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[0:00] Brian Sedita: Hey everyone, welcome to Page to Stage. A conversation with theater makers. We're your hosts. That's Brian. And that's Mary. Join us as we focus the spotlight back on the theater maker to uncover their process. We speak with folks in the industry that often aren't heard from, such as stage managers, producers, crew members, marketing professionals. And everything in between. We hope you enjoy this episode.

[0:26] Michelle West: Hello, everyone. My name is Michelle West. I am currently a swing in Tina, the Tina Turner musical on Broadway. And I'm also a fitness coach and nutrition coach.

[0:36] Brian Sedita: Hi, Michelle.

[0:37] Michelle West: Hello.

[0:38] Brian Sedita: How's it going?

[0:40] Michelle West: It's going good. How are you, Miss Mary?

[0:43] Mary Dina: Good on your day off. Thank you for joining us today. And actually, it's not even your day off fully, I'm sure. I'm sure you've got other work you got going on besides just the swing life.

[0:53] Michelle West: That's very true.

[0:54] Mary Dina: I guess just like for a little background for our listeners. So, Michelle and I went to high school together, and I even have some really, really, really great memories of dance class with you. I don't know if you remember that, but from like babies.

[1:07] Michelle West: I remember definitely. Maybe not everything that you remember, but I remember that.

[1:11] Mary Dina: Oh no, I don't remember a lot. I mean, I think I repressed a lot of high school, if I'm being quite honest. But yeah, no, I do remember those fun moments. Um, and actually, I do want I really, really wanted to bring this article um to have it so we could put it on our show notes. And I'll keep looking, but I wasn't able to find it while preparing for this interview. But I just need everyone listening to know that Michelle is one of like the hardest working people that I know, and not just like within the industry. I just mean like period. Like point blank. And there was an interview that you did like a million years ago now with a dance magazine where you were talking about your journey post graduation at Temple, and the journey, the quite literal journey you had to take every day from Delaware on the bus to New York, sitting in those open call lines, which I'm sure were I can't even imagine.

[2:04] Michelle West: When people talk about open call lines, I'm like, uh-uh. I can't, I visualize like I cannot visualize it.

[2:09] Mary Dina: Um, but then they become a lot of people. People are begging for them again now.

[2:13] Michelle West: That's very true. It's like such a different time. That's crazy. Oh, I can't imagine. But then getting on that bus and turning right back around and doing the same thing every day. So like I know so many people out there that say this about you, but it is so true that you are just like one of the hardest working people, and I am so excited to share a little bit about your process and your story with us today. So thank you.

[2:35] Michelle West: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[2:37] Mary Dina: That was with Answers for Dancers that I did that. It was okay, okay. I did see that article and I was reading it, but for some reason it just wasn't. I'll go back and I'll look at it again.

[2:46] Michelle West: Answers for Dancers.

[2:47] Mary Dina: Answers for Dancers. That was a while ago, and that was like in the beginning of my journey, but it is definitely something that I always try to at least let dancers or performers know that, you know, a lot of people come up to me with a lot of questions about how I got started in the industry or how I, you know, felt like I could just dive in so quickly and honestly, like I would just look up all the auditions and I went to the auditions. Like it wasn't like I had knew something different than anybody else. Everything that was there was public knowledge, you know. I just looked on playbill.com, I looked at the auditions, I had a headshot that I took in my backyard, my mom took it for me, and I took the bus to New York City and was there every single day at 6 a.m. in the morning and went to these calls.

[3:38] Michelle West: I wonder if people who are starting out, maybe I don't know if you ever felt this way or if you knew anyone that felt this way that just felt like there was like a secret that they weren't in on and like how to be successful or how to get to that point. And you're just saying it's just it is what it is. You have to just get there. You have to do the work and you just have to physically get there. You have to get in. You have to dive in first. And I always tell people that auditioning is a skill. It's before you get the job, you have to learn how to audition. And the only way to learn how to audition, well, in that time was to go to the calls. So I was, I could ask my friends all day long, all the people that I was around, like how it works, but you don't really know how it works unless you're in it.

So they said the same thing to me. They said, go to New York and go try. And that's exactly what I did. And then I got better and better at auditions, and then I started booking, and now I don't really go to auditions anymore, which is a blessing. You know, I do still audition, but it's not the same as how I used to audition 10 years ago, you know.

[4:40] Brian Sedita: Right. So take us back to is Aladdin the first, the tour of Aladdin the first big production that you were a part of?

[4:47] Michelle West: Technically, yes, as far as the contract is concerned. That was my first production tour production contract that I ever did.

[4:56] Brian Sedita: Can you tell us the years you were on it just for some perspective?

[4:59] Michelle West: Yeah, I was a part of the original company. So I started in 2017, February, and then we ended right before COVID hit, so March 2020.

[5:07] Brian Sedita: You guys were cut short because of the pandemic, right?

[5:10] Michelle West: Correct. And we had already had a closing date for Aladdin because the whole plan was to make the tour smaller. So we were supposed to end April 26, 2020, and we closed March 2020. So we only had six weeks left of tour before COVID hit. So we already knew that that was happening. But they just announced last week that Aladdin is going back on tour. Um, I will not be joining the company. I will not be on that tour. But um, a lot of friends have been reaching out to me about you know what they think. Um, you know, just getting my advice about like, do I think that they're good enough to do the tour? And I'm like, you gotta just go audition because you never know.

[5:53] Michelle West: I feel like I remember hearing your story with getting into Aladdin was like kind of fun and unique. I mean, it was literally a story of like how the people you know and like your work ethic and your personality and just like your kindness and your presence in the space because you were working on The Prom, right?

[6:09] Michelle West: Out of town with Casey.

[6:11] Michelle West: Yes. Well, I want to know, and all of our listeners, I'm sure would love to know. How did it happen?

[6:16] Michelle West: So this is where I said, like, I don't have to audition as much anymore. This is kind of like a story of that. So um, I auditioned for The Prom and this was 2016, and I kind of got into that call last minute. One of their girls did not sign to go on to do the out of town run. My agent got me an appointment. I went, I auditioned for it, and I remember I was going to Nashville, Tennessee with my mom just to like hang out with my mom at Nashville. She wanted a friend to go with, and I was like, I'll go. So I got the audition right before the day before we were about to leave. And I was like, okay, the audition is tomorrow. So I told my mom, I was like, I gotta stay for this call because Casey's gonna be in the room.

I gotta go. And she was like, okay, no problem. I'll go the first day and meet me the next day after you're done. I was like, cool, not a problem. So I went into the call, was in front of Casey, did my dancing, did my singing. Next day, I got on the plane to go because I didn't have there was no callback after that. And then when I got off the plane, I got an offer to do The Prom. So I was like, okay, well, The Prom is happening. And then me and my mom were celebrating in Nashville, which was awesome. And then I did The Prom, which was in um at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. I did the whole um first, I guess you could say first part of that process because that was they didn't go to Broadway until two years after we did the out-of-town run.

So it took a long time for them to go to Broadway. Um, and when I did The Prom. Actually, I remember that this is a crazy story, but we went to the pool one day, was our day off. We went to the pool because it was like, oh, let's it's hot. Let's go swimming. Casey was there. Angie Schwar was there. Angie works on a lot of Casey's projects. She was in Broadway, uh, The Prom. And she literally looked at me and was like, Casey, don't you think that Michelle would be good for Aladdin? Mind you, I didn't even know that Aladdin tour was going out or anything. She just said it. And Casey was like, Yeah, I actually think she'd be really good for it. So after that, Casey was like, send me your headshot and resume.

Great. Austin sent in my headshot and resume. I didn't need to go through with my agent or anything. I literally got a call the next week, was like, Disney's flying you to New York so you can go and audition. So I got, I flew, they flew me to New York. I auditioned. I saw a couple of people there that was like some of my homies in the audition world. I went in. I didn't have to dance because I was already dancing a lot in The Prom. They just wanted to hear me sing. I went back to Atlanta that next week. I got a call saying that I booked Aladdin tour. So I was in the middle of The Prom almost we were almost finished. Like we were in performances in the middle of The Prom when I got the offer for Aladdin.

So I really didn't have to audition like how every like you asked this to one of my other castmates. They went through 12 rounds of auditions for this show. You asked me, I got flown in by Disney, sang a song, flown back, and I got an offer. So there was really no audition process for me.

[9:37] Brian Sedita: I mean, how long was your run at in Atlanta? I mean three months. Yeah, I mean, so you were kind of you could have you could argue that you were auditioning for you know three plus months too.

[9:45] Michelle West: I mean that's exactly what I always tell people that is like my your job currently is your audition for your next job because that same person or people that you're working with, especially if you know that they're well known in the business, aka Casey Nicolaw is always working on things. You know that he's gonna be doing stuff in the future. There's no stopping that man. He just got finished doing two workshops back to back um that a couple of my friends from Tina just got finished doing. Yeah, it was just like all right, he knew my worth, that work ethic, he knew how I was. I was, I showed up on time, I did my job, I was kind, I was a good person, and then I was able, he said that I was right for the show when he, you know, picked me, and there were two other girls who actually joined Aladdin as well.

So we were finished at The Prom. I had a little bit of a break there. I went to go do Wizard of Oz at Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. And so I had already knew that I had Aladdin. So I was just filling in that little gap. I went to go do that show. And actually, I got that show from Glenn Cassal, who I worked with at Sacramento Music Circus. I didn't audition for the Wizard of Oz at all. I just asked him if I could do it. He said yes. And I came into that show, did that show, and then right after that, I was on tour with Aladdin. So that was like a like two shows back to back that I didn't audition for.

[11:12] Brian Sedita: And so once you embark on this tour, first of all, was this a tour that did a lot of sit downs, or was it week to week?

[11:20] Michelle West: We had a lot of sit-downs. Like it was we got spoiled. Some good chunks of time.

[11:25] Brian Sedita: Oh yeah.

[11:25] Michelle West: I was in Chicago for six months. I was in LA for four months.

[11:28] Brian Sedita: Oh, wow.

[11:29] Michelle West: I was in all of my sit-downs were like over four to six weeks. Like that doesn't happen anymore.

[11:35] Brian Sedita: And is that was that the whole three years?

[11:38] Michelle West: Yes.

[11:38] Brian Sedita: Wow, that's awesome. So, how do you just adjust your life? How do you prepare your life to go out on tour?

[11:45] Michelle West: I was actually already used to tour because I had been on two tours prior, uh, than Aladdin. So my first tour that I went on was Sid the Science Kid Live, and that was a bus and truck. Actually, I wouldn't even call it bus and truck. That was like a minivan tour. Like it wasn't even bus and truck. We had no truck. Um, it was throw all the stuff in the van, drive yourself, let's go. But Texas get your own. That's what it was. Um, so started from the bottom, now we here situation. Um, that was that. And then my second tour that I did um was Memphis, the musical, and that's where I met my husband. Um, and Memphis, that was we were there was no really sit-downs. I mean, the longest sit-down we had on that tour was a week, and that was surprising in itself.

So um, we were continuously moving. So I had already known about tour life and how tour life worked before I went on the Aladdin tour. The one thing that I will say is different about the Aladdin tour is that it was beautiful to have the sit-downs, and I had an opportunity to be able to do more like Airbnbs or sit down with people that I knew in the cities, and I could like be their roommate for a little bit to save an extra dollar or so, you know. Um, that was a little bit different. But as far as tour life, like I remember all of my girlfriends on Aladdin would have like three huge suitcases, their trunks and stuff like that. They're like, We're on tour, and I had one bag, one bag, and one little bag, and I was like, tour. They were all like, How are you carrying all your clothes in those two bags? I'm like, I've done tour three times. I already know how this works. I don't like stuff.

[13:31] Michelle West: Oh, I believe you. Every time I've moved in my life, I've moved so many times, and every time I just like downsize, I'm like, nope, nope, nope.

[13:39] Brian Sedita: Oh, yeah, no, we I did not play that game.

[13:42] Michelle West: So I already kind of knew how tour life worked. And man, I tell you, you don't really learn how tour actually works until you're on those non-union tours and you're doing it all yourself. Like Aladdin was like, okay, this is luxury.

[13:59] Brian Sedita: How do you keep saying yes to staying on the tour? I'm sure the money's great, I'm sure the stability, I'm sure the work is great, but three years is a long time to be away from New York, to be away from the audition scene, keeping your career going into a different direction. It's the same thing for three years.

[14:16] Michelle West: Um, and like luckily, I mean, not luckily, but like the pandemic was coming anyways, and like it didn't matter in the end. How do you just keep saying yes to staying on tour? Each ensemble member has signs a six-month contract. So if you decide to be on tour, unless something is bigger or you decide to leave after your six months, then you are tied down for your six months.

[14:40] Brian Sedita: So I don't know about you, but six months goes by really, really fast on tour.

[14:44] Michelle West: Like, even if you don't want to say it, like six months flies. So after your first six months, you're like, all right, well, I guess I'll do another six months if I don't have anything lined up. Um I will say I my agent still worked for me when I was on tour. So if I had auditions, I still did self tapes and auditions. If I needed to fly back, I've flown back for a Tina Turner audition.

[15:10] Brian Sedita: And now I'm in Tina.

[15:11] Michelle West: So I did that. I didn't get it when I was on the road, but I still flew in for an audition for Tina. Um I would say that oh, my first year and a half, that was when I was still seeing my partner. We were boyfriend and girlfriend at the time, and we were like, you know, he's doing his thing, I'm doing my thing. Let's go on tour, do the, you know, do separate things.

[15:40] Michelle West: But I will say that after a year and a half, at that year and a half point, we knew that I was gonna be in Arizona. That's where my husband's family is from. So there was a potential for Matt to be able to join the tour with me before Arizona, but we didn't know yet. So once we right before Arizona, I think we were in Boston.

[16:04] Brian Sedita: And he can correct me if I'm wrong, because he probably listed it to be right.

[16:08] Michelle West: Um Boston was when we got right before Boston is when we got the okay that Matt was going to join the tour officially. Our drummer stayed and joined percussion, our percussionist left, and my husband was now the drummer on the tour.

[16:25] Brian Sedita: So then we were like, okay, well, if my husband is joining the tour with me, that means two salaries and two per d we gonna stay on this tour.

[16:35] Michelle West: So it wasn't as the relationship developed too. We were together. How does that work? I mean, without getting too personal, can I ask like how touring affects like your relationships, you know, family, friends, partner?

[16:49] Michelle West: Yeah, I mean, the being on tour specifically, like we did get to go to the cities where my family was. So we played Philadelphia, which my entire family came to see me in Philadelphia, and then my husband's side of the family all got to see me in Arizona. Thankfully, he was on the tour at that point because then all of the family got to see him in Aladdin, hear him in Aladdin on the tour.

[17:17] Michelle West: So it was, it just ended up working out that we are both working together and we were like, this is the perfect setup for us to be able to continue this so that we can buy a house when we go back to New York when we're ready, you know, financially, it just makes the most sense. Um, but for our relationship, our relationship, I feel like got grew through the tour because we were able to work together and um able to build a foundation together on tour, um, especially after being apart for so long.

[17:53] Michelle West: I remind I remind you, I've been on one tour and I was doing other regional gigs while we were together. So I've been with Matt for seven years. Five of those seven years, we have usually been doing a long distance relationship.

[18:07] Michelle West: So it's nice to it was nice to be able to be like, oh, finally, we're working together, we're traveling together. We're getting paid to do it together. Like it makes sense. So let's just keep it. And Matt is that it's what he does. He's a he's a theater, he's a drummer. He's a theater drummer, so he's doing what he loves. So it was great.

[18:26] Michelle West: Um, but as far as like family outside, like you don't really get to see your family as much. Like once you're tied down to tour, it's very, very hard to get away from that time unless you're taking a vacation. And most of the time, people don't go and take vacations to their family, they take vacations away.

[18:44] Brian Sedita: I thought you were gonna say they don't take vacation. I'm like, why?

[18:46] Michelle West: No, people take vacation and it's not going to be vacation, you're crazy. Like, I I would advise everyone to use their vacations. You need it, take your vacation, it's there for a reason.

[18:59] Michelle West: Um, but no, they most of the people are not really taking vacation to visit family. Most of the time, family comes and visits the tour. So we had multiple times where my parents, my parents came out and visited me in Chicago. I had my parents, then I was in Philly, so my parents were there. I saw them in a Matt's parents came to see us in San Francisco because it was close to Arizona.

[19:22] Michelle West: We saw everybody in Arizona. So there were multiple times that we like saw them on the tour. My parents moved to Florida, we're moving to Florida at the same time that I was on tour with Aladdin and we were ending like in that Florida region. So I got to be with my parents in Florida.

[19:37] Michelle West: And then Matt's parents came to Florida and we all were in Florida. So there was times that I saw there was plenty of times that I saw my family enough times that I saw my family.

[19:46] Brian Sedita: Oh that's that's lucky that's great.

[19:49] Michelle West: I mean okay I want to kind of pivot a little bit because you went from obviously touring with Aladdin to the pandemic hitting but then you got to make your Broadway debut coming out of the pandemic this year.

[19:58] Brian Sedita: Or I guess technically it was was it this year or was it technically last year?

[20:02] Michelle West: Uh this year.

[20:03] Michelle West: This year okay yes I officially made oh my gosh when did I make my Broadway debut in December I think it was December.

[20:12] Brian Sedita: Okay.

[20:12] Michelle West: Yeah yeah yeah it was right after it was right after Adrian left I think right September October I'm pretty sure that I went what is time what is I know right I don't remember like I've been with a company I've been with the company now for four months.

[20:25] Brian Sedita: Well get the date tattooed okay I know right like I don't remember but like oh my gosh when was that so what are the roles you cover in Tina right now?

[20:33] Michelle West: I cover seven roles I'm a swing in the show so all of the female ensemble members or fame female identifying characters in the show and um specifically I cover because Tina is race specific for the cast members I cover all of the African American women in the show.

[20:49] Brian Sedita: And have you gone on for all of them yet?

[20:51] Michelle West: I've gone on for five wow and I think you've gone on so much recently too I feel like I'm like were you expecting that?

[20:58] Michelle West: I mean with the pandemics yeah when when one once every all the theaters were all the um people were getting hit with COVID, I knew I was going on. Like it was no ands, ifs or buts about that.

[21:09] Brian Sedita: But this past week actually has been my chillest week. I haven't been on this week, which was like, oh my gosh, I was only on one time. That was crazy.

[21:15] Michelle West: But I'm scheduled on next week, so I it's back to work. I think we've only had like one other swing on, and that was like very early on.

[21:26] Brian Sedita: This is like two or two or three years ago now.

[21:28] Michelle West: But I'm curious because if your experience is going on so frequently, do you feel like you and I know you have like rehearsals weekly, of course.

[21:36] Michelle West: Um, you love that, it seems like all the time.

[21:42] Brian Sedita: Sure.

[21:43] Michelle West: So, like, is there never I guess you're never concerned about like having all of those tracks like in your brain. Is there anything that you're doing to like help?

[21:53] Michelle West: Everything is being written down, everything is recorded, everything is like in my phone. I go on to my notes. If there is a track that I forget, I go into my notes and I look at it before I go on and make sure that I know what my track is.

[22:05] Brian Sedita: So stage manager calls you. What's the first thing you're gonna do if they tell you you're on for track two?

[22:11] Michelle West: And the first thing I'm gonna do is go over the vocal tracks. That's the first thing I'll go over vocally because specifically in Tina, um, all of the icats that go on, there's a lot of like three-part harmonies that we have to sing.

[22:25] Michelle West: So whatever track is out is the harmony that you need to be able to sing when you go on. So it's not like any, it's not like other shows where you can just be like, oh, I'm falling into the soprano line or I'm falling into the alto line. No, you either sing top, middle, or bottom, and if you don't sing it, you know that someone is not right, and it's probably the swing.

[22:46] Brian Sedita: Because you know, it's like we don't do it every day, so we have to make sure that we're on.

[22:50] Michelle West: So that's the first thing that I do is make sure that I sync through or go through the track vocally of what I need to make sure that I'm on. And then I will go through my tracking sheet and make sure that okay, act one, I get on this part. Um I come on from stage left. I'm on from stage right this time. I'm getting on this costume to go from here.

[23:10] Brian Sedita: So that's the stuff that kind of like goes through my brain before.

[23:15] Michelle West: And I'm guessing with like as an ensemble track, it's not like you have a dresser there to help you um walk you through everything the way that like a if a principal was going on, they would technically do.

[23:27] Brian Sedita: You have but it's they cover all the ensemble, right?

[23:30] Michelle West: Yes.

[23:31] Michelle West: It's not like one specific dresser.

[23:34] Brian Sedita: Yeah, no.

[23:35] Michelle West: Yeah.

[23:35] Brian Sedita: But I'm sure you'd be able to do that.

[23:36] Michelle West: But they will say like backstage. If I was like looking around, like, oh, do I get my wig on this side or that side? They'll be like that side. I'm like, okay, thanks.

[23:46] Brian Sedita: So it's like little stuff like that that uh we still make sure that we're good on.

[23:50] Michelle West: That's nice. I'm sure that has like a built-in support system because I'm sure they everyone knows, you know what I mean?

[23:55] Michelle West: Exactly.

[23:55] Michelle West: Even if you've been a swing in your career or you have not, whether that's a performer swing or uh a crew swing, everyone understands.

[24:02] Brian Sedita: Absolutely, absolutely.

[24:03] Michelle West: They know you haven't been on for that track in forever, so they'll be like other side.

[24:08] Brian Sedita: Would you say that you learn your because this was your first time as a swing?

[24:13] Michelle West: Like broadly or not, probably, right?

[24:14] Brian Sedita: Okay.

[24:15] Michelle West: So did you were you expecting to learn the tracks by like doing them, or are you more of like a visual learner?

[24:22] Michelle West: Like you're able to just watch from the sidelines and kind of gather everything you need. Watching the show and seeing where that person goes on and off is very, very helpful.

[24:30] Michelle West: Like they always suggest doing that first. Um, and then you have to shadow the person right before you go on.

[24:37] Brian Sedita: So um I there's two more tracks that I need to shadow before um I do them, or it would be it would be beneficial to me.

[24:45] Michelle West: Like it's not like I have to, but it will be beneficial. But I will say that it's it's better for me to physically go through it, go through the show or go through the track before I go on, because then once you have it physically in your body, it's easier to like then go on and fall into the track.

[25:04] Brian Sedita: Now you were pretty lucky having that rehearsal period of Broadway's return.

[25:08] Michelle West: Yes.

[25:10] Brian Sedita: It's not like you just replaced into a swing role and had to do your own rehearsal process. You got to watch everybody else go back into rehearsal.

[25:17] Michelle West: I did. I was I was in the rehearsal room the last week that Tina was in rehearsals at New 42.

[25:27] Brian Sedita: So I was in rehearsals at the same time as them.

[25:30] Michelle West: When did you book it? At what point did you know you were gonna go in?

[25:32] Michelle West: There was a Friday in September. My first day was September 2. My first day was September 27th.

[25:39] Brian Sedita: So I booked it on a Friday and I was in the room in rehearsal on a Monday.

[25:44] Michelle West: Wow.

[25:44] Michelle West: Very fast. Literally, they were like, Can you do it or no?

[25:48] Brian Sedita: You were like, absolutely.

[25:50] Michelle West: I was like, sure. Sounds great.

[25:51] Brian Sedita: This is interesting. I don't know if we're ready to pivot to this fully yet, but during the pandemic, I mean, obviously, you you rapped with Aladdin, but then and you were starting to to work out a bunch.

[26:01] Michelle West: I remember seeing on tour, but you really took the pandemic as the opportunity to pivot like so many of us did in but into a fitness business now or fitness empire, is like to say that's where I definitely see you headed.

[26:13] Michelle West: I mean, I see it, I see it for you.

[26:15] Michelle West: Um and you really fully embraced. I mean, I remember when you announced you were getting certified as a personal trainer.

[26:22] Brian Sedita: Um, but could you talk to us about that pivot?

[26:24] Michelle West: And like, were you really like ready when the Broadway debut came knocking? Like, was that something that you were like yes, or were you like actually hesitating?

[26:32] Michelle West: Oh no, I was ready for the Broadway debut for sure. Like I was definitely like, once Broadway comes back, then I will definitely take a break from PT.

[26:42] Michelle West: Um, which I was working at a big box gym, I was working at 24 hour fitness um after I got my certification. So right after I got my cert, I started working there.

[26:53] Michelle West: Um doing one-on-one personal training was good. I had some really good clients that I liked working with, but it definitely like was not my passion.

[27:04] Michelle West: Like it wasn't like something that I was like, I'm gonna do this forever. I was like, eh, this is okay. So um I got Goddess, this was like actually I actually ended up leaving personal training early because I started seeing audition comes back coming back, and I was just being smart, and I told them, I told my bosses at 24, like, once I start seeing this, I'm leaving. And they were honestly, it came back faster than what we anybody was really expecting, to be honest. Like, I was just like, oh well, auditions are coming back, I'll see you guys later. And they were like, no, don't leave. Um, so honestly, that was the best move for me because I took a it was two weeks maybe that I was like free, and then right after that two weeks, that's when I booked Goddess and I was back in the room doing Goddess for four weeks. And Goddess was a workshop, right?

[28:04] Brian Sedita: Yes.

[28:04] Michelle West: Okay, yeah. So I did that workshop, it was excellent. And then so I was kind of seeing where I fit in the fitness world versus where I wanted to be in theater. And now I'm kind of figuring it that out more now that I like being the online fitness coach. I like doing the coaching side. I like being on the nutrition side to help people in that way. And also I'm able to balance my business while being a swing on Broadway because doing two things can be a lot. But I do have some time to be able to dedicate when I'm not on to the business, which is great. So also I'm like filming YouTube content. I'm making sure that I'm, you know, staying on top of all of those things while I'm doing Broadway at the same time.

[28:56] Brian Sedita: So we're gonna link the Krieger YouTube channel in our show notes because the videos that I mean I'm very biased, but like because Matt, Matt like films and edits all of your videos, right?

[29:09] Michelle West: Yep. So we both did kind of a pivot during the pandemic because my husband learned how to do all of that filming and editing during the pandemic.

[29:19] Brian Sedita: Wow.

[29:19] Michelle West: Oh, I thought he already knew how I didn't realize it.

[29:21] Brian Sedita: It was that he self-taught during the pandemic.

[29:23] Michelle West: Self-taught.

[29:24] Brian Sedita: Wow.

[29:24] Michelle West: I mean, then it kind of worked out because then you got to do it for your wedding.

[29:28] Brian Sedita: Yep.

[29:28] Michelle West: And then we got married on Zoom, and then my husband did all the production covering.

[29:33] Brian Sedita: But like a 15 camera, that was impressive.

[29:34] Michelle West: So thanks. It was wild. It ended up working out, but he's so like attentive to that stuff. Like he's still on top of it. He's a he's such a student. Like at the end of the day, like he loves to learn new things. So he's great. And now we're able to work as a team on our YouTube channel and you know, build that. And also he helps me with my business side of my fitness business as well. So it's great. We it's great to work with as a team together.

[30:03] Brian Sedita: I feel like you're able to like balance. Like, I'm curious as to how you balance everything that you have going on now that like you're on Broadway and it's running and it hasn't been like shutting down or anything. Thank goodness.

[30:14] Michelle West: Um, I mean, it's definitely nice to have the like the digital online aspects. You're not having to go meet anyone in person. There is definitely um some flexibility, and but I'm sure that you're like in your dressing room, like building out like workout plans or like you know, do planning out videos or whatever it is. Is that is that what it's like for you?

[30:31] Michelle West: Absolutely.

[30:31] Brian Sedita: Okay, absolutely.

[30:32] Michelle West: And I also like make sure that I'm on a schedule, and a lot of people don't keep schedules, but I am scheduled down. Okay, like I am okay looking at my schedule and my theater schedule, I'm like, okay, I got this, this, this, and this, or the um today I can work on making some scripts for YouTube next day. Okay, I got rehearsal during the day. I got client check-ins on Monday. Okay, make sure. So I'm like, everything is written down, making sure that I have a schedule, making sure that I'm on top of it and giving myself a day off. Then my Mondays, I actually am working because like that, those are my check-in days with my clients. So I'm making sure that I'm like on for them, giving them the guidance, checking in with them every single week. And yeah, it's going great so far. Everything's going great so far.

[31:17] Michelle West: We're gonna knock on wood that I have exactly, exactly. So it's working out. But you're working actually on your day off, like on your like Broadway day off, like you are still like hustling. So, do you like what how do you find or where do you find the time to like do you get actually get like a full day off of everything?

[31:35] Michelle West: Uh technically, no, because if I call Sundays my day off, Sunday is like to be honest, I'm really net rarely on on Sundays, those are usually a day that I'm like not on on the show, knock on wood. Um, so I will do client stuff during the show, and then after the show, I'm like, shut down. Okay, cool, turn off the computer. This is my time to like hang out with my husband, hang out with my dog, do the things, and then Monday is like, okay, here we go. Back into the week. So I would say I give myself like a half day off.

[32:12] Michelle West: But that's what you I mean, uh, it's okay. Like, that's kind of I enjoy what I do, so it doesn't feel like, oh my god, this is work. It doesn't feel feel tedious to me. I really enjoy the uh giving people knowledge. I really enjoy helping people, so I don't really take it as like a oh my gosh, I'm like on the computer every single day. I just take it as like, oh, I just gotta check in with my clients today, and that's cool.

[32:35] Brian Sedita: Does one feed the other?

[32:37] Michelle West: Yes, for sure. I feel as though that I felt the strongest in my career with having this on the side, if that makes sense. Like there's there's another purpose, there's another thing that's keeping me or driving me. Um, instead of just Broadway, instead of just oh my god, like thinking about the next job or thinking about the next audition that I have to go to. It's crazy uh to say, but like I don't stress about that stuff anymore because I'm thinking about how I'm going to build my business, and I think it's important to have something that you feel strongly about and care about a lot, that's other than performing.

[33:19] Michelle West: When this show closes and it's inevitable, we have to be realistic that I don't have any control over Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, the producers do. So any day, I don't care what nobody says, I don't care what my stage manager says, I don't care what my company manager says. If a producer comes in and says, 'Your show is closed, guess what? You won't got a paycheck the next day. Your show is closed. So that is something that I'm just like, okay, well, my show's closed. Now I don't feel stressed about that because guess what? I have something that's my own that I created on my own throughout this pandemic, and I'm also creating it while I'm doing this job at the same time.

[34:01] Michelle West: So I guess there is kind of a security, regardless if it's like, oh, making the same exact paycheck that I was on Broadway or whatever. I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried about, you know, making sure that I have something that I can call my own that I can fall back on, and that I'm not stressed about, oh my God, I gotta find the next audition, I gotta find the next thing. I was doing that all in my 20s. I don't need to do that no more.

[34:26] Michelle West: Those days are I feel this so much, so much. Oh my God. Why stress about it no more? Like I just can't. And also I put myself in the positions, all of the work that I've done and all of the things that you've seen me do throughout my 20s, these all those articles, all that stuff that all these are casting agents, all of these people that I put myself in the room for, I did that for a reason so that I don't have to stress about that 10 years later, you know.

[34:52] Michelle West: So it's like now when my agents put me in the room or like put submit me to stuff, guess what the casting agents say? Oh, yeah, we'll let Michelle come in because she's great. We love working with her. You know what I mean? Like, that's the that's what I want from people. And you know, that's what I've created over these past 10 years in this business. So why do I need to worry about that anymore? There's no need to worry. Telsie knows my name. Stuart Whitley knows my name. Any casting agent knows who I am, they know what I do well. They call me in. And if I'm great for the job, I'm right for it. If I'm not, I'm not. Guess what? They'll call me up for in for the next one. Don't have to struggle.

[35:34] Brian Sedita: I thoroughly love everything you were just saying. And as you were talking, I was like, you, I mean, you've always been this way to me of just like being confident and being so sure of who you are. No matter, I mean, maybe that's how you were presenting yourself. So whether you felt like that or not, your entire life since I've known you since we were kids or not. But so where where is that come from?

[35:53] Michelle West: Like, how do you stay so grounded, but yet you're so certain of like what you bring to the table, and you know that if it's not right, it's not right. Because like I've I've definitely like when I was younger, I definitely struggled with that. I'm sure many of our listeners, maybe you have even too, but like I'm curious as to like where that came from for you.

[36:08] Michelle West: I I have. Um, I definitely would say like coming back into the business at the first time was definitely like who am I? What am I doing? What I'm I'm discovering myself. I have to discover what this world is because I didn't come from a musical theater background. I didn't go to a I didn't go to college for musical theater. I went to college for dance. I was doing modern dance rolling on the floor. Like, that's what I was doing. Like the it let's just be honest, that's what I was doing. So I was still rolling on the floor, going to school for acting. So you know what I mean? Like, we was we was doing all the different stuff. So I was like, okay.

[36:40] Michelle West: So like that's I had to learn all of that stuff by myself. Um, and then coming into the business, I think that I was a little bit trying to like be something that I'm not, and then once I discover discovered that no, just be Michelle, just be you. That's when everything turned around. And I was like, all right, I'm gonna just be who I am. Ima just go in a room and present me. There's no other Michelle West, so let's just be Michelle West. And that's when I started booking jobs. That's when I started getting gigs.

[37:16] Michelle West: Um I will say that being a black woman, being an African American woman, there's a difference between the, you know, the fight that you have to go through versus being 10 years ago, there was a fight, like being in this business. Like there, I was literally the only black girl out of like maybe two black girls in the room fighting for the one spot, and we me and the black girl will look at each other and be like, it's either me or you're no other room for us in this. Okay.

[37:54] Michelle West: So when I talk to a lot of my, you know, colleagues, you know, Caucasian or white colleagues that are, you know, good who think about, oh, well, I just have to be this, I have to be this. I can't think about I can't think about just being myself because I'm always just trying to fight to be in the room. I'm like, what if you never had the opportunity to ever think about like if you were gonna get this spot or not? Because you always had the opportunity that you were gonna get this spot because there's 10 spots for you. Me, I have to fight every single time because I know most of the time out of a hundred auditions that I go to, I'm gonna get one yes, one, and it has nothing to do with my talent. It has everything to do with my race and who they want to hire at that one time.

[38:45] Michelle West: So to me, the adversity that I've gone through in this business has put me in the space to be like, I've already dealt with this. I already know the no's are gonna come, I already know how it's gonna be like, you know. So now it's a time where more black people are being represented on Broadway, more people, you know. I've always had I've I've had to be myself. So what's the difference? What's the difference between then being yourself then and being yourself now?

[39:11] Michelle West: Now I'm actually being myself and actually getting into the room and actually getting the call and actually getting 99 yeses out of one no. That's very different than what 10 years ago was bringing. So why do I need to fight? There's no there's no reason for me to fight about that no more. I know what I give, I know what I bring. That's the adversity that I had to go through. There's it's great, like live my life. And if the pendulum swings the other way again, which it will, let's be honest, it probably will. You know, whomever that time is for. Okay, let them have it. That's fine. It's not mine.

[40:00] Michelle West: It's the producers, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's not based off of me. Right. Why do I I can't, I don't have the power to be able to swing.

[40:11] Brian Sedita: Yeah, relinquishing like the control. You you just you're doing your thing, and it's not up to you.

[40:16] Michelle West: No, it's not up to you. No, this is it's not up to me. And that's every that's so many jobs. It's it's not even just a theater related thing, you know.

[40:26] Michelle West: No, this is everything. There's so much that's not up to you, it's not up to me. Well, that's why you gotta start your own business. Guess what's up to me.

[40:33] Michelle West: Yep. Guess what's up to me? Your own business. Shelly West Your Empire fitness coach. That's mine. Ugh. I love you. You know what I'm saying? So I think, I mean, I don't know if it's just my like my bubble currently, but I feel like so many people that I know are talking about the like looking at the passive income coming out of the pandemic of like not just like having to hustle, hustle, hustle all the time. Like, yes, that's important. But trying to first of all diversify your income for what you were saying earlier, Michelle, of like, you don't know what like what's gonna happen. You don't know when the shoe's gonna drop. So you might as well diversify your income now. So you're prepared for that, you know, rainy day or whatever you want to call it.

And again, that's not just theater too. So I love I love when we talk about things that are just not just theater centric. Yeah, that are like real life things. People don't, you know, they're like, oh, that's an artist problem. That's like a theater, like that's the life you chose. And it's like your industry can also, you know, you can also benefit from hearing these things.

[41:40] Brian Sedita: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. So that's what I think about, and I'm just very proud of myself, and I'm proud of other artists who are not having to feel like they have to do the hustle anymore. Or like fight, fight, fight, fight. Okay, I can understand, you know, like I'm in a room with Tina with you know, some 27-year-olds who are like, oh my god, I got it right, the next audition. Like, I'm in a room with them. I get it, I get it, I understand, but I'm not at that point in my career no more. I don't need to do that. Like, the one thing that I will say is that the more that they keep talking in the dressing room, the more that I know about the audition. And I'm just gonna call my agent and be like, hey, well, guess what? I know the audition now. Go ahead and get me in for that. And then if they get me in, they get me in. If they don't, they don't. But guess what? I just heard your whole conversation and I'm not stressing about it.

[42:36] Michelle West: That's so good. It's so funny. Do you think that that's like um I'm trying to think, is that like a pandemic mindset? Like is that something that you kind of like picked up over the last like two years? Like heck yeah. Okay, yeah. Cause I kind of I was kind of wondering that.

[42:49] Michelle West: I would say so. I would say so. I guess I I I guess we'll never know if the pandemic never happened, like what that would actually be, and if I would have that same mindset, but I will say that I definitely have set myself up for the for getting into the rooms with that I need to be in the rooms for. Um, and there was during the pandemic and going back into auditions, I will say that I was the least bit worried because I have set myself up this whole pandemic to be able to be successful. I just was like, you know what, I'm gonna audition for these things, and if they come, they come. And guess what? I was going, I was turning down things. So I was like that's cool.

[43:36] Brian Sedita: That's crazy. It's like that thing that I've heard that maybe a few people say this over, like if and a fillers feels so cliche of like, you know, it's when you're it's when you're not like dying for the opportunity that it then comes to you. And it feels so frustrating to hear that in the moment, I'm sure, because it's like that whole control thing of like people really want to be able to control their destiny. They want to control the outcome of a situation. And it's like you know, you kind of just have to relinquish. You have to just let it go. And then, you know, when you're just not thinking about it's so true. I mean, like, I literally went into I've auditioned for Tina four three times before I got the audition that to go into the show to like book the show.

The last audition that I had was right before I did goddess, and then I had to make a decision. I would have had to make a decision. Had I booked C that I would have had to make a decision whether I wanted to do either of the two. When I went into that audition, I was like, I'm coming in here booking this. That was my attitude. Like, I was like, Y'all have already seen me three times, y'all know that I'm right for the show. Let me just come in here and do what I what I do best. Be me. Because they're not they're not asking you to see if you're talented at that point. They're just seeing if you fit in the puzzle at that moment. At that point, it's just seeing if you fit in the puzzle. And guess what?

After I did that audition, I didn't book it. I didn't fit in the puzzle. Somebody they gave it to somebody else. And guess what I said? I said, you guys, I'm not auditioning for this no more. Y'all go ahead and make your decision after you it's the truth. I've done the whole show for you now. No. I've done it. Like, I y'all know what I bring. Whenever y'all are ready, then go ahead and you know, tell let me know that you're ready. And guess what? Two weeks later I got a call. And they asked me. So I didn't have to audition again. I gave everything that I gave in that room. There's literally no nothing else that you could have seen. Yeah. Go watch the tapes. Go watch the tape again. I'm ready.

Like, y'all know I'm ready. So, and it's and it's great. And I and I love being a part of the show. I love being a part of it. But you know, I had to set that precedent. I had to set that standard to be like, look. Whenever y'all are ready, I'm ready. And and they were ready. And they were ready.

[45:54] Mary Dina: You were ready and it worked out. Yeah, I was ready. Here we're here we are. It's into the Tatarda musical. Oh my God. Do you okay? So do you enjoy swinging? Do you could you see yourself doing that? Um, not forever, but like do you could you see yourself doing that more often and for more shows? Actually, yes, because the way that the setup is, I didn't think that I would think this at first, but the way that the setup is, it actually kind of works well with what I do as far as like my fitness thing on the side because I have some time to be able to focus on that. If I was an ensemble member in another show, I guess I would just I would still be able to have the time because I wouldn't be as in as much rehearsal.

So maybe my day would be flipped in a way. So at the end of the day, like, would I still have time? Yes. Um, but I will say that I am more I am interested in like looking at shows where I could be more print do more principle work now because I have done ensemble work for a very long time. Um people know me as the ensemble girl, but you know, I just like to I can sing too. I can sing too, so you know, why not explore that? Honestly, like speaking of singing in in that show, I it's cruel at the end of the show for you guys to put on a whole fucking concert after a three and mega mixa mix. I think it's probably one of the like the most cruel things I've seen on a stage in the past couple years.

I haven't seen it, I haven't seen it. Don't worry about it. No, it's literally just like it's just another concert. Yeah. You just saw a three hour show. Now they're gonna do a concert for you. As if it's so easy. The energy is just they shouldn't have that much energy at that point. The mega mix.

[47:43] Michelle West: Oh, the mega mix. I mean, it's it's it's great because people are like out of the chairs, like we're screaming and dancing at that point. So that like is like the second wind that you get. But also it's just like, oh man, we did just do this three hour show. Here we go. Mega mix. Three, two, one, go.

[48:06] Mary Dina: Yeah. Brian, can we move into our lightning round?

[48:10] Brian Sedita: Yes, let's do it.

[48:11] Michelle West: Oh gosh, hit me with the lightning round. I mean, I'm being this is now the mega mix. Is it the mega mix? Oh my god, this is the mega mix. You ready? Every time I'm every time, you know what? People always do this to me. And I'm like, oh god, I wasn't prepared for the lightning round. No, no, no, but it's not really lightning. Like, you can you could take as long as you need to answer them. We're just not gonna expand upon your answers.

[48:33] Mary Dina: Yeah, great. Kick us off, Mary.

[48:35] Brian Sedita: Uh, what is one thing in the theater industry that confuses you?

[48:39] Michelle West: One thing in the theater industry that confuses me is why I don't have access to the auditions that my agents have access to. I would like to see everything too. Why do they have you know what I mean? Like, there was even an audition that I had to be like, hey, did y'all submit me to this? And they were like, we didn't get a breakdown. I was like, people are getting called in for this, so how come I didn't know? And they were like, I didn't know. Why is that a secret?

[49:02] Brian Sedita: What are three adjectives that describe your ideal working environment?

[49:06] Michelle West: Productive, loving, and uh diverse.

[49:12] Brian Sedita: Um, is there something in your process that you find unique to you?

[49:16] Michelle West: I think so. I think what that would have to be my like working out and making sure that I'm staying strong. A lot of people don't do that, and I'm like in the gym every like four times a week and making sure that I'm meal prepping and doing all that stuff. Like, if it wasn't for that, if it wasn't for my fitness journey, if it wasn't for you know my nutrition knowledge, all of that stuff, like I don't feel like I would feel like the same person that I did before. I feel like a completely different person, and I feel just so ready to do my show. There's nothing holding me back from my show, and there's nothing holding me back from like my energy in life. Um, and that has changed immensely since my fitness journey has been become a part of my life.

[49:58] Brian Sedita: What's one job in the theater industry that you would trade jobs with for one week?

[50:04] Michelle West: Probably hair, the wigs people because I want to learn how to do my hair, like they learn how they know how to do hair. It's and I if I could learn how to put some effort into this hair, then I would be like on top of the world, but I just don't got the time, I don't got the time.

[50:35] Brian Sedita: Amazing. Um, okay, what is oh what is one hobby you have outside of theater besides working out and going to the gym, bowling.

[50:48] Michelle West: Nara, you know that I'm a bowler, right?

[50:50] Brian Sedita: No, I don't think I did.

[50:51] Michelle West: Oh my gosh, yes, that's like my favorite pastime. I love to bowl. I haven't bowled in a long time, but like my average bowl is like 215. Who wants to put on bowling shoes anymore?

[51:02] Brian Sedita: That's why you buy your own.

[51:04] Michelle West: I have my own. I have my own.

[51:06] Brian Sedita: Oh, she's not buying the show.

[51:07] Michelle West: Okay, so she really does like bowling wives. She's a boy.

[51:11] Brian Sedita: Yeah, it's on another level. Like it's it's really nerdy, but I love to bowl. That's like my favorite thing.

[51:17] Mary Dina: That's fun.

[51:18] Michelle West: Oh, I want something like I wanted a hobby like that. I need to go back to it. Honestly, really, when um when I heard that Broadway had a broad Broadway bowling league before the pandemic, I was like, that's the only reason why I want to be on Broadway is because I want to be a part of the Broadway bowling league. And I have to have the Broadway credit to be a part of that. So but now it's not even happening because of COVID. I wish it. I hope it comes back. That's my own goal. It will put it out there. Put it out there. It will start it up.

[51:46] Brian Sedita: And our last question is what is the last great piece of theater that you saw?

[51:51] Michelle West: Oh, you probably yeah, you probably don't see anything right now. Oh, no, MJ the Musical. Oh MJ. Okay, cool. That's the last one that I saw. Oh, and then for colored man, oh, Thoughts of a colored man was really, really good. Those two right now, those were the top of the list. Before Thoughts of a Colored Man closed, that was probably the best theater that I've seen for a very, very long time. And I really liked that show.

[52:17] Brian Sedita: Well, how can our listeners find you on social? What's your website? Plug it on.

[52:21] Michelle West: Hey, hey, plug it on. Uh my social media is at Shelly West. Um, everybody's like, is it Shelly or Shelly? It's Shelly. Uh C H E L L E Y West W-E-S-T. So Shelly West. Um, and my you can go on to my website. There's not much there, but if you want a free workout, there's some free workouts on there. That's um And they are they are um they are something let me tell you. There's some good ones on there. So that's my YouTube channel. Uh that's uh www.mishellewest.net if you go there and then um my YouTube is like my biggest thing that I would love everybody to just go on and subscribe um and go leave a comment or watch a video. Um my YouTube is uh YouTube.com slash Michelle West I am I. I am I stands for inform, motivate, inspire, but we're changing that up a little bit, but it's I am I for now.

[53:17] Brian Sedita: Oh, thank you so much. I mean, Mary's been uh been wanting to have you on the podcast for so long, and you were just a bundle of energy and joy.

[53:24] Michelle West: Hey, thank you. I appreciate that. Uh it probably is the coffee. The 5 p.m. coffee. Now 7 p.m. But you know, no, I appreciate y'all, and thank you so much for what you do, and thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.

[53:38] Brian Sedita: Thanks everyone for listening to this episode of Page to Stage. To keep up with us, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook at Page2 Stage Podcast. And if you're enjoying these conversations, we would really appreciate it if you could take a couple minutes to rate and review us wherever you're listening to this podcast. Until next time. That's Brian. That's Mary. We'll see you later. Bye.