I was fascinated to meet PJ Adzima, and learn about his path from his childhood on a farm to his career as a Broadway performer in the Book of Mormon. A chance encounter with a legendary composer changed his life forever and now as the CEO of the production company Stage Time he’s paying that forward by discovering and curating talent across genres through many projects. He talked about how embracing vulnerability and studying drag has been transformative and helped him take up space, challenge norms, and create with purpose.
A joyful and deep appreciation for the performing arts certainly has driven his excellence and helped him transform his side project into his full-time business, and I’m sure you’ll find PJ’s energy infectious.
Like all my episodes, you can also listen to the podcast on many podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript.It’s a joy to bring these inspiring episodes to you every week, and I do all the many jobs of research, production and publicity. Have a look at the show notes of this episode, where you’ll find all the links, including suggested episodes, podcast merch and newsletter sign-up:
https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/pj-adzima
(00:00) Intro
(01:55) Book of Mormon
(06:37) Stage Time
(11:23) power of drag
(16:59) Masquerade nighclub curation Phantom of the Opera
(21:00) The Stuppets
(25:20) history of Vaudeville, dealing with racism, minstrelsy and history of Broadway
(29:43) acting career
(30:10) linked episodes and how to support this series
(31:11) from childhood on a farm to Broadway, his big break
(39:44) comedy, Louis C.K. story
(43:10) curating new shows, Slam Frank
(51:42) challenges and joys entrepreneurship
Photo: Shawn Salley
