Welcome everyone to Big Broadway Energy, the podcast with Steven Riordan . That's me. Hi, friends. It's been a minute. January and February flew by and now it's here in March, at the end of March, and I've been a bit MIA, well, not really MIA. We've been staying connected on big Broadway Energy. The radio hour every Sunday night at 10:00 PM on radio st pete.com and Sunshine, 96.7 fm.

And last week or two weeks ago, I think. I got to guest host lunchtime conversations, which was so fun. , I hope they have me back. It was really a ball and it was live, so I was, uh, you know, sweating it a bit. But I think we had a good time. , but I'm so happy to be back today on the pod, talking to a real life homegrown Florida actor.

He is my friend Troy. Padre Brooks. Troy, welcome to Big Broadway Energy Friend. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited. Oh, good. We're excited to have you. Now, Troy is one of my most recent group of actors that I've met in the last like couple years doing local theater here in Florida. Since I've been back from New York, I gotta say I'm so lucky.

I think we are so lucky to have like such badass talent in Tampa Bay and like when I do anything locally. And I've been gone for a minute. It's always so fun to, to meet new people and have like a new POV , on the work that's being done. But it, it's just, it was, and we didn't have a whole lot of like.

, give and take in the Green Room. It was a very big cast where We bet. Right? But like, oh, yes. At Hamlet. At Hamlet. We did Hamlet at Studio of six 20. But I was really impressed with your work because it was very subtle. You're a really subtle actor, but , it was a big cast and there was a lot to see, but, and we had a couple of scenes together, which was fun.

But it was really fun to watch your work. Oh, thank you so much. Yeah. Um, I was a couple of, , combined characters in the production of, of Hamlet. Yeah. Um. And I had very little time, so I knew that I just wanted to come on and just like immediately like. Embody this character and make a statement , and then leave and step off stage, which we all kind of had to do.

Right. I had a couple of those same things where it was like, you're this person now go do it. , okay. But Bob is, he was one of those directors that was so, again, very subtle in the way he directed, like he wanted us to find whatever worked for us a little bit, you know? Yes. Assured and very fluid. Totally.

I love that. , and another reason I really. Think what you're doing and what you've been doing is great. And why I wanted to talk to you is that you are born and bred Florida actor. Mm-hmm. Um, which I think is really cool. Growing up here in Florida, myself, I'm a lot older than you, but growing up in Florida myself, I remember looking at those professional companies that are here in St.

Pete, like American stage or job site theater or these places that seemed. So exciting, but a little unaccessible like you, if you weren't somebody that was coming from New York that was cast to New York and came down to do these shows mm-hmm. But you had your BF, A, your B, your MFA. Exactly. Right. , and I think it's so great that they are, , realizing the kind of talent that we have here in Florida, right?

Yes. Well, I'm must say you do not look that you're mu much older than my, my age. I know. I can't promise believe that.

Yeah, it's almost like our dirty little secret , that the Tampa Bay area has a really incredible and thriving theater scene. , when I was growing up here, I do remember it was pretty much American stage. And the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, which is now the Stratas Center Strat.

Sure. , and I'm not aware, I, I believe I was in high school, , at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts when Job site was founded. I. And since then, I remember seeing the first, uh, free fall show that was advertised. They opened with the Wild Party in 2007 movie, at the studio at six 20 at this. Yes, that's right.

Yeah. Yes. Yeah. , and since then , it's just been an explosion of incredible creativity. Yeah, it's so true. And you're right. I think it was one of those like dirty little secrets, but I, you know, it's always funny whenever my friend's in New York are. When I moved back here, they were like, are you out of your mind?

Like, why are you going back to Florida? And I always had to remind them like, no, no. Like St. Pete is like this snow globe of sanity. Mm-hmm. In the, in the dumpster fire that is sometimes Florida on a national LY level because there is such kind of amazing culture here in this little ish Burke, right?

Mm-hmm. Like I just feel like we have so much to be thankful for. Um, and I love when people see, , the embarrassment of riches that we have in Tampa Bay and take advantage of it because, , it is important that. These companies hire locally, it is important that they remember that you don't have to necessarily spend,, the money and the time to find an actor that might not fit for the role you're looking for, but it's like they have some credibility or they have, , they have some pedigree rather.

You know, like sometimes it just is about the talent, which I'm so happy we're seeing that more and more in these theaters. Right. Yeah, and I'll say the one thing that I. Um, agree , with hiring local actors is , you get your audience, you get tickets sold like you have without a doubt. Like you, , their friends and family people, like they're here.

Yeah. They, they're people from this community, so they're already known. I. So like, oh yeah, , I'll go see this show with , this friend of mine that I know as well. Yeah, you're supporting, right? Yeah. It's the same thing. Like even when you have friends who are in New York, you still, that's still vibe of , oh my God, that's my friend on a Broadway stage.

It's the same vibe here. Mm-hmm. I love that. Absolutely. So let's talk a little bit about your career, because I mean, I think , it's kind of in the last. You know, a few years there really has been, , an uptake , in sort of what you've been able to do and, and the things you've been cast in. Let's talk a little bit about your work at American Stage, then we'll talk about job site.

Ah, okay. Well I started at American Stage as their house manager in 2021, uh, their first season back after the pandemic. , that same year I was involved in their new play festival. I, uh, performed, , I was in a piece by Sid Rushing, uh, zoo's Earth. Um, and I've gone on to work with, , Sid Rushing again.

, they invited me back for this past new play festival. He is a wonderful playwright, , and a wonderful human being. , I. And since then I, it was kind of, it almost felt inevitable that I would float back into performing. Hmm. , I've done a, a lot of the, beyond the stage programming with American Stage.

, I know you, I listened to that episode you had with, , with Anthony, my friend Anthony. Yes. Anthony. He's done incredible work with. He has, and he passed me in a show would be on the stage earlier or last year. And it was so fun. Mm-hmm. I mean, I'm so glad American Stage is doing those kinds of things, right?

Yes. Yeah. It's very important to get out and perform in spots that aren't in, in , their main stage. 'cause we always hear people walk by that building. You're like, oh, I didn't know there's a theater there. There's been a theater there for decades, a long time. It's true. It's true. Mm-hmm. And then you got to work in the park.

That's right. Oh yes. Ragtime that, which was like a, the first time we hadn't done a big like splashy pop musical. , in, in quite some time. And , it was known like a lot of the reviews were. Wow. Like, it's incredible that they're putting on this very monumental work of arts. Maybe like the, like big, , artistic political statement of , the nineties when it comes to Broadway musicals.

Yeah. They did a great job though. And Erica Sutherland directed that, correct? Yes. Who's now the in, in incredible head of Studio six 20. I know. She is an incredible community. Artists and just someone who is so dedicated to making sure, you know, the arts stay valid , and so important in Tampa Bay.

Mm, for sure. She directed a ragtime. What I loved about that production is that, you know, ragtime to your point, is a huge musical. I mean, it usually has upwards of 40 cast members. Mm-hmm. It has seven or eight or nine different sets. I mean, it spans a pretty long period of time, and it's a, it's a slog.

Right. It's a great, beautiful show, but it's a slog sometimes to. To watch that production than just the amount of money it takes to produce something like that. What she did in her vision of it, I thought was really, really fascinating because it was really stripped down. Mm-hmm. You know how many people were in that cast?

Oh my gosh. I believe. It somewhere between a dozen, maybe 15. Yeah. I mean, that's pretty busy to do that show a lot of doubling. A lot of, I mean, the, oh, , the nightmare of having to run off stage after doing, getting ready Rag to get into our Henry Ford outfits to do Henry Ford and then run off stage again to get back into.

Uh, like, ugh, like it was a lot of quick changes. Yeah. A lot of cacophony behind that set that you, that, that the audience maybe not have seen. Quiet chaos. That's the quiet chaos of backstage., I did love that, that set that kind of like stratified Statue of Liberty, which I'm now thinking like, oh, an epic with.

Uh, a stratified Statue of Liberty. I think, , Erica owes like some, I think, , the Brutalist owes some money to Erica Sutherland for real, right? Yeah. I think a lot of people owe a lot of money to Erica Sutherland. , and I'm so excited. Actually, she and I are working together on a project at the studio.

Um, I am starting a theater company at there, at the studio. So wonderful. We get to work together all the time, and she's just her vision of what she wants to have happen, and then she's watching it happen in a way that's so like. Collected , and she doesn't ever lose her mind and you know what I mean?

Mm-hmm. She's like very, she's very calculated in what she wants. Yeah. But it's like, it always is. Always turns out so beautifully. Yeah. She's an incredible problem solver. She really is. , but then, you know, fast forward to the main stage. I mean, let's be honest, even if you've worked at American Stage, other projects.

Well, y'all want to be on that main stage. Mm-hmm. And then you got to be on the main stage this season. Yes. Yes. Tell us about Ring of Fire. , ring of Fire. I did have a Johnny Cash, , phase , in college like I did, like I ran through pretty much his whole discography. Okay. That surprises me. Yeah. , I think there was a time in, in college where I really got into Bob Dylan.

Really got into Johnny Cash. I had like, I went through all , the genres in. In, in, in college. , and this show had come up and I have played the guitar since I was maybe 14, I believe, like 14, 15. , and was gunning to be in it because, I've always wanted to be in an actor musician show where we are our own accompanist, we are playing the instruments and singing and dancing.

Yeah, for sure. , and I did my audition and then they came to me and said, are you, do you have any proficiency in the bass? And I, well, I've not played the bass guitar before. I have never touched the bass guitar. , but it's basically a, a guitar that's slightly bigger and has one less string. , I believe I can take that on.

So I You've never played, you've never played the bass before. You , did that show I've never played the bass guitar before, Troy. That's unbelievable. Oh, thank, thank you. I ordered an acoustic bass off online and it came two weeks before we started rehearsal, so I had two weeks to noodle around with it.

Oh my gosh. And got the score and started learning the first. Th three, four or five songs maybe, then went into rehearsals and yeah, I really did have to like, it was great having that foundation of guitar, but I had to, it, it is a different technique, of playing the bass and I, I. I'm very good with like finger picking the strings with my right hand, but the base is all left hand.

You're just like playing singular notes, running up and down the fretboard, so I really got some more dexterity in my left hand. Wow. You had to trust yourself for that though too, and it's like when you get those offers you're like, you know what? I'm just gonna jump and see what happens. I was gonna say no.

Oh. Oh no. I'm sorry. I can't play the bass guitar. No, we'll figure it out. It's like your special skills in your resume. It's like, uh oh. I hope that they don't hire me for horseback riding. I went horseback riding one time when I was seven. , okay. So when you're not working your tail off in St. Pete, you go across the bridge to the job site theater, which is where you are now, and you are starring in the Pillow Man, which is.

Uh, like the hardest ticket to get in Tampa Bay right now. I've tried like three times. I can't get tickets, but I'm gonna go next week. I promise. I love this show so much. I love the play and it's not seeing your production, but I really do love it. It's fantastic. Tell us a little bit about the pillowman.

The Pillowman takes place in a, a nondescript, totalitarian police state, and we open up on this, , woman played by Georgia Mallory Guy. She is a writer of short story fiction, and she's in an interrogation room with a blindfold on, and these two policemen come in and ask her about the content of her stories, which are these very like.

Twisted Grim fairytales where or, , shock headed Peter. If, if fan fans of job site, you know, shock headed Peter, where horrible things befall children in these fictional short stories and they connect her stories to events that are happening around the town and try to pin it on her and her, , disabled brother.

And the just insane, , Horror and humor that comes out of that. The, this four person interrogation, it is. , and is it, like, how long is it? Like two hours? , about two hours. We believe we have it now down to 2 45. A little under 2 45. Oh, okay. In between two 30 and 2 45. 'cause it is, it's technically a three act play.

Mm-hmm. But we've combined act, act one, and act two. Then we take our intermission and then we get on with act three. Well, the reason I even say talk about the, the, the time is that it doesn't feel like that, like , the heat and the, and like the intensity of the interview and the interrogation, it. It, you were at the edge of your seat like the whole time.

Like it's just a really, really good play. And Martin McDonough, who is the playwright, that's the way, that's his style. Like he really wants you to be uncomfortable. He wants you to, you know, think beyond what you think, , what's gonna happen to this place that you have no idea where they're going.

And I think those kinds of plays , are my favorite kind because they really are, the, the reason I love theater is to shake up my brain a little bit and to make me realize like. , maybe there are experiences in the world that I don't understand. Maybe there are experiences that people are having that I don't understand.

And what I love about Martin McDonough is that , he always puts it in like, you think it's like this very. Specific regional place, but then you look a little, you're like, wait a minute. No, this could happen anywhere. Like that's the way he does his, his work, right? Yes. , I mean, he has his Lenon trilogy and all, a bunch of his plays, which take place in Ireland, which is where he is from the ish Mont Trilogy.

Yes. Yes. Yeah. And I believe that this Lieutenant of Inish, no, no. Lieutenant of Inish more takes place in Ireland. It does, but then he has like Bo handing and. Be handing in Spokane. Yeah. Which is Spokane, Washington. , the Pillowman , is in any town earth. That's right. Yeah, that's right. , yeah. And it just feels so universal, like his messages feel so universal.

. Yeah. I love the dark humor. I love the twisted wit. I love that, you know, the human experiment and how we treat each other is really at the heart , of this story and many of his stories. But , thinking about what's happening in the world today with respect to censorship and respect to books being banned and respect to mm-hmm.

Things, trying to be connected to things that aren't real, but the fear is what fuels these messages. Like, it's such a relevant story right now. Exactly. This season , of job site is almost. Like it, I, it's like a, a biography. I think David saw it coming. I think he did too. We started with potus, which is, , the, was a, a huge hit on Broadway just a few years ago.

Yeah. Which takes place , in the Oval Office. It's a bunch of women who are a. Uh, AIDS for the president who are running around with their hair on fire. That's exactly right. Then we go into the Scottish play. I just, I was in the Scottish play and wrapped that about a crazy person doing a power grab.

Um, and now the pillar man, which is about censorship of, of, of authors. , they're gonna do a, a Lorca play after this. Yeah. David is a really, really. Smart guy. And I, I gotta say, I've never even actually met him. I, I auditioned for him a couple times years ago. Um, but everything I see at job site, , you always sort of see his POV on it.

And I think you're right. I think he did see it coming. Mm-hmm. Because , that season is like, it's so perfect for anything that anyone is feeling right now. Um, you know, I think it's, it's definitely worth , giving it a look. . , I love that you're part of the Outkast Theater Collective. Tell us about the work you guys do. Well, Outkast Theater Collective is sort of a co-op of artists, local artists in Tampa Bay, , theater practitioners. , we say that we're at the crossroads of, , art and social justice. , a lot of our work is based in, , the, , theater of the Oppressed, , work, which is a little bit . . Improvisational. and we. Do Theater of the Oppressed Workshops. .

, Continuing on like at Stage Works, , we, , produce plays that, , highlight marginalized communities. We use, , we focus on, , getting work , and paying marginalized artists. , last year we, , did a production of Orange, which is this in incredible play. , a about a. A, a group of teenagers who are of, , Indian American descent in Orange County, California.

I got to, to direct that at the Off Central. And that was your debut? Yes. Debut, directorial debut. Yeah. That's so great. I love that. And I think, again, those, those are the kinds of plays that , are necessary and, , not nice to have, they're must haves. We have to continue to mm-hmm. Push those stories and remind people that, , humanity is not one color, humanity is not one sided.

Humanity is, uh. You know, it's necessary for it, all of us, the world to go around. Right? , the Pillowman is running through April 6th at the Shimberg Playhouse, at the Strass Center for the Arts through job site, which is the, uh, the Strass Resident Theater Company. You can go to job site theater.org for more information on that.

And then you can find Troy at Yellen of Troy on, on Instagram. , and that will be, , all on the website, so you can take a look at that information. Before we let you go, Troy, I'd like to ask all my guests a very important question. What does art mean to you? That is an incredible question.

Thank you. , art to me is exploring and oftentimes confronting the human condition. It helps us understand ourselves and other people. It's almost like a, it's the best. Group therapy session you can have, I believe. Oh my gosh, that's a really good answer. And it's very true, but my, don't worry, my therapist, , we're gonna be together forever, but I still am gonna go see plays.

, alright, so thank you for joining me, Troy. Thank you so much for your work and thank you for your passion and thank you for your talent. Tampa Bay loves you. Thank you, Steven. We love you. Oh, thank you so much. And thank you dear listener for joining me on Big Broadway Energy. The podcast with me, Steven Rearden.

Hey, you can catch big Broadway the radio hour. Actually called Big Broadway Energy. The radio hour Sundays at 10:00 PM on Sunshine, 96.7 fm and radio st pete.com where we play Broadway music and chat about history and lure and gossip on your favorite stars of the Great White Way. Give it a listen. Will you?

Until next time, friends, be kind. Be curious. Keep creating. Bye everybody. Bye.