![]() "I was gonna take the braids out and I was gonna have them be like crimpy and have this little cute style," but then he thought to himself, "Why can't you have braids to be pretty?" Then I was like, "That is such a beautiful sentiment." So instead of taking the braids out, he kept them in and curled the braids as they are. All of the wig textures will be fitted based on what their ethnicities are. He so dedicated to making sure everyone feels represented and comfortable on stage with their wigs. ![]() our wig designer, his name's Joshua Harris. In this show I'm wearing wigs and I get to have box braids.īox Braids? That's interesting! That’s how you are wigged? Also, I get to be part of that for young women and like young girls that are looking for a princess that looks like them, you know? It's just exciting to me to just get to really, heal my inner child in a sense. I would grow up seeing shows on Broadway and there weren't a lot of women of color who were leads, specifically Black women, and with locks. turned to me and she was like, "I'm so proud of you." And she was like, "I'm so excited for you and I cannot wait to see all the pictures and the videos." Just her saying that to me and knowing, at her age, what it was like for me to watch shows and movies and be like, "Wow, I don't really see a lot of characters that look like me" - specifically princesses and I grew up 40 minutes out of New York City in Connecticut. I talked about this with my family a little bit and my sister. And every day I'm like pinching myself, you know?Įverything positive. And so, when Brian reached out to me and I had emailed him back and forth for a few callback things for "Beauty the Beast," I was like, "Oh my goodness, I'm getting closer and closer to the idea of working in Music Theater Wichita." And then when I got the offer I was like, "Wait, I have to live in Kansas?" And so I was like, "Oh, we'll see what that's like," but I love it!īrian emailed me and he was like, "We want you to be Belle." And I was just like, "Wow." It meant so many things for me because it's a dream role, but also as a Black woman, this is what I want to do: play roles that you don't typically see people like me in and get to see the little girl's faces in the audience who are like, "Wow, she looks like me." And so it's just a dream come true for sure. Because I saw the season and I was like, "I love 'Beauty and The Beast,' I love 'Ragtime.'" I was like, "I've never been in 'Cats,' but I'm open to the idea of 'being a cat.'" But it really is a dream theater for me. It really was the company I wanted to work for. I think they had around like 500 applicants or so this year. We auditioned for amusement parks like really anywhere that you can work and get paid to do what you love.Music Theater Wichita is a huge company and they do a tour they go to four different cities over the course of a month and they pick about 25 resident ensemble members. It still is.Īs a college student, because I'm a rising junior, we do summer auditions and so we auditioned for a bunch of different theaters. I was just so excited because MTW is a dream company for me. I can only do what I can" - which sounds really ironic, but it's really like, "I'm going to put my best foot forward essentially and whatever happens today, I'm proud of you." And then I walk in. I had spent about an hour and a half in the hallway just calling my mom, calling my friends from school, and being like, "Guys, I got a call back for Belle."ĬARLA ECKELS: What did you tell yourself before you auditioned? I did a few scenes for a different show and for "Beauty of the Beast." And then I sang a "Change In Me," which is the other big song that Belle has in the show, and I remember Brian looking at me and him saying, “It's so nice to watch good people do good work." I will never forget him saying that because in that moment, I was just so excited. My friends and I had flown out there, just for MTW auditions, and I went back in the room. ![]() So I sat in the hallway of this 19th-floor studio in Chicago. I said, "Okay, cool." And he handed me a little packet and it had callback materials. just kinda looked at me and he was like, "Okay, so we want to call you back for Belle.". And I went in, and I sang "Home," which is from the show.As soon as I was done. RANEASE BROWN: I went into Chicago, it was in March the first weekend, and it was the second day of MTW auditions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |