Ms. Lindsay Roberts is a Philadelphia born performer. She attended the University of Maryland where she began her career focusing on Music Education. Later on she found her real passion lies on stage. Through Memphis and now Porgy and Bess she has fulfilled her dream and has stimulated her mind by touring the country. Ms. Roberts has done some musical directing in Ghana where she found a balance between Music Education and performing. She hopes to always be able to follow where her heart lead her.
J: What was the spark that inspired you to involve yourself in the performing arts?
L: I started performing while in high school. I went to school originally for music Ed and vocal performance. There was some practicality to that but I realized I longed for theater. When people say you do this business because it is the only thing you can do, it is true. Why would you choose to be in this business, where there is no stability? You have to do it because you love it. It’s too hard to suffer through otherwise.
J: You went to the University of Maryland, College Park; can you elaborate on that experience?
L: College Park is a campus under University of Maryland. I double majored in vocal performance and music education. It wasn’t that I didn’t like music Ed. When I did my student teaching I realized I wasn’t so passionate about being in the classroom. Broadway Dreams was an outlet for me to teach in a national training program over the summer while still enjoying the performing aspect. Broadway personnel train students, from ages five to sixty-five, through workshops and master classes. This program is pre-professional; it’s not summer camp. At the final production agents, directors and many other people are invited to scout out the students. I started out as a student in the program, that’s how I got my agent. I auditioned for him at the end of the week. He wanted me to move to New York to join his agency, so I did. Later on I came back as a teaching and guest artist.
J: Are those workshops known for recruiting?
L: No I would say it’s for training and some serious networking. Signing with this agency was a big catalyst for me to move to New York .It was the perfect transition to New York where I got my first big break. Lost in the Stars at the New York City Center was my epic New York debut. The New York City Center is a company that revives old plays that could transfer to Broadway.
J: How does it feel to be a star?
L: I’m not a star. It’s weird having people look up to me now. You referred to me in your e-mail as Ms. Roberts. In the Broadway world everyone goes by his or her first names. It is all about networking, there must always be a sense of familiarity. In college I thought I am never going to have friends that are black females because we will always be competing, but good friends are there regardless. I have my training in Opera, which differentiates me from most Black females anyways. I am now in Porgy and Bess playing Clara singing “Summer-time,” which is the perfect song for my training. I am swinging the show and I’ve never done that before.
J: What is swinging?
L: I cover every woman in the ensemble and some main roles. I thought at first oh God I’m going to have to be in the show every night, but then I realized I get to be almost every role (about 20) and that is amazing. I now know this show inside and out.
J: When do you go on tour, what is that like?
L: We leave November fourth for tech in San Francisco, where we also open. We then tour for nine months. A typical day will be waking up whenever; we don’t have to be in the theatre until half hour before the theatre opens at 7, 7:30. Weekends are pretty much non-existent because we perform Friday night and Saturday. Other than that our days are pretty free. I sometimes went hiking and then performed Memphis. The cities really embrace us; they set us up in the cities. It was funny seeing how different parts of the country reacted to Memphis. Memphis is the classic 1950’s black and white love affair. Seeing people in the south versus the north react to key pivotal moments during the show was so different. It’s also interesting how we adapt the show because some weeks we could have extra room and others we could barely stand. We travel with a whole group of people to adapt the show like stage managers and engineers. We higher local instrumentalists and professionals as well.
J: You can higher other instrumentalist to just take part in the show?
L: Instrumentalists may get the music in advance, learn it, and that Tuesday before the show they go over it, change a few things, and then we hit it.
J: Have you ever been unemployed; I know the employed percentage is terrible?
L: Yea it sucks. I’m blessed, in our union we’re like two percent employed, which is why I said this is something you only do if you feel so convicted that you have to do it. When I came to New York I had a dry phase, I went nuts. I am not good with idle time, I felt like I had something inside of me that I wanted to share and no one wanted to take it.
J: So what did you do in that time?
L: Whenever I feel like I am not working I like to create my own thing and that’s when my one-woman show formed. I just sang all songs that are in my repertoire that I loved, in Philadelphia.
J: How did you put it together? Did you need instrumentalists?
L: I did just a piano it was an intimate space. I had this friend in college who is a pianist. I asked him to do it with me. We did a press release, news articles, and email blasts, it was a huge success.
J: Did you make a profit?
L: I did this concert as a fundraiser for a friend that started a theatre company, they made one. I should have gotten a third. I was being too nice. I think it is so important to compensate performers. You wouldn’t ask a doctor to do a surgery for free you shouldn’t ask a performer. It just frustrates me
J: How was Accra, Ghana?
L: I miss Ghana everyday. I wanted to study ethnomusicology, but I never had time to study abroad. I had a connection to this family who formed this school in Ghana and they extended an invitation to me years ago so I accepted this past summer. I was a theatre director at this school. We put on an adaptation of Cinderella. It was such a learning experience. Maybe I will do this again, but I am not ready to settle down in a school surrounding yet. I’m really blessed and happy doing whatever I am doing. Whatever you do it is important to be passionate about it because life is to short, you know?
