This Thursday at rehearsal we all had the pleasure of hearing from Nick Cearley, who played Dennis in the first national Broadway tour of All Shook Up. Currently Nick is playing the sought-after role of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (which is running until February 19). He told us about how he went to Fairfield High School, the very place that our Chad goes to. Nick is also in a band that sang with Lin Manuel-Miranda one time; that fact made me geek out. The shows Next to Normal and Rocky Horror are among his favorites. Now that you all have had a brief introduction, I am going to get into the tip-top advice that Nick so graciously shared.
Someone asked him what the most important thing is that he has learned during his days of being a performer. What he said was wonderful and totally applicable to all of us, regardless of who we are. Nick put it simply, “Be nice to everyone;” directors and people in positions of authority prefer amicable, easy to work with folks. Throughout life, whether we choose to be a performer or not, it is inevitable that we will cross the paths of so many people. Making the decision to be a kind individual will allow you to form so many more relationships, too. You know what they always say: the more the merrier! Developing a character and keeping it strong throughout the show is a fundamental ingredient in the recipe for a great show. Nick shared that creating a strong backstory is the most important thing to do for yourself. Getting to know the character you are playing inside out will make for strong stage chemistry between actors. When he was in All Shook Up, he mentioned an ensemble member who chose to be the mailman for the town. It helped to know his occupation and status to form an accurate onstage relationship with him. He urged principle characters to stay naive and play the joke. Comedic shows are written to be funny. Crazy concept, right? Being in character and delivering lines as he or she would will get the most laughs. He found that the times he was trying to be funny elicited less of a response from the audience. It is also important to refrain from going on autopilot and just going through the motions of your part. We are all cast and placed purposefully and it is each actor's responsibility to deliver their best and most genuine performance every time around. To perform a song Nick revealed his method that struck me as ingenious. Memorize the words to the song before working on the music aspect. Practice performing them as if they made up a monologue. In doing that, meaning behind the words can be found and embedded in your mind. Adding the notes is the next step and with some hard work, there is no heartfelt ballad that you can't master. Speaking of master, Nick gave us some insight into going to college for performing arts. He emphasized that it essentially doesn't matter where you end up enrolled. It is up to the individual to put their all into the program and opportunities that they are given. Wherever you end up, you are going to get out of it what you put into it. Use your passion to drive you. When it comes to auditions and nerves (for college or other general auditions), he told us to remember that they want us to succeed. A director isn't evaluating performers all day long in hopes that you fail; they want to see you showcase your talents. Another helpful tip is to hone in on your skills. If you play an instrument, dance, masterfully handle a puppet, or improv like a star, hold on to those talents and keep up with them. Special things like that could land you that part and enhance what you have to bring to the table. We are so thankful to have had the chance to hear about the theatre world from the point of view of someone with so much Broadway/performing experience. Thank you, Nick Cearley for spending some time with us. Thanks for reading! -Ally Knizner
1 Comment
Chuck Heldman
2/12/2017 05:21:27 pm
Can't wait to see the play. Followed Nick for many years. We are seeing him Thurs great seats...
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