Interview with Matteo Vitale

Matteo Vitale is an eighteen-year-old singer and actor. He has starred in a movie, formed several bands, and he has also been in Broadway productions. He is currently the lead singer of The State of Matteo, which is a local band. Matteo was born in Italy, and moved to the United States when he was a toddler. It is in the streets of New York that he was discovered. Currently, he is attending Marist University.

How did you start out in the arts?

Well, before I came to the United States I was in a movie. I was three years old. It was about an Italian orphan who comes to America, which is kind of ironic. I played the lead role of childhood. I played the first fifteen minutes of the movie and then the rest was the older version of me.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Probably not acting professionally, not going to lie. Probably taking over my family’s Real Estate business, but still acting on the side.

Do you prefer acting or singing more?

Singing. Definitely singing.

Tell me more about your summer tour.

I did a small tour this summer. I did solo singing throughout New Orleans which was really cool. But we (The State of Matteo) are actually going to be performing for Mardi Gras in New Orleans which will be fun.  And actually this weekend I’m performing in Washington DC.

How did you end up forming The State of Matteo?

How DID we start our band? I guess we were just jamming out one day, and we were just like, “Eh why not play a show together.”

Is The State of Matteo your first band?

I’ve been in like seven bands. I mean all of them just kind of started the same way where we just played together and we thought that it went well. We had a lot of fun doing that stuff, but I think that this (The State of Matteo) is my most serious band. We’ve been together for about a year and a half now.

What type of music do you prefer playing for your audience?

We try to switch it up a bit. We don’t want to have the same show every single night. So if we’re performing in New Orleans one night and then we’re going to Tennessee the next, then we want to have two different shows. We hate playing the same things every single night. So we switch it around- we do different songs. We play mostly our own music, but we always like to throw in a few covers. We’ll have a little bit of Frank Zappa, or Jack Johnson, put in a little Dave Matthews. So it kind of all relates in a sense, but it’s not all the same.

How many people come out to your shows?

It depends on what venue we’re playing in. So when we’re doing Mardi Gras, we’re anticipating between a thousand and I don’t know how many thousands of people. If it’s a small venue where we do very little promo, it could be like a hundred, two hundred people. It depends on what the location is, what the event is, and who we’re playing with.

Who is one person you emulate?

As in acting or just in general? (Either way). I don’t know. I’m trying to think of someone that everybody knows, because most people would say their grandfather, but I’m trying to help you out here. That’s a good question. That’s a REALLY good question. To be honest, I don’t even know how to answer that. Let me get back to you on that question.

How did you get the opportunity to be on Broadway? What was your favorite role?

I was singing in the streets when I first came to the United States- you know I was just walking around casually singing, and somebody stopped me and they said I had a lot of talent and that they worked for an agency. They gave my mom their card, and then we actually didn’t go with them, but we kind of started doing our own stuff and then I kind of got discovered that way. My favorite part that I did is between Jack Kelly in Newsies or Michael Banks in Mary Poppins which I did in the Westend in London. That was really cool.

How many Major Musicals have you been in?

I’ve done Mary Poppins, Newsies, and one other one. So I’ve done three.

In today’s economy, people are more focused on getting high paying jobs than on participating in artistic expression. What’s one thing that people can gain from participating in the arts?

I think it shouldn’t be about the money; it should be about doing what you love.  And it’s a very hard struggle to do Broadway shows, but in the end you feel accomplished because this is what you wanted to do. It’s the same thing for pretty much most jobs. You know, a lot of guys become firefighters. I’m a volunteer firefighter, but I’m not getting paid for that stuff. I think it’s really about doing something that you love rather than working in some corporate world where you’re doing something that you’ve always hated doing. And I think you find satisfaction by doing something that you love and it just pays off in the end. But you know, most people work two different jobs. They’ll work as a waiter or waitress and do some writing and stuff on the side. The key is to just follow your dreams.

What was the process of getting ready for a musical like?

The audition is always a scary thing. We have to make videos of ourselves, we have to meet them in person; present ourselves. I mean I’m kind of used to auditions, but it’s still a very stressful process. Especially because you know that you’re trying out with many different people, so to get that callback is the most amazing feeling. The rehearsal process is tough. You know, you go in, you learn your stuff- next time you come in you have to know it by heart. There’s almost no turning back. If you don’t know it, you’re fired. So it’s very difficult, it’s very demanding, and it moves very quickly.

How long is the process in general?

I mean I was never in the originals. So I’m not too sure, but they usually decide about a year before. And usually it (the musical) has already been in production before, and they use the same cast as before. But for me personally, I had to learn everything I knew in about a month.

If you weren’t in the original cast, how did you get in?

They were looking for understudies, or when someone says, “I’m going to leave” they try to find new people. They also have auditions all the time, so if the actors do not call them back, they can always call you. And they’ll say, “hey, we saw your audition, we really like you, we really want to hire you in case somebody leaves or somebody gets hurt.” And the way we have it scheduled is that we have a few shows a week, so we really have to be on top of our game. And if someone gets hurt then we always have more than one person on backup.  So it’s exhausting.

If you could choose one musical that you’d love to be in, what would it be?

I would love to do Urinetown. It’s a very powerful musical. Lot of great numbers- it has a lot of meaning behind it. The music is amazing, so probably that. Either that, or Jersey Boys.

Do you ever get nervous before a show?

It’s the same thing with both Broadway and bands- you kind of have the nerves that run through you, but you get over it.

Do you have any rituals before a show?

Before Broadway shows, we like to play Bop It. For the band- not really, we just chill on a couch and just talk.