Backstage at Spring Awakening w/ Murman and Daniel

Hi Broadway World. You are backstage at the Tony Award winning Spring Awakening

I'm Matt Doyle. And I'm Alexandra Socia. And I understudy Melchior and I'm in the ensemble every night

And I understudy Venla and I am also an ensemble member. And for ensemble that means that we sit in the onstage audience seating and sit amongst

all the audience members and jump up and whip out microphones and start

It's a bit of a surprise because we're in modern day clothing. So we get some people every night that are always surprised to see us there singing

Well, I mean, sometimes fans will sit in those seats so they know that it's you

So it kind of ruins a surprise, but it's okay. And then, but it's always funny when people, when you sit down in the beginning of the show

people will ask you, you know, Oh, have you seen the show

Yeah, have you seen the show? And you're like, oh yeah, I've seen a couple of times

You have to try to lie to them and you just feel so stupid. And then sometimes it's so funny, you sit back down after intermission

and they just start talking to you and like... They look at you and go, so

Just see the show a couple times. And just stuff like, they'll talk to the, you know, people next time

I'm like, you know, here we are sitting. We didn't even know we were sitting next to a cast member

It's very funny. So they're always very surprised and very shocked, but that's what we're going for

So it's a good thing. It's such a nice element because, Because people always, you know, the look on the faces around you when they don't know

is such a great part of the moment when you first stand up and start to sing

People are always like, oh my goodness. I had no idea. So it's really fun

Well, I always thought it was such a great idea because most swings and understudies don't get to be on stage with the rest of the cast

And that's one of the best part. So we're considered swings and most times swings are off stage

So we're pretty fortunate that we also get to be members of the show every night

every night and that's wonderful with in terms of you know the camaraderie with the rest

of the cast because we're all together every night and but you know I remember the so I

thought it was a great idea and then the first time that you did it just getting that feeling

from sitting on the rest of the crowd and then not realizing that you're a part of the cast

so when you jump up it's kind of like see I'm in spring awakening I'm on Broadway I was pretty

excited because I when they told me that they were having auditions for us swing. I figured it was a swing and I'd be offstage and stuff. And so I was actually pretty

excited when they told me that I got to be an ensemble too. I was like, well, that's a nice

little bonus. I wasn't expecting. So it's good. I like it. It's very, it's cool. I kind of feel

like I'm getting paid to watch for an awakening every night, which isn't too bad a job

No, at all. Yeah. I actually went through five callbacks when they did the equity open calls

way back last September. And so I went to the final callbacks then

and it just didn't happen for whatever reasons. And over the course of five months

I kept on going back in for the Melchior Understudy and just, and they kept on telling me

yeah, it will happen soon. We really like you. And then I got a call

My survival job was production assistant, so I was on a commercial for Dawn Soap ad

holding a TV monitor, you know, just standing there. And my phone rings in my pocket

And for whatever reason, I felt like I needed to answer it. So I just left the set and picked it up

And, of course, it was Jim Carnahan, our casting director, and said, you're joining the

Spring Awakening family. And I quit my survival job. Which was it was just an unbelievable moment because it was a lot of work finally coming together Mine story a little different Back last April Spring Awakening did a slew of open calls just general open calls non

anyone could go. And I went to the Boston one, because I live close by, and I auditioned there

Just for fun, I went with some of my friends, you know, and I auditioned

And then I got a call back for the very next day in Boston, which was great

And then I didn't hear anything. I really wasn't expecting to. there had been rumors that the open calls were, you know, publicity stunned and nothing was even going to come of them

So I really wasn't expecting anything. And then two months later, at the end of June, I got a phone call from the casting associate of Jim Carthane

and she told me that they were having auditions in a week for a swing replacement

And I was like, and I was very excited. So I went down to New York, and it was actually the same day, that day I was supposed to be

at orientation for the, yeah, I know. She was about to do a summer program

Yeah, and so I was about to go to the pre-college summer program

And so I had to call them and tell them that I was going to be late and all that stuff

And so I went, I did my audition, you know, Saturday morning in New York City, and we got

in the car and we left, we left the city at noon, like right after my audition

And at 1.30, we were on the Pennsylvania turn, driving to Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh on the Pennsylvania Turnpike at a rest stop, like at a Burger King, and Jim

Carnahan called me and just told me that they wanted me to be a part of the cast and

I actually, I didn't even know what to say, so I probably sounded so rude because I just

he told me, he was like, we'd like you to, you know, be a part of Spring Awakening and I just

went, oh, okay, like I really, and I was like, okay, I was like, do you want to talk to my mom

And I just handed the phone over and then just became overwhelmed with emotion

It was crazy. He handed the phone over to the company manager for me and they gave me all the information

show up at the stage door the next day. And so, you know, I'm listening just going, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, and I hung up and then

I realized I didn't hear a word that they had said to me

So I had to call them back and say, I have no idea what you just told me to do

I couldn't hear because I was just flipping out so much and just thinking, I gotta call mom

Well, I was actually an added cast member, so I was just thrown into the original company

and originated kind of this off-stage, Melchier Understudy track, because originally I wasn't

in the ensemble. And so I kind of just had to join this cast that had all been established since off-Broadway

except for some of them new ensemble members, but they'd all been with each other through opening night and everything, and everyone was so open

That was, like, the best thing about it. Everyone was so supportive, so open. and I you know it was just it's still so surreal to think that I was kind of just hopping around going to some of the strangest auditions in the world and doing this kind of crazy survival job on the side and you know within three months after I got the phone call that I was going to be a part of the show I was performing

um the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall it was just it was ridiculous I remember when that curtain raised and there's you know 5,000 people in that audience it's like I'm a Tony Awards at radio city music hall it was just it was ridiculous I remember when that curtain raised and there's you know 5,000 people in that audience it's like I'm

I, you know, it's, there's no words to describe an honor like that

It was just unbelievable. I watched the Tonys every year since I was, you know, 12 years old

I watched you guys on the Tony stuff. And I got hired three weeks later

It's unbelievable, yeah. Being a part of the Tony process, I remember when the nominations came out, we were, you know

our ticket sales were kind of lower than they had usually been. And just that excitement, 11 Tony nominations, none of us could believe it

and then being there that night and watching somebody like John Gallagher Jr win his Tony Award It was just such an emotional experience and I just am so grateful that I was a part of it

Yeah, and I mean, like I said, I was cast right out. I got here literally a month after the Tony Awards

So, you know what, it really wasn't that. You know, Matt had already been here, so I found someone

I know. I was like, I'm no longer new. Yeah, so I found someone that could, like, felt the same way as I did

But, you know, everyone was so open, and, you know, it was a month after the Tony's. everyone was having a great time, you know

And I got here in the summer when sales were doing like incredibly well

because it's the summer anyway. It was ridiculous. But everyone was so nice, so open, and just so welcoming

And I, you know, and I really appreciate that it made this kind of process easier, you know

And I've only been here three months, but it feels longer because I feel like I've made

friends with people and I'm like, I can't believe if I met you only, you know, three months

ago. Being in this work environment and with these people every day and all through rehearsals

and everything. You gotta get to know them. It's a family. You can't help it. You have to get to know people. And they are family and but they're very well. They're very ready to accept. You know, they've been together for a while but they're so ready to accept new people into their family

Tonight is my 100th show. Oh my god. I know. I know. Do you count? I don't. I do. I keep it. I keep in my little journal. I count every day

But yeah, I've been on, I mean, I've been here three months and I've actually been on for Venla

quite a few times, which has been pretty fortunate, and you got to go on for a whole weekend

Yeah, I've been on for Melchior seven times, and I've covered all my tracks now, which I actually

have five male tracks that I cover, which is an unbelievable thing because I remember when

the job was first given to me, I was like, this is great, but I was petrified, you know

the idea of learning all those different tracks, but it somehow comes together

in your head and I can't yeah so I don't know I you I started out writing everything

down and highlighting and be and then all of a sudden one day I just was like I'm just gonna remember it all and I somehow have it sinks in it sinks in and you

don't need to I you know I don't really need to go back to my notes you just and you

get to go on for a part and you're like oh god I haven't done this in a few weeks yeah my gosh and then you get on and you just remember everything you're like oh wow

yeah didn't know it's nice to have have those notes every now and then

they're like when you're thinking about purple summer and you're like wait what number I stand on at the very end

What part? What do I do? So it's crazy. But I like it

I think as a, well, not sound annoying, but as a first job on Broadway, I think it's the best

learning experience ever. It's such a good learning experience, you know, because especially, you know, it's, yeah, I really

like it. I think it's teaching me so much. Oh. Well, the first, my Broadway debut, the first night I ever went on, I walked up to my seat

and the lady next to me asked if I could switch with her. And I was just like, no

And she didn't understand. And I was like, I can't. I was like, I have to sit here

She liked it. So that was kind of funny. Because I was like, it was my first show and I was so excited because of the big surprise

And then I had to just tell her, I was like, I have to sit here

I was like, I have to sit or I have to perform. And so, but she was fine with it and it was very funny. So

You get a lot of things, like even if they don't actually talk to you directly, you'll hear certain things like

what would he do if I touched him? And you're like, I can hear you. Yeah, I know

Or you read online, like people saying, like, asking like, okay, I'm sitting on stage and I haven't seen it's like

can you talk to the people? And it was like, well, I mean, yeah, we're, you know

it doesn't really matter. We're sitting there. It's not like, we're not allowed to talk to

It's okay. We have really dedicated fans, though, and some of the things that they do for us are awesome

I remember the first time I went on from Melchior, this girl I know her name Aubriana She made a doll of me as Melchior The day you went out for Melchior they were people lining up at student rush for him at one in the morning

Yeah, there was like 50 people that slept overnight or something. Yeah, slept overnight

This is the same way for you though. It's just the understudies are... I'm very appreciated in this show, which is great, because I don't know if it's like that everywhere else

I don't know, but there's such a huge, you know, fan base around the show that they love to see

that they love to see what the swings go on and that's being a swing that's a really

and because of the day because the show has a smaller cast you know we I mean I

guess I don't really know what it's like in other shows but I feel like we get to go on a lot you know we get our because we only have so few underscaries we cover

so many parts and there's such a smaller cast you know I feel like I you know I get my fair share of the spotlight you know so I like I I think it's great

my mom loved it actually the first time she saw me go on I was

playing the role of Hansen, so I, you know, my, my, I made my Broadway debut masturbating on stage

which I think was, and more, you know, harder for her to watch than just the sex scene

but just because it's so much more straightforward and personal. But, you know, it's so tastefully done

that even my grandparents, when they saw it, they just, they thought it was beautiful

My grandpa, he was sitting like fourth row center. My grandpa said, my son mooned me

He was like, no, my, I think, well actually, I don't even know if my, he knew what was going on

I think he was just so, like, proud that I was there. But afterwards, you know, my mom, she's like, now, you know, dad, were you okay

He's like, he didn't bother me. He was like, it was like, it was okay

So, like, even my grandparents were okay with it, and it was fine. And my parents were, you know, my mom said she had to close her eyes a couple times the first time

But now she's seen it a couple times, so she's very used to it. That was actually the most surprising thing is when my mom was like, well, I did put my hands over

eyes a couple times I was like really okay but I guess it makes sense I mean

my dad I mean the first I saw this show last February or March and I saw it

with my dad so he had seen it all in you know when I first got cast the producers

made sure that my mother saw the show and knew what that's the end tale but it's

it does it's fine now it doesn't seem like a big deal well luckily it's um you know it's a

scene about losing your virginity so even though like that's supposed to be

awkward yeah it can be awkward and there can be you know that uncomfortable

tension but you know I I think both Alexander and I try to be as comfortable with

our scene partners as possible because it's and they're so open and I remember

the week before I went on Lee was just like do you want to run it do you want to run it do you want to work on this she was so helpful and I'm sure Jonathan was

the same no they're so because they do it every night so they know how to make you

feel comfortable in it and like you know I mean I was kind of nervous

I mean, I'm 17 years old. It's like kind of a weird thing for me, but I mean, the first time I ran it before going on all that stuff, like Jonathan was just so nice and so made sure that I was comfortable and everything. And even when I first learned it with one of the other understudies was the same deal. And they're very, you know, the management here and the people, they're very, they want to make sure that you're always okay with everything you're doing. Because, but now I mean, now I've done it a bunch of times. It doesn't even seem like a big deal anymore. Right

No, Leah was the same way. She just, she was like, next time that we do it, just, you know, this can be a little

bit different and just everything was supportive and made, made us feel very comfortable doing

something like that. So, Broadway World, thank you so much for coming backstage

And don't forget to check out some of the other features on the Spring Awakening microsite. And don't forget to come see Spring Awakening

Come see Spring Awakening at the Eugene O'Neill on Broadway