Spotlight On: Graeme Kennedy

 

 

Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Spotlight On…” series continues with a look into our talented cast and crew of Nine. Get to know Graeme Kennedy who is portraying Young Guido!

 

 

 

Introduce Yourself to Our Audience:

 

Why did you want to be involved in this production?

I wanted to be in this production of Nine the Musical because I wanted another opportunity to work with adults in a community theater setting. 

 

How do you prepare for a new role or character, and what techniques do you use?

To prepare for a new role I start by learning what my character wants in the show.  Then I listen to the soundtrack and think of ways I can bring my character to life in the show.  Once I have all that done I start learning my lines. Some ways I do so is I repeat one line over and over eventually without the script in hand. I do this for all my lines.  Once I am done learning lines I can start character development and see what I can bring to the table.  See what jokes I can make and when I need to be serious and what body motions my character would make.

 

What do you love about your character?

I love that my Young Guido plays a younger part of an older character so I can look up at him and see what he is doing to bring his character to life. So I can see if I should do something like what he is doing.  I also love this character because he gets to sing high and since I am going through a voice change it is good to keep singing high throughout.

 

What challenges did you face bringing the script to life?

I faced a few challenges bringing the script to life.  One thing is that I had to learn a little bit of Italian which I had no experience with prior to Nine.  Another challenge was trying to translate Guido into a younger version of himself.  My final challenge I faced was that it is hard for me to sing high because I am going through a voice change currently.

 

Who do you look up to (as an actor/director/etc.)?

I look up to Lin Manuel Miranda who is a Broadway star/ Singer/ Songwriter/ Producer/ Director/ Actor.  He is literally what I want to be when I grow up because I would love to be on Broadway one day.  I also love to sing and act.  I would also one day love to Direct, Produce, and Song write a show one day and see it up on Broadway or maybe be in it like Lin Manuel Miranda.  I also look up to a past director of mine.  Her name is Carla Stockton who directed two of my show and she was so specific and she knew what she wanted to do in the show.  It was great on how fast she made the production happen.  Also when she directed the shows she made the shows look like it was made out of a movie.  I loved her so much and how much work and effort she put in to making the show come to life.

 

What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage / the curtain goes up?

Some things I do before I step on stage are I shake it out and I also take very deep breaths so I can calm down I don’t have to overthink it.  I also talk to my cast members and see how they are feeling about the show and see what they think is gonna happen.

 

What is your favorite film or theater production and why?

My favorite Musical Theater film is In The Heights which is about people just barely surviving in Washington Heights.  it is full of dance, music, culture and it is so good.  When I saw it for the first time my jaw was on the ground for the whole movie.  It stars Anthony Ramos and  Melissa Barrera who are fantastic in the film.  To me it shows what musical film should look like.  I think that John Chu did a great job on the film. 

 

The last thing I want to say is that I can’t wait to do Nine the Musical with all these wonderful people. Thank you for this opportunity.

 

Nine opens May 17th and runs through June 2nd at Connecticut Theatre Company. Tickets on sale now!

 

“A galloping fantasy [with a] ravishingly inventive and tuneful score.” – The New York Times