In March 2020 when COVID-19 shut down Broadway theaters followed by theaters and live performance venues across the world, the pandemic gave permission to every person, organization, and entity whether they be professional, amateur, or student to go all-out digital. Is it art? Is it theater? Is it fully developed? Is it good? It didn’t […]
No financial crash, no vocal disease silencing every working actor, and no amount of water flooding the city allow Broadway theatres to cease activities on their own. These houses won’t be covered by insurance if they do so without a government sanction. Such reality is why several members of the Broadway community repeatedly pleaded with New York’s governor and the Broadway league to shut down Broadway, given the situation that our world has been immersed in since the beginning of 2020.
Full disclosure. I am a busy, multifaceted, fabulous woman living and working full-time in New York City. I work, I play, I wine, I dine, and I try to polish as much positivity and veracity out of life as I possibly I can. I also happen to be plus-size, and I want for two very simple things.
There are two camps of thought about the new West Side Story revival on Broadway: “it’s remarkable” and “it’s not for me.” I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. While not perfect, there is much to be lauded in the Ivo van Hove-helmed production that opened tonight at New York’s Broadway Theatre.
As veterans of the stage, some of the young cast members of John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch got an education in the rigors of performing live eight times a week, but nothing could have prepared them for the entire process that began when they were called to audition for the Netflix project. From beginning to end, the children’s musical variety special served as a learning experience for everyone involved.
The 2019-2020 Broadway season looks to be an exciting one. From plays and musicals to concerts, solo shows and illusions, the 48 shows currently scheduled this season look to provide a diverse array of talent to New York stages.
The star-studded, Baz Luhrmann-inspired musical was arguably the most anticipated show to hit Broadway this season. And it did not disappoint. With the cult following from the 2001 hit movie, modernized soundtrack, and Broadway vets Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo leading the charge, this show was destined for success from the moment of inception.
When co-creator Nikka Graff Lanzarone and I started our theatre-focused podcast in 2013, we spent a lot of energy thinking about what to call it. We wanted a name that focused on the artists who play supporting roles in musical theatre, celebrating both their creativity and their skill sets. We settled on the title “The Ensemblist,” modifying the word “ensemble” into something more technical but undeniable theatrical.
Ryan Worsing is a 2019 recipient of the Ensemblist Award. He has been on Broadway for ten years now, performing in ensembles from Shrek to The Cher Show. His passion for his work appears in everything he does on stage. Being an Ensemblist is an incredible amount of work and Worsing is able to show audiences nightly just what it takes.
Mentorship is a crucial part of developing your craft as a supporter. Part-teacher, part-cheerleader, your mentor uses their skillset and insight to help you develop your craft. With mobile apps like Shadow Star, it’s never been easier for performers to have access to quality mentorship at the tip of their fingers. Once you find a mentor you click with, there are endless benefits that will transform your career.
In a season where actors are being asked to perform feats of increasing strength, the most physical performance of the year isn’t happening on Broadway. At Off-Broadway’s Westside Theatre, puppeteer Eric Wright and his cast mates at Little Shop of Horrors are bringing to life the creepy, kookiest thing on New York City stages this winter.
In early August 2018, I signed on as temporary replacement to play the role of Hunyak in Chicago on Broadway for three months. I had played the role (with tremendous affection, I might add) for the better part of May 2008 – May 2012 and then left to pursue other projects and to see my family again for a hot second. Two months later, I was engaged; the following year I got married; and in the five years that followed I became a mother.
Remember when we solved racism on Broadway back in 2016? That’s when a little musical called Hamilton swept the Tony Awards. Alongside Cynthia Erivo’s stunning portrayal as Celie in The Color Purple, all four musical theatre performance Tonys were given to actors of color that year. Collectively, the theatre industry gave ourselves a pat on the back hoping we had entered a new era of color-conscious casting.
I was getting ready to go in for a ‘mover’s call’ for a new show coming to Broadway called Kinky Boots. I’m by no means a dancer, so any time a dance call comes up in an audition process I normally wave bye bye to the dream of doing that show.
The digital age is a modern marvel granting us access to any and all information with a mere click of a mouse. However, after experiencing pain or injury, a quick search down the rabbit hole can spiral a person, especially someone like me, a self-diagnosed hypochondriac. Having been performing in Aladdin just shy of two years I started developing knee pain gradually due to the repetitive stress of the show on my body.
James “Jim” Moye has had an expansive career on Broadway beginning in 2000 in The Full Monty. From there he’s created more original roles in A Tale of Two Cities, Bullets Over Broadway, On The Twentieth Century, and most recently as Carl in Tootsie.
The multi-talented Stephanie Klemons is a force of nature. She currently serves as Associate Choreographer/Global Dance Supervisor (as well as an Original Broadway Company member) for the Broadway production of Hamilton and a director/choreographer in Rock of Ages at Pittsburgh CLO.
The theater community is just that: a community, a group of tight-knit people with similar careers, goals, and experiences, who are massively supportive of one another. Nothing proves that more than when performers come together to make a point, especially when that point involves defending the very basis of their career.
Make way, make way for the spectacle Broadway has been waiting for. Much has been made about the opulence of the Mainstem’s newest mounting, Moulin Rouge on Broadway. And while much of that is due to the lavish production design (arguably the best Broadway has seen this decade), that sense of spectacle comes in great part thanks to the show’s large and talented ensemble.
The Ensemblist and TheatreArtLife got together to find out which Broadway cast members are not from the USA. In this International Cast on Broadway Series, we talk to those who have come from all corners of the world to perform in NYC. We ask them about their work, their life and the path they took to living the Broadway dream. This is Ashley Andrews from the UK and he is currently Dance Captain, Swing and Resident Choreographer for King Kong and soon to be the Associate Choreographer on the US Tour of Jesus Christ Super Star.
The Ensemblist and TheatreArtLife got together to find out which Broadway cast members are not from the USA. In this International Cast on Broadway Series, we talk to those who have come from all corners of the world to perform in NYC. We ask them about their work, their life and the path they took to living the Broadway dream. This is Heather Makalani from Guam.
The Ensemblist and TheatreArtLife got together to find out which Broadway cast members are not from the USA. In this International Cast on Broadway Series, we talk to those who have come from all corners of the world to perform in NYC. We ask them about their work, their life and the path they took to living the Broadway dream. This is Robert Walters from Australia who is currently in Hamilton.
The Ensemblist and TheatreArtLife got together to find out which Broadway cast members are not from the USA. In this International Cast on Broadway Series, we talk to those who have come from all corners of the world to perform. We ask them about their work, their life and the path they took to living the Broadway dream. This is Kim Taylor from Australia who is currently performing in Hamilton.
The Ensemblist and TheatreArtLife got together to find out which Broadway cast members are not from the USA. In this International Cast on Broadway Series, we talk to those who have come from all corners of the world to perform in NYC. We ask them about their work, their life and the path they took to living the Broadway dream. This is Oneika Phillips born in Guyana and raised in Grenada.
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