Let’s say you’re a respected voice actor. You’ve brought beloved characters to life in video games, animation, and probably at least one fan convention that smelled vaguely of beef jerky and dry-erase markers. Then one day, someone says: “Would you like to improvise a high-stakes fantasy quest in front of a live audience of howling D&D nerds… and also do it in costume… on stage… with dice… on YouTube?” What do you say?
If you’re Justine Huxley, the answer is “yes”—and then you glue leaves to your body and become a gnome druid named Finia.
This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back Justine for her third (yes, third!) appearance, this time to unravel the improbably nerdy tale of how a casual convention invite led to a starring role on Squad 20, a full-fledged Dungeons & Dragons series featuring voice actors, cosplay, and the occasional improvised musical number. It’s a story involving suspiciously attractive bards, aggressively vegetarian gnomes, and the kind of collaborative nerdery that only works when the DM knows exactly how many hit points are in your armor class. Mandy dives headfirst into this world—confused, delighted, and possibly a little drunk (not really, but let’s not rule anything out).
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when trained professionals take their theater degrees and aim them at a gelatinous cube, this is your episode.
Links & Notes
What is Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan?
Hey folks. Mandy Kaplan here. I’d like to share a bit about my intentions and mission for MMAN if you’ll indulge me. You will? Huzzah!
Look, I am a lot of things. I’m a writer, actress, mother, and lover of musicals and cats, but NOT Cats, The Musical. Give me a little bit of credit, would ya? So...throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded (and intrigued) by all things nerd. A sister who plays D&D, a Star Wars-obsessed husband, friends who love anime, comic books, video games, and...well, you get the picture. Somehow, I have always held it all at arm's length. Not to get too deep, but maybe I never thought I was smart enough to follow it. Or maybe I have control issues and have never been able to embrace fantastical things like dragons and time travel. Until now!
So, with an open mind and heart, I am ready to join this massive (and beautifully inclusive) club and GEEK THE #%$ OUT! It’s time for all my wonderfully strange friends to baptize me into NERD-DOM. Please join me on this journey. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover or remember a side of yourself along the way. Or at least make fun of me as I try!