07/27/2022

Big Bones, Thick Skin

Episode 7 - Julia Skeggs

Julia Skeggs has been both an actor and casting director here in Chicago for a number of years. In this episode she opens up about eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and how the industry perpetuates many negative feelings about both. 

Karissa Murrell Myers (she/her) is a Filipino-American theatre artist based out of Chicago. She was also named American Theater Magazine's 2020 Roll Call: 13 Theatre Workers You Should Know for her work in casting. In our conversation, we cover the differences between NY, Hawaii, and Chicago theater scenes, why diversity is so important to her, going to college at 16 years old, beating out every white guy who auditioned for Iago in a Chicago production of The Scottish Play, playing Lady Nijo in Top Girls, not just in Chicago but also in Milwaukee, and her dream of creating a theatre company that fosters and grows artists - and how it may have come true!

Trigger Warning: discussions of weight, numbers in pounds, eating disorders, cutting, alcoholism.

Calls to Action:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice:
https://www.advancingjustice-chicago.org

Felines and Canines:
https://www.felinescanines.org

Edited by Amelia Driscoll at Summit Podcasting -  https://summitpodcasting.com/

Music by Eric Backus -  https://www.ericbackus.com/

Artwork by Meredith Montgomery -  https://www.meredithmontgomery.design/

02/23/2022

Big Bones, Thick Skin

Episode 5 - Jen Bosworth-Ramirez

Jen-Bosworth-Ramirez is a writer and an actor from Chicago who now lives in Los Angeles. In this episode, Jen talks about the impact her mother and family had on her feelings about being in a bigger body, how she wound up auditioning for theater school, how she handles the dreaded costumer requests for our clothing sizes, working as Nicolas Cage's assistant, her admiration for Sam Irby and Kirsten Fitzgerald, and her production company Undeniable, Ink., and her podcast "I Survived Theater School". 

Calls to Action:

Latino Union of Chicago

latinounion.org

Undeniable, Ink. - https://www.undeniablewriters.com/

Edited by Amelia Driscoll at Summit Podcasting -  https://summitpodcasting.com/

Music by Eric Backus -  https://www.ericbackus.com/

Artwork by Meredith Montgomery -  https://www.meredithmontgomery.design/

01/13/2022
Big Bones, Thick Skin
Episode 4 - August Forman

August Forman (they/them) is a trans, non-binary actor who shares stories about navigating transitional life and how it has affected (or not) their experiences as an actor. In this conversation - one of the most joyful I've had - August talks about Safe Trans Travel (a charity that they started to help fund safe transportation options for trans people), Work in Progress, their experiences prior to and after transitioning, the support from their talent agents, and their choice to be an educator on what it means to be trans and non-binary.

Calls to Action:
Safe Trans Travel:
Instagram: @safetranstravel

Brace Space Alliance:
bravespacealliance.org

Edited by Amelia Driscoll at Summit Podcasting - https://summitpodcasting.com/
Music by Eric Backus - https://www.ericbackus.com/
Artwork by Meredith Montgomery - https://www.meredithmontgomery.design/

12/03/2021
Big Bones, Thick Skin
Episode 3 - Emma Meyer

Incredible plus-sized model and photographer Emma Meyer talks about how she got into modeling, Rachel Bloom's many assets, training with the National Youth Drama School of New Zealand, her internal struggles when seeing bodies like hers portrayed on the screen, Lena Dunham, and how her love of Harry Potter took her far from home. We cover fatphobia in modeling, Emma's efforts to use her experience in front of the camera to help photograph and make other fat models feel comfortable, and how much harder Black and Brown models have it than even plus-sized models.

Calls to Action:

The Loveland Foundation:
thelovelandfoundation.org

Healthy Hood Chicago:
healthyhoodchi.com

Brave Space Alliance:
bravespacealliance.org

Editing by Amelia Driscoll at Summit Podcasting - https://summitpodcasting.com/
Music by Eric Backus - https://www.ericbackus.com/
Artwork by Meredith Montgomery - https://www.meredithmontgomery.design/

10/01/2021
Big Bones, Thick Skin
Episode 1 - Ashlie Atkinson

Powerhouse actress Ashlie Atkinson talks about working with Spike Lee, Craig Zobel, and Morgan Gould, as well as being on Mr Robot, One Dollar, and Rescue Me. We cover fatphobia in casting and costuming, intimacy as a fat actor, having more than one fat actor on the stage at a time, and mentoring younger fat actors.

Substantia Jones/The Adipositivity Project:
https://theadipositivityproject.zenfolio.com/about.html

Morgan Gould:
https://newplayexchange.org/users/37048/morgan-gould