PicksInSix Q & A - BRENDA DIDIER - PARAMOUNT THEATRE presents "CINDERELLA"
PicksInSix® Q & A - Brenda Didier – Paramount Theatre presents “CINDERELLA”
The rags to riches story of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA is timeless. For many of us of a certain age, it evokes memories of Julie Andrews and Lesley Ann Warren in the title role, which, thanks to broadcast television, expanded the audience to upwards of 60 million viewers at the time—one report had Andrews live viewership at nearly 110 million in 1957!—connecting the new medium of television with live performance. Warren’s 1965 version was rebroadcast annually for eight consecutive years.
Fast forward to the 1997 revival co-produced by Whitney Houston, that had equally staggering numbers of viewers. That production, with a teleplay by Robert L. Freedman with Whoopi Goldberg, was adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs in 1999 and toured with the likes of Brandy, Houston, Bernadette Peters and Eartha Kitt. It is a vastly different story line than the original and decades ahead of its time.
On the eve of the official opening of Paramount Theatre’s production of CINDERELLA, as Mikayla Renfrow makes her Paramount Theatre debut in the title role, we asked director Brenda Didier six questions about the process of putting the show together for Paramount Theatre’s holiday season. The multi-Jeff Award-winning Didier—who has received over thirty Jeff nominations and counting—has a long and distinguished career as a director, choreographer, actor and dancer. She is also the founder and principal of the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, teaching the next generation of dance students and theatre artists.
Ed Tracy: The Paramount revival of CINDERELLA feels both inspired and daunting, given the unique times in which we live.
What is it about this particular adaptation that drew you to it?
Brenda Didier: I was drawn to this particular adaptation after seeing the Brandy/Whitney Houston version on TV starring Whoopi Goldberg- who also produced this version. I like the humor, heart and honesty. It also has a more contemporary feel to the script. It feels fresh and full of heart. I like the 2013 revival, but the script did not speak to me. The political subplot in that production took me away from the Cinderella story a bit. This is Paramount's big holiday slot. Families make a holiday outing and with that in mind, this version felt appropriate for their holiday audiences. It also moves along nicely.
ET: Paramount productions attract top national and regional talent and “CINDERELLA” has a superstar company.
Talk about the casting process, what you were initially looking for and what you found. Any surprises along the way?
BD: Trent Stork, Paramount's amazing casting director, started the casting process in March of 2020. When Covid shut down theatres, we canceled in-person auditions and Trent sent us many self-tapes. This entire show was cast between May-July 2020 via video submissions. Tiffany Krause, our co-choreographer, Kory Danielson, our music director, and I viewed the submissions, wrote notes and met via zoom meetings to do the best we could with this cast. The challenges were not being able to read actors with each other during callbacks to answer questions like: Do they have the right chemistry? What is their energy like in the room, etc? Tiffany also recorded herself teaching two dance combinations for the ensemble dancers to learn via video. They would then film themselves in various locations—apartments, rooftops, garages, parks—anywhere they could dance safely and have space and then submit their videos to Trent. We could not teach any partnering in this scenario, but we did the best we could. The cast was put on hold until we knew when CINDERELLA would actually happen. We did lose about 8-9 cast members, including principals, when we were back up and running. Some actors changed careers during the pandemic, moved out of town, started families, or had conflicts. We recast their roles via more video submissions. On our first day of rehearsal—October 12—we finally met everyone in person after nineteen months off. Remarkably, the cast bonded and the chemistry started. It has been quite a process and I cannot express my gratitude enough to Trent and the entire Paramount team!
ET: Do you have a sense that you are directing the show differently than you would have before the shutdown? If you can, speak to some of the specific challenges you and the creative team had to overcome to maintain the momentum.
BD:I definitely directed this show differently than I would have before the shutdown. The creative team only met one time in person. Zoom meetings were helpful, but we did lose momentum and connection during the long shutdown. It took me a while to get my director footing again. This is also my first show directing at the Paramount and a musical of this scale. I have directed at larger venues, but they were either live events or commercial/concert projects. I was feeling the isolation we were all feeling. We talked about it during our table work. Within every fairytale, there is a world with real people, real situations and real conflict and wants. The cast also came back from the shutdown with many emotions. I was extra sensitive to their process, especially to the actors I had just met.
ET: This is a creative industry that thrives on collaboration. What are the essential qualities you look for in establishing a creative team?
BD: Establishing a creative team that is on the same page and trusts one another is so important. I had choreographed The Producers with the amazing Jim Corti directing, so I had collaborated as a choreographer with the brilliant Paramount designers before—Jesse Gaffney (Props), Katie Cordts (Wigs and Make-up) and Adam Rosenthal (Sound Design), so there was already a familiarity with them. I have collaborated with both Angie Weber Miller (Set Design) and Theresa Ham (Costume Design). They are also brilliant and special collaborators. Vicki Bain, our lighting designer, was new to me. She had designed Newsies for Paramount, so she was very familiar with the space. We hit it off immediately. This is a huge show with many moving parts technically and full of magic. During our tech process, many adjustments were made over and over again when the team realized what did not work. We quickly brainstormed about plans B, C, D. This is live theatre and things come up unexpectedly. Amber Mak and Paul Jordan Jansen, our artistic leads on the show, have been so valuable as they have experience on and off the Paramount stage. I learned so much from them and throughout this process.
ET: You have had an enormously successful career as a performer, choreographer and then as director/choreographer at theaters of all sizes across Chicagoland in addition to teaching the next generation of dancers.
What advice would you give to help others find balance of their personal and professional lives?
BD: Finding work/life balance is challenging in any career, but particularly in the performing arts. The hours can be very long. I was often at the theatre from 11am-12am. We work six days a week for six weeks and do not have much time for family or friends. I am very lucky to have such a supportive family and friends. I have a wonderful executive director at my dance academy, Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, to handle things while I am away. It is important to take time to connect with your loved ones, take time for yourself, so you don't burn out. The emails come fast and can be overwhelming at times, but you learn to breathe, remember the "Why" we are in this line of work and practice daily gratitude. I am more grateful to create again after experiencing theater and the world shut down for so long.
ET: Can you share a Fairy Godmother moment in your life?
BD:I feel like I have many Fairy Godmother moments in my life. Throughout my life, many important women had such an influence on me and believed in me. One moment that stands out to me is when one of my dearest childhood friends, Gabrielle Smillie, flew in with her husband in 2009. I was a week away from starting my chemotherapy treatments for Grade 3 breast cancer. They flew in and stayed at the hotel where our competition dancers were performing/competing that weekend. I will never forget it. It was the push I needed to begin the treatment process and, I am happy to say, get on with my life.
PARAMOUNT THEATRE
presents
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S
CINDERELLA
through January 9, 2022
23 East Galena Boulevard
Aurora, Illinois
READ THE “CINDERELLA” PicksInSix® Review
ARCHIVE - 2017 CONVERSATION with BRENDA DIDIER
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