Hello Beautiful People,
She is an actress. She is a singer. She was Cosette in the National Tour of Les Misérables. She is a staple of the Bay Street Theatre stage. She is a USO Liberty Bell. She is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, and I’m so blessed to be able to call her one of my dearest friends. She is Joanna Howard, our next participant in the Actors & Actresses Q&A Series.
TWT: You were Cosette in the National Tour of Les Misérables. What three things would you warn child actors and their parents to be careful of?
JH: 1. Allowing the experience to become a “job.” My father, who traveled with me throughout the entire tour, was amazing about finding the adventure in all aspects of tour life- from staying in dingy hotels, to meeting mayors, to making friends with waiters and hotel managers. 2. Losing perspective on reality. It’s easy to feel a sense of entitlement and security when you’re handed a paycheck each week and signing autographs after each show, especially as a child who hasn’t experienced much of life. I think it’s important to remember that the fact that you’re working and receiving accolades and applause means you’re fortunate, not better than those who aren’t. 3. Forgetting to be a kid (and a parent). Looking back on my experiences as a child actor, I’m grateful that my parents filled the months in between jobs with camping trips – not endless acting classes and auditions.
TWT: What advice would you give to students in high school and college who are looking to pursue a career in theatre?
JH: It’s a long road. Ask yourself if you’re willing to rough it for potentially the next 15 years before (hopefully) finding some security and consistency in your work. It can be really tough when your peers who pursue “normal” careers get married, have kids, and buy houses while you’re still eating ramen noodles and sharing a studio apartment with a fellow actor. However, roughing it can actually be really fun if it’s in the name of pursuing what you love.
TWT: If you were not an actress and a singer, what career do you think you would have? Do you think that music and theatre would still be a significant part of your life, even if your profession were different?
JH: Absolutely – music and theater would be a significant part of my life no matter what. I often wonder if I would have found my way to the stage if I’d grown up in the mountains of New Hampshire (where my family spent our summers), and the answer is “yes.” It’s a deep seeded need in me, and I’ve met people who’ve come from families of doctors and bankers who eventually find their way to performing and describe it as “coming home.” I do have countless hobbies outside of performing, and they supplement my lifestyle and feed my art. For example, I love interior design and would love to have a company where I got to decorate people’s’ homes. I’m also really interested in healthy food and nutrition, and would love to be a speaker in schools and communities where I could help inform families and children about the global and individual benefits of eating well.
TWT: You played Miranda in Another Side of the Island, (The Tempest), and worked with Olympia Dukakis at the Apline Theatre Project. What are some of the most memorable moments and lessons you took away from that experience?
JH: To have thick skin and not take criticism as a personal slight, haha! The rest of the cast had been working together for at least a year; I was a recent replacement and was thrown into a production that was already gelled and had had time to progress in the work. From day one I felt like I was playing catch up, and so I started out being really discouraged and hard on myself. Looking back, I wish I could have trusted my own process and allowed myself to find my way organically, as opposed to forcing an idea of a finished product onto my performance.
TWT: You’ve been in several productions at The Bay Street Theatre. Can you describe to our readers what it’s like to work there?
JH: I can say that without a doubt, Bay Street is my favorite theater. Every single person on the staff is positive, hard-working, friendly, and professional. There’s a great energy in the space that makes it so easy to explore the play with your fellow actors and find really honest, deep work. The plays I’ve done there have been open to the public, but during weekday mornings have been performed for local schools. Murphy Davis, who’s been the artistic director and director of these plays, has spoken about how important it is to give these kids a meaningful experience, because they’re the next generation of theater makers, and I think that’s a beautiful and important reminder. Sag Harbor happens to be one of my favorite towns in the whole US, so that doesn’t hurt either.
TWT: Just for fun, what’s your favorite movie and play?
JH: I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan. His films have a sharp, slightly dark humor that I love; yet they’re surprisingly moving. My all time favorite is “The Royal Tenenbaums.” It’s a little cliché, but I adore the play “Our Town.” I’ve never been able to get through Emily’s goodbye monologue without weeping. The play is an unsentimental yet deeply heartbreaking depiction of the beautiful complexities of everyday life that we plow through without noticing, let alone cherish.
TWT: What role would you most love to play?
JH: I like new work because it’s current (plus I don’t have to worry about being compared to someone else’s previous performance!). But, I really would love to play Masha in “The Three Sisters.” Or Carol Cutrere in “Orpheus Descending.”
TWT: Here at The Write Teacher(s), we have adopted the mottos Art Drives Life, and Theatre Transforms Lives. Would you disagree or agree with those statements and why?
JH: I completely agree with both statements, but recognize that they’re probably unrecognized by the general public. I believe that it’s the responsibility of artists to hold a mirror up to society and show human beings their cruelties but also their triumphs. It reminds me of the Leonard Bernstein quote; “Only the artists can turn the ‘not yet’ into reality.”
TWT: In today’s economy, arts programs in schools are being cut. What reasons would you give a politician for preserving the arts?
JH: Without the exposure to art in any and all of its forms, children’s minds don’t learn to explore past the boundaries of what’s in front of them in black and white. How can our culture and society be expected to improve and evolve without innovation and imagination?
TWT: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
JH: My parents. My mother, who is a pianist and was a music teacher and theater director for many years, and my father who was a highly intelligent man and a skilled painter. Growing up in a household with their combined intellect and artistry taught my sisters and myself a language of art and culture that has been invaluable to me on my journey of self evolution as a human being and as an artist.
Thank you, Joanna! We cannot wait to see you in Peter and the Starcatcher at New World Stages!
Live, Love, Learn,