So, obviously, you have been welcomed with open arms.

It's been unbelievable.

It has felt like...

And I say this because as someone who's been in a show now where replacements have come in, there's different ways that shows can go and there's different, the shows can take different forms and I will say that I can say with 100% confidence, it has felt like we've been back in the most, so some of the most joyous times for an actor are the rehearsal room, actually when you're playing and you're crafting and you're coming up with your bits and your different things that you do.

And something that has been so satisfying for Chris, Jen, and I, and we've talked about this, is oftentimes a year into a show, you know, it's kind of expected this is what you do and this is what it looks like.

And the biggest gift for us was feeling like our shows, the first month or two, and still... has felt like we were able to go back into a rehearsal room just in front of an audience and really play and find our way of doing it.

And it's been exceptionally satisfying for not only myself, but for our company.

daughter's roommate for four

Now, are you based off of Mackenzie Kurtz's outfit tonight?

I mean, I have to be honest with you, the fact that her name is Betsy in the show, I feel an ownership of, you know, just, like, what I technically am not really an owner of.

I'll allow it.

I refuse.

No, I can't do it.

Although, I did realize I do about 20 jumping jacks in the wings right before I sing Falling Apart every night, just to get my heart rate up, and I had no idea that I was doing it a little too close to the portal.

So a fan did write me and go, "Do you always do jumping jacks in the wings?" And I thought, "Uh-oh."

So again, this show is about, you know, transitional periods in our life, and I wanted to ask you, what does the in between mean to you, in whatever way? Personal, professional, what does that period in your life mean to you?

Yeah, I'm so glad, uh, first of all, I'm so glad we're diving into this because this is the reason why I, I said yes to this and you, because I think it's such a brilliant concept.

And what I know as a working professional, and what you don't know when you're not working, and when you're kind of the before stage, right? Like, before you're actually doing this, is that, as you mentioned, there can either be shame associated with it, or it's just, it's just, um, it's a mystery to people, like, especially students, right? Who don't understand that there is more off times than there are sometimes on times.

And so you are so much more, you're worth so much more than your last role.

And it's...

So this, this combination of you doing this podcast and then how I, um, I started probably one of the most meaningful things in my life, that's the intersection of it for me, is it was in my between time, and I started something that now is one of the most meaningful things in my entire life.

So I loved that we're examining, like, what does that look like? So I definitely did not think that moving here, you know, after college, that I was gonna book something back to back to back to back to back.

Yeah.