Just for Show Podcast

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Just for Show Podcast What happens when three theatre pals are forced to take a break from theatre? A podcast, apparently. Three friends met through theatre.

Some time later, in an effort to stay connected during a global pandemic, we made a podcast. In The Just for Show Show, we share original theatre-themed sketches and games, discuss theatre topics, and explore the stories of the artists who bring theatre to life in the Fox Valley area of Illinois. Find The Just for Show Show wherever you listen to podcasts. Produced by: Galen Malick
Hosted by: Galen Malick, Heidi Swarthout, and Ben Slabik

Send inquiries to [email protected].

Hey there, remember us? As this year comes to a close, we would like to thank every guest we had on the show, and everyo...
21/12/2022

Hey there, remember us?

As this year comes to a close, we would like to thank every guest we had on the show, and everyone who sent in their stories to be shared, and everyone who gave us a listen. We started making this podcast in the time when all our beloved theatres were dark, the perfect time to highlight several of the incredible theatre artists in our area. We had a long list of more people we wanted to chat with. However, our show has come to a close. With theatre and the rest of the world reopening, and several big life changes with our hosts, schedules simply do not allow us to commit to the time it takes to make the show anymore. We walk away as friends, proud of what we made together, and with you.

The show is still available everywhere you listen to podcasts, and we will leave this page up, for those who want to go back and reference a particular episode. Thank you for supporting our little experiment in podcasting, and for your dedication to sharing theatre within your community.

Happy holidays, happy show-making, and all the best to you in the new year!

- Galen, Heidi, and Ben

Ben, Heidi, and Galen would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, creatively prosperous New Year! ✨

Thank you, listeners, guests, and friends who support our little podcast. It is an honor to highlight the work being done in this incredible theatre community. The Just for Show Show will go on in 2022, and we look forward to sharing more original sketches, fun & games, and stories of amazing guest artists.

If you still need a New Year's resolution, may we suggest...listening to more theatre podcasts?

Start here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

As the weather gets warmer, tell us, where are the best places to be for summer theatre? Plug your show, indoor or outdo...
13/06/2022

As the weather gets warmer, tell us, where are the best places to be for summer theatre? Plug your show, indoor or outdoor, in the comments!

Also, thank you for standing by during our hiatus from new episodes. We are working on some great things to share with you, but our hosts' schedules have been extra, erm, "dramatic" as of late.

Photo: Troupe Strozzi, 2016

This season, a recurring theme has been "honesty" in acting. What does that mean to you?Photo: The Ballad of CC Scrooge,...
11/05/2022

This season, a recurring theme has been "honesty" in acting. What does that mean to you?

Photo: The Ballad of CC Scrooge, Steel Beam Theatre, 2019

26/04/2022

Happy Anniversary to us! One year ago today, we released our very first episode of The Just for Show Show podcast. Thank you, to our thirty-one guests and counting, and every one of you who have listened, cheered us on, and told your friends about the show. It is an honor to share in the love of local theatre with you. Cheers to more good things to come!
🍾🎉🍾🎉🍾🎉

NEW EPISODE!This time, we steel ourselves to discuss every artist's kryptonite: Rejection, the forms it comes in, and ho...
19/04/2022

NEW EPISODE!

This time, we steel ourselves to discuss every artist's kryptonite: Rejection, the forms it comes in, and how we navigate it. Later, we switch gears to a far more cheerful topic: actor, director, and mentor of young minds, our guest, Stephen Pickering. A gentleman in every sense of the word, Stephen shares the time his character saved him from a panic attack, how a rogue grape taught him to do the splits, and how, if you have ever been in a show with Stephen, your Bacon number is much lower than you realized. And yes, there is Dr. Who chat.

Sketch: "The Cast Gift"

Bonus: Can you spot the Pickering in the images in the comments below?

Now, listen here, you: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Look under there!Ha! We made you say it. Now, you have to send us your UNDERWEAR related theatre stories (we've already ...
14/04/2022

Look under there!

Ha! We made you say it. Now, you have to send us your UNDERWEAR related theatre stories (we've already received a couple, we'd love at least one more!). All other theatre stories are welcome too. As always, we are happy to keep your story anonymous, just say the word.

• Ever have an I-see-London-I-see-France wardrobe malfunction onstage? 🩳
• Theatre ghost stories? 👻
• A stage crush or show-mance with a happy ending? 💘
• Backstage mayhem? 🍌
• Crazy/uncomfortable/bizarre costume or makeup you had to wear? 👙
• Prop nightmares, as in, it wasn't there, or it never worked? 🎤
• Tech mishaps? 💡
• Performing through injury or illness? ⚔
• Interesting brush with a celebrity? 🤩
• Eccentric theatre professor/mentor/director stories? 🧐
• Best/Worst advice you received? 💃🏼
• Magic moments on stage, as in, something unexpectedly wonderful/hilarious/insane happened that you could not recreate if you tried? 🎩

Please send your detail-packed story (the best stories have a beginning, middle, end - two or three paragraphs is great) to [email protected] or direct message us here.

Listen to the show here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "In the Next Room, or the Vi****or Play," Albright Community Theatre, 2016

Making a theatre podcast is tough when one or more of the team is in rehearsals or the run of a show. Please stay tuned ...
29/03/2022

Making a theatre podcast is tough when one or more of the team is in rehearsals or the run of a show. Please stay tuned for more original sketches, featured guest artists, talk of all things theatre - we are working on it!

In the meantime, we love your suggestions to help us plan future episodes. Who would you like to hear featured on Just for Show Podcast ? Tag them in the comments!

Catch up on episodes here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," Albright Community Theatre, 2014

World Theatre Day and the Oscars, all in one day?! How are you celebrating?
27/03/2022

World Theatre Day and the Oscars, all in one day?! How are you celebrating?

Show people have the best stories! We'd love to read yours on our show! • Theatre ghost stories? 👻 • A stage crush or sh...
22/03/2022

Show people have the best stories! We'd love to read yours on our show!

• Theatre ghost stories? 👻
• A stage crush or show-mance with a happy ending? 💘
• Backstage mayhem? 🍌
• Crazy/uncomfortable/bizarre costume or makeup you had to wear? 👙
• Dealing with a costume malfunction? 🩳
• Prop nightmares, as in, it wasn't there, or it never worked? 🎤
• Tech mishaps? 💡
• Performing through injury or illness? ⚔
• Interesting brush with a celebrity? 🤩
• Eccentric theatre professor/mentor/director stories? 🧐
• Best/Worst advice you received? 💃🏼
• Magic moments on stage, as in, something unexpectedly wonderful/hilarious/insane happened that you could not recreate if you tried? 🎩

Please send your detail-packed story (the best stories have a beginning, middle, end - two or three paragraphs is great) to [email protected] or direct message us here.

Listen to the show here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "The Producers," Wheaton Drama

NEW EPISODE!In this episode, Galen challenges us to a new theatre trivia game where wrong answers count too. Later, we d...
14/03/2022

NEW EPISODE!

In this episode, Galen challenges us to a new theatre trivia game where wrong answers count too. Later, we delight in catching up with talented actor and director, Kas Hesek, who shares how she triumphed as one director's "yes" despite being another director's "no," how playing Puck is all fun and games until somebody breaks an ankle (or two!), and how she found love at the Renaissance Fair.

Sketch: "Concession Connection"

Listen here, we dare you: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE! Today's Ben-Anagram is:Gina, is food off hair viral? Wow!How to play: We will give you a phrase ...
09/03/2022

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Gina, is food off hair viral? Wow!

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

Got any theatre GHOST STORIES??? 👻👻👻We want to read them on the show!If you've got a spooky/funny/cool theatre ghost sto...
01/03/2022

Got any theatre GHOST STORIES??? 👻👻👻

We want to read them on the show!

If you've got a spooky/funny/cool theatre ghost story, or if any of the following spark a memory of a good story, let us know!

• A stage crush or show-mance with a happy ending? 💘
• Backstage mayhem? 🍌
• Crazy/uncomfortable/bizarre costume or makeup you had to wear? 👙
• Dealing with a costume malfunction? 🩳
• Prop nightmares, as in, it wasn't there, or it never worked? 🎤
• Tech mishaps? 💡
• Performing through injury or illness? ⚔
• Interesting brush with a celebrity? 🤩
• Eccentric theatre professor/mentor/director stories? 🧐
• Best/Worst advice you received? 💃🏼
• Magic moments on stage, as in, something unexpectedly wonderful/hilarious/insane happened that you could not recreate if you tried? 🎩

Please send your detail-packed story (the best stories have a beginning, middle, end - two or three paragraphs is great) to [email protected] or direct message us here.

Listen to the show here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Backstage somewhere, sometime, for something

NEW EPISODE!Join us this week as we read "Little Shop of Horrible," one of our most nightmare-inducing listener stories ...
23/02/2022

NEW EPISODE!

Join us this week as we read "Little Shop of Horrible," one of our most nightmare-inducing listener stories yet, along with a lighter fare story about a certain "fish dinner" gone awry. Later on, one of our hosts fan-girls over our latest guest, Jeff Award-winning actress, director, improviser, and playwright, the effervescent Maureen Morley. Maureen shares how a panic attack in Oz was her intro to improv, reveals which bodily function is really motivating Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," and explains why she would prefer that you not cast a s*x doll in one of her plays.

Sketch: "Stage Crush"

Listen. What have you got to lose?: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE! Today's Ben-Anagram is:Them Enemy Ports Don’t Like to Share Rain.How to play: We will give you a...
18/02/2022

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Them Enemy Ports Don’t Like to Share Rain.

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

NEW EPISODE!This week, we dive deep into the topic of honesty in acting, what the heck that even means, and a few differ...
14/02/2022

NEW EPISODE!

This week, we dive deep into the topic of honesty in acting, what the heck that even means, and a few different ways to approach it. Then we share some laughs and insight with a multidimensional actor, who, if he isn't already your buddy, will be after this episode, the talented Jake Busse. He explains why he chose acting over being in a Mozart cover band, how filming a tsunami scene isn't nearly as glamorous as it sounds, and why an honest performance is essential, even when you're playing a cartoon sea creature.

Sketch: "Notes"

Listen in: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

⭐WE WANT YOUR STORIES!⭐We would love to read YOUR STORIES on the show. If any of the following spark a memory, let us kn...
07/02/2022

⭐WE WANT YOUR STORIES!⭐

We would love to read YOUR STORIES on the show. If any of the following spark a memory, let us know!

• Backstage mayhem?
• Crazy/uncomfortable/bizarre costume or makeup you had to wear?
• Dealing with a costume malfunction?
• Prop nightmares, as in, it wasn't there, or it never worked?
• Tech mishaps?
• Performing through injury or illness?
• Interesting brush with a celebrity?
• Eccentric theatre professor/mentor/director stories?
• Best/Worst advice you received?
• Magic moments on stage, as in, something unexpectedly wonderful/hilarious/insane happened that you could not recreate if you tried?

Please send your detail-packed story (the best stories have a beginning, middle, end - two or three paragraphs is great) to [email protected] or direct message us here.

Listen to the show: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Unrehearsed," Janus Theatre Company's Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2019

WE ARE BACK WITH NEW EPISODES!In the first episode of our third season, we discuss staging challenges that beg the quest...
02/02/2022

WE ARE BACK WITH NEW EPISODES!

In the first episode of our third season, we discuss staging challenges that beg the question, "What the heck was the playwright thinking?" Later, we sit down with a guest we and so many of our listeners have been eager to hear from, actor, director, educator, artistic director, and mentor to many, the dynamic Connie Canaday Howard. Along with sharing some helpful audition tips, she explains how a horse named Goldy led her to the stage, shares what Mikhail Baryshnikov had to say about her form, and sets the record straight about a love story involving a certain pair of tap pants.
Sketch: "After Work"

Listen here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

First episode of the new season is just around the corner, but for now...BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE! Today's Ben-Anagram is:...
28/01/2022

First episode of the new season is just around the corner, but for now...

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Ah! Boating duo, not chum.

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

⭐WE WANT YOUR STORIES!⭐As we prepare to launch our third season of the podcast, we would love YOUR STORIES to be a part ...
24/01/2022

⭐WE WANT YOUR STORIES!⭐

As we prepare to launch our third season of the podcast, we would love YOUR STORIES to be a part of the show. Do any of these ring a bell?

• Backstage mayhem?
• Crazy/uncomfortable/bizarre costume or makeup you had to wear?
• Carrying on through a costume malfunction?
• Prop nightmares, as in, it wasn't there, or it never worked?
• Tech mishaps?
• Performing through injury or illness?
• Interesting brush with a celebrity?
• Eccentric theatre professor/mentor/director stories?
• Best/Worst advice you received?
• Magic moments on stage, as in, something unexpectedly wonderful/hilarious/insane happened that you could not recreate if you tried?

Please send your detail-packed story (the best stories have a beginning, middle, end - two or three paragraphs is great) to [email protected]

Listen to the first two seasons: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Unrehearsed," Janus Theatre Company's Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2019

19/01/2022

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Sails he, meager gent

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

10/01/2022

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Fosse, Hat, and a Meal

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE! Today's Ben-Anagram is:Dead men raise tree carts.How to play: We will give you a phrase or sente...
06/01/2022

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Dead men raise tree carts.

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

Ben, Heidi, and Galen would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, creatively prosperous New Year! ✨ Thank you, listene...
31/12/2021

Ben, Heidi, and Galen would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, creatively prosperous New Year! ✨

Thank you, listeners, guests, and friends who support our little podcast. It is an honor to highlight the work being done in this incredible theatre community. The Just for Show Show will go on in 2022, and we look forward to sharing more original sketches, fun & games, and stories of amazing guest artists.

If you still need a New Year's resolution, may we suggest...listening to more theatre podcasts?

Start here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

We present our holiday gift to you: Galen as The Lunch Lady. You're welcome. 🎁Now, how about you ditch Mariah Carey and ...
21/12/2021

We present our holiday gift to you: Galen as The Lunch Lady. You're welcome. 🎁

Now, how about you ditch Mariah Carey and put on a good theatre podcast while you bake cookies and wrap presents?

Here's one: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "Junie B. Jones: the musical," Steel Beam Theatre, 2015

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE! Today's Ben-Anagram is: Hot Werewolf, or DnD?How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence ...
13/12/2021

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Hot Werewolf, or DnD?

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a well-known play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

That's a wrap on Season Two! We can not thank our amazing guests and listeners enough for being part of the show. Every ...
06/12/2021

That's a wrap on Season Two!

We can not thank our amazing guests and listeners enough for being part of the show. Every listen, like, and share makes the effort worthwhile, and we are immensely grateful to share in this community with all of you. It is time for us to take a little holiday break, so we can come back strong with Season Three, which will feature more incredible local artists, original sketches, and whatever else might find its way up our sleeve between now and then. Follow this page for games, polls, and other fun things, and please continue sending your funny/harrowing/touching theatre stories to [email protected].

Time to catch up on past episodes: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

NEW EPISODE!Wrapping up our second season, we drag ourselves in to perform after a raucous Saturday night; that's right,...
01/12/2021

NEW EPISODE!

Wrapping up our second season, we drag ourselves in to perform after a raucous Saturday night; that's right, it's time to talk about matinees! Later on, we enjoy an inspiring conversation with someone who, quite literally, does it all. Actor/Director/Board Member/Acting Coach/Children's Theatre Volunteer (AND MORE!), Catie Early takes a quick intermission with us and shares why you need to know your character's favorite color, what she's printing on her t-shirt (hint: there's a sword), and how curly ribbons eventually led her to her dream job.

We hope you enjoy safe and happy holidays, keep an eye on this page for fun and games and such, and stay tuned for Season Three!

Listen here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Tell us in the comments, when and where are the holiday shows happening this year?Catch up on the podcast while you are ...
30/11/2021

Tell us in the comments, when and where are the holiday shows happening this year?

Catch up on the podcast while you are holiday-ing: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: "Seasonal Ties," Vero Voce, 2017

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE! Today's Ben-Anagram is:Erica is Game A**l.How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence whi...
28/11/2021

BEN-ANAGRAMS CHALLENGE!

Today's Ben-Anagram is:

Erica is Game A**l.

How to play: We will give you a phrase or sentence which, when the letters are rearranged, makes up the title of a famous play. Sometimes, we add punctuation or change capitalization to make the phrasing fit, so all you need to do is focus on rearranging the letters to make up the title. For example, "Tour now!" when rearranged is Thornton Wilder's 1938 play, "Our Town."

Answer in the comments, or if you are stumped, tag your word game-loving theatre friend and give them a shot at it. We will let you know who got it right, so they may brag loudly to all their friends.

After you play, you can catch up on the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/galen-malick

Photo: Henry V, Elgin Shakespeare Project, 2021

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