Class Notes: Matt Rodin (Beau The Musical)

Summary

BroadwayRadio Episode Summary

Title: Class Notes: Matt Rodin (Beau The Musical)
Host: Lauren Clash Schneider
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Duration Covered: 13 minutes and 14 seconds

---

Introduction

In this episode of BroadwayRadio, host Lauren Clash Schneider welcomes Matt Rodin, who stars in the musical Beau The Musical at Out of the Box Theatricals Theater 154. The conversation centers around Matt's journey with the show, its development, and his multifaceted career in the Broadway scene.

---

Origins and Development of Beau The Musical

Matt Rodin shares the serendipitous circumstances that led to his involvement in Beau The Musical. He recounts meeting Doug Lyons at a W Hotel event in Times Square where he was performing with Broadway cast members. After Matt played an original song, Doug approached him with the idea for the show.

“A couple months later, I was in a rehearsal room... we read what would become Beau The Musical... There was a spark of something there.” (00:58)

Matt emphasizes the unique concert storytelling form of the musical, likening it to productions like Hedwig and Passing Strange. Over seven years, Matt and the creative team refined the script, music, and his character, making it feel like a "second skin."

The development journey included multiple readings, a developmental production at the Adirondack Theater Festival, and the creation of a concept album with Sony Masterworks featuring prominent Broadway performers. Although an Off-Broadway run planned for 2020 was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, a filmed rendition in 2021 significantly influenced the current production.

“Everything... led to this. And I feel very grateful that... everything lined up the way that it did.” (05:47)

---

Emotional Journey and Performance Dynamics

Matt discusses the emotional depth of his character, Ace Baker, a young queer man navigating significant life changes. Performing the role eight times a week demands emotional resilience.

“I do get to sort of have a seat outside of the piece. And so... I am experiencing things as they're happening... but I also get to be an observer.” (06:04)

He highlights the balance between immersing himself in Ace's journey and maintaining an observer’s perspective. The show's structure, starting with a joyful number, provides both the audience and himself a subconscious assurance that things will resolve positively, offering comfort throughout the narrative.

Additionally, the collaborative environment with talented actors and the healing power of music serve as emotional anchors during performances.

---

Handling Mishaps and Maintaining Performance Quality

Addressing the complexities of a show where actors also serve as musicians, Matt acknowledges that mishaps are inevitable. However, the team embraces these moments with positivity and flexibility.

“It's about lifting each other up... finding the joy in the moment to roll with the punches.” (08:18)

He emphasizes the importance of camaraderie, laughter, and the opportunity to perform the show multiple times, allowing for continuous improvement and the ability to move past minor errors effortlessly.

---

Collaboration with Director and Choreographer Josh Rhodes

Matt speaks highly of Josh Rhodes, the director and choreographer of Beau The Musical, noting their shared Midwestern roots which contribute to their deep understanding of the story and characters.

“He's started as the choreographer... has come into the director position in such a profound and beautiful way.” (10:16)

Their long-term collaboration over six to seven years has been pivotal in shaping the production's vision and execution.

---

Matt Rodin’s Other Ventures: Red Carpet Challenge and Make Something Remarkable Creative Studio

Beyond acting, Matt is the founder and creative director of Make Something Remarkable (MSR) Creative Studio and the host of the Red Carpet Challenge.

Red Carpet Challenge:
Originally created eight or nine years ago, this segment involves Matt engaging Broadway stars with fun and unconventional games during opening night red carpets. Initially hosted independently, it was later picked up by Playbill, accruing 125 episodes before the pandemic paused production.

“It was a way that I was able to integrate myself into the industry... now people... have gotten to see me on the other side of the stage.” (12:14)

Make Something Remarkable (MSR) Creative Studio:
MSR serves as Matt’s freelance creative hub, allowing him to collaborate with industry professionals on various projects such as social media and creative content. This venture leverages his diverse skills in photography, videography, and music.

“MSR Creative is sort of my way I get to do that and utilize all that.” (13:14)

These endeavors reflect Matt’s passion for creativity and his ability to diversify his talents within the Broadway landscape.

---

Conclusion

Lauren Clash Schneider wraps up the discussion by highlighting Matt Rodin's starring role in Beau The Musical, reiterating the show's presentation at Out of the Box Theatricals Theater 154. Matt's dedication to his craft, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit, exemplifies the dynamic nature of modern Broadway performers.

“Thank you.” (13:14)

---

Key Takeaways

• Serendipitous Beginnings: Matt’s entry into Beau The Musical was a result of a chance meeting and mutual recognition of artistic potential.
• Long-Term Development: The musical's evolution over seven years underscores the importance of perseverance and collaborative refinement in theater production.
• Emotional Balance: Matt effectively balances deep emotional engagement with his character and an observer’s detachment to maintain performance quality.
• Positive Workplace Culture: Embracing mishaps with humor and support fosters a resilient and adaptable cast environment.
• Diverse Creative Ventures: Matt’s involvement in projects like the Red Carpet Challenge and MSR Creative demonstrates the multifaceted careers of contemporary Broadway artists.

---

This summary encapsulates the first 13 minutes and 14 seconds of the BroadwayRadio episode featuring Matt Rodin. For a comprehensive understanding, listening to the full episode is recommended.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm Lauren Clash Schneider with Clash Notes for Broadway Radio. I'm here with Matt Roden starring in the musical at out of the Box Theatricals Theater 154. Well, welcome.

[B]

Thanks so much for having me.

[A]

Sure. Thanks for being here. And we're going to dive right in talking about Beau, which features eight actor musicians telling the story of eight Ace Baker, a young queer man whose life is forever changed when he discovers his deceased grandfather is actually still alive. Family secrets unravel as Ace rushes to make up for lost time with a man who changes his life by putting a guitar in his hand. I love that description. And we'll start with the fact that Doug Lyons is credited with the concept book co Music and Lyrics, and you've been a part of this journey with him for seven years. So how did your association with the piece come about in the first place?

[B]

Yeah, so I. You know, I've been in New York for about 10 years, and I was hosting an event at the W Hotel in Times Square where I was playing music with some cast members from a Broadway show, I don't remember which one. And Doug happened to be there that evening. And at the end of the night, I got up and played a song of my own. And afterwards, Doug walked up to me and was like, hey, I'm working on this show. And I actually think you'd be perfect for it. And you know that that can happen in New York, and so you never really know where things will go. But sure enough, a couple months later, I was in a rehearsal room, a small rehearsal room, with him, Tony nominee Jeb Brown, his co writer Ethan Pakchar, and a producer. And we read what would become Bo the Musical, but it was an unfinished script. All the songs weren't even completed yet. But there was something there. There was a spark of something there. The form was the same, which is that, you know, we're in a concert telling this story, which is unique. You know, there's not a ton of shows where that form is utilized. Right. I'm thinking of, like, a Hedwig or even like a Passing Strange in some. In some capacity. But there was something there, and I'm so thankful that I've been able to be a part of it forever. And they've. He's kept me around, you know, they've been so just generous and loyal, and because I've been around for so long, we've been able to sort of develop this role in this character and the songs and the keys of the songs and the text to really Feel like a second skin to me. And so to be able to finally share it after all this time has just been such a joy.

[A]

Oh, how great. Talk about right place, right time.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

And also being willing to say yes to that particular evening where I'm sure there wasn't a big paycheck involved. It was just. We're going to play some music.

[B]

Yes, exactly.

[A]

And take us through some of the history of the development of Beau.

[B]

Yeah, so we started that reading, I think was in the fall or maybe in the winter of 2018, I believe. And then we ended up doing, you know, a handful of readings before we went up to the Adirondack Theater Festival, where we did six performances of what we. What we sort of refer to as like a developmental production. You know, the response was good and so we knew that there was something there, but it was just proof of concept, if nothing else. And then we ended up recording a concept album with Sony Masterworks, which I sing two songs on. But they ended up hiring a bunch of really, really incredible Broadway performers, Jen Colella, Michael Kilgore, Aisha Jackson, to sing songs from the show, I think in the hopes that it would gain, you know, just some visibility for the show, which definitely worked. And then by the time 2020 rolled around, we had planned on doing an Off Broadway run up at 59 East 59. Obviously that didn't happen, but in 2021, I got a call that we were going to film a movie. And so we filmed a full length motion picture of this story, which was not a, like, live capture of the show. It was a sort of hybrid between a live capture and the act. We didn't do anything on location, but it's similar to the production that we're doing now in that, like, everything sort of took place within this bar called the Distillery. And it proved that that movie, the time that we spent doing that, which was about three weeks, it was so instrumental in what the show has now become. And, yeah, that was like three or four years ago. And again, they've done some readings here and there, but then I got a call in February that this was going to happen. And I was doing a show called all the World's A Stage at King Company right before this. And I had one day in between that ending and this starting, which you talk about divine timing. And, yeah, we got into rehearsals and this is the first time we've ever really done a run of the show. And it's just been so fun to get to sit in it and experience it and Share it with audiences and learn what it's like to tell the story night after night and make adjustments, you know, based on how we're feeling or how things are going. It's been. Yeah, it's just been amazing. So it's been a long time. And so many different parts of the process have been, you know, ups and downs, but it all has led to this. And I feel very grateful that, like, everything, you know, lined up the way that it did, and there's no way the production would be what it is now without all those previous steps.

[A]

And you describe it feeling like a second skin based on what you've gone through throughout the development. It's an extremely powerful story. And your character goes through so much. How do you manage the emotional journey eight times a week?

[B]

Yeah, it's interesting. You know, one of the things that I've come to learn about the piece in doing it now, we've done the show, I think, 30 something times now in the past couple months, is that as the narrator of the show, right. I'm the one that's sort of hosting this concert. I do get to sort of have a seat outside of the piece. And so in a way, obviously, you know, I am experiencing things as they're happening, as Ace, as the character, as I'm telling the story. But I also get to be an observer. I get to be a part of the audience in that way. And that separation, I have found, has been really, really helpful and in being able to always return to the present moment with the audience and find like, the joy, you know, the thing. One of the things that I. The feedback that I've gotten about the show, which I didn't realize until we were doing it, was that because I come out at the top of the show and we open with such, like, a joyful number, a joyful song, we subconsciously, as an audience, and I'm including myself in that, we subconsciously know that things are going to be okay. And so no matter what happens throughout this, you know, 90 minutes, 100 minute show, we know that at some point things turn out all right because he's here telling the story. And I have found so much, so much comfort in that. And coming back to that place of, like, just ease and joy. And of course, on top of all that, you know, I'm surrounded by a group of really generous, talented actors and musicians. And, you know, the music is so powerful in that, like, we get to, you know, experience the sort of range of emotions through the music and let the music be the sort of balm to whatever is happening in the moment to moment of the piece.

[A]

The full cast is described as actor, musicians, and with everyone singing, playing, and acting. Acting, it seems like so much could go wrong. How do you and the others avoid mishaps?

[B]

I mean, we do not avoid mishaps. I would say. I would say that there is.

[A]

Okay, how do you. How do you embrace mishaps?

[B]

That's right. That's right. I would say, you know, it's. It's about lifting each other up and. And again, like, finding the joy in the moment to moment of being able to. To. To roll with the punches and. And. And find new things every night and being willing to. Yeah. Just make adjustments as needed. And we again, like, for me, like, we come off stage after the show and we are laughing about whatever happened that night because again, I think maybe this is something that, like, being on tour last year taught me was that, like, we get the chance to do it again. You know, like, there's this energy. I think a lot of times where we come out of college or high school, where we've done theater, and there's a pressure because you have four performances of your high school musical. Right. But because we get to do a run of the show, there's always another chance. And that. That is, like, such a gift for an actor to get to feel like. Right. Like, let's go at this again and see what we can find and let whatever happened tonight just, like, fade into the abyss, as it. As it were.

[A]

Mm. So ephemeral.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Beau is directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Have you two worked together other times separate from Beau?

[B]

No, we haven't, but we've gotten to work on the show. I mean, he's been with the show for six or seven years now, so we, you know, we both have a really deep understanding of the story. He's also from the Midwest. He's from small town Illinois. I'm also from Illinois. Not. Not as much small town, but we both have, like, a Midwest thing about us that. That there's just, like, a deep understanding of this character and his story that has carried us through. And, you know, he's someone who. I think it's been beautiful to watch him sort of step into this director position, too. He started as the choreographer of the piece and has come into the director position in such a profound and beautiful way that I'm happy to see the rest of the industry is also embracing. He's a busy, busy, busy man. And it's not a surprise to me.

[A]

How great how great. Separate from Beau, you're not only the founder and creative director of Make Something Remarkable Creative Studio, you're also the host of the Red Carpet Challenge. Will you just take a moment, tell us a little bit about each of those?

[B]

Yeah. So the Red Carpet Challenge was a show that I created kind of by accident many, many, many moons ago, probably what I guess now eight, eight or nine years ago. And I started working. It started at Playbill, it started on my own, but then it got picked up by Playbill where basically I was playing ridiculous games on the red carpets of Broadway opening nights. You know, these are really, really celebratory experiences that people are having. And as much as I love having sit down interviews like this and doing those as well, I felt that opening nights were meant to be a source of joy and fun. And so I wanted to sort of infuse more fun into those opening nights. And I got to do that for a really long time, both at playbill [e-mail] and we did like 125 episodes up until the pandemic. And I've been lucky that I've been able work as an actor since then. So I haven't been able to have the time to do the red carpet challenges. But it's such a, such a big part of my New York story and my career. And it was a way that I was able to integrate myself into the industry, which has been really rewarding in that now people that I've met, you know, many, many years doing that have gotten to see me on the other side of the stage and get to see me performing. And it's just been so gratifying in that way and, and then make something remarkable which is also happens to be my initials. MSR is, is, is, is my, you know, my freelance creative work. I've spent, you know, since I've moved to New York, I've been able to sustain myself by working with all of my incredibly talented friends on whatever projects they're working on. And because of the connections that I've made in the industry, in large part through, you know, the Red Carpet Challenge, I've been able to work with shows and producers on social media content and creative content. And so that's sort of the umbrella that I put everything under because I'm a creative being. I was the kid who didn't do his homework, but I loved extra credit projects. So I have just been able to lean into that in my time in New York here. And I'm thankful because, you know, in the same way that like an actor, musician, you're really, like, flexing all your muscles, really trying to use all your skills. I feel the same about my life here in New York that, like, as much as I'm an actor, I'm also just like a creative being. I love photography and videography and writing music, and it's all part of me. And MSR Creative is sort of my way. I get to do that and utilize all that.

[A]

Oh, how great. Thanks for giving us a little bit of that background as well. I'm Lauren Klash Schneider with Matt Roden starring in Beau the Musical Pursu. Presented at out of Box Theatricals Theater 154. Thank you.