What is your favorite song/scene/moment in Spring Awakening?
My favorite song to perform is “Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)”. It’s such a fun way to start the show and it never fails to give me the goose bumps—I absolutely love it! My favorite scene/song to watch is the final scene into “Those You’ve Known”. It made me sob when I saw it on Broadway and I think Chris, Elizabeth and Coby do such an amazing job, it’s both heartbreaking and hopeful. I will never get tired of watching that scene.
What inspires you to play the role?
When we first got cast and our names went up on the website I got a lot of Facebook messages from fans of the show saying congratulations and that they were so excited for the show to be back. The fact that on the 3rd reincarnation of the show people are still excited about it really let me know that I was a part of something special and makes me excited to do the show every night.
What is it like playing in a new venue almost every night?
It’s absolutely insane! It is exhausting moving around as much as we do, that is for sure, but it also allows us to bring the show to people who wouldn’t necessarily have access to it if we only hit major cities. We have played some amazingly beautiful theaters and it always keeps us on our toes because the show feels brand new every night.
Do you have a great Guilty Ones moment/story you can share?
Well, when we were in Lexington, KY we got our first fan gift which was really exciting! It was a box of homemade cookies and they had decorated the box with about a million quotes from the show. It was awesome, and the cookies were delicious! And then the same two boys (Tanner and Jordan, I believe are their names) came to see the show at another venue and brought us cookies again! It felt great to know that people who were such big fans of the show loved our version and supported us. If you are reading this, you guys rock!
Do you have a great Chair of Rock/Stage Seating experience you can share?
Unfortunately, I don’t sit next to any audience members until the 2nd act, but one of my favorite parts of the show is when the Chairs of Rock stand up for the first time in “Touch Me”. I happen to be at a perfect angle onstage to watch the Stage Right female Chair of Rock stand up and I absolutely love watching the audience’s faces. I also think one of the most powerful moments in the show is when the female Chairs of Rock stand and sing at the end of “The Dark I Know Well”. It gives me the chills every time.
What is the weirdest/coolest thing that happened to you or another cast member on stage?
Well, we had a pretty intense/hilarious performance towards the end of our first leg. There was a man onstage in Wichita who was getting really into the show and the music, which is always encouraged. However, he took it one step too far and starting dancing around with us during “Totally F***ed” and had to be escorted off the stage. Billy Lewis was the boy Chair of Rock next to me that night and the man was sitting directly in front of us and both of us were a little on edge for that whole performance just waiting for him to do something crazy. It makes for a good story now, but it was a little terrifying while it was happening.
Have you been able to watch the show when an understudy was on? What did you think? What was it like?
It is SO much fun! Michael Linden was the first understudy to get to go on (he went in for Ernst) and it was really amazing watching him just step into the part and make it his own, and every understudy has done just that. I am consistently in awe of them; they are all so insanely talented. When Erin went on for Thea I felt all of the girls really try to match her excitement and energy and that performance felt really special, and is probably one of my favorites thus far. Jamie is the only understudy who has not gone on yet, but I got to watch her in an understudy rehearsal and she absolutely blew my mind. I cannot wait until she gets to go on!
What was it like when you performed in front of Steven Sater/Michael Mayer during the rehearsals?
It could not have been more amazing! They were both so supportive of us and getting to hear their notes and comments was extremely helpful. This show is their baby and they spent so many years working on it, so having them come in and give us such positive feedback on what we were doing made the whole experience feel complete. They made us feel like a part of the Spring Awakening family.
What musical theater role/character outside of the one you are playing now would you most like to play? Why?
This is always a difficult question and my answer changes a lot, but one of my favorite shows ever is Sondheim’s Assassins. I would love, love, love to play either Squeaky Fromme or Sarah Jane Moore in that show. I think it is such a smart and interesting musical and would just love to be able to perform it someday.
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