Hello Beautiful People,
The next featured actress in our Actors & Actresses Q&A Series is the classy, the beautiful, and the talented Erica Swindell. Erica was kind enough to spend her dinner break with me at Schmackery’s, where we discussed theater, music, education, and superheroes. She is a quadruple threat, as she sings, dances, acts, AND plays the violin. A class act all the way, a gem of a gal, ladies and gents, meet Erica Swindell…
TWT: Firs things first, growing up in Texas did you always have dreams of Broadway?
ES: I saw my first Broadway show when I was six, which was The Phantom of the Opera. My aunt is a professional dancer and lived in New York, so we were always coming to visit. I remember looking at the actress who played Christine and thinking I want to do that. I don’t even remember who the actress was, but I remember that feeling. But, that faded for a bit, as I started playing violin when I was three. When I went high school and started taking the theater classes I started to recognize and realize that you could do this for a career, and so I made the decision to go to college for theater. It was a hard decision, because it could be easier to be a musician in a lot of ways. I thought to myself that I always enjoy rehearsing theater, but don’t necessarily enjoy practicing the violin 24/7, so that made the choice a bit easier.
TWT: Once is an absolute sensation, a Tony Award winning show, and an epic musical. What is it like to be a part of this production?
ES: It’s fantastic. I get to do everything I love to do, I get to sing, I get to act, I get to dance – it’s a dream come true.
TWT: Do you have a role that is most memorable to you?
ES: Once definitely, because it’s my Broadway debut, but it’s also something very important in musical theater. I sort of feel like this is where musical theater is going – not all of it, but this show, this type of musical, is like a breath of fresh air. It speaks to people on an epic yet simple level. Even in the auditions, I felt like I was part of something big. On a personal level, my fiancé wrote this show for me a couple of years ago, Galactic Girl in:Attack of the Starbarians. We both produced and starred in the show, and he actually proposed to me at the curtain call.
TWT: Do you have a dream role? If so, what is it?
ES: I am very interested in working on new material. To get to work in something from the ground up, to be able to originate a character and to see it go all the way to Broadway, that would be a dream come true.
TWT: Just for fun, what sound do you love?
ES: Wind chimes.
TWT: Just for fun, what sound do you hate?
ES: If someone is cleaning strings on a violin or cello, it can make a screeching sound like nails on a chalkboard. It’s awful.
TWT: If there were five books that were permanently on your bookshelf, what would they be?
ES: One would have to be a graphic novel, Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore. The complete works of Shakespeare. Anyone of Jane Austin’s books, probably Emma – I read all the time, so it’s like whatever is my flavor of the month.
TWT: What advice would you give to students in high school who wish to pursue the arts, specifically theater, as a career?
ES: I’m sure that this has been said before, but it’s something that I think is really important to examine. If you have anything else that you’re really good at and good be happy doing, do it. If this is the only thing that makes you happy, then you know you’re on the right track. It’s so hard, and it’s so fleeting, you never know what’s going to happen, so if you like that feeling keep working in this business. If you crave stability, find something else. If this is the only thing you can be happy doing, if it’s in you, and you cannot be without this craft, always be true to yourself and your vision. Don’t let others opinions get in the way of your dreams and the goals you want for yourself. It may take two years, it may take twenty, but when it comes down to it, it’s your vision. It’s easy to lose a sense of self, but you have to hold onto the vision that you want for yourself.
TWT: In today’s economy, arts programs are being cut. What reasons would you give to a politician or a school board for preserving the arts?
ES: Sports aren’t for everyone, and the students who are not athletes deserve an outlet. They need something to fuel their brains. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have my music in theater classes, I definitely would have been in trouble or up to no good. Kids need an outlet for expression; needing to defend this doesn’t make sense to me. There are more students who will pursue arts professionally than the ones who wind up playing for the NFL. How do you want to spend your money?
TWT: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
ES: I would say my parents. They supported me in whatever I wanted to do my entire life, and they always made education important. When I said I wanted to move to New York and become an actor, they didn’t bat an eye and accepted it one hundred percent. They are huge advocates of the arts, and they were huge advocates in helping me go after my dreams. I wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for them. They taught me everything I know in life and in achieving my dreams.
Thank you, Erica!
Live, Love, Learn,
Megan &