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All right. Welcome to episode number 17 of the

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Dan Time podcast. I'm your host, Dan McCardell.

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And just as I expressed way back in episode two,

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five, seven last week, I hope you guys might

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get tired of hearing it, but I am so happy to

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have you as a listener. That's right. You. Your

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boss maybe doesn't appreciate you. Your teenager

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is mad at you. You're in the dog house. You can't

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catch a break. But on Dan time, my friend, you

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are appreciated. So thanks for listening. Okay.

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If you had fun with last week's episode featuring

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New Orleans musical theater actor and performer,

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Danny Rubio, you are going to love my guest this

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week. Chicago based EMC actress, singer and creative,

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Danny Pike. That's right. D -A -N -I. Folks,

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I had the best time connecting with Danny for

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this episode. Her talents know no bounds. I went

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into our conversation thinking, okay, when we

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wrap up, I've got to be saying to myself, oh,

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you should have asked this. You should have asked

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that. That's exactly what happened because there's

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just so much to get to with Danny. She was born

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and raised in Houston, Texas. In 2014, Dani won

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the Broadway World Houston Award for Best Supporting

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Actress for her portrayal of Natalie in Next

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to Normal at the Music Box Theater. Dani graduated

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summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University

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in 2019 with her BFA in acting and a minor in

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directing. Dani's stage credits include Audrey

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in Little Shop of Horrors, The Veteran in Gut,

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Anna in Monster Girl, Taryn in Death is So Much

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Worse Natalie, of course, Next to Normal Danny's

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recent portrayal of Audrey in Little Shop of

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Horrors at the Citadel Theater garnered multiple

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positive reviews from Chicago theater critics.

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Chicago On Stage wrote, Pike brought a refreshing

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twist to Audrey's personality. Her rendition

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of Summer That's Green was so much more than

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a daydream ballad. There was heartache in her

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voice, in her expression, and in her thoughtfully

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placed phrasing of the lyrics. And Your Chicago

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Guide wrote, The original Audrey is played by

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Danny Pike. Wow! What a powerhouse! She plays

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the kind Audrey with vulnerability and sweetness.

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And when she sings Somewhere That's Green, you

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can feel the yearning. Her voice fills the theater

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and you're left listening in awe. As a performer,

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Dani's special skills include various dialects,

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stage combat experience, which we talk about

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in this episode, impressions, which include Lorde,

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Gwen Stefani, Kristen Stewart, Adele, Amy Lee.

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As a teaching artist, she offers voice lessons,

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private acting lessons. She's a character actress

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for parties and special events. Danny is also

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a bone cancer survivor and works to raise awareness

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and provide support for those who have been diagnosed

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with chordoma, an extremely rare form of cancer.

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We talk about her diagnosis as a young adult,

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how she handled it, and how it led her to be

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an advocate for others. Be sure to visit DannyPike

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.com. That's D -A -N -I -P -I -K -E .com to read

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all about Danny's story, her productions, to

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watch videos of past performances and to stay

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up to date and even purchase tickets if you'll

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be in Chicago for her upcoming shows. Please,

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if you're in Chicago or if you're going to be

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in the Chicagoland area this December between

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the 20th and the 31st, Danny is portraying Fiona

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in Shrek the Musical. at Center Theater at North

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Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie,

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Illinois, which is northwest of Chicago. There

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are 11 different performances across those dates.

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Go to DannyPike .com right there as you land

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on her page to purchase tickets. One thing I

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want to be very clear about beyond her many accolades

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and credits, Danny is just a wonderful person.

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Her heart is in the right place. She loves to

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perform. She loves to delight audiences and she

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loves to help other people. You can head over

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to the YouTube channel for the Dan Time podcast

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to see the video component of this episode. All

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right. Enough of me talking. Let's get to the

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conversation right now. It is Danny Pike time.

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Danny, it is just wonderful to be talking to

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you today. I love your story. I just can't wait

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to dive in Thanks for making time to be here

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on the Dan time podcast and it's actually officially

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the Danny time podcast for the first time I'm

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so happy to be here. Thank you for having me

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have to represent all of the female Danny's out

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there Yes, well, you're getting you're getting

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it all started Danny you are multifaceted as

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far as your interests your projects your background

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I know you're in Chicago now, but you grew up

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in the south in Houston. Is that correct? Yes,

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born and raised in Houston, Texas. Proudly. I

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love it there. What led you to Chicago? And one

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of the reasons I ask is I was born there and

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when I got, we moved when I was about five and

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we'd go back and visit every couple of years,

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like when I was seven and I just, I loved it.

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And then by the time I was 10 and 12, I was thinking,

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why didn't we spend more time there? I felt like

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I loved the city. And then I did go back in my

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teenage years, my 20s, and I still love Chicago.

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But what's your story on that end? Well, I was

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born and raised in the same block of northeastern

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Houston my whole life up until I went to college.

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And I went to Oklahoma City University where

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I pursued a BFA in acting and a minor in directing

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and took music classes and did all the theater

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fun arts education things. And when I graduated,

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I had some health complications going on, but

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I knew that eventually I would want to move to

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a city where I could more fully pursue my passion,

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which is theater. Houston has a wonderful theater

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scene, but I definitely felt that sort of urge

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that like, I'm young and I just got out of college

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and I want to try something totally different.

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And if I don't like it, fine, but I want to try.

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And my partner, Lucas, and I... We're just, we

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got the opportunity to visit Chicago and we just

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loved it. And we thought, you know what, maybe

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we'll move halfway across the country by ourselves

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and just try it out. And now we've been here

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almost four years, which is crazy, but we just

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love it. I mean, it's unlike any other city I've

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ever visited. It's so unique. And the theater

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scene here in every neighborhood, you can find

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five different storefront theaters. And then

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you also have these big massive theaters and

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these national tours that come through and these

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artists that get flown in from New York. But

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you also have really amazing small storefront

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theater just being made by this community of

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artists here. I've, I've never seen anything

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like it and I'm fully addicted to it and love

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it and think we'll be here for, for a good hot

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minute. Yeah. It feels like there's Like you

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said, you've been there four years, but there's

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a lot of room to explore in Chicago. I know when

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I go to visit, it's always for such a short time,

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you know, if it's a long weekend or a week, it's

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never really enough time to take in everything.

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No, and we moved here right before COVID, like

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weeks. So we still feel, even though it's been

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a few years, we still feel pretty new because

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There's still so much to see and do that we haven't

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even touched yet. So it's exciting Danny, uh

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before I get too deep in the episode I do want

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to promote this month. You are performing as

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fiona in shrek the musical How long have you

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been working on this? Um, tell me a little bit

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about that just the excitement of this role Absolutely.

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Shrek the musical music theater works in Skokie,

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which is on the northwest side of Chicago. It's

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a limited engagement. So it's only the 21st through

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the 31st. It's their like holiday show, but it's

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very, very exciting. Fiona, I played Princess

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Fiona once before in high school. My high school

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did Shrek the musical. So it's been a really.

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incredible full circle moment for me as an artist.

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But we just started rehearsals a few weeks ago

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and me and the delightful young ladies who play

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teenage Fiona and young Fiona just did the Chicago

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Thanksgiving Day Parade. We got to perform at

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7 a .m. in 30 degrees for that. But it was really,

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really cool. The whole team. full of talented

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people, but also full of really kind and compassionate

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and caring people. So that's been really wonderful

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to just, I look forward every night to going

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to rehearsal and seeing those folks and just

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creating magic with them. Some of the most talented

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vocalists too that I've ever worked with in my

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life. So it's just been a... a major blessing

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in every way. And I'm, I'm so excited to get

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moving. We're starting to incorporate like makeup

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and costumes and wigs and it's, it's all starting

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to become real. And I just feel so lucky to be

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a part of it. Hey, one thing I wanted to ask

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about, I guess this is on your resume. You've

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got stage combat experience. Thought that was

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pretty cool. And that's just me maybe not being

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familiar. That may be a pretty common. Well,

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it's, I mean, it's theater is so full of so many

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niches that people can sort of find themselves

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being attracted to. I was really lucky. I loved

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my time at Oklahoma City University and my time

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in the acting program. And I had a really awesome

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movement teacher there named Luke Gatti. And

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they did a really great job of introducing me

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to sort of more advanced stage combat. skills

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and that I've been lucky to work on a number

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of shows here in Chicago that have sort of fed

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that interest of mine. Yeah, the art of creating

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combat or violence or whatever it is on stage

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that looks real and engaging for the audience

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but is also safe and repeatable for the actor.

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It's magic. It's skill and it's a craft that

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you can learn and build upon. And it's something

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that I enjoy every chance I have the opportunity

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to do that. Luckily for me, there's not a whole

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lot of combat for me happening in Shrek. But

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I do, I think that it's an art form. It really

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is creating that experience for the audience

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and keeping your actors safe. It requires a sort

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of really keen attention and skill set. Danny,

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you've got a lot of director and assistant director

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credits. What do you take enjoyment on both ends

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as far as being on stage and being behind the

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scenes? And do you have to kind of switch roles

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a lot during one particular season where you're

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on stage and then you're back to directing? Well,

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since I've moved to Chicago, I've been really

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lucky to be primarily pretty busy with on stage.

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business, acting and singing gigs, but I do have

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such a passion for directing. And when I was

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growing up in Houston, I worked with this amazing

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theater run by Christina Sullivan. She ran a

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program called the Tribble School, which was

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like an educational theater program for kids

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K through 12. And that is sort of how I got into

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theater. So she's like my mentor in life and

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just I'm so inspired by her on a daily basis

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but she still runs the Tribble School at this

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amazing theater in Houston called the Queensbury

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and I taught with them. It was really cool to

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be a student in the Tribble School and then as

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I was going through late high school and into

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college I was able to become a teacher at the

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tribal school and to teach kids and direct my

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favorite was directing the high schoolers. I

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love getting to work with them so I do have a

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really strong passion for directing youth theater.

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I have had the opportunity to assistant direct

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a couple of fully staged adult professional productions

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which is also really amazing. Just as of late

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I found myself There's not enough time in the

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day for me to do all of the things that I would

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love to do. So I found myself on stage much more

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recently, but love directing. And I find that,

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especially directing young people, they have

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a lot more to teach me than I could ever have

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to teach them. And I always feel a huge sense

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of... Luck to just be able to experience that

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and to and also give those kids like I remember

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how important it was to me to be able to have

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that place to go where I was accepted and I could

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do what I liked to do and I Just think there's

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something really really beautiful and special

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about that So hopefully I'll be able to carve

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out more time in the future to get back to some

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of that But that's definitely a huge part of

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my foundation as an artist. Yeah, that really

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stood out to me your interest with Interest in

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working with children with special needs like

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you said high school students where you've got

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a great opportunity to make an impact Maybe at

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a crossroads for them. I mean, I remember when

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I was 17 or 16 and If an adult takes an interest

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in a talent that that you have I mean can it

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can really make like you have a lot of influence

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or sway over which direction they might go like

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they might be down on themselves over a performance

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or some shortcoming that they think they have.

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And there you are to maybe pick them up or give

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them some guidance. Do you enjoy that part of

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it? Absolutely. I mean, that's who Christina

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Sullivan and Luke Robel, who worked with the

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Triple School when I was a high schooler, they

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made me feel like I could do this and like I

00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:59.509
was good enough and I deserve the opportunity

00:14:59.509 --> 00:15:02.649
to do it. And, you know, my high school years

00:15:02.649 --> 00:15:04.870
were tough and they're tough for a lot of kids

00:15:04.870 --> 00:15:08.710
mentally and emotionally. And it was definitely

00:15:08.710 --> 00:15:12.210
a safe haven for me. And being able to create

00:15:12.210 --> 00:15:18.169
that for kids is so magical. I remember I taught

00:15:18.169 --> 00:15:21.509
sixth grade for a little while at a middle school,

00:15:21.509 --> 00:15:24.110
sixth grade introduction to theater. And those

00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:29.360
kids, you know, I was teaching 32 10 year olds

00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:33.100
at a time who had this class for 45 minutes in

00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:35.120
the middle of their 10 other subjects they have

00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.679
that day. But those kids, like when I was able

00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:42.120
to feel that they enjoyed coming to class and

00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:45.480
were excited to be there and to sort of have

00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:50.179
that safe haven to express themselves, that's

00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:54.659
a magical feeling that I'll never get over. I

00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:57.320
actually played Audrey in a production of Little

00:15:57.320 --> 00:16:01.860
Shop of Horrors last fall here on the north side

00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:05.440
of Chicago and there were reviews and critics

00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:07.220
and my friends came and were very supportive

00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:09.919
and that was all that but the number one review

00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:13.139
that stood out to me was there was a 13 year

00:16:13.139 --> 00:16:16.259
old girl who saw the show and she found me on

00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:19.409
Instagram. After the show and messaged me and

00:16:19.409 --> 00:16:22.990
said, Hey, my name's Audrey and I saw you play

00:16:22.990 --> 00:16:25.549
Audrey. And I just wanted to say that like, I've

00:16:25.549 --> 00:16:29.289
always wanted to sing and seeing you saying I'm

00:16:29.289 --> 00:16:31.789
going to join the choir. And I just wanted to

00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:33.950
let you know that like you really, you know,

00:16:34.090 --> 00:16:37.970
inspired me to, to go for it. And that to me

00:16:37.970 --> 00:16:39.629
was like, well, that's the best review that I

00:16:39.629 --> 00:16:41.950
could ever get in a million years. So it doesn't

00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:46.090
get any better than that. That supersedes any.

00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.360
Critics professional reviews that you get that

00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.419
might be glowing, you know, but how can you top

00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:55.480
that? You can't yeah I like what you said also

00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:57.759
about maybe kids that are about 10 years old

00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:01.019
and they can't really act out like this in the

00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:03.840
middle of their school day But here they are

00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:06.619
in a forum where they can let their personality

00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:10.119
shine I'm seeing it with my six my six year old.

00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:13.519
I feel like he's got the bug We get we enrolled

00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:17.430
him in theater camp last summer He's so enjoyed

00:17:17.430 --> 00:17:20.890
it We're gonna find a way to follow up on that.

00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:23.430
I'd like for it to be more than once a year But

00:17:23.430 --> 00:17:26.750
I mean he is always he's always on like he's

00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:30.029
he's just reciting things putting on a show But

00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:31.930
he'll go out in the middle of the yard at eight

00:17:31.930 --> 00:17:34.190
o 'clock at night and I'm just saying what are

00:17:34.190 --> 00:17:39.509
you doing out there? That's wonderful though

00:17:39.710 --> 00:17:42.990
Yeah, I mean, I think theater is so great for

00:17:42.990 --> 00:17:47.470
kids who are interested in it because it's not

00:17:47.470 --> 00:17:49.450
only is it like a creative outlet for all that

00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:51.690
energy they have, but I also think that theater

00:17:51.690 --> 00:17:56.150
teaches kids about individuality. It's okay to

00:17:56.150 --> 00:17:58.269
be yourself exactly as you are. It teaches them

00:17:58.269 --> 00:18:02.349
confidence. It teaches them to stand up and speak

00:18:02.349 --> 00:18:05.710
loudly and clearly. It teaches them to to say

00:18:05.710 --> 00:18:09.069
what they want to say and to stand up for themselves

00:18:09.069 --> 00:18:11.529
and to embrace themselves. I think it teaches

00:18:11.529 --> 00:18:14.769
them a lot of really important social skills

00:18:14.769 --> 00:18:17.450
and just skills for moving through the world

00:18:17.450 --> 00:18:19.930
besides just, you know, how to sing and how to

00:18:19.930 --> 00:18:23.289
dance. Do you think it also allows them to see

00:18:23.289 --> 00:18:27.369
people for who they are and not necessarily what

00:18:27.369 --> 00:18:30.470
they look like? Yeah, I mean the whole message

00:18:30.470 --> 00:18:32.549
of Shrek, like when we did it in high school

00:18:32.549 --> 00:18:35.190
too, it was really cathartic. There's a song

00:18:35.190 --> 00:18:38.589
called Freak Flag, Let Your Freak Flag Fly, and

00:18:38.589 --> 00:18:41.190
it was just everybody, it's all the fairy tale

00:18:41.190 --> 00:18:43.809
creatures celebrating. They sing what makes us

00:18:43.809 --> 00:18:46.390
special, makes us strong. It's just celebrating

00:18:46.390 --> 00:18:48.960
their differences. So the whole message of the

00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:52.200
show is built around this idea that it's okay

00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:55.819
to be exactly who you are. And there was something

00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:58.799
really cathartic about doing that as a high schooler

00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:01.759
because I have goosebumps right now because,

00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:04.339
ah, and to see a group of kids singing that song

00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:07.420
is amazing. And even doing it right now with

00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:10.599
these amazing, you know, professional performers

00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:14.500
that I'm doing it with now, it still holds so

00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:18.599
true. And so valuable, such an important message,

00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:20.920
which, you know, I think some people think Shrek

00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:24.680
the musical, but the message is relevant and

00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:28.680
important and valuable. And I mean, I get emotional

00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:31.440
every time we do the show. And it may seem silly

00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:34.160
because it's a show about a big green ogre. But

00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:37.460
the message is that just still holds so true

00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:42.329
to me personally. And it's. I think people need

00:19:42.329 --> 00:19:45.250
to hear that and be reminded of that. That is

00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:49.349
one of my favorite things about theater and youth

00:19:49.349 --> 00:19:53.069
theater is that message that it does all your

00:19:53.069 --> 00:19:56.730
insecurities. It's about what makes you different

00:19:56.730 --> 00:19:59.130
and what makes you special and sharing that with

00:19:59.130 --> 00:20:03.750
people, having the bravery to do that is, it's

00:20:03.750 --> 00:20:08.349
like a sacred thing. Now you also want to go

00:20:08.349 --> 00:20:10.549
through a few roles that you've played previously

00:20:10.549 --> 00:20:13.890
Natalie and next to normal and if some of these

00:20:13.890 --> 00:20:17.589
jump out is is like Roles that you really enjoyed

00:20:17.589 --> 00:20:20.190
or some of your favorites. Just let me know and

00:20:20.190 --> 00:20:23.430
Deaver and all my sons Yeah, I mean you've just

00:20:23.430 --> 00:20:26.769
named two two of my faves Natalie was my first

00:20:26.769 --> 00:20:29.910
sort of big professional show and I was only

00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:32.089
I think I was 15 when I was cast and I turned

00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:36.099
16 through the course of the show, but that was

00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:39.680
so, so, so special because I was working with

00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:42.799
these actors who were, you know, 10 years and

00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.539
up, older than me. So I just got to be a sponge

00:20:45.539 --> 00:20:49.099
and learn from them and absorb what they had

00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:51.779
to teach me. And that was another show where

00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:56.000
like every single night the emotions were just

00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:01.240
so crazy, goosebumps and tears. And because the...

00:21:01.109 --> 00:21:03.710
The people I was working with were so in it and

00:21:03.710 --> 00:21:06.430
the music just lends itself to, to that level

00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:10.309
of wow. I mean, that's like a top, a top three.

00:21:11.190 --> 00:21:14.349
I don't know if anything can ever touch how just

00:21:14.349 --> 00:21:16.809
how special that was. Um, and Ann Deaver and

00:21:16.809 --> 00:21:19.170
all my sons, that's how I met my partner was

00:21:19.170 --> 00:21:22.549
we played fiancees in that show and then have

00:21:22.549 --> 00:21:25.549
been together ever since. How perfect is that?

00:21:26.150 --> 00:21:32.240
Yeah. Yeah. Have you ever had to This is an odd

00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:35.000
question maybe but have you ever had to interact

00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:37.559
with somebody on stage who you don't have a great

00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:40.140
rapport with and you think Look, I don't know

00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:42.200
why there's some tension here, but there is but

00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:45.619
you you go to the performance and Afterwards,

00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.019
maybe you get along better. Have you ever had

00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:50.980
to work with people that you're just not it nothing's

00:21:50.980 --> 00:21:54.819
really clicking that well off stage, but Absolutely.

00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:59.309
I mean just statistically not everyone that you

00:21:59.309 --> 00:22:01.710
work with is going to just immediately jive with

00:22:01.710 --> 00:22:04.269
and I think it happens a lot in the theater world

00:22:04.269 --> 00:22:06.890
because artists have different styles and different

00:22:06.890 --> 00:22:10.369
ways that they work. Some artists really like

00:22:10.369 --> 00:22:13.329
to goof off and improvise and bring like a wacky

00:22:13.329 --> 00:22:15.450
energy and that helps them. Some artists are

00:22:15.450 --> 00:22:18.650
very, I want to do the booking, listen, leave.

00:22:19.509 --> 00:22:22.490
Not, they have a lot of personal chit chat, that's

00:22:22.490 --> 00:22:24.789
totally fine. Artists have different ways of

00:22:24.789 --> 00:22:28.250
working and some ways jive better than others.

00:22:28.730 --> 00:22:30.509
So definitely had experiences where I'm working

00:22:30.509 --> 00:22:32.950
with an artist and I maybe don't understand the

00:22:32.950 --> 00:22:35.089
way that they work. But what I've learned is

00:22:35.089 --> 00:22:37.789
I don't need to understand. That's what works

00:22:37.789 --> 00:22:40.950
for them. And inevitably, throughout the process,

00:22:41.130 --> 00:22:45.109
if I and you have to find a way to work alongside

00:22:45.109 --> 00:22:47.869
and together with a style that's different than

00:22:47.869 --> 00:22:51.720
yours, you will if you both are are dedicated

00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:53.660
to making the production as good as it can be,

00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:57.140
you will find that balance. I don't have to understand

00:22:57.140 --> 00:22:58.720
why they do everything they do. They probably

00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:01.579
don't understand why I do everything I do. So

00:23:01.579 --> 00:23:03.980
I think coming at it with that mindset, I've

00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:06.319
been lucky to never have an experience where

00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:10.220
we could never find any way to connect. I think

00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:12.160
you just have to come in with that acceptance

00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.740
that artists work differently and not everybody's

00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:18.400
going to work in a way that makes sense to you.

00:23:18.900 --> 00:23:21.940
But I've been really lucky never to have an experience

00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:26.319
where there was absolutely No reconciling our

00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:30.059
different styles kind of like maybe bands There's

00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:32.359
probably there's well -known acts where people

00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:34.240
know. Okay, these two don't really get along

00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:36.599
But there's probably a lot of musical groups

00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:38.900
out there that you wouldn't suspect that the

00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:43.160
bass player and the lead singer are just They're

00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:46.460
not hanging out after the show, but they could

00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:49.599
they could put the performance on together Yeah,

00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:52.160
I mean when you have a group of people in a room

00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:55.839
doing a show chances are they are all in very

00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:59.460
different points of their life and Everyone has

00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:01.299
their own business that they need to take care

00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:04.200
of and I think it's important and it's kind of

00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:07.900
the directors job To create a space that is safe

00:24:07.900 --> 00:24:10.980
and welcoming so that everyone can I had a director

00:24:10.980 --> 00:24:14.440
once who said, you know leave the day before

00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:17.380
you got to rehearsal outside the door and come

00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:21.039
in and have rehearsal, which isn't always possible.

00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:23.099
Sometimes you're at where you're at. You can

00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:25.180
be having the worst day ever, and that's just

00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:27.220
where you're at. But if the director has done

00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:29.539
their job and created a safe room and a safe

00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.779
space, there's an understanding for that. And

00:24:32.779 --> 00:24:34.539
there's compassion for that. And you do what

00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:37.900
you can, and you trust that everyone else will

00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:41.880
help carry the torch and help you through that

00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:45.640
tough time. Well Danny before we go too much

00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:48.119
further I know that there's a cause it's very

00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:50.460
special to you that you want to bring awareness

00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:53.559
to and Something that you've gone through yourself

00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:58.000
a rare form of cancer Cordoma and the Cordoma

00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:01.059
Foundation I'd like to let you speak to that

00:25:01.059 --> 00:25:05.839
a little bit here I feel the need to spell it

00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:09.059
first because It doesn't look how it sounds.

00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:12.980
C -H -O -R -D -O -M -A. And if you go to Cordoma,

00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:15.519
how I just spelled it, .org, you can learn all

00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:18.819
about it. It's an extremely rare bone cancer.

00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:21.059
It's called the one in a million cancer because

00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:23.099
it's diagnosed in one in a million people every

00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:28.160
year. And you can have it, it occurs along the

00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.119
spine. So you can have it at the top of your

00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.099
spine, at the bottom of your spine. I had it

00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:35.000
at the bottom of my spine. I did not know I had

00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:38.539
it at the... bottom of my spine until after some

00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:41.759
experiencing some discomfort and some pain really

00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:46.079
from the time I was 13. Growing up, they thought

00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:49.140
maybe I had a pilonidal cyst on my tailbone,

00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:51.460
which is pretty common in adolescence. They said

00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:54.019
it'll probably just go away on its own. Well,

00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:58.140
little did I know when I was 20 in college. I

00:25:58.140 --> 00:26:00.480
was really struggling, and I was very uncomfortable,

00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:02.759
and I was like, oh, this is kind of embarrassing,

00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:06.299
and I just want to be done with this. And we

00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:09.640
decided to have this cyst removed. And then a

00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:11.740
couple weeks after I had the cyst removed, and

00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:14.140
I thought, great, we're done. I got a phone call

00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:17.819
from Andy Anderson saying, so that was an cyst.

00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:22.299
That was a chordoma, which, of course, I had

00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:24.259
never heard of in my life, but I immediately

00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:26.460
got on the internet and figured out what was

00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:29.900
going on. But I was treated at MD Anderson Houston

00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:33.220
by Dr. Rines. Really cool that you know, that's

00:26:33.220 --> 00:26:35.640
a 45 -minute drive from where my parents lived.

00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:39.819
So this all happened also my last semester of

00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:42.759
college. My final semester of my senior year

00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:44.720
I was diagnosed right at the beginning of the

00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:47.619
semester. That was another example though of

00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:50.000
the magic of theater. I was doing a show when

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:52.640
I was diagnosed and my director let me just sit

00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:55.240
down with the cast and say, hey, this is what's

00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:59.299
going on. I think I'm going to be okay. I just

00:26:59.299 --> 00:27:02.089
wanted to let everyone know. And everyone was

00:27:02.089 --> 00:27:04.630
so supportive and so amazing. And my teachers

00:27:04.630 --> 00:27:06.750
were totally understanding when I had to fly

00:27:06.750 --> 00:27:10.450
home for MRIs and scans and blood work. And Dr.

00:27:10.589 --> 00:27:14.089
Ryan's made a plan for me and said, you're going

00:27:14.089 --> 00:27:18.109
to graduate. And so the day after I graduated,

00:27:18.710 --> 00:27:22.109
I drove from Oklahoma city to Houston. And about

00:27:22.109 --> 00:27:25.829
a week later I was having surgery and I had pretty

00:27:25.829 --> 00:27:28.730
massive surgery to try and just get everything

00:27:28.730 --> 00:27:32.579
out that they thought. could maybe have been

00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:35.599
contaminated by this tumor. And I woke up a couple

00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:38.960
days after surgery and learned how to walk again.

00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:43.259
And my parents were there the whole time. My

00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:46.700
mom never left my side. My partner was there

00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:48.900
for me through the whole thing. I had friends

00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:53.140
and family come and visit and just felt so supported

00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:56.470
and so lucky. And Dr. Rines was phenomenal, the

00:27:56.470 --> 00:27:59.650
whole team at MD Anderson. And they said I'd

00:27:59.650 --> 00:28:01.690
be in the hospital for six weeks after surgery.

00:28:01.690 --> 00:28:04.950
And I went home after two, because the second

00:28:04.950 --> 00:28:07.230
they said, maybe you're ready for PT and OT,

00:28:07.269 --> 00:28:09.670
I said, yes, let's do it. I want to go home and

00:28:09.670 --> 00:28:13.809
see my dogs. And got out of the hospital, kept

00:28:13.809 --> 00:28:17.630
working on PT. And six months after that, less

00:28:17.630 --> 00:28:20.769
than six months after that, I moved halfway across

00:28:20.769 --> 00:28:25.150
the country to Chicago. So I just made my four

00:28:25.150 --> 00:28:28.109
years. tumor free. So everything's still looking

00:28:28.109 --> 00:28:31.349
great. And now the coolest part is I work for

00:28:31.349 --> 00:28:34.049
the Cordoma Foundation. So I get to help other

00:28:34.049 --> 00:28:37.569
patients who are newly diagnosed or dealing with

00:28:37.569 --> 00:28:41.069
a recurrence or working on survivorship. And

00:28:41.069 --> 00:28:44.609
it's, I mean, I still feel so lucky that it's

00:28:44.609 --> 00:28:46.990
hard for me to find the words. It's just so cool

00:28:46.990 --> 00:28:49.450
that I get to help other people who have this.

00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:52.279
Rare crazy thing come into their lives. I I always

00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:55.279
say it's like it's the coolest club that uh,

00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:57.660
no one wants to be a part of Yeah, that's a good

00:28:57.660 --> 00:29:00.039
way of putting it and like you said when you're

00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:04.480
13 14 years old and you've got this pain and

00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:07.920
I mean a one in a million type of diagnosis there

00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:11.339
Your primary care doctor is not gonna not gonna

00:29:11.339 --> 00:29:13.559
discover it. Somebody locally is probably not

00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:16.180
gonna discover not gonna suspect it That's kind

00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:19.490
of a scary situation to be in You just don't

00:29:19.490 --> 00:29:21.309
know what's going on, but all you know is it's

00:29:21.309 --> 00:29:25.910
not going away. And luckily, I guess that with

00:29:25.910 --> 00:29:28.829
them being on to it, maybe being assist at least

00:29:28.829 --> 00:29:32.230
got you into surgery. Yeah. I mean, it's a great

00:29:32.230 --> 00:29:35.809
lesson for me in advocating for yourself. Um,

00:29:35.809 --> 00:29:38.490
anyone who's dealt with any kind of chronic illness

00:29:38.490 --> 00:29:41.750
or rare disease or any kind of health issue,

00:29:42.289 --> 00:29:45.710
you, if you know that something's wrong, you

00:29:45.710 --> 00:29:48.529
have to to voice that and to continue to say,

00:29:48.589 --> 00:29:50.950
you know, something's really not right. I really

00:29:50.950 --> 00:29:53.630
don't feel right about this and to pursue it.

00:29:54.210 --> 00:29:58.650
Because you never know. And with these rare diseases

00:29:58.650 --> 00:30:01.470
like chordoma, a lot of physicians don't even

00:30:01.470 --> 00:30:03.869
know about it. That's something we're working

00:30:03.869 --> 00:30:06.250
on at the foundation is educating more and more

00:30:06.250 --> 00:30:08.789
physicians to be able to at least refer you.

00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:12.299
to a specialist who knows what this is, because

00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:14.779
I hear from patients all the time that after

00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:16.720
they're diagnosed with prodoma and they go back

00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:19.180
to their primary care for a checkup or whatever,

00:30:19.279 --> 00:30:21.819
they'll say, I've never even heard of that. You

00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:24.259
know, their doctor will just say that. And that's,

00:30:24.259 --> 00:30:27.119
it's a crazy feeling, but it, it happens. It

00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:29.940
happens to people. And they had maybe never even

00:30:29.940 --> 00:30:31.680
their doctor, maybe they've never learned to

00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:35.480
that in medical school. Right. Cause it's so

00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:38.480
few and far between that you would ever see it,

00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:41.180
but that's part of what our goal is, is to continue

00:30:41.180 --> 00:30:43.660
to educate more and more medical facilities and

00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:46.299
physicians about the existence of chordoma because

00:30:46.299 --> 00:30:48.799
it's really crucial that you're treated by a

00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:53.279
specialist. Unlucky for me, Dr. Rines is the

00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:54.920
guy, that's what my family always calls him,

00:30:55.019 --> 00:30:59.599
like he's the guy. He immediately comforted us

00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:03.299
with, I know what this is, I can help you, you're

00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:06.619
gonna be great. We got this and every time I

00:31:06.619 --> 00:31:08.839
visit him, I, I just feel like I'm talking to

00:31:08.839 --> 00:31:12.339
a friend, just an incredible physician. Wow.

00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:14.799
That's so great that you're able to now help

00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:18.400
other people in your, in your situation to maybe

00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:20.700
ask the right questions, to push back when they

00:31:20.700 --> 00:31:23.480
need to. Uh, one other thing I also wanted to

00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:26.000
talk about that stood out to me when I was, I

00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:29.359
first visited your website was the anti bullying

00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:33.240
defense league. Well, it's great timing that

00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:35.900
you brought that up. Lots of cool stuff on my

00:31:35.900 --> 00:31:40.259
website, dannypike .com. Anti -Bullying is a

00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:43.799
really cool web series that I got to work on

00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:46.180
almost two years ago now, which is so crazy.

00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:50.079
Film and TV, I love. It's so different from theater.

00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:53.200
Just the timelines of things. Like Shrek, we've

00:31:53.200 --> 00:31:55.000
been rehearsing for a couple weeks and then we'll

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:57.759
do a show for a couple weeks. Anti -bullying,

00:31:57.859 --> 00:31:59.799
we filmed two years ago and it's just now starting

00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:02.220
to hit the festival circuit, which is really,

00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:03.980
really cool. It's actually just now hitting the

00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:06.720
international festival circuit. So hopefully

00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:10.019
very shortly there will be a way for more people

00:32:10.019 --> 00:32:13.140
to watch it online, but that was a really cool,

00:32:13.140 --> 00:32:17.559
an audition that I found online and luckily they

00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:19.640
liked me and I got to be a part of this really

00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:21.559
awesome project with this really awesome team.

00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:25.220
Another example of these artists in Chicago,

00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:28.980
making it happen, creating this art without coming

00:32:28.980 --> 00:32:31.880
from a massive movie studio with millions of

00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:34.140
dollars to spend on something, but still creating

00:32:34.140 --> 00:32:37.019
art that is amazing and wonderful and important.

00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:40.579
And yeah, the whole series, each episode centers

00:32:40.579 --> 00:32:43.160
around a different bully of the main characters.

00:32:43.160 --> 00:32:46.400
And I actually played the bully in one of the

00:32:46.400 --> 00:32:49.200
episodes. So that was also different for me.

00:32:49.519 --> 00:32:52.619
I absolutely loved it. I loved the entire team

00:32:52.619 --> 00:32:55.190
who worked on that. And I'm so excited. that

00:32:55.190 --> 00:32:57.009
it's hitting the festival circuit now because

00:32:57.009 --> 00:33:00.549
I think it's amazing and I'm super proud of it.

00:33:00.950 --> 00:33:04.269
And yeah, I hope that I can share more and maybe

00:33:04.269 --> 00:33:07.190
have the full episode available for people to

00:33:07.190 --> 00:33:10.369
watch on my website soon. Danny, on that note,

00:33:10.430 --> 00:33:13.670
is it exciting sometimes when you get cast in

00:33:13.670 --> 00:33:18.210
an antagonist role or as a villain? And I mean,

00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:19.829
most people, when you're watching a movie, if

00:33:19.829 --> 00:33:21.789
you're of a certain age, you know that the the

00:33:21.789 --> 00:33:23.609
person in that role is probably a nice guy, a

00:33:23.609 --> 00:33:27.460
nice nice woman but uh do you sometimes do you

00:33:27.460 --> 00:33:32.480
enjoy those roles versus the the heroine yeah

00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:35.799
it's it's really interesting i i feel like in

00:33:35.799 --> 00:33:39.259
the past couple of plays i've done here in chicago

00:33:39.259 --> 00:33:43.940
i haven't been um the antagonist but i feel like

00:33:43.940 --> 00:33:47.759
previous to that i in college especially i i

00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:50.660
got to dabble to dip my foot and that in that

00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:53.900
pool a little bit and I do love it. I think that

00:33:53.900 --> 00:33:57.059
it's part of what's magical about theater is

00:33:57.059 --> 00:34:00.819
obviously, you know, I try in my daily life to

00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:03.059
be a good person who does good things and helps

00:34:03.059 --> 00:34:06.519
people. There is something really fun about playing

00:34:06.519 --> 00:34:10.840
a character who is not that way. What I love

00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:13.179
though is that some of the best advice I've ever

00:34:13.179 --> 00:34:16.869
gotten about playing the villain is The villain

00:34:16.869 --> 00:34:19.050
never thinks they're the villain. They think

00:34:19.050 --> 00:34:21.869
they're doing the right thing. They may be selfish.

00:34:22.230 --> 00:34:24.750
They may, you know, have tunnel vision or whatever

00:34:24.750 --> 00:34:27.630
their issues are deep in security or jealousy

00:34:27.630 --> 00:34:31.070
or whatever. But the villain, their perspective,

00:34:32.090 --> 00:34:34.469
they're the hero of their own story. Everyone's

00:34:34.469 --> 00:34:37.409
the hero of their own story. So anti -bullying

00:34:37.409 --> 00:34:39.869
was a really fun experiment with that because

00:34:39.869 --> 00:34:43.570
the whole show is about this bully, but my character...

00:34:43.610 --> 00:34:46.110
would not have perceived themselves as a bully

00:34:46.110 --> 00:34:50.969
and they had quite a bit of a troubling personal

00:34:50.969 --> 00:34:54.329
inner struggle happening just like everyone else

00:34:54.329 --> 00:34:57.150
does so I think there's something really magical

00:34:57.150 --> 00:35:00.570
about making those characters relatable because

00:35:00.570 --> 00:35:02.989
as an audience member you then get to sit there

00:35:02.989 --> 00:35:06.269
and question well I know that's the bad guy kind

00:35:06.269 --> 00:35:08.949
of feel bad for them or oh it kind of stinks

00:35:08.949 --> 00:35:11.429
that that happened to them those sort of moral

00:35:11.429 --> 00:35:14.369
quandaries are part of What I love about theater

00:35:14.369 --> 00:35:16.489
making an audience member really think about

00:35:16.489 --> 00:35:21.309
it and and yeah feel sympathy or empathy um for

00:35:21.309 --> 00:35:24.150
for those types of characters I was going to

00:35:24.150 --> 00:35:27.849
say that with uh playing a villain Maybe you

00:35:27.849 --> 00:35:30.210
have fewer boundaries or you can go past the

00:35:30.210 --> 00:35:33.030
boundaries or let your own personal flair kind

00:35:33.030 --> 00:35:36.949
of uh color that character I was going to mention

00:35:36.949 --> 00:35:39.570
one of the reviews you got for audrey and this

00:35:39.570 --> 00:35:43.099
is from travolta net where they said that Pike's

00:35:43.099 --> 00:35:45.840
Audrey is not an airhead as is typically done.

00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:49.039
She is a smart and sassy woman who has come to

00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:50.719
terms with the idea of being trapped forever

00:35:50.719 --> 00:35:53.079
on Skid Row. However, that doesn't stop her from

00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:55.780
dreaming of a life in the suburbs. That stuck

00:35:55.780 --> 00:35:59.079
out at me that they recognize that you made that

00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:01.880
character your own and didn't just follow the

00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:04.820
script, I guess, of previous interpretations.

00:36:05.739 --> 00:36:08.440
Sure. I mean, Little Shop of Horrors is so iconic

00:36:08.440 --> 00:36:12.780
that a lot of productions, there's an urge and

00:36:12.780 --> 00:36:17.000
a tendency to sort of reproduce the magic of

00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:20.159
the iconic original because it's amazing. And

00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:22.500
that's just compliments to the original. But

00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:24.460
what was really amazing about that production

00:36:24.460 --> 00:36:28.639
and the director, Matt Seiler is just a masterful

00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.820
director and now a dear friend and so grateful

00:36:31.820 --> 00:36:34.960
that I got to work with them. From the first

00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:38.469
day of rehearsal, you know, I guess they saw

00:36:38.469 --> 00:36:41.670
something in my audition that they felt was different

00:36:41.670 --> 00:36:45.010
but authentic and sort of inspired this idea.

00:36:45.090 --> 00:36:46.849
And we really got to talking about it. One of

00:36:46.849 --> 00:36:50.210
my favorite sort of ways to summarize that was

00:36:50.210 --> 00:36:54.989
the idea that Audrey isn't stupid. She's kind.

00:36:55.349 --> 00:36:58.269
Coming at it from that angle that, you know,

00:36:58.530 --> 00:37:01.269
it meant a lot to me too, just as a woman and

00:37:01.269 --> 00:37:04.989
as a feminist doing this sort of iconic. role,

00:37:05.469 --> 00:37:08.230
a woman who's really only appreciated for her

00:37:08.230 --> 00:37:11.070
looks and not, you know, the depth and intelligence

00:37:11.070 --> 00:37:14.690
of who she is, getting to bring a sort of different

00:37:14.690 --> 00:37:18.949
sense of authenticity to that was just one of

00:37:18.949 --> 00:37:20.989
the greatest joys of my life. I said Natalie

00:37:20.989 --> 00:37:24.690
was in my top three. Audrey is 100 % also in

00:37:24.690 --> 00:37:27.789
my top three for that reason, because it became

00:37:27.789 --> 00:37:33.920
sort of a story about Defying, yeah, the expectations

00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:37.579
and being a real person. And that can be hard

00:37:37.579 --> 00:37:40.440
sometimes in these big theatrical stories that

00:37:40.440 --> 00:37:43.679
don't always stick to super realistic things

00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:46.360
that would happen every day. Being able to still

00:37:46.360 --> 00:37:49.059
be a real person in that and bring humanity to

00:37:49.059 --> 00:37:55.179
that in a different way. It's so creatively satisfying

00:37:55.179 --> 00:38:00.400
and encouraging and it just like feeds my fire.

00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:02.840
If that's, I guess that's one way to put it.

00:38:03.239 --> 00:38:06.260
Absolutely. Danny, do you have some things that

00:38:06.260 --> 00:38:09.460
you like to do? I asked the previous guest, um,

00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:12.900
last week before a show, or do you have to have

00:38:12.900 --> 00:38:15.699
a certain breakfast or have your coffee? And

00:38:15.699 --> 00:38:18.300
if something's not quite right, it's not gonna

00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:20.760
go the way you want it to. Do you have some of

00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:24.000
those routines or any rituals that, that you

00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:28.789
do? I usually create a playlist. for the character

00:38:28.789 --> 00:38:32.489
that I'm playing to sort of have on before the

00:38:32.489 --> 00:38:35.650
show kind of to get me into a mindset, I find

00:38:35.650 --> 00:38:39.530
music really speaks to me that way. But my biggest

00:38:39.530 --> 00:38:42.409
thing that's been since I was a kid, I guess

00:38:42.409 --> 00:38:46.030
my grandmother used to always make me tea, just

00:38:46.030 --> 00:38:51.420
black tea with a little bit of cream. I have

00:38:51.420 --> 00:38:54.219
to have it before a show. I always show up even

00:38:54.219 --> 00:38:56.960
to most rehearsals with tea. I'm a big coffee

00:38:56.960 --> 00:38:58.440
drinker and I drink coffee in the morning, but

00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:01.219
that's probably my biggest ritual is that making

00:39:01.219 --> 00:39:03.699
that tea, it kind of reminds me of my mom and

00:39:03.699 --> 00:39:07.760
my grandmother. And I sort of feel that inspiration

00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:12.179
from them. And then my music between those things,

00:39:12.420 --> 00:39:16.199
I feel like most of the time it's just about

00:39:16.199 --> 00:39:20.860
showing up ready to let whatever happens. Happen

00:39:20.860 --> 00:39:24.159
and what's it like when a performance is over?

00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:27.960
When you do a multi -night performance Do you

00:39:27.960 --> 00:39:30.199
go through a stretch where you're kind of depressed

00:39:30.199 --> 00:39:32.940
that oh, I don't get to do that anymore Or are

00:39:32.940 --> 00:39:36.099
you kind of relieved or like oh that was great

00:39:36.099 --> 00:39:39.460
Who and you exhale or how do you feel like that

00:39:39.460 --> 00:39:42.360
next day or just that that night after the last

00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:46.690
one? It definitely depends on the process, but

00:39:46.690 --> 00:39:48.789
a lot of theater artists will refer to it as

00:39:48.789 --> 00:39:52.250
post -show blues or post -show depression. It's

00:39:52.250 --> 00:39:56.449
very real. I probably am feeling already very

00:39:56.449 --> 00:39:59.949
attached to this team with Shrek. And since it's

00:39:59.949 --> 00:40:03.010
a limited engagement, I think I will definitely

00:40:03.010 --> 00:40:06.219
be. you know, sad. I wish I could do that forever.

00:40:06.380 --> 00:40:08.179
I felt that way with Next Normal, certainly,

00:40:08.260 --> 00:40:10.840
and Little Shop. I could do this for years. I

00:40:10.840 --> 00:40:13.099
could do this forever. I love these people. But

00:40:13.099 --> 00:40:15.340
there's also something really special about being

00:40:15.340 --> 00:40:18.440
able to look back on those stretches of time

00:40:18.440 --> 00:40:21.519
and treasure them for what they were and when

00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:25.699
they were. And just the gratitude aspect of it

00:40:25.699 --> 00:40:30.380
helps me avoid the sadness of it's inevitable,

00:40:30.380 --> 00:40:33.099
you know, that you feel Sad and you miss it,

00:40:33.119 --> 00:40:36.760
but it's how wonderful to have had an experience

00:40:36.760 --> 00:40:41.139
so amazing that you feel that way. So the gratitude

00:40:41.139 --> 00:40:44.400
helps me combat that, but it definitely, I get

00:40:44.400 --> 00:40:48.079
the post show blues. Definitely. Yeah. But like

00:40:48.079 --> 00:40:51.139
you said, you can appreciate all the little moments

00:40:51.139 --> 00:40:53.579
of that production because you probably know

00:40:53.579 --> 00:40:57.219
with each one, I, this is this, we're in a limited

00:40:57.219 --> 00:41:00.440
period of time here and I'm just going to soak

00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:04.440
it up. Yes. And I'm grateful for every project

00:41:04.440 --> 00:41:08.079
I've worked on. There of course are certain projects

00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:11.659
that really do feel you have a moment of recognition

00:41:11.659 --> 00:41:14.940
of, oh, this is really special. This is, I'm

00:41:14.940 --> 00:41:17.480
going to remember this for a long time. And it's

00:41:17.480 --> 00:41:20.460
experiences like next to normal and all my sons

00:41:20.460 --> 00:41:23.179
and little shop where I definitely had those

00:41:23.179 --> 00:41:26.199
feelings of, oh, this is, this is one of those,

00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:30.989
this has changed me as a person. experience this

00:41:30.989 --> 00:41:34.489
growth and I'll always get to look back on that

00:41:34.489 --> 00:41:37.750
with gratitude. Danny, what are some things that

00:41:37.750 --> 00:41:40.090
you like to do in Chicago when you've got maybe

00:41:40.090 --> 00:41:43.690
a whole day or a couple of days? And I mean,

00:41:43.690 --> 00:41:45.949
you probably had a chance to go see and do a

00:41:45.949 --> 00:41:49.429
lot, but do you have some favorite spots or places

00:41:49.429 --> 00:41:53.179
to visit around town or just hangouts? I love

00:41:53.179 --> 00:41:55.900
to support storefront theater because it's part

00:41:55.900 --> 00:41:58.139
of what makes Chicago so magical. My favorite

00:41:58.139 --> 00:42:00.699
theater here is actually a red orchid, which

00:42:00.699 --> 00:42:03.219
is Michael Shannon's theater. He's an actor,

00:42:04.300 --> 00:42:07.119
one of those actors where I feel like if I show

00:42:07.119 --> 00:42:08.699
you a picture of him, people are like, oh yeah,

00:42:08.860 --> 00:42:12.340
that guy, he's been in... stuff. His theater

00:42:12.340 --> 00:42:14.860
here does amazing work and my partner and I love

00:42:14.860 --> 00:42:17.179
to go to shows and obviously support theater

00:42:17.179 --> 00:42:19.719
around the city. I'm also a huge book nerd so

00:42:19.719 --> 00:42:23.159
I love all of Chicago's little local small businesses

00:42:23.159 --> 00:42:26.699
and their bookstores. I could spend hours doing

00:42:26.699 --> 00:42:30.780
that and the food in Chicago obviously is amazing

00:42:30.780 --> 00:42:33.820
so my partner and I love to you know support

00:42:33.820 --> 00:42:37.199
our local restaurants as well. I just think it's

00:42:37.199 --> 00:42:39.039
amazing that Chicago there are lots of great

00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:41.719
chains here and great big shopping experiences

00:42:41.719 --> 00:42:44.219
but the small businesses and the local restaurants

00:42:44.219 --> 00:42:46.719
and the mom and pop shops and the family -owned

00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:50.039
bookstores and all of those places I find are

00:42:50.039 --> 00:42:53.619
magical and there's like I said there's not enough

00:42:53.619 --> 00:42:56.530
time in the day to to see it all and to do it

00:42:56.530 --> 00:42:59.269
all. But, um, being able to, to just support

00:42:59.269 --> 00:43:01.969
those and, and there's something so magical about

00:43:01.969 --> 00:43:04.849
them that I don't think I'll ever run out of,

00:43:04.849 --> 00:43:08.889
of places to, to go explore. Now are you into

00:43:08.889 --> 00:43:11.170
the Cubs, the Sox, the Blackhawks, any of that

00:43:11.170 --> 00:43:14.429
stuff? I've been to one Sox game being raised

00:43:14.429 --> 00:43:18.409
in Houston. I am an Astros fan. I have a huge

00:43:18.409 --> 00:43:21.570
Astros fan. So, you know, but I do enjoy, I've

00:43:21.570 --> 00:43:23.389
been to a Sox game, which was fine. I've been

00:43:23.389 --> 00:43:26.809
to a few Cubs games and you know, the games are

00:43:26.809 --> 00:43:29.710
just so fun. Wrigley is so iconic. It's a great

00:43:29.710 --> 00:43:31.750
time. Of course I'll root for the Cubs when I'm

00:43:31.750 --> 00:43:34.590
there. Um, but most of the time I'm, I'm supporting

00:43:34.590 --> 00:43:39.070
my Astros from afar. Yeah. You hang on to your

00:43:39.070 --> 00:43:43.630
original team. That's for sure. What about, do

00:43:43.630 --> 00:43:45.789
you take the L? Do you go put, do you, when you

00:43:45.789 --> 00:43:48.690
go around the city, is that your primary? I loved

00:43:48.690 --> 00:43:51.280
it. When I was up there in my 20s, it's been

00:43:51.280 --> 00:43:54.159
a little while now, but. Yeah, my partner and

00:43:54.159 --> 00:43:57.039
I do not have a car. We are public transit people.

00:43:57.719 --> 00:44:00.780
We live about an eight minute walk from the Red

00:44:00.780 --> 00:44:04.219
Line, which is the busiest line in all of Chicago,

00:44:05.199 --> 00:44:07.460
which takes us straight downtown. We can get

00:44:07.460 --> 00:44:10.559
there in... Less than 45 minutes. I take the

00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:12.699
train to rehearsals for my show. I take the red

00:44:12.699 --> 00:44:14.800
line to the purple line. We also live right by

00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:18.699
a bus that can take us downtown. We really rely

00:44:18.699 --> 00:44:21.980
on transit. And I think it's amazing to have

00:44:21.980 --> 00:44:25.679
such an amazing public transit system. A lot

00:44:25.679 --> 00:44:29.019
of my friends who live in LA or still live in

00:44:29.019 --> 00:44:31.440
Texas or Oklahoma, when they come visit, that

00:44:31.440 --> 00:44:33.500
is one of the things they always say is the public

00:44:33.500 --> 00:44:36.780
transit is you really don't need to have a car

00:44:36.780 --> 00:44:39.960
here. It's really amazing. So I'm super grateful

00:44:39.960 --> 00:44:42.940
for it. There are times where, for just the sheer

00:44:42.940 --> 00:44:44.559
convenience of it. I'm like, ah, it'd be nice

00:44:44.559 --> 00:44:47.119
to just be able to hop in my car and go. But

00:44:47.119 --> 00:44:50.119
I, I feel really grateful that we get everywhere

00:44:50.119 --> 00:44:53.019
we need to go with public transit. Yeah. I remember

00:44:53.019 --> 00:44:55.639
staying, I was 16 years old up there a long time

00:44:55.639 --> 00:44:59.739
ago and I was staying at a youth hostel around

00:44:59.739 --> 00:45:03.440
state street and Roosevelt maybe, and went to

00:45:03.440 --> 00:45:06.949
a concert at Rosemont horizon. and took the red

00:45:06.949 --> 00:45:09.010
line against the blue line, and I don't know

00:45:09.010 --> 00:45:12.210
how long it is to get up there, but it was pretty

00:45:12.210 --> 00:45:13.969
straightforward. I think that hostel is still

00:45:13.969 --> 00:45:16.409
there. I think I know the exact one you're talking

00:45:16.409 --> 00:45:20.250
about. It's Jane Roosevelt. Plymouth Court. Yeah,

00:45:20.489 --> 00:45:24.750
I'm 99 % sure there's still a hostel there. But

00:45:24.750 --> 00:45:27.710
yeah, it's really great to be able to just hop

00:45:27.710 --> 00:45:30.010
on a bus and take the bus to the training or

00:45:30.010 --> 00:45:32.960
take the train to the bus. Once you kind of,

00:45:32.980 --> 00:45:34.800
when I first moved here, I was a little intimidated.

00:45:35.179 --> 00:45:37.820
How am I ever going to learn this? But now it's

00:45:37.820 --> 00:45:40.940
second nature and gets me everywhere I need to

00:45:40.940 --> 00:45:44.639
go. Okay. Well, we could keep going. I probably

00:45:44.639 --> 00:45:46.980
say this every episode, but I just so enjoy the

00:45:46.980 --> 00:45:49.039
guests that I have on and you particularly, Danny,

00:45:49.300 --> 00:45:53.099
I just, wow. I mean, your, your resume speaks

00:45:53.099 --> 00:45:55.559
for itself, your credentials. I want, I want

00:45:55.559 --> 00:45:58.480
to ask about every production, every writing

00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:01.760
credit that you've had, but Maybe we'll do a

00:46:01.760 --> 00:46:03.659
follow up episode if you'd like to come back

00:46:03.659 --> 00:46:07.559
on later in 2024 would be perfect. I love all

00:46:07.559 --> 00:46:10.400
this Chicago talk too. I got to get back up there.

00:46:11.099 --> 00:46:13.559
It's, it's awesome. Every time one of my friends

00:46:13.559 --> 00:46:16.739
thinks about visiting, I'm yes, get up here.

00:46:16.820 --> 00:46:18.519
You're going to love it. Everyone always does.

00:46:18.780 --> 00:46:21.679
There's just something about Chicago. It's amazing.

00:46:22.219 --> 00:46:24.679
Now in the dead of winter, because I know there's,

00:46:24.739 --> 00:46:27.019
there's always those Chicago blizzards and stuff.

00:46:27.639 --> 00:46:32.179
How do you deal with Those times and those nights

00:46:32.179 --> 00:46:33.679
where you want to go out and do something but

00:46:33.679 --> 00:46:37.340
man it is freezing and what do you? Do you hibernate

00:46:37.340 --> 00:46:40.760
a little bit does everyone have to? Well, it

00:46:40.760 --> 00:46:44.059
just the winters are hard. They're hard. I mean

00:46:44.059 --> 00:46:45.860
it for me I was born and raised in the South

00:46:45.860 --> 00:46:49.559
where and Houston it was like in the 60s on Christmas

00:46:49.559 --> 00:46:54.659
usually so I used to This level of cold so I

00:46:54.659 --> 00:46:57.840
learned very quickly the value of layering gloves

00:46:57.840 --> 00:47:02.780
and long socks and boots and a real coat. I didn't

00:47:02.780 --> 00:47:05.719
know that I never owned a real coat until I moved

00:47:05.719 --> 00:47:08.880
here and was like, oh, my jacket, not a coat.

00:47:08.900 --> 00:47:12.760
I need a real winter coat. It just gets dark

00:47:12.760 --> 00:47:16.179
so early. I think that's the hardest part in

00:47:16.179 --> 00:47:18.199
the winter is it gets, you know, it's dark by

00:47:18.199 --> 00:47:22.239
5 PM. So you're leaving work or going to rehearsal

00:47:22.239 --> 00:47:25.039
and it's already dark and it's cold. So it's

00:47:25.260 --> 00:47:28.260
It can be taxing mentally, so I think you have

00:47:28.260 --> 00:47:30.840
to find ways to combat it. For me, it's when

00:47:30.840 --> 00:47:33.219
I can find the balance where I'm eating right

00:47:33.219 --> 00:47:36.079
and I'm doing some sort of physical activity

00:47:36.079 --> 00:47:39.940
or working out and kind of finding a good routine.

00:47:40.260 --> 00:47:44.300
That really helps because it can definitely be

00:47:44.300 --> 00:47:46.920
easy to just sort of want to stay under a blanket

00:47:46.920 --> 00:47:51.079
and not bother with it, which that's okay, too,

00:47:51.079 --> 00:47:53.380
to do that sometimes. And I definitely still

00:47:53.380 --> 00:47:56.980
do that. But I mean, the summers here are so

00:47:56.980 --> 00:48:00.280
beautiful. As soon as we get our first like 65

00:48:00.280 --> 00:48:03.260
and sunny day, I somehow magically forget how

00:48:03.260 --> 00:48:06.139
brutal the winter was until it comes around again.

00:48:07.380 --> 00:48:10.179
So pros and cons. And then everyone probably

00:48:10.179 --> 00:48:13.000
just comes out in droves. I can, I kind of remember

00:48:13.000 --> 00:48:15.940
you start to see all the cyclists come out, all

00:48:15.940 --> 00:48:18.860
the joggers and everyone's out in the lakefront

00:48:18.860 --> 00:48:23.679
and lakeshore drive. I live right on Lake Michigan.

00:48:23.869 --> 00:48:26.130
So I love being able to see it from my window.

00:48:26.269 --> 00:48:28.269
In the winter, it is hard because it's windy,

00:48:28.550 --> 00:48:31.250
but the winter is also beautiful in its own way.

00:48:31.769 --> 00:48:34.429
Everybody puts up lights. All the buildings put

00:48:34.429 --> 00:48:36.469
up some kind of lights. People put lights on

00:48:36.469 --> 00:48:39.849
the trees and the snow kind of mutes the sound

00:48:39.849 --> 00:48:42.210
of the city and makes it a little quieter. So

00:48:42.210 --> 00:48:44.510
there's something really magical and beautiful

00:48:44.510 --> 00:48:47.329
about the winter. There are days though where,

00:48:47.409 --> 00:48:51.860
yeah, it's so cold that it just hurts. Okay.

00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:54.539
Well, I got maybe two or three just random questions.

00:48:54.559 --> 00:48:58.219
I always pop in here. Um, do you have an art

00:48:58.219 --> 00:49:00.139
musical artist or a band that you really like

00:49:00.139 --> 00:49:02.619
right now or someone that's on your plays playlist

00:49:02.619 --> 00:49:05.719
that you'd like to give some attention to? I,

00:49:06.119 --> 00:49:07.920
one of my favorite bands of all time that my

00:49:07.920 --> 00:49:10.519
partner and I got to see here in Chicago last

00:49:10.519 --> 00:49:14.300
year, um, this band called the Decemberists that

00:49:14.300 --> 00:49:16.820
sometimes I say that we're like, yeah, the Decemberists.

00:49:16.860 --> 00:49:18.179
And sometimes we were like, I've never heard

00:49:18.179 --> 00:49:21.849
of them in my life. They are, I tell everyone

00:49:21.849 --> 00:49:23.329
if they're like, Oh, I'm kind of looking for

00:49:23.329 --> 00:49:25.070
something new to listen to. Have you tried the

00:49:25.070 --> 00:49:28.090
Decemberists? They to me are a master class in

00:49:28.090 --> 00:49:30.969
storytelling through song. Every song of theirs

00:49:30.969 --> 00:49:34.789
is like an emotionally investing story. And I

00:49:34.789 --> 00:49:38.369
never get tired of them. I've heard, I know about

00:49:38.369 --> 00:49:40.670
them, but now that you mentioned it, I've got

00:49:40.670 --> 00:49:43.369
to listen to them. Cause that's, I love asking

00:49:43.369 --> 00:49:46.909
this question because I always get Groups or

00:49:46.909 --> 00:49:49.150
artists that I haven't heard of or haven't listened

00:49:49.150 --> 00:49:53.110
to so I'm gonna check them out for sure Should

00:49:53.110 --> 00:49:56.250
let me know if you like them Okay, if you have

00:49:56.250 --> 00:49:59.929
a vacation destination between these two spots,

00:50:00.289 --> 00:50:03.570
where are you going? Would it be the Grand Canyon

00:50:03.570 --> 00:50:08.030
or? Let's just say the Atlantic Coast. Are you

00:50:08.030 --> 00:50:10.429
a beach person? Do you like I'm on the Gulf Coast?

00:50:10.429 --> 00:50:11.929
I was gonna throw that out there, but I was trying

00:50:11.929 --> 00:50:13.909
to be a little different with the question but

00:50:14.030 --> 00:50:19.530
Do you like the beach? Yes, I do. There's something

00:50:19.530 --> 00:50:22.530
about the ocean. I really do just love being

00:50:22.530 --> 00:50:25.349
by the ocean. Something about being close enough

00:50:25.349 --> 00:50:27.670
that you can hear it or sort of smell and taste

00:50:27.670 --> 00:50:31.960
the salt. That will always really comfort me.

00:50:32.260 --> 00:50:34.860
My mom was born and raised in Philly, so I had

00:50:34.860 --> 00:50:37.199
some family in New Jersey growing up, so I got

00:50:37.199 --> 00:50:39.280
to visit the Jersey Shore. My partner's from

00:50:39.280 --> 00:50:42.039
Rhode Island, so I've been really lucky to visit

00:50:42.039 --> 00:50:45.920
Rhode Island. I do love the coast. I think I'd

00:50:45.920 --> 00:50:48.519
have to say the coast. I went to the Grand Canyon

00:50:48.519 --> 00:50:50.699
once when I was a kid, and it was awesome, but

00:50:50.699 --> 00:50:52.679
there's something about being close to the ocean

00:50:52.679 --> 00:50:58.199
that I find just invigorating. Do you have all

00:50:58.199 --> 00:51:00.699
right if you're going to meet somebody for breakfast

00:51:00.699 --> 00:51:04.840
What are you a breakfast food fan? I'm a huge

00:51:04.840 --> 00:51:06.840
breakfast food fan I think this is why this question

00:51:06.840 --> 00:51:08.980
has come up at least one other time in the past

00:51:08.980 --> 00:51:10.519
Do you have something that you're like all right?

00:51:10.519 --> 00:51:12.820
It's definitely gonna be the French toast definitely

00:51:12.820 --> 00:51:15.920
gonna be this because I Have I go eat with people

00:51:15.920 --> 00:51:17.420
either sometimes my wife doesn't even look at

00:51:17.420 --> 00:51:19.460
the menu. She's like I'm getting the French toast

00:51:19.460 --> 00:51:26.119
I am a huge eggs Benedict fan and something that

00:51:25.980 --> 00:51:29.760
I'm kind of proud of is that I have tried so

00:51:29.760 --> 00:51:33.619
many varieties of eggs benedict. I've tried barbecue

00:51:33.619 --> 00:51:36.239
eggs benedict. I've tried seafood eggs benedict

00:51:36.239 --> 00:51:38.760
with crab, but also with lobster. I've tried

00:51:38.760 --> 00:51:40.780
traditional eggs benedict. I've tried French

00:51:40.780 --> 00:51:43.900
toast eggs benedict. I've tried. If they have

00:51:43.900 --> 00:51:46.920
like a unique eggs benedict on the menu, I'm

00:51:46.920 --> 00:51:50.019
going to get it. Um, and I love it. And I, I

00:51:50.019 --> 00:51:53.579
don't think I'll ever be able to resist. Can't

00:51:53.579 --> 00:51:57.849
go wrong there. Okay, I got some more but let's

00:51:57.849 --> 00:52:01.610
uh, I'm sure you've got other commitments too.

00:52:01.610 --> 00:52:03.289
You've given me a lot of your time here. This

00:52:03.289 --> 00:52:05.869
has been such a blast talking to you today, Dani.

00:52:06.670 --> 00:52:09.829
And everyone out there, if you're in Skokie,

00:52:09.849 --> 00:52:12.369
is that right? Yeah, Skokie is where the show's

00:52:12.369 --> 00:52:16.510
at. Okay, for Shrek the Musical, Dani is portraying

00:52:16.510 --> 00:52:19.159
Fiona. You won't want to miss it. Make sure you

00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:21.900
go to her website because you can see some videos

00:52:21.900 --> 00:52:26.019
on dannypike .com of past performances and just

00:52:26.019 --> 00:52:29.780
read all about her. Danny, this has been wonderful.

00:52:30.320 --> 00:52:34.059
Please let's make a commitment for another episode

00:52:34.059 --> 00:52:36.300
to talk about what you're doing later in 2024.

00:52:37.340 --> 00:52:39.599
Absolutely. This was just an absolute pleasure.

00:52:39.880 --> 00:52:42.840
Thanks so much for finding me and reaching out.

00:52:42.860 --> 00:52:45.039
This is such an awesome, unique opportunity,

00:52:45.039 --> 00:52:47.219
and I've just really enjoyed talking to you.

00:52:47.539 --> 00:52:49.260
And absolutely, I'd do it again at Heartbeat.

00:52:49.820 --> 00:52:52.059
Well, you'll always have the distinction as the

00:52:52.059 --> 00:52:57.179
first Danny on the show. Honored. Okay, folks.

00:52:57.260 --> 00:52:59.340
Well, that's it for this episode of Dan Time.

00:53:00.199 --> 00:53:03.219
And remember, I always say that, remember, I

00:53:03.219 --> 00:53:05.900
don't always know where I'm going with it, but...

00:53:05.900 --> 00:53:09.880
If you've got a chance to influence children,

00:53:09.920 --> 00:53:13.320
whether they're 10, high school age, sometimes

00:53:13.320 --> 00:53:15.559
you don't get that direct opportunity. But if

00:53:15.559 --> 00:53:18.619
you can get involved, if you're in the theater

00:53:18.619 --> 00:53:21.940
realm, you got a chance to make an impact on

00:53:21.940 --> 00:53:25.239
people and special needs too. I just so appreciate

00:53:25.239 --> 00:53:28.579
that about you, Danny, because I have a couple

00:53:28.579 --> 00:53:32.639
of special needs cousins and there is talent

00:53:32.639 --> 00:53:36.360
there. And sometimes these are the the happiest

00:53:36.360 --> 00:53:38.960
people you will meet, the warmest people you

00:53:38.960 --> 00:53:41.159
will meet. And I just love that you're involved

00:53:41.159 --> 00:53:43.900
with them as well. But yeah, let me wrap up my

00:53:43.900 --> 00:53:46.880
remember part here. Remember to just take advantage

00:53:46.880 --> 00:53:49.019
of these opportunities as they come your way

00:53:49.019 --> 00:53:55.059
and go up to Chicago and see Danny perform sometime

00:53:55.059 --> 00:53:57.420
in 2024. I'm sure there's going to be other productions

00:53:57.420 --> 00:54:00.840
coming up. We didn't we didn't quite get to American

00:54:00.840 --> 00:54:05.309
schemers, but I will put in a plug. Uh, on the

00:54:05.309 --> 00:54:10.329
socials for that. All right. Well, you guys have

00:54:10.329 --> 00:54:13.190
a great rest of the week and don't forget to

00:54:13.190 --> 00:54:15.789
make a difference in somebody's life, big or

00:54:15.789 --> 00:54:18.989
small during your week. Thank you, Danny. We'll

00:54:18.989 --> 00:54:21.469
see you next Sunday on the Dan time podcast.

00:54:21.929 --> 00:54:29.289
Thank you. All right. If you love that episode,

00:54:29.309 --> 00:54:32.349
if you're enjoying the Dan time podcast. Be sure

00:54:32.349 --> 00:54:34.650
to download and subscribe so you never miss an

00:54:34.650 --> 00:54:38.530
episode. You can reach me at dantimepod at gmail

00:54:38.530 --> 00:54:41.750
.com. If you really want to connect with Dantime

00:54:41.750 --> 00:54:44.210
through the week, visit any of the social media

00:54:44.210 --> 00:54:47.889
pages. I'm on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.

00:54:48.349 --> 00:54:52.250
You can't miss me. I don't think. Um, and if

00:54:52.250 --> 00:54:54.829
nothing else, as I've said before, just talk

00:54:54.829 --> 00:54:56.429
about the show. If you're having a good time

00:54:56.429 --> 00:54:58.710
with it, tell your friends about it, send a text

00:54:58.710 --> 00:55:02.309
about it. I appreciate you as a listener. Hope

00:55:02.309 --> 00:55:04.489
you have a great week. I'll see you next Sunday.