“The Brad Weisman Show” has been named the Bronze winner for Best Video Podcast in the Shows division of the fifth annual Signal Awards. This year’s program honors podcasts that take creative risks: work that breaks format, takes on hard subjects or finds a new way to reach listeners.
Brad Weisman is host of “The Brad Weisman Show” podcast. (Courtesy of Suzyrae Design)
Hosted by Brad Weisman and produced and co-hosted by Hugo Cardona, “The Brad Weisman Show” goes live every Thursday at 7 p.m. on YouTube and Facebook, no scripts, just honest conversations about leadership, wellness, relationships, real estate and entrepreneurship. What started as a local Berks County show has grown to more than 300 episodes, 1.4 million downloads and over 100,000 followers across platforms.
At the heart of the show is the belief that failure and success are not opposites but connected parts of growth. Weisman brings that philosophy to life through conversations that explore what people learn from setbacks, how they navigate challenges, and what motivates them to keep moving forward.
“Failing creates learning, while winning gives us the energy to fail again,” Weisman said. “I believe some of our greatest lessons come from the moments when things don’t go as planned. Those experiences challenge us, help us grow, and often lead us toward something better. Through this show, I want to create a space where people can share the real stories behind their successes and failures, because there’s always something to learn from another person’s journey.”
The Signal Awards honor podcasts that demonstrate creativity, meaningful storytelling, and new approaches to connecting with audiences.
Winners are selected by The Signal Awards Judging Academy, a collective made up of the architects, instigators and trailblazers of the medium. Featured Academy Members this year include Shayne Topp, host, “Smosh Reads Reddit Stories”: Dan Roth, editor-in-chief and vice president, LinkedIn; Crissle West, co-host, “The Read”; Asma Khalid, co-host, BBC World’s “The Global Story”; Bobby Finger, host, “Who? Weekly”; Graham Litten, Podcast Partnerships, YouTube; and Stephanie Kuo, vice president of content, PRX. A complete directory of our Judges can be found at https://tinyurl.com/33jkrra3.
“Podcasting is no longer defined by a single format, platform or approach to storytelling, and this year’s submissions make that evolution impossible to ignore,” said Jemma Brown, GM of The Signal Awards. “Charts and download counts can only tell us what’s popular. At Signal, our role is to notice the creative risks that are quietly changing what everyone else makes next. This year’s winners offer a first look at podcasting’s next chapter.”
Each year, The Signal Awards present Gold, Silver and Bronze honors, and the listening public votes for their favorite finalists to receive the Listener’s Choice Award in each category. In 2026, Listener’s Choice voting drew over 260,000 votes from 94,000 listeners.
Music
The power of a live symphony orchestra meets the breathtaking artistry of ballet when the Reading Symphony Orchestra (RSO) presents the Joffrey Ballet at Santander Performing Arts Center on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Led by conductor Andrew Constantine, the RSO will perform alongside dancers from the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet for an unforgettable evening celebrating the connection between music and movement.
From the sweeping beauty of the classical repertoire to the bold, pulse-pounding rhythms of Igor Stravinsky, the program invites audiences to experience orchestral music in a new and exhilarating way.
Featuring works by Antonín Dvorak, Gabriel Faure, Stravinsky, and Dmitri Kabalevsky, the performance brings together the expressive power of a live orchestra and the extraordinary physicality of ballet.
Reading Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andrew Constantine. (Courtesy of Reading Symphony Orchestra)
“When music and dance come together at this level, something remarkable happens,” said Andrew Constantine, music director of the RSO. “The orchestra does more than accompany the dancers. The music drives the drama, shapes the movement, and brings an entirely new dimension to the experience. We’re thrilled to bring this exceptional artistic collaboration to Reading.”
The program highlights Stravinsky, whose revolutionary approach to rhythm, orchestration, and musical storytelling transformed the world of ballet and reshaped 20th-century classical music. His music remains among the most electrifying in the orchestral repertoire, offering audiences a vivid demonstration of how sound and movement can combine to create something greater than either art form alone.
The performance also showcases the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet, the Chicago-based training institution established to develop the next generation of ballet artists through rigorous classical training and the Joffrey’s distinctive artistic vision.
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Pasion y Arte, the Philadelphia-based flamenco company known for its bold, contemporary take on a centuries-old Spanish tradition, returns to the Fall Festival of the Arts for a performance at WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., Reading, today at 3 p.m., part of the festival’s 41st season.
The Pason y Arte flamenco company will perform at the WCR Center for the Arts in Reading today. (Courtesy of Fall Festival of the Arts)
Founded in 2000 and led by Artistic Director Elba Hevia y Vaca, Pasion y Arte (PyA) has built a reputation for groundbreaking contemporary feminist flamenco that blends traditional technique with mixed media and narrative experimentation. The company’s work has been praised for its technical precision and bold storytelling, and for challenging conventions of gender, production, and form while staying rooted in flamenco’s traditional vocabulary. PyA previously performed at the Fall Festival in 2023.
Tickets are $25 for adults; $10 for college students with valid ID, available at the door only; and free for children under 18 accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available at fallfestivalofthearts.org/2026-tickets.
Performing arts
The WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., Reading, has announced Suzanne Cody as a new member of its board of directors, where she will serve on the Programs and Events Committee.
Bringing extensive experience in theatrical production management, a passion for historic architecture, and a deep appreciation for the transformative power of the arts, Cody joins the organization with a vision for strengthening WCR’s role as a cultural cornerstone of the Reading community.
Suzanne Cody
Cody’s connection to WCR began as an audience member, where she developed an appreciation for the building’s stately architecture, elegant atmosphere, and unique ability to create intimate and memorable artistic experiences. Having recently joined the board in late summer, she looks forward to contributing her professional expertise and collaborating with fellow Board members to support the organization’s continued growth.
Her professional background includes more than 10 years of theatrical event production management for League of Resident Theatres (LORT) A theaters in Philadelphia. Her experience includes work at the Merriam Theatre, the American Music Theatre Festival (AMTF) and its transformation into the Prince Music Theater, as well as serving as general manager for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
These experiences have given Cody valuable insight into the production, management, and presentation of the performing arts — knowledge she is eager to bring to WCR Center for the Arts.
“What drew me to WCR is the opportunity to bring together my love of historic buildings and my belief that theater can change minds,” Cody said. “The building is stately and elegant, and its value deserves as an intimate theater space offers an acoustical experience which cannot be replicated in large-scale, modern venues.”
Looking ahead, Cody envisions WCR as a tastemaker for the community, offering relevant and sophisticated programming across artistic disciplines while preserving and showcasing the building’s rich history and distinctive architecture.
Auditions
Reading Civic Theatre’s first show of its 2027 season will be “Disney’s Frozen, Jr. ” Auditions will be held on Nov. 14 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Nov. 18 from 6:30-10 p.m.. Callbacks will be on Nov. 19 from 6:30-10. Rehearsals will start on Nov. 22 6:30. Auditions will be open to students ages 10 to 18. All auditions, callbacks and the first few rehearsals will take place at Alsace Lutheran Church, at 2201 Kutztown Road, Muhlenberg Township. There will be no official sign-up required before auditions, but the materials necessary for auditioning can be found at readingcivic.org. Just show up and you will audition in the order you arrive. For any questions, contact the director, Samantha Grinage at samgrinage@gmail.com. Performance dates will be Jan. 29, 30, 31 and Feb. 5, 6, 7, 2027.
Books
Wyomissing native Abby Manzella, a Pushcart Prize winner, will release a short story collection called “Ripples Into the Wild” (Cornerstone Press) in February.
Whether real or imagined, a lake monster born from a campfire story begins “Ripples into the Wild,” Manzella’s debut collection. That monster grows more terrible from story to story: a teenager goes missing; an entire town’s lights go out; sicknesses and climate shifts drastically alter everyone’s world; and people, nonhuman animals, and the environment are forced to adjust or die.
Manzella teaches at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. Her academic book, “Migrating Fictions: Gender, Race, and Citizenship in U.S. Internal Displacements” (OSU Press), won the Society for the Study of American Women Writers Book Award.