BroadwayRadio Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Grace and Matt’s 2025 Theatre Resolutions
Release Date: December 31, 2024
Hosts: Matt T. and Grace Aki
Description: Broadway's Premier Podcasts

As the curtain fell on 2024, BroadwayRadio welcomed its listeners with a festive New Year's Eve episode featuring hosts Matt T. and Grace Aki. This special episode centered around their personal and professional resolutions for the theater world in 2025, offering insights and inspiration for theater enthusiasts aiming to deepen their engagement with the arts in the coming year.

New Year's Eve Plans

The episode began with the hosts sharing their New Year's Eve plans, setting a personal tone before delving into their theatrical aspirations.

• Matt T. greeted listeners warmly:
  "Hello, everybody, and happy New Year's Eve from everybody here at Broadway Radio." [00:45]

• Grace Aki shared her excitement about a cozy gathering with friends:
  "I love New Year so much. You know what I love about New Year's? Not being in Times Square. But I do have some friends that will be there. That's very cool for them." [01:03]

The conversation highlighted their differing celebrations, with Matt reminiscing about his brother's adventurous Times Square experience in 2001, contrasting it with his own preference for more intimate gatherings.

Looking Ahead: 2025 Theatre Resolutions

Transitioning from personal anecdotes, Matt and Grace shifted focus to their resolutions for the upcoming year, aiming to foster greater involvement and support within the theater community.

Grace Aki’s Resolutions

Grace outlined a multifaceted approach to enhancing her support for theater, emphasizing diversification and development:

1. Supporting Diverse Theatrical Ventures:
   "If you are able to see one Broadway show at a Broadway price, could you also then see 3 Off-Broadway or nonprofit theater, experimental somethings for the same cost?" [02:31]
   Grace encourages audiences to allocate their theater budgets towards a variety of performances, promoting experimental and nonprofit projects alongside mainstream Broadway shows.

2. Fostering Emerging Talent:
   "Could you put some of that investment and put it into seeing, you know, a workshop reading or something that literally only costs you, like, 20 bucks?" [02:31]
   By attending affordable workshops and readings, Grace aims to support the development of new talent and innovative productions.

3. Engaging with Diverse Performance Venues:
   "I went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That was insane. There are so many different vehicles of theater performance and development that I think that we all aren't always attuned to." [05:36]
   Grace's experience at international festivals reflects her commitment to exploring and promoting various forms of theater beyond traditional Broadway settings.

4. Being Vocal About Personal Projects:
   "I'm just gonna be louder and more annoying about my own projects." [05:36]
   Grace resolves to actively promote her projects, ensuring greater visibility and support within the theater community.

Matt T.’s Resolutions

Matt shared his commitment to expanding his theatrical experiences and deepening his understanding of theater as an art form:

1. Expanding Theatrical Horizons Outside New York:
   "My goal is to see 52 plays or musicals outside of New York every year. I got to 40 in 2024, which is still good." [02:31]
   Aiming to experience a diverse range of productions nationally, Matt plans to attend one show per week outside the Broadway hub.

2. Enhancing Theatrical Literacy:
   "I want to read some theater. Not necessarily memoirs and not necessarily history books, but stories about shows and artists that I like." [03:43]
   Transitioning from a fiction-focused reading habit, Matt intends to delve into theater-related literature to gain deeper insights into the craft and its creators.

3. Maintaining a Positive Theater Experience:
   "I can approach theater with as much excitement and as much grace, no pun intended, with as much warmth as humanly possible." [06:58]
   In response to increasing online negativity, Matt vows to preserve his enthusiasm and open-mindedness towards all theatrical productions, ensuring a positive experience regardless of external criticisms.

4. Balancing Engagement During Busy Periods:
   "Sometimes I'm on these trips in New York, when I'm there for eight days and I'm seeing 14 shows, literally. Sometimes I'm tired. Sometimes I'm like, man, I really could have just stayed in the hotel and slept." [06:58]
   Recognizing the challenges of maintaining energy and appreciation during intensive theater schedules, Matt plans to find a balance that allows him to fully enjoy each performance.

Cultivating Positivity in Theater

A significant portion of the discussion focused on fostering a positive and supportive environment within the theater community. Matt expressed his frustration with the increasing cynicism and toxicity observed online, particularly surrounding critiques of productions and performances.

• Matt T. emphasized:
  "I want to make sure that I am entering a theater willing and open to whatever is presented. Even if it's not the best thing in the world, that I am giving it the chance that it deserves." [06:58]
  His commitment to approaching each show with an open heart underscores the importance of constructive engagement over negative criticism.

• Grace Aki echoed similar sentiments by highlighting the ongoing development within theater:
  "More theater is still being developed regardless of how we think that it's ebbing and flowing of ability and access." [05:36]
  This perspective reinforces the idea that theater is a constantly evolving art form deserving support and appreciation at all levels.

Conclusion and Call to Action

As the episode drew to a close, Matt and Grace encouraged listeners to reflect on their own theater-related resolutions and share them on BroadwayRadio’s social media platforms. They wished their audience a joyous and safe New Year's Eve, promising a return with new content shortly after the celebrations.

• Matt T. concluded:
  "So let us know what your New Year's resolutions are when it comes to theater on social media at BroadwayRadio and have a safe and joyous and celebratory New Year's Eve tonight." [11:09]

The episode effectively combined personal reflections with broader advocacy for a more inclusive and supportive theater community in 2025, providing listeners with both inspiration and a roadmap for their own theatrical journeys.

Notable Quotes:

• "I want to encourage and help foster other theatrical opportunities as well as, you know, going to see a Broadway show that I believe in." — Grace Aki [02:31]

• "I want to approach theater with as much excitement and as much grace, no pun intended, with as much warmth as humanly possible." — Matt T. [06:58]

• "I am often moved by things that I don't think are perfect. I'm often moved by things that I don't think are even great." — Matt T. [06:58]

These reflections underscore the hosts' dedication to enriching their own and their listeners' theatrical experiences in the coming year.