# 33. broadway, Wicked, and learning to do it scared with Shanna Vanderwerker Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kicking-it-real-7560311/33-broadway-wicked-and-learning-to-do-it-scared-with-shanna-vanderwerker Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kicking-it-real-7560311/33-broadway-wicked-and-learning-to-do-it-scared-with-shanna-vanderwerker.md Podcast: [Kicking It Real](https://stenobird.com/podcast/kicking-it-real-7560311) Published: 2026-05-20T11:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kicking-it-real-podcast/episodes/33--broadway--Wicked--and-learning-to-do-it-scared-with-Shanna-Vanderwerker-e3jhtrs Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/10ad936d0/podcast/play/120173884/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-19%2F424482715-44100-2-422c1618edc5f.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kicking-it-real-7560311/episodes/33-broadway-wicked-and-learning-to-do-it-scared-with-shanna-vanderwerker Duration seconds: 5267 ## Resource Shanna Vanderwerker has one of the most full-circle careers in musical theater: swing in the Broadway company of Wicked, Dance Captain of the First National Tour for nearly five years, Jeff-nominated choreographer, and now a professor at Roosevelt University training the next generation. But the story behind those credits is anything but straight. In this episode, Shanna takes us through the rejections, the almost-quits, and the moments nobody sees on a resume, including being told she wasn't the right look for reasons that had nothing to do with her dancing, the year Wicked went completely silent, and how she rebuilt her entire career identity after leaving New York. We also get into what she teaches her students that she wishes someone had told her sooner, why diversity in theater still isn't where it claims to be, and the two rules she lives by that she'll leave with you at the end. Stay in the loop with me πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ€ Instagram: @kickingitrealpod @potentiallygabby TikTok: @potentiallygabby Episode requests: kickingitrealpod@gmail.com Find Shanna here πŸ‘‡πŸΌ Instagram: @shannavdance shannavdance.com ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kicking-it-real-7560311/episodes/33-broadway-wicked-and-learning-to-do-it-scared-with-shanna-vanderwerker/transcription-requests` β€” Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/kicking-it-real-7560311/33-broadway-wicked-and-learning-to-do-it-scared-with-shanna-vanderwerker.md` β€” Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.