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[0:00] Mo Brady: This episode is brought to you by our friends at Actors Connection, a professional development home for actors at all levels of their careers. You can check out their website at actorsconnection.com to register for a free seminar, learn more about their self-tape services, or sign up for a completely free one-on-one program consultation. And, since Actors Connection is a big fan of The Ensemblist, they have given us an exclusive discount code for our listeners. You can use this code ENSEMBL15 for checkout for 15% off of your next purchase for a class or an intensive.

[0:45] Mo Brady: You're listening to Fosse & Verdon from The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. Welcome, I'm Mo Brady. This month, FX launched a new limited television series, Fosse-Verdon, based on the 2013 biography by Sam Wesson, with a focus on his marriage and collaboration with Gwen Verdon. Now, there isn't a theater choreographer more associated with their own unique style than Bob Fosse, and much of that work was created with and fueled by his relationship with Verdon. So, this spring, The Ensemblist is speaking to some of the artists with Broadway cred who helped make the series possible.

[1:37] Mo Brady: The fourth episode, whew, it is a friggin' doozy. Using the development of Pippin as a jumping-off point, we really get to see into Fosse's process. Through power plays and an incredible amount of sexual misconduct in the workplace, Fosse woos his company into the performances he wants them to deliver. In this episode, we see many familiar Broadway faces playing the company of Pippin. Ahmaud Simmons plays Ben Vereen, and Lindsay Nicole Chambers plays Leland Palmer, along with Nina LaFarga, Peter Churson, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Michael Hartung, and this week's guest, Emma Caymares.

[2:13] Mo Brady: Emma has performed at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in two separate productions, playing Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Wendy in Finding Neverland. She has also performed on the small screen in the Starz series Flesh and Bone. In Fosse-Verdon, she plays Rebecca, one of the dancers in the original company of Pippin, who gets caught up in the power of Bob Fosse, and vice versa. Here's our conversation.

[2:43] Emma Caymares: Hi!

[2:54] Mo Brady: Will you introduce yourself and tell us your relationship to Fosse-Verdon, the miniseries?

[3:00] Emma Caymares: Yes! Hi, I'm Emma Caymares, and I play Rebecca in episode 104.

[3:05] Mo Brady: So, what was the first time you heard about this miniseries?

[3:08] Emma Caymares: It was in the end of summer, last summer, and I got an appointment for Anne Rankin.

[3:16] Mo Brady: Oh, yeah, the role.

[3:18] Emma Caymares: And I freaked out.

[3:19] Mo Brady: Sure.

[3:20] Emma Caymares: Like, I remember, I think I was at the Canal Street stop, and I saw the appointment, and my heart, like, leapt into my throat. I was like, I am absolutely not right for that. Like, her leg is the size of my body.

[3:34] Mo Brady: Sure.

[3:35] Emma Caymares: But I was like, let's go. I'm ready. Let's do this. So, I went in for that. I wore a wig. It went really well. I was like, okay, let's do this. Let's see what happens. And then I got called back in for Chita Rivera.

[3:50] Mo Brady: Oh my gosh, you've been... Okay, keep going.

[3:52] Emma Caymares: So, yeah. So, that was crazy. I was like, okay. I had my... And this time, I did not need to wear a wig. I just let my pixie fly free. So, we had a scene, and then I sang "All That Jazz," and that was so fun. I got called in for, like, a dance call.

[4:07] Mo Brady: So, yes, I've heard about this...

[4:08] Emma Caymares: You've heard about this audition.

[4:09] Mo Brady: This big dance call.

[4:10] Emma Caymares: Oh, that was one of those New York moments. One of those, like... I'm getting chills just thinking about it, because the energy in that room. Like, Tommy Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler, Sam came in. Sam Rockwell came in, like... And it was such a good energy in the room, and everybody was just really vibing. Because it was like that... It was the combo from episode 103, in the Jack Cole.

[4:35] Mo Brady: Oh, the Jack Cole one. Yes.

[4:36] Emma Caymares: That combo. So, it was really, like, cool and sexy, and everybody was just on their game. Oh, my God. The dancing in that room that day was... I was just in the corner. I could have had popcorn. Every single person gave their life on that floor.

[4:53] Mo Brady: So, what happens after this beautiful New York moment audition?

[4:57] Emma Caymares: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So...

[4:59] Mo Brady: You get a call. You get an email.

[5:00] Emma Caymares: I got a call. I got a call about, like, the first episode, but then that kind of didn't happen, because I was... Because I had been reading for roles. I was just kind of like, you know, I really would... I think that if there's a role for me, I would really want to tackle that. So, that was kind of a tough decision. And, like, a month later, I got a call, and the casting director... She's such a sweetheart. She was... She's like, I have a role for you. And I was at work. So, I was, like, in the corner, like... Like, those whispers. I'm really excited. I'm like, oh, my God, what? And then she called, and she was like... It was on a Saturday. And then she's like, we just need a studio approval. And then she called me, and she's like, yeah, we have a little role for you. I didn't even know who the woman was. I didn't even have a name. She was like, you're just going to be this one... One of these four women in this episode.

[5:53] Mo Brady: What do you get before you go to set the first day?

[5:56] Emma Caymares: I got my sides. I got, like, the scenes that I was going to be a part of. Because you don't get the whole script of the episode. I think they wanted to conceal that. They were very precious with the material. The way that they did this was so incredibly professional and so respectful to the legacy.

[6:15] Mo Brady: Now, does Rebecca have a name?

[6:17] Emma Caymares: So, Rebecca got a name. It was such an abstract thing. It's so funny, my thought process for, like, the birth of Rebecca. Because at first, it was just this... I have a role. I don't know. And then they sent the sides, and it became real. I was like, oh, God, I need to create a person here. So, I did do some thinking on my own of place. Because she was in the 70s, I made her half Dominican. Just for myself, for my own backstory. Born in Washington Heights. Grew up in Washington Heights. Went to Ballet Hispanico. She trained as a dancer. She was, like, you know, a rough and tough chick. And I just kind of gave myself a backstory. Because with those roles, you don't really get any type of backstory.

[7:05] Emma Caymares: And so many of your lines are either... I mean, there's the last scene, which is sort of directed in his fantasy. But everything else is like, oh, yeah, sure.

[7:14] Mo Brady: Exactly.

[7:15] Emma Caymares: Or like, you were great.

[7:16] Mo Brady: Sure. And it's like, yeah, hi. Like, what's up? What are you doing?

[7:20] Emma Caymares: There's not a lot of character.

[7:22] Mo Brady: No, not at all.

[7:22] Emma Caymares: So, I did my own work with that. Just so I could feel more of a whole person. Because I was about to be talking to Sam frickin' Rockwell.

[7:33] Mo Brady: Sure.

[7:34] Emma Caymares: And Michelle Williams. I was like, they...

[7:36] Mo Brady: They've done their homework.

[7:37] Emma Caymares: They've done their homework. So, I want to show up as whole as possible.

[7:41] Mo Brady: One of the moments that I thought, I wonder if Emma made this choice, was the side lunge you're doing in the first scene. When the camera's sort of like, okay, you're sitting...

[7:50] Emma Caymares: You're lunging next to Nicole, right?

[7:52] Mo Brady: Yes.

[7:53] Emma Caymares: And I was like, that is a choice.

[7:55] Mo Brady: It was a choice.

[7:56] Emma Caymares: Is that a choice that you made?

[7:57] Mo Brady: Yes.

[7:58] Emma Caymares: They just said, Emma, you're down here.

[8:00] Mo Brady: They were like, because Tessa Grady and I were in the corner by the bars. One person's going to be on the bar, and then like stretching, and then somebody else. Because my first line was, oh, she's adorable, talking about Nicole. And she's drawing. And she actually, because in rehearsals, Nicole Fosse, we had this magical hour with Pam Susan and Nicole Fosse, just talking about Bobby.

[8:24] Mo Brady: Oh my gosh.

[8:25] Emma Caymares: Forever. And Nicole brought in actual drawings that she did when she was a kid, during Pippin rehearsals. So, this scene, the actor Blake, she's recreating these real drawings that Nicole Fosse drew during rehearsals.

[8:39] Mo Brady: That's crazy.

[8:40] Emma Caymares: Isn't that crazy? And Pam was so gracious and so open-hearted. And her experience with Bob during Pippin was like this beautiful, familial, loving experience. So, she had a lot of really beautiful, loving things to say. It was like his peak moment. He had just won the Oscar. He was flying. His career. His career was flying. So, in the studio, things were just happening so fast.

[9:10] Emma Caymares: It was just so magical.

[9:10] The Ensemblist: Welcome to The Ensemblist, where we celebrate the performances and careers of ensemble performers.

[9:40] The Ensemblist: Today, we're diving into the fourth episode of Fosse/Verdon, focusing on the development of Pippin and the unique style of Bob Fosse.

[10:10] The Ensemblist: This episode features our guest, Emma Caymares, who plays Rebecca in the series.

[10:30] The Ensemblist: Emma has an impressive background, having performed on Broadway in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Finding Neverland.

[10:50] The Ensemblist: In Fosse/Verdon, we see her character caught up in the dynamics of Fosse's creative process.

[11:10] The Ensemblist: The series explores the complexities of Fosse's relationships and the power dynamics at play in the rehearsal room.

[11:30] The Ensemblist: It's a fascinating look at how Fosse's signature technique shaped the performances of the dancers.

[11:50] The Ensemblist: We'll hear more from Emma about her experiences working on the show and what it was like to portray a dancer in Fosse's world.

[12:10] The Ensemblist: So, without further ado, let's welcome Emma Caymares to the podcast.

[12:30] Emma Caymares: Thank you so much for having me! I'm really excited to be here.

[12:50] Emma Caymares: Working on Fosse/Verdon has been an incredible experience, especially getting to dive into the world of Bob Fosse.

[13:10] Emma Caymares: The choreography is so unique, and it was amazing to learn about his process and how he worked with the dancers.

[13:30] Emma Caymares: I think what stands out the most is how he really pushed us to explore our characters and bring them to life.

[13:40] Emma Caymares: It was a challenging but rewarding experience, and I feel like I grew so much as a performer.

[14:00] The Ensemblist: That's wonderful to hear! Can you tell us a bit about your character, Rebecca, and her role in Pippin?

[14:20] Emma Caymares: Absolutely! Rebecca is one of the dancers in the original company of Pippin, and she gets caught up in the excitement and chaos of Fosse's vision.

[14:40] Emma Caymares: She's a strong character who navigates the complexities of being a dancer in that environment.

[14:50] Emma Caymares: I really enjoyed exploring her journey and how she interacts with Fosse and the other dancers.

[15:10] The Ensemblist: It sounds like a rich character to portray. What was it like to work with the cast and crew on this project?

[15:30] Emma Caymares: The cast is filled with so many talented performers, and it was inspiring to collaborate with them.

[15:50] Emma Caymares: We all brought our own experiences and perspectives to the table, which made the process even more dynamic.

[16:10] Emma Caymares: Plus, the crew was incredibly supportive and passionate about bringing Fosse's story to life.

[16:30] The Ensemblist: That's great to hear! What do you hope audiences take away from Fosse/Verdon?

[16:51] Emma Caymares: I hope they gain a deeper understanding of Bob Fosse's artistry and the impact he had on the world of dance and theatre.

[17:16] The Ensemblist: Thank you, Emma, for sharing your insights with us today.

[17:46] The Ensemblist: We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!

[18:06] The Ensemblist: And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this episode of The Ensemblist.

[18:14] The Ensemblist: Until next time, keep celebrating the unsung heroes of Broadway!