This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mason Bray: So we have Braden Allen King, who is one of the amazing ensemble members in the National Tour of The Prom. He has also been in Newsies and Billy Elliot professionally. And he is doing all of this at 18. I went to see the show this past weekend in St. Louis and got to chat with him a little bit after the show. And I am so excited to dig deeper into his career and path to where he is. So hi, Braden.

[0:20] Braden Allen King: Hi, thank you so much for having me.

[0:23] Mason Bray: Thank you for being here. How are you?

[0:25] Braden Allen King: I'm good. It's a good morning so far. Not much has happened.

[0:31] Mason Bray: Yeah. So can you just start with an introduction about how you got to The Prom and performing in general?

[0:39] Braden Allen King: Um, so performing in general. I mean, I started off as a dancer. My mom was a dance teacher, then now she's a studio owner. But I started when I was four just because my mom was always at the dance studio and my sister danced as well. And I wasn't signed up for classes, but like I was always at the studio because of my mom and sister. So I just like used to just stand there and just like watch all the kids dancing, and I would kind of like start to mimic them, like this little four-year-old being like, please let me into class. And then finally one day, my mom saw me mimicking all the kids dancing in class and was just like, all right, let me sign him up. And then I mean, I've been dancing ever since then.

But I joined a competition studio when I was five, and that's where I got like most of my dance training was at a competition studio. And then from doing competition dance, I ended up getting an agent from one of the dance competitions when I was probably about like 13, and then that agent started sending me on auditions for like Matilda on Broadway. So then I started to have to like sing for those auditions, and I started taking voice lessons, and then I started to find that I had like a passion for singing and performing. And then soon after that, I started acting, and then that's where this whole performing came from.

[2:06] Mason Bray: Yeah. Once your agent got you with the audition for The Prom, what was your process of getting booked on the show?

[2:13] Braden Allen King: Um, so I actually just sent in from there was a posting on Broadway.com or Broadway World, and I kind of just sent in without telling my agent, which was a very bad idea, but I didn't really think much of it. Like I didn't think that I would book it, and I was like, oh, this would be good, like a good audition experience. Like, I'm just gonna send in. Being that I was 17 at the time, being like, there's no way they'll hire like a 17-year-old for like a Broadway production. But I was like, okay, I'm gonna just send in, like, it's gonna be a fun time. And we ended up doing the choreography for Love Thy Neighbor. That was the self-tape, and then all of a sudden, like two months later, I ended up getting an email that was like, hey, you have a callback, and I was like, oh, oh my gosh, like that's great.

But they ended up because my agent is on my resume, they ended up contacting through my agent, but my agent didn't really say anything about it, even though we both knew that I didn't tell them that I was submitting, but they kind of were just like, all right, like we'll just forward this email to Braden that he has a callback, like in person. So then I went and did the callback in person, and that was great. That was like my first time meeting like John and Casey, which are amazing. After that, I ended up getting a final callback, and then my agent was just like, oh, oh, he might book this. Like, this is kind of crazy. And then after that final callback, I think it was like two or three days later, we ended up finding out that I booked it, which was like really, really crazy.

And my agent just thought it was hysterical how he didn't even like send me on the audition. Like he sent a lot of his clients on the audition. Like the one person that he didn't send on it is the person that booked, which was kind of funny. But yeah, it was just it was a fun little like, oh, I don't know if I'm gonna do like I don't know if this is gonna work out, and then all of a sudden here I am in St. Louis, Missouri, doing The Prom. So yeah, it was it's a really fun little story.

[4:30] Mason Bray: Yeah, and then you talked about this with us on Sunday, but um, so you got your contract four days before rehearsal, is that right?

[4:38] Braden Allen King: Yeah, they had to wait till I was 18 to send it because I was still 17. So I ended up turning 18 like four days before our first rehearsal. And I graduated also like four days before first rehearsal online because this would have been my senior year. So I ended up finishing it all up online really quickly.

[4:58] Mason Bray: So once you got into rehearsals and got into tour, what is your tour life like? What is each city like for you?

[5:05] Braden Allen King: I mean, I've really liked every single city that we've been to so far. Like every single city has like its own unique beauty. They're all just so different, and I don't know, they all just have like such admirable qualities. So it's been amazing to be touring and seeing all these cities when I probably wouldn't have, like I don't know when I would have gone to St. Louis being 18. So I'm just very thankful that I get to like travel to all these cities and do my dream job at the same time.

[5:41] Mason Bray: Yeah. Talking about being young in the industry, has it been hard for you to be taken seriously by people when you're going to auditions and going to callbacks and all that kind of stuff?

[5:50] Braden Allen King: Yeah, I mean I would say at the beginning I always felt like I was craving other people's validation. Like I deserve to be here, like all this stuff just because I felt like people were gonna think that it's weird that I had like just graduated high school and then all of a sudden like being in there with all of these like college graduates and all of these people. But at the end of the day, you have to realize that I mean everyone has worked hard to get where they are and I mean every single person's journey is valid.

[6:24] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[6:24] Braden Allen King: Yeah, I think that's like the moral is just like everyone worked hard. So I mean everyone's path is gonna be different and everyone's path is valid. So yeah, I think I just needed to just do it for myself and realize that I worked hard to be where I am.

[6:40] Mason Bray: Yeah, that's amazing. What kind of unique experiences have you found being young in shows that some people might not understand?

[6:47] Braden Allen King: Ooh, that's a really good question. Um, I think it's unique on how much I get to learn hands-on from like every single person in The Prom company. I'm like a sponge at the moment being with all of these like insanely talented people who have like worked on Broadway for years, and it's such an amazing opportunity to get to really see these people like firsthand be amazing and work at such a high caliber. And I think just the experiences and things that I'm gonna learn right now will probably or not probably, but maybe be more beneficial than if I were to go to college for musical theater and just like being hands-on and just yeah.

[7:32] Mason Bray: Yeah, and on an extension of that college topic, I usually talk about education versus experience. But I wanted to ask you about your college stuff since this would be your senior year. Are there any future plans for that?

[7:44] Braden Allen King: Um, I would say I think I'm gonna take a gap year this year, and if there's like a dry spot without work, then I might go to college. Yeah, but I mean, college isn't necessary to be on Broadway.

[7:58] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[7:58] Braden Allen King: I mean, it is definitely helpful, and it would definitely like teach you a lot, but it's not necessary. I mean, back to every single person's path is gonna be different. So I mean, just as long as like you work really hard at what you do and like you really like try as best to master your craft, I think that's what's most important.

[8:18] Mason Bray: Absolutely. Um, so you found your talent of dancing by standing by and then starting to mimic those people. But do you have any tips for younger people trying to get into the industry, finding their talents and their specialty?

[8:31] Braden Allen King: Yes, I do. Um, I'd say first my first thing would be to really put yourself out there into like every single class that you think will benefit your career. I think take it, like no matter what, like be willing to take those classes, and when you take those classes, be confident. Because I mean, hesitation is maybe the worst thing that you can do in a class setting. Because I mean, you're all there to learn, and just like just be confident, like really confident in whatever you do, because I mean that's the only way that you get better is if you really work hard and you really, I don't know, like you really try to be the best at what you're doing at the exact moment. So I'd say like any class that you want to try or that you want to take, like truly take it, and then once you've been taking that class, those days where like you end up like really sore are like the best days because those are the days that you improve as like a human, you improve like in your career, like you just like improve yourself those days.

So like the days you work really hard and are really sore at the end of the day, those are the things that are really gonna benefit you in the long run. And I wish I myself when I was younger that I knew like truly, like if there's like you've already taken like let's say ballet for like three times that week, and there's like a fourth class at the end of the week, like I know that I would be like, oh, I maybe don't want to go to that class or whatever, but I wish I was just like I am gonna go to that class, I'm gonna work really hard at it because that's gonna be the class that's gonna benefit me in the future. So I'd say just really like owe it to yourself to really work hard when you're young so that you can be ready and prepared for your career whenever it starts, because it could start very young.

[10:18] Mason Bray: Absolutely. So you dance a lot in the show.

[10:21] Braden Allen King: Mm-hmm.

[10:22] Mason Bray: So I thought I would ask you, do you have any tips for someone who might be a mover to go to a dancer?

[10:29] Braden Allen King: Um, tips for that. I mean, okay, Mason. Some of the people in this cast started dancing in college.

[10:38] Braden Allen King: Like, not all of us started dancing at a young age. And I mean, that's really true. You see it in people all the time where they don't start dancing until way later. And then they take classes and work really hard, and then now they're dancing in a crazy ensemble dance-heavy show. So I mean, anything's possible to what you put your mind to. And I mean, there's proof all in The Prom because a lot of these people didn't start dancing when they were like four years old like me, but they're just as amazing. So yeah.

[11:10] Mason Bray: I will be taking notes on that. Um, so I used to be asking, what have you been doing during quarantine, but now it is. Um, what was your first show back after the pandemic, either on Broadway or just in general being back in the theater?

[11:28] Braden Allen King: As cliché as it sounds, I would say that it was truly magical. I mean, when we— it was even crazy when we heard our first like wandle pro back when we tech'd in Paducah, Kentucky, when like we first heard the orchestra for the first time, and we were singing with it, and you're just like in this beautiful theater, like finally having this music again, and we were all just like jumping around, and there's so much joy on everyone's face because we haven't been around it in so long. I don't know, it was very emotional, like specifically during that wandle probe, just because it was like the first time that you felt like it was all coming back together. And then, um, I'll throw it to when we opened in Cleveland.

I remember a specific moment when it was at the very end of the show, and it was like everything's just amazing, and everyone is dancing, and I'm like kind of standing in the back and dancing in that moment, and I can see all my castmates in front of me, and I remember just like almost tearing up, like thinking that I was doing everything that my younger self would want to be doing, and I was finally back in a theater with people that I love, and we were just like singing, dancing, and having a great time. It was truly magical to be back, and I'm so excited to do more of it in the future.

[12:49] Mason Bray: Yeah, and this was my first show back after the pandemic, and when the overture started, I was jumping up and down in my seat. I was so excited.

[13:00] Braden Allen King: Oh my god, yeah. So what is your warm-up or process before any performance starts that you don't want to forget?

[13:00] Braden Allen King: Um, I mean, there's a lot, but at this current moment in time, some of the boys' dressing room, we've started having these dance parties after we get ready. We've put on our mics, we'll put on our robes, we'll have everything on, and then we'll all be stretching, and then someone will pull out their speaker, and we'll all just have a dance party to get everyone's energy and spirits high just so that we go into the show with just great energy. It's been really fun, and it's been amazing bonding with all my castmates because, I mean, who doesn't love a dance party? There's just something so kid-like or joyful to it, and it's just— I mean, it's work, but it's also so much fun. And I think, um, yeah, you just can't forget that having fun in what you're doing is so important. So yeah, that's been one of my favorites, just because it's just a dance party.

[14:13] Braden Allen King: It's fun, and then we go and have a dance party on stage, so dance party all around, and that has proven to be great because I tweeted this, I said it on Instagram, I'm saying it again, the energy in the show was so electric.

[14:13] Mason Bray: Oh my god, thank you. Um, well, is there anything else you want to talk about or add before we start to wrap up?

[14:13] Braden Allen King: So for like any young performers or people who are kind of in the same position that I am, like if they're anywhere between like 18 to like 22, which is like the typical college age, and like if they're going to move to Broadway or move away from home or if they're gonna join a Broadway national tour, I mean, it's just the same as leaving your family and friends to go to college. It's like the exact same experience, um, just instead you decided to join the circus. Just know that everything is going to be alright, and really all you need is just to bring a few things that bring you a sense of normalcy, and I promise you will be okay, um, because I was really scared about leaving my friends and family. I mean, I love them a lot, and I just feel like if I had someone that I could hear and say that it was going to be alright, it would have helped me a lot.

[15:43] Braden Allen King: Yeah. And yeah, it's been great, and the people that I've met on this tour have been so insanely welcoming and so nice, and I've never felt out of place or like not at home. The people that you meet are amazing. They'll always be there for you. Like, you're not gonna leave and just like everything will change. Your friends and family will always be there for you, and it's just nice to always have that support system and always have those people you can come back to.

[16:01] Braden Allen King: Like they'll always be me. Like all the whole theater community is like one of the best communities ever. They're so welcoming and so nice. I'd say yeah, I say everything is gonna be okay. I mean, even just for going to college, honestly, it's all gonna be okay. I mean, we're all going through it, we can all do it.

[16:19] Mason Bray: And do you still get homesick sometimes, um during the tour?

[16:23] Braden Allen King: I'd say yes and no. I mean, FaceTime is an amazing invention. Um true. But yes, I do um I do miss my family and friends a lot, but it's always nice when um I mean, I was just recently in Washington DC, which is my hometown, and so many of my friends and family came out and like supported me at the Kennedy Center, which was so like amazing and spectacular.

[17:07] Mason Bray: That's amazing. Um, did you have any other topics that you wanted to touch on?

[17:13] Braden Allen King: Yeah, I mean, um, it's really such an honor to be a part of telling such an important story across like the United States and in some parts where they really need to hear a story like this. Like the Midwest.

[17:31] Mason Bray: Right.

[17:32] Braden Allen King: Right. It's so great because it really opens people up with comedy and then tugs at their heartstrings. Because some people, they go into the theater not knowing what to expect, and then they end up leaving the theater with a completely different mindset. And I mean, we've seen people— like that's not a crazy thing. Um, we've seen people walk out of the theater being like, oh my gosh, I have a different view on this subject now, simply because they just sat down and watched and laughed and cried at an LGBTQ+ story. And I mean, it's very important just to be shown content like that because I think some people just don't know. With our lyrics at the end of the show, specifically, like make people see how the world could one day be if we take a chance, like just talking about how if you're willing to take the chance to open your mind and step into someone else's shoes for a day, then you might be more understanding and accepting walking away.

So I think, yeah, The Prom is such an amazing thing to be a part of because it's a story that I really love. It's a fun show, and it's just so amazing to be able to be doing it like eight times a week. And I don't know, I'm very thankful for this opportunity.

[18:59] Braden Allen King: Yeah, and I just love my castmates. If any of them are listening, I love you guys so much, and you all are doing amazing. So if you are listening to this, thank you.

[19:08] Mason Bray: Um, and also, so you talked about bringing it to places that need it, and any time there would be a dig at the Midwest or like Indiana.

[19:18] Braden Allen King: Right.

[19:19] Mason Bray: The collective nods in the theater were hilarious.

[19:22] Braden Allen King: Oh my gosh. That is hysterical. There were several times I was just like snapping in my seat, I was like, Yep, that's us.

[19:31] Mason Bray: Yeah, that's amazing. I want to see the show from the audience so bad.

[19:37] Braden Allen King: I think I might have a scheduled swing out at one point in the show, like one point while doing the show, and I'm so excited for that day to just see like the audience reaction and just to like see my cast thrive. I just want to be there because I feel like the energy is palpable from stage and in the audience because, I mean, we feel the energy always coming back from the audience. And I mean, luckily we've had great, really energetic audiences so far. It's just so fun. And I can't wait to be in the audience and be that person, like, yes, tell 'em.

[20:11] Braden Allen King: Yeah. And so being in the audience, it was really awesome to see when the disco balls came down and like shine on the audience. I was like, yes, we're all in this.

[20:25] Braden Allen King: Yes, I mean, it's really a prom for everyone. And I love The Prom so much. It's a whole party. And I mean, it's really a party. So if any of you are listening who haven't seen The Prom yet or saw it on Broadway and haven't seen it on tour, I really recommend you come see it on tour because this cast, man, they are very, very talented. And I mean, yes, like you said, the energy is palpable, and it's just a great time on and off stage, apparently.

[20:59] Mason Bray: Yeah. Um, well, thank you so much for being here, reaching out and making this happen. I am so excited.

[21:06] Braden Allen King: Yeah, thank you so much for having me.