American Theatre is proud to be the venue for Theatrical Mustang, an independently produced podcast from actor-writer-activist Woodzick. Each month they bring listeners interviews with unbridled talent and cultural trailblazers from across the country.

For this month’s episode, Woodzick is in conversation with NYC performer John Coons, with topics ranging from Eddie Redmayne’s Tony Awards performance to the trans musical theatre excellence of Jinkx Monsoon and Mason Alexander Park. They also touch on the way queer cabaret can be a secret weapon to engage with and access hope when times are bleak.

Coons (they/he) is a queer, genderbendery actor, writer, and songwriter in NYC. From dick jokes to Dichterliebe, they’re equally at home singing about eating the rich for the United Nations at the New York Historical Society or belting out Stravinsky in a gay bar. They’ve performed with the Seattle Opera, Seattle Symphony, Boston Symphony Pops, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony, and shared the stage with Joshua Bell, Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Jinkx Monsoon, Rizo, and Foreigner. Favorite roles include Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Zangara in Assassins (5th Avenue Theatre/ACT), Oswald in Ibsen’s Ghosts (ArtsWest), and the Scarecrow/Mrs. Penstemmon in the musical adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle (Book-It Repertory Theatre). A fixture on the NYC cabaret scene, he’s performed at Joe’s Pub, the Green Room 42, and the Duplex, and was a member of the Mondays in the Club collective at Club Cumming. They’re currently touring their shows Bleak! Songs for the Not-Quite-End of the World and Nocturnal Omissions in venues across the U.S. and Mexico with their partner and collaborator, Jonah Wheeler.

Download this episode here. The Theatrical Mustang podcast is edited by Travis Rosemarie Curhart-Fischbach. Music by The Morgens using Citizen DJ Project, Library of Congress, National Jukebox.