The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside

James and Reid talk noodles, circle j*rks, Beyonce, and Alien Romulus.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Michael returns for the first episode of 2025! We chat about Sasha DeSola, resolutions, Darci Kistler's beautiful penche, Unity Phelan, the Nutcracker, and more!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James chats with Michael about becoming a repetiteur (someone who teaches ballets from scratch), retiring from Miami City Ballet, and their early days together in Boston Ballet circa 1904.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James chats with ABT Soloist Jake Roxander about being in a family of ballet dancers, heightism in dance, and his dream roles.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James chats with ABT's newest Principal Dancer, Chloe Misseldine, about her ascent, her dream roles, and who she would kiss, marry, or kill.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James chats with retiring ABT corps de ballet members Alex Basmagy, Kiely Groenewegen, and Lauren Post about their careers and what they're doing once they hang up their pointe shoes.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James chats with ABT Principal Dancer Thomas Forster about his training, dealing with rejection, and reality TV.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James chats with ABT Principal Dancer Skylar Brandt about the Summer Season, why Swan Lake is her nemesis, and reviews.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of The Stage Rightside, James sits down with longtime friend and manager Garen Scribner for a candid conversation about life after dancing, career pivots, and what it really takes to build a sustainable creative life.Garen shares his path from the stage to management and producing—through graduate school at Harvard, rejection, reinvention, and ultimately founding a practice built on long-term thinking and trust. Together, James and Garen unpack the difference between agents and managers, how artists can advocate for themselves, and why “success” doesn’t always look the way we’re told it should.They also talk honestly about James’s own crossroads as a principal dancer preparing for what comes next, the challenge of making time for choreography while still performing, and the freedom (and fear) of imagining a future beyond the stage. Plus: dance film, illegal documentaries, lemon trees, and why having the right people in your corner changes everything.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, I read my latest Substack essay aloud and share some of the DMs it sparked—thoughtful, funny, and occasionally surprising. I also talk about the feedback I just received from my literary agent on my new book and what it’s like to sit with notes, doubt, and excitement all at once. A behind-the-scenes look at the writing life, the reader response, and the messy middle of making something new.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on The Stage Rightside, James checks in from rehearsal season—with a purring cat, a recovering back spasm, and plenty of opinions. As ABT prepares for tour with Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale, he reflects on jealousy, insecurity, and how most Shakespearean disasters could be solved with better communication.Along the way: unhinged New York subway behavior, thoughts on the ethics of Free Solo, recent reads, and a deep dive into Part Two of his Substack series 31 Years a Nutcracker Prince. From dancing The Bear in Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker(yes, with aerial cartwheels) to confetti cannons, beloved dressers, and onstage chaos, it’s a nostalgic, hilarious solo episode about ballet, books, and life in the theater.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, I talk with my dear friend and fellow dancer Cassandra Trenary about what it means to leave a dream — not because it’s broken, but because you’ve outgrown it.Cassie shares why she chose to leave her life as a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre to join the Vienna State Opera, what it felt like to step into the unknown, and how injury, heartbreak, and stillness became the catalyst for change. We talk about restlessness, timing, courage, and the quietly radical question: How much time do I have?If you’ve ever felt the itch to change something in your life — your job, your city, your relationship, or yourself — this conversation is for you.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James talks about his upstate writer's retreat and why Avatar needs a gay focus group.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James wishes Stage Rightside listeners a Happy New Year, tells tales of his Christmas, and reads a brand new kids' story called "Johnny Newcastle".Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James does a post-show Nutcracker download with ABT Principal ballerina Isabella Boylston and reads his very first essay for Substack.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James talks about Met Season with ABT, Vail Dance Festival, and staging his ballet "New American Romance" in Mexico City.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James talks to ABT Principal dancer Cassandra Trenary about their performance of Giselle at the Metropolitan Opera House and her decision to leave ABT to join Vienna State Opera.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James talks to ABT Principal Dancer Catherine Hurlin before and after their performance of Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera House.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this special episode, James recaps the Spring touring season, accompanied by costume designers Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

James talks about his early years in dance, his training, and his first years as an apprentice in a big ballet company.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-stage-rightside-with-james-whiteside/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy