When you're reinterpreting the same material eight shows a week, it's impossible to lock in the 'ideal' performance. Things that felt great in previews can feel forced three months in; jokes that got big laughs in the rehearsal room may suddenly fall flat in front of a paying audience.
Any show that has a completely gay ensemble has the very difficult task of trying to represent the community.
There isn't a way to depict the gay community without at least mentioning the existence of online dating apps like Grindr.
People are not just going to bars and meeting people; they're connecting through social media.
YouTube came out when I was a sophomore in college, and I feel like I was one of the first people to put musical theater stuff online.
Knowing at the end of the day you get to go home and you can work on your own project is super rewarding as an actor.
I've gotten to work with people like Kristin Chenoweth and Chita Rivera... Seeing their process is so interesting. Seeing that these people aren't immortal - that they go through the same motions as we do and ask for feedback and break down scenes... They have to work, too, and that's really exciting to see.
As a kid, I was obsessed with Broadway cast recordings, and I would totally mimic and memorize every little choice that these actors made.
I think it's really important, as an actor in this business, to have another creative outlet.
I was on Twitter right in the first couple months that it was out.
I grew up in a time where there were no queer digital references.
I feel that being comfortable - being yourself - when you walk into an audition room is a really important thing. I think being able to own every aspect of your life is only going to make you be more comfortable in front of a table of people you don't know.
I think there's so much that is out of our control as actors, and it's just really hard to market yourself in such a huge industry.
My older sister Celia is an actress as well. She's a little bit older than me. So, in my formative years, she was always performing, and we would always go see her do things. And so, that just made me want to be... like her. Maybe if she was an Olympic swimmer, I would probably be an Olympic swimmer by now as well!
'Kris Kringle' is a holiday musical for a new generation - a gorgeous score paired with a heartwarming tale of family and forgiveness.
I think anytime there's a big show on a network, people are also looking for what's the indie, stepchild version of this, the real DIY version?
I think there's a weird stigma in the TV-film world that theater people can't be funny and understand subtlety, and I think that could not be more wrong.
People have not given children enough credit to understand the idea of death. But I really think they do.
I think what's universal is the idea of auditioning. It's something that you do in every kind of job market. You audition every time you go on a date, you audition at a job interview, and it's always about trying to put the best version of yourself forward and seeing what sticks and what doesn't.
You can't have living without dying.
