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[0:04] Kerry Butler: Once I played a penny who just couldn't stop the beat. Yes, with rather skits on her feet. Although it's recently to see. A real quo mom. Use a co version of Tina. Tina. Now come with me, Emma. I am your host, Miss Kerry Butler. Together, you and I are breaking Broadway.

[0:52] Kerry Butler: Hello everyone. Welcome back to Breaking Broadway. I am here today with my good friend Katie Webber. Katie and I did Catch Me If You Can together. She is a phenomenal triple threat, amazing dancer, amazing singer, amazing actress. Um, I feel like Katie has been just working constantly. She's been in Wicked, Rock of Ages. Uh, most recently, Tina. You were a finalist in like American Idol or something, right?

[1:22] Katie Webber: Girl, yeah, that's a blast from the past. I was.

[1:25] Kerry Butler: Yeah, see, that's what a good singer she is.

[1:26] Katie Webber: Yeah.

[1:27] Kerry Butler: And as good as that, she's as good a dancer. So welcome, Katie.

[1:31] Katie Webber: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here and get to chat with you.

[1:35] Kerry Butler: So, Katie, I usually start my podcast asking about people's journeys to how they got on Broadway. Did you grow up always knowing that you wanted to be a performer?

[1:45] Katie Webber: Well, yes. I grew up, I started dancing at three years old. I was a passionate dancer. And I think, you know, as long as I can remember, I was like, I'm gonna grow up and be a dancer. And so my dance teacher, who used to be a professional dancer, um, she told me if you want to have a career in dance, you also need to be a singer. So I started singing around nine years old. Um, that was a journey. Um, but I started getting really into singing too, and I felt like, you know, I was decent at it. And so then I went to college for dance. You know, I always I went to San Jose State University, just very close to home because I didn't, I was a late bloomer and kind of afraid to spread my wings. Um, but I grew up in California, and the idea of coming to New York and being on Broadway honestly never crossed my mind ever. It was too, yeah, too far. Wow. I thought I would be a pop star. Um, or I thought that I would be like a backup dancer for Madonna. Um, which I auditioned for her a couple times and never booked it.

[2:57] Kerry Butler: Um, you were never a backup dancer for anybody?

[3:00] Katie Webber: I was for a couple randoms. Um, yeah, but which was super fun.

[3:06] Kerry Butler: Yeah. And then there was an open call for Wicked in LA, which was, LA was still like five hours from my hometown. But my mom was like, there's an open call for Wicked, and you're going. And at this point, I had just graduated college. So like I was already out of school. Um, and I was teaching a lot of dance. And so I went to this open call. I got called back over the next three days. I heard nothing for six months.

[3:34] Katie Webber: Oh wow. Um, and then one day I was driving to go teach a dance class, and my phone rang and it was a two-one two number. And they said, Well, Wicked on Broadway is interested in you. And I thought, Oh, okay, I'll have to come back and audition again if they're interested. And they were like, and um, it was like a Wednesday, and he was like, and you need to start on Monday. Um, he's like, So obviously we need to get you to New York. And I was like, what? Like, I was so confused. I called my mom. I was like, I guess I'm gonna be in Wicked on Broadway, like, and I came, I was only supposed to be in the show for three months. I was supposed to be like a temporary replacement, but the girl that I was replacing never came back. And so I was in the show for three and a half years, and wow.

[4:20] Kerry Butler: Yeah. And how was it when you moved to New York then?

[4:23] Katie Webber: I was so nervous. I had 20 in the bank.

[4:25] Kerry Butler: I gosh.

[4:27] Katie Webber: I had 20. I couldn't, I might have had 19 because I remember that I couldn't go to the ATM because I didn't have with the like fee, I didn't have enough in the bank to withdraw 20. Because I moved across the country, they put me up in a hotel for uh like 10 days.

[4:45] Kerry Butler: Oh, that's nice.

[4:46] Katie Webber: Um, yeah, but they told me that I needed to be in my own apartment by December 25th. So I came out in December, and so on Christmas, I needed to find an apartment, which was very hard. Um, so yeah, it was scary. It was I didn't know, you know, I would walk like one block and be like, I think I've gone far enough. I'm gonna turn around, you know. It's like it's a lot coming from California to a big city, you know.

[5:14] Katie Webber: So um, and it probably, you know, it took me a little while to get accustomed to the city, but after a while, I was like, Oh, I'm never leaving. This is my place. So yeah, and you know, I was in Wicked for three and a half years and then been very lucky to after that really just kind of the ball started rolling and I just kind of started bouncing around, which was great.

[5:36] Kerry Butler: I thought you would be a good person to tell us about how you maintain doing all of those shows because Tina must have been like a crazy hard dance show.

[5:46] Katie Webber: Yeah, oh my gosh, yeah. You know, Tina, Tina took a lot of effort. You know, I feel I've been most of my shows that I've been in have been, and and I think most shows on Broadway are like pretty rigorous and require a lot of physicality and um energy and time, as you know. Um so yeah, you know, Tina, Tina was a lot of dancing and and I'm just getting older, you know, I'm not getting any younger.

[6:14] Kerry Butler: I hear you.

[6:15] Katie Webber: Yeah.

[6:16] Kerry Butler: So um, you know, like treating my body well and kind of incorporating that into my life became really important, you know, especially after I had a daughter six years ago. It's like all of a sudden I'm like, oh, I can't just do everything that I used to kind of do, you know, like like partying all the time.

[6:38] Katie Webber: Yes. Well, I think about like, you know, my Broadway debut was Wicked in 2005. And I was in the show for three and a half years, and we used to just go out all night, you know, like we would just it was great, it was fun. But I at the same time I'd come back to work the next day and I'd be like, oh, my voice is trashed. And or you know, I'd have an audition and I'd be like, oh, my voice is trashed, or I'm tired, or I don't look, you know, I look a little puffy. Um, you know, I think I think the older and kind of wiser that I got, the more I was like, oh, you know, this is actually up to me. You know, this, these are my choices.

[7:21] Katie Webber: And I have the ability to feel great and and I have the ability to do eight shows a week without my voice feeling trashed. But it's about the kind of choices I make with how I'm treating my body, what I'm putting into it, and you know, what I'm doing with my time.

[7:36] Kerry Butler: It was mostly your voice and not like the physicality of of dancing all of those shows, because that's what I would think would be even harder.

[7:43] Katie Webber: I, you know, I think it's definitely both. I think that when I was a bit younger, I was just like a savage with my body. And I grew up as a dancer. And so you just like you're programmed to like when you got to dial it up to 10, you just dial it up to 10. It's like whatever, you know, even when you're tired or so. I think I I didn't even really like understand that that was connected when I was a bit younger. It wasn't until I got a little bit older that I realized, oh, my body is not, you know, I the energy I don't have, or you know, the the way I'm feeling in my in my body after eating between shows. Like that was a big one for me, like what I would choose to eat in between shows. Because I think back in the day, you'd you know, you go to like Chipotle or something, and like, yeah, you know, and now I'm like, man, I can't, I can't be on my center and and show up in the way that I want in my body if I do that.

[8:41] Kerry Butler: So what things do you need to eat then? If what things do you what did you find that you couldn't eat, and what things do you need to eat?

[8:48] Katie Webber: Well, for me, you know, it's so personal, like everybody's so different. You know, and so I I love to share, you know, on Instagram and everything, the things that make me feel good, but I also leave so much space for that that might not be what makes somebody else feel good. Um, and so for me, it's a plant-based diet. And it's mostly, you know, at first I started like hardcore vegan. Um, and I just I kind of was like, I wasn't feeling good in my body. And I also had like mentally I had a dysfunctional relationship with with eating, um, growing up as a dancer. It's like I would I do would do a lot of binging and then I would do like withholding. I'd be like, oh, I feel gross. Let me not eat for a few days or whatever. It was like a you know, uh a dysfunctional relationship there.

[9:37] Katie Webber: So really I just wanted kind of food freedom and I love food and I love eating and I love cooking.

[9:45] Kerry Butler: Yeah, I should say that I love your cookbook thing too. Katie has a cookbook, and you're a nutritionist now, right?

[9:51] Katie Webber: Yes, I'm a certified holistic nutritionist, which also focuses more on like plant-based eating. Um yeah, I just started kind of really being conscious and mindful about what I was eating. And that for me started with like fruits and vegetables, staying away from processed foods is a huge one for me. Um, and it was like it was like magic. It was like, you know, it I felt I would I had a new baby, and yet I had more energy than I'd ever had in my life. And I just was showing up in life better than I had, you know.

[10:28] Kerry Butler: So it was it really was um illuminating that that was making a huge positive impact for me as to being mindful about the foods, you know, whole foods, fresh vegetables, eating salads and you know, fresh fruit and staying hydrated and all of these things. Um it just and now, you know, I'm I feel I laid that foundation for myself. Like I I kind of drew like a really great roadmap, and now I can kind of you know veer off a little bit and always know where I'm going.

[11:05] Katie Webber: And so that Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you get a craving, you can you can cave into that craving and you'll still be okay. Or sometimes it's like, man, my body wants a hamburger today. And for me, that means I'm just gonna go ahead and eat a hamburger, I'm gonna enjoy it. I will take note of how it makes me feel afterward, like, oh, I feel great. I needed that, or you know what? That wasn't the best decision, like mental note, you know.

[11:29] Kerry Butler: Yeah, so it's it's about like choosing whole foods for me. It's also about just being really mindful and thoughtful about, you know, eating to feel good as opposed to look a certain way or appear a certain way or connect, you know, or or to just, or to rebel or whatever, you know.

[11:52] Katie Webber: Yeah. You know, during well, so I've always been a vegetarian too. I think you knew that.

[11:55] Kerry Butler: And um, are you a vegan or vegetarian?

[12:00] Katie Webber: Well, I I do try and do vegan.

[12:03] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[12:03] Katie Webber: Um, everyone in my family is vegetarian. I try and go more vegan, uh, but I felt like when I was doing Beetlejuice, especially, I think as I'm getting older and my hormones are shifting and stuff like that, I need eggs.

[12:16] Katie Webber: Yeah to do the show. Mentally, I needed it. Like it was just like something with getting my mind um sharp. Um, and so, you know, again, like I let myself have eggs. And I I really only do it now.

[12:30] Katie Webber: I don't, I I don't have eggs. But then for every two show day, I would have to eat eggs before the show just to get me through. So other than that, I feel like I am mostly mostly vegan. But again, like I don't have to put that label on myself. Like if I go to a restaurant, I'm not gonna ask if there's butter in that or things like that.

[12:48] Kerry Butler: Right, exactly.

[12:49] Katie Webber: Um, but I also noticed that what you eat, especially like during COVID, I was drinking soda and I was just making bad choices because I was getting like kind of depressed. And then that made me more depressed.

[13:00] Kerry Butler: Yeah, yeah.

[13:01] Katie Webber: Like what you eat, and I found during the um break. Did you ever hear of Sakara?

[13:07] Kerry Butler: Of course, yeah.

[13:08] Katie Webber: Yeah, so I love Sakara, the packed meals. I did those because I felt like my mood was really being affected by what I was eating, and I just couldn't do it myself. Like I have your cookbook and I love your cookbook. I love all the recipes, and those are definitely on the Sakara diet. But sometimes if you don't, if you're so like blah that you can't even make yourself cook the things, absolutely. And if you pay the money, I feel like for the meals and they're there, then that's a good starting point. And then now I can make everything on my own, you know?

[13:39] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[13:40] Katie Webber: Well, you know, so I have one of my, it's kind of a mini cookbook right now. It's only digital, it's called the reset. And that's what I have, yeah. Yeah, and it's basically like a cleanse, but with food, as opposed to like a juice cleanse or some kind of crash diet. So it's like eating, it's recipes and eating a lot of food, but you know, you're gonna be cleansing and you're gonna be, you know, cutting out processed foods and meat and dairy and all of that. And it's been, you know, really well received, and people that do it really love it. And sure, some people do it and they'll say, you know, it's a 10-day meal plan. And some people will say, Oh, I lost some weight. I feel so much better, which is nice and fine. But that's what I love about it is that people will say, I have so much more energy. I have less anxiety, I'm sleeping better. And I'm like those are the things you would never think about. I think that they're affected to what you eat.

[14:36] Kerry Butler: Exactly.

[14:37] Katie Webber: I was not ready for the like insane response from so many people that were, and it was just across the board, people like, I'm sleeping better. And I'm like, wow, I got so many messages like that this week. People sleeping better.

[14:49] Kerry Butler: That's awesome.

[14:50] Katie Webber: You know, people's anxiety, people just the bloating, the all these other things, the skin, you know, my skin is glowing. I've struggled with acne, and now all of a sudden I'm it's clearing up and it's like, wow, it's just it reaches, you know, so many layers to your being.

[15:08] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[15:09] Katie Webber: Yeah, it's so great. So what do you feel like you would need before shows? Like, would you need some kind of rice or would you just have vegetables?

[15:18] Katie Webber: I also was playing recently in the last year with eggs in the morning because I would notice that it would really um hold me over. So it would give me kind of sustained energy without a crash, um, without, you know, feeling bloated or whatever. So that was eggs in the morning were good for me. Um, and yeah, before a show, I like having maybe like a salad with some rice or some roasted vegetables, or um, you know, I'm I'm always just eating vegetables mostly. But um, but it's also about like not, you know, and I like having maybe some nuts to kind of like throw in there to you know satiate to to fill it up. Um, but also I always add seeds, I always add like pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. The sunflower seeds, the you know, all that good stuff.

Um, because you also gotta have a crunch and it's also gotta taste good, you know. You have to be happy and it's in everywhere, you know, in your taste buds. Um, but yeah, you know, I love you know, avocado and olive oil and fatty things like that too that are really delicious and will, you know, fuel me for a day. And like, and never sleep on, you know, a an apple, you know, like you're hungry. It's like I feel so often, it's like I need a snack. And you think about a snack is like reaching into a bag or something. And it's like, how about an apple? How about a banana? How about an orange, you know, like just you know, a whole food I always feel is like such a great move.

[16:54] Katie Webber: The nice thing too is like I never count calories at all anymore. I just and I want to eat fat.

[17:00] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[17:01] Katie Webber: So I feel like my body, so I I'll eat all kinds of nuts and things like that.

[17:05] Kerry Butler: Yes.

[17:05] Katie Webber: Um, because you could eat actually, it fills you up more than just getting the bag of chips or something like that.

[17:11] Kerry Butler: Exactly.

[17:11] Katie Webber: Yes. I love, I feel I'm always, I always have, you know, raw cashews at my spot. It's so good.

[17:19] Kerry Butler: So good. What kinds of stuff do you do physically to prepare you for eight shows a week? Do you still take classes when you're doing a show?

[17:29] Katie Webber: Well, I probably should. I feel that I feel the correct answer is yes, I'm always in class. Um, and but the answer is no, I'm not. Um, but I do love hot yoga um on occasion. I depending on the show that I'm in, you know, sometimes you think of a show as like, oh, it's only three hours of your day or whatever. It's like I have the whole day free. It really does require so much energy. And I also feel like prioritizing rest is so important, you know, that's true during the day. And sometimes I'm like, you know, man, I should go work out or do this. And I'm like, but really I need to just like have a moment, you know. And that's as important, like, because some people listening might think that they need to be going to class every day while they're doing a Broadway show or something like that. And the message of taking time to meditate or taking time to nap or rest, like it's really important.

[18:29] Katie Webber: It is, it's so important. And that's also why I tend to like, you know, in terms of like a workout, I I will always go for like a mind-body connection. So like yoga is great for me.

[18:40] Kerry Butler: Yeah, me too.

[18:43] Katie Webber: Just like slowing down because any workout for me personally that's gonna add like stress, like running or boxing or you know, things like that, I feel, or even sometimes for me, like weightlifting is like I I start being like, uh, you know, I'm it I feel stressed when I'm doing it. And I'm like, this probably isn't it's defeating the purpose, you know.

[19:07] Kerry Butler: So now that you're not in a show, how do you keep up so that you're 100% ready?

[19:13] Katie Webber: Yeah, because somebody could call you tomorrow and be like, you're going in, right?

[19:17] Kerry Butler: It could totally happen that somebody could call you tomorrow and be like, you're in for um on the road indeed.

[19:22] Katie Webber: I know, I know. Well, I I do feel like so I am in yoga, you know, maybe twice a week. I do an at home kind of very maybe a 20 minute workout. On uh if a day that I'm not taking a class, I do my at home workout. It's just like using my own body weight, you know, squats, abs, you know, sometimes I'll kind of do like a free standing ballet bar in the living room. Um, and I am also trying to take class, you know, at least once a week. Um, just to kind of because I also feel like the the mental part of it of picking up choreography, right? Um, you know, that's such a huge component, like especially for auditions. Like, you know, you want to walk in, you want to be sharp, you want to be able to pick up the choreo.

[20:09] Kerry Butler: So do you you still have to audition for choreography?

[20:12] Katie Webber: Oh yes, girl, I sure do.

[20:14] Kerry Butler: Yes, I'm surprised.

[20:17] Katie Webber: I know. I feel like everybody knows you.

[20:19] Kerry Butler: I feel like I have a bad attitude. I'm like, you really need me to send a self tape in and me dancing. You can't okay, okay, fine.

[20:27] Katie Webber: Well, I mean, I still have to audition for some things too.

[20:29] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[20:30] Katie Webber: Uh but I would not dance.

[20:32] Kerry Butler: Yeah.

[20:33] Katie Webber: Yeah.

[20:33] Kerry Butler: Because if I had to dance for dance, if I had audition for dance, I'd be like, there's no way I'm getting it. So I'm not even gonna put myself through that embarrassment.

[20:40] Katie Webber: Yeah.

[20:41] Kerry Butler: I know.

[20:42] Katie Webber: Yeah, it's and it's also crazy because like I'm 41 now and I look at I go to a dance, you know. Sometimes these dance auditions, I'm like, wow, you people were not alive when I graduated high school. Like, I'm like granny, you know. So to keep up with the children is uh, you know, it's not easy. But I also I will say that getting older, because I think in show business, it's like, oh, you're you're past your prime, you're too old, you're whatever. And you know, I've been feeling this way since I was in my early 20s. And I really do think there's something beautiful about aging in the business and uh the grace that comes with it, because I I can't do what I used to be able to do physically dance-wise, and I can't do what some of the you know younger girls can do, but I can do a lot of things better than I ever could before.

And that just comes with yeah, you know, style and and understanding nuance and ease and not pushing and you know, these things that happen as you as you age and just grow into your body and into yourself, you know, that I think is really nice.

[21:56] Kerry Butler: That's awesome. Um, do you have any um other advice that you would give to young performers out there listening, thinking about making a career on Broadway and thinking about what they need to do?

[22:10] Katie Webber: Yeah, well, in terms of um in terms of like the kind of body food stuff that we were talking about, I would say, you know, you know your body the best. You know, the choice is up to you, and it's all about choosing things to help you feel good. Always lead with what's gonna make you feel good in your body, you know, forget anybody's opinion or anything about if you, you know, if you if they think you need to lose weight or they think you need to gain weight, or or you know, anything aesthetically, it's like forget about it, but just lead with what feels good. And then, you know, in terms of just kind of business advice, my advice to everybody is always the same, and it's be somebody that people love to work with.

And you know, I think that is number one. I think it's more important than your talent. Obviously, we need to work hard. We need to hone the craft. You know, the skills are obviously so so important. But you know, show up with a smile on your face, be a collaborator, you know, be happy, you know, happy to be there and um and make you know meaningful connections with the people that you're working with, because that is what is going to give you longevity in the industry.

[23:32] Kerry Butler: 100%.

[23:33] Katie Webber: Such great advice.

[23:34] Kerry Butler: Yeah. Uh thank you so much, Katie. Um tell people where they can get your amazing cookbook.

[23:40] Katie Webber: Thank you. And where they can find you.

[23:42] Katie Webber: Yeah, you can follow me on Instagram at Katie Webber NYC. That's Webber with two Bs. And then I have a website, Katie Webber.com, which has lots of recipes, and you can also buy my cookbooks there. And my cookbooks are also on Amazon.

[23:59] Kerry Butler: And even if you're not vegan or vegetarian, try out her recipes because they are really delicious. And like she said, like they will make you feel good.

[24:08] Katie Webber: Yeah. I do get a lot of feedback. Like my husband is a meat and potatoes and he loves your, you know, X, Y, and Z recipe. I'm like, amazing. Great. We love to hear it.

[24:17] Kerry Butler: Thank you so much for joining us, Katie.

[24:21] Katie Webber: Thank you, Kerry.

[24:25] 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.