Skinner Directs Broadway's Rising Stars At Town Hall

She first gained Broadway enthusiasts attention as one half of the dynamic Siamese twins in the musical Side Show. Now people will get to see a different side to her talent as she steps into the director's shoes. I am talking about the amazing Emily Skinner, who is co-directing a very special evening of music on July 21^st at the Town Hall.  

As part of the 2nd ANNUAL SUMMER BROADWAY FESTIVAL created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel, BROADWAY'S RISING STARS will be presented on July 21^st, directed by Tony Nominee Skinner and Nightlife Award winner Scott Coulter. Designed to launch the careers of the next generation of Broadway stars, the show features the most outstanding young talents from performing arts schools in New York and across the country. The future stars of the great White Way were chosen during auditions throughout the spring.

Skinner's Broadway credits include Jekyll and Hyde, James Joyce's The Dead, The Full Monty, Dinner at Eight, the Encores! productions of Pardon My English and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, as well as special concert performances of Dreamgirls and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Her role as one half of a pair of Siamese twins in Side Show earned her critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination that she shared with co-star Alice Ripley marking the first time in Tony history that two performers were co-nominated as a team for the Best Actress award. Since then, Skinner and Ripley, have collaborated on three recordings, Duets, Unsuspecting Hearts, and Raw at Town Hall. Skinner also has a self-titled solo album.

So, I asked Skinner a few questions about the show and got a little personal with her as well…

TJ:  Hi Emily. You have a great evening coming up at the Town Hall on July 21st.  Do you have a preference of performing or directing?

SKINNER:  I enjoy both performing and directing as they challenge me creatively in different ways!

TJ:  How did you go about finding these rising stars?

SKINNER:  We auditioned just graduated or about-to-graduate students from theater schools all across New York in April and selected a fabulous group of diverse talent.  I think the Town Hall audience will be delighted by some of these fresh new performers.  And were thrilled that we can introduce them in this way to the New York theatrical scene!

TJ:  What kind of music can the audience expect to be entertained with?

SKINNER:  The music in the upcoming BROADWAY RISING STARS concert at Town Hall is all across the board!  Variety is the spice of life, and this musical evening will certainly reflect that ideal!  Lots of contemporary musical theater as well as classic Broadway fare, with maybe a little world music thrown in as well!

TJ:  Tell me about a couple of the performers and their backgrounds.

SKINNER:  We have a really interesting assortment of young performers from all over the USA... California, Chicago, Florida.....and everywhere in between....and even a fabulous girl from Russia, who will be doing a knock- out Edith Piaf number. Oh and a wonderfully talented English boy from Bristol...truly the mix is really diverse and wonderful.  I can't wait to have them all in a rehearsal room together!

TJ:  Are these first time performers in New York or a mix of current Broadway performers and new talent?

SKINNER:  You will have seen NO ONE in this concert before!  These are all kids JUST out of school starting their careers.  As fresh as you get!  And we get to use this fabulous platform (Town Hall!) to introduce them.  It is truly generous of Town Hall to choose to showcase young talent in this way.  I really commend them for it!  And I hope they keep doing for years to come!

TJ:  What do you see when you look at this group of performers?

SKINNER:  I see people who are really excited to be performing, who are excited by the material shown at them and the challenge of trying to negotiate a career in the theater!  Which is why I love being around people of this age-----its all new and still very exciting, and to some degree, that energy is infectious and re-enervates me!

TJ:  Can you see yourself in any of them at that point in their careers?

SKINNER:  I have great empathy for kids just starting out, trying to figure out how to break into this world.  I see myself in all of them. And boy, I would have loved to have had an opportunity like this when I first got out of school!

TJ:  Do you remember your first big break in the NY theatre scene?

SKINNER:  My first break in the theater scene came shortly after I had graduated for Carnegie Mellon.  I was lucky enough to come to the city and get an agent almost immediately, and within days of that happening, I booked a miraculous gig: the workshop production of Jekyll & Hyde!

TJ:  Were you trained in theatre or was it a natural ability for you?

SKINNER:  Hmmm.....well, I think it's the combination of an innate natural ability combined with solid training that makes a really good theater performer, don't you?  I was lucky enough to have had both.

TJ:  A lot of people know you for your amazing performance in SIDESHOW with Alice Ripley, for which you were jointly nominated for Tony Awards. How has your life changed since that experience?

SKINNER:  SIDE SHOW put both Alice and myself on the map as known theater performers, which was a true gift that we are both continually grateful for.  We became "theater names" because of that show, which obviously helps in this business --- the more people know you from good work, the more you continue to work!

TJ:  Do the two of you still keep in contact?

SKINNER:  Sure!  We still sing together around the country regularly (in between out respective theater and teaching commitments).  You can go to www.skinnerripley.com to find out when/where we are in concert, separately and together.

TJ:  What type of advice would you give any rising stars?

SKINNER:  Be kind to everyone you meet.....don't get discouraged, don't be so hard on yourself, this business is all about who can be the most resilient, who's go the stamina to deal with the ups and downs of a career in the arts.....don't try to be perfect, just be the best version of you can be---people respond to humanity, not perfection.....I think those are my top mottos I'm always trying to get young performers to understand.

TJ:  Now I want to find out a little bit more about your life offstage for our readers. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?

SKINNER:  I am a crazy, voracious reader!  My idea of a fabulous day is me on a couch with a stack full of quality contemporary fiction, a steaming mug of tea, and my two cats curled up next to me!  I realize I now sound like a little old lady, but its true.....that is domestic bliss to me!

TJ:  What kind of music do you like?

SKINNER:  I like everything!  If you saw what was on my iPod, your head would probably explode.....I've got the obvious huge selection of show tunes (especially the older, more obscure stuff), tons of world music (lots of fado, as I am particularly delighted by Portuguese music), classical, folk, pop, hip hop (what can I say?  I live in Harlem!) and everything in between!  Nobody can say I'm not well rounded when it comes to my musical tastes!

TJ:  What is something about yourself that people would be surprised to know?

SKINNER:  That I am just as happy teaching as I am performing.  I adore teaching.  I truly wish I had started doing it sooner.  In fact, it fills up my soul in a way that performing never has for me. How's that for a shocking answer!?

TJ:  If you weren't an actress/director, what would your occupation be?

SKINNER:  Hmmmm...possibly a madam?  I kind of think I would be an excellent bordello madam.  I believe I have all the qualities the job needs: a deeply maternal nature (in order to look after my girls) as well as a real don't-screw-with-me edge (to keep the johns in line)!

A madam, hmmm. OK, I don't think I want to mess with this talented diva [laughing]. But let's keep focus here. Here's a chance for all of you to see some new up and coming talent who may turn out to be the next big thing on the Great White Way…and you can tell all your friends that you were there!

This show is part of the Town Hall's 2nd ANNUAL SUMMER BROADWAY FESTIVAL created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel for the Town Hall.  Presented on three Monday nights at 8PM are A NIGHT AT THE OPERETTA on July 14th, BROADWAY'S RISING STARS on July 21st and ALL SINGIN' ALL DANCIN' on July 28th.  The evenings will feature music and dance coupled with witty insider tidbits, all performed by Broadway's finest. Presented on three Monday nights at 8PM are A NIGHT AT THE OPERETTA on July 14th, BROADWAY'S RISING STARS on July 21st and ALL SINGIN' ALL DANCIN' on July 28th.  Tickets are $25 - $50, and are available from TicketMaster, (212) 307-4100, or in person at The Town Hall Box Office, 123 West 43rd Street, New York, NY, (212) 840-2824, www.the-townhall-nyc.org. That's all for now, so ciao! And remember, theatre is my life!