Deidre Goodwin, Curtis Holbrook & Paul McGill Featured on The Ensemblist's 'Stage to Screen' Episode

By: Aug. 25, 2014
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Mo Brady and Nikka Graff Lanzarone announce the release of The Ensemblist's 30th episode: "Stage to Screen."

Lights, camera, ACTION! In the past decade, movie musicals have appeared more frequently in the mainstream lineup of films. With such hits as Chicago, Hairspray, and the highly-anticipated Into the Woods out this winter, it is without question that moviegoers enjoy watching Broadway's megahits on the big screen.

Many of these successful cinematic musicals have featured Broadway veteran in their casts. Ensemblists who have had the opportunity to perform for both mediums note that there are many elements to adjust to when making the transition from stage to screen.

On this episode of The Ensemblist, Nikka and Mo interview three Broadway ensemblists who have performed in recent movie musicals. These performers explain how performing musicals numbers for the camera creates different challenges than performing for Broadway audiences. As members of different Broadway and movie musical casts, Deidre Goodwin (Chicago, Across the Universe), Curtis Holbrook (Smash, Hairspray, Across the Universe), and Paul McGill (Smash, Fame) explain how Broadway prepared them for performing on the big and silver screens.

Goodwin (A Chorus Line, Chita Rivera: A Dancer's Life, Never Gonna Dance, Nine, The Boys from Syracuse, The Rocky Horror Show, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago) had the unique opportunity of being in both the stage and screen version of Chicago. She reveals how she was able to make a seamless transition into filming the movie because of her background with the show. Additionally, Goodwin tells of how difficult it can be to adjust to the crazy demands of an inconsistent filming schedule, especially compared to the structure of an eight-show week on Broadway.

Holbrook (If/Then, The Addams Family, West Side Story, Xanadu, All Shook Up, Taboo, The Boy From Oz, Fosse, Footloose) conveys how the rehearsal process varies for each film project; he notes that it is essentially influenced by the director's needs and time constraints. Furthermore, Holbrook explains how Broadway and film compare when the technical elements are involved and how both mediums are affected by budgets, for better or worse.

McGill (Bullets Over Broadway, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Memphis, A Chorus Line, La Cage aux Folles) reveals how performing on stage and screen differ simply from having an audience to play off of, or lack thereof. He also discusses how beneficial it is to have multiple film takes of the same scene, and he explains how each take requires a different mindset. McGill also tells of how the editing process can take actors by surprise.

New episodes of The Ensemblist can be downloaded every two weeks through the iTunes store by searching for "The Ensemblist." Episodes can be also be streamed on Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, and downloaded directly from Podbean at theensemblist.podbean.com.

The next episode will feature interviews from actors who have been part of ensemble shows and helped contribute to the creative process in developing those productions.

Our website, TheEnsemblist.com, features stories, Q&As, and blog posts from those in the know about life as an ensemblist, plus cool stuff we can't NOT share. You can also follow @theensemblist on Twitter and Like us at facebook.com/theensemblist.



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