This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eila Mell: Welcome back to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila Mell.

[0:05] Bruce Gotlieb: And I'm Bruce Gotlieb. Today, we have a very special guest joining us.

[0:10] Eila Mell: Yes, we do! Caesar Samayoa is here with us today.

[0:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Caesar is known for his incredible work in shows like Come From Away and How to Dance in Ohio.

[0:20] Eila Mell: He has such a fascinating journey in theater, and we can't wait to dive into his experiences.

[0:25] Bruce Gotlieb: Absolutely! Let's get started.

[0:30] Caesar Samayoa: Thank you for having me! I'm excited to be here.

[0:35] Eila Mell: So, Caesar, let's talk about your role in How to Dance in Ohio. What was that experience like for you?

[0:40] Caesar Samayoa: It was an amazing experience. I played Dr. Emilio Amigo, and it was a unique opportunity to bring this character to life.

[0:50] Bruce Gotlieb: What was the process like for you in creating that character?

[0:55] Caesar Samayoa: It involved a lot of collaboration with the creative team. We worked together to develop the character's backstory and motivations.

[1:05] Eila Mell: That sounds incredible. How did you approach the challenges that came with the role?

[1:10] Caesar Samayoa: I focused on understanding the emotional depth of the character. It was important to me to portray him authentically.

[1:20] Bruce Gotlieb: And you also have a background in shows like Come From Away. How did that experience influence your work in How to Dance in Ohio?

[1:30] Caesar Samayoa: Come From Away taught me a lot about ensemble work and storytelling through music. Those lessons were invaluable in my current role.

[1:40] Eila Mell: It's interesting how different shows can shape an actor's approach to their craft.

[1:45] Bruce Gotlieb: Definitely! Speaking of different shows, you’ve also been part of The Pee Wee Herman Show. What was that experience like?

[1:55] Caesar Samayoa: It was a blast! The energy of that show was infectious, and it was a joy to be part of such a whimsical production.

[2:05] Eila Mell: I can only imagine! What was your favorite moment from that show?

[2:10] Caesar Samayoa: There were so many, but I loved the interactions with the audience. It was such a unique experience to engage with them directly.

[2:20] Bruce Gotlieb: That sounds like a lot of fun. Now, let’s talk about your journey in theater overall. How did you get started?

[2:30] Caesar Samayoa: I started in community theater and gradually worked my way up. It was a long journey, but every step was worth it.

[2:40] Eila Mell: What advice would you give to aspiring actors who are just starting out?

[2:45] Caesar Samayoa: Stay persistent and keep honing your craft. Every audition and every role is a learning experience.

[2:55] Bruce Gotlieb: Great advice! Now, let’s shift gears a bit. You recently attended BroadwayCon. What was that experience like for you?

[3:05] Caesar Samayoa: BroadwayCon was fantastic! It was great to connect with fans and fellow artists in the community.

[3:15] Eila Mell: Did you have any memorable interactions while you were there?

[3:20] Caesar Samayoa: Yes! I had a wonderful conversation with some young fans who were so passionate about theater. It reminded me of why I love this industry.

[3:30] Bruce Gotlieb: That’s so inspiring! It’s always great to see the next generation of theater lovers.

[3:35] Eila Mell: Absolutely! Now, before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with our listeners?

[3:40] Caesar Samayoa: Just a big thank you for supporting theater and the arts. It means the world to us artists.

[3:50] Bruce Gotlieb: Thank you, Caesar, for joining us today. It’s been a pleasure having you on the show.

[3:55] Eila Mell: Yes, thank you! We can’t wait to see what you do next.

[4:00] Caesar Samayoa: Thank you both! I appreciate it.

[13:11] Caesar Samayoa: It was truly incredible and it was nothing, you know, you can't plan to experience that raw energy and, you know, frenetic just everything that's going on. And the way that, you know, after she was done in the bows and the way that her, you know, her company surrounded her just was the most beautiful coming together of community. And then, you know, post after that, you know, social media, you know, blowing up and Tatiana thanking her for, you know, taking the rings and, you know, all of those things. It just it was really the most beautiful display of community. And, you know, they're both stars. You know, it's like you guys are so blessed to have like these, you know, these women that, you know, the Broadway community is, you know, so excited about.

It's like you guys are so blessed to have like these, you know, these women that, you know, the Broadway community is just has so many people of this caliber that like you plug, you can plug them in and it's just as good. Yeah, but also, you know, the audience was so with the show because as soon as she stepped out, she got huge applause. So everyone, you know, if the audience didn't like the show so much, you might not have gotten that much. It's an interesting show because I feel like a lot of people go into it, not really being familiar with the material and not knowing what they're getting into. And it's kind of magical to see how much they fall in love with the women as the show goes along.

And sometimes even audiences like a matinees who maybe are more subdued in how they're responding in act one go crazy by act two, because you just really get a sense of who they are. And a lot of the songs just don't work as well outside of the show because you lose that context. It's so satisfying knowing all the other things they're dealing with when they sing that song or like vice versa. Yeah, right. Well, Sondheim had a similar problem with. So I think you're happy to be in that bucket. Exactly. You're in the best company. Pun intended. Yeah. It seems to be such a fan favorite, this show. And do you think that's partly because the characters are just so lovable? Absolutely. I think that coupled with it's just something a lot of people haven't seen before.

It's interesting because when we were tackling how do we write this score and this show, the storytelling is in some ways very traditional. Like I think of it as a very Fiddler inspired by like Fiddler on the Roof or even something like a Kinky Boots in certain ways, just because of the factory of it all. But Fiddler on the Roof more so because it is just the story of this family trying to hold itself together amidst outside pressures. And what's not traditional is the subject matter and who we're putting in the forefront. And I think because it's exciting for people to see characters on stage they haven't seen portrayed before, but in a way that doesn't feel like it's especially in the time that we're living in right now, it doesn't feel like it's trying to make you feel bad about it.

It's trying to make you like there's a line in the show that's one of my favorite moments when women are explaining to Anna some of the reasons why they came to the States and she didn't know a lot of their backstories. And she's like, I'm so sorry. And they're like, we've made a good life here and we don't need your pity. And I think the permission to not have to feel bad all the time about these people who are so strong and who are building wonderful lives and they came here because whatever the situation is here, it's better than where they were. And that's it's empowering to see those people just living in that power of the choices that they've made. That's fantastic. I love that. Yeah. And obviously, the music is a huge reason why the show works so well and is so much fun.

The music feels like a celebration. You know, obviously, there are heavy moments in the show and the music supports those moments completely. But really, it's just it's fun music. It's emotional music. Is there any one song that you're more proud of than the others? Well, I, I, I love our finale. I got it wrong, which is the moment when Anna is kind of finally just trying to speak to her mother, honestly, about how she's realizing that even though her mother is very hard on her and she had a lot of preconceived notions about her mother and her mother's choices and her mother is this symbol of strength for her that she's learned so much from. And to me, it feels very powerful because my way into this show was I mean, I'm I'm not a daughter, but my relationship with my mother is the most formative one in my life.

So being able to kind of write a song that just it's it's rare when you get those moments of breakthrough with your parents like that, especially if you've had a more difficult relationship. So that that was a beautiful moment. I mean, obviously, Roman have curves. It's just such a celebratory. It's this moment of freedom when they're finally just it's hot in that factory and they're taking off their clothes and they're just celebrating the fact that they're alive in a way. And it's just the audience goes crazy and just such a joyful way. And you really just want to stand and celebrate what they're doing up there. And that's you don't get many moments like that at the theater. No, no, that's absolutely a rare moment.

And what was really cool about that one, you don't you don't actually hear it as much in the final version. But when we were making the demo and trying to find out the groove of that song, I started playing around just with sound effects of sewing machines. And the beat came out of just cutting. And like it started with a sewing machine that then slowly becomes the groove. And it was really cool to build that out of the sounds of their world. And maybe one day I can show some things from that original demo, because it'd be really fun to show how some of these things weren't just didn't just come out of a vacuum, but came from trying to think, OK, what are the sounds that they're living with?

And how does that how do they take those sounds and make it into something else? That's really, really cool. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, absolutely. Make a video of that. You hear about things like that all the time. You know, I think it was like when Dolly wrote nine to five, her like her nails were the original sound of what started that song. I love that you say that. It's like, you know, musically inclined people. Obviously, that's what you know. That's that's how you're that's your language. So to use what's in their world is, you know, your vocabulary to help, you know, breathe life into the song. That's really special. Well, I think Joy and I wanted it to feel wanted the score to feel like it's coming from a grounded place, even though we were combining lots of different styles.

And we wanted it to feel both pop, but also have elements of traditional Mexican music and also just all kinds of rhythms and genres. We wanted to feel like it was coming from a place of, I mean, realness. Yeah, we had a lot of fun kind of creating that. Yeah, that's awesome. And what was your favorite part about working with Joy? She is obsessed with snacks. And so I didn't really get to know this until we were working in the same room. I mean, I guess I kind of did, because even on Zoom, she would always be like, this is probably if I'm chewing. But it's perfect when you're working together, because by the time you say you're hungry, she's already ordered like 10 things to come. And it's just she creates such a great energy when you're in the room and we're working together.

She's just so excited to be there. I think part of it is this is her first musical and she's not as jaded as some of us. Right, right, right. But she was a natural, honestly. And I thought it would be a little harder for her. Just the sheer amount of rewriting and reconceiving you have to do compared to when she goes into the studio and she brings in a song. And maybe there's some changes, but usually you just record. It's not like years of rewriting before you get to the final product. But she was game for it. And I think it was really generous of the two of us worked well together, because even if we both had ideas we loved, we would be like, oh, let's use your idea for that one. Or I like what you did here.

What if we did that for this section of the song and we use my idea for this section? And it was we weren't really because there's a lot of ego, too, when you're writing songs. And it was really refreshing that we didn't have to fight for our own ideas in competition. It was just it felt really effortless because it felt early on we we really found the kind of sound we wanted. And we wanted the show to feel both varied and layered, but also cohesive. And so once we figured out what we were aiming for, it kind of just flowed out of us. Well, congratulations. We're so thrilled for you. No matter what happens, you've already won. I mean, you have a show on Broadway that that's it. And forever and always, you will be Tony nominee, Benjamin Velez.

They can't you know, they can't take that from you. So unless unless you become Tony winner, which is even better. But, you know, really, it doesn't matter. But yeah, we will be rooting for you. Thank you. It's so refreshing talking to you because you're both so such positive spirits. And I even before you saw the show, I could tell how excited you were. So it's wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed it. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Well, you will come back for your next show. Absolutely. That'll be, you know, soon tomorrow. Well, it's funny. I'm in a reading right now for a new show. So that's how exciting. Yeah. As we say in the show, the grind don't stop. That's right. Well, but that's what makes the work even better.

Because, you know, you can't slow down. No. Well, because you do it because we love it. Exactly. Why would you want to stop? Yeah. All right. Well, thank you for joining us once again. We'd love to have people back. And so you have an open invitation and we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards. Bye.

[22:14] Julia Naito: Hi, I'm Julia Naito and Behind the Awards. We'll be right back.

[22:20] Bruce Gotlieb: So, Caesar, we have one of the stars of Just In Time, Caesar Samayoa.

[22:24] Caesar Samayoa: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

[22:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Thank you so much for joining us. How is the show going?

[22:29] Caesar Samayoa: It is a whirlwind right now. You know, as I'm sure you know, when we start previews, we're changing the show. Right now, it feels like by the minute. And so it's really bad, but we're rehearsing during the day and performing at night, but it is such a vibrant, beautiful, energetic show that every evening is kind of a different adventure.

[22:50] Bruce Gotlieb: That has to make it a little bit easier too, right? If there is this energy behind it.

[22:53] Caesar Samayoa: Absolutely. It's like 100%. I can't wait. I don't want to say too much. I can't wait for you to see this. Cause the audience energy is really, it's kind of unbelievable. I mean, and I'm talking from the first seconds of the show. Uh, and it keeps going throughout. Yeah, it's, it's, it's a beautiful show and it's something that I feel like my soul needs right now. And a lot of people's actually.

[23:16] Bruce Gotlieb: Definitely. And you get to be part of this club.

[23:19] Caesar Samayoa: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the minute you walk into the theater, you are immersed in kind of, um, a dream, your dream version of the Copa club, uh, especially in its heyday. So it's really quite something.

[23:32] Bruce Gotlieb: I always feel like I missed out on that kind of fun time going out in New York.

[23:37] Caesar Samayoa: I did too. I did too. I just feel like, I feel like it's, first of all, I love how people would dress up to go out, you know, I miss that so much right now. It reminds me of say an opening night party for a Broadway show where everybody's dressed up and to think that that used to be the case for any time you would walk into a theater to see or, or an event, you know, but I think the really exciting thing is that our fans are starting to really take that on and just dress up and dress up in period costumes, the whole entire thing.

[24:10] Bruce Gotlieb: So you're going to see kind of like a bevy of looks, uh, as you walk into the theater.

[24:13] Caesar Samayoa: I love it. I think I'll be your biggest fan. If you do that, I love when people dress up and if they really go for like the whole thing of the show, it's even better.

[24:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Did you know much about, you know, Bobby Darin or all of that going into this?

[24:30] Caesar Samayoa: You know what? I mean, the truth is I didn't know much about his personal life, but man, when you hear the music in the show, you're going to realize that it is a huge part of the American songbook. I mean, the amount of music that this man put out into the world and that everybody knows is pretty astonishing. And I think, uh, our show does a beautiful job of kind of letting people know that.

[24:54] Caesar Samayoa: Um, I'm a huge vinyl fan. I love collecting vinyls and I especially love, uh, collecting vinyls of live performances. Cause I think they're so vibrant and you hear what the artist wanted to do from beginning to end rather than just pick and choose. And his happened, happened to be some of my favorite vinyls out there, especially singing at the Copa. So, uh, this kind of just was a beautiful project that, that came along my way. That just feels really, it feels like a really great fit.

[25:25] Caesar Samayoa: Alex Timbers is just a master at doing this kind of stuff. It's my fourth collaboration with him. And I just, I love working with him because he, he takes people's experience very much to heart.

[25:38] Bruce Gotlieb: We had Emily on the other day and she was, you know, her point of view was very much the same, that it was just an exciting thing.

[25:45] Caesar Samayoa: Now, Emily's my partner in crime in that theater. So I'm glad you had her on. I wish we were on together.

[25:49] Bruce Gotlieb: That would have been fun.

[25:54] Caesar Samayoa: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

[25:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Um, so did you know much about Don Kirshner going in?

[25:59] Caesar Samayoa: I have dear family friends and I said, you know, I just got a call to play Don Kirshner in the show and they were, Oh my God, Don Kirshner, are you kidding me? So I went down a rabbit hole and this is yet another man in Bobby Darin's life who really had a huge say in the American songbook and what happens going forward and, and the type of music that people listen to and the type of artists that.

[27:53] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[28:23] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[28:53] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[29:03] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[29:13] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[29:23] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[29:33] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[29:43] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[29:53] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[30:03] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[30:13] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[30:23] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[30:33] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[30:43] Eila Mell: What songs do you get to sing in the show that we are all familiar with?

[30:54] Eila Mell: What are some of your favorite songs in the show?

[31:02] Eila Mell: What are some of your favorite songs in the show?

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[39:30] Eila Mell: What are some of your favorite songs in the show?

[39:36] Caesar Samayoa: On an artistic level, it was incredible watching Paul Reuben work. I mean, he is a consummate professional and takes his work extremely seriously. And it's easy to think, oh, he's Pee Wee Herman. He's probably just like, you know, crazy and out there. No, everything was very specific, extremely rehearsed. You know, I actually had the privilege of running the show with him every day fully before that night's performance. So it was quite something, the preparation that he put into every single moment of that show. I know he was very protective of that character. Very protective. I mean, he really had his hands on every little aspect of it. Yeah, it's an iconic character that people absolutely love.

I feel like Alex Timbers really specializes in working with people who aren't necessarily Broadway people. You know, John Mulaney and Nick Kroll, their show. And, you know, he does a lot of really great work with people. And I think he knows how to bring the best out in people who are known for Broadway, who are not known for Broadway. He's just, you know, a really wonderful director.

[40:43] Eila Mell: I agree. What have you learned working with him so many times?

[40:46] Caesar Samayoa: You know, Alex and I have known each other forever at this point, kind of started our careers together in the city. And first and foremost, Alex is one of the kindest, open-hearted people you could possibly work for. And he demands that of each person in his rehearsal rooms. So from the moment you are in those rooms, you are taken care of. It is joyful. It is as stress-free as possible as a Broadway show can possibly be. It's a community, you know, and I find him to be, I just wish I could be in his mind for one day because I love his imagination and creativity. I think it's really astounding. But the thing that I think really makes things thrive and maybe people that aren't Broadway people is that he treats you like a human being and he really loves his cast, like he really loves his cast. So every day is really a joy going into that rehearsal room.

[41:44] Eila Mell: Wow. Do you remember the moment, whether I guess maybe growing up where, whether you saw a show or what made you have that light bulb moment of this is, this is my career. This is what I do.

[41:56] Caesar Samayoa: Actually. Um, you know, my parents are immigrants from Guatemala and we came to the United States. I was born here in New York City, but we really knew nothing about Broadway or anything like this whatsoever. And my teacher introduced me to the theater and I happened to see Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan and it changed kind of my life forever. I saw the gentleman who went on stage playing Captain Hook and I just somehow, you know, gosh, I must've been in third, fourth grade, little me all of a sudden looked on stage. I was like, I don't know how, how I can do this or what, what this is all about, but this is what I want to do. Um, and so I really, I thank my teacher every day for introducing me to the arts.

You know, it's, you never know whose life is going to be changed when you get to introduce them to the arts. And Cesar, what's so amazing is that there are going to be kids who are seeing Just in Time and it's the first Broadway show ever. Right. Oh gosh. I wish I could remember the person who said this quote, but someone said this backstage yes, uh, two days ago and it hit my heart in such a huge way that every performance, remember that it's somebody's first performance and somebody's last performance of a Broadway show and, and that's who you should be playing for. And it really, I mean, that, that's exactly, it spoke to me in such a huge way, you know, that's exactly why I do this. Um, so it's, it's a wonderful reminder. Thank you for reminding me of that. It's just such a privilege to be able to bring that to people.

[43:31] Caesar Samayoa: Yeah. And it happened because there was this, um, there was this older gentleman who just absolutely adored the show and he happened to be sitting in the front row and the show ended and it took quite a long time for him to get out of theater because it's a lot of steps and he took his time and whoever was his chaperone was helping him. And as he was leaving the theater, he turned around and he's like, come on, we need to go. They're starting a production. Meaning goes, no, I just want to look at it one more time.

[43:58] Eila Mell: Oh, wow. Well, what I love about Circle in the Square, you know, I used to go growing up, so I like to look at the people in the audience, you know, cause they're opposite you. So you see everything, but it's so much fun because you really aware of sharing the space with people in that theater. And that's unique to that space.

[44:22] Caesar Samayoa: Well, it's also that some people aren't, exactly. Well, I remember one of my favorite, uh, Broadway shows I had production that I'd ever seen. This was probably when I was in high school and I would take the bus into the city. I think I saw it. Okay. I was a total theater nerd. I think I saw it seven, eight times. And it was a production of Sweeney Todd that was done at Circle in the Square. It was a Fowler, Bob, uh, yeah. Oh yeah. I remember Anthony who I did Come From Away with that. I told them it was like, I stalked show. I saw it eight times when I was little. I saw Mercedes Rule and Rose Tattoo at Circle in the Square. And she, that was one of the most astonishing performances that I remember.

I had a teenage, uh, Sweeney Todd fascination too. I would watch every day. I would watch the video with Angela Lansbury and George Turn. I mean, there's nothing better. Right. But I do remember the first time how terrified I was of that story. It was really how this terrifying story. And then I really started seeing the artistry behind it, which is unbelievable. I got to go to the opening of this new version, you know, from a couple of years ago. And I don't remember the last time I was so excited in a theater when that music started that whistle. Oh, as soon as you hear that, no, no, no, no, no, no, that, you know, exactly. Just like my body knows exactly what's about, you know, to happen. I know it's a great ride. You're about to go on.

[46:44] Eila Mell: That's right. When we talked to Emily, she said that she had a little bit of leeway with what songs she got to sing in the show. Did you also have that same opportunity?

[46:55] Caesar Samayoa: I think there was just a lot of exploration through all of this, especially with, you know, Alex is so incredible. This team is so incredible about showing each of us in our best light. You're going to see that like everyone was cast very specifically for what they do because they do it well, really well. And it's very specific. We're all very, very different in the show. So there was a lot of exploration about, gosh, what would be the best thing for you to do in this point in time in the story? So, yeah, I would say there was a lot of exploration in the show.

[47:37] Eila Mell: That's fun because, you know, you're part of creating the show then in a way that sometimes you're not able to.

[47:42] Caesar Samayoa: I actually, you know, I was able to do two workshops of the show plus a reading. And I love developing shows. I feel I feel honestly, that's where I really excel in a piece and where I could really help a piece if I'm if I'm hired is if I'm part of a developmental process for it. I take it very seriously. I'm not precious at all as to like what, you know, my character gets to do or people kind of call me crazy because I was like, take all my lines away, except for like the very specific ones that are actually needed. Like, please, like just distill, distill, distill, distill until we get to the kind of lightning bolt moment. That's really all I'm interested in. So I love that I was able to, you know, have a hand in developing this show as well.

[48:27] Eila Mell: Yeah, it's got to feel like you, you know, you get to leave your fingerprint on a season or place in time by being on stage. But you also now your DNA is kind of in the fabric of the show from a creative perspective. So that's got to be, you know, something that's real.

[48:42] Caesar Samayoa: It's exciting. I mean, what you just said makes me think of my audition for Come From Away. Am I allowed to curse on this podcast?

[48:48] Eila Mell: Yes, please do.

[48:49] Caesar Samayoa: Well, there's this great line that one of my characters, Kevin says that he says freaking the fuck out, you know, and in the show, it's my it's my favorite. It's my favorite line of the show. You get the clap. I just I love it. And that clap came from my very first audition of Come From Away where I was given that line. And as I think, you know, right, basically right to the writers. And and now I feel like that kind of version of that is in every production of the show. And I just I'm kind of honored.

[49:27] Eila Mell: Yeah, it almost can't. It almost can't not be like, that's so fun.

[49:31] Caesar Samayoa: Yeah, I mean, you just leave your mark in ways that you probably could never have imagined. No, you know, something as simple as that, you know, that those hand claps just came of I love auditions, because I find them to be extremely creative. And I was like, gosh, what's really what would I, you know, what what would, you know, my version of this character do in that moment? And it just all of a sudden, it just kind of happened. It was like this. This is wonderful. And it's great that there's a you know, a professionally shot version of the show that people like that Sweeney Todd that I watched every day so that I, I wish that every show had the opportunity to have a recording after it closes just so you know, it lives on with a much bigger audience.

I actually think it's a really beautiful live capture of that show. And to think that it was done in the middle of the pandemic when Broadway was closed, and people didn't have this and there was just, you know, there was, there was a lot of sadness that our industry was completely shut down at that moment. I remember when we walked from the hotel that we were quarantining in basically to the theater for the first time people were lining up on their fire escapes and cheering because we were the first show to come back to Broadway to like actually perform we may not have been officially open but we were doing that live capture. I'm gosh, I'm tearing up thinking about it right now. You know, it just it means something.

The arts mean something live theater means something. It's part of the heartbeat of this city and nothing made it more obvious than when everything was taken away. You know, well, it reminds me of the line in Dead Poets Society where, you know, Robin Williams character says, you know, business and medicine and all these things are important to help us stay alive, but the arts are what we stay alive for.

[50:18] Eila Mell: Gosh, this is beautiful. I love it.

[50:20] Caesar Samayoa: Yeah.

[50:21] Eila Mell: Yes, me too. You mentioned that, you know, you walk into the theater and you're kind of brought back into a certain place in time. How does getting into costume because everybody it's, you know, across the board, you feel like you're at the Copa at that time. So putting on the costumes that bring you in like a little bit of a time machine, does that inform your character choices at all?

[50:41] Caesar Samayoa: 100%. And I take all those aspects of my character very seriously. And I really love it. I also really love this era that where this show takes place. Yeah, it really is. And it helps me, especially in a multi-character role, just kind of it helps with that transformation into the different characters in the show. I also kind of take my moments before I go on very seriously. I like to be prepared quite a bit of time before I go on. And I like to kind of be by myself and get myself in the right frame of mind and also in the right energy space. This show is is kind of a huge lightning bolt from the moment it starts. So for me, that means that I get into kind of my zone, you know, for a good 10 minutes, 15 minutes before I step onto the stage.

[51:30] Eila Mell: So is your zone relaxed, calm?

[51:32] Caesar Samayoa: I love calmness. I love calmness and focus and just really thinking about, okay, what is the journey tonight? What is the story that I'm going to be telling tonight? I love hearing an audience response. So I take time to really kind of hear how the audience is that night, because you you kind of hear a response within the first seconds of this show. And it really helps me connect, even though I'm not on stage at that moment, it helps me connect with the people who are there and remind me that, oh, this is a brand new experience tonight. You know, this is a brand new conversation with a brand new audience this evening that has nothing to do with last night's audience or this afternoon's audience.

There's a matinee. So that's very exciting for me. So I think that people are are coming for the music and they're going to get so much more than that. They're going to get just an incredible theatrical experience. I mean, this is a top-notch Broadway experience that we're doing right now.

[52:31] Eila Mell: All right. Well, everyone, get your tickets.

[52:33] Caesar Samayoa: Exactly. Get to the theater. And we will see you all next time on Behind The Awards. Thank you so much for having me. This has been incredible.

[52:41] Eila Mell: Oh, thank you. Our pleasure.