As we defrost from a particularly chilly winter, I dream of summer and seeing a show at Forest Hills Stadium.

More than a decade ago, Mike Luba had a vision to bring the historic tennis stadium in Queens back to life as a concert venue. It has since become a favorite venue for fans and artists alike.

I’m thrilled to share this conversation with Luba about making it in the music business, reviving the stadium, and how to balance it all.

Forest Hills Stadium’s 2025 season kicks off on May 31 with Bloc Party. You can find tickets at foresthillstadium.com and follow the stadium on Instagram

Follow Jane (@janeaugust) on Instagram and TikTok

Find out more at janeaugust.nyc

Email: janeaugustnyc@gmail.com

This episode of the 'The Next Stop Is...' was recorded at BRIC House in Downtown Brooklyn with support from BRIC and premiered on Brooklyn Free Speech Radio. You can learn more about BRIC at https://bricartsmedia.org/

Barbara Sibley loves working in the food and beverage industry. As the owner of La Palapa, now celebrating 25 years in business, and creative director at Holiday Cocktail Lounge, she is constantly finding fun in her work. And as restaurants continue to be New Yorkers’ living room, there is so much opportunity to create incredible experiences through food, drink, and hospitality.

I’m very excited to share this delightful conversation with Barbara where we talk about what makes a successful restaurant, her love for Mexican culture, why cocktails cost $20, and so much more.

La Palapa is open daily for lunch and dinner. You can follow them on Instagram and make a reservation on their website.

Holiday Cocktail Lounge is open daily for coffee and bar service. You can follow them on Instagram and learn more on their website.

Follow Jane (@janeaugust) on Instagram and TikTok

Find out more at janeaugust.nyc

Email: janeaugustnyc@gmail.com

This episode of the 'The Next Stop Is...' was recorded at BRIC House in Downtown Brooklyn with support from BRIC and premiered on Brooklyn Free Speech Radio. You can learn more about BRIC at https://bricartsmedia.org/

This is one of those dream guests episodes. As I conceived this podcast, I made a list of New Yorkers I would love to have on the podcast and up there was Jennifer Ashley Tepper.

Jennifer is a multi-hyphenate theatre extraordinaire. She is the Creative and Programming Director at 54 Below, the author of Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Left Out and The Untold Stories of Broadway book series, and the conceiver of The Jonathan Larson Project. And that’s not even all of it.

I’ve admired Jennifer and her work for a long time and it was a lot of fun talking about documenting New York and theatre history, preserving Jonathan Larson’s legacy, and the overall joy of being excited about things.

Follow Jennifer (@jenashtep) on Instagram

The Jonathan Larson Project starts performances on February 14, 2025, for a limited engagement at The Orpheum Theatre. Get tickets at thejonathanlarsonproject.com

Purchase Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that History Books Left Out online or at the Drama Book Shop.

Special thanks to Alexa Spiegel for helping to make this episode happen.

Photo credit: Grace Flavien

Follow Jane (@janeaugust) on Instagram and TikTok

Find out more at janeaugust.nyc

Email: janeaugustnyc@gmail.com

This episode of the 'The Next Stop Is...' was recorded at BRIC House in Downtown Brooklyn with support from BRIC and premiered on Brooklyn Free Speech Radio. You can learn more about BRIC at https://bricartsmedia.org/