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[0:40] Kerry Butler: I am your host, Miss Kerry Butler. Together, you and I are breaking Broadway.

[0:53] Kerry Butler: Hello, welcome to Breaking Broadway. I am so excited to have my guest, Angie Schworer, here today. Angie is a triple threat who is currently in Some Like It Hot, her 12th Broadway show. You also may know her from Angie in The Prom and Ula in The Producers. We did Catch Me If You Can together. Welcome, Angie.

[1:22] Angie Schworer: Hi! I'm so happy to see you.

[1:25] Kerry Butler: So happy to see you too. I feel like you are a muse for so many choreographers that I know and love. Tell us about your journey to becoming a Broadway dancer, performer, actress, singer. Did you always dream of this?

[1:42] Angie Schworer: Honestly, I don't think I knew enough. I grew up in Northern Kentucky, and I didn't really know. It wasn't like from the get-go when I started dancing at five years old back in the covered wagon days that I thought, "I need to do Broadway." I don't think I knew enough, right? I was just a dancer my whole childhood—once a week, half hour tap, half hour jazz, half hour ballet, acro. I loved it. And then I was until I went to college. I went to NKU, Northern Kentucky University, a little college near my hometown, where they said you need to speak and sing. Then I started sort of learning that. And then I believe maybe the Broadway dream might have come onto my map a little bit, right?

[2:31] Kerry Butler: Wow. When you were growing up, you only did like an hour of dance a week.

[2:51] Angie Schworer: Yeah. We did the competitions.

[2:51] Kerry Butler: Me too. How is that tall?

[2:51] Angie Schworer: You're so good and I so fast.

[2:51] Kerry Butler: I did. You are not. Oh, you know I am.

[2:51] Angie Schworer: It's okay. I've seen you dance. That's how I became obsessed with you in Hairspray, don't even try it. Yeah, I think we did the competitions, obviously not as competitive as it is now. You know, it's crazy. I wasn't that, but I did do the dance competitions, the DEA and those kind of things. But yeah, I think it was once a week, and then in high school, I started teaching. I started assisting at my dance studio. But in college, they were like, "You need to learn to sing and speak," and I did that all the time. I started doing the acting classes and got sort of my first little role as Lois Lane in Kiss Me, Kate at my college and stuff like that. But then I was working at Disney, and I knew so many people that were working in New York, sorry, that moved to New York that in my eyes were so much more talented than I was, and they weren't really working.

So I just stayed at Disney because I thought I might as well stay where I have a great job. I was dance captain, I did all these convention shows, and it was a great company to work for. I loved it. So I even put a down payment on a house.

[3:59] Kerry Butler: No way.

[3:59] Angie Schworer: Because I was gonna just live in Lake Buena Vista.

[4:05] Kerry Butler: Yes.

[4:07] Angie Schworer: And it was one of those that you build, right? And then DJ Salisbury, who was a PA on Will Rogers Follies, called me on a landline in the entertainment office and said, "I think you should come up and audition for Will Rogers Follies." You are too young to know that show, but I know that show. One of the prerequisites is they wanted you to be over 5'8", and I'm almost 5'11". I probably shrunk a little now, but I did. And so I don't know that I just—that's the way my path was, but I don't know that I always just thought that's where I need to be. And then 32 years later, I'm here.

[4:42] Angie Schworer: Oh, sorry, I missed that part. He was my dance partner at the Diamond Horseshoe at Disney.

[4:47] Kerry Butler: Oh my gosh.

[4:49] Angie Schworer: So you never know who you're working with, right?

[4:51] Kerry Butler: That's right. Be nice to everybody.

[4:53] Angie Schworer: Because if I wasn't, he certainly wouldn't be calling on the landline, having me come up and audition. So I don't know that I ever set my sights on it, but then it sort of came into my path.

[5:03] Kerry Butler: That's so cool. Well, it was meant to be, I guess. How did you get so close with Jerry Mitchell and Casey Nicholaw?

[5:15] Angie Schworer: Well, Jerry was in the ensemble of Will Rogers Follies. I moved here on February 8th, 1991. I started rehearsal for Will Rogers on February 9th of 1991. So that day, that first day in my anniversary is coming up. And so February 9th, I always try to see Jerry and Troy Johnson and John Gannun, who lives in LA, and our late Jason Opsahl. But they were my boys because I was a swing. So my dressing room at the Palace was up on, I guess I don't remember, the fifth floor maybe, and that's where the boys were. I got to know them very well, and that's how I first day of rehearsal, Jerry Mitchell started taking me under his wing. I swear to God, he was like, "Hey, you wanna—we're gonna watch." He had just choreographed Heart's Desire in Cleveland or something. He said, "We're gonna go watch it at my house. You wanna come over?" You know, boom. It was love at first sight.

[6:11] Kerry Butler: Wow.

[6:12] Angie Schworer: And so for those listening, Jerry Mitchell, if you don't know, is one of the top choreographers on Broadway. He did Hairspray that I was in and also Catch Me If You Can that both of us were in. But I mean, tons and tons of musicals and directing, yes, Legally Blonde. He's so talented. And what about Casey?

[6:33] Angie Schworer: Casey and I were two ships that passed in the night in Crazy for You. I did the first national of Crazy for You and then came and replaced on Broadway like the last couple of years. He was already gone because he was in the ensemble too, and he had already started his new path. So we were kind of two ships that passed in the night. Then I auditioned for him for Minsky's. I believe this was 2009. I had just finished doing Young Frankenstein. I replaced in that after The Producers. And I auditioned for him. I just remembered the one thing I remember, it was called Minsky's. It was a show that was supposed to come in. It went to the Pantages, sorry, the Amundsen in LA. And I remember the cards you used to get at auditions, the little white card, and you would fill in your name and your sizes, maybe what part, maybe what part or what show it was.

And then it said age, and I put "old and big" because of my account, and he said it out loud. He thought it was so funny. And so I auditioned for Minsky's, and that's when I started working for Casey. And then a couple years later, he asked me to do Something Rotten! workshop, which became a show. He had me do The Prom, which they said, "We're calling this character. We call her your name. We call her Angie Schwartz right now."

[7:49] Kerry Butler: Yeah, so they wrote it for you, right?

[7:52] Angie Schworer: And then they just never changed the name. It's Angie Dickinson in the show, though, for those of you who know who Angie Dickinson is. And then the first day we opened The Prom, we just opened it. And he started working on Some Like It Hot. He asked me to come in with all the principles, and I read all the girls. And Minnie didn't really exist. It was Beanstalk; it was a man. And then Minnie was the drummer, and then Minnie sort of became who Minnie is now, which is sort of the band manager slash sweet sidekick. So that's my Casey love story. And I always—and you know Scotty and Mark, of course.

[8:34] Kerry Butler: Of course.

[8:35] Angie Schworer: For some reason, they always just keep me in their pocket, and I don't know why, but I'll take it. And I love it, and it's joyful, and Casey's joyful.

[8:41] Kerry Butler: Oh yes.

[8:46] Angie Schworer: You respect him so much, and you never want to disappoint him, but we just laugh and have so much fun too, right?

[8:53] Kerry Butler: Mm-hmm.

[8:54] Angie Schworer: So that's my Casey and Jerry love stories. Did you ever—because now both of us have been in the business forever—did you ever go, "I'm a lot older than you, don't you?"

[9:02] Kerry Butler: No, you're not.

[9:02] Angie Schworer: You're not.

[9:02] Kerry Butler: Did you ever go through a difficult time when you wanted to give up?

[9:10] Angie Schworer: You know, Kerry, for some reason, and I don't know if this is just because I'm—I'm not trying to belittle anything that I've done or belittle my talent or anything like that. But every time a show closes, I always think there's gonna be another one.

[9:25] Kerry Butler: Well, me too.

[9:27] Angie Schworer: Yeah. So what is that?

[9:28] Kerry Butler: I don't know what that is, but I always go like, "Well, then yeah, it's starting to be." I think it's just realistic because there's so much competition out there.

[9:43] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[9:44] Kerry Butler: And it's only—it's, you know, I feel like when I started out 32 years later or 32 years ago, the competition wasn't what it is now. I mean, these kids are amazing, and they have so much more at their fingertips than I did, right?

[10:01] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[10:02] Kerry Butler: You can emulate; you watch videos.

[10:04] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[10:05] Kerry Butler: Yeah, we didn't have any of that.

[10:09] Angie Schworer: Yes.

[10:10] Kerry Butler: And buy the book. You know what I mean? We didn't get to go like, "Oh, let's watch the performance of this," you know.

[10:15] Angie Schworer: Yeah, me too.

[10:16] Kerry Butler: Yeah. And I think it lends itself to more competition and to them just being better and more fierce.

[10:23] Angie Schworer: Yeah, yeah.

[10:24] Kerry Butler: I never thought of it like that, but I think you're right about that. And workshops and master classes, there's just more of those things. And I mean, even before COVID. You know, they became more prevalent during COVID too.

[10:36] Angie Schworer: Sorry, go ahead.

[10:37] Kerry Butler: So you didn't—so when the show closes and you think you're never gonna work again, you don't get depressed about that. You're just like, "Uh, I don't know."

[10:45] Angie Schworer: I guess I do. I guess there's always that post-depression from when you just come down off of a great high. The Prom was very depressing for me because I wanted it to last longer, and it was so good. And it was so joyful to me. I just didn't know why it didn't catch on fire. You know what I mean? And but it has now.

[11:07] Kerry Butler: Yes.

[11:08] Angie Schworer: And you know, then they did the movie, and now regional theaters are starting to do it. So the story is being told. I just kind of wish it could have been with me a little bit longer.

[11:16] Kerry Butler: Yes.

[11:17] Angie Schworer: I think we were—I was in the middle of doing Something Rotten! with Casey, and they started the ball rolling for The Prom, right? Same with—was The Prom one of the highlights of your career, like having a part named after you?

[11:26] Angie Schworer: Well, I guess it's still the little kid from Kentucky kind of goes, "I can't believe that actually happened." But I have so many people going, "Hey, I'm going in for Angie at Pioneer Theater," and it just kind of cracks me up. I'm like, "Oh my God." Yeah, I feel like it's a nice little notch in my belt from this little, you know, toehead kid from Kentucky who, you know, sings a little, dances a little, acts a little, you know what I mean? So I feel like that is definitely a highlight. And then my whole Ula journey was sort of my first principal role because I did understudy a lot. Not a lot, but a few times, you know, I'm very specific to what I can and can't understudy. But Ula was that first big thing for me. So that always has a special place in my heart.

[12:20] Kerry Butler: Yes.

[12:21] Angie Schworer: Yeah, and that was like the hottest show of the time.

[12:24] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[12:25] Angie Schworer: It really was a wonderful time in my life too. So yeah, Angie and Ula obviously are biggies for me. And now Minnie, I'm very much enjoying Minnie because I get to sit at the drums a lot.

[12:41] Kerry Butler: Oh.

[12:42] Angie Schworer: Yeah, I can't wait to see it. My family all saw it without me while I was doing Beetlejuice, and they loved it.

[12:47] Kerry Butler: I knew you couldn't see it yet because you were still working.

[12:50] Angie Schworer: Yeah, they loved it, but I'm gonna come see it for sure because they absolutely loved it. But it's, again, I get to do a little bit of everything. And so thank you, Casey Nicholaw and Scotty and Mark for taking care of me.

[13:03] Kerry Butler: Yes. So this podcast is for, you know, young actors starting out so they can hear about the business.

[13:09] Angie Schworer: And I'm doing a series on like how we are athletes and how we have to take care of ourselves. Um, which I have felt like I've had to do so much more now than when I was younger. What about you?

[13:22] Kerry Butler: I honestly religiously still take dance classes.

[13:26] Angie Schworer: You do.

[13:27] Kerry Butler: I do. Um, I that's why I'm I'm after I get off with you today, I am heading to Deb Roche at steps at three o'clock.

[13:36] Angie Schworer: Wow.

[13:37] Kerry Butler: It's an hour and a half class. It's a great one.

[13:39] Angie Schworer: Oh my gosh, so you're in a show and you're taking dance classes during the day.

[13:42] Kerry Butler: If I can get there, I do four times a week.

[13:46] Angie Schworer: Wow. Good for you.

[13:47] Kerry Butler: If I can, if I can get there, you know, we're doing sometimes there's little PR things and photo shoots. But I will get there about four times a week. Again, Casey takes care of me in the show. I do not flip and do all the things that the shinier younger people do. But what it does, and this is something I think is very important, it kind of evens out what you do in the show. So that you you know what I'm saying? You kind of—

[14:12] Angie Schworer: Yes, 100%.

[14:13] Kerry Butler: You favor one whole side. I don't really have to kick much or anything in the show, but you favor one side, so it sort of evens me out. And honestly, when I was doing Ula, I did the same thing because I was much, you know, when was that? 20 years ago. I was much younger. I didn't have to warm up. I could literally plop down into the splits and be ready to go.

[14:31] Angie Schworer: Really?

[14:32] Kerry Butler: But I did Deb Roche religiously. Right. And sometimes it kind of fits in right before the show. Where like to not like today it kind of does, so it's it literally is like sort of your warm-up for the show. But you're right, it is very you do have to you spend the rest of the day as you would revving up to do whatever it is, you know, however, you have to eat, however, you have to warm up vocally, whatever we have to do. So yeah, I think it is very much in our in in a way athletic. I just started doing um Pilates and I love it because I feel like that is really balancing out my body from the same thing, doing the same thing over and over again.

[15:09] Angie Schworer: Yeah, I think that is that is Pilates is wonderful. Uh the reformer is I pulled a hamstring really I mean, sorry, I pulled my groin muscle very badly on the first national, and I cut out the splits for a little while, and uh the reformer is what rehabs me and knock on wood wherever I have it, um it never recurred.

[15:32] Kerry Butler: Wow. So that is Pilates is awesome.

[15:35] Angie Schworer: That's great. Do you do um do you have to do a cooldown after the show or anything like that?

[15:41] Kerry Butler: No, no, not not physically. I just walk to the subway, walk the stairs, walk home, you know.

[15:46] Angie Schworer: So you're not you're not in pain all the time after like dancing a whole your whole lifetime.

[15:51] Kerry Butler: Randomly, not yet. I don't know. I'm not gonna read, yeah.

[15:54] Angie Schworer: Because I'm in pain all the time. I'm like, how am I in pain? I don't even dance.

[15:59] Kerry Butler: Well, I don't oh God. I don't know. I mean it uh I hate to jinx myself. Maybe it's the dance classes.

[16:05] Angie Schworer: Maybe it's it could be the dance classes. And there is still working the other muscles, yeah. There was a time and it it might have been with you. It might have been doing Catch Me If You Can. We were trying to figure out when I still lived in Jersey. I went to lifetime fitness and did a half hour swim every day.

[16:22] Kerry Butler: Oh, I love swimming. Swimming is one of the greatest things. And it also for singing too.

[16:26] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[16:27] Kerry Butler: Because it opens everything up. And you can do like, you know, little trills as you're swinging as you're swimming.

[16:33] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[16:34] Kerry Butler: Yeah. I used to do that as a warmup too. I wasn't I'm not like feeling it doing the freestyle and go. I do a nice breath stro.

[16:41] Angie Schworer: Me too. It really lengthens your muscles and keeps them sort of sinewy, and I think it's all all good. I it's too much rigor roll for me to swim in the city in the winter. I'm cold all the time. So um definitely is something I do in the summer. What about um do you have a routine for like what you would can eat before shows and things like that?

[17:01] Angie Schworer: It's so weird as you get older because it's like you just can't eat too I just took feel like you can't eat too much. You know how it is. And even if I'm not flipping, you still I still have to dance and be quick on my feet. I don't want to feel like but um I'm pretty I'm a pretty simple eater. I have the palate of a child, so I'm not I'm a turkey sandwich girl and a and a and a chicken noodle soup and maybe a slice. You know, I'll I'll just have a little something. And I try to eat a c an hour or two before, you know, so it's not um, but yeah, I I I eat pretty simply, but I just make sure you just don't eat too much because you just feel you feel better dancing when you're not feeling heavy, like you just ate, you know, too much food. Sometimes too, as I get older, um, you know, the acid reflux from certain stuff you gotta you have to watch.

[17:51] Kerry Butler: I um yeah, that affects so many performers. When I was in The Producers, I I was I was saying to my friend Sarah Gettelfinger, I was having some acid stuff, and my father, my late father was still alive then, and he he was a doctor, so he prescribed pro was it protonics for me. It was uh an ad has to wear. And I I go, I go, I don't know why I'm having it. She goes, Well, what are you eating at night? And I was like, I don't know, just a little cottage cheese with some seasoning salt on it. She was like, before you go to bed. I was like, Yeah, is that bad? You just gotta watch all those kind of things.

[18:26] Angie Schworer: Yeah, things, you know, it's like yeah, yeah, it's true. What is your best advice for people starting out?

[18:33] Kerry Butler: Well, we already hit this one about being kind.

[18:36] Angie Schworer: Yes.

[18:37] Kerry Butler: And and being good to anyone that you c come in to play with in a show, in auditions, uh work at work ethic. Um and and and it's about treating people from front to back, front of house to back of house. Everyone in that theater, treating them with kindness and respect because directors find out, right? They know. Yeah. Um, but I would say cultivating as many relationships as you can. For instance, I um you I I don't know if you do a lot of regional theater or have, but I do when I'm not doing a show. I like to I couple regional theaters that I like to work at. And it's always these great young people, some of them are non ek, some of them are equity that you get to watch and work with. And I feel like doing those kind of jobs, especially as a young person, what especially if you're non-equity still, is how you can sort of cultivate relationships because there are going to be people like me in the show or like you in the show that have connections and they see how you work, they see how you work for those three weeks in rehearsal, they see how you do your eight shows a week.

So you're actually in it with them and you can recommend them for. For instance, right before prom, I did a whole list of kids I had just worked with at um, I think it was in Mamma Mia I had done at Ogunquit. And I listed their names, what the things that they were good at, some of the features they did in the show and how strong. Um, and again, it's because they were on their gig and were kind and had great work ethic that I put that I paid it forward for for them.

[20:14] Angie Schworer: Oh, that's so nice.

[20:16] Kerry Butler: Now, I don't know that any of them made none of them made it into the show, but they got their name out there and you never know when one will hit, you know.

[20:23] Angie Schworer: That's right. I think it's that and cultivating relationships and then sort of saying yes to anything that comes your way because when you're young.

[20:31] Kerry Butler: You know that.

[20:32] Angie Schworer: Yeah, you know that. Sometimes I we have to say no now, but like—

[20:38] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[20:39] Angie Schworer: But then, yeah, you do things for free, because again, you're building relationships. You might be learn you're every time you perform, you're learning. Yeah, and you don't have your kids yet. You don't have, you know, your family that you need to be home for. So it's it's yeah, saying yes to any of those things because they're gonna lead your they're gonna that that's the way your path is is supposed to go, and it's gonna lead you the right way, right? Um I say this to other people. It's different for you because you know, you're a big Broadway star, Park and Barker. If I only did Prince tried to do principal roles once I ended The Producers, I would have missed out on five more shows.

[21:14] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[21:15] Angie Schworer: Give or take. You know what I mean? For me, it's not the always the same for other people, but for me, that's my path. Because I mean too. I'm like because right before Catch Me If You Can, I played the lead in Xanadu. And I'm like, I just wanna be like uh a member of a company where one time I'm the lead, one time I'm the supporting character, and because we both just love to work.

[21:38] Kerry Butler: Right.

[21:39] Angie Schworer: Right. So you've got to be. But Minnie, my character, I said yes to this. It was an ensemble part. I said yes, because Casey, I do anything for Casey and Scotty and Mark, right? And then equity came in mid-December and made me a principal.

[22:07] Kerry Butler: Oh my god.

[22:08] Angie Schworer: Because I'm nobody else in the whole show. And I don't know what all the stipulations are. But what if I had said no?

[22:16] Kerry Butler: Mm-hmm.

[22:17] Angie Schworer: And to me, listen, I'm still doing the exact same thing I did when it was a e you know, ensemble contract that it is principal, but they bought they made me a principal. So I always think about that. Like what who am I to be like say no, especially after three years of a pandemic, right?

[22:32] Kerry Butler: Right.

[22:33] Angie Schworer: But it just so worked out that that's this is where it lands. And how do you feel doing it? Do you feel like, oh, I I should be the lead or are you okay?

[22:41] Kerry Butler: No.

[22:41] Angie Schworer: Oh, good.

[22:42] Kerry Butler: Never.

[22:43] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[22:44] Kerry Butler: No. I'm listening I feel like even when I was Angie, when I'm Angie had the core she was a she was a chorus girl, right? She was Angie. But I was a principal, I still feel like I'm in the chorus. I'm a chorus girl, I feel like I'm principal. I'm the same person. I do it's just it's just I'm doing the same thing. I just I love it so much. I I love to be on the Broadway stage. Uh you could put me in the back corner and I will create a whole scene.

[23:13] Angie Schworer: Yeah by saying nothing.

[23:15] Kerry Butler: I'm good. I'm really that's that's a great um thing for people to to know about too. That like always have your backstory, no matter how big your part is.

[23:25] Angie Schworer: Well you could steal the show with no lines.

[23:28] Kerry Butler: Exactly. But it my thing, but you then you also have to be careful, you know, there's a fine line to pull the focus. But I think that's another good thing for young people. And and again, these kids are coming out quadruple threats from these conservatories and and schools, and they already know this. But yeah, sometimes you don't get choreography. And there's two or three eight counts that you gotta swirl up, you know.

[23:54] Angie Schworer: Well there's a scene, and if you don't do anything in the scene, you're not doing anything.

[23:59] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[24:00] Angie Schworer: Yeah, it's up to you.

[24:01] Kerry Butler: Yeah. And I I love that Casey, he's a he does that a lot. I love it. He gives freedom a lot of freedom. Yeah. And for instance, in the opening of Something Rotten, I just vaguely remember why I jumped up on a box. I'll have no idea why I did that. But you know, it was like Angie, this is your path. You're gonna go here, boom, boom, boom, and you end up there. And so then you sort of fill in the blanks of how you get there in the genre of the show, you know, in the essence of the show or whatever section of that that the the opening number is. So I love that. I think it's um it's m it's more creative too. And Casey's great like that. Um, he loves when you just come up with stuff, and he sometimes he'll be like, no. But you know, I think it's great. And you people have to learn how to do that because you fill in the blanks, and that helps them seeing their, you know, their idea come to fruition too, with you adding things.

[25:00] Kerry Butler: Yeah. Thank you so much for being with us, Angie. Uh so tell people where they can see you aside from Some Like It Hot on Broadway.

[25:07] Angie Schworer: Please go see it. I heard it's amazing, and I can't wait to see it. Yes, come see us at Some Like It Hot and I'm uh on my Instagram is at Angie Schworer, A-N-G-I-E-S-C-H-W-O-R-E-P.

[25:19] Kerry Butler: Well, thank you so much for being here. It was a joy seeing you and having hearing all of your stories and sharing your wonderful insight with all of us.

[25:28] Angie Schworer: I love you.

[25:29] Kerry Butler: You're so welcome.

[25:31] Angie Schworer: Love you.

[25:32] Kerry Butler: Love you.

[25:33] Angie Schworer: Thanks for having me.

[25:38] Kerry Butler: Thank you so much for listening. If you would like me to come to your school or theater group and give a masterclass or a talk back, please reach out at kerrybutlercoach.com. If you like this podcast and want more episodes, please go to bpn.fm slash breaking broadway and subscribe, like, or share. Together, you and I are breaking Broadway.