The Working Actor NYC
The Working Actor NYC
Podcast Description
Being a working actor in New York City is no walk in the park with a Hollywood happy ending.With decades of experience acting in all branches of show business, Patrick Richwood and Benjamin Howes talk candidly and break it all down for you in conversations that are surprisingly inspiring, cautionary and laugh out loud funny. From Patrick's time in Hollywood blockbusters and Benjamin's time on Broadway, to touring the country performing in theatres of any size, they have wisdom to share and tales to tell.Whether you've dreamed of treading the boards on Broadway, lighting up screens big and small, or whether you're already living the dream, Patrick and Benjamin are giving you the inside story with tips, tricks and riffs from the road.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show covers a range of themes related to the acting industry, including the challenges of working in New York City, relationships with casting directors, and tips for navigating auditions. Specific episode examples include discussions on staying creatively active outside of performances and the dynamics of in-person auditions versus self-taping, providing a mix of inspiration and cautionary tales.
🎭 Being a working actor in New York City isn’t easy. Maybe you’re hustling to book better roles, or you’re just starting out and trying to break into show business. Auditions, rejections, survival jobs, and navigating an industry that often feels impossible — we get it. We’ve been there.
With decades on stage and screen, Patrick Richwood (Hollywood films, TV, national tours) and Benjamin Howes (Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, TV and film) share candid conversations that are honest, often hilarious, and always grounded in real experience.
From backstage stories and industry secrets to practical tips and coping strategies, The Working Actor NYC podcast gives you the inside scoop on what it really takes to build, maintain, and love your acting career.
Whether your dream is Broadway, the big screen, or anything in between, join us for weekly episodes designed to help you work smarter, laugh louder, and stay in the game.
What happens when acting and life both need you at the same time?
Actors spend a lot of time worrying about life derailing our careers. We get sick on the day of an audition. A family emergency happens during a run. An important event collides with a callback. And somewhere in our heads is that old rule: the show must go on.
But sometimes there isn’t a choice where everybody wins. There are just two things that matter to you competing for the same space on the calendar.
In this episode of The Working Actor NYC Podcast, Benjamin Howes and Patrick Richwood talk about calling out of shows, performing when you probably shouldn’t, the particular agony of missing an audition you’ll never get back, and the “coulda, shoulda, if only” thinking that follows. We dig into where the “never miss a show” mythology actually comes from (it’s older than Ethel Merman), the real story behind “break a leg,” and what it’s like when an entire cast gets sick and the understudies aren’t ready.
And then we turn the question around: What weddings, birthdays, trips and other pieces of our lives have we missed because we were protecting our careers — or simply protecting our availability in case an opportunity came along? Benjamin shares a personal story about a career-altering moment he almost missed, and how he’s had to make peace with the calendar all over again this week, as he heads to a family funeral while a new show waits for him.
There isn’t an easy answer. Acting matters to us. So do the people and experiences that make up our lives. Maybe building a sustainable acting career means accepting that sometimes acting and life are going to compete for the calendar — and deciding which one gets the date.
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