Ethical Hiring Practices for the Pit (with Joe LaRocca)
Back in 2021, we chatted with Joe LaRocca while he was playing on the 50th anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Since then he has fou...
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Life in the Pit
This podcast is devoted to the lives and experiences of instrumental musicians who play for musical theatre. Listeners can hear the stories of what goes on in "the pit" and aspiring musician...
Episodes
20 of 99 episodesTheatre Keyboards Revisited (with John Eldridge)
In 2021, John Eldridge and I had a 2-part episode series on keyboard programming in musical theatre, and I felt it was time to check in for...
Getting Started as a Musician with National Tours - Sachio Nang: keyboardist, bassist
CORRECTED: Original post was missing the interview, and has been updated. Sachio Nang chatted with Life in the Pit in 2021 talking about his...
Music Directing as a High School Student - Sachio Nang (ENCORE)
Sachio Nang was recently a high school graduate in the Chicago area in 2021, and has since been part of 3 national tours since we originally...
Bows and Exit Music
Life in the Pit had reached its end as a podcast a few months ago, but I resisted making it official. This episode was recorded and released...
78. Arranging Pop Songs for ”& Juliet” - Dominic Fallacaro
"& Juliet" is a musical reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with a different fate for Juliet, all told with music from the legendary song writer...
77a. Resolution? Local 802 AFM and Here Lies Love
This is a brief follow-up to Episode 77 with Jason Loffredo, where we talked about the conflict of the new show, Here Lies Love, wanting to...
77. Local 802 AFM and Here Lies Love -Jason Loffredo
After a longer than intended hiatus, Life in the Pit is back for a couple of episodes this month. This was an impromptu meant to address an...
TRAILER for The Musician Toolkit with David Lane
LIFE IN THE PIT listeners, here is the trailer for David Lane's new podcast. If you'd like to add this to your podcasts, you can find all av...
76. End of Year Update
Life in the Pit is still temporarily on hiatus, but David Lane wanted to come on to thank all of you for listening, talk a little about the...
75. Dare to Be Seen: Taming Performance Anxiety - Elisa Di Napoli
Whether you're in the pit or any kind of musician who has to perform to an expected standard, you may often or even occasionally struggle wi...
74. Managing a Theatre Company - Marci Shegogue
Marci Shegogue is a music director and keyboardist who has been active for decades in the Maryland/DC area. In 2018, she started the Free Th...
73. End of an Act and the 3 Keys to Success
Life in the Pit is going to go on a hiatus, hopefully a short one. For more details, listen to this episode as David Lane talks about what's...
72. Subbing on Percussion for Broadway - Dennis J. Arcano
Dennis J. Arcano has played for several dozen shows including the national tour of Tick, Tick,...Boom! as drummer and assistant music direct...
71. NAMM experience and Community Theatre Musician Compensation
Episode 71 begins with David Lane reporting on his very fun first-time experience at NAMM 2022 in Anaheim . Then he brings up a topic that m...
70a. BONUS: Story of a Big Break - Angela McCuiston
This is a follow up to Episode 70 with Angela McCuiston , where we chatted about strength and injury prevention for musicians, but we never...
70. Strength Training and Injury Prevention for Musicians - Angela McCuiston
We might not be discussing performance on Episode 70, but don't skip this week, because a reported 90% of musicians will go through some kin...
Bonus: Nurturing Your Network or How to Book Your Pit (and not)
If you're a musician in any field, your network is paramount! If you're a music director who works a local market and are responsible for fi...
69. Into the Woods - Jeff Saver, music director
Jeff Saver took over music directing sometime around 1988 during the original Broadway run of Into The Woods. He talks about his experiences...
68. 14 Habits to Improve your Music Career
A lot of talented musicians sit around waiting for work, or struggle with plateauing. Whether you're just getting started or you've been a p...