The Staten Island Academy of Performing Arts

Dane Forgione here again. As most of you know from listening to the show, I belong to a theatre group where I live called The Staten Island Academy of Performing Arts. I've been involved with it since I was 15 years old, and it was actually the reason for my temporary hiatus from the show when Wyatt was on board (we had quite a few big shows going on during that time, and I wanted to focus on them).

On two occasions, my dear friends and co-hosts Taylor and Mike have helped me organize benefits via The Mentalcast to help raise funds for the group, and both times we were incredibly successful, of which myself and Elisa DiSimone (the head of the school and a woman who is like my second mother) are grateful for.

Fun little factoid: Elisa has seven kids, of which three have had cameos on the show.

Lucia was the first to make a cameo during The Cinema Snob's first guest appearance in Episode 118. Lucia called my cellphone fairly early into the recording, and, as per the rules of the show, anytime a cell phone rings, it must be answered on air. If I recall correctly, Lucia was calling asking me to drive her to Best Buy to pick up a new cellphone her mom had ordered her. From there, I held the phone up to my speakers and went "You're on the air, say something." To which Lucia replied "......Ok......Wait, I don't know what to say!" Before I pulled the phone down and ended the call.

Vincenzo was the second of the kids to make a cameo, this one being a few weeks ago when I called into the show while I was still at rehearsal for a show our group is doing. I was walking about the place during the recording, and Vincenzo happened to be in one of the rooms, so I called him over and said "Hey 'cenzo, you wanna be on a podcast?" He shrugged and nodded, and thus I brought him on for about 2 or so minutes.

Sophia, the third of the three kids who I interact with the most of Elisa's children, had her turn just recently in Episode 180. I had to pick her up from her friend's house as the Mentalcast was beginning, and she sat in for the first 30-35 minutes of the show. She said hello and a few words here and there, but not much else.