Storybeat With Steve Cuden

Actor-singer-dancer-educator, Billy Hartung, has over 1000 performances on the Broadway stage to his credit. Billy’s been featured in three Broadway shows, Side Show, Footloose, and Minnelli on Minnelli. He can also be seen singing and dancing in the Academy Award winning movie musical “Chicago.” You can hear Billy singing on the original soundtrack recordings of all four of the aforementioned shows.He was invited to perform in the 75th Annual Academy Awards. He also performed in the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center Honors, in featured tributes to Chita Rivera & Elizabeth Taylor. A Pittsburgh native, Billy has performed with the Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, City Theater, The Pittsburgh Playhouse, The Pittsburgh Symphony and Front Porch Theatricals, where he was last seen in the local premiere of the musical, Big Fish, playing the lead role of patriarch, Edward Bloom, a role that made him runner-up for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year.Billy is currently the Executive Di

Adryan Russ writes music and lyrics for theater, film, television and recordings. Her off-Broadway musical Inside Out, co-written with playwright Doug Haverty, played The Cherry Lane Theater in New York, and has been produced in many theaters across the U.S., in Europe, and for three years in Belgrade, Serbia. Also co-written with Doug Haverty, the musicals Love Again, and iGhost, which is a modern telling of “The Canterville Ghost,” were produced in Los Angeles. Her CD “Everyone Has A Story” showcases cabaret and theater songs. The CD, “Changing My Tune,” features jazz-based new standards co-written with Joel Evans.  One appears in the film Doubt, others in Netflix’s Holidate and Disney+’s WandaVision, and yet another was selected by the Australian Discovery Orchestra for Broadway Records’ CD 16 Stories: New American Musicals. Legendary songstress Sue Raney recorded Adryan’s song “Late In Life,” co-written with Shelly Markham. Barry White recorded Adryan’s “The Better Love Is, The Worse It Is When It’s Over.

Brian Drusky has been a concert and events promoter for more than two decades here in his native Pittsburgh. Brian founded Drusky Entertainment more than ten years ago after many years working with well-known concert promoter DiCesare-Engler Productions, which was one of the region’s top-grossing concert producers, a space in the local entertainment spectrum that Brian now occupies.            Drusky Entertainment currently presents hundreds of live concerts and events every year throughout the Western Pennsylvania region.            One of Brian’s greatest achievements is in helping to bring a wide variety of events and acts to the revered Music Hall of the Carnegie Library of Homestead, ranging from Patti Smith to Frank Caliendo, to Cary Elwes and even William Shatner, the latter two of which I know a little, since I was privileged to moderate the Question and Answer sessions for both events. 

Andy Marx is an award-winning photographer, writer, and musician, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, Movieline, and Cigar Aficionado, among others. His photography has been exhibited throughout the world, including in the U.S., Europe, and Israel.In 2020, Andy's first novel, “Royalties,” was published to enthusiastic reviews. The multi-generational, historical romance is based on the lives of his paternal grandfather, the legendary comedian, Groucho Marx, and his maternal grandfather, the renowned songwriter, Gus Kahn, whose hits include "It Had to Be You," "Makin' Whoopee," and "Dream a Little Dream."Andy has produced special programming for Sirius/XM’s “Siriusly Sinatra” channel. And he’s currently recording an album of many of his grandfather’s most famous songs. The first single, “Ukulele Lady,” was recently released.Andy co

The prolific playwright and screenwriter, Myla Lichtman Fields, received training at The Juilliard School of Drama and a Ph.D. in Communications-Drama with a minor in film from the University of Southern California.  As a staff writer at Universal Studios, she penned episodic TV shows, Movies of the Week, and an NBC special.  Myla’s play, Felix & Fanny, will be presented in November, 2022, at the Barbican Centre's Milton Court Theatre in London featuring The Carducci String Quartet.   California Artists Radio Theatre recorded Felix & Fanny with Michael York and Samantha Eggar, airing it on NPR and Sirius XM radio.  Felix & Fanny is the first of Myla’s 4 Musicmakers Plays.  California Artists Radio Theatre also recorded Brigid of Kildare, featuring Samantha Eggar, Monte Markham, and a star-studded cast.  Olympia Dukakis read the lead role of Sara in Myla’s play, Learning to Dance in the Rain in New York City. It was also a semi-finalist in the Ashland New Play Festival and a Finalist in the IA

Ed Driscoll is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer and producer who’s worked with some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry including Billy Crystal, Morgan Freeman, Joan Rivers, Michael Bublé, Justin Timberlake and Dennis Miller – just to name a few! From variety shows to sitcoms to movies to live theater, Ed has been a performer, writer, and producer at the highest levels of his field for over 25 years.            Ed’s written for shows including: The Academy Awards (for which he received an Emmy nomination), Comic Relief, Stand Up To Cancer, ESPN’s ESPY Awards, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Dennis Miller Live (for which he won both an Emmy and Writers Guild Award), Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Melissa & Joey, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, I Kid with Brad Garrett, Michael Buble’s Christmas in New York, The Drew Carey Show, Ultimate Beastmaster, Still Laugh-In, and The Final Table. Ed has also written stage material for big acts like Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Howie Mandel and Louie Ander

Lighting Designer, Paula Dinkel, fell in love with stage lighting in junior high school.  Her dance and music training were a perfect lead-in to a life in entertainment lighting design.  Growing up in a military family prepared her for frequent travel and overseas relocations.She earned her BA, MA and MFA from Cal State University Fullerton in both lighting and scene design. While a student, she worked as an assistant technical director, and became a founding member of the Cabaret Dinner Theater in Fullerton CA.  Paula taught part time at Golden West College, Cal State San Bernardino, and full time for a year at USC in Los Angeles. In 1980, Paula was recruited by WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) and began her 38+ year career in theme park lighting design.  Her most notable design projects include numerous shops, restaurants, and landscapes at Disneyland. She was the lead lighting designer for DisneyQuest at Walt Disney World and Chicago, and for Club Disney and Disney Studios Paris. Her favorite

Marcus Stevens is a New York based writer, actor and director. He wrote the book and lyrics for the award winning musical, Mythic, along with composer Oran Eldor.  Mythic was a winner of the NAMT Festival and subsequently had successful productions in both London and Montreal. The London production of Mythic also gave birth to an Original Cast Album, produced by Broadway Records. Marcus’s professional writing career began by winning the Richard Rodgers Award for Red, which he wrote with composer Bree Lowdermilk. His show Yo, Vikings! with composer Sam Willmott, was featured in the HBO Documentary, Song of Parkland, and has been produced all over North America. Marcus and composer, David Dabbon, were commissioned by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera to write the original musical, Game On, which was produced during the CLO’s 2019 season. Marcus has developed, directed and contributed material to Theaterworks USA’s Dragons Love Tacos and Other Stories, which enjoyed a two-year U.S. tour. His family musical Wake U

The writer, Jon Krampner, is a native of Brooklyn. He spent the Carter administration getting fired from small newspapers, then moved in 1980 to Los Angeles, where he taught English as a Second Language for 27 years in the adult division of the Los Angeles Unified School District. This provided him with the economic basis to produce his critically acclaimed but non-bestselling books, The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television, Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley, and Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food. His next book, Ernest Lehman: The Sweet Smell of Success, will be published by the University Press of Kentucky in fall of 2022. 

The brilliant, multi-talented Frank Ferrante, has enjoyed a 35-year career in the theater as an actor, director and producer.At age 23, he debuted Off-Broadway in the title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue written by Arthur Marx, son of the legendary comedian Groucho Marx. For that role, Frank won New York’s Theatre World Award and a New York Outer Critics Circle nomination. He revived the role in London’s West End, where he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Comedy Performance of the Year.’ Since then, he’s reprised the role more than 3,000 times in over 500 cities throughout the world primarily in his touring solo show An Evening With Groucho, which was filmed at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and re-titled Frank Ferrante’s Groucho for broadcast on PBS.The Chicago Tribune named Frank a 2019 top ten theater performer for his work as comic host, The Caesar, in the cirque spectacular, Teatro ZinZanni – a role he’s played for 20 years. At Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, he directed an

The extraordinary movie and TV producer, Chris Moore, has returned to StoryBeat for the third time. You know Chris’s work from such memorable and popular movies like Good Will Hunting, the American Pie movies, Promised Land, The Adjustment Bureau, Manchester by the Sea, and such TV series as Project Greenlight and The Chair.On today’s StoryBeat, which was recorded in February of 2022, we’ll continue to explore what’s happening in Hollywood during the time of Covid. Chris is on the forefront of motion picture production, and we’re truly fortunate to gain his great insight into the ever shifting landscape of today’s entertainment industry.

Douglas Levine is a composer, pianist, music director and educator based right here in Pittsburgh. He’s the composer/co-lyricist of the new musical Claws Out!, which was  filmed and premiered online in 2020 by City Theatre. He’s also the composer/lyricist of Jazz Time!, a new musical filmed and streamed online in 2021 by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Arts Education Dept. Douglas’s original scores have been premiered by such companies as: Pittsburgh Public Theater, Microscopic Opera Company, The Warhol, The Playhouse REP, Conservatory and Junior Companies, Attack Theatre, Pennsylvania Dance Theatre, Pittsburgh Classical Theatre, Dreams of Hope, Gateway to the Arts, Renaissance City Women’s Choir, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Opera Theatre  of Pittsburgh and WQED FM. Please be sure to stick around at the end of the show, because Doug has given us a great treat. We’ll hear three of his songs, The Mother Age, Not That Kind of Lawyer, and Zoey and Jake. 

The noted screenwriter and teacher, Scott Myers, has written over thirty movie and TV projects at almost every major Hollywood studio and broadcast network. Scott’s screenwriting credits include K-9, Alaska, and Trojan War. Since 2008, Scott has hosted GoIntoTheStory.com, the official screenwriting blog of the Black List, which was named the Best of the Best Scriptwriting Website by Writer’s Digest Magazine. He’s also the author of the book, The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling.  Available April 2022.Scott is currently an assistant professor of screenwriting at DePaul University.

Charles Rosenay has been in the entertainment business for over four decades as an actor, promoter, music aficionado, entertainer, MC, DJ, humorist, and author.Most recently, he released the highly acclaimed book, Monsters, Celebrities, Actors, Athletes, and Rock Stars: The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists, which contains 100 top ten lists from pop-culture notables. Charles even include Steve Cuden’s Top 10 Horror list in his truly wonderful book.  Since 1978, Charles has produced Beatles Conventions and Festivals, and since 1983 he’s been the organizer and host of the “Magical History Tour” which brings Beatles fans to Liverpool and London. For over 20 years, Charles published and edited one of the world’s most famous Beatles/Sixties magazines, “Good Day Sunshine.” Charles has also promoted Monkees conventions since the early 80s. As an MC, Charles has shared the stage with countless entertainment figures, including Charles Grodin, Geraldo Rivera, and the late Danny Aiello. Charles was an on-air host on the QVC/H

The brilliant, Emmy Award-winning composers that comprise Dynamic Music Partners, Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter, constantly push the envelope of innovative collaboration in TV series, films, video games and live performance events. Emmys, Annies and an Academy Award have graced productions containing their music since the beginning of their careers. From New York’s Lincoln Center to The Hollywood Bowl and beyond, their live concert music has received critical acclaim. Stars of stage and screen, including Mark Hamill and Neil Patrick Harris, have performed songs written by this dynamic trio. From “Batman: The Animated Series” to “Young Justice,” “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble” and “Teen Titans,” they create signature musical worlds that iconically represent each.

The extraordinarily multi-talented Corky Hale is widely considered to be the most accomplished jazz harpist in the world—as well she’s an exceptional pianist and singer. Corky has performed at the White House with Tony Bennett, soloed with Barbra Streisand at the Hollywood Bowl and Central Park, with Bjork on her MTV special, and with George Michael at Royal Albert Hall.  And she’s played and/or recorded with no less than Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, June Christy, Anita O’Day, Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester, Judy Collins, Mel Torme, Chet Baker, Joe Williams, Benny Carter, and numerous others.            Corky made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2007, as a pianist, with the New York Pops Orchestra and was among the stars at the 2011 Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center.Corky is the only woman to have played for Billie Holiday and she performs an annual Billie Holiday Birthday Concert at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood.            For more about Corky, please be sure

Robert Miller is a musician who followed his youthful dream later in life and became a Rock Star when he was in his 60s, an age when most people are planning their retirement. He’s living proof that you’re never too old, and it’s never too late, to follow your dream.In just 5+ years Robert and his band, Project Grand Slam, have released 10 celebrated albums, including a Billboard #1, have had over 4 million video views, over 1 million Spotify streams, and gained more than 50,000 Facebook fans. He’s played festivals and concerts around the world and opened for Edgar Winter, Blues Traveler, Boney James, Mindi Abair, and an after-show for YES.In March 2021 Robert started the Follow Your Dream Podcast to inspire and motivate others to pursue and succeed at their dream – whatever it may be. Robert’s initial podcast guests have included “Cousin Brucie” Morrow, America’s most famous radio personality; Anton Fig, drummer on The David Letterman Show; Mort Crim, longtime Detroit television anchor; Robert Funaro, star o

The brilliant actor, singer, and director, Robert Cuccioli, is renowned for his critically acclaimed, Tony-nominated dual performance as the good Dr. Henry Jekyll and his sinister alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, in Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical. Prior to his sensational run in Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, Robert dazzled audiences across America in the show’s pre-Broadway, first national tour. Both the tour and Broadway featured Linda Eder and Christiane Noll. For Broadway, Robert received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and FANY Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. For the record: April 28, 2022, marks the 25th Anniversary of Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical opening at Broadway's Plymouth Theater (now called the Schoenfeld Theater).Robert’s other Broadway appearances include playing Javert in Les Miserables, and his high-flying performance in another dual role, Dr. Norman Osborn aka The Green Goblin in the rock musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Robert’s first big break was playing Lancelot oppo

You’re likely already a fan of the actor and bestselling author, Cary Elwes, who you surely know from his many starring roles in memorable, popular films, including: The Princess Bride, Lady Jane, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Saw, Kiss The Girls, The Cradle Will Rock, Justice League, and the Billionaire Boys Club among dozens of others. Currently, Cary is a co-lead alongside Michael Sheen and Natalie Emmanuel in The Last Train to Christmas. He’s slated to star alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 7 and 8 for director Christopher McQuarrie. He’s starring opposite Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s next film, Five Eyes. He recently wrapped the Netflix feature A Castle for Christmas, as well as the The Unholy, which was produced by Sam Raimi, and the indie film Best Sellers opposite Michael Caine.You also know Cary from his numerous appearances on such popular TV shows including: Psych, Stranger Things, Family Guy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Art of More. He also produced and wrote

Melody Thomas Scott is best known for her Emmy-nominated work in the iconic role of Nikki Reed, aka Nikki Newman, a character she’s played for forty years and counting on America’s number-one daytime television drama The Young and the Restless. She’s also appeared in feature films with the likes of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, and worked with esteemed directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Don Siegel and Brian De Palma. Her new memoir “Always Young and Restless,” from Diversion Books, and written with one of OUR favorite StoryBeat guests, Dana L. Davis, is now widely available at fine booksellers everywhere. I’ve had the opportunity to read “Always Young and Restless,”  and I can tell you it’s wonderfully heartfelt and thoroughly entertaining. I highly recommend it.Melody is also known for her charitable efforts with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Television Cares and the Save the Earth Foundation. She lives with her husband, Producer Edward Scott, and beloved rescue terrier, Reilly, in Beverly Hills