The Ensemblist

There are only a handful of moments where you can feel your life change. The moment you say “I do,” the birth of a child. But performers can add another to that list: the moment you find out you’ll be making your Broadway debut. In an instant, you feel your life has change as a door you’ve always wanted to walk through finally opens. There’s nothing more heartwarming than hearing these stories...

It’s time for a moment of levity, friends. And what better way to forget your troubles and get happy than by listening to someone else’s troubles. Today, we bring you stories of auditions: both those that are truly wonderful and truly, truly terrible. Special thanks to Erica Dorfler, Megan Sikora and Vishal Vaidya for sharing their stories with us this week.

Today we bring you three stories of unlikely success in the audition room. Tales of booking the role, of not booking the roles, and somehow stories that are both. First up in a story from Josh Lamon. Host of “Josh Swallows Broadway” on the Broadway Podcast Network, he shares with us the story of his very first New York audition. Next up is a story from Ellyn Marie Marsh about how she almost made her Broadway debut… almost...

Stephanie Klemons is the Associate Choreographer and Global Dance Supervisor of Hamilton. She was part of the process as it grew from a small idea to an international phenomenon with six companies world wide. In addition to being a member of the original cast, she now works to cast the multiple productions of Hamilton. She’s also a choreographer in her own right, working right now on Rock of Ages at Pittsburgh CLO. She does all of this on top of being a wife and mother...

Spencer Liff began his Broadway career as a dancer, performing in the original companies of Big, The Wedding Singer and Cry-Baby. But for the last ten years, Liff has worked on the other side of the table creating staging for both stage and screen. He’s an Emmy nominee for his work on “So You Think You Can Dance” where he has been a resident choreographer for a decade. Back on Broadway, he’s created the staging for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening, Falsettos and Head Over Heels.

Stephanie Klemons is the Associate Choreographer and Global Dance Supervisor of Hamilton. She was part of the process as it grew from a small idea to an international phenomenon with six companies world wide. In addition to being a member of the original cast, she now works to cast the multiple productions of Hamilton. She’s also a choreographer in her own right on top of being a wife and mother.