Q&A: Behind the Screen

Hello and welcome to The Broadway Edit! This blog is intended to be a curation of my love for musical theatre and more broadly, performing arts! I wanted to collect and share thoughts and experiences in one place, and find and build a community that shares common interest.

Where are you located? Do you live in NYC?

I grew up and currently live in Los Angeles! LA is such a vibrant place for entertainment in general, but often has very cool theatre opportunities. I feel very lucky to live in a place that fosters so many shows, big and small! My “home theatre” is the beautiful Hollywood Pantages Theatre, which is an Art Deco dream come true! I have spent most of my life on the west coast, but try to make a trip out to NYC once a year to catch a couple shows on Broadway once a year.

Are you a performer?

I am not! I grew up in performing arts, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, but have not pursued any professional training. I had quite a bit of stage fright as a kid and never quite made the leap into acting.

I work in public relations and marketing professionally, so I actually have a special interest in that area of the theatre world as well. Theatre marketing and publicity is absolutely fascinating to me, so I look forward to discussing that a little bit more on this blog.

5 cast recordings you never get tired of listening to?

Anastasia
Jagged Little Pill
Mamma Mia!
Amélie (UK)
Spring Awakening

What was the first musical you loved growing up?

Hairspray! I cannot even explain when or where this came from. I visited NYC for the first time in 2006, when I was 10, and I remember walking into Times Square and seeing an ad for Hairspray and not even knowing what it was about but wanting to see it. The design of the ads plastered in Times Square and in subway stations was enough for me. Marketing win.

In 2007, the film adaptation was released and that was my first real exposure to the story. I think my mom bought me the CD with all the songs on it mostly because it was popular at the time, but I absolutely loved it. I loved the choreography and the music and it makes me smile. I can’t tell you why or how I was so into it. This was also the summer before I started middle school so you can imagine how starting middle school being obsessed with a musical would go over among peers and I think that tells you all you need to know about me!

I actually still have a soft spot for Hairspray, and still listen to it from time to time. It’s surprisingly good music to listen to while working out!

What is something you miss about theatre right now?

I miss the atmosphere of sitting in the audience of a show. Theatre is truly a community and it would not be what it is without the audience. You meet so many people just by sitting in the audience and having a quick chat before a show, or you meet people who have come to see a show with the shared interest of a particular performer or cast and there is nothing else like it. You’re total strangers and yet you immediately have in common that you’re here under the same interest. I think that’s really cool, and while the entire entertainment industry is hurting during the pandemic, I really can’t think of what theatre would be without its community. I can understand actors not being allowed to greet fans at the stage door and interact so heavily for their own safety, but I think that’s a huge unspoken community within the theatre community is how you meet people in the theatre and at the stage door. It likely won’t return for awhile, but I miss that casual passing interaction you have with fans and performers.

What was the last show you saw before Quarantine began?

The last theatre show I saw was Jagged Little Pill! I was in NYC when they had first started previews in November and snagged a lotto ticket to see it the night before I flew back to LA. I was uncertain because I knew very little about it at the time, but now that everything is shut down, I’m so thankful I did get to see it then. The cast recording has been helping me through quarantine and isolation and the show is very meaningful to me.

Technically the actual last show I saw was in December when I caught the Broadway Princess Party when they came to California. It was an absolute blast, and even though it was on a week night and I totally grabbed tickets on a whim, I’m so glad I did. The whole BPP group is so talented and it’s a really special memory to be unknowingly the last show I would be able to see in person.

I look forward to sharing more with you all as we go! Until then Xx