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[0:12] Joe Rosko: Hey, what's going on? Welcome to Built for the Stage podcast. This is Joe Rosko, founder and host of Built for the Stage, Broadway's number one fitness platform with clients in over 20 Broadway shows and other stages across the globe, like the West End in London, Australia, and collegiate theaters across the country. We are your one stop shop for all things theater and fitness. If you want to try working with me on an interactive fitness app, go to BuiltForThestage.com and we'll be on our way with a one-week free trial. Built for the stage.com. All right, let's get on to our special guest. Special guest as always. Uh our guest is currently in the production of Some Like It Hot on Broadway. And they made their Broadway debut in Mean Girls the Musical. It's actually Wednesday, so that's very appropriate. All right, let's bring her on. Devon Hadsell.

[1:12] Devon Hadsell: You know what, Joe? I made like a first off, the crowd goes wild, regardless if I just said your last name correctly. Usually I'm really good about like, hey, what's your last name pronunciation and your pronouns? But I was just so excited to talk to you that I didn't even get that. Okay, did I butcher it? Was I close?

[1:31] Joe Rosko: No, it wasn't too bad. No. Um, Hadsell or Had Cell is great. So you were pretty close.

[1:37] Devon Hadsell: Okay, so a tomato tomato situation we have here.

[1:40] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Well, what do you prefer? We we want to say it the way you like it.

[1:44] Devon Hadsell: You know what's funny? When I'm doing like a formal thing, um, I normally say I'm Devon Hadsell, but if I'm like casually introducing myself, I say, Oh, hi, I'm Devon Hadsell, so nice to meet you. So I really don't even know myself.

[1:58] Joe Rosko: Oh, hilarious. I'm insane.

[2:00] Devon Hadsell: You know what? I don't think it is. I come from a family where my mother and grandmother both celebrated their birthday on the wrong date their entire life. So, like for you, yeah. So, for you to say that you know you're kind of here nor there on the pronunciation of your last names, totally normal to me.

[2:18] Joe Rosko: Okay, great. Good, good, good. Okay, so uh it's it's Wednesday. Uh today brought a one show or two show day.

[2:27] Devon Hadsell: Oh my god, there it is. Burn book. Burn it. Hilarious. Um, today is a two-show day, Wednesday for us.

[2:34] Joe Rosko: Okay, so what happened in the first show? Anything? Did any of the doors fall over during the chase scene? Anything crazy happen?

[2:42] Devon Hadsell: Oh my gosh, that's a good question. No, nothing crazy happened today that I can remember. No, pretty pretty normal standard show today.

[2:50] Joe Rosko: Are the doors pretty secure, or have we ever had any close calls with those doors rolling around on the stage?

[2:56] Devon Hadsell: So they're actually pretty heavy. Um, and we've had a couple fingers get like jammed in them. Um, but we've never had them tip. Thank goodness. There were actually some doors in Mean Girls that were similar, but they were like lockers, they were separated, and one did fall on someone one time.

[3:13] Joe Rosko: Oh, good.

[3:14] Devon Hadsell: But no doors in Some Like It Hot have fallen yet.

[3:17] Joe Rosko: Got it, got it, got it. All right, cool. Well, this is already a fun conversation. Let's make it more fun and let's just hop on to the BFTS hot seat to shake it a loose a bit, just to have some giggles and uh get to know you a little bit more. So we're gonna put BFTS hot seat up. We're gonna get some tacky music playing. Let's let's get that going. Let's see.

[3:36] Devon Hadsell: There we go. And uh okay, we're off. Here we go. BFTS hot seat. Uh first question. You have dinner reservations, and your plus one that's gonna meet you is a they are a jerk and they cancel on you, but then the hostess feels so badly for you that they say, you know what? I got this magic card here, and I'm gonna let you choose anyone from the past or future to replace your guest with a new guest. And this person can be a celebrity, someone you knew or or do know. Who are you gonna magically have appear to have dinner with you?

[4:23] Devon Hadsell: Oh, they could be a cartoon. I would probably want to have dinner with my grandpa Norman. Um, he was one of my biggest fans when I was a kid and came to every single one of my shows. Um, and he sadly passed when I was I I think like 10 or 11. So I would love to chat with him now. And I know he'd just be so proud of everything I've done and the fact that I made it to Broadway. So my Papa Norman.

[4:48] Joe Rosko: I love it. Shout out Papa Norman. Okay, so two show day. Maybe you had like some self tapes, maybe you stepped in a puddle. It's like one of those days where you're like, oh, one of those days. What's like you held up your uh your Starbucks there? Something else, though. Like, what's like a treat you need? Like for me, I'm going to donut plant and getting a carrot cake donut. So, what do you what are you gonna get on a day that you just like need that?

[5:15] Devon Hadsell: Pick me up. Oh, some gummy candies, either sour gummy worms or um nerd gummy clusters. Have you ever had those?

[5:25] Joe Rosko: No, but they sound phenomenal.

[5:28] Devon Hadsell: They're so good, they are so delicious. Well, also, if it's the end of the night, you could put those gummies into like a cocktail of sort and then have the alcohol just soak in there, you know?

[5:39] Joe Rosko: Yes, also a very valid option before your show. You know, let them soak there for about two and a half hours during the show, and then they're ready to go.

[5:48] Devon Hadsell: That's so smart. You're gonna say, hey guys, you know that fitness guy that trains Broadway people? He taught me this amazing trick on how to get drunk off gummies, uh, you know, during the course of my show. Let's do it.

[6:03] Joe Rosko: Okay, well, you make sure you shout me out when you do. I want to see how it goes.

[6:07] Devon Hadsell: Heck yes, we will tag you.

[6:09] Joe Rosko: All right, cool. Speaking of pick me ups, you wake up and you need the vibe, you need that feel good song. What's like one of your feel good songs that like is on repeat?

[6:20] Devon Hadsell: Oh my gosh. Oh, that's such a good question. Um, do you know the song Gangster by Kehlani?

[6:30] Joe Rosko: I might know it, but just not the title, but I'll just say no for now.

[6:34] Devon Hadsell: It's from Suicide Squad, the movie.

[6:38] Joe Rosko: Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[6:39] Devon Hadsell: And it just like gets me so pumped and like ready to go.

[6:44] Joe Rosko: Sweet.

[6:44] Devon Hadsell: That's probably my number one.

[6:46] Joe Rosko: All right, cool. I'm gonna put that in the description of the episode, everyone. So make sure you check out the song. Okay, last one. Uh, you flip on the TV, good old, let's say good old cable, not Netflix, but like cable TV, and you're flipping through. What's the movie that pops up that stops you every time and you're like, I gotta watch it?

[7:05] Devon Hadsell: Oh, I know there might be a handful, so one of them.

[7:09] Devon Hadsell: They're oh handful. Oh, it depends on the vibe I I'm in, but if I'm in like a really deep, like sentimental, like definitely open to crying vibe, The Pursuit of Happyness.

[7:21] Joe Rosko: Oh, yeah, yeah.

[7:22] Devon Hadsell: My all-time favorites. So I will stop everything I'm doing and watching that.

[7:27] Joe Rosko: Don't ever let somebody say you can't do something.

[7:32] Devon Hadsell: That that scene on the basketball court.

[7:34] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[7:35] Devon Hadsell: Oh my god.

[7:36] Joe Rosko: Oh my god.

[7:37] Devon Hadsell: And the fact that it's this real song. I'm like, oh yeah.

[7:40] Joe Rosko: Mm-hmm.

[7:40] Devon Hadsell: Okay. Devon, congratulations.

[7:43] Devon Hadsell: You nailed it. You're off the uh BFTS hot seat.

[7:46] Joe Rosko: Yes. Booked it. Thank you.

[7:50] Devon Hadsell: Okay, let's rewind. Uh, where are you originally from?

[7:54] Devon Hadsell: Um, I'm from California. I was born in Santa Barbara, which is uh north of LA. And then when I was five, we moved up to Napa, which is where I um went to kindergarten elementary school, high school.

[8:08] Joe Rosko: Cool. All right, and then when did the arts come into your life?

[8:13] Devon Hadsell: Um, so my mom always says that I was singing before I could talk and dancing before I could walk. So she claims that I was just, you know, it was born in me. Um, but when I was five, I started ballet. And um, when I was, I believe in fourth grade, I like officially started um singing in choir and then took lessons, voice lessons in high school. And ever since I started dance at age five, I never never stopped.

[8:40] Joe Rosko: Got it. And did we uh did we go to college for theater?

[8:44] Devon Hadsell: I did, yeah. So I actually, my very first musical, I was also five, I played Greta on The Sound of Music. And um, I initially I studied classical ballet and classical voice, and I had done theater my whole life, but for some weird reason I was like, oh no, musical theater, like it's just a little cheesy. I think I want to do the class, you know, I want to do all this classical stuff. And and I was like, I got to um college and I was missing like acting, and I was missing um, I was studying just voice, and so I was missing acting, I was missing dancing. And I found Cal State Fullerton down in Orange County, and you had to be just as good at in singing as you were in acting as you were in dancing, and it was their BFA musical theater program, and I went and I shadowed, and they were all the students were just phenomenal.

And I was like, no, what was I thinking? Like, this is what I want to do. I want to do theater. I want so I kind of went through this journey of doing theater my whole life, and then doing just ballet and just classical voice, and then back to like no, my true love really is musical theater and Broadway. And so um, so yeah, I kind of had this around roundabout journey to from it to it and from it.

[9:50] Joe Rosko: And your family was supportive when you're like, hey, I want to spend thousands of dollars to train musical theater. What did what did they say?

[9:59] Devon Hadsell: So yeah, I mean, it's funny because neither of my parents are performers, but they um they were really supportive. My mom, she would drive me 45 minutes every day after school for dance class, and um, but my dad was the one, he works in business, and he was the one who was like, you know, you have to be prepared, you know, for what this lifestyle brings. And I remember I remember like almost crying to him in the car, being like, I don't care if I live in a one-bedroom apartment my whole life, I just want to sing and dance. And it's so funny because I've even like lived in a studio, you know, doing that. So it's like I at when I was younger, I just I didn't even care. I just wanted to do it. But both my parents and even my dad were were extremely supportive, and so I was very, very lucky in that sense.

[10:43] Devon Hadsell: Very lucky.

[10:44] Joe Rosko: Yeah, I feel like in this profession, if you're going into it for the goals of like money and fame at first, then you probably aren't gonna last very long.

[10:56] Devon Hadsell: No, no, not at all.

[10:58] Joe Rosko: All right, let's uh let's dive deep. Let's get into something serious like that. What along the way during your career so far have you felt like has been either sacrificial or like something that was a valley of sorts that you had to just move through in your life to continue to get to where you're at right now?

[11:20] Devon Hadsell: Yeah, I think you know, I'm I'm grateful for that mindset that I have of like I didn't do it for for money. Um, you know, especially because there was a time after I graduated from college with my BFA musical theater, and I remember I had less than like I had like no money. My parents were helping me out a little bit after college, and then they got divorced, so they you know, they told me they couldn't help me financially anymore. And so I was kind of like, okay, well, what do I do? What do I do? And there was this amazing woman who I had done this show with who wrote a show called Serial Killer Barbie the Musical. This was out in LA, and she had always mentioned that I could stay with her for free if I just watched her dogs whenever she went away.

So I ended up calling her up and being like, Hey, can I stay with you? You know, until I kind of get my footing. And I was like, I'm doing this show, I'm doing West Side Story down in San Diego. And you know, she was like, Oh my god, yeah, of course, stay as long as you want. So I remember I finished doing that show down in San Diego. I was non-equity at the time, I had less than a hundred dollars to my name, and she let me stay with her for free. And I remember I lived with her for two and a half years and watched her dogs whenever she um went out of town and you know, did a lot of theater, built my resume up in LA, and then eventually got my equity card, did the tour of The Little Mermaid, and then eventually moved to New York.

So that was like a valley of like, you know, I didn't let I was proud of myself for not letting myself get really down in that point of like, oh my gosh, if I didn't have this amazing woman, her name is Colette. If I didn't have her in my life, I would have had to move back home to NorCal and maybe probably stay with my mom. So I was very fortunate that I had people like Colette in my life, and that I had the mindset of like, okay, even though I am really struggling right now, like this is not the end. Like I have to keep pushing through, and I can. Um, you know, so yeah, that was a valley that I was proud of myself for getting through and not allowing it to like weigh on me.

[13:18] Joe Rosko: And it's easier when you're younger too, right?

[13:20] Devon Hadsell: Like I was single, you know, I didn't have kids, I didn't have anyone to take care of, just myself, you know.

[13:25] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[13:27] Devon Hadsell: Yeah, right. Okay, so after that, you moved to New York and they roll out the red carpet and you debut in Mean Girls on Broadway, or was it smooth sailing just like that instantaneously, or what happens after that?

[13:40] Devon Hadsell: So I moved to New York November 1st, 2016, and that Little Mermaid tour that I mentioned, the choreographer of that show was the associate choreographer on Mean Girls. And I did not know that because his name was not on the breakdown for the audition for Mean Girls. And so I walk in, I went to the open call, so 400 girls. I was the, um, yeah, the female dancer call. There were 400 girls there, and um, the associate choreographer, John, um, who did the Mermaid tour was there in the room giving the audition. And so I walk in and I'm just like, oh, okay, John, we can see you. Oh my god, like wow. Um, and it was crazy. They just they lined us up in a single line, 25 of us at a time. We had to step forward, say our name, do a leg hold, like bring our leg to our ear, bring it back down, and step back in line.

That was it. That was the first like cut. Yeah. And so after that, we did we finally got to dance. We did a couple rounds of dancing, and then we got to sing. Um, oh no, no, no, lies. I there was like five auditions, anyway. It was a very grueling audition process, but I feel like, you know, because I knew John, he was someone who could vouch to Casey Nicola, the director choreographer for me because he had worked with me before, you know. So that happened. I'm that was November, November 1st, 2016. I moved and they auditioned for the Mean Girls, it was the lab, it was uh January of 2017. So it was a couple months after I moved that this happened. Wow. So just the chain of events really got aligned up for me in a very, very fortunate way.

[15:14] Joe Rosko: Well, something you're not mentioning is that you could have walked in the room and this person could have known you, and you could have been a disaster to work with and not very talented and not whatever.

[15:25] Devon Hadsell: Yeah, and they would have said, and he would have said, Hey, you don't want this girl. But instead, I'll say it for you. You obviously showed talent and likability to work with, and here that's you booked the role. So everyone out there, you you just better you don't ever know who's gonna be in that room that down the road.

[15:47] Joe Rosko: That's so true. You never know. Okay, so Casey Nicola uh was there for Mean Girls. Then fast forward to now. What was Some Like It Hot? What was that process like? Were you with it from the beginning? Um, or did you like book while I was going to Broadway? Or what was that? What was that online?

[16:08] Devon Hadsell: Not since the very, very, very beginning. But um, there was a lab with the show actually in January of 2020, right before the world ended. The world ended, yeah. And I was doing Mean Girls at the time. So I was I actually did double duty. I would go to Some Like It Hot 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then go do my show at night. And um, even on two show days, I'd be there 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then go do my two show days. Um, and so I did that for the month, the whole month of January. Um, and so that was like the craziest time of my life. But that was the first like lab. And I remember I had auditioned for it. There was like an invited dance call in like November or December of 2019. So then I did the lab of Some Like It Hot in 2020, and then the world shut down.

Um, and then in 2022, beginning of the year, we did a workshop. It was like a six-week long workshop. Um, and then after that, we started rehearsals for Broadway last year in September in 2022. Got it. So, yeah, so I've been with the process since the beginning of the lab. There were like readings before that, and I think there were like other like, you know, mini workshops, but that was the first workshop I was a part of was in 2020.

[17:23] Joe Rosko: Got it. All right, and then fast forward the show opens, Tony season comes up. How exciting and just like magical is that time during Tony's season?

[17:32] Devon Hadsell: Oh my gosh, so incredible and so fun and so crazy. We did um what was so special about this show was we um were asked to perform in the Today Show. So we did that, and that morning we found out about the Tony nominations, and we found out that we were the most Tony nominated show of the season. And normally when shows hear about this, you're not together. It's early in the morning and you're not with your cast. But the fact that like all of us were together, and Casey was there too, and John, and just we were all there together, and we were just like sobbing and just like so happy, and like that just never happens, you know. You never find out about this all like as a group, it's normally early in the morning. So that was really, really cool about this season, especially is that we had that moment together.

[18:20] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Okay, last thing about Some Like It Hot before we hop off of that and get a little bit more insight on you. What's like one of your favorite moments in the show that you just love to live out on the stage?

[18:33] Devon Hadsell: Oh my gosh. So, well, you know him very well, Casey Garvin. Um, he is my partner for the opening number. And just every time I get to dance with him or partner with him, it's just like a dream come true. He's just like the best partner you could ever hope for. And that's definitely that's definitely one of my favorite um parts in the show is with him. And then as you saw in the show, the second act, there's the number that Christian Borle's character does with the four girls, and we do like these high kicks and pirouettes and turns, and it's just like the most technical number for me in the show. And so I just I love it because I'm living out all my old like ballet dreams, and you know, my it's just I can show off what I trained for for my whole life.

So I love that because the moment that's the most technical and the most difficult is something that someone might stress about, but you put in the work in a very technical way to say what you already said, because that's what ballet's about. But like honestly, that's what life's about. Business is about, fitness is about. You the more complex the things are, instead of like it making you nervous, it actually is like, wow, the more complex, the more fun. I tell I tell people in fitness, it's like what I'm doing is extremely difficult and it seems daunting to you, but I've put in that work to be able to perform at this level and it's actually enjoyable in a sick twisted way. Fitness, but so same for you. It's like, oh wow, am I gonna nail this? Yes, because I put the minute, you know, micro work in on my technique and foundation.

[20:13] Devon Hadsell: Yes, a hundred percent. A hundred percent.

[20:15] Joe Rosko: Yeah, all right. So hopping off of Some Like It Hot when you're not on the stage. Uh we talked before recording that you do teaching, like what's uh personal life like? Do you go to the movies every Monday when you're off? Like what's uh what's life off the stage?

[20:34] Devon Hadsell: Um, yeah, that's a great question. There's kind of an ebb and flow. Um I love to teach. I love to teach dance. Um, and especially during the pandemic, too. That's actually really what got me by. I taught a lot of um, especially Mean Girls workshops um to kids and even to adults. And um, so recently I've been doing a lot of Some Like It Hot dance workshops, and I love especially teaching kids because they're so eager, they just want to learn from you. They're um, they're at that age where they're just they're soaking it all in and they have so much energy and it just it's so inspiring to me. It reminds me of why I love doing what I do, working with kids. Um, so yeah, I teach wherever I can. I'll have people reach out to me, or I'll have friends connect me with teachers, and so um love teaching.

In terms of what I do outside of um performing and teaching, uh my fiancé has gotten me really into hiking and being outdoors. I am such a house cat. I could stay inside all the time, and now I I can't go a day without leaving anymore, like I could in the pandemic. I could stay in my house for three days straight. And my family was like, Debbie, you have to get outside. You like you have to, like this is just not good. And now I love it. Like I love finding places to hike. I love just doing things that are adventurous. He convinced me to go scuba diving. Now I love scuba diving. Like, so you know, certain things we went zip lining once, you know. So I I have actually really gotten into adventurous, adventurous things.

[22:02] Joe Rosko: Did you have to grow into it? Or was it like once you rip the band-aid, you're like, oh, I actually like this?

[22:08] Devon Hadsell: I think a little bit of both. Like I I think the thought of it was cool, but I was like, oh, I like I'm a little scared, you know, like especially scuba diving. I'm like, this seems cool, but like I don't think I could do this. And then once he was like, No, you got this, and you ripped the band-aid off, and I'm like, oh, I love this. And even hiking too. I even during the hike sometimes, I'm like, oh, this is hard, and I'm sweating and now my legs and my calves hurt. But then you know, you get to the view and you're like, oh, this is the best, this is everything, you know. So it's I think it's a little bit of both.

[22:38] Joe Rosko: So, what the importance of uh training and and all aspects of our craft and doing the show, uh how important would you say it is that even though you always feel like there's something to do, that you take that time, like the hiking, the scuba diving, whatever, like how important has that been for you, uh performance-wise, mental health-wise, etc.?

[23:02] Devon Hadsell: Oh, it's essential. It's a hundred percent essential. Um, and I've realized that I think I wish I would have realized it even a little earlier, because it just gives you perspective on life, and it just shows you that like, you know, being a well-rounded human is not only better for like your craft, but just yeah, for your happiness, you know, to just know that like their performing is amazing and the best. And there's also so many things outside of that that are just as fulfilling and just as beautiful. And so when one thing or the other isn't going well, you have that balance, right? You have that other thing you can go to. And so it has been just essential in terms of happiness, mental health, um, in terms of everything, really.

[23:47] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Okay, last serious question before we let you go here, as the second show of the night's approaching. If you could rewind to uh younger Devon, or maybe just speak to someone younger in the industry right now, what experiences that you went through, do you wish you could, you know, rewind and say, hey, like, here's the wisdom I've gained, and like it's gonna be okay. Like, what would you what would you say?

[24:14] Devon Hadsell: I'd say, you know, it's really hard in this business, especially. I'm a recovering people pleaser. It's so hard to uh sorry to interrupt you, but this is a thing. People like mental health wasn't spoken a lot about the past 10 years or so, but this little nuance of mental health, I think still is untapped. So please continue. But like this, I struggle with this. This is this is a big thing for me.

[24:43] Devon Hadsell: Same. Even to this day, it's something I'm actively working on. But it's a matter of staying true to yourself while also you know putting up the healthy boundaries that you need, right? And and especially in our business, we don't want to disappoint anyone, right? Because we're like, oh my gosh, if this person doesn't like us, then they're gonna tell this person that I'm not ever gonna get a job in this company. And it's you can just spiral so easily, right? But at the end of the day, if you stick true to like stay true to who you are and you're authentic, then the right jobs will actually come to you, and you won't need to be chasing things and you won't need to be worried because you're being true to yourself and the things that are actually right for you that will allow them to come.

[25:23] Devon Hadsell: Yeah, you know, but it's so it's so hard to not get caught up in you know people's image of you. Um, because at the end of the day, what really matters is what you think of yourself, you know. Are you behaving in a way you're proud of? And when you look back 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, are you gonna be like, you know what? That was a harder decision to make, but it was a decision that um that was authentic to me. And you know, so so yes, to all the recovering and current people pleasers out there, it it gets better, it will get better. You are amazing just the way you are. You know, you don't need to please anyone, and there's still a way to have those boundaries and still be a kind person too. That's another thing. You can have those boundaries and still be kind, and the right people will come into your life and vice versa.

[26:12] Joe Rosko: So amazing. Devon, thank you so much for being on Built for the Stage Podcast.

[26:16] Devon Hadsell: Thank you so much for having me, Joe. It's so great chatting with you today.

[26:20] Joe Rosko: Yes, so so great to chat with you as well. Have a great second show tonight.

[26:24] Devon Hadsell: Thank you. Thank you so much. Have a good night.

[26:26] Joe Rosko: You too. All right, everyone. Devon Hadsell. We're gonna say it that way because it's a more professional podcast situation here. But if you see her on the street, you might just be like, Devon Hadsell, what's up, girl? How you doing? Uh so again, thanks to Devon. Go see Some Like It Hot if you haven't already. It's one of the hottest, no pun intended, shows on Broadway. I'm Joe Rosko with Built for the Stage. Don't forget for that free trial, go to BuiltfortheStage.com. Actors or athletes, train like one. Late.