If someone said I’d be making casts for someone on Broadway, I’d have said, ‘You’re insane,’” says Daniel Scott Mortensen. Yet to date, Mortensen has applied over 400 arm casts on the string of actors playing the title role in Broadway’s Tony Award–winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen, about a high school senior with severe social anxiety and the lie that spirals out of control and changes his life forever.
Dear Evan Hansen
That cast is a crucial piece of the puzzle in creating Evan. “I asked [original star Ben Platt] once, ‘What’s the process like for you? What do you feel changes you?’ and he said his New Balance shoes and the cast,” Mortensen recalls. “He said those two things make him feel like he’s Evan.”
Because the cast is such a pivotal symbol, lead producer Stacey Mindich and the creative team decided Evan would wear a real cast, applied at half hour call each night and sawed off during intermission.
“I learned [the arm cast] from the girl who did it at Second Stage,” Mortensen explains. “She had seen what they had done out-of-town and they sent her a video of the person in D.C. doing a cast on [Ben]. Then she and I perfected it when we went to Broadway.
“We just improvised where to cut it, how it fit his arm, what’s going to make it easiest for somebody to write ‘CONNOR’ on it every night,” he continues. “It’s one of those things that gets workshopped along with the show.”
Every performance, Mortensen—the production’s wig and hair supervisor—meets his leading actor to apply a fiberglass cast.
First, Mortensen puts a sock on the actor’s arm, applies batting, and then slides on the one-piece cast when it’s wet. A heat-set resin acts as a hardening chemical. “As soon as it hits water, it starts that [hardening] process,” says Mortensen. All in all, it takes five minutes to apply and ten minutes to dry. (Each understudy also has a rehearsal cast custom-fit to their arm to rehearse in and develop their character.)
At intermission, Mortensen returns to saw off the cast. Hospitals and doctor’s offices have a specific machine to cut off casts, but “one of those machines is so expensive and huge that it didn’t make sense for us to invest in that,” says Mortensen. “Instead, we have a Dremel that has a saw piece at the end of it and then I have a metal ruler wrapped in gaff tape—probably 20 layers of gaff tape—and I slide that under the cast. The gaff tape is blue, so I know when I hit that because the batting inside turns blue.”
To the Dear Evan Hansen family, the authenticity is a trademark of the show. But for Mortensen and each Evan, it’s a nightly bonding experience. “I’m able to have these moments with them and say, ‘You ready? Let’s do this,’” Mortensen says. “It’s the perfect way to kick off the show.”
In 2005, seven members of the nine-person cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee made their Broadway debuts with the show at the Circle in the Square Theatre—but audiences could see the writing on the wall (…er, floor?): The company was packed with talent. The cast won the Drama Desk for Outstanding Ensemble and the musical was nominated for six Tonys, including Best Musical, and won the Tony for Best Book of a Musical. The grown-up actors playing grammar school spelling prodigies graduated to award-winning and prolific careers. From Emmy nominations to starring roles in the realm of Harry Potter, here are the winners’ destinations:
Jesse Tyler Ferguson in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Leaf Coneybear That’s right. Before he was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards as the perfectly uptight lawyer Mitchell Pritchett on the long-running Modern Family, Ferguson was a Broadway kid. He originated the role of Leaf Coneybear; who could ever forget his rendition of “I’m Not That Smart?” In between playing half of Mitch and Cam, Ferguson has made time for theatre, starring in Shakespeare in the Park’s A Comedy of Errors alongside Hamish Linklater and as no less than 40 characters in the 2016 revamped version of Fully Committed, for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.
Read More: JESSE TYLER FERGUSON TALKS ABOUT PLAYING 40 CHARACTERS ON BROADWAY
Dan Fogler (right) in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Dan Fogler, William Barfee Fogler’s star has only continued to rise since he made his Broadway debut as the magic-footed speller, and won the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Since then, Fogler transitioned to the screen, making a splash in comedies like Balls of Fury and Take Me Home Tonight. He’s voiced characters in Kung Fu Panda and Horton Hears a Who! and appeared on multiple television series. But Fogler’s staying success has come with the recent offshoot of the Harry Potter franchise, the Fantastic Beasts film series. As lugubrious Jacob Kowalski in the magical prequel, Fogler played an American No-Maj with loads of heart and humor in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and is set to appear in future movies from the brand.
Lisa Howard in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Lisa Howard, Rona Lisa Peretti In a moment of perfect synergy, Broadway brought us the stunning vocals and dry wit of Howard—a true star performer whose talents blow us away every time she hits the stage. After closing out the run of Spelling Bee, Howard appeared in Broadway’s South Pacific as Lieutenant Marshall and then in the ensemble of 9 to 5, when she understudied Allison Janney in the role of Violet Newstead. She joined the cast of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as one of the divas before taking the reins as leading lady in It Shoulda Been You. Her incredible Act 2 showstopper “Jenny’s Blues” proved what she can do, and earned her a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical in 2015. Next up: Howard takes center stage as Tammy in the highly anticipated Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical Escape to Margaritaville.
Derrick Baskin, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Lisa Howard in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Derrick Baskin, Mitch Mahoney After wowing the crowd with his smooth and soulful vocals at Circle in the Square, Baskin upped the ante and his high tenor as one of Ursula’s sinister eels (Jetsam) in Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Baskin then did a 180 and played Gator in Broadway’s Tony-winning Memphis, a character who didn’t speak after witnessing a horrible event in his childhood—which only made it more impactful when Gator was driven to speak up (and sing out). For the past three years, fans of Amazon’s Difficult People know him as coffee shop owner Nate.
Deborah S. Craig in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Deborah S. Craig, Marcy Park (recent transfer) Known as the girl who spoke six languages, Craig made her Broadway debut with Spelling Bee. Though she hasn’t returned to the Broadway stage, she played the recurring roles of Melanie on Six Degrees, waitress Shelley on The CW’s Hart of Dixie, and then Luli Zeng on The Blacklist. She recently sang at the Town Hall benefit concert “Double Standards,” produced by Tony nominee Laura Bell Bundy, and will be seen in three upcoming films: Poor Greg Drowning, the short Baby Bird, and Prince Harming.
Celia Keenan-Bolger in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Olive Ostrovsky This actor made her Broadway debut with Spelling Bee—earning a Tony nomination—and stuck firmly in the theatre. She played Eponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables (and earned a Drama Desk nomination) before starring in three leading roles in three consecutive Broadway plays, originating the role of Molly in Peter and the Starcatcher (her second Tony nomination), taking on Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie (her third Tony nomination and a Drama Desk win), and Varya in the 2016 adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. Keenan-Bolger has kept busy Off-Broadway, as well, originating the role of Mary in Saved, 2011’s A Small Fire, the Encores! concert staging of Merrily We Roll Along,The Oldest Boy, and most recently in Second Stage’s A Parallelogram.
Jose Llana in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Jose Llana, Chip Tolentino Llana’s Broadway career has literally gone full circle. Having made his Broadway debut in The King and I as Lun Tha in 1996, Llana’s most recent Main Stem role was as the replacement for the King of Siam in the Lincoln Center Theater production. Before Spelling Bee, Llana replaced for Angel Schunard in Rent on Broadway, and played Jessie-Lee in Street Corner Symphony and Ta in Flower Drum Song. After Spelling Bee—but before The King and I round two—the actor played El Gato in Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland. The actor wowed audiences as Ferdinand Marcos in the Public Theater’s Here Lies Love, starring Ruthie Ann Miles, who would go on to be his Lady Thiang. He also played Orsino in the musical adaptation of Twelfth Night for Shakespeare in the Park. Llana currently plays the King with the national touring company of The King and I, now in Denver and playing cities across the country through August 2018.
Jay Reiss, Lisa Howard, and the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Jay Reiss, Douglas Panch In addition to playing Vice Principal Panch, Reiss wrote additional material for Spelling Bee. Since the show closed, Reiss has followed the writing path. He penned the Julian Farino-directed comedy The Oranges and wrote The Complete History of My Sexual Failures for Universal Studios. His documentary Dare to Be Different is currently in post-production.
Sarah Saltzberg in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeJoan Marcus
Sarah Saltzberg, Logan Schwartzandgrubenierre After departing Putnam County, Saltzberg collaborated again with Reiss, appearing in The Oranges. She played Daisy on the television series Wallflowers. But Saltzberg veered away from acting and towards writing, as well, penning the Off-Broadway comedy Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage, which ran for two years. After years with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, she now teaches improv to elementary school kids in New York City, but returns to Broadway with Gettin’ The Band Back Together, for which she wrote additional material.
The understudy spellers: Todd Buonopane has continued to appear in Broadway ensembles for shows such as Grease and Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Kate Wetherhead earned fans as multi-role ensemble member in Legally Blonde The Musical, but her biggest claim to fame in theatre is as co-creator of web series Submissions Only. Willis White went on to join the cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Tony-winning musical In The Heights, while Lisa Yuen was a regular cast member of All My Children for two years.
Photo Archive: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Dan Fogler and More in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway
Photo Archive: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Dan Fogler and More in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway
Earlier this week it was announced that the nine original cast members of the hit Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee would reunite on July 6 for a special tenth anniversary concert at Town Hall in New York. Here is a look back at the production.
13 PHOTOS
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sarah Saltzberg and Derrick Baskin
Deborah S. Craig, Jose Llana, Sarah Saltzberg, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Dan Fogler and Celia Keenan-Bolger
Front Row (R-L): Celia Keenan-Bolger, Dan Fogler, Sarah Saltzberg, Back Row (R-L): Jose Llana, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Dan Fogler, Sarah Saltzberg, Derrick Baskin, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Deborah S. Craig, Lisa Howard, Jose Llana
2007 Cast: Mo Rocca (Douglas Panch), Jennifer Simard (Rona Lisa Peretti)
Aaron J. Albano
The 2007 Cast (L-R: Sara Inbar, Aaron J. Albano, Greta Kee (bottom), Jared Gertner (top), Stanley Bahorek, and Jenni Barber)
The 2007 Cast: Jared Gertner, Stanley Bahorek, Sara Inbar, and Aaron J. Albano (with Jenni Barber, Greta Lee, and Mo Rocca in the background)
Though it may be the busiest season for travel, Broadway’s performers stay put to make sure that the hundreds of theatregoers flocking to New York over the holidays stay entertained. But, lucky for them, many companies call themselves a second family—which means another group of people with whom to celebrate! We asked the casts of some of the Main Stem’s biggest hits to share their backstage traditions with us. Flip through the gallery below to see how Come From Away, Cats, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and more spread seasonal cheer.
Flip through the photos of some of their backstage traditions and festivities below:
See How Come From Away, Cats, and More Shows Celebrate the Holidays on Broadway
See How Come From Away, Cats, and More Shows Celebrate the Holidays on Broadway
Get a glimpse of the backstage celebrations going on on Broadway.
25 PHOTOS
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The stockings were hung by the LEGOs with care.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Decorations backstage.
Cats: Dresser Heather Torres decked out the 3rd floor dressing rooms! Zachary Daniel Jones
Cats: Who stole Christmas?! Was it Mungojerrie (Zachary Daniel Jones) or Rumpleteazer (Shonica Gooden)?! Zachary Daniel Jones
Cats: Demeter (Samantha Sturm) plays Santa’s little helper in counting down the days ‘til Christmas! Zachary Daniel Jones
Cats: Our fur team (Hailei Call, Anna Kathryn Darling, Katt Atkins, Victoria Tinsman) spiced up our Holidays with grandmotherly spirit, sass, and cheer! Zachary Daniel Jones
Come From Away: Chad Kimball and Julie Reiber at their holiday gathering backstage.
Come From Away: Caesar Samayoa and Lee MacDougall at their holiday gathering backstage.
Come From Away: Arturo Porazzi, Charity Wicks, Caesar Samayoa, and Pete Guernsey at their holiday gathering backstage.
Come From Away: Joel Hatch, Thomas Keegan, and Jenn Colella at their holiday gathering backstage.
More than 6,500 theatre students and educators will head to Atlanta for the 2018 Junior Theater Festival, which takes place January 12–14. The event, which is the largest of its kind, unites young theatre lovers for a weekend of performances, workshops, and special events with Broadway guest stars.
Smash star Megan Hilty will headline the festival with a special concert, while Stephen Schwartz, the composer-lyricist of Wicked, Pippin, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, will be on hand to introduce a new student edition of his biblical musical Children of Eden during the New Works Showcase. Also highlighted during the performance will be Disney’s Aladdin JR, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR.
JTF will also honor Grammy- and Oscar-winning songwriter Paul Williams with the Junior Theater Festival Legacy Award. Williams, who wrote such hits as “Evergreen” and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” also authored the popular licensing title Bugsy Malone, as well as The Muppet Movie and its classic song “Rainbow Connection.” The JTF Legacy Award is presented annually to “individuals whose vision and artistry have shaped the minds and hearts of educational musical theatre students and audiences all around the globe.” Past recipients include Alan Menken, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Jeanine Tesori, and Stephen Schwartz.
University School of Nashville, Roy Waldron Elementary Drama, and Bradley Academy Musical Theatre Present Peter Pan JR at JTF 2016
“We want to make sure that all young people have the same access to musicals as they do to youth sports programs, because being part of a show is the ultimate, all-inclusive team sport. Theater allows students to gain life skills, including collaboration, team-building, and problem-solving. Furthermore, musicals introduce and draw in young people to the five pillars of the arts—music, language, dance, visual arts, and the digital arts—all in one experience,” said Timothy Allen McDonald, Founder and CEO of iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group in a statement. “When the Junior Theater Festival was founded in 2003, the intent was to create a World Series-like experience for theater. And, just like many Little League members go on to continue to participate in sports for the rest of their lives, the educational musical theater movement and its Junior Theater Festival are creating the audiences of tomorrow today.”
The Junior Theater Festival is sponsored by iTheatrics, along with Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Theatrical Group, and Playbill, Inc.
Playbill will again present The Playbill Community Service Award. All groups attending the iTheatrics Junior Theater Festival are encouraged to document their organization’s community service projects. Up to five finalists will be highlighted on Playbill, where the public will vote on its favorite. (Voting ends at 11:59 PM ET January 15.)
The winning organization will receive $1,000 to support continued charitable efforts as well as Playbill’s educational resources such as PLAYBILLder.com, a DIY program maker allowing schools to personalize an authentic Playbill online.
Throughout the weekend, students and teachers participate in interactive workshops led by Broadway and West End professionals, gain from professional development, and meet other theatre lovers from across the world.
The festival will shine the spotlight on the next generation of composers and artists during Pathways, a Q&A event in which Broadway writers talk candidly about their experiences and present works from new shows.
Five theatre designers will be honored at the American Theatre Wing’s 2017 Henry Hewes Design Awards luncheon. Among this year’s recipients are The Band’s Visit lighting designer Tyler Micoleau and Come From Away costume designer Toni-Leslie James.
Also recognized for their work this past year are set designer Laura Jellinek (A Life at Playwrights Horizons), Machine Dazzle (costume designer for Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music) and Jared Mezzocchi, projection designer for Manhattan Theatre Club’s Vietgone.
Micoleau and James previously won Hewes Design Awards for their work on Blasted and Jelly’s Last Jam, respectively.
The annual honors, first awarded in 1965 as the Maharam Awards, celebrate design work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway. The awards committee includes chairman Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, David Barbour, David Cote, Glenda Frank, Helen Shaw, Michael Sommers, and Martha Wade Steketee.
The awards presentation will take place January 23, 2018.
See below for a full list of nominees (winners bolded)
SCENIC DESIGN Alexander V. Nichols, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me Amy Rubin, Miles for Mary Andrew Lieberman, Othello Arnulfo Maldonado, Caught Beowulf Boritt, A Bronx Tale Carl Sprague, Fiorello! Carolyn Mraz, The Black Crook Christopher Barreca, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire Dane Laffrey, Rancho Viejo David Gallo, Jitney David Korins, Bandstand David Zinn, Present Laughter Derek DelGaudio and Glenn Kaino, In and of Itself Derek McLane, Gently Down the Stream Derek McLane, If I Forget Derek McLane, The Price James Morgan, Marry Harry Jason Sherwood, The View UpStairs Jason Simms, Hamlet Kate Noll, Orange Julius Laura Jellinek, A Life Laura Jellinek, The Light Years Laura Jellinek, The Wolves Mark Wendland, The Layover Marsha Ginsberg, Dolphins and Sharks Peiyi Wong, Charleses Rachel Hauck, Tiny Beautiful Things Sandra Goldmark, Vanity Fair Scott Davis, Ride the Cyclone Scott Pask, The Band’s Visit Scott Pask, The Little Foxes
COSTUME DESIGN Anita Yavich, The View UpStairs Ann Roth, The Front Page Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Miles for Mary Ásta Bennie Hostetter, Picnic and Come Back, Little Sheba Ásta Bennie Hostetter, The Wolves Catherine Zuber, Oslo Catherine Zuber, War Paint Clint Ramos, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire David Murin, Fiorello! David Zinn, A Doll’s House, Pt. 2 Dustin Cross, Spamilton Emily Rebholz, Indecent Hunter Kaczorowski, Yours Unfaithfully Jane Greenwood, The Little Foxes Katja Andreiev, Beardo Kaye Voyce, Mourning Becomes Electra Linda Cho, Anastasia Machine Dazzle, A 24-Decade History of Popular Music Mark Thompson, The Taming of the Shrew Oana Botez, Duat Paloma Young, Bandstand Sarah Laux, The Band’s Visit Susan Hilferty, Present Laughter Toni-Leslie James, Come From Away Toni-Leslie James, Jitney Valérie Thérèse Bart, The Servant of Two Masters Valérie Thérèse Bart, Vanity Fair
LIGHTING DESIGN Adam Silverman, The Glass Menagerie Amith Chandrashaker, Seven Spots on the Sun Barbara Samuels, Orange Julius Brian H. Scott, Chess Match No. 5 Brian MacDevitt, The Front Page Christopher Akerlind, Indecent David Weiner, Plenty David Weiner, The Price Donald Holder, Anastasia Jane Cox, Jitney Jane Cox, Othello Japhy Weideman, The Layover Jeff Croiter, Bandstand Jen Schriever, The Moors Jennifer Tipton, A Doll’s House, Pt. 2 Justin Townsend, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire Justin Townsend, The Little Foxes Kenneth Posner, War Paint Matt Frey, A Life Matt Frey, Everybody Matt Frey, Rancho Viejo Natasha Katz, Long Day’s Journey Into Night Oona Curley, Underground Railroad Game Reza Behjat, Hamlet Robert Wierzel, Troilus and Cressida Russell H. Champa, The Light Years Seth Reiser, Vanity Fair Tyler Micoleau, The Band’s Visit
NOTABLE EFFECTS Aaron Rhyne (Projection Design), Anastasia Andrew Schneider (Video Design), Dolphins and Sharks Austin Switser (Video Design), Elements of Oz John Cleater (Augmented Reality Design), Jessie Garrison (Interactive Design), Basil Twist (Puppet Design), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Dan Moses Schreier and Joshua Reid (Sound Design), Beardo Darron L. West (Sound Design), Chess Match No. 5 Elaine McCarthy (Projection Design), Notes From the Field Emma Wilk (Sound Design), Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey Jared Mezzocchi (Projection Design), Vietgone John Narun (Projection Design), Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey Leon Rothenberg (Sound Design), Notes From the Field Lucy Mackinnon (Projection Design), Yen Machine Dazzle, Mimi Lien, John Torres, Jamie McElhinney, David Schnirman, and Anastasia Durasova (Production Design), A 24-Decade History of Popular Music Mike Tutaj (Video and Projection Design), Wilderness Mike Tutaj (Projection Design), Ride the Cyclone Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), A LifePalmer Heffernan (Sound Design), Orange Julius Peter Nigrini (Projection Design), Wakey, Wakey Reid Farrington (Projection Design), CasablancaBox Tal Yarden (Projection Design), Indecent Tal Yarden and Christopher Ash (Chromolume Design), Sunday in the Park With George
Three-time Tony recipient Bernadette Peters, who will succeed Tony winner Bette Midler in the title role of the Tony-winning revival of Hello, Dolly!, appeared on Live With Kelly and Ryan December 11.
Peters discussed her upcoming return to Broadway as well as her work on TV’s Mozart in the Jungle, the fourth season of which will be available beginning February 16, 2018.
The Broadway favorite also spoke about her decision to become Broadway’s next Dolly Gallagher Levi. Peters said when Midler suggested she succeed her in the role, she was unsure, “but then I read [the script], and I thought it’s just a lovely, wonderful role, about a woman who’s a widow, who retreated into her life for ten years and decides to get back to rejoin the human race. It’s a wonderful story.” Peters, most recently on Broadway in the Tony-nominated revival of Follies, will play her first performance as matchmaker Dolly January 20, 2018, at the Shubert Theatre.
