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[0:00] John Whelan: You're listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. I'm your host, John Whelan.

[0:23] John Whelan: Today's episode guest has indeed run the gamut A-Z. E. Clayton Cornelius has graced the boards of Broadway an unbelievable eight times during the 20 years since his debut. The show then was Disney's The Lion King, and today, this Broadway ensemblist is bringing to life the electrifying story of the Temptations in Ain't Too Proud. Throughout the years, his career has spanned the gamut, performing in everything from The Scottsboro Boys to A Chorus Line. In addition to his work on stage, he is a producer and investor on shows including Caroline, or Change and Hadestown. E. Clayton joined me over the phone to discuss how he keeps the momentum moving forward in his career, as well as how it is never too late to learn something new. Here's our conversation.

[1:27] John Whelan: So why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and let us know where you are calling from.

[1:34] E. Clayton Cornelius: My name is E. Clayton Cornelius, and I am calling from Pittsburgh, PA via New York City, just visiting family during the COVID crisis.

[1:43] John Whelan: And if you were back in the Big Bad Apple right now, where would we find you?

[1:49] E. Clayton Cornelius: Locked away in my apartment for one, but I am currently in the Broadway hit Ain't Too Proud on Broadway, so yeah.

[2:00] John Whelan: And I did want to touch on that because you have had quite the expansive career stretching back something 20 plus years, ending right now with Ain't Too Proud. I kind of want to work backwards on that. So where did your journey with Ain't Too Proud begin?

[2:14] E. Clayton Cornelius: My journey with Ain't Too Proud started three years ago. I had just finished doing the national tour of Kinky Boots. I was actually sort of deemed, I guess, one of the first standbys for Lola on the second leg of the tour. And I stayed with that tour for about a year and some months. And right as I sort of winded down with that tour and said, you know, I think I don't want to do this anymore, I have done about nine national tours, nine Broadway national tours. And I was sort of thought that that would be sort of, not this sort of, you know, I love Kinky Boots, but I think where I was in my life, some personal things were going on and I just did not want to be on tour anymore. And I kind of was questioning where my life was going at that point and quickly started auditioning for Ain't Too Proud.

Thankfully, the tour was sort of around the New York area. So I was able to go to every single audition and then actually even sort of drive straight to rehearsal from Kinky Boots to an audition for Ain't Too Proud and vice versa. So I made it work. I got into the cast. And there you have it. That's sort of how that journey started. And I've been with Ain't Too Proud since the very beginning, the reading Around a Table.

[3:28] John Whelan: Oh, that's incredible. So you were there while it was doing Out of Towns in Toronto then?

[3:33] E. Clayton Cornelius: Yes, yes. So I've been with the show since the very beginning, Around a Table. I did the workshops. I did both workshops. And then we went to Berkeley Rep, obviously, for five months. And then we did a three-month sort of Out of Town, like over the summer, Out of Town sort of tryout at three different cities. And that was DC, LA and Toronto. So I was definitely at everything. And then finally, we came into Broadway because we couldn't find a house to go to, a Broadway house. And finally, we found one.

[4:06] John Whelan: So you're just in a holding pattern waiting to...

[4:08] E. Clayton Cornelius: Oh, my God, it was the longest three years of my life. I've never been with a show for that long waiting to get to Broadway. The whole cast is wonderful. I mean, I really feel that the cast is filled with nothing but A-plus Broadway performers, especially that original cast. And we were just sacrificing our livelihood because we weren't getting paid very much as we were going through all the steps of the workshop, to going to Berkeley, to going out of town with it on tour. And we didn't really hit sort of production Broadway money until the last leg of our tour before we came into Broadway. So it was a long financial journey for all of us who are used to sort of always doing a Broadway show. So it was a sacrifice.

[4:57] John Whelan: It's definitely worth it in the end.

[4:59] E. Clayton Cornelius: Oh, totally. And I think we all knew that. And that's the reason why we stuck with it. We knew what this show was going to be. We knew what it represented. We all were so proud of the work that we had put into the show, what we created. I've done eight Broadway shows. And out of all my Broadway shows that I've done, even tour-wise, it's very rare that you have a cast that you love like family. And this is definitely... I can't wait to get to work to laugh and to joke with the people that I work with. And that's a rarity, to go to work and loving everybody who you come in contact with.

[5:34] John Whelan: I love hearing that.

[5:35] E. Clayton Cornelius: Yeah. The actual show happens backstage. It doesn't really happen on stage. We're definitely family in that theater.

[5:41] John Whelan: That's so lovely. And this show for you in particular has been another professional milestone of sorts because you were the recipient of Ain't Too Proud's Legacy Robe.

[5:52] E. Clayton Cornelius: Yeah.

[5:53] John Whelan: Talk us through what that is for anyone who may not be familiar with it, and then what that experience was like for you personally.

[5:59] E. Clayton Cornelius: So the Legacy Robe has been this legacy that started way back in the days of Yorn. I think they say 1940s. There was a chorus girl who put together a robe and presented it, put something from their show onto the robe, and then presented it to the next Broadway show that was opening. So this has become over the years this wonderful legacy that goes to the chorus person or the ensemble person who's done the most Broadway shows in that particular show. I thought that I was actually going to win this award for Scottsboro Boys. And it's always been a fantasy of mine to sort of win this legacy. I never thought that I would actually hit it because there's always somebody who's done more shows than me in a show, until I sort of became the older person quickly after all these years.

And finally, this show, which represented so much for me, I finally got presented with the robe on opening night. So it was such a treat. It felt so great to sort of like hit a milestone or like an honor that sort of represents the 20 years that I've been working hard in this industry.

[7:12] John Whelan: Is it as heavy as it looks? I know each one's different, but when it gets enough shows built on it.

[7:18] E. Clayton Cornelius: It is heavy. It really is heavy.

[7:20] John Whelan: All right. Having not worn one myself, I've just been curious.

[7:23] E. Clayton Cornelius: Right. Yeah.

[7:24] John Whelan: Well, that is, congratulations on that. That is a beautiful honor to be bestowed. So well deserved.

[7:31] E. Clayton Cornelius: Yeah.

[7:32] John Whelan: It's so great that you get to carry that forward. Who did you get to then hand it off to?

[7:34] E. Clayton Cornelius: I handed it off to my good friend T. Oliver Reed in Hadestown. So that was wonderful. And funny enough, I was going to be there for opening night for Hadestown anyway, because I'm an investor in that show. I'm an investor in Ain't Too Proud as well. So I, this year has sort of represented me going down another road or another avenue as I'm now becoming a Broadway investor and a Broadway producer.

[7:57] John Whelan: You've checked off a lot of Broadway dream boxes, Legacy Robe, performing on the Tony's, original cast recordings. Many actors dream of achieving these things, one of them, let alone all of them. How do you wrap your head around all of these accomplishments and keep yourself motivated for getting to the next?

[8:16] E. Clayton Cornelius: You know, it's kind of mind boggling, the number of things that I have done. I sort of look back on it as it's like a flash. And you know, a lot of people say, you have done so much. And I go, really? Have I really done that much? I really don't know. But I literally constantly went from show to show to show since I've been 19 years old. And I guess because when I was younger, I actually used to hop shows a little bit faster, I guess I would say. There was a time that I was with the show for six months or for a year. But I always had the opportunity of walking into another production or another job. I've been blessed. And I thankfully have been, I'm not a kind of person who replaces a lot. You know, you go and you replace somebody in another Broadway show.

I've been lucky enough to always create characters in a new show. I think my talent and my craziness and what I bring to the table, I think intrigues a lot of people where I can create a lot of characters, which in Ain't Too Proud, I play seven characters, seven different characters in the first act. And I'm sort of like the sort of funny man, the ATP, we call myself the ATP funny man. I'm the comic relief of the show because the show is so heavy with drugs and what they did and how they broke up and got together that I come in and sort of make the audience laugh every now and again to relieve them of the heaviness in the show. So I've quickly been known now as sort of this comedy guy. And then I play a temptation in the second act.

But over my whole career, I've just been creating and doing things of that nature. And I did have an opportunity to do a lot of things. I mean, I played a leading role in Wonderland with Frank Wildhorn as the Caterpillar. I've done a lot of standing by, understudying in shows. So I've literally worked almost every contract you can possibly think of from dinner theater to Broadway lead. And it's been an honor. It really has been. It's taught me so much, but it's taught me enough and made me experience so much that it's pushed me into these other realms of my career as far as moving forward as an actor and moving forward as a producer and an investor. You know, you cannot but learn the other aspects of theater when you're in it for that long.

[10:36] John Whelan: Has it been the career itself that you've had that has inspired you to pursue these new endeavors? Or was that something always in the back of your mind?

[10:43] E. Clayton Cornelius: When you come to this town, when you come to New York City, you have to have a fire. And it has to be more than just, I want to get to Broadway and perform. Obviously, that is the initial spark that happens. Obviously, you want to get to that level. You want to get on Broadway. And that's the treat. But you have to kind of think beyond that. And I think this crisis is sort of telling for everyone that we have to not just rely on one thing. We have to kind of keep thinking about our future. And even though you get to that Broadway show, what's next? Is it TV? Am I really good at choreographing? Am I really good at directing? There's got to be other aspects of your life that are sparked as you're climbing the ladder and getting yourself to the next step.

[11:29] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think the biggest thing that I learned is that it’s never too late to learn something new. I think that’s the biggest lesson that I’ve learned throughout my career, and I think that’s what keeps me going.

[11:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible people, and I’ve learned so much from them. I think that’s what keeps me motivated, is the idea that there’s always something new to learn, whether it’s a new skill or a new way of approaching a role.

[12:14] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps the momentum going, is that desire to keep growing and evolving as an artist.

[12:34] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think it’s important to stay curious and to stay open to new experiences.

[12:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I’ve been fortunate enough to have a career that has spanned a lot of different styles and genres, and I think that’s helped me to stay fresh and to keep my perspective broad.

[13:14] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s one of the things that I love about being in the ensemble, is that you get to be a part of so many different stories and so many different experiences.

[13:34] E. Clayton Cornelious: It’s really about being a part of something bigger than yourself, and I think that’s what keeps me coming back to the theater.

[13:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes it so special, is that we’re all in it together, and we’re all contributing to this larger narrative.

[14:14] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes the ensemble so vital to the storytelling process.

[14:34] E. Clayton Cornelious: It’s not just about the leads; it’s about the entire company working together to create something beautiful.

[14:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes theater so unique, is that it’s a collaborative art form.

[15:14] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me inspired, is the idea that we’re all working together to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

[15:34] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps the energy alive in a show, is that sense of community and collaboration.

[15:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes it so rewarding, is knowing that you’re a part of something that’s bigger than yourself.

[16:14] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me motivated to keep pushing forward in my career.

[16:34] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together, and that we’re all contributing to this larger narrative.

[16:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes theater so special, is that it brings people together and creates a sense of community.

[17:04] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me coming back to the stage, is that sense of connection and collaboration.

[17:24] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes it so fulfilling, is knowing that you’re a part of something that’s greater than yourself.

[17:44] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps the momentum going, is that desire to keep growing and evolving as an artist.

[18:04] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think it’s important to stay curious and to stay open to new experiences.

[18:24] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me inspired, is the idea that there’s always something new to learn.

[18:44] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps the energy alive in a show, is that sense of community and collaboration.

[19:04] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes theater so unique, is that it’s a collaborative art form.

[19:24] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me motivated to keep pushing forward in my career.

[19:44] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together, and that we’re all contributing to this larger narrative.

[20:04] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes theater so special, is that it brings people together and creates a sense of community.

[20:24] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me coming back to the stage, is that sense of connection and collaboration.

[20:44] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes it so fulfilling, is knowing that you’re a part of something that’s greater than yourself.

[21:04] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps the momentum going, is that desire to keep growing and evolving as an artist.

[21:24] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think it’s important to stay curious and to stay open to new experiences.

[21:44] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me inspired, is the idea that there’s always something new to learn.

[21:54] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps the energy alive in a show, is that sense of community and collaboration.

[22:04] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what makes theater so unique, is that it’s a collaborative art form.

[22:24] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think that’s what keeps me motivated to keep pushing forward in my career.

[22:44] E. Clayton Cornelious: I think it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together, and that we’re all contributing to this larger narrative.