Clayton Howe’s Entertainmentx

Eric Nelsen Part 1 ”1883, Bucking Bull Bourbon and a TONY Award”

Eric Nelsen (IG:@ericnelsenofficial)(buckingbullbourbon.com) is a 4x Emmy Award Winning, Drama Desk Award Winning, Drama League Award Winning and Outer Critic Circle Award Winning actor and producer. His Broadway credits include producing THE INHERITANCE (Laurence Olivier Award Winner - Best New Play) and starring in the cult hit, 13 THE MUSICAL alongside Ariana Grande. He was recently seen on the big screen in NIGHTMARE CINEMA, opposite Academy Award Nominee Mickey Rourke, as well as A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES opposite Academy Award Nominee Liam Neeson. Notable work includes WAKEFIELD starring Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner, a recurring role in Showtime’s THE AFFAIR, and starring in the New Group production of THE GOOD MOTHER opposite Gretchen Mol.

Stephen Schwartz Part 2 ”Empathy”

Stephen Schwartz (stephenschwartz.com) was born in New York City on March 6, 1948. He studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School of Music while in high school and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968 with a B.F.A. in Drama. Upon coming back to live in New York City, he went to work as an A&R producer for RCA Records, but shortly thereafter began to work in the Broadway theatre. His first major credit was the title song for the play BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE; the song was eventually used in the movie version as well.
In 1971, he wrote the music and new lyrics for GODSPELL, for which he won two Grammys among other awards. This was followed by the English texts, in collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, for Bernstein’s MASS, which opened the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The following year, he wrote the music and lyrics for PIPPIN, and two years later, THE MAGIC SHOW. At one point, GODSPELL, PIPPIN and THE MAGIC SHOW were all running on Broadway simultaneously.
He next wrote the music and lyrics for THE BAKER’S WIFE, followed by a musical version of Studs Terkel’s WORKING, to which he contributed four songs and which he also adapted and directed, winning a Drama Desk Award as best director. He also co-directed the television production, which was presented as part of the PBS “American Playhouse” series.
Other work for the musical theatre includes lyrics to RAGS (music by Charles Strouse), music and lyrics for CHILDREN OF EDEN, and two musicals produced overseas, MIT EVENTYR (MY FAIRY TALE) in Denmark and SCHIKANEDER in Austria.  He has also written songs for two musicals for young audiences, CAPTAIN LOUIE and MY SON, PINOCCHIO.  Compilation revues of his work include SNAPSHOTS and, for Princess Cruise Lines, MAGIC TO DO.
For film, he collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’s POCAHONTAS, for which he received two Academy Awards and another Grammy, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and ENCHANTED. He also provided songs for DreamWorks’ first animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, for which he won another Academy Award for the song “When You Believe.”   THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and THE PRINCE OF EGYPT have both been adapted for the stage.
Mr. Schwartz’s most recent stage musical, WICKED, opened in the fall of 2003 and is currently running on Broadway and in several other productions around the world. He received another Grammy for the cast recording, and in 2008, WICKED reached its 1900th performance on Broadway, making Mr. Schwartz the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1900 performances.
His first opera, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON, premiered at Opera Santa Barbara in the fall of 2009 and was subsequently produced by New York City Opera.  His frequently-performed choral works include “Testimony”, based on the It Gets Better Project, “Keramos” and part of the “Tyler Clemente Suite.”  He has also released two singer/songwriter CDs, RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY.
Mr. Schwartz has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  In 2015, he received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his humanitarian and mentorship contributions to the theatre.  A book about his career, “Defying Gravity,” has been released by Applause Books.
Under the auspices of the ASCAP Foundation, he has been the artistic director of musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles for over twenty years, as well as conducting workshops for aspiring musical theatre writers and performers in countries around the world, including Australia, Germany, Latvia and Kenya.  He is also a past President and current Council Member of the Dramatists’ Guild.

Stephen Schwartz Part 1 ”Wicked”

Stephen Schwartz (stephenschwartz.com) was born in New York City on March 6, 1948. He studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School of Music while in high school and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968 with a B.F.A. in Drama. Upon coming back to live in New York City, he went to work as an A&R producer for RCA Records, but shortly thereafter began to work in the Broadway theatre. His first major credit was the title song for the play BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE; the song was eventually used in the movie version as well.
In 1971, he wrote the music and new lyrics for GODSPELL, for which he won two Grammys among other awards. This was followed by the English texts, in collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, for Bernstein’s MASS, which opened the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The following year, he wrote the music and lyrics for PIPPIN, and two years later, THE MAGIC SHOW. At one point, GODSPELL, PIPPIN and THE MAGIC SHOW were all running on Broadway simultaneously.
He next wrote the music and lyrics for THE BAKER’S WIFE, followed by a musical version of Studs Terkel’s WORKING, to which he contributed four songs and which he also adapted and directed, winning a Drama Desk Award as best director. He also co-directed the television production, which was presented as part of the PBS “American Playhouse” series.
Other work for the musical theatre includes lyrics to RAGS (music by Charles Strouse), music and lyrics for CHILDREN OF EDEN, and two musicals produced overseas, MIT EVENTYR (MY FAIRY TALE) in Denmark and SCHIKANEDER in Austria.  He has also written songs for two musicals for young audiences, CAPTAIN LOUIE and MY SON, PINOCCHIO.  Compilation revues of his work include SNAPSHOTS and, for Princess Cruise Lines, MAGIC TO DO.
For film, he collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’s POCAHONTAS, for which he received two Academy Awards and another Grammy, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and ENCHANTED. He also provided songs for DreamWorks’ first animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, for which he won another Academy Award for the song “When You Believe.”   THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and THE PRINCE OF EGYPT have both been adapted for the stage.
Mr. Schwartz’s most recent stage musical, WICKED, opened in the fall of 2003 and is currently running on Broadway and in several other productions around the world. He received another Grammy for the cast recording, and in 2008, WICKED reached its 1900th performance on Broadway, making Mr. Schwartz the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1900 performances.
His first opera, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON, premiered at Opera Santa Barbara in the fall of 2009 and was subsequently produced by New York City Opera.  His frequently-performed choral works include “Testimony”, based on the It Gets Better Project, “Keramos” and part of the “Tyler Clemente Suite.”  He has also released two singer/songwriter CDs, RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY.
Mr. Schwartz has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  In 2015, he received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his humanitarian and mentorship contributions to the theatre.  A book about his career, “Defying Gravity,” has been released by Applause Books.
Under the auspices of the ASCAP Foundation, he has been the artistic director of musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles for over twenty years, as well as conducting workshops for aspiring musical theatre writers and performers in countries around the world, including Australia, Germany, Latvia and Kenya.  He is also a past President and current Council Member of the Dramatists’ Guild.

Annabeth Gish Part 2 ”Worry Is A Down Payment On A Debt That Never Comes True”

Annabeth Gish (IG:@annabeth_gish)(TW:@annabethgish) who is currently in Succession is a versatile actress who weathered the transition from child actor to adult, with a variety of dramatic and comedic roles on film and television.Anne Elizabeth Gish was born on March 13, 1971 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and moved with her family to Cedar Falls, at the age of two. Her parents were both teachers; her father, Robert Gish, was an English professor at the University of Northern Iowa, her mother, Judy, taught at Malcolm Price Laboratory School. Performing in community theater productions throughout her childhood, Gish began her professional acting career, at the age of eight, by appearing in a number of commercials. She made her screen debut, at the age of 13, in the teen film, Desert Bloom (1986), opposite Jon Voight, and, in following years, has found success in film and television. Gish starred in the films, Hiding Out (1987), with Jon Cryer, Mystic Pizza (1988), with Julia Roberts, and on Shag(1988), opposite Phoebe Cates and Bridget Fonda. She also played the lead role, as rape victim "Lyn McKenna", in the TV movie, When He's Not a Stranger (1989). Gish went on to graduate from Cedar Falls' Northern University High School in 1989. In addition to acting, Gish took time to focus on her academic career and attended Duke University. Studying English as well as theater, she graduated with honors, in 1993, with a BA in English.Gish returned to screens in the mid-1990s, with appearances in supporting roles, in films Wyatt Earp (1994), The Last Supper (1995) and critical praise biopic, Nixon (1995). The next year, Gish appeared in the ensemble cast movie, Beautiful Girls (1996). On television, Gish played the younger sister of Dana Delany's character in True Women(1997), a epic miniseries, based on the best seller novel by Janice Woods Windle. Her other credits include the miniseries, Scarlett (1994), the short-lived Patricia Wettig's drama series Courthouse (1995), the box office bomb superhero film, Steel (1997), a supporting role on Ashley Judd's success thriller, Double Jeopardy (1999), and several other independent films.Most recently, Gish played "Special Agent Monica Reyes" on the cult series, The X-Files(1993) (2001-2002), for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television. She also starred in the Showtime drama, Brotherhood(2006) (2006-2008) and appeared in recurring roles on The West Wing (1999) (2003-2006), Flashforward (2009) (2010), Pretty Little Liars (2010) (2011-2012) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) (2011-2012). In 2012, she starred on the ABC drama series, Americana (2012), as Ashley Greene's character's mother.

Annabeth Gish Part 1 ”Succession”

Annabeth Gish (IG:@annabeth_gish)(TW:@annabethgish) who is currently in Succession is a versatile actress who weathered the transition from child actor to adult, with a variety of dramatic and comedic roles on film and television.Anne Elizabeth Gish was born on March 13, 1971 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and moved with her family to Cedar Falls, at the age of two. Her parents were both teachers; her father, Robert Gish, was an English professor at the University of Northern Iowa, her mother, Judy, taught at Malcolm Price Laboratory School. Performing in community theater productions throughout her childhood, Gish began her professional acting career, at the age of eight, by appearing in a number of commercials. She made her screen debut, at the age of 13, in the teen film, Desert Bloom (1986), opposite Jon Voight, and, in following years, has found success in film and television. Gish starred in the films, Hiding Out (1987), with Jon Cryer, Mystic Pizza (1988), with Julia Roberts, and on Shag(1988), opposite Phoebe Cates and Bridget Fonda. She also played the lead role, as rape victim "Lyn McKenna", in the TV movie, When He's Not a Stranger (1989). Gish went on to graduate from Cedar Falls' Northern University High School in 1989. In addition to acting, Gish took time to focus on her academic career and attended Duke University. Studying English as well as theater, she graduated with honors, in 1993, with a BA in English.Gish returned to screens in the mid-1990s, with appearances in supporting roles, in films Wyatt Earp (1994), The Last Supper (1995) and critical praise biopic, Nixon (1995). The next year, Gish appeared in the ensemble cast movie, Beautiful Girls (1996). On television, Gish played the younger sister of Dana Delany's character in True Women(1997), a epic miniseries, based on the best seller novel by Janice Woods Windle. Her other credits include the miniseries, Scarlett (1994), the short-lived Patricia Wettig's drama series Courthouse (1995), the box office bomb superhero film, Steel (1997), a supporting role on Ashley Judd's success thriller, Double Jeopardy (1999), and several other independent films.Most recently, Gish played "Special Agent Monica Reyes" on the cult series, The X-Files(1993) (2001-2002), for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television. She also starred in the Showtime drama, Brotherhood(2006) (2006-2008) and appeared in recurring roles on The West Wing (1999) (2003-2006), Flashforward (2009) (2010), Pretty Little Liars (2010) (2011-2012) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) (2011-2012). In 2012, she starred on the ABC drama series, Americana (2012), as Ashley Greene's character's mother.

Celia Keenan-Bolger Part 2 ”Both”

Celia Keenan-Bolger (IG:@celiakb)(TW:@celiakb) is currently in The Gilded Age on HBO. She was born on January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan and is a Tony Award winner and Broadway favorite. Celia Keenan-Bolger will return to To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre from October 5, 2021.
Keenan-Bolger trained at both the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in musical theatre. She began her stage career in regional theatres such as the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Theatre Works in Silicon Valley, and she made her Off-Broadway debut as Aggie in Summer of '42 in December 2001.
During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration in 2002, she starred as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she would then perform again off Broadway in January 2003 in Second Stage Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish. Also in 2003, she would originate the role of Clara Johnson in the celebrated musical The Light in the Piazza at both Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre.
She originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky in William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004, reprised her performance off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in January 2005, and did so again on Broadway, marking her Broadway debut in April 2005. She was nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Olive and received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She remained with the production until September 17, 2006. Her next Broadway venture would be to originate the role of Éponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, playing the role from October 2006 to January 2008, earning a Drama Desk nomination in 2007.
Keenan-Bolger returned off Broadway for her next productions, starring as Mary in the musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons from May to June 2008, as Katie in Bachelorette for Second Stage Theatre from July to August 2010, and as Jenny Bridges in A Small Fire from December 2010 to January 2011, once again at Playwrights Horizons. She then landed the role of Molly in New York Theatre Workshop's acclaimed production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played the Off-Broadway venue from February to April 2011, resulting in yet another Drama Desk Award nomination, and transferred to Broadway in March 2012, leading to her second Tony Award nomination. Ahead of the Broadway premiere, Keenan-Bolger also starred as Mary Flynn in New York City Center's Encores! production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in February 2012.
In the fall of 2013, she took on the role of Laura Wingfield in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie from September 2013 to February 2014. She garnered great acclaim for her performance, winning a Drama Desk Award, earning her third Tony Award nomination, and receiving the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2014.
Keenan-Bolger followed this performance with her Lincoln Center Theater debut, starring as Mother in an Off-Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy from October to December 2014. She was next seen on Broadway as Varya, opposite Diane Lane, in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and she was last seen off Broadway in Second Stage Theatre's 2017 production of A Parallelogram. 
Keenan-Bolger returned to Broadway on November 1, 2018, taking on the role of Scout in Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She won her first Tony Award in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play for her portrayal, and she ended her year-long run in the production on November 3, 2019. She leads the reopening cast of the play once more starting in October 2021.
Although primarily known for her career on stage, Ms. Keenan-Bolger has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows over the years, including Law & Order (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Nurse Jackie (2014), The Good Wife (2015), Elementary (2015), Good Behavior (2016), Blue Bloods (2017), NCIS: New Orleans (2017), and Bull (2018). Her film credits include Mariachi Gringo (2012), The Visit (2015), Breakable You (2017), and Diane (2018).

Celia Keenan-Bolger Part 1 ”The Gilded Age”

Celia Keenan-Bolger (IG:@celiakb)(TW:@celiakb) is currently in The Gilded Age on HBO. She was born on January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan and is a Tony Award winner and Broadway favorite. Celia Keenan-Bolger will return to To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre from October 5, 2021.
Keenan-Bolger trained at both the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in musical theatre. She began her stage career in regional theatres such as the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Theatre Works in Silicon Valley, and she made her Off-Broadway debut as Aggie in Summer of '42 in December 2001.
During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration in 2002, she starred as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she would then perform again off Broadway in January 2003 in Second Stage Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish. Also in 2003, she would originate the role of Clara Johnson in the celebrated musical The Light in the Piazza at both Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre.
She originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky in William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004, reprised her performance off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in January 2005, and did so again on Broadway, marking her Broadway debut in April 2005. She was nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Olive and received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She remained with the production until September 17, 2006. Her next Broadway venture would be to originate the role of Éponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, playing the role from October 2006 to January 2008, earning a Drama Desk nomination in 2007.
Keenan-Bolger returned off Broadway for her next productions, starring as Mary in the musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons from May to June 2008, as Katie in Bachelorette for Second Stage Theatre from July to August 2010, and as Jenny Bridges in A Small Fire from December 2010 to January 2011, once again at Playwrights Horizons. She then landed the role of Molly in New York Theatre Workshop's acclaimed production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played the Off-Broadway venue from February to April 2011, resulting in yet another Drama Desk Award nomination, and transferred to Broadway in March 2012, leading to her second Tony Award nomination. Ahead of the Broadway premiere, Keenan-Bolger also starred as Mary Flynn in New York City Center's Encores! production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in February 2012.
In the fall of 2013, she took on the role of Laura Wingfield in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie from September 2013 to February 2014. She garnered great acclaim for her performance, winning a Drama Desk Award, earning her third Tony Award nomination, and receiving the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2014.
Keenan-Bolger followed this performance with her Lincoln Center Theater debut, starring as Mother in an Off-Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy from October to December 2014. She was next seen on Broadway as Varya, opposite Diane Lane, in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and she was last seen off Broadway in Second Stage Theatre's 2017 production of A Parallelogram. 
Keenan-Bolger returned to Broadway on November 1, 2018, taking on the role of Scout in Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She won her first Tony Award in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play for her portrayal, and she ended her year-long run in the production on November 3, 2019. She leads the reopening cast of the play once more starting in October 2021.
Although primarily known for her career on stage, Ms. Keenan-Bolger has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows over the years, including Law & Order (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Nurse Jackie (2014), The Good Wife (2015), Elementary (2015), Good Behavior (2016), Blue Bloods (2017), NCIS: New Orleans (2017), and Bull (2018). Her film credits include Mariachi Gringo (2012), The Visit (2015), Breakable You (2017), and Diane (2018).

Jared Mezzocchi Part 2 ”Strive”

Jared Mezzocchi (jaredmezzocchi.com)(TW:@JaredMezzocchi) is an two-time Obie Award-winning theater artist, working most notably as a director and multimedia designer. Mezzocchi’s work has appeared at theaters nationwide, including the Kennedy Center, the Geffen Playhouse, Vineyard Theater, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth (company member), Milwaukee Rep, South Coast Rep, Portland Centerstage, and many more. In 2016, he received an Obie, Lucille Lortel and Henry Hewes Award for his work in Qui Nguyen’s “Vietgone” at the Manhattan Theatre club. In 2020, the New York Times spotlighted his multimedia innovations during the pandemic alongside the work of four other theater artists, including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paula Vogel. His work on Sarah Gancher’s digital premiere of “Russian Troll Farm” (co-director & multimedia designer, and second Obie) was also celebrated as a New York Times critic pick, and praised for being one of the first digitally native successes for virtual theater. Mezzocchi is a two-time Macdowell Artist Fellow, a 2012 Princess Grace Award winner, and is an Associate Professor at The University of Maryland, where he teaches in the MFA Design program for the projection and multimedia track. He grew up in New Hampshire, and returns every summer to serve as Producing Artistic Director of Andy's Summer Playhouse, an innovative children’s theater producing original work by professional artists from across the country. 

Jared Mezzocchi Part 1 ”ViDCo, Theatre, Film & Education”

Jared Mezzocchi (jaredmezzocchi.com)(TW:@JaredMezzocchi) is an two-time Obie Award-winning theater artist, working most notably as a director and multimedia designer. Mezzocchi’s work has appeared at theaters nationwide, including the Kennedy Center, the Geffen Playhouse, Vineyard Theater, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth (company member), Milwaukee Rep, South Coast Rep, Portland Centerstage, and many more. In 2016, he received an Obie, Lucille Lortel and Henry Hewes Award for his work in Qui Nguyen’s “Vietgone” at the Manhattan Theatre club. In 2020, the New York Times spotlighted his multimedia innovations during the pandemic alongside the work of four other theater artists, including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paula Vogel. His work on Sarah Gancher’s digital premiere of “Russian Troll Farm” (co-director & multimedia designer, and second Obie) was also celebrated as a New York Times critic pick, and praised for being one of the first digitally native successes for virtual theater. Mezzocchi is a two-time Macdowell Artist Fellow, a 2012 Princess Grace Award winner, and is an Associate Professor at The University of Maryland, where he teaches in the MFA Design program for the projection and multimedia track. He grew up in New Hampshire, and returns every summer to serve as Producing Artistic Director of Andy's Summer Playhouse, an innovative children’s theater producing original work by professional artists from across the country. 

Keith Sherman Part 2 ”Keep Optimism In Your Heart”

Keith Sherman (ksa-pr.com)(IG:@keithshermanassociates)(heliclinefineart.com) provides diversified public relations and marketing communications services to entertainment, lifestyles, special events, corporate and not-for-profit clients. From his roots on Broadway, Keith has built a distinguished reputation for over 20 years among the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, producers, studio executives, celebrities, and artists for executing effective campaigns and consistently exceeding his clients’ goals. Keith is a hands-on agency distinguished by smart strategic thinking, proactive effort, integrity, personal attention, and a passionate drive to deliver excellent results for the clients we represent.