The green room of The Belmont Theatre on August 21st, 2016 would have been a sight familiar to any actor who can recall the day their show closed. The cast and crew was gathered in a tight circle, clutching hands as the stage manager, Judi Miller, called places for the final time. Her announcement brought forth an eruption of cheers, a sound that mixed with the bittersweet feeling that had overcome us all at the thought of bringing our production of Side Show to life one last time.
As the opening night of The Belmont Theater's 'Side Show' quickly approaches, the activity in the black box studio has increased ten-fold. The set is becoming more elaborate, the swell of music from the orchestra now fills the air, and the costumes are coming together piece by piece. Tech week has begun, and it can both an exciting and somewhat stressful time for any production. As an actor, it can sometimes be difficult to lose sight of your character and even the meaning behind the show itself among the bustle and flurry of tech week. That is why I felt that the time had come to interview some of the actors in our show, in order to provide a bit of insight into their characters and to explain from their perspective the importance of a musical such as 'Side Show.' And for Nik Olson, this was no small task.
