Episode 8.Synopsis: Two months, the Tony award winning Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago issued a cease-and-desist letter in response to our story about a young actor named Ayana who says she was left disabled performing a circus...
"Return to Roanoke Island"
Season 4, Episode 7.Synopsis: One of our most provocative stories last season was the story of Court Watson, a designer who alleges he was assaulted as a college student at The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island by Tony award winning costume ...
"The Way That I Hear You"
Season 4, Episode 6.Synopsis: Sean’s talking about the invisible disability of hearing loss in the theatre industry with Dallas actor Marianne Galloway, an actor with hearing loss. Plus Sean's getting personal about his own invisib...
"The War On Artists Under Trump"
Season 4, Episode 5. Synopsis: Sean and Chris Webb, Professor at Boston Conservatory, discuss the war on artists that's been unleased since the second Trump administration and how they have been both been coping with it.
"Cancel Culture and Scott Rudin's Return to Broadway"
Season 4, Episode 4. Five years ago, The Hollywood Reporter published shocking bullying allegations about mega film and Broadway producer Scott Rudin, causing him to be cancelled. Today Rudin is BACK on Broadway and poised to ...
"Heated Rivalry and How Do Actors Portray S-x Scenes"
Season 4, Episode 3. With Heated Rivalry, the steamy Canadian TV show about gay hockey players, still on everyone's minds, Sean and intimacy director Nicole Perry are answering your questions about how actors perform sex sc...
"The Queen of Versailles on Broadway: What The Hell Did We Learn?"
Season 4, Episode 2. Synopsis: Now that the construction dust has settled, can we learn anything from Broadway’s 23M flop, The Queen of Versailles starring Kristen Chenoweth? Sean and Matt Koplik, host of Broadway Break...
"Aaron Lazar: Healing With ALS"
Season 4, SEASON PREMIERE. Synopsis: Sean talks with Broadway star Andrew Lazar, a veteran of 11 Broadway shows, about his journey of “healing with ALS” and thriving through adversity.Special thanks to Aaron Lazar and T...
BONUS: "5 Eye Opening Stage Combat The Podcast Moments"
SEASON 3 BONUS: While we're preparing the premiere of Season 4 of Stage Combat the Podcast, Sean's looking back on 5 Eye Opening Moments from Season 3. Listen and let us know what was our most impactful moment of the podcas...
BONUS: "The Thanksgiving Catch-Up Episode"
SEASON 3 BONUS: Sean's back with an all-new Thanksgiving Catch Up Bonus Episode! We're catching you up on all things Stage Combat the Podcast (BIG news about Season 4?). PLUS Sean's got some choice words about Actors' Equity Association a...
"Walking Away From Broadway"
SEASON 3 Season Finale! Episode Eighteen. "Walking Away From Broadway"Synopsis: At the end of a season of incredible stories, Sean looks to the future and finds inspiration chatting with Bobby Steggert: an actor who experienced...
"The Court Watson Story Part Two"
SEASON 3 Episode Seventeen. "The Court Watson Story Part Two"(Be sure to Listen to Ep 16 First: The Court Watson Story Part One")Synopsis: Court Watson sets out to tell his story to the media and to hold his former employer...
"The Court Watson Story Part One"
SEASON 3 Episode Sixteen. "The Court Watson Story Part One"Synopsis: Sean investigates what happened between Tony award-winning Broadway costume designer, William Ivey Long, and college student, Court Watson, on Roanoke Island some t...
"Franki Takes A Bow"
SEASON 3 Episode Fifteen. "Franki Take A Bow"Synopsis: Sean investigates whether the unsafe practices of a college theatre program contributed to a young woman's tragic mental health spiral.Special Guests: Franki Mastrone, Je...
"Sean Has Questions for the Union"
SEASON 3 Episode Fourteen. "Sean Has Questions For The Union."Synopsis: After hearing the frustrations of listeners about the lack of action by the actors' union in many of the season's workplace stories, Sean goes looking for answer...
"Loving Someone Traumatized By The Industry"
SEASON 3 Episode Thirteen. "Loving Someone Traumatized By The Industry"Synopsis: Sean's investigating the mental health ripple effect that occurs when an employee is traumatized by an employer. Actor Eddie Pendergraft (the acto...
"The 2nd Annual Stage Combat Holiday Special!"
SEASON 3 Episode Twelve. "The 2nd Annual Stage Combat Holiday Special!"Synopsis: Sean's reuniting with some of our guests from Season 3 for the holidays to ask probing questions such as "Would you choose The Rockefeller Center Chr...
"Revealing Your Darkest Secret: ABC News' Matt Gutman"
SEASON 3 Episode Eleven. "Revealing Your Darkest Secret: ABC News' Matt Gutman"Synopsis: Thinking about the power of disclosing our secrets causes Sean to revisit his 2023 interview with ABC News' Chief National Correspondent Matt Gut...
"Another Wicked Story: Eddie"
SEASON 3 Episode Ten. "Another Wicked Story: Eddie"Synopsis: Another actor from Wicked on Broadway comes forward to tell Sean his story about the toxic work environment he experienced there and how it traumatized him for years.
"The 'F' Word"
SEASON 3 Episode Nine. "The 'F' Word"Synopsis: Sean investigates whether there's a problem with using the "family" word in our workplaces.Special thank you to Bret Shuford, Michael McGurk, Nicole Perry, CorBen Williams, Jeani...
"Putting It Out There"
SEASON 3 Episode Eight. "Putting It Out There: Your Mental Health Story On the Stage"Synopsis: Sean meets two very different performers who claimed their mental health stories by creating their own one-person solo shows: Legendary dr...
“You’re Under Investigation: Laura's Story"
SEASON 3 Episode Seven. "You're Under Investigation: Laura' Story"Synopsis: After hearing Sean's story about the botched workplace investigation at the Goodspeed Opera House, listener Laura shares her own bonkers workplace investigat...