← All Of It with Alison Stewart
All Of It with Alison Stewart
Live Music From the Cast of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'
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- [00:00]
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- [00:51]
Kevin McHale
Your vehicle doesn't just get you from here to there.
- [00:54]
Liana Rae Concepcion
It's a bridge to the people and place matter most.
- [00:59]
Kevin McHale
It's how you show up for your
- [01:00]
Liana Rae Concepcion
family, your community and everyone else that depends on you. That's why for 125 years Firestone has been building tires with one thing in to deliver products that are as reliable as you are. Firestone always dependable since 1900.
- [01:29]
Alison Stewart
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Thank you for joining us for part of your day. We started the show with Broadway on the Radio about the musical Chess. And before the break we heard from Grandmaster Judith Polgar, who earned her title when she was middle school aged. Now we'll turn to another musical, this one off Broadway about middle schoolers competing in a very different kind of mind game. It has been 20 years since the debut of the Broadway show the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and now it's back on stage, an acclaimed revival. The eclectic crew of middle schoolers has returned with all their character quirks and hilarious songs, and some of them joined us in WNYC's studio for some conversation and to perform some of the music from the show. We'll hear from Kevin McHale, who plays the gifted and confident William Barfay Tony nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers, who stars as the talented and friendly Olive Ostrovsky Tony nominee Justin Cooley, AKA Leaf Coney Bear, the unlikely and endearing contestant and Liana Rae Concepcion, who plays the prolific polyglot Marcy Park. The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has been extended all the way through September at New world stages on 50th street, so you still have plenty of time to see it so let's get into that conversation with some music. The cast started out with a song called My friend the Dictionary.
- [03:01]
Elizabeth Doran
I saved a chair for my dad in the eighth row on the aisle and it may take him a while, but when he gets here, that's his chair. Because my mother's in an ashram in India and I saved a chair for her too, Though it's merely symbolic, as daily she cleanses herself in the Ganges and I live in a house where there's an oversized dictionary that I read as a girl on the toilet. I love my dictionary and I love the indented border. Every word's an alphabetical order Order, Ergo, lost things always can be found. And I wrap my head around the fact that in one book is the entire language of our species, which is a favorite term of Nietzsche's, who is the great grandfather of Christina Ricci's. Yes, I joke but the words in the dictionary are the friends that I'll have forever more than the friends friends I have made in school.
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Kevin McHale
She's such a lovely girl With a lovely little voice
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Liana Rae Concepcion
and I heard that
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Elizabeth Doran
she's pro choice Though still a virgin
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Liana Rae Concepcion
and she talks into her hand an often used technique what you do not
- [05:00]
Elizabeth Doran
understand is once I say it, then I've said it and so much to
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Liana Rae Concepcion
her credit she talks into her hand
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Elizabeth Doran
and turns aside so I will not make a mistake and be disqualified My friend the dictionary is a very reliable friend do, do, do do do, do, do.
- [05:40]
Alison Stewart
I'm in the studio with the cast members from a new revival of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. So, Kevin, you made your state debut at the Kennedy Center.
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Kevin McHale
Yes, I did.
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Alison Stewart
In spelling bee in 2024.
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Andrea Duncan Mao
Yeah.
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Alison Stewart
How did that opportunity come up?
- [05:56]
Kevin McHale
I just auditioned. You know, I had never done theater before, and my manager, whose family at this point, I've been with her since I was 14 years old.
- [06:08]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
Yeah.
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Kevin McHale
And now I'm 16, so that's crazy. Oh, my gosh.
- [06:11]
Justin Cooley
That's amazing.
- [06:12]
Kevin McHale
Yeah. Thank you. She had been trying to get me to do theater for so long, and I was so resistant to it, and this came up, and I was just obsessed with it. I thought I was gonna be auditioning for the part, actually. Justin plays Leaf. Oh, really? Yeah. And I was like, okay. I think they messed up. I don't know why they want my audition for Barfay, but sure. And after reading the script and listening to all the music, I realized that I was like, oh, yes, Barfay is correct. And the casting directors do know what they're doing?
- [06:44]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
Yes.
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Kevin McHale
And so I auditioned and I was very excited. My boyfriend also, this is his favorite musical, and he was very excited. So I was like, okay, great, you're coaching me. And forced him to, like, sit in the room. And I just. We'd never done that before. And I was like, is this good? Is this funny? And so he could give me all the notes. So he was my cheat code. And here we are.
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Alison Stewart
So, Leanna, you were in that production as well?
- [07:09]
Liana Rae Concepcion
I was.
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Alison Stewart
What made you want to come back to do it?
- [07:12]
Liana Rae Concepcion
Oh, my gosh. I mean, it is a joy bomb. Right. So the show that I did previous to this, it was 2 hours and 45 minutes, so almost a 3 hour show. Very heavy. And then when we got to do at the Kenney center, we only did 11 shows. And it was so much fun, like, not just for us on the stage, but also just everyone that was in the audience. And I was like, how can I not want to do this again and bring it home to New York City as well and bring the revival back? And I think it's cool to be able to bring the show to a new generation of, like, theater goers and lovers because this show is so many people's favorites and also not a lot of people know about it, so it's really exciting to see people experience it for the first time with us.
- [07:59]
Alison Stewart
So, Jasmine, last time you were here was for Betty Boop?
- [08:02]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
It was.
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Alison Stewart
And that's a show where you are front and center. And this is very much an ensemble production. What do you like about being part of an ensemble?
- [08:11]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
I love sharing the load. I think, you know, it's nice to be front and center sometimes, but it's also nice to just exist amongst each other. And this cast is so wonderful in that we really do support each other throughout the entire show. It's so different, and it's so lovely and so joyous and fun, and you get to kind of explore relationships in a little bit of a different way. And I really. I really love it. I love that it's not all on me. I will say that. Yeah. You know, it's not that. Boop was all. All on me. We had incredible cast of people doing everything. It was incredible, but this is just so completely different. It's really, really nice.
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Justin Cooley
Yeah. You get to just like, sit in a chair.
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Liana Rae Concepcion
Yeah, Right.
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Alison Stewart
Spoken by the guy who was in Kimberly Akimbo. Right. Justin, what has it been like to follow up that show, Kimberly Akimbo with this show?
- [09:04]
Justin Cooley
Yeah. Wow. You know, it felt like such a Great opportunity for me to, like, kind of grow into myself as an actor, because I did Kimberly Akimbo when I was 18 and was not very experienced and was not even a professional actor, actually, objectively. So, you know, there was something I got so much love, and I had incredible people I was working with. Victoria Clark was my co star, and she was just so kind, so great, so talented. But, you know, I, like, had a little mama bird kind of pulling me around at that time. So coming to my next thing where I was coming in, you know, as Justin Cooley quotations or whatever, was really intimidating, right, to follow up that big thing. But it was like, you know, you know how to do this. You know what you're bringing. This is an opportunity to just grow into yourself even more. So it was really exciting to kind of do that big second show in New York.
- [10:03]
Alison Stewart
You also get to talk about spelling again, because your character in Akimbo.
- [10:07]
Justin Cooley
I don't know how many more shows involve spelling. Spelling. Because that is the only way I get hired. You know what?
- [10:12]
Elizabeth Doran
I'm kidding.
- [10:14]
Justin Cooley
Keep writing them, please.
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Alison Stewart
These spelling shows, was anybody ever involved in spelling base when you were kids?
- [10:20]
Kevin McHale
No.
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Justin Cooley
Yes, sir.
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Kevin McHale
I think I did one in, like, maybe fourth grade, and that was the first and last time it did not go well.
- [10:29]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
I think I remember, like, I almost said, auditioning for one when I was in, like, fourth grade, and I misspelled the word. It was. I think I missed the apostrophe. And I was like, that was a trick question.
- [10:40]
Liana Rae Concepcion
So answer is only they're too strong. I was never considered. They just knew. They said, that's not for you. And I said, no, it's simply not.
- [10:48]
Justin Cooley
I did spelling bees in third, fourth, and fifth grade.
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Liana Rae Concepcion
It worked.
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Kevin McHale
Yeah.
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Justin Cooley
But I had deafening stage fright at that time. It was so traumatic. I remember walking off and, like, crying with my mom after I got out. It was so sweet. But I was really brave in giving it my all.
- [11:04]
Kevin McHale
Yeah. Two years in a row.
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Jasmine Amy Rogers
Aw.
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Justin Cooley
Yeah. Yeah. I never made it to counties, so this is dream fulfillment.
- [11:12]
Alison Stewart
I'm in studio with the cast members from the new revival of the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We've got Kevin McHale, Jasmine, Amy Rogers, Justin Cooley, and Liana Rae Concepcion. Jasmine, this is interesting. You told Broadway direct Olive was a character that I didn't think I'd ever get to play and also someone I wasn't sure was right for me to play. What made you unsure?
- [11:35]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
Well, I mean, this. You can hear my voice. I talk in the basement. I. You know, for the longest time considered myself an alto, and this is very much not an alto role. And so I remember in high school listening to one of the songs that she sings in the show, the I Love youe song, and just thinking it was something that was out of my range, both vocally and acting wise. It was. I've never gotten to play this sweet, quiet, innocent girl before. And coming off of Boop, which was just so full of life and energy, I didn't know if people saw me that way. And I'd like to think of myself as a very capable actress. I want to do everything, and this is part of me showing the world that I can do everything. But I really did not think it was something that was for me. And especially being a black girl growing up in this body and watching Olive have been previously always a white woman. I didn't think it was something that was for me. And I think what's. Is that, you know, the character isn't about her race necessarily. She's just a girl. And, you know, if that's the experience you have growing up, that's the experience you have growing up. But it's been really, really nice to kind of bring. Cause I'm also a very boisterous, loud person in life. It's kind of nice to show people that, you know, I also have another side to me that is this very shy, kind of reserved little lady. And it's nice.
- [12:57]
Alison Stewart
Kevin William Barfay has an unfortunate name, unfortunately. He's got one working nostril Y. He's a know it all because he is right. How do you approach playing him in a way that is both funny but also empathetic?
- [13:15]
Kevin McHale
You know, Lian has talked about this a lot in interviews, and I'm gonna steal it a little bit. But I think the magic of the show, and Danny, our director, really was focused on this, is that we're not making fun of any of these kids. They are so pure and all for better or for worse. They're so pure, and they're showing up because they all want to win. They all want to fit in, and they don't know how that's going to happen. And the beauty of the show is that them being so genuine with all their little quirks and odd things is funny, but at no point are we making fun of them, you know, And I think so. For me, with Barfay, it's like, yeah, he's a bit of a bully, but it's because he's been bullied. And so, like, that's his. He has to play offense and he's loud. And the sinus issues, I don't really have to act for that because I, too, have chronic sinus issues, but sort of the opposite of Jasmine, where, like, I'm not a loud and boisterous person normally. And for me, Barfay was scary because he is loud and he's confrontational and he's not afraid to say what he wants to say. And I'm sort of the opposite. So it has been, like, a really wonderful way for me to learn that part about myself and to. With all these characters getting to, like, sort of go back and play. Kids, when you're so awkward and uncomfortable and, like, your body's changing and, like, your nose is too big for your face and you don't know, you know, like, it's nice to actually be able to go back and revisit that and remember that, but also remember, like, we're not always this way. And so it's. I think, for all of us, it's. I don't wanna speak for all of us, but to be able to, like, dip into that and reimagine ourselves as kids again has just been like a real gift.
- [15:04]
Alison Stewart
Marcy park, man, she's on steroids. Overachieving student if I've ever seen one. How did you think about your role in taking her from just being really two dimensional?
- [15:16]
Liana Rae Concepcion
Oh, thank you for that question. You know, it is something that I actually struggled with so much at the Kennedy Center. We didn't really have any rehearsal and I didn't know the show or her at all. So I actually like, my performance of Marcy at the Kennedy center, like, haunts me. But I'm so happy that we had the year away from it, so I could really figure her out. Because I think actually Marcy park, you know, was. Is. Is. Is an Asian woman and was. Was originated by an Asian woman. And I think over the last 20 years, has gotten a lot of stereotypes, like Asian stereotypes placed on her. That actually is not even in the text. Actually, everything in the text about Marcy is the antithesis of how she has been consistently played for the last 20 years. So the thing that I take very seriously is, is making sure that any young Asian person who is seeing my body on stage, having them understand that they are more than just all of these stereotypes. She's actually not even a overachieving student. She's just very good at everything. She actually doesn't really care about this. It's actually not what she wants to be doing. At all. But she's being asked to do it because she can. And I think that's why the the her, like, come to Jesus moment, not even in quotations, is my favorite part of my journey with her. Because she finally has the freedom to make a choice for the first time in her life and makes the choice that she actually doesn't want this and that is okay. And she has an understanding that she does have choice. And I think that that is like such a strong message. And I just, I love her and I hope I'm taking care of her. And I hope that we are showc young Asian people who are maybe pushed to do things that they necessarily don't want to be doing, that they have the freedom of choice to do what it is that they are pulled to do rather than being asked to do.
- [17:21]
Alison Stewart
We'll have more with the cast of the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee after a quick break. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. I'm in the studio with cast members from a new revival of the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We have Kevin McHale, Jasmine Rogers, Justin Cooley, Liana Rae Concepcion. And on piano, we have Elizabeth Doran. And the cellist is Sasha Ono. Hello to you and thank you for being here as well. You know, this show has such a long history. So many people have been in the show. I saw this with Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Leash and Celia Keenan Bolger as Olivia. Jasmine. Have any of the others who have been in the show come to see it? I mean, Greta Leigh was in the show. It was great.
- [18:18]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
We had Greta Leigh not too long ago. The entire original cast has now seen it. And so it was just really, really an honor. A lot of them came to opening. It's really been amazing. Cause they have so much love for the show and also so much respect for the characters and the new that we've brought to them. And so it was really nice to get to share that with them opening night and beyond because they've come at different times. But it's been so special.
- [18:45]
Alison Stewart
Liana, why do you think this show has legs?
- [18:49]
Liana Rae Concepcion
Because it is fun. And I also think too, I think, like, in terms of commercial ability for shows, it is also how it's going to work regionally and how it's gonna be accessible for young people. And this show does. And I think something that's cool about when you do a professional production, there's a lot of doub. But when you bring it to, you know, A small high school in Alabama. Those doubling parts can be played by other students or there can be an ensemble in the show. So it just gives the opportunity for kids to be kids, which is also exciting, and to really tell such a beautiful story that'll resonate with everyone seeing the show.
- [19:28]
Alison Stewart
So if you're thinking about Broadway right now, Kevin, it's like a Glee reunion. You got Lea Michele in chess and just Jonathan Groff. And just in time. Matthew Morrison's gonna take over for him. Darren Criss, from your experience on Glee, what is something that you use in musical theater regularly?
- [19:48]
Kevin McHale
Almost everything. Yeah. And, you know, they would all tell me that. Cause we would talk about it a lot. Cause half the cast had basically come from the theater world, and half of us had no experience doing musical theater. And I would always talk about how daunting theater seemed. They're like, what we're doing here is almost the exact same thing, minus the very big difference of doing it live in front of people. But I'm. I mean, we were shooting music videos basically every day. And so when we were on, you know, albeit fake, an auditorium stage. And so I feel like the characters we were playing and that also in a similar way to, like, what I'm doing now and spelling bee pull from, like, a similar experience and, you know, dance rehearsal, learning all these parts, like, all those things that I had to sort of do. Our schedules were so crazy during Glee, and any job after seems a little easier. But, you know, it's like, back then, we would say, like, oh, did you have an ultimate Glee day? Which was, like, recording studio, dance rehearsal and filming and a fitting, and we would do that. And so it's like, we're doing all of those things. Everybody in theater is doing all of those things at different times. But that all. Having that experience and having done it is so useful, and I feel so lucky because it is tapping back into those things. And, like, how does your body work going through all of that? And again, we went on tour, so, like, we did get to have the live component. It was a little different. It was in an arena, but, like, you're still doing. It's all the same thing. Like, your body reacts the same way to it. So it does feel very familiar to me. And sorry, there's so many of us, and we're all over New York. You can't get away from us.
- [21:34]
Alison Stewart
Justin, in the show, you bring up spellers on stage. Sometimes they're people like, Annalee Ashford is what my producer saw. When I went, it was four Normies on stage. But the kid could really spell.
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Justin Cooley
Oh, yeah.
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Alison Stewart
Which was wild. Tell me who's come to the show, who's been on the stage being a speller?
- [21:54]
Justin Cooley
Oh, my gosh. We've had so many great people. We had Daniel. Daniel Radcliffe, which was amazing. He was so sweet. Who else have we had? The lady we had. We had Lin Manuel, of course. Oh, my gosh, the audience was crazy. Stephanie J.
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Kevin McHale
Block. Al Roker.
- [22:15]
Jasmine Amy Rogers
Yeah, Al Roker.
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Justin Cooley
See, everyone's helping me. There's been so many.
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Alison Stewart
What do you do when you get a normie, though, when you just had. We had four normal people on stage.
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Justin Cooley
It's honestly a lot of fun. I think they seem a little bit more shaken. They don't know how to, like, do the thing on stage. So it's really fun. I love talking to them in character, and they're like, who are you? It's so fun.
- [22:36]
Kevin McHale
And I will say the producers do a very good job, I think, protecting that. Where, like, it is really fun to have famous people and celebrities come do it, but there's actually sort of like, they don't want that all the time. It is about. Anybody can come see the show and sign up in the lobby before and have a chance to, like, be on stage and make their Off Broadway debut. Yeah.
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Alison Stewart
Let's hear our last song. What are we gonna hear?
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Kevin McHale
Oh, good old magic foot.
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Alison Stewart
All right, explain this for folks who haven't seen the show.
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Kevin McHale
So a lot of the kids have their own special way of spelling. And my character William Barfay's unique way to spell is to spell with his foot. And so this whole song is about that and celebrating his love of his very talented foot. This is magic foot. Magic foot. Take me to the final round. Magic foot. Barely lifted off the ground. Magic foot. Do it without making us out.
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Jasmine Amy Rogers
Sh.
- [24:02]
Kevin McHale
Magic foot. Right. Write the letter. Magic foot. Write the perfect letter. Magic foot. It's an Alphabet or way to spell. Okay, let's see what you got here. Foot. H, A, S, E, N. Possen. P, F, E, F, F, P, Foul.
- [24:41]
Elizabeth Doran
E, R. Let's go.
- [24:47]
Kevin McHale
Magic food. Be specific. Magic flute. It's horrific if you notice. Specific.
- [25:00]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot.
- [25:03]
Kevin McHale
It's terrific when you make a word with your foot.
- [25:08]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot. Magic foot. Magic foot. Magic foot.
- [25:15]
Liana Rae Concepcion
Magic foot.
- [25:16]
Kevin McHale
Magic foot.
- [25:18]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot.
- [25:19]
Kevin McHale
Don't go kaput. Foot.
- [25:21]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot.
- [25:23]
Kevin McHale
Magic foot.
- [25:24]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot. Right. The goddamn letter. Come on.
- [25:31]
Kevin McHale
It's an alpha. Better way to spell. Magic.
- [25:47]
Elizabeth Doran
Write that letter.
- [25:49]
Kevin McHale
Magic foot.
- [25:50]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot.
- [25:53]
Kevin McHale
Write that stupid letter. Magic. Magic foot.
- [25:56]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic foot. Magic foot.
- [25:58]
Kevin McHale
It's an Alpha better way to spay
- [26:05]
Elizabeth Doran
Magic Foot.
- [26:10]
Alison Stewart
I have to read you this text before we go. This text says I loved being in the audience. I don't usually go to musicals, but this show revitalized my heart for participating. Spelling Bee ignites the heart of a child in all of us. The audience roots for each character, so we are immediately connected. The musicians and performers have a magnetism that embraces us all.
- [26:35]
Kevin McHale
That is beautiful. It's from one of our listeners and that is exactly how we feel doing the show and it's exactly why we do the show and want everybody to come see it. That is the best review possible.
- [26:46]
Alison Stewart
That was my conversation with Kevin McHale, Jasmine, Amy Rogers, Justin Cooley, and Liana Rae Concepcion. They make up some of the cast members of the new Off Broadway revival of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It's playing at New world stages on 50th street through September 6th. And that is all of it for today. But before we go, listeners, some bittersweet news from Team all of It. We're bidding farewell to our senior producer, Andrea Duncan Mao. Listeners, if you've enjoyed our show over the past six years, has been a big part of why she came on board to lead the team in 2020. Bringing with her a ton of experience in music journalism and a well honed instinct for working with the sometimes difficult world of big name artists and celebrities. Andrea has led all of it through some pretty tough times for the show. She came on board just as the show went remote due to Covid. And through those challenges, Andrea has brought good humor and empathy to our work. She's helped our producers develop their strengths as well as a strong sense of teamwork and deep camaraderie that's part of the heart of our show. She also brought her love of tea and hip hop as well as her affection for British and Scandinavian detective dramas. So listeners, please join us in saying thank you for your service to great arts and culture conversations and for all the ways you've made our show show better both on the air and behind the scenes. We will miss you. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I'll meet you back here next time.
- [28:32]
Andrea Duncan Mao
WNYC Studios is supported by atio, the AICRM for modern teams. ITO is the CRM that actually knows what's going on. Every customer email and call becomes context. ATIO can act on instantly. Need to prep for a meeting. Done. Stuck on what to write in that follow up. Already drafted. Want to know how to win this deal, just ask ITIO. Powered by Universal Context, ATEO's intelligence layer, you can search, update, and create with AI across your entire customer ecosystem. Ask more from your CRM Ask Atio. Try ITIO for free by going to atio.com wnyc that's attio.com wnyc
- [29:25]
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