“Yes, And”
To anyone not familiar with theatre/improv, a key rule of improv is to say “Yes! And…” to whatever your partner says to keep the scene alive. “Yes, And,” other than being the name of Ariana Grande’s new song, is also the name of Arcadia’s own theatre podcast created and run by yours truly! I don’t remember exactly what inspired me to make this podcast, but I know I had the idea in May 2023 to start a theatre-related podcast for the school. I discussed the idea at great lengths over the summer with my roommate and best friend Veronica Nardo ’26 who encouraged me to pursue the idea. I pitched the idea to a few friends come the beginning of this school year and found myself on the Arcadia Theatre Marketing team to make the idea a reality.
It delves into interviews with faculty and students about everything from our upcoming shows, to the Arcadia Theatre program, to the art of theatre itself. Last semester we kicked off the podcast with three episodes launched on Spotify and YouTube. These episodes featured Professor Kevin Glaccum and Professor Jonathan Shandell, the director and dramaturg, respectively, for Arcadia’s production of “The Laramie Project,” which was performed in November last semester. Featured in the second and third episodes were actors of “The Laramie Project,” Rosa Nardo ’24, Christian Randazzo ’24, Riley Sheetz ’25, Raymond Hairston ’27, and Blake McGregor ’27. This semester will be featuring Finn Irvin ‘25, Becca Remagaldo ‘26, Michelle Teske ‘26, Veronica Nardo ‘26, director of “Spring Awakening” Robi Hager, along with members of the cast, and many more!
This podcast has been an incredible learning experience for me. I do everything in the process of creation from ideas to publishing. I have already learned how to operate a camera, recording equipment (both travel and studio), how to download video and audio, how to edit video podcasts, host interviews, and upload to YouTube and Spotify, and I am excited about everything else I am going to learn about this process and from the faculty and students that I interview.
I’ll leave it off with my personal favorite aspect of this podcast, and that is the name “Yes, And” (which I’m convinced inspired Ariana Grande). Most people don’t know that I say “Yes, And!” in everyday conversation and have infected my friends’ vernacular with it as well, and what better to name a theater podcast!
