Defying Expectations on the Professional Stage

Musical Theatre Students Share Stage with West End Stars

Seventeen UNC Pembroke students recently stepped onto the Givens Performing Arts Center stage alongside three leading performers from London’s West End, trading the classroom for a first-hand lesson in what it takes to perform professionally.

When Gravity – Three Wicked Voices brought its U.S. tour to GPAC, UNCP students – the majority of whom were musical theatre majors – joined the cast for the performance. For sophomores Maddie Barefoot and Lily Walls, the opportunity came with an added surprise. They were selected to perform a featured duet from Wicked.

Barefoot portrayed Glinda opposite Walls’ Elphaba in “What is This Feeling?”

The opportunity came together quickly.

The two initially expected to perform as part of the ensemble and learned only two weeks before the show that they would be featured soloists.

“We were nervous because of the small amount of time, and we had to learn such big parts,” Barefoot said.

Working with voice instructor Dr. Piper Pack-Smith, Barefoot and Walls prepared the duet, focusing on harmonies and the song. They rehearsed with the ensemble before meeting the professional cast on the day of the performance.

That compressed schedule became part of the lesson.

“There are some challenging harmonies, especially at the end,” Walls said. “Staging was challenging. We didn’t get to hear the live band until the afternoon before. We had to pivot — but it was fun.”

Gravity – Three Wicked Voices features West End performers  Elizabeth Futter, Emma Hatton and Nikki Bentley performing music from Wicked, Cats, The Greatest Showman and other popular works.

Daniel Bukin, director of UNCP’s musical theatre program, said working alongside artists at that level gave students a perspective that is difficult to replicate in the classroom.  

“It gives them an excellent bar for what it takes to be a performer in this industry,” he said. “It’s one thing to watch a clip from the Tony Award in 2014; it’s another thing entirely to have it right in front of your face.”

The experience also showed students the realities of working on a touring production, from arriving at a venue and preparing for a performance to adapting to limited rehearsal time and collaborating with professionals they had just met.

For Walls, it complemented lessons from her musical theatre workshop, where students explore directing, staging and choreography.

Just before Barefoot and Walls stepped onto the GPAC stage, the professional lesson became personal.

“I got very calm after the nerves settled. Then, I told myself, it’s showtime!”

Barefoot described a similar transformation.

“Right before going out, I feel my nerves swelling up,” she said. “I don’t talk to anyone. I try to breathe and focus. And the moment I get out there, I black out. I become this character.”

Once she was onstage, the nerves gave way to concentration.

“I am doing what I love. I’m in my element,” Barefoot said. “When you are on stage and everything clicks, there’s not a feeling that can top that.”

The UNCP students also made an impression on the touring production.

“They were phenomenal!” said Thomas Cabot, road manager and monitor engineer with Rockhouse Productions. “The choir was great. It was a phenomenal thing to tie in with the community for students who are interested in musical theatre or singing in general.”

Bukin said experiences like this also give students an opportunity to begin making connections within the professional musical theatre industry before they graduate.

“That level of connection not only helps students bridge the gap between their studies and their professional careers but also helps them see the multitude of ways a career can be made in musical theatre,” he said.

For Barefoot and Walls, the experience also broadened their vision for their own careers.

Barefoot originally planned to become a high school drama teacher. But as she has gained more opportunities to perform at UNCP, she has begun to reconsider where her training might take her.

“The more I perform and hone in on my craft, I do wonder about performing and that maybe that dream is not so far out of reach,” she said.

Growing up in a small town, Barefoot said opportunities like performing alongside professional artists once seemed distant.

“I come from a small town that doesn’t necessarily have the biggest opportunities, so being here and getting to do things like this is like an otherworldly experience,” she said. “Things like this are a reminder to keep going.”

Walls has an even more specific goal: One day, she wants to play Elphaba on Broadway. Performing music from Wicked on the GPAC stage gave her a glimpse of what pursuing that dream could look like.

“I’m going to do this one day. I’m going to be touring and singing for audiences,” she said. “Having this experience has solidified that fire in me and that determination and desire to perform. It is not out of reach. It may be difficult, but it is possible.”