Inclusive STAGES: Building Healthy Arts Spaces
Inclusive STAGES™ is the podcast for theater makers, creatives, and arts leaders who believe we can build a better industry—one brave, emotionally intelligent, and trauma-informed space at a time. Hosted by Kira Troilo, founder of Art & Soul Consulting, each episode explores what it really takes to create inclusive, healthy creative environments in today’s rapidly changing performing arts landscape.
Whether you're a theater artist, an arts administrator, an educator, a creative leader, or a producer, this show will help you answer big questions like:
What is inclusive leadership in the arts, and how do I practice it?
How can performing arts organizations promote diversity and inclusion?
What does “representation matters” mean in theater and beyond?
How can venues make performances more accessible?
What tools do I need to lead with care—and still make bold, brilliant work?
Through honest conversations, industry insights, and practical tools, Inclusive STAGES™ empowers you to reduce burnout, dismantle harmful norms, and build the kinds of creative spaces where everyone can thrive.
New episodes every week. Follow now and join the movement toward healthier, more sustainable arts spaces.
Episodes
47 episodes
Talking to Closeted Trump Supporters—Why Theater Must Try
Talking to a closeted Trump supporter about politics, inclusion, and what theater needs now.In this season finale, I sit down with my longtime friend, Julie D'Alessandro, a Boston-based voice teacher who has long kept her political views...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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48:34
Burnout Is Breaking Us — Here’s the Pivot Arts Leaders Need
What if the greatest threat to theater right now isn’t empty seats, but burnout in the arts?In this solo episode, I open up about the strain so many artists and leaders are facing, and why creative leadership strategies and even AI might...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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17:28
Family Meeting: Race, Theater & Fighting Fires—Onstage and Off
What if the most powerful tool for change in theater isn’t performance, but conversation?I sit down with my dad, retired firefighter Fred Cowan, for a candid family conversation about race, theater, equity, and what it takes to bu...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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59:31
Post October 7: Jewish Theater Identity and Hard Conversations w/ Ari Axelrod
What if the most powerful way to confront antisemitism… is by celebrating Jewish joy?I sit down with actor and singer Ari Axelrod, who shows how Jewish representation in theater goes far beyond casting—it’s about telling the compl...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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1:00:45
Why We Still Can’t Find a Stylist Who Gets Our Hair with Jade Buffong-Phillips
What if your biggest barrier to belonging in a theater space was the hair that grows naturally out of your head?In this candid and eye-opening conversation, Jade Buffong-Phillips of Mane Hook-Up shares why textured hair in theater...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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35:37
Making Culture, Not Just Theater with Melory Mirashrafi
What if the most important thing a leader brings into the room… isn’t a resume, but a sense of culture?In this thoughtful and timely conversation, Melory Mirashrafi shares why they consider themselves a culture worker fir...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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45:38
Jewish Joy and "Artivism" with Mara Jill Herman
What if the stories you’re most connected to… are the ones you're being excluded from?In this important conversation, Mara Jill Herman shares what it means to be a Jewish artist and “artivist” in today’s theater world. From castin...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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37:41
New Work Needs New Leadership: What We Can Learn from Across the Pond
What if the future of theatre isn’t just about new work, but about new leadership to support it?In this episode, I sit down with Emily Carewe of Theatre503 in London to explore what inclusive theatre leaders...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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35:15
Harm or Discomfort? How Artists Tell the Difference
What if the tension you’re feeling in the rehearsal room isn’t just about the work, but about how we define harm and discomfort?In this solo episode, I explore the growing disconnect in creative spaces and share a practical tool, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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21:08
Freeing Your Voice & Reimagining “Traditional” Arts Spaces w/ Davin Youngs
Most artists crave authenticity, but what happens when the systems we’re trained in ask us to perform instead of feel?Sound healing artist and singer Davin Youngs joins me to discuss reclaiming one's voice, unlearning perfectionis...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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43:46
What Can We Learn from the Montessori Way
Most theatermakers care about inclusion, but what does it really take to build spaces that center healing, agency, and belonging?Educator and consultant Maati Wafford joins me to explore how the Montessori m...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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47:37
Can Casting Directors Be Inclusive? with Peter Van Dam
What really happens in a Broadway audition room, and how do you get remembered down the line, even if you don’t land the role?Broadway casting director Peter Van Dam joins me to discuss what really ...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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40:52
What Are Emotionally Intelligent Creative Spaces? with Zena Collins
Most artists are experts at expressing emotions, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been taught how to navigate them offstage.What does it really mean to build emotionally intelligent spaces in the arts?Zena Collins, on...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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36:25
What Are Brave Creative Spaces? (Using the STAGES Framework)
Most creative teams want to build inclusive environments, but without a clear process, things can fall apart quickly.So, how do we move from intention to action?In this episode, I’m walking you through the STAGES Framework—...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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20:35
What Are Trauma-Informed Creative Spaces? w/ Dr. Jackman
Most theater companies want to support their artists, but many are missing the mark without realizing it.What does it actually mean to create psychologically safe spaces in the arts?There’s a powerful case to be ...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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45:52
When a President Attacks a Musical
I’m so excited to have the opportunity to bring you this conversation with the incredible writing team behind "Finn" - Chris Nee, Chris Dimond, and Michael Kooman - for an inspiring discussion about artistic resistance in the face of political ...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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42:23
White House Declares DEI Dead: Here's My Take
In this special episode of Inclusive Stages, host Kira Troilo steps into the guest seat for a candid conversation about the evolving landscape of DEI consulting in theater. Interviewed by her husband Jared, Kira unveils her unique approach to d...
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49:38
Let's Get Real: Hard Lessons of 2024
Welcome to the Season 2 finale of the Inclusive Stages podcast! 2024 has been a wild ride—it feels like I just started the podcast and it’s surreal to already have two seasons under my belt. Today, I’m going to share my lessons and ref...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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27:23
Communicating Our Feelings Through Stories & Zones with Levi Troilo
We’re doing things a little differently. My son Levi Troilo joins me today for a very special episode of the Inclusive Stages podcast!Levi and I love listening to podcasts where parents and children are reading books. We thought it would...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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20:32
Why Everyone Pays When You Wait To Self-Advocate
In theater and in the arts world, self advocacy can feel almost impossible, especially for artists who so often feel they’re replaceable. In a lot of ways, that assumption is true and something we as an industry need to work on changing. Being ...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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25:33
Solving Big World Problems with Inclusive Storytelling with Julie Ann Crommett
EDI (or DEIB) work truly is for all of us! And given how much heat the industry has received recently—it could use a bit of a rebrand. Because representation in storytelling has the power to help us solve big problems in the w...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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50:40
3 Black Women, 3 Takes: Inclusion Work in 2024
Welcome to a very special episode of the Inclusive Stages podcast. A conversation centered around defining inclusion, creating a shared vision for this work, and establishing a brave space for difficult conversations. Because we can only become...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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27:17
The View from the Pit with Music Director Dan Rodriguez
As a music director, Dan Rodriguez knows how critical inclusion is in theater and the arts. It’s critical in often unseen places like the pit, where you’ll find musicians, vocal performers, and the music director. Music directors tend to be wit...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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49:35
Why ‘Brave Spaces’ In Theater Should Be Non-Negotiable
Brave spaces, I hope you'll agree, aren't a luxury in the arts. They’re a necessity for theater lovers and professionals. Without them, we can't push the boundaries of art and storytelling in a way that's healthy and sustainable. And i...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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18:10
Run a Thriving Arts Business in a Post-Pandemic Era with Aubrey Bergauer
There’s a business case to be made for theater companies and arts organizations. We need to fill the seats with more dedicated theater lovers and friends. To do that, it’s important to be inclusive of the community we serve, think outside the b...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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43:23