Interview: Jennifer Damiano Brings Her Solo Concert to Holmdel Theatre Company's “Broadway at the Barn” Series on January 4

Broadway actress Jennifer Damiano will perform at Holmdel Theatre Company's "Broadway at the Barn" Series on January 4. Jennifer is most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony award for her performance in 2009 at age 17. Her career began two years prior in the original cast of Spring Awakening on Broadway. Jennifer originated the role of Mary Jane Watson in Bono and The Edge's infamous Broadway musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. She was most recently seen in her fourth Broadway show, American Psycho, in which she originated the role of Jean. Off-Broadway: Next to Normal (Second Stage in NY, Arena Stage in DC), Venice (The Public Theater), Deathless (Goodspeed Opera House with director Tina Landau). TV: The CW's Gossip Girl, mini-series It Could Be Worse. Film: B-Side, Emily & Tim, American Dresser, and LA Outfest winner 4th Man Out. In July 2016, at age 25, Jennifer debuted her first, critically acclaimed solo cabaret.

Broadwayworld.com had the amazing opportunity to interview Jennifer Damiano before her concert.

Was there a specific moment you knew you wanted to be a performer?

I can't remember a specific moment that I knew I wanted to be a performer, I started doing this when I was very young and it kind of just became my path very clearly over time. The more that I did it as a kid, the more I knew it would be something that I stuck with because it was what I was meant to be doing.

Who are some of the people who have inspired your career?

A lot of the people who inspired me have been some of the adults that I've worked with throughout my career. Alice Ripley is a dear friend and a huge inspiration of mine as a person and a performer. I've been lucky enough to work with people like Isabel Keating, and adults that have been in my life who have inspired me on shows that I've been lucky enough to work with them on.

What is your favorite part about performing before a live audience?

There's really nothing like being on stage and sharing a moment with an audience that you can't share in that way in any other art form, I love that live theatre is just that - it's live, it's in the moment, there's no faking it. When you establish a relationship with the audience you're able to really create a more special experience for them than you could in any other way.

What can audience members expect from your upcoming "Broadway at the Barn" concert at Holmdel Theatre Company?

My music director and I, Benjamin Rauhala, wrote this show when I was 25 in the Summer of 2016 and it premiered at 54 Below. I was 25 years old, and we realized it had been 10 years since I have begun my career on Broadway. It felt like the right time to share my experience. The concert has been performed at other venues and we usually just manipulate it to the audience that we're performing it for, and we change it also based on where I'm at in my life but for the most part it's me taking people through my journey through songs that are from shows that I've done and also through songs that have meant something to me along the way.

How is preparing for a concert different than preparing to play a role on Broadway?

It was something I was really nervous to do because I didn't consider myself a great cabaret performer, I usually like to have a character and have an arc, but it ended up actually being one of my favorite things I've ever done because it forced me to be reflective on myself in my life in a way I wouldn't normally be if I was preparing for a character. In both respects, whether it's a character or a cabaret show - I have to look inside myself and make sure I'm creating the most authentic experience I can. The difference was just that it was my story to write. Benjamin Rauhala and I together, with some help from Brian Yorkey, (he helped me write a few jokes!) helped me write my own show and write a script because I created what that night was going to be like in a way that isn't really my job when I'm doing a show.

Before your concert, you will be teaching a masterclass as well. As someone who started in theater at a young age, how important is it for you to share your knowledge with young aspiring actors?

Teaching is something that at first didn't come naturally to me because when I was younger I would get asked to teach kids that were my age. I thought that was so odd and I didn't know how to give myself the authority to do that. Now that I'm a little bit older it has become one of my favorite things to do. There's something about my style of teaching, I really try to make sure that I am inspiring kids with the most authentic inspiration I can give them. I try to drive from my own experience being that age. Trying to work with them through everything that what I know works for me, which is just trying to create the most truthful art that I can. I try to tell kids to not compare themselves to each other or to other performers and I really try to get them to focus on what it is they do as individuals that is different from what everyone else does and what makes them special and to hone in on that.

Your most well-known role is playing Natalie Goodman in the original cast of Next to Normal, which earned you a Tony nomination. What was the experience of being in that show like?

I had been with the show over the span of 3 years, we were Off-Broadway, we went to DC to Arena Stage, and then we were on Broadway. I always think of Spring Awakening as high school, Next to Normal as college, and Spiderman as my first job out of college - that's how I see it. But Next to Normal was unlike any other experience - I could never even try to replicate it in any way, I grew up with that show and the cast. They were like my family. I learned so much about myself as an actor and as a person. I feel so lucky that the role continues to inspire women everywhere today as much as it did years ago.

In addition to Next to Normal, you've originated roles in American Psycho, Spiderman, and starred in the original cast of Spring Awakening. How significant are original musicals to you and is it something you'd like to continue doing throughout your career?

Yes - I think there's really nothing quite like being able to originate a role. It's yours, you can find what it is without feeling like you need to follow in anyone's footsteps. There's such an amazing, beautiful thing about revivals these days of classical musicals, and even now revivals of rock musicals, like there already was a revival of Spring Awakening. We are getting to the point where we're reviving shows that once used to be the "new shows." Being able to originate something gives you a sense of freedom and knowing that the writer, director, and team trusts you enough to put your specific spin on it. It doesn't have to be influenced by anything else, which is really great as an artist. I hope to originate many more roles.

Speaking of original musicals, you are currently in rehearsals for the new musical, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which will premiere at Signature Theatre next year. What can you tell us about this project?

Duncan Sheik wrote the music, so it's my third time working with him, and Scott Elliott at The New Group is directing, he is such an amazing director that I met recently this year and I love him so much. It's an amazing team. It's based on a movie from 1969. Natalie Wood played the role that I'm playing, Carol. What's cool about it is that it's the most adult role I've ever played. I found it difficult to move through going from angsty teen into an adult woman onstage. What I love about this role and this show is that it pushes the boundaries a little bit for me. It's very new and different, but the music is amazing. The story is really special and it's running through March. I'm very excited. I love The New Group and I'm excited to work at the Signature Theatre. It will be a cool experience.

You've been open about being a fan of reality TV. If you had your own reality show, what would it be called and which of your Broadway friends would you want to star in it with you?

The characters would be Adam Chanler-Berat, Kathryn Gallagher, Theo Stockman, Wesley Taylor - and me! It would be called Basically Broadway.

To keep up with Jennifer, you can follow her on Instagram at @jenndamiano_ or visit her website at www.jennifer-damiano.com.

Tickets for Jennifer Damiano's "Broadway at the Barn" concert can be purchased by calling 732-946-0427 or by visiting the Holmdel Theatre Company website at https://www.holmdeltheatrecompany.org/jennifer-damiano. The show will be performed in the Duncan Smith Theater on January 4. The theatre is located at 36 Crawfords Corner Road in Holmdel, NJ. For more information on Holmdel Theatre Company, you can follow them on Twitter @RealHTC, Instagram @holmdeltheatrecompany, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/holmdeltheatrecompany/.

Photo Credit: Justin Patterson

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