Stage Combat The Podcast
What happens when actors stop being quiet and start speaking up: Season 3 of "Stage Combat The Podcast"! Stage Combat is about fighting back when we are mistreated in our workplaces, no matter what stage we may be on in our lives! Hosted by attorney/advocate/actor Sean Hayden.
In 2019, Sean Hayden thought he had booked the role of his dreams as an actor at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House in its production of "Billy Elliot, The Musical." As he drove over the Connecticut river and laid his eyes on the fairy tale Opera House for the first time, Sean had no idea what would be looming behind its doors. Or that a mental health crisis caused by his work conditions would cause him to investigate and reexamine his entire life. In the style of a true crime podcast, Sean boldly took us, in Seasons 1 and 2, into the insular world of the theatre industry in which the unspoken rule is, “You are not supposed to speak up. Or there will be consequences.” And he claimed his story.
In response to Sean's story, listeners of the podcast everywhere responded saying they felt seen, heard and validated. And now in Season 3, Sean is telling the stories of those listeners as they claim THEIR stories.
Biweekly episodes.
Stage Combat The Podcast
"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 drag queen Varla Jean Merman aka Jeff Roberson and Broadway actor Chryssie Whitehead.
Content warning: Content about suicide.
Dial or text 988 24/7 to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are in crisis.
Follow Varla Jean Merman on Instagram at @varlajeanmerman and online at varlajean.com. Follow Chryssie on Instagram at @ChryssieWhitehead and @imolctheshow and online at ChryssieWhitehead.com.
Stage Combat The Podcast is member supported programming. If you believe in what we are doing, why not support us by becoming a member at STAGE COMBAT AT PATREON?
patreon.com/StageCombatThePodcast
It's the companion to Season 3. Listen to bonus content from this episode: Jeff Roberson talks about the political attacks on drag from the right and Chryssie recalls being a part of the 2008 A Chorus Line documentary "Every Little Step." Plus "Sean Goes Off Script" to dive deeper into this episode.
And experience at Patreon our all-new chat podcast series: JUST ACTING and THE MENTAL HEALTH POD.
Editing by Alex Griffitt. Mixing and Sound Design by Justin Gerrish.
Written and Directed by Sean Hayden for Haywood Productions, LLC.
Produced by Haywood Productions, LLC.
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Sean Hayden is an attorney/actor/advocate and is the CEO of Haywood Productions, LLC. As a professional actor, Sean has appeared in Broadway national tours and in plays and musicals in theaters across the country. He is a proud union member of Actors' Equity Association. As a mental health advocate, Sean has provided thought leadership on how employers can better support the mental health of their employees and how theatre programs can support their students. He serves on the advisory board for HR.com for Mental Health and Stress in the Workplace. Sean resides in New York City and upstate New York with his husband, a screenwriter.
