This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jason A. Coombs: Hello, everyone. Welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast in collaboration with Broadway World.

[0:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm your co-host, Jason A. Coombs, and my fellow co-host here, Samantha D'Antunzolo. We're live on Broadway World. Not really.

[0:19] Jason A. Coombs: I know. Hey, Survivors. Happy episode 51.

[0:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's just 51.

[0:25] Jason A. Coombs: Still stuck on 50 episodes. I got very emotional last week.

[0:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm still editing this 50-episode recap video, so you guys can see it soon. But, you know, it was so beautiful to look back on the 50 episodes. So happy 51.

[0:40] Jason A. Coombs: This is the first day of our next 50.

[0:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know, right? And soon we'll have 550. I keep saying that. I keep jumping.

[0:50] Jason A. Coombs: Have a heart palpitation.

[0:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm dead.

[0:53] Jason A. Coombs: But, like, in a great way, you know?

[0:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: For sure. For sure. Cool. So, do you have a survival job story?

[1:00] Jason A. Coombs: Here's the thing I want to talk about today.

[1:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: I like your green, though.

[1:06] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Green's my favorite color.

[1:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: What I would like to say about survival jobs this week is I have been taking on, oh my god, the highlighter I put on my nose was just really shiny and shocking. Sorry.

[1:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, wow.

[1:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: What I want to say about survival jobs this week is, me personally, Samantha D'Ontizolo, I have been biting off more than I can chew in my survival job world. Meaning, you know, I have my day-to-day survival job. Shout out. So grateful for it. It allows me to do so many things and have a steady income. But, you know, I do get these occasional freelance gigs which pay really well and are, like, super chill and I meet, like, amazing people. So it's very hard for me to say no when those are essentially just handed to me.

[2:04] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry, I just hit my mic. I've been hitting my mic a lot today.

[2:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sorry, everyone. So it's really hard to say no. And a big lesson I learned last week and I just want to share with everyone is, like, hey, yes, money may be amazing and easy and handed to you. And these opportunities and these gigs are awesome. But it's okay to say no. And you should if it's going to, like, really stress you out. I had a full-on, like, panic attack last week because I took—

[2:33] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, no.

[2:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Not, like, that sounded so dramatic. I did, you know, I did have, like, a moment where I was stressed. And, like, I need, and we'll talk about this a lot in our episode with Tamika that's coming up. Balance is so important and money and stability is awesome. But so is your mental health. And we talk about mental health a lot on this podcast. But I want to say, like, take care of yourself and in your survival jobs. Make sure you leave time for yourself and your art and your mental health. And if you need to go for a run, go for a run. And if you need to lay on the couch, lay on the couch. And it's okay to say no to a gig. It's okay to say no to a survival job as long as you're, like, still making money and doing the thing.

[3:24] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, so that's what I want to say about survival jobs this week. It's not really a survival job story, but more of a survival tip to the survivors.

[3:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I love that, a survivor tip.

[3:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah.

[3:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I had a big lesson for myself last week. My last week as a 31-year-old also, Jason.

[3:46] Jason A. Coombs: I know, your birthday's coming up this weekend.

[3:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Damn, next week, next week, October 5th, in case anyone...

[3:53] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[3:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: But isn't it...

[3:54] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, we're celebrating on Sunday.

[3:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're celebrating on Sunday.

[3:57] Jason A. Coombs: I'm like, oh, I don't know what the concept of time is.

[4:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm like, can't believe it's about to be October. How wild is that?

[4:04] Jason A. Coombs: Crazy, like 2022 is just, like, zooming by.

[4:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's over.

[4:08] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, my God, no, it's not. We can accomplish a lot in the next three months.

[4:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's hope. I do want to say that I hope that people are keeping up with what's happening in Puerto Rico because there was an awful hurricane, Fiona, who's wreaking havoc there, the aftermath of Fiona, as well as Dominican Republic and a few other countries in the Caribbean. I put a link of places to donate last week in episode 50, but we didn't talk about it last week. So I wanted to just acknowledge it and remind people, even if you have a couple of dollars, just help people, give, and they really need it there. They have not recovered from Hurricane Maria, which was last year. So Puerto Rico's having a tough time, and it's an American... It's part of America, y'all, part of the United States, y'all, so it's our country.

[5:02] Jason A. Coombs: 100%.

[5:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm making a face right now to our listeners, like, come on.

[5:08] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, it's us. It's our community. It's our greater community. It's our service to greater community. We can help so many other countries, but sometimes we forget to help our own.

[5:17] Jason A. Coombs: Correct.

[5:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you for always taking the lead on putting the correct links for people to help. So I will definitely take a look at that myself.

[5:29] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I mean, yeah. I was going to talk about... So much stuff's going on. We'll save it for another episode. I did also want to shout out, I saw recently Rent at the Downtown Cabaret Theater here in Bridgeport. It's a regional theater. They do regional shows, they also do community theater, and they had a production of Rent that's playing now until October 16th. And I mean, like most people in our age range love Rent, right? It's like, it was one of the first musicals that I was introduced to. I think I talked about that before, that it was like, oh, this is a musical? And it was, you know, it was different and it was fun. And it wasn't people just singing like opera, which is a little 13-year-old me was like everything that was musical theater was also opera. I don't know why I thought that.

[6:16] Jason A. Coombs: That's so funny.

[6:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: But it was a good reminder of how important that show is and how special that show is. And it's a really good production. So I hope people who are nearby can make it.

[6:29] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, Bridgeport, Connecticut, you guys. It's not far like we've told you about for the Bridgeport Film Fest. Do you know how long it's running, Jason?

[6:37] Jason A. Coombs: I think it closes on Sunday, October 16th. It's every weekend. And there's like four shows. There's a Friday, 7:30. There's a Saturday at 5 and 8, I believe, and a Sunday at 5. So just most of opportunities to see it. Get over there, y'all.

[6:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Yeah, you know, Rent is so, and it's so funny. We're talking about all these things that are tying right into our guests today. We didn't even realize.

[6:58] Jason A. Coombs: I love when we do good things like that.

[7:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Good things. I remember seeing Rent, and I was 12, 13 as well. And I remember sitting during La Vie Bohème. And I had a moment where I was like, I have to perform for the rest of my life. I remember I was like a friend's birthday party from community theater. And I remember telling her mom after the show, like, I have to do this. I might have said that story on this podcast before. I can't remember. So sorry if you've heard that already.

[7:34] Jason A. Coombs: But it is such a special show. You're right, especially to our age. But then also, you know, I think it's keeping it going. And the younger generations will always love Rent. How can you not?

[7:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, because it's like, you know, so groundbreaking. And even if it's, like, not as, I hate to say, like, as timely. Because, you know, the whole, like, AIDS and subplot is a little outdated, obviously. Because we're in 2022. But the representation that that show gives, it's so important. And yeah, it's just a really fun time at the theater, you know. Especially if you have a cast that does it right, which the Downtown Cabaret does. And my good friend Ciara's in it. So shout out to Ciara.

[8:17] Jason A. Coombs: She is?

[8:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: She's the, yeah, she's a Season of Love vocalist. She did such a fantastic job, so.

[8:23] Jason A. Coombs: Jason, I, you know, I love her.

[8:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know you do. I love Ciara.

[8:28] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, maybe I'll try to come. Maybe I'll try to get over there.

[8:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, for sure. Oh my gosh. She did such a great job. Well, shout out to Ciara and shout out to Rent and shout out to the Bridgeport Cabaret.

[8:38] Jason A. Coombs: Downtown Bridgeport Cabaret.

[8:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Downtown Cabaret, yeah. Sorry.

[8:42] Jason A. Coombs: Close enough.

[8:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Should we talk about?

[8:46] Jason A. Coombs: You have jinx.

[8:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Why do people always used to say, jinx, you owe me a soda? Like in my youth, I used to always say it. And I don't know why. And I don't, I almost just said it to you. And then I caught myself because I'm going to be 32. And I should not be telling people, jinx, you owe me a soda.

[9:04] Jason A. Coombs: Why not?

[9:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because I think it's silly.

[9:06] Jason A. Coombs: I just keep, I just said that. And in my head, I'm just thinking about Kim Possible.

[9:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Did Kim Possible ever say that?

[9:12] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I don't know if I loved that show when I was a kid.

[9:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my god. And I think that was Christy Carlson Romano, which we talked about on last week.

[9:22] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, it was.

[9:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: I hate us and love us. Goodbye. Love Christy Carlson Romano.

[9:27] Jason A. Coombs: Let's talk about our amazing—

[9:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Two episodes in a row, Christy Carlson Romano.

[9:31] Jason A. Coombs: We went to the moon in 1969, you know? It's just the way it is.

[9:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, yes, yes. Let's talk about Tariqa Lawrence, our amazing, incredible superstar guest today, you guys. We cannot wait for you to hear this episode.

[9:45] Jason A. Coombs: We say that all the time. But I think we're just so lucky with the guests that come on and who we get to share space with.

[9:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: So yes, we cannot wait for you guys to hear this one.

[9:57] Jason A. Coombs: Tariqa's amazing.

[10:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. How do you feel after talking to her?

[10:02] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I feel, I mean, really inspired. She's so, like, she was so warm. Like, I feel like she was just like a radiant, like she was radiating energy, like positive energy. And like, she was like the sun. Like I was getting, like, good energy from her.

[10:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: I just want to create now. Like, I just want to, yeah. I love when we talk to someone who makes us, just really inspires us and lights that fire underneath us.

[10:25] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, yes, yes. I really have to do a quick sidebar before we tell her bio to all of our listeners.

[10:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sure.

[10:31] Jason A. Coombs: You just said she was the sun. And I just want to let you know, I'm still on my Grey's Anatomy binge, which I'm starting to, like, go a little bit with it because I'm starting to get, like, okay, I cannot look. Ellen Pompeo is amazing. But I cannot look at her anymore. I've been watching this on repeat since June. And it's, like, a little overwhelming. It's, like, time to, like, maybe go read a book or something. But Sandra Oh, sorry to everyone, no spoilers. If you've never watched Grey's Anatomy, Sandra Oh, a.k.a. Christina Yang, has just left the show. And before she leaves, she looks at Meredith Grey, Ellen Pompeo, and says, Derek is not the sun, you are. And you just said Tameka was the sun. So shout out to being suns.

[11:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, I love that. That's so funny. You said no spoilers because that show has been on for, like, literally 25 years.

[11:24] Jason A. Coombs: If I was in the middle of my binge, and I was listening to a podcast, and they were, like, Christina Yang leaves the show, and I was on season two, I'd be like, Christina Yang is leaving?

[11:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, well, I was listening to a podcast the other day, actually. And I was really mad. I was really, really mad because I was listening to a podcast about a movie called I Know What You Did Last Summer, which is 25 years old, literally, from 1997. So I was like, okay, like, you know, I love that movie. I was listening to a podcast about it. But then these stupid ass hosts, they gave away a spoiler for a movie that came out last year called Malignant. And I was so mad. I gave them one star. I don't even care. I was, like, I was hunting them down on social media. We're probably going to lose fans because people are going to be like, he's crazy. But I was so mad that I was, like, trying to find them on social media. I could not find their Twitter or their Instagram. So I was like, next best thing, I'm going to Apple, and I give them one star. How dare you give a movie, a huge plot point from a movie that came out last year?

[12:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: I was so mad.

[12:21] Jason A. Coombs: So give us five stars. Long story short, because we won't spoil things for you.

[12:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Well, hopefully no one's in the middle of binging Grace from the beginning. Because I just did.

[13:17] Tamika Lawrence: I am an actor, writer, and Grammy-winning filmmaker. I am also the co-founder and co-producer of AcroGram.

[13:47] Tamika Lawrence: We really bonded at Western Connecticut State University in 2009, I think nine, ten, ten or nine. And so you made it go. Now here we are together. Okay, here we are. For television credits, I have included Modern Love, The Last O.G., The Wiz Live, Vinyl, Show Me a Hero, Blue Bloods, Law & Order SVU, and The Greatest Showman, White Girl, and Unbreakable You. This is a really good one. So get ready. Enjoy, people. Enjoy. Love you.

[14:55] Jason A. Coombs: Tamika, hi.

[14:56] Tamika Lawrence: Hi, how are you?

[14:58] Jason A. Coombs: Good, how are you?

[14:59] Tamika Lawrence: Welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast.

[15:01] Jason A. Coombs: Hey, thank you for having me.

[15:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, it's so wonderful to meet you. And like we were saying before we got on, you're our first Grammy Award winner that we've had on the show. So how cool, that's really cool for us.

[15:12] Tamika Lawrence: That's really iconic. I'm happy, very happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

[15:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm gonna start with a random question. Where do you keep them? Where do you keep your Grammy?

[15:23] Tamika Lawrence: Well, I have Grammy certificates and they're hanging off. The three of them are hanging on my wall and I'm waiting for two more. So I just keep them on my wall.

[15:33] Jason A. Coombs: That's good inspiration. Like when you're doing stuff to be like, there it is.

[15:37] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, and also like, it helps me have gratitude too because you know this business, like your podcast kind of exemplifies, can be a lot of feast or famine. And so in those times when I'm not so busy, I have this on my wall to say like, you know, even if I never work in this business again, I've been blessed to do so much cool stuff and I wanna remember that instead of becoming jaded or disillusioned, which can happen.

[16:06] Jason A. Coombs: Big facts.

[16:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: 100%.

[16:09] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, before we jump into the interview, since we're just talking about survival jobs and feast or famine, do you have like a sentence of what a survival job means to you?

[16:21] Tamika Lawrence: A survival job is a position that doesn't feed your passion, but feeds your bank account.

[16:29] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. Facts.

[16:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Do you have like a favorite survival job that's like helped you along your career?

[16:41] Tamika Lawrence: Well, I didn't work very long having a survival job. I worked for three weeks at Nike Town before I booked my first show.

[16:51] Jason A. Coombs: Wow.

[16:52] Tamika Lawrence: But I had a few survival jobs when I was in college. I went to conservatory and I had a, it was summer, winter, they would basically let me work with them whenever I had free time. And that was, I built computer boards for government projects and for Boeing and for just like other companies that needed computer boards for random projects.

[17:19] Jason A. Coombs: That's amazing.

[17:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's cool, yeah.

[17:22] Tamika Lawrence: So I would like—

[17:23] Jason A. Coombs: That's like a career.

[17:24] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, and it was, and it was a career for a lot of the people that I worked with, with that company is in Phoenix, Arizona, where I'm from. And yeah, it was cool just learning about a completely different industry and sort of having that in my tool bag too so that if theater didn't work out, I had something else. I had other tools before I even left school. I had another trade where I could work and do that and make a decent income.

[17:56] Jason A. Coombs: 100%, and that also sounds like complex, like you need to know what is going on.

[17:59] Tamika Lawrence: And the boats are leaving by my apartment, hello.

[18:05] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I didn't hear that big honk. I love that sound. Do you have like a crazy story from one of your survival jobs, like a crazy day or a crazy boss?

[18:19] Tamika Lawrence: I'm trying to think. See, I think, so those three weeks that I worked at Nike Town, I worked as part of a temp agency. And so the temp agency just kind of sent a group of people to that place and then you do whatever that place needs. And at Nike Town, they needed a bunch of people to, it was their like go time. I think it was Labor Day sale or something. And they needed people down in the basement to grab whatever shoes that were ordered up top and send them upstairs so that people could try shoes on and then send it back down if they didn't want to. And so there were a group of us there. And I remember, so it was wild but you had all types of people there. You had really nice people. You had, you know, Joanne the Scammer there with all kinds of stuff. So—

[19:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my gosh.

[19:09] Tamika Lawrence: So I remember there was this one lady who came around and she just didn't have a good vibe. And she kept coming around to the rest of us who were temps and she was like, hey, can I use your phone? Can I use your phone? I need to call somebody. And something about her was like, don't even give her the time of day. So we go about our day and we had a 15-minute break that we were allowed to take. And this woman was gone for like two hours. Nobody could find her. She was just like off the grid. And we were like, go, go, go. So they were like, well, forget it. We can't worry about her. We just have to keep sending these shoes up. So she comes strolling in two hours later. She's like, hey, you know, what did I miss?

And we're like, what is wrong with you? What did I miss? Oh, your shift? Me and this other guy, I remember we go to like this. So there were like these special shoes and they didn't get called up as much. But so, and they were like in a back corner. So we got a call for these special shoes. We go around to the back corner and there's this girl crying her eyes out in the back corner. And we were like, girl, what's wrong? Are you okay? She's another temp. That woman who asked us for our phones, this girl actually gave her her phone. That woman used her phone for two hours. Now this was like 11 years ago. And called Jamaica, like called home and grabbed a $500 worth of like long-distance minutes on this girl's phone.

And just came strolling back in with like, hey, how y'all doing? And I was like, boy, Jesus, get me up out of here because if anything like that happens to me, I'm fighting somebody. So luckily, I think a week later I booked Rent and then, you know, didn't have to worry about it. But we were like, oh man, we need to start fundraising for this girl or something because the phone company wasn't going to let her slide. So yeah, that's probably the craziest. So it didn't happen to me, but I saw it happen.

[21:06] Jason A. Coombs: I am in shock.

[21:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: Jason and I both sort of like fell back and our hands went over our mouth.

[21:14] Tamika Lawrence: That's crazy.

[21:15] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[21:16] Tamika Lawrence: That's crazy.

[21:17] Tamika Lawrence: That's what happens. Also, my survival job is I work in event staffing for a temp agency. And the temps are hit or miss. You never know. Like, so you get some crazy people who are like making phone calls.

[21:27] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[21:34] Tamika Lawrence: Wow, wow, wow. Well, thank you to Nike for the story.

[21:40] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, they got me through. They really did. They came in in a pinch. So very, very grateful.

[21:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: I have so many questions, though. I think that's the story.

[21:48] Jason A. Coombs: Go ahead, Jason.

[21:49] Jason A. Coombs: But why was she so bold to be like, I'm gonna take someone's phone and call, like, who is this person?

[21:57] Tamika Lawrence: My grandma always says, like, it takes all kinds. Anytime somebody does something that's crazy, you can't justify that, right? Like, it's just, they got a different set of rules and boundaries and stuff in their brain. So when that happens, it's just, it takes all kinds. All kinds of people in the world.

[22:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my gosh. My friend's mom also says, you can't rationalize crazy.

[22:22] Tamika Lawrence: You can't.

[22:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: You literally can't.

[22:23] Tamika Lawrence: You cannot rationalize crazy, ever.

[22:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oof. Yikes.

[22:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's like the wildest story I think I heard on here.

[22:30] Tamika Lawrence: Actually.

[22:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: I also love that she came back in and she was like, hey, what did I miss? She's a crazy, beautiful cover girl. You would never know that she just—

[22:42] Tamika Lawrence: She just ruined somebody's life.

[22:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: And she just wrote that. Oh, man. I thought, wow, that's a character study.

[22:49] Tamika Lawrence: That really is. I hope to play her one day.

[22:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Tamika, are you a writer? Because that sounds like a great script.

[22:55] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, right? I should.

[22:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: A great, I mean, not for the girl who's pulling, but anyway, you did bring up Rent, which was your first, your first Broadway show, right?

[23:06] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, first off-Broadway show.

[23:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: First off-Broadway show, yeah. And you've done Carolina Change, Come From Away, Beautiful, just to name a few. Do you have, like, a favorite role you've done?

[23:15] Tamika Lawrence: I have a two-part question. That's the first part.

[23:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[23:22] Tamika Lawrence: Favorite role. Probably Bunny in Black No More. That was the last role that I did with the new group.

[23:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, that was this year, right?

[23:32] Tamika Lawrence: Huh, I'm sorry?

[23:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: That was this year, right?

[23:34] Tamika Lawrence: That was this year, yeah. It was cool playing someone who was morally conflicted, sort of a hero, anti-hero, hero. So that was really fun to develop and explore with the writers and all that for, like, four years. That was great.

[23:57] Tamika Lawrence: And my favorite show, because I love that role and I love that show, but I think my favorite show that I've ever been in is Rent, number one, because it was my first show, and number two, I don't want to make this long-winded, but Michael Greif was the director of this show. And, you know, when you book your first show, or at least when I did, I was like, all right, I booked my first show. Yes. Worked long, I did it, Lord, thank you. And one of the things that he did that was so impactful was had us go down and observe the group, the life group that is talked about in Rent. And we actually asked, heard people's stories. And, you know, it taught me that whenever we get to go on stage, we get to do it.

And also, when we're telling these people's stories, we get to, like, put on that jacket and then put it back in the closet, right? And these people have to continue with their struggles or with their feelings. And there's a privilege in being able to take that off. And there's a duty for us as actors to do right and not think about all the other crap and how great we are and how cool it is. That, you know, like, that stuff is cool to be grateful for what we do to pursue our passions, but it's not like we're all that. We have the same, you know, we have a duty to just tell the story with as much truth and vulnerability as possible. And so I think that really helped me shape my career, how I wanna go about my career and the roles that I play.

[25:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow, no, that's so beautiful. That's so well stated. I mean, we said this last time, Sam, for our last guest, but like, Viola Davis always says, what's the quote? I never can say it right. She says something along the lines of, I love being an artist because it is the only career or path who truly knows how to live a life.

[26:00] Tamika Lawrence: Oh my gosh, yeah.

[26:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, you live so many. You get to, like, tap into so many. Also in a speech, she said something, I can't find the whole sentence, but she was like, exhume those bodies. Like, we get to tap into, like, so many people before us.

[26:16] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah.

[26:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, I love her.

[26:17] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah.

[26:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: And then I have a part two. Sorry, I'm taking up all the time, Sam. Sorry, but do you have like a favorite, like, you've had such a wonderful career. You said that job was 11 years ago. So like, you've been working professionally for at least 11 years. Do you have a favorite?

[30:04] Tamika Lawrence: And that was a cool experiment just dealing with all the things that come with being a super sensitive artist and being a super sensitive person. The Grammys that I do have are for the work that I've done with Broadway shows, so with Dear Evan Hansen and with Matilda and with The Greatest Showman. Those were incredible experiences. I was just watching other people work and being so specific in their writing really influenced my writing for sure.

[30:45] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. That's so inspiring. I wish I could sing. Sometimes I break out into song on this show, and I really have some good...

[31:04] Tamika Lawrence: I do want to say like a nice takeaway from that story. I felt like you couldn't get booked because the name of your band had "Motherfucker" in it, but like how fierce that you were like, "No, this is the name. I'm not changing it until someone appreciates your work and your brand." That's what you wanted it to be. I think a big lesson for our listeners is like don't bend and don't change your art or who you want to be to fit into somebody who's gonna book you or like sign you or cast you. Stay true to you, and then something cool will happen.

[31:42] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, something cool happens; it just may take a lot longer. That's kind of like the takeaway, right? It does fulfill you in a very beautiful way to have your own brand, but just know you might work less, and that's okay, you know? But at least you'll be doing the things that you want to do that speak to you for sure.

[32:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: So then the second part of my question about you creating your own music and your own work is how did you find the balance to juggle being creative and creating your own music while still performing and auditioning and doing all those things? By the way, I don't know if you were doing this at the same time.

[32:31] Tamika Lawrence: Well, you were, and you were in it then, so how'd you find that balance? Because I know balance is hard.

[32:41] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, I think I don't really know how to explain it. I just made the time. So if we had a show and the show got out at 9:30 or 10:30, we would hit the rehearsal studio at 11 and have like an 11 to 1 a.m. rehearsal, you know, just because it made us happy to do that. And then when we recorded our album, I had downtime to do that. I was in between shows, and then when we were like putting in the final touches, I was doing Come From Away, and so I would fly from Toronto to finish it. But I feel like when you really have... it's two different kinds of passions, right? Like I'm able to fulfill the theater passion and the music passion, but I feel like they both feed each other. So because I felt like I was being fed doing music, it really influenced how I could be motivated to feed my other passions too. So you just make time for it whenever you can.

[33:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, that's the way you have to do it, I guess. And that sounds like... somebody said, "I'm so probably..." That's just like a rock star type thing, right? You're like...

[34:03] Tamika Lawrence: Another club, another club playing.

[34:07] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly, exactly. And it's so hard, and I struggle with this, and especially this past month, I've been struggling with this a lot of like, where is my balance for my survival job, this podcast, my acting, my fitness? It's just sometimes so overwhelming. So thank you for sharing that because for me, I'm already like, "Okay, just gotta do it. Just stop complaining and like being stressed and just figure it out and breathe."

[34:38] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, I also want to say it's like none of them are mutually exclusive, right? It's okay to complain; it's okay to stress; it's okay to feel overwhelmed, and it's okay to put certain things down at different times because it's not actually helping you or it feels more like it's hurting more than helping. Everything's always in flux. And so it's like you don't have to feel... I guess that's my philosophy is like you don't have to feel defeated because something's not serving you or because it's hard. I think you can acknowledge all those things just as long as you keep waking up and pushing forward, even if pushing forward that day is sitting on a couch and doing nothing and laying under a blanket and saying, "Why is my life this way?" Right? Still an acknowledgement of, you know, what's going on. We have to have those days too.

[35:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Totally, and to take those days and not beat yourself up for it. It's something that they've been dealing with.

[35:42] Jason A. Coombs: Cheers.

[35:47] Tamika Lawrence: Go ahead, Jay, you got it.

[35:51] Jason A. Coombs: I take myself off. I mean, I couldn't get the button. There's a lot happening in my house right now, so I'm like trying to put myself on mute. Anyway, okay, so I feel like this question is like not always the best to ask us as people of color or like as a woman, but I feel like it's still an important question just to get the conversation out there and hopefully someone would hear this and I don't know, maybe they'll like get inspired to like do better. So my question for you is, as someone who's been a performer on TV and film, Broadway, off-Broadway, what advice or suggestions would you share with anyone who has a seat at the table, right, and can make the industry more inclusive to others who aren't the straight white men of this world making art?

[36:48] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, I know, where do you begin, right? I'm sure... Can I start this by a joke that I heard?

[36:56] Tamika Lawrence: Yeah, I just find like is like the thing... there's this comedian who's talking about how he was visiting Portland, right? And he needed a haircut, and he goes to this one place in this gentrified neighborhood, and he looks at their window, and there's, you know, an LGBTQ flag in the window, and he's like, "Tight," and there's a matter when you know flyer in the window. He goes, "Tight," and there was like one other, I think it was like pro-abortion. Yeah, he's like, "Okay, this is the kind of place that I want to be in." And he sits down, he waits for his hair to get cut, and a black man walks in, and he says, "Hey, y'all cut black hair?" And they said, "Sorry, no." And he just thought like, "Wow."

[37:46] Tamika Lawrence: Right? It's not... so for people who have a seat at the table, it's not so much about saying... it's not so much about tolerating us or acknowledging our existence or saying that, you know, we're allowed to have these rights or allowed to exist. It's about sort of reverse assimilation and allowing for other people to have a seat at that table. It's about changing what the table is instead of doing all these sort of inclusive things that don't really amount to much. And reach, you know, that theater, as much as it is a passion for us that we are allowed to do, it's dollars and cents. That's what it is to these producers. It's just business. The only way that we can change dynamics is through money, and if you don't let certain types of money come in and have a voice and have a say, things will never change.

And so I guess that is what my petition to these people would be is allow other money to come in so that other people can truly have a voice and not have to go with the whole rhythm or wall that we're used to.

[39:04] Tamika Lawrence: Snaps, right? Actually make the difference rather than just like advertising and putting the signs in the window and not doing anything. Even with the kinds of stories that people are trying to tell now, they're still trying to tell it with a hegemonic white male dominated audience in mind. And I feel like when you change the kind of money that comes in and produces those people with that kind of money, they're not only thinking about, yes, the white people who buy the most tickets, but they're thinking about inviting and attracting other...

[43:50] Jason A. Coombs: So, Tamika, you mentioned earlier about your experience in "The Book of Mormon." Can you share one of your favorite moments from that production?

[44:11] Tamika Lawrence: Absolutely! One of my favorite moments was during the song "I Believe." It was such a powerful experience to perform that number every night. The energy from the audience was incredible, and it felt like we were all on this journey together.

[44:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: That sounds amazing! It's always special when you have that connection with the audience.

[44:51] Tamika Lawrence: Yes, and I think that’s what makes live theater so unique. Each performance is different, and you never know how the audience will react.

[45:11] Jason A. Coombs: Speaking of unique experiences, how do you balance your music career with your work on Broadway?

[45:31] Tamika Lawrence: It can be challenging, but I try to prioritize my time. I love creating my own music, and I make sure to carve out time for that, even when I'm in a show. It's all about finding that balance and making sure I stay true to both passions.

[45:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's such a great approach! Do you have any upcoming music projects you’re excited about?

[46:11] Tamika Lawrence: Yes! I’m currently working on new material and hope to release some singles soon. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

[46:31] Jason A. Coombs: We’ll definitely be on the lookout for that!

[46:51] Tamika Lawrence: Thank you! I appreciate the support.

[47:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: Before we wrap up, can you tell us about your Grammys? Where do you keep them?

[47:31] Tamika Lawrence: Oh, I keep my Grammys in a special place in my home. They’re a reminder of the hard work and dedication that went into my music career.

[47:51] Jason A. Coombs: That’s so inspiring!

[48:11] Tamika Lawrence: Thank you! It’s important to celebrate those milestones, no matter how big or small.

[48:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Absolutely! And speaking of celebrations, let’s play a little game before we end the episode.

[48:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yes! It's time for some Grammy Awards Trivia!

[49:11] Tamika Lawrence: I’m ready! Let’s do this!

[49:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, first question...

[49:51] Jason A. Coombs: Who was the first woman to win a Grammy Award?

[50:11] Tamika Lawrence: Hmm, I think that was Ella Fitzgerald!

[50:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Correct! Great job, Tamika!

[50:51] Jason A. Coombs: Next question...

[51:11] Tamika Lawrence: Bring it on!

[51:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: What year were the first Grammy Awards held?

[51:51] Tamika Lawrence: That would be 1959!

[52:11] Jason A. Coombs: You’re on fire!

[52:31] Tamika Lawrence: Thank you! I love trivia!

[52:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: This has been so much fun! Thank you for joining us today, Tamika.