Feature: REFLECTIONS ON RUSSIA: GMU CAST MEMBERS ON AN EPIC COLLEGE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE

Every once in awhile you go to see a show not knowing what the final product is going to be. The epic musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was one of those musicals that was very specific to its original staging because of it’s tent location. It was totally immersive. When the show moved to Broadway, it didn’t have the same effect.

Virginia's George Mason University recently produced Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and when I saw what Director James Gardiner and his team had done with the show, I was simply knocked out. James got rid of all the pretentiousness that was in the original staging and concentrated on…wait for it…the characters and the material. You know, the important things in any musical.

Today, you are going to meet five of the performers that made this show something else to watch. They are all at different stages in their theatrical journey, but their levels of talent are all high end. The entire cast hit that level which is rare in a college production.

Here are a couple of things to consider as you read this interview. First, the performers were all college students trying to juggle college life and a rehearsal process that was as close to the real deal as you can get. Each had their own way of hitting that life balance. Read on for more.

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 is not your standard fare when it comes educational theatre. It’s based on 70 pages of War and Peace so it’s not light and frothy. This kind of show pushes the performers, which is what all good theatre should do.

Lastly, we all tend to support our local DMV theatres by attending multiple productions a year. Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 was one of those shows that proved why you should also support educational theatre. If not for any other reason, you might be watching the next big Broadway and beyond star. As an example, local favorite Adelina Mitchell went through GMU’s Theatre program and is now understudying (also getting to go on) Elphaba in the National Tour of Wicked. You just never know.

Ok, now it’s time for me to get out of your way and have you meet these off the chart performers. Remember their names because I think you will be seeing a lot of them in the future. Meet Brett Womack, Jennah Sidiabed, Elise LeGault, Katie Rowe, and Spencer Wilde.

What would you say was the one show you saw growing that made you say, “Hey I can do this!!”?

B- I was taken to see the national tour of The Lion King when I was in middle school, and that was the first professional production I had ever seen. Seeing that show in that moment, I knew theatre wasn't just going to be some fun side-hobby for me- I wanted to fully pursue this!

E- I watched a production of Into the Woods at a local theatre with my grandpa when I was young. I saw a girl who looked just like me playing Little Red and I could feel how much fun she was having on that stage. I wanted to do it too!

K- The first show I saw where I thought this was something I could do was actually recently. Over the summer, I saw Audra McDonald as Mama Rose in Gypsy, and after "Rose's Turn," I was blown away (I mean, duh, it's Audra McDonald). I walked away telling my parents that I made the right choice about my career, and it made me that much more excited to get started.

J- I saw the 1982 version of Annie on tv when I was about 4 or 5, my mom said that by the second time I watched the movie I knew every one of Ms. Hannigan’s lines and performed the whole thing while the movie played. I did the same thing with The Wizard of Oz and especially The Wiz. That’s what convinced my mom lol. But I think I was really hooked when I saw The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Riverside Dinner Theatre. I was about 12 I believe, and it felt like all of a sudden there was this thing my mind was constantly revolving around, “I gotta get home so I can listen to Hunchback,” “I have to rewatch the bootleg on YouTube,” “I have to learn these lyrics,” and so on and so on. I think at some point it became an obsession and became an even bigger one when I started expanding to other musicals. I think I decided that I needed to do this after seeing The Color Purple. One clip of Cynthia Erivo and I was radicalized.

S- A lot of my childhood was spent playing make-believe with my many brothers. Oftentimes, we would take what we saw in movies or read in books and put our own little spin on the story which I think was partially inspired by the shows my parents would take us to. My first memory inside a theater was when I was four years old watching A Year with Frog and Toad at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. I was watching a story that my parents had read to me come to life! I might not have been able to articulate it then, but it was this idea of storytelling that made me want to get into theater in the first place.

There are many colleges across the country that offer a degree in Theatre. What was the biggest selling point for you to ultimately pursue your degree at GMU?

S- The location and faculty are excellent, but as a person who likes to dabble in many areas, the biggest selling point was how many opportunities are available to students. Through my time here I’ve been able to do everything from choreographing to playwriting!

J- I honestly was most attracted to GMU because of its proximity to my home and of course the cost. I have two other siblings, so I knew I was going to have to pay at the least partially on my own. I had gotten into Howard’s Musical theater program which had been a dream of mine and was so excited! However, the cost was outlandish and impossible for me to pay for even a semester. I was, to put it lightly, heartbroken, however when I came to Mason for a tour I sort of forgot about it. The facilities were really nice, the campus was diverse, the MT program was formatted in an appealing way and no one was banging my door down for $50,000 dollars. So, I stayed! And it’s turned out great!

K- The biggest thing I wanted when coming to college was somewhere that felt like a home away from home. As soon as my parents pulled onto campus for the first time, it was so clear that this was the place where I was supposed to be. Then, as I continued to learn about the DMV theatre scene through wonderful professors who are so open to sharing their expertise, I couldn't leave. The work being done here and the community drew me initially, but it also made me want to stay, even when things got hard.

E- My choice to pursue theater at GMU was based on a combination of proximity (to D.C. and to my home), job opportunities in the area, price, and program. From my own research and experience, GMU has one of the strongest theater programs among the Virginia state schools. The school is also far enough from my hometown to where I feel independent, but close enough to travel back and forth as needed.

The biggest drawing point, however, was the industry career opportunities in the DMV. This area offers so many incredible internships, partnerships, and jobs for students and graduates. I knew that if I were to stay in Virginia (out-of-state tuition was too high for me), I wanted to be in this region in order to gain as many connections and experiences in the field as possible. 

B- There is just something wonderful about the community here at Mason, which I felt from the first tour I took of the campus. There was an irresistible pull towards GMU and I am so grateful to have followed that instinct. The people you meet, the bonds you make, the connections you secure- Mason's theatre program feels like a tight-knit town that we all want to help thrive.

Can you please tell us where you are in your theatrical journey? (Meaning what year are you etc)

E- I have been performing since I was about 5 years old. I became really invested in professional theater in high school. I joined a conservatory at a local regional theater, Mill Mountain Theater, and performed in some of my first professional shows there. This summer, I had the privilege of working for them once again on a regional TYA tour. I am currently a junior at GMU, in my third year as a theater performance major. I am fortunate enough to have been in at least one show each semester that I have been here, and I’ve loved every second of it!

S- I am a senior this year and will be graduating in the Spring of 2026! I’m looking forward to performing at some different theaters after graduation and am currently working on writing another show.

K- I am a Senior majoring in musical theater with a minor in arts management. I'll be graduating in the Spring, so I am currently pulling my repertoire book off the shelf for auditions and fine tuning my LinkedIn so it's ready to go before I walk across that stage and get my diploma.

B- I'm currently a graduate student at Mason studying Secondary Education; I received my B.F.A. in Musical Theatre this past spring! I've been pursuing theatre in many different facets, from performing to writing to directing, for the last ten years.

J- I am a junior getting my B.F.A. in Musical Theater. I am meant to graduate next spring, so I currently am searching and auditioning for as much summer work as I can! I think I am still learning and finding my theatrical styles, but I feel well prepared to present myself and my skills in theatrical spaces.

Was Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 your first time performing in a GMU production?

E- No. My first performance at GMU was 9-5 (on the same stage!) my freshman year. Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 was the 6th show that I performed in at Mason.

J- Comet is not my first! I’ve been in a few shows prior to this at Mason. On Mainstage I was a swing in “9 to 5” and ensemble in “110 in the Shade.” I’ve been in a few fringe productions like “Twelve Angry Jurors,” where I played Juror 2, and “Twelve Ophelias,” where I was Ophelia’s understudy. Some of my favorite productions I have been in here are Mason Cabarets, directed by Erin and James Gardiner. They’re so much fun and we get to take Cabaret to different places to perform which is always exciting! There are a few more like “the Originals,” which are student written pieces and Musical Theater Ensemble which is a semester long class. One of my favorite performances I’ve had at Mason was in the Originals my sophomore year. Our Pierre, Brett Womack wrote a musical called Men on a Girder. It was a testosterone-based musical. I played Man #4.

S- Great Comet marks the 12th show I have performed in and the 21st show that I have contributed to in some way at GMU.

K- No, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 was not my first production at Mason. My first production was a piece in the 2022 Mason Originals entitled Full Disclosure (written by Lillian Della Maggiora and directed by Shannon Rodgers). The Mason Originals produces multiple student-written and student-directed works at the beginning of each year. Coming into my senior year, I felt like I had come full circle because The Originals was where I got my start, and this year, my own original work, Unlike Me, Unlike You was selected to be performed at the 2025 Originals. I not only started my performance career there, but my playwrighting career too, and I couldn't be more grateful.

B- Far from it! By my count, Great Comet was my 11th performance at Mason and the 22nd production I was involved with in any capacity at Mason.

Were you familiar with Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 prior to auditioning for the show? Had you seen a production before?

K- When they announced the 2025-2026 School of Theater season, I had already heard a little bit about Great Comet. My first interaction with the piece was seeing the Broadway cast perform at the 2017 Tony Awards, and from there I pulled a few of my favorite songs but never truly dived into it. However, I knew I wanted to audition for it, so once it was announced I researched it more so that I could feel prepared once the audition came around.

S- I had heard about Great Comet before, but the first time I listened to the entire cast album was after the show had been announced as our Fall musical. I’ve unfortunately never seen the show live, but I have seen as much as is available online of the original Broadway cast! Truthfully, the first time I listened to the show I was not the biggest fan. However, after watching clips online, and diving into the material, I have become very fond of it.

E- I had never seen the musical before I auditioned for it, save for a few brief clips online. I had listened to a handful of the songs for many years, and enjoyed listening to a few of them regularly. Before auditioning, I familiarized myself with the rest of the songs and learned a bit more about the story and the characters by watching excerpts of War and Peace.

J- I was aware of a few of the songs, including the Prologue, “No One Else”, and “Dust and Ashes. I watched a YouTube slime tutorial (bootleg) prior to auditioning and enjoyed it a lot!

B- Deeply. Great Comet is among my favorite shows and Dave Malloy is among my favorite musical theatre composers. I've never been able to see a live production before, but the score has captured me for many years (I'll always be partial to the Off-Broadway recording).

How do you best describe your character?

J- I would describe Natasha as the unfiltered and raw part of every person that wants nothing more than to be seen. Either seen by many people or just one, I think she longs to be seen and recognized as a dynamic person and to be loved for it. Despite being surrounded by adoring people, she still finds herself lonely. Because of her engagement to Andrey, that started with her feeling so loved and so seen by him specifically, I think throughout the show she is grieving both the lack of Andrey and the loss of knowing exactly what her purpose is. Up to this point in her life the thing she has been best at is giving and receiving love. So when Andrey disappears from her life I think she goes through every stage of both grief and a general loss of innocence, which of course is expedited by Anatole. She is incredibly connected to humanity and feels every emotion vibrantly. Especially compassion, which is one of the reasons everyone seems to be so enchanted by her.

I personally feel as though Natasha is a strong representation of kindness and innate goodness, that can’t help but be impressed upon by everything sour in the world.

S- Anatole is a womanizer and adrenaline seeker who cares more about his own gratification than the well-being of others. One of my favorite examples of this (which happens earlier in Tolstoy’s War and Peace than the section that Great Comet is based on) is when Anatole and Dolokhov tie a policeman to a Bear for their own amusement.

E- Dolokhov is fierce! It was interesting to see how he developed throughout the rehearsal process, especially through a female actress like myself. I have gender-bent roles before, but the production team and I wanted to give Dolokhov a certain level of masculinity that I had not played around with much prior to this show. Dolokhov is clever, he is an assassin, proud of his aim and good with the ladies. Dolokhov loves to gamble; as seen in the show, he loves a good duel. There is a level of sexuality to Dolokhov that holds prevalence in the show. This was really fun for me to explore, as a woman playing a man.

Once I put on the costume, wig, and makeup, the persona of the character made a bit of a shift. The design made way for Dolokhov to turn a bit greasier, with vampire-like characteristics. I had a blast diving into the testosterone… discovering the levels of pride, tension, care, loyalty, FUN, and so much more that Dolokhov embodies. He loves an adventure, he loves to calculate risks and rewards, and he is always down to party!

B- The show gives Pierre many descriptors: "dear, bewildered, awkward," "rich, unhappily married," "a warmhearted Russian of the old school," and so on. I would describe him as a deeply earnest man lost in a sea of facades. He longs for connection with others, validation of his wants and fears, and above all else, a point to it all. He uses self-sabotage and distraction to put his mind at ease, even if it's only for a moment. I think everyone has a Pierre in their life. That, or they are the Pierre in others' lives.

K- In the most grossly simplified terms, I always thought of Sonya as the closeted bisexual older sister. She was never able to truly be a kid, and while she and Natasha were very close growing up, it was more of a "watch Natasha, make sure Natasha is okay" and when Natasha no longer needed her, she was left behind.

Throughout this production, I also played around a lot with Sonya being in the midst of a period of self-exploration. Once Natasha begins to go off on her own, Sonya begins to formulate who she is as an individual, including exploring her sexuality. It was vital to her character arc, as I created my own context in which Sonya sneaks out her own into Moscow, meets a girl in a dingey bar, and instantly has a romantic connection to her. However, by the time we get to Act II, the girl ghosts her, forcing Sonya to seek out comfort in her friend, only to find that in her moment of self-exploration, Natasha did something stupid, which would not have happened if Sonya hadn't snuck off on her own. This brought out the depth of her character, as all her guilt, frustration, and longing accumulated into "Sonya Alone" and further complicated, a once very simple relationship that she longs to go back to.

What do you think was the hardest part about being a full time college student while rehearsing/performing such a mammoth show like Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812?

K- The hardest part has always been balancing all the different responsibilities andmaking sure you have enough energy to not only invest in those responsibilities, but in yourself as well. On top of my academic and theatrical responsibilities, I also work a part-time job at a local coffee shop. All of these require a certain amount of energy, and to ensure that I still have the energy to invest in myself by getting a good night’s sleep, eating well, spending time with friends and family, and participating in a hobby outside of my professional career, it sometimes gets hard to manage. I definitely didn’t always manage it perfectly, but it’s a great opportunity to learn how to balance everything, and I always come out alright in the end.

B- Rest, rest, and more rest. You have to give yourself time to be a human- not a student, not a performer, just a human. That's something I struggle with often, but with such a colossus as this production, either you will rest your body when you decide, or your body will decide for you.

J- It was a huge undertaking I cannot lie. We rehearse for 20+ hours a week officially, and because it’s such an intensive show a lot of my free time was spent rehearsing more. That plus the 16 other credits can leave me a little stressed at times. One of the great things about Mason is that many professors are very understanding, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean the work doesn’t still need to be done. For this show specifically, tech week was longer than usual because the show is so large, so a couple assignments got pushed aside and were done in a frenzy the week after closing.

I think the hardest part for me though has to be the excitement of it all. Every time I get to perform and be on stage, and in this case, be a lead character with a whole world I get to live in and help build, I’m filled with this intense sense of exhilaration that leaves everything else feeling sort of boring. It takes me a lot of self-control and honestly some self-bribing to get myself to do random homework assignments afterwards. I have still somehow managed to keep myself on the dean’s list though, so I guess the bribery works!

S- The hardest part is definitely finding time to sleep and recover. I am also an RA for the honors college dorms and let me tell you there are some weeks where it feels like there isn’t even time to breathe! That being said, I always do better and get more work done when I do take the extra hour to get a full night's sleep or do whatever else I need to do to take care of my body.

E- I am currently a double-major (Public Relations and Theatre), I also have two jobs and was onboarding for a third during the week of tech and into performances. Throughout the rehearsal process for Great Comet, I wrestled with a month-long sinus infection (antibiotics, steroids, many ENT appointments, etc.) The hardest part about being a college student while performing in such a beastly show was finding a time to eat proper meals, to stretch my body, and to get enough sleep. However, there was never once a point where I couldn’t find joy and gratitude for my place in this production. Everyone involved in this production did a beautiful job of supporting and leaning on one another throughout the entire process. There was a strong sense of accountability, reliability, and appreciation among the whole group, which is not always a given. So, the challenges I faced were overcome by the excitement, the fun, and the gratitude that spilled over every facet of the show.

Your director James Gardiner has years of experience as a performer. Can you please talk about the experience of being directed by such a talented artist? What was the biggest lesson you learned from him?

J- One of my favorite things about James is that he does a great job at directing us in a way that leaves us room to learn ourselves. I’ve been directed by him for the past two years in Mason’s Cabaret and have felt genuinely lifted up by him. All while continuing to treat us like professionals. He leaves us just enough room to laugh and joke and prank while still managing to demand total focus from us that we are all, I believe, naturally inclined to give because of him. He’s taught me to trust and believe in myself a lot more than I ever have over the course of this rehearsal process. I have sort of always had a self-doubt / intruder syndrome problem and I genuinely believe that his sort of “trust yourself,” ideology has helped me tons.

K- I have worked with James in the past on the George Mason Cabarets in 2024 and 2025, and it has always been a positive experience. He is incredibly organized, passionate, and knowledgeable about each show he directs. When working on Great Comet, it felt like a true collaboration. He was always supportive of trying something new if an actor had an idea, even if it differed from his original vision. However, the biggest lesson I learned from James was that the job of the actor is not to feel something, but to make the audience feel something. It made me rethink how I approach acting and helped to solidify my process as an artist in a really positive way. It is a piece of advice that I applied to the rest of the show and will take with me in my future endeavors as well.

S- James did a great job of cultivating a comfortable rehearsal space where us actors had the creative liberty to explore as many different options as we could come up with. He is an excellent role model for trusting the process and slowly sculpting away until something beautiful is revealed. My favorite example of him looking out for us happened when I was experiencing some vocal fatigue during tech week. James came up to me and caringly said, “I know you’re trying to push through this but seriously, shut the f**k up”. I did in fact shut the f**k up which was exactly what I needed to do to recover!

B- James possesses a certain level of care and devotion to the minutia of a production that is simply unmatched. Having done this for so long, it's very clear that he is constantly considering every individual track and making sure each little thing would make sense to each performer, production member, and viewer. As a director, I love that James never makes the obvious choice, while at the same time the nonobvious choice is never contrived; he makes novel choices and then fully justifies them. Additionally, he worked incredibly well with Jackie House, the assistant director on the production; their dynamic seemed to work perfectly, each filling in any mental gaps that the other may have. If I could boil it down to one lesson, it is that there is no such thing as diving too deep. There is infinite depth in text analysis, character motivation, crafting a vision of a piece, etc., and one should never be afraid to explore that depth.

E- It is always an absolute privilege to work with James Gardiner. Every time I work with James, I am challenged and trusted in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. Some of the most growth that I’ve experienced as a performer over the last 2 years can be attributed to working under James. In this production specifically, to be trusted with the task of gender-bending one of the lead characters (someone with whom I share very few traits and is in a completely different vocal range) was proof of James’ innovative artistic vision and dedicated approach to each actor he works with.

James took the time to help develop each character and their relationship with one another by sitting down with us, the actors, and asking us questions. He poked at us for deeper thought and allowed us to play around with our own creative ideas. The success of this show is a testament to James’ incredible care and commitment to the theater.

I’ve also learned so much through James about the industry, career paths, and real-world experiences. He has been one of the biggest players in the success of GMU theater graduates in the DMV. We are so grateful to have him as a mentor, a resource, and a friend.

After you leave GMU, what would you consider to be your dream theatre for landing your first professional performance job?

B- Studio Theatre and Theater Alliance are two of my favorite playhouses right now. I love the DC scene in general, and I love those theatres' commitment to community building, thought-provoking works, and supporting new artists and writers making theatre for here and now. I'd love to work with either of them, if given the chance. That said, I'd love to work with any of the amazing theatres in the DMV area if given the chance!!

K- My dream theaters would be Signature Theatre and Arena Stage. A year ago, I decided to stay in the DMV area because the art being done here is unlike any other in the country. There is always a distinct point of view, and it encourages audiences on how they can make the world a better place. Here, art is for art’s sake, not for the sake of a bottom line. These two theaters are big producers of that kind of art, and I think seeing the work that they’re doing only made me want to stay and potentially be a part of that work.

E- Because of the experiences I’ve had at GMU and with James Gardiner, I have to say my dream theatre for landing my first professional job after graduating is Signature Theatre in Arlington. There is such a special atmosphere at Signature. Every show I have seen there has left me feeling increasingly more passionate about theater and what can be accomplished through this art form. Another dream theatre would be The REV in New York. I have a few friends who have performed at The REV and have loved every second of it!

J- If I’m dreaming really big, I’d say Signature, Fords, The Muny, a National Tour, or of course some large NYC theater (Richard Rodgers or Minskoff)! I will be glad to carry on having theater in my life any way, but I’d like to work my way up to at least one of these theaters!

S- I was blessed to land my first professional performance job last summer with Ohio Light Opera’s 46th season. Looking forward, a dream theatre to perform at for me is The Muny. I love watching videos of their productions and am always blown away by the choreography in particular.

Special thanks to  George Mason University's director for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 James Gardiner for his tireless help in coordinating this interview.

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