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[0:27] Mo Brady: You're listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. I'm Mo Brady.

[0:42] Mo Brady: Last weekend, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel at the 2020 TheatreMakers Summit about the art of the pivot. In it, I spoke to four titans of the American musical theater about their love for the performing arts, how that love was satisfied as an actor, and how they've pivoted that love into a different mode of creation. Please enjoy a portion of that conversation with guests Asmeret Ghebremichael, Stephanie Klemons, Steve Rosen, and Luis Salgado.

[1:22] Mo Brady: Hello, everybody. Welcome. This is a fantastic group of artists to talk to. You are all such inspirations, of course, for your work on stage, but also for plowing your way through the entertainment industry as people who do more than one thing. I'd like to go around and on my screen, it's Asmeret, Luis, Steve, Steph. I'd love to know one thing about theater as an art form that you fell in love with in the first place. So when you take yourself back to like kid version of yourself, high school or college person, what was the thing that you loved about theater that made you identify as a theater person?

[2:02] Asmeret Ghebremichael: I think the one thing about theater that I love to this day, as well, is the live aspect of it. I'm sure all of us have done other mediums, TV, film, and stuff, which is exciting and wonderful in its own ways. But there's something about live theater for me that I really enjoy, maybe because I've done a lot of comedy and you really rely on that reaction and that energy from the audience. But no matter what genre, there's just something so magical about experiencing something for the first time with the people who've come to see you do the show and the people that you're sharing the stage with. It's like you kind of know what you're going to do every day, but it's never the same way twice.

[2:42] Stephanie Klemons: I will jump in and say the freedom to be, and then there's a big sort of like line, the freedom to be weird, the freedom to be magical, the freedom to be powerful. There's so many things I discovered just jumping into the arts that I felt was giving me freedom that I didn't find necessarily around my family members in the same way. So that was an outlet. And then the necessity to study. Everything that have ever been thrown at me, I have had to study. And so every single project, I become better at something because I didn't know that something before. So those are the two magical things for me.

[3:18] Steve Rosen: I think aside from just the attention, which is sort of what drew me in in the first place as a kid, because I was like the youngest kid in my family, and I was always sort of looking for ways to get eyes back on me. The thing that has always driven me into that I first loved about theater most, I think, in retrospect, is the collaborative nature of it. That art is such a collaborative nature, and that so many different elements and personalities come into making something. And especially since I didn't have a lot of the school system that I grew up in, the public school system, didn't have a huge arts program. And so in these other peripheral programs that I would go into, I found sort of like my community. So I think that the fact that I could collaborate with other people who were into the same thing that I was into, that was my first draw in the theater.

[4:10] Luis Salgado: Every single time I walk into a theater as an audience member, and it's half hour before the show is going to begin, and the people are talking, but you just hear as you're getting closer to the orchestra pit, just like the sound of like a single violin warming up and someone doing piano trills, or, you know, someone on the guitar playing licks. There's something about hearing a band warm up in a theater and hearing the sound of the instruments that make music of musical theater. It gets me every time. And if it's been some time since I haven't been to theater, like I know when we come back, the first time I walk into a theater, I'm going to hear an instrument. It's just going to make me cry, pour water out of my face. To me, just like the first thing, the first time I saw a musical, I remember that feeling, I remember that sound, and it strikes me every time.

[4:57] Mo Brady: I'd love to hear a specific story from your careers as performers, where you felt like that element that you first fell in love with was like, encapsulated.

[5:05] Asmeret Ghebremichael: Yeah, I mean, it also goes hand in hand with this, the question that people ask all the time with like, you know, any bloopers that happen while you're on stage. Doing Dream Girls in London, and it was at the very end of the wrap, where I sing, I'm, oh, baby, I got a show to do. So I, Casey Nicholaw, who directed and choreographed the show was in the audience that night, and he'd given me a note the last time he was in town. And I was like, really, like, one of my things that I overcorrect notes, I had gotten a note about the way I exited this little scene. And it's like, it's a super powerful moment. It's like my like, it was my favorite moment in the show, because I just got to sing really high and like, tell my boyfriend, my married boyfriend out and like, tip off stage, went to sing the note.

And I thought of the note that Casey had given me. And as I'm finishing the word do, I've started to step back, and the heel of one shoe got caught in the back of the other shoe. And as I was singing do, I fell on the ground, the audience gasped. I was sitting on the floor. And I like the closest wing. And so I proceeded to like dance competition roll my way off the stage. And the audience was dead silent for like, five seconds, and then just erupted in applause. Oh my god. And so then when I came back out for the curtain call, I like pretended to trip, you know, like, very like musical comedy bit. And the audience was hysterically laughing. But I felt very much present in a live theater setting.

[6:42] Luis Salgado: Well, I think it goes with the thing that connected me to love in theater as well, right? So like, I have to explain that I grew up in Puerto Rico, of course, and like, I started doing theater in public school, right? So like, for me, the theater was a community center. And for me, the dance room was outdoors, right? My pants, my green pants were always dirty. Well, after trying to do the split, right? So like, that's what freedom was to be able to do that in the middle of the school. And like, I was doing something magical, like to be weird and magical at the same time and be able to do it. So when you ask that story, it's doing In the Heights, because it paved the entire journey, right? And all of a sudden, the very same dance steps that I was doing in that public school were the dance steps that I was teaching our company, doing plena and doing folklore and doing salsa, right?

And so it just went into the full circle of this is my freedom. I don't have to pretend to be anything right now. I can just be that little kid that was dancing in fifth grade outdoors and pass that as a thing that we have to portray. And so I felt, again, freedom in my very first Broadway show.

[8:02] Mo Brady: Welcome to The Ensemblist, where we celebrate the performances and careers of ensemble performers. Today, we’re sharing a portion of a conversation from the 2020 TheatreMakers Summit about “The Art of the Pivot.” I had the pleasure of speaking with four incredible guests: Asmeret Ghebremichael, Stephanie Klemons, Steve Rosen, and Luis Salgado.

[8:32] Mo Brady: Let's dive into their thoughts on how they’ve adapted their love for theatre during these challenging times.

[9:02] Asmeret Ghebremichael: I think what’s been really interesting is that we’ve all had to pivot in some way. For me, it’s been about finding new ways to express my creativity. I’ve been exploring different forms of art that I hadn’t before, and it’s been really fulfilling.

[9:32] Stephanie Klemons: Absolutely. I think the pandemic has forced us to think outside the box. I’ve been focusing on creating virtual experiences that still connect people to the magic of theatre, even if it’s not in person.

[9:52] Steve Rosen: It’s been a time for reflection as well. I’ve been writing more, and I’ve found that it’s a great outlet for my thoughts and feelings during this time. It’s a way to stay connected to the art form that I love.

[10:12] Luis Salgado: I agree with all of that. I’ve also been working on projects that highlight the importance of community and collaboration. It’s been a reminder that we’re all in this together, and we need to support each other.

[10:22] Mo Brady: That sense of community is so vital, especially now. How have you all been finding ways to stay connected with your fellow artists?

[10:32] Asmeret Ghebremichael: Social media has been a huge help. I’ve been able to connect with friends and colleagues, share our work, and support each other in new ways. It’s not the same as being in a room together, but it’s something.

[10:42] Stephanie Klemons: I’ve also been hosting virtual gatherings. It’s been a great way to check in with everyone and share what we’re all working on. It’s nice to see familiar faces, even if it’s through a screen.

[10:52] Steve Rosen: I’ve been doing a lot of Zoom readings and workshops. It’s been a great way to keep the creative juices flowing and to collaborate with others, even from a distance.

[11:02] Luis Salgado: And I think it’s important to remember that this is a temporary situation. We will be back in theatres, and we need to keep nurturing our creativity until then.

[11:12] Mo Brady: That’s a great point, Luis. What do you think the future of theatre looks like after all of this?

[11:22] Asmeret Ghebremichael: I think we’ll see a lot of innovation. Artists are incredibly resilient, and I believe we’ll come back stronger with new ideas and perspectives.

[11:32] Stephanie Klemons: Yes! I think we’ll also see more diverse voices being heard. This time has opened up conversations about representation and inclusivity in our industry.

[11:42] Steve Rosen: I hope we can take the lessons we’ve learned during this time and apply them moving forward. We need to continue to support each other and create a more equitable space for everyone.

[11:52] Luis Salgado: Exactly. This is a moment for change, and I believe we can create a better future for theatre together.

[12:02] Mo Brady: Thank you all for sharing your insights. It’s inspiring to hear how you’re all navigating this time with creativity and resilience.

[12:22] Mo Brady: We’ll be back with more conversations from the TheatreMakers Summit, so stay tuned!