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[0:00] Mo Brady: You're listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. Welcome, I'm Mo Brady.

[0:17] Mo Brady: For more than sixteen years, the Gershwin Theatre has been home to the most Ozmapolitan of musicals, Wicked. And over the years, the show has been home to literally hundreds of ensemblists, not only on Broadway, but also on two national tours and multiple regional sit-down productions. Today, we are sharing some of our favorite stories about Wicked from our blog, read by the actors who wrote them.

[0:40] Mo Brady: Our first story is from Lauren Haughton. A veteran of the Broadway company of Wicked, she spent a decade on the road as a traveling Aussie. But where her story got complicated is that her husband, Michael Gillis, is also an actor, and is often on tour as well. So how does one couple of two performers negotiate ten years of life on the road? Well, here in her own words is Lauren Haughton.

[1:15] Lauren Haughton: We met, though honestly I don't know if we ever talked to each other, for the first time while doing West Side Story at Syracuse Stage. I was a student at Syracuse University and in the ensemble, and Michael was one of six professionals hired for the show. He played Tony. Skip ahead four years. I'm in Cabaret at Stage of St. Louis, and Michael is a swing on the tour of Phantom of the Opera. At a party after a benefit performance Phantom did for Stages, we met and were inseparable. It was like meeting your best friend who you've known forever, but never have spoken to before. So our relationship was born on the road, and maybe that's why we deal with it so well.

[2:06] Lauren Haughton: Michael left Phantom to do a new musical at the Goodspeed Opera House, and I was home with family in Atlanta when he said, oh, I'll swing by Atlanta on my way to Connecticut to pick you up. It doesn't take a geography whiz to know that Atlanta certainly is not on the way from St. Louis to New York. He met my mother and grandmother, and it was our first road trip, something we've gotten quite used to. I visited him in Connecticut, and like all new musicals, hoped it was going to Broadway. Alas, it didn't, but Michael was hired to play Raoul on the Phantom tour. This was before FaceTime, so I would fly to cities like Toronto or Toledo just to go on a date with him. In fact, over the holidays I was working on a cruise ship out of Miami and flew to Philadelphia for 22 hours and a holiday party.

It was frantic, fun, and full of possibilities. In 2007, Michael left Phantom, and like the crazy artist he is, decided he was moving to Europe. My career at that point wasn't going how I wanted it to. I was interviewing to be a clothes buyer at Macy's, so I decided to follow him and live out an expat fantasy in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. I think that moment, that decision, is one of the cornerstones of our relationship.

[3:34] Lauren Haughton: The decision to drop everything and follow the other person, to put their needs and dreams ahead of yours, is how both of us work within the relationship. At first I went up to Connecticut, out to Phantom, over to Paris, but in 2007, while living in a little six-floor walk-up in Paris, it all switched. I was offered the universal swing in Wicked. I flew back for the first day and started my job, covering four companies of Wicked that existed at that time. Now Michael moved back home and started following me. We lived with his parents as he went back to school, and I would fly to various companies. I made my Broadway debut and even got to take breaks and work on new shows of my own at the Goodman and the Old Globe, neither of which made it.

Then I got offered a permanent position in the San Francisco company of Wicked, and Michael moved out there to be with me. He would be waiting for me every night at the stage door of the Orpheum, as he worried about me walking home alone, and would have dinner ready in our little apartment when we'd arrive.

[4:37] Lauren Haughton: From there, in 2010, I switched over to the Wicked National Touring Company. Michael got his car in Chicago and met me in Indianapolis. He started to sell merchandise out front, and we toured together for three years. I can't explain how wonderful it was to have him out there with me, but that togetherness exploring the country created a bond and memories that I'll never forget. He asked me to marry him in Luckenbach, a little band hall town in Texas hill country. We two-stepped the evening away with his parents and drove back into San Antonio, the happiest I'd ever been. We planned the wedding while on the road together, and like our touring selves, had three different locations almost fully booked and done, but for settling on his parents' house outside of Chicago.

I thought I would quit the tour when we got married, but Michael said one giant step at a time was enough and continued to support me touring with Wicked. Again, this notion of doing what is best for us and the other person, not just I, continued to lead our relationship, and at that time, Wicked was best.

[6:03] Lauren Haughton: In 2015, we bought an apartment in Chicago, which Michael began to remodel. We wanted to have some sort of home, considering we'd been traveling for almost nine years. He started a new musical theater works company with some friends there and put on recordings and concerts, which I would now travel to on my Mondays off. The roles were beginning to switch again. Through that opportunity, he got back on stage and caught the performing bug. He was cast in Mamma Mia at the Paramount Theater in Chicago, and after almost a decade, I was back in the audience watching him shine. I knew it was my time to support, and I began to urge him to audition, perhaps even move back to New York. He, being the constant pragmatist, said it wouldn't be better to continue what he was doing in Chicago and maybe fly out for big ECCs and EPAs in New York, you know, test the waters. Well, the test went on and went well, because after six round-trip flights and eight callbacks, he was cast in the new tour of Love Never Dies.

[7:22] Lauren Haughton: Family members and non-theater friends were always in awe of us being on tour, but now both of us on different tours at the same times, it makes their heads spin. In a true one couple, two tours experience, I was able to get a personal day to drive from Grand Rapids to Detroit to see him play The Phantom, a full circle moment, to say the least. Another was a day he was playing Phantom at the Fox in Atlanta with 16 of my family members in the audience, and I was playing Nessa the same exact day. We have the FaceTime picture to prove it. Another one couple, two tours experience was when Wicked was in Pittsburgh and Love Never Dies was in Cleveland. I flew into Cleveland on a Sunday night and then spent two days with Michael before we rented a car and he drove me to Pittsburgh. And back for a show that night in Cleveland. He stayed in Pittsburgh just long enough to have a lobster roll lunch at Roland's with me.

[8:26] Lauren Haughton: So, this is our story to date. I can't say that all this was easy and although we have been so blessed, the distance and time always weighs on us. There are times when the missing becomes a physical ache that doesn't go away, but we are the lucky ones who have been given a chance to do what we love. We both understand that about each other and support that decision as best we can. We also have the benefit of 10 years of shared experiences, so the bond is strong and can get us through the distance created by both of us touring. However, full disclosure, I'm not sure if all this would be possible without the technology of today. FaceTime is a game changer. As well, Love Never Dies gets layoffs about every 10 weeks which allows him to visit me wherever I may be.

[9:10] Lauren Haughton: The next chapter is already starting to take shape as I end my time with Wicked on April 22nd. I'm going back to school to get an MFA, so I suppose one couple, two tours is going to change into one couple, one tour, and an MFA. But through it all, our mutual support and love will see us through.

[9:51] Mo Brady: Thanks Lauren. Next up is Nicky Vendetti. He's another 10-year veteran of Wicked and he shared with us what he's learned by spending a decade in the land of Oz. Here's Nicky Vendetti.

[10:13] Nicky Vendetti: When I got the call from my agent to audition for Wicked, again, I had already been seen for the show three times. The last time I went in, it was between myself and one other guy, and the other guy got it. Instead of letting frustration get the better of me, I chose to trust in the momentum I felt from my last callback and to just go for it. In fact, I even recall saying to myself, I am going to book this job, the morning of the audition, and I may or may not have been looking at myself in the mirror when I said it. Drama, I know. So, myself, my very colorful outfit, and my messy hair, I was told to show up looking like I just rolled out of bed, showed up steady and ready to kill it. I had no idea at the time that my dramatic mirror proclamation and messy, I don't care, get up, would book me a job that would change the course of my life for the next 10 years. I was hired to open the second national tour of Wicked as a swing, which would go on for a year.

[11:04] Nicky Vendetti: This will come as a total surprise as I remember being asked to partner and lift three different girls at the audition. This would be my first time swinging a show and I definitely had a bit of trepidation about taking on the task. I once again got all cinematic with myself and I said, self, you can do this. I also had an inclination that the demanding aspects of being a swing would be good for my noggin and I was right. The fact that as a swing you have to absorb a ton of information and be ready to execute on a dime requires an immense amount of focus, homework, and wine. But with the challenges come the reward of feeling like a total badass in situations like when you go on for your 3rd or 4th track of the week and you're all like, I just did that.

The mistakes will happen, it's a fact, but there is also a life lesson in there about letting go of perfectionism and simply producing from a place of presence and focus when duty calls. This is a philosophy that I take with me into everyday life. I could go on and on about the many life metaphors that lie within the world of being a swing, but that would require a separate blog. Back to Wicked. After my first 9 months on the tour, I left to play Paul on the national tour of A Chorus Line Revival. Playing Paul was a dream of mine and I was thrilled for the opportunity to tell the story and to be a part of the legend that is A Chorus Line. Shortly after the tour closed, I was asked to go back to Wicked.

This time it was to play Chistory in the final 2 months of the San Francisco Sit Down Company. Over the course of the next few years, I would go back and forth between both Wicked national tours to fill in as an unofficial vacation swing. Yet another benefit of being a swing, you are super valuable. I eventually ended up back on the 2nd national tour permanently as one of the dance captains. At this point, I had known the show quite well from my time as a swing, so the progression to dance captain made sense. I spent almost 2 years as the dance captain on the road before I left again to be the assistant to the choreographer for Trip of Love off-Broadway. Eventually, in November of 2015, the dance captain position for Wicked Broadway opened up and I stepped in to take over, and I have been with the company ever since.

[13:19] Nicky Vendetti: Having the rare opportunity of being part of a show for over 10 years has truly been a gift, but as you might imagine, there are challenges that come with it as well. A steady paycheck is always nice, and not having to hustle for a gig is also very nice. Seriously, hashtag blessed all the way for all of that. But, on the other side of that coin, lies the cons of consistency. For the times that I am on stage as an actor in the show, I have to continually check in and practice presence. The slope to running on autopilot is a slippery one and you have to be mindful to not fall down it when you are doing something that is so in your body that it feels like second nature. For me, this practice usually means taking a moment for myself before the curtain goes up to check in and pull myself into the world of the show.

The pre-show rituals and behavior of a long-running show inevitably veer towards casual in nature over time, and it takes a deliberate shift in focus to ground yourself for performance. My duties as one of the dance captains of the show comes with its own separate rewards and challenges. In addition to the 12 male ensemble tracks that I am required to know and perform as a swing, I have to know the principal choreographic blocking as well, so that myself, my co-dance captain, and our production stage manager can all work together in teaching the actors and get them ready to go into the show. This takes about three weeks depending on how many principals we are turning over at one time. Wicked is unique in that the principal cast on average turns over once a year, so the energy and the rehearsal is ever-flowing.

In addition to teaching the new principals, my co-dance captain and I are also rehearsing with any new ensemble members that are joining or rejoining the company at any given time. Not so surprisingly, this all demands a lot of time, focus, and energy.

[15:00] Nicky Vendetti: Being a dance captain or a stage manager for a long-running musical requires showing up and reinvesting in the material again and again to ensure that you are guiding the actors towards success. I think that the constant reinvestment in energy is perhaps the clearest distinction between being a part of a newer show as opposed to a longer-running one. When I think back to when I first ventured into the world of Wicked, I see that I have grown to know the show on a much deeper level over the last ten years. It sounds like a total cliché, but I really don't know how else to say it. Starting out as a swing already allowed me to view the staging through a much wider lens than if I had to only learn one track.

Then, to go on and get to be an integral part of introducing actors to the show as a dance captain and working so closely with them for the weeks right up until their first performance has been a next-level experience. Yes, showing up and reinvesting again and again can certainly be tricky at times, but I'm always down for a challenge. And although it comes with a lot of responsibility, there is something really special about preparing someone to hit the stage for the first time and seeing the work you've done together actually manifest. The hours and the energy that I put into the show have made me feel like I am truly a part of something. And in the moments that I get to actually step back and take in this beautifully told and staged story, I know that I am a part of something pretty damn special. And for that, I am grateful.

[16:51] Moe Brady: Thanks, Nicky. Our third and final story today comes from Matt Meggs, currently of the Broadway Company of Wicked. Last fall, he penned a story for us in which he credited letting go of fear to paving the yellow brick road for him to join the Broadway Company of the show. Here, in his own words, is Matt Meggs.

[17:09] Matt Meggs: I've always wanted to see the Emerald City. One short day in the Emerald City. I was flailing in a rehearsal studio in Boston. This was the choreography, but I wasn't flailing correctly. I had just joined the national tour of Wicked, a true childhood dream. And per usual, my first week of rehearsal was spent terrified they had chosen the wrong person and I'd never get it right. It's my extremely healthy process when joining shows. There are many funny moments or silly trivia I could give you about all my experiences. However, I believe most fervently that the most powerful tool in every actor's toolbox is simple. Risk. Joining Wicked was an exciting step in my life. I always aim for my next job to move my career forward, and this fit perfectly into my plan.

My ideal career is constantly growing and changing. That's my own long-term goal. Each step takes me closer. I joined this tour with the express intention of spending one incredible year on the road, a dozen months, and then back to the city of dreams to keep developing my career. I kept this to myself, but was honest if asked point blank. As my last date neared, I was given bountiful, unsolicited opinions, advice, or pained expressions by extended family, actors in New York, and people on the road. Income in a touring production is so high. You only find yourself in a long-running show very rarely. And many stories of people who left and didn't work for ages, who I'm sure would disagree with those characterizations.

Let me be clear. Staying in one show for a long time might be exactly the right choice for you. But this choice is dictated by your own long-term goals. A wise actor once told me, take a job only if it provides you with at least two of these three things. It helps your career, it helps your wallet, and it artistically excites you. I would only add that you should ask yourself that periodically. Now, I don't have children or huge debts, so my goals aren't constrained by these. I decided to leave because I needed to get back to my boyfriend, very important for my heart, get back to my city, very important for my soul, and get back to my next career step.

[19:53] Matt Meggs: Auditioning on the road is nigh impossible. Videotaping auditions is the bane of my existence. I thrive in an actual audition setting. I love touring, but my whole life is in NYC. A lot of our choices are made from fear. Make your choices from a place of confidence and focus. The day after I returned from tour, I booked Carousel on Broadway. It then closed nine weeks later. In our closing weekend, I booked Wicked on Broadway to start immediately. Now, this story can be viewed as extremely fortuitous. It is, but none of it would have happened if I hadn't taken the risk and made my decision. If you want something, you have to give it the space to let it happen. Let go of that fear and attack your life with a pure focus on what you want and a clear picture of your own risk threshold. Don't let others sway your focus, including me. They have their goals, and you have yours. The Wizard will see you now!

[21:10] Moe Brady: Special thanks to Lauren Houghton, Matt Meggs, and Nicky Vendetti for allowing us to re-share their stories today. The Ensemblist was produced today by me, Moe Brady. There are two great ways you can be helping The Ensemblist right now. One is by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and the second is by becoming one of our Patreon members. You can do that at patreon.com slash The Ensemblist. Please follow The Ensemblist wherever you listen to podcasts, whether that be on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or at our home on Broadway podcast network at bpn.fm. You can also follow us on Instagram, where we share the stories of talented theater artists every day. Thanks for listening. Until next time. Bye for now.