Interview: Galen J. Williams, Swing for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL

When I was asked to interview a cast member of "MOTOWN THE MUSICAL" currently on tour, I chose Galen J. Williams. I had two reasons. The first is that I had previously seen him performing in a Broadway Dreams Foundation show in Los Angeles and was captivated by his performance. The second is that I have always been intrigued by the demands of a swing. So I called Galen and spoke with him about MOTOWN and swings and Broadway dreaming.

What is a swing? How would you describe it?

Well, I like to say that the swing is sort of the show's insurance policy. Whenever anyone in the cast is out for whatever reason, we, as the swings, step in to insure that the show still goes on smoothly. Depending on the size of the show a swing could cover 3 or 4 parts to as many as 11-12 parts. For this show in particular, I cover 8. Yeah I cover 8 different guys. If any of those 8 guys are out, I jump in to make sure the show goes on. And it's the same for our other swings.

How do you keep all the roles straight?

I really have no clue. (Hahaha) I think it's a matter of muscle memory. During rehearsal it was a completely different beast because we were just trying to learn everything and absorb everything in a small amount of time. But over time as I went on more frequently and I got more experience in different tracks, the tracks sort of began to separate. So with each track there's a sort of muscle memory that happens. You have to think about it, but at the same time, you don't. And while it's happening there's no time to think (ha!). The brain and how it works is a powerful thing. It's like I've developed a mental file cabinet where all the tracks are and when I'm on my brain selects that file and it just goes!

As far as choreography and staging, when you're in rehearsal, are there times when you fill in for that person so you can actually practice that role?

Definitely. When we were in rehearsal there were periods of time when people would have costume fittings or maybe press events during rehearsal. In moments like that the swings are able to get some great rehearsal time, actually within it and not just learning from the back but getting the chance to do the blocking and choreography in the space with all the bodies around us. But now that the show is up and running, we do also have understudy rehearsal every couple of weeks or so. If there's a track we haven't been on for in a while, we usually rehearse on the stage so we are able to walk through that track and have all the other swings fill in as bodies. We get an opportunity to focus on those tracks that we don't get to go on for that much or those we want to brush up on. Understudy rehearsal is the best opportunity to focus on that.

What do you do when you're not on stage?

Well, it varies. I can watch the show from the house so I can see it from the outside. Or I can watch from backstage. Or there are times that I can read a book. Or I can write. Or I take care of/create my own personal business within the theater (like my handmade crochet scarves, G's ThroatCoats) and I'm still present. I'm still at the theater and ready if they need me to be. Which is a great thing, because a lot of times we don't always get that availability, you know, we, as performers, don't get the chance to do that if we're doing 8 shows a week. But we sort of have that leeway; when we're not on, we can step away and focus on whatever we need to focus on and when we are on, we're there.

What's a typical day like on tour? Are there set schedules or does it vary every day?

It depends. Depending on the city. We report to the theater at the same time every day for the most part. Shows are usually at 7:30 with two shows Saturday and two shows Sunday. Usually, we have understudy rehearsal on Thursday or Friday. But it's not every week, maybe every other week. Once to we get to the theater at half hour or earlier, we sign in at the call board, which is like a bulletin board with all the latest information we may need to know, check to see who's in for that performance and who's out. If we're on, we get into make-up, wigs, and microphones and when half hour is over, they call places and it's show time!

How long are you gone from home?

This past Tuesday, March 10th, was our one-year anniversary from the first day of rehearsal. So it's officially been one year since I've been away from home. Which is crazy! If you would have told me this a year ago that at the age of 23 I'd be on the road with a super successful Broadway national touring show for an entire year I would have laughed in your face!

How did you get your start? I see you went to Howard University.

I graduated from Howard in 2013 with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts with Musical Theatre being my concentration. But I've been performing since I was young. I was always singing and dancing around the house but I actually started training for this formally in middle school. I started in 8th grade as a dancer but when I first got to middle school, my older brother, Eric, was performing in his first spring musical production of "Once On This Island" at Tri-Cities High School and I was like, "Hey, I want to do that!" In typical younger brother fashion (haha!). So it's been pretty cool having my brother to look up to and talk about the business with. He's an actor as well who just finished a production of "The Wiz" at the Maltz Jupiter Theater in West Palm Springs, Florida. So when I got to Tri-Cities High School, located in East Point, GA, I auditioned for their Visual and Performing Arts Magnet program because it was one of the best programs in the Greater Atlanta area. I started as a drama student there, then transitioned to musical theater, but I was still focusing heavily on dance. And ironically enough my dance teacher, Dawn Axam, said that I should consider doing Musical Theatre because I was always active in the Drama, Dance, and Musical Theatre departments. And she was right! That's actually when I started getting involved with Broadway Dreams as well.

How did you get involved with Broadway Dreams?

Annette Tanner came to see our production of "Aida" in my sophomore year. She said "I really think you guys are some of the most talented group of students I've seen and I'd love to give you the opportunity to meet some Broadway stars and to get some great training." So Annette and our school made a way for us to get out to Broadway Dreams and that's what sort of started this wonderful 7 or 8- year connection I've now had with Broadway Dreams. And Broadway Dreams definitely had some connection with me booking Motown the Musical!

Do you have words of encouragement to give others who have a dream for Broadway?

Absolutely! We all have our own individual paths and journeys that may be filled with our own unique twists and turns, but at the end of it all, we were all placed on Earth for a purpose and I believe we find our purpose by chasing our dreams and doing the things we love. I feel like our dreams are given to us in our sleep to serve as reminders for what it is we should be doing in our everyday life. And there should be absolutely no reason why we don't go after our dreams no matter how impossible people say they are, or how crazy they may seem. Things will get hard, and things will happen that will make you question if you're chasing the right dream but it's in those moments where we realize we have to be stronger and It's in those moments when we push through that we end up getting exactly what it is that we want. We get one step closer to fulfilling our dreams. So no matter what route you take to get there, never stop following the path that leads you to your dreams.