Interview: Reese Cameron of SIX THE MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre

If left untreated, algae can create massive dead zones by consuming oxygen and releasing toxins into the environment.

In the case of Reese Cameron, algae can also change the course of a person’s career. While cramming for a biology test, a prerequisite course for a neuroscience major, Cameron, an alternate for the Boleyn tour of SIX: The Musical, discovered they were heading towards a vocational dead zone.

In the fall of 2018, Cameron was in their Syracuse dorm room, thumbing through a chapter on the differences between brown algae and other types of algae while a documentary on NEWSIES  was playing in the background.

All of a sudden, the actor couldn’t pay attention to the textbook.

“I thought, ‘what am I doing with my life at this point?’” Cameron said in a telephone interview from Chicago. “I realized I didn't want to be studying the kinetics of algae; I wanted to do music theater.”

Every time they take the stage for SIX, a musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, Cameron knows they made the right decision. The pop musical, in which the six wives tell their stories as pop divas, rolls into town Dec. 16-21 at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State Street in downtown Columbus).

Cameron is one of four alternates for the musical, joining Anna Hertel, Carlina Parker, and Abigail Sparrow. If any of the six leads can’t perform, an alternate steps in.

“Sometimes you won't go on for a month and then you'll go on for two weeks in a row,” they said. “Some days, you will get a three-hour notice before you go on or could be in the middle of the show.”

Cameron, who covers Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Anna of Cleves, said there are challenges for the alternates. SIX creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss molded each of the queens after a different female pop star. Not only does the actor need to know the lines and choreography of the character, but also the singing style of the role.

“Preparedness is one of the ultimate priorities as an alternate,” Cameron said. “I always say ADHD is my superpower. My brain thrives in chaos.”

However, being an alternate is not like being the backup quarterback who prays the starter has the flu so he can get on to the field.

Cameron said there is a supportive community behind the scenes. In a show about royalty, according to the actor, the stage queens do not treat alternates like serfs and peasants. If an alternate is about to go on, the queens often send them flowers, or texts of appreciation.

 Before every show, all the actors march beneath a tunnel of hands before taking the stage. During the show, those not performing watch from the wings of the theatre.

“This team is amaaaazing,” Cameron said. “It's an environment of mutual respect and admiration. No one person is greater than the other because of what they do or do not do every day.”

In high school, Cameron doesn’t remember studying the British monarchy. To gear up for the roles, they read the 430-page “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” by Antonia Fraser.

“It was almost insane how Henry VIII could convince an entire country to turn against one woman,” they said. “Women were not listened to and had no authority over men.

“SIX finally shines a light on the personalities of these women. They were so smart but (history books) never talk about that. They just talk about their fates.”

In the show, Cameron said they love to play Anna of Cleves the most because the character allows them to “bring forward their non-binary, queer identity.”

However, Cameron’s teenage self probably would have shared Boleyn’s playlist, rocking out to Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, and Green Day.

“I always wanted to be a grunge kid,” Cameron said with a laugh. “I think I like covering Boleyn and Anna of Cleves so much; they just feel like the embodiment of what my 14-year-old self wanted to be.

“When I auditioned for SIX, musical director Roberta Duchak asked what kind of pop songs I like? I didn’t want to lie to her, so I said ‘I’ll be really honest. I didn’t listen to pop growing up.”

There was a long pause before Duchak asked, “So, who are you rocking out to?”

Cameron said being true to yourself was one of the most important things they learned growing up in Bloomfield, Mich., a leafy suburb of Detroit. They said they grew up in the “Bloomfield bubble” of conformity, but the actor was determined to pop it.

“You’re a product of your environment,” Cameron said. “There were a lot of expectations put on me as a child, things other people wanted me to be. I tried to please everybody, but that nearly destroyed me.

“The hardest thing I ever overcame was realizing that in order to be happy and to be myself, I needed to let some people,  and their idea of me, go.”

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