The Global Media Site for Entertainment.
Menu
In this interview with Kiira Schmidt Carper, she goes through her entire career. From her start on Broadway, to her latest work with Opera Australia’s West Side Story as being the choreographer all while being a professor. During her career, she even got to record with the Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. She has been on several national tours, lived in New York City, and performed world wide.
I’ve been dancing since the age of 3 and grew up in my family’s dance studio. My first musical was in high school and that’s when I realized I wanted to do more than just dance and fell in love with musical theater.
I completed my BFA in musical theater and went right on tour around the US. When that tour closed, I moved to NYC and began auditioning and performing nation- and world-wide. My Broadway debut was in 2008.
Featured above is Manuel Stark Santos as Bernardo and The Sharks in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour.
Photo Credit: Keith Saunders.
I’ve always loved traveling and performing internationally and I’ve been fortunate to do it a lot. Choreographing West Side Story around the world and bringing this masterpiece to an international audience is always a dream.
I performed the number “Buddy’s Blues” with Broadway legend Danny Burstein on the Tony Awards for the revival of FOLLIES in 2012 and that will always stand out as an extraordinary moment in my career. Recording that cast album with Stephen Sondheim in the sound booth was also incredibly special.
The biggest difference is how you spend your time away from the theater. If you are traveling on tour or abroad you are in a hotel and visiting new places, while on Broadway you are home and have your personal and social life.
I look for students who are curious and bring their authentic selves to the artistic process. A sense of play and the willingness to fail forward is also something that makes potential students stand out.
I always tell them that their journey is theirs and no one else’s. You cannot compare yourself to others (which is very difficult). I had no idea that all the twists, turns, successes and disappointments of my career would have led me where I am today—in the moment it was easy to doubt and lose faith when I did not book a show I thought was for me. But it always turned out that the door that closed, opened an even better one. It sounds cliche, but after 20 years in the industry I can tell you it’s true!
Featured above are The Sharks in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour.
Photo Credit: Keith Saunders.
I first learned the show in 2007 from Joshua Bergasse. I played the role of Graziella and was dance captain. Since then my role expanded to assistant and associate choreographer, and eventually revival choreographer. I was extremely lucky to have Josh as my mentor and take great care with recreating this choreography that was passed down to me. I now teach the entire show from memory, with the occasional help from archival videos for cross reference.
It’s easy to forget that being on tour means I am working full time. So for a show like West Side, I was in rehearsals 10am to 6pm for 3 weeks and then our days shifted to 1pm to 10pm. I try to take advantage of days off by sightseeing when I can and enjoying local cuisine. In Sydney I loved getting to the beaches when I could and exploring the city.
Joshua Bergasse has been my biggest inspiration and mentor. Not only was he a huge inspiration in regards to West Side Story, but in all aspects of choreography—from the choreographic process, to audition and rehearsal style, working with him really shaped the choreographer I am today.
Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive in her work. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020, and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending some time on tour. Drew's favorite by far though, has been the chance to work on Broadways and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry.
Read Full Profile
© 2021 TheatreArtLife. All rights reserved.
Thank you so much for reading, but you have now reached your free article limit for this month.
Our contributors are currently writing more articles for you to enjoy.
To keep reading, all you have to do is become a subscriber and then you can read unlimited articles anytime.
Your investment will help us continue to ignite connections across the globe in live entertainment and build this community for industry professionals.
