EP 6: Sit Down, Job
with Rodney Hicks

Where you do begin with Rodney Hicks' career as a Broadway actor and playwright? At the age of 22 he was a member of the opening cast of RENT. He later returned to RENT’s closing Broadway cast in the role of Benjamin Coffin III. He's enjoyed continued success in his Broadway career over the years, as well as many guest roles on TV including in NYPD Blue, Grimm,  Leverage and others.

More recently Rodney originated the role of Bob in the Tony-award-winning musical Come From Away. At the height of the show’s success in 2015, Rodney was diagnosed with a neurological condition that took away his voice and his ability to sing. That physical and spiritual challenge, and the profound transformation it offered him, are central to our conversation.

In recent years Rodney has turned his focus to playwriting, with two of his works being named Semi-Finalists for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Conference.

Rodney has spoken elsewhere at length about surviving childhood trauma, and in this talk he describes turning that adversity into a surprising strength. Justin and Rodney also discuss his new movie Mighty Oak, their previous collaboration writing an original musical, and the necessity of forgiveness for a healthy life. This is a conversation about living one's best life with love and kindness, today.

Recorded in September 2020.

LINKS
Rodney's website www.rodneyhicks.net

Spiritual Liberation by Michael Beckwith https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Liberation-Fulfilling-Souls-Potential/dp/1582702055

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson https://amzn.to/391GKgL

Pema Chodron https://pemachodronfoundation.org/

Thich Nhat Hanh https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/

EMDR therapy https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

"Maybe" from Annie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrr3EmaF3gA