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[0:00] April Holloway: I made my Broadway debut on October 31st Halloween of 2017. So I thought that was kind of cool, like a kind of cool coincidence that I made my Broadway debut on Halloween and a day where everybody wears costumes, so um hey, what's going on?

[0:44] Joe Rosko: Welcome to Built for the Stage Podcast. This is Joe Rosko, founder of Built for the Stage, Broadway's number one fitness platform. If you haven't tried a free trial, go to the website builtforthestage.com, and you'll be on your way to seven days working with your own Broadway fitness coach via an online app. Special thanks to the Broadway Podcast Network for producing this episode. We have yet again another exciting guest on the pod. We've been living in the land of Agrabah. We're gonna keep that rolling here as we're doing this Aladdin takeover. So please welcome to the podcast, April Holloway.

[1:19] April Holloway: Hey Joe.

[1:20] Joe Rosko: Hey April, how are you doing?

[1:24] April Holloway: Doing so well. This is gonna be a great interview because these kind of little pre-show hiccups that we've had are you know what makes us loosen up a bit, let our guard down, and just have a nice casual talk. So um yeah, this is our second or third go-around of it, but you're actually in the midst of some type of tornado watch or warning or something. What's going on up there in Jersey?

[1:49] April Holloway: Yeah, I'm here in North Bergen, New Jersey, and um we just got a little tornado warning. I don't know what's happening, but um I'm just here riding it out and yeah, just looking forward to chatting with you.

[2:08] Joe Rosko: Cool, cool. Well, thanks for spending your Thursday night with us. It's a Thursday night, but usually our episodes come out on Monday morning. So if you're listening on a Monday morning, good morning. Uh if not, good evening or afternoon, wherever you're at. Well, right now it's July 29th and we're about a month away from your rehearsal starting. Um, have you started to get a little bit of that itch of like, you know, oh, I should start doing XYZ to get ready? What's that been like uh as the rehearsal process is coming uh closer and closer?

[2:29] April Holloway: A little bit of an itch, but I actually am feeling um more calm as I get closer to the rehearsal process. Um I actually have been doing some long-term work physically and mentally, um, not on purpose, but I had a minor injury right before the shutdown that um I was in the process of healing. So I was well enough that I was able to do the show eight times a week, but I still needed some TLC and I still needed to go through that full process of physical therapy. So when we got word that Broadway was gonna be down for a bit, I was like, I'm just gonna rest my body because I'd been in the show for over two years at that point. So I just took the time to rest. And um, yeah, once I found that we weren't gonna be going back to work for a while, I was like, let me just really take care of my body, get back into physical therapy and really commit to that.

And it's been great. It's been super transformative. Um I originally started doing the sessions over Zoom and then in person, and um this is my first time having an injury or like having to go through the process of physical therapy, but it ended up being a blessing because um it's just allowed me to really take care of my body in a way that I hadn't before.

[4:24] April Holloway: And so I've just kind of been doing that for a good chunk of the pandemic.

[4:29] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[4:30] April Holloway: So I've already been preparing in a way physically.

[4:33] Joe Rosko: Yeah. How was that when you first were injured and you knew that you'd have to go through physical therapy and kind of take it easy? How was that mentally at first? Were you kind of reluctant to pump the brakes or because I know it's that can be tough for people to stop their normal routine?

[4:51] April Holloway: Yeah, a little there's a little bit of a hesitation to just take a moment for myself, but ultimately I know that you know I gotta take care of myself. So um I was just like, I'm gonna do what I need to do, and it just so happened that I was able to get that good chunk of rest. Um that we're not always able to get as performers.

[5:20] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[5:21] April Holloway: Yeah. So during the pandemic, alongside of your physical therapy, has there been anything else that's just been kind of a blessing or something positive that's gone on for you during this prolonged time off?

[5:37] April Holloway: Um so in addition to doing the PT, I also purchased a rowing machine. I really love to row. So that's also been um that's also accompanied my healing process. And um, you know, some days I'm more motivated than others, but um I just really love the um the rowing workout and I accompany that with my physical therapy. So that's been cool in terms of accompanying my healing. Um but in terms of like clearing up my mental space, I've been able to just declutter my apartment and you know, just out with the old, in with the new, and that's been super refreshing. Uh so yeah, that I mean all those things just come with time, you know, downtime.

[6:39] Joe Rosko: Yeah, and that's been the one kind of nice aspect of going through the pandemic. All right, we're not gonna hop off this rowing that quickly. We're gonna go back to it right now. I I got super I I myself am always like, oh, I wish I had a rower or a few other like a bike machine and things like that. So what's your favorite type of rowing workout? Do you like to just sit down and row forever? Do you like to do intervals? What's your favorite type of uh rowing workout that you've been doing?

[7:12] April Holloway: Well, for now, I've kind of been taking it easy. I'm using it more as a warm-up. Um, but I used to teach at a rowing studio. So um, I mean, obviously in a full class format, you start out with a warm-up, you know, you move into like your core exercises and weight training and things like that. Um, and then you obviously you're gonna vary the intensities in that kind of environment. But I've pretty much just been kind of taking it easy on my body, using it as a warm-up, incorporating other aspects of what a typical workout would be, and then um also adding my physical therapy into that process.

[8:02] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[8:03] April Holloway: Um I love I love it. I I love using every everyone listening. You can kind of uh take this and and run with it and try some new stuff on the rower, but I like using the seat, you know, on sliding on the erg to put your feet on in like a high plank.

[8:20] Joe Rosko: Mm-hmm.

[8:20] April Holloway: You could work some nice uh pike lifts or leg tucks, things like that for your core.

[8:26] Joe Rosko: Okay, okay.

[8:27] April Holloway: After this, I love the planks and things like that.

[8:30] Joe Rosko: Yeah, yeah.

[8:31] April Holloway: Okay, after this recording, I'm gonna have to talk to you more about this because I just stumbled upon this. I didn't realize you were such a uh fitness guru, fitness instructor. I'm excited about that.

[8:41] April Holloway: We're getting there. We're getting there. I'm learning a lot on my journey.

[8:48] Joe Rosko: What was what was your just to stay on this for another second? What was your favorite part of being uh a fitness instructor? Whether it was like the interaction with the people or the type of uh fitness training you were doing. What was what was some of the highlights of that?

[9:07] April Holloway: Um I just really like the aspect of motivating people to um move out of their comfort zone or not even that just I just like to create a space for people to just feel good about themselves and um have an opportunity to um enhance their health in the process.

[9:40] April Holloway: Yeah, um so yeah that's that's the that's my favorite part also I really love to make playlists and so um I love the music aspect of a class when it comes to fitness and so um that that just really gets me excited as well okay do you have any uh public playlists floating around Spotify or anywhere that uh not on Spotify but I post them on my Instagram sometimes and I um I link them for my dressing room as well so okay there we go yeah it's just something fun that I like to do okay wait so if we're in the dressing rooms uh backstage for Aladdin what's gonna be playing on April's playlist oh my gosh it it could really be anything.

[10:37] April Holloway: So it just depends on the day. Um so like if it's a subject. Um I mean, I'm I'm always gonna go to R&B first, like R&B and maybe a little bit of hip hop. But yeah, it it just it just depends on the mood. So like I was saying, if it's a Sunday or something like that and it's the end of the week and it's like a brunch vibe, maybe it's just gonna be like a cool, calm and collected kind of um kind of list, you know, like chill if it's you know, a Saturday, Saturday night or Friday night, maybe it's gonna be a little bit more upbeat, a little bit more energized, but um yeah, I like I like a variety of of music, so I don't always necessarily just stick to one genre.

[11:29] Joe Rosko: Sure. Alright, well, everyone that's listening will have uh April's uh IG handle in the description of the episode so that you can follow up on what music she what music playlist she's listening to. It's April underscore R underscore Holloway, but you can just check that out in the description of the episode. Um okay, I'll have me a good playlist, you know. As someone that's involved with fitness, I know that you know the music's important, but I also know that in the class setting, you can't please everyone, you know, you can't please everyone.

[11:59] April Holloway: Um how about everyone backstage? Are they they approve? No one's giving you a hard time of like, oh come on, not this one again.

[12:08] April Holloway: Yeah, they approve.

[12:10] Joe Rosko: All right, well, with Aladdin coming up, what's one or two things that like you just love or thrive on uh with the show that you know is always a joy to uh to have part of your day uh eight times a week?

[12:26] April Holloway: Uh I gotta say just in general the energy of my castmates um it's just it's just really awesome. I always feel super supported by them um and welcomed and uh that's that's really the that's my favorite part of of the job I mean obviously I love what I do for a living but just building that community with you know people who have the same love um is really cool and I'm I'm looking forward to getting back back to that and seeing everybody that I haven't seen in a year and a half.

[13:09] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[13:10] April Holloway: Dance really has been a part of your life uh since the beginning right you're from DC and you started dancing pretty pretty early.

[13:20] April Holloway: Yeah yeah it's uh I grew up on dance um mostly uh like modern jazz and ballet of course uh you know it's I took a little bit of tap here and there and I've you know been introduced to all styles um you know over the course of studying uh so dance is like my foundation and my background yeah and then I kind of got into musical theater in college I um I went to Elon University um and they have a really well known musical theater program there, but I majored in dance and I also majored in exercise sports science because I thought I was gonna uh go into physical therapy.

[14:15] April Holloway: Um, and then one of my friends kind of put me on to musicals. Like I had grown up on musicals like movie musicals and things like that, but I didn't realize you could major in it in school when I would you know when I went to school. Um yeah, so um I got into musical theater and and the rest is kind of history. Um you know, started taking some voice lessons and things like that, and just grew in that part of my artistry and you know, just taking pieces with me as I go along.

[14:52] Joe Rosko: When did you when did you join the show? When did you start Aladdin?

[14:56] April Holloway: I made my Broadway debut on October 31st, Halloween of 2017.

[15:08] April Holloway: So I thought that was kind of cool, like uh um just a kind of cool coincidence that I made my Broadway debut on Halloween and a day where everybody wears costumes, so yeah, did you show up to your Broadway debut in a costume?

[15:31] April Holloway: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. I just kind of mean the like the theatrical aspect of wearing tons of costumes in my show for a living. Um yeah, so it's just like a fun fact that I have.

[15:48] April Holloway: But yeah, um Halloween 2017.

[15:53] Joe Rosko: You're telling me no one from the show in your cast showed up to the theater with a costume on.

[15:58] April Holloway: Oh, I think they did.

[16:01] April Holloway: But I didn't. I had too I have too many things on my brain.

[16:05] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[16:07] April Holloway: Yeah. They definitely had on or they were going somewhere after and had costumes on, something like that.

[16:14] Joe Rosko: Got it. Were you kind of um w what is it called? Like the white noise or when you can't really realize what's going on, or do you have memories from that opening night?

[16:26] April Holloway: Can you remember anything uh from that?

[16:31] April Holloway: Um not opening night, Broadway debut, excuse me.

[16:36] April Holloway: Yeah, yeah.

[16:38] April Holloway: Uh kinda.

[16:40] April Holloway: Um like I remember my my loved ones who were there.

[16:45] April Holloway: Um I didn't really tell anyone beforehand.

[16:51] April Holloway: Um and so I guess I was having a conversation with one of my good friends the day of it.

[16:57] April Holloway: I like told her that I was making my Broadway debut.

[17:01] April Holloway: And she just came to the box office and got a ticket the day of, and um that was that was really sweet and something that I that I really cherished from that day.

[17:13] April Holloway: But it was actually pretty pretty chill.

[17:18] April Holloway: I definitely have like in those those beginning stages I've felt more comfortable with the show as it went on, obviously.

[17:27] April Holloway: Um so yeah, with with my Broadway debut, I don't really think of it as just one specific memory on that first night that I performed.

[17:43] April Holloway: Um I more so think of it as like the collective of many memories that I've had in this one big experience over you know a couple of years or so.

[17:58] April Holloway: Um I just feel like I've been gifted with a lot of the Disney magic here and there and in different different places, or you know, it's just been kind of like those sporadic instances of just like good things that have come with the experience of being a part of this show.

[18:22] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[18:23] Joe Rosko: All right, and that'll do it with April Holloway. Thanks again to April for being on our episode today. Once again, if you want to try a free trial of Built for the Stage, go to BuiltfortheStage.com or click the link in the description of this episode.

[18:36] Joe Rosko: Would love to meet you, love to interact, love for you to try out BFTS. Free, no gimmicks, no catch. Check it out. Thanks again to the Broadway Podcast Network. This is Joe Rosko, we'll see you later.