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[0:00] Emma Pittman: Hi, I'm Emma Pittman, and welcome to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales.

[0:17] Alan Seales: Hi, everyone. Welcome to The Outsiders Takeover here on The Theatre Podcast. I'm Alan Seales, and if this is your first time listening to the podcast, welcome! Sometimes I do takeovers like this one, where an entire series of episodes is dedicated to the cast and creatives from a particular show. So scroll back in the feed if you haven't heard these already, and find the interviews with director Donya Taymor and choreography duo Rick and Jeff Cooperman. And make sure to follow the podcast to be notified when the rest of the episodes drop. So our guest for this episode, Emma Pittman, brought a lovely and unique conversation to kick off the episode, horoscopes! She actually taught me what the big three is, and I downloaded a little app while we were recording to find out more about ourselves.

It was really quite interesting, and something I hadn't actually thought about. And leading into her Broadway career, I was amazed to hear how she got onto Broadway, having auditioned for and winning The Search for Roxie back in 2019, something that she almost didn't even know about. And then that led her on a very short path to originating the role of Cherry in The Outsiders, now of course on Broadway. So with that, please make sure to follow me on the socials and tell your friends about the podcast. That's how it grows. And everybody, please now enjoy this episode with Emma Pittman.

[1:40] Alan Seales: Our guest today is a Mississippi native who graduated from New York City's Wagner College, and in late 2019, she won The Search for Roxie, an online contest to find the next Roxie for Chicago on Broadway. After she won, she made her Broadway debut in 2022, replacing Pamela Anderson, heard of her. Regional credits include Janet in The Drowsy Chaperone, and Lola in Damn Yankees. She's also a teaching artist, a director, and a choreographer. Her choreography credits include On the 20th Century, In the Woods, and The Cradle Will Rock. She was part of the original cast of Back to the Future here on Broadway, and is now making audiences cry eight times a week as Cherry Valance in The Outsiders, which just received 12 Tony nominations. Emma Pittman, welcome to The Theatre Podcast.

[2:28] Emma Pittman: Yee-haw, thank you for having me.

[2:31] Alan Seales: Yee-haw. Is that your Mississippi greeting?

[2:34] Emma Pittman: Just so people really know that it's true.

[2:36] Alan Seales: Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. Fair enough. Fair enough. I actually think it's really... Maybe this isn't fun. I was going to say, a fun story. You won The Search for Roxie in late 2019. It was November, December, and then you were all set to make your debut, and then this little thing called the pandemic happened.

[2:55] Emma Pittman: That's right.

[2:56] Alan Seales: And you didn't act... Because you were set to go into... And for those listening, I'm not diminishing the pandemic. It was a big deal.

[3:03] Emma Pittman: 100%.

[3:04] Alan Seales: Yeah. So, set to make your debut in 2020. Don't make it till two years later, and you're fresh out of college, or still in college in 2019? What's the timeline around this?

[3:15] Emma Pittman: Fresh out of college. I had just finished working on a cruise ship. Right after I finished college, I missed graduation to start working on a cruise ship. And I got off the cruise ship. I did one new musical work, which was super fun. And during that, a college professor of mine, Tony Award-winning Michelle Koch, sent me an email and was like, you should definitely do this Search for Roxie thing. If you don't, you're an idiot. And I was like, I think you're right.

[3:44] Emma Pittman: One of the things I really like about the Search for Roxie is that it's all on YouTube. It's a lot of the behind the scenes. They're exposing some of the behind the scenes of the casting process. And they're like, this is what I like about this person and that person. They don't have it quite yet on the audition, but maybe if we give them a note, they can take it this way. But then when they were talking about you, it was a straight up, that's it. We like her. That's it. Next. Next. That's it. Bring her in. Right?

[4:08] Emma Pittman: It was such an honor to be in front of those people. I mean, we're talking about Bianca Marroquin, who is one of the coolest Roxies of all time. If you don't know her, her story is mind blowing. She was the first person to do Roxie in Mexico in Spanish. And then they wanted her to come do it on Broadway. So she was learning the English version as she was doing it in Spanish in the evening. She's unbelievable. And she's had the privilege of playing Roxie and Velma. And she is so kooky and funny and weird. And I'd never I had the privilege of doing it with her my last week of doing Chicago. She was my Velma. And she is literally the funniest Velma I've ever experienced. And I feel like when you think of Velma, she's very like, you know, taking a drag of a cigarette.

She like kind of is jaded and bitter. But Bianca brings this like youthful, like quick witty, super vaudeville vibe to Velma that I've never seen before. So she was one of our judges. And then Bebe Neuwirth, who some of you may know, as recent Tony nominee in Cabaret. And then the late Grey Ann Rankin. I mean, I was like, I was pooping my pants from the day that I knew they were going to be in that room. So the fact that they weren't even seeing me was crazy. Well, that's where they cast you. Actually, that was the behind the scenes of like, well, she poops her pants. So I think she's our girl.

[5:35] Emma Pittman: Anybody who's willing to poop her pants at an audition definitely needs to be Roxy.

[5:39] Alan Seales: Clearly.

[5:40] Emma Pittman: Clearly, clearly. But we're, I mean, you're coming out of a cruise ship, you're like, all right, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go make it on Broadway. I'm gonna do this thing. And then you got, I was reading something, right, that you were told you got it, you couldn't tell anybody, you signed the contract. And then, so you're sitting on this. And then all of a sudden, Broadway just gets shut down. What was going on in your mind? Were you devastated? Or just kind of like, I guess I'll come back later. And, you know, originally, it's supposed to be two weeks.

[6:11] Emma Pittman: The timeline was insane. Because like you said, the actual search for Roxy happened over the course of five days in New York City during, I believe it was Thanksgiving break. Like, I remember being home in Mississippi, working on a Christmas show with my high school. I was co-choreographing it with my director, because we had created this Christmas show when I was in high school. And it was like, a really special event. And I was like, I'm so sorry, I have to leave. I can't tell anyone why, but I'll tell you. So I was like, he was in the loop. I mean, my high school theater teacher, and I was like, it has to be very, very low key. Because after I left during the process of working on this Christmas show, left for like three days, came back, had won it, it had been filmed, but they didn't release that information until January of 2020.

[7:05] Alan Seales: Oh, okay, okay, okay. So yeah, that was already in the can, they released it in January. And what was the original date you were supposed to go in?

[7:14] Emma Pittman: So I'd never had an actual contract signed for joining the company of Chicago. Basically, they just announced the winner. And it was like, yeah, January 2020. Hooray, this is so exciting. Everyone knows I could finally tell my grandma. It was a big deal. Grandma was very confused.

[7:34] Alan Seales: Grandmas don't get Broadway debuts.

[7:36] Emma Pittman: She was like, I don't understand what you're saying. And my grandma's one of my number one fans. So she was like, you're telling me you knew this whole time. I was like, Grandma, you're not alone. It's the whole world that didn't know, okay? Love you, Grandma. When they released it in 2020, I didn't have a point of contact with the actual show Chicago. So I was like, okay, I know my next goal is to find an agent who is gonna see me see that video of me doing it, hopefully think that I'm worth taking on as a client and help me negotiate a contract because I've never done that ever in my life. So I ended up taking a couple of meetings and I met with the people who are my current agents now, Stuart Talent.

I actually met them because one of the agents graduated from Wagner and another Wagner grad connected us and was like, maybe you guys should meet. His name is Tim Marshall. And we met, we sat down and it was like a match made in heaven. The questions were flowing, the vibes were flowing. It was like, I actually think this might work out. So I signed with them the last week of... It might have even been in February of 2020. That's when I signed my contract with my agent. And then, five minutes later, COVID happened. I was really scared for many reasons, mostly that... So many people were like, well, there's our jobs. Even if it's just for two weeks, still a long time to be out of a job. And as the months progressed, I knew of people who were unfortunately let go from their agencies through COVID.

And I was like, I really, really hope that it doesn't happen to me because I wouldn't even know where to begin if I didn't have my agents in my corner working for me, especially when it came to when we came back. And my agents worked tirelessly calling the Chicago people, okay, what's the plan? Who's coming back next? When do you want to put them out? How should we roll it out? And then I got to go after Pamela, which was... I mean, who gets to say that? I followed Pamela Anderson. I'll never forget opening night, she gave me these beautiful pink flowers that said, break a lash.

[9:56] Alan Seales: Oh, how sweet.

[9:56] Emma Pittman: Oh, that's so cute. That's great. And all right. So then coming back, I mean, I know agents that were let go from agencies. A hundred percent. Everyone was losing their jobs. It was a crazy time. Agencies ceased to exist even.

[10:09] Alan Seales: Yeah. I've heard your little Southern accent come out a few times here as a fellow Southern boy coming from North Carolina.

[10:16] Emma Pittman: North Carolina, a little bit.

[10:22] Alan Seales: It slips out a little bit. So talking to you, it may come back a little bit.

[10:27] Emma Pittman: If we got my mom on this call, it would be a whole other story.

[10:30] Alan Seales: Like, y'all, let me tell y'all about Emma Pittman.

[10:34] Emma Pittman: That's right. She is the best. Yeah.

[10:35] Alan Seales: Right, yes. Well, tell me about little Emma in Mississippi growing up. When did you start dancing or singing or acting first? Where did that all begin?

[10:45] Emma Pittman: I started dancing first. I grew up in a very, very teeny tiny small town that was about a half an hour away from a town called Oxford, which is where Ole Miss is. If you know anything about colleges, college football, they're all right. The Blind Side. Ever heard of it? Sandra Bullock?

[11:00] Alan Seales: Yes, I have seen that movie. Yes.

[11:04] Emma Pittman: So that movie talks about Michael Orr, who went to Ole Miss, which is where I'm from, sort of, for the most part. Air quotes from. Okay, gotcha.

[11:12] Emma Pittman: Yeah, air quotes from. So I grew up about half an hour away from Oxford and in this tiny town called Batesville. And I don't even know how we found out about this dance studio, but it was in Oxford. And I started dancing when I was two years old. My parents would drive me half an hour there. I'd take the class half an hour back. And I'd always loved dancing. Like, it never made me nervous. It was like a fun outlet. I had a lot of energy as a child. I had a lot of big feelings. I still have big feelings. And it was fun to, like, you know, be in a sad number or be in a really happy, fun, crazy number. And I loved learning. I love to tap dance. I love to, like, make new art. Like, I love to cross genres of dance because I was just like, well, why not? Like, let's just create something crazy. One of my favorite dances that I ever did, I must have been like 11. I did a really cool rhythm tap dance to the song Spider-Man, but it was like a jazz version. And I had...

[12:15] Alan Seales: Wait, from Turn Off the Dark or like, like the cartoon?

[12:23] Emma Pittman: Oh, the cartoon. Yeah.

[12:26] Emma Pittman: Like the theme song Spider-Man. It was really cool. I had this fierce, like, long spandex red jumpsuit and this connecting cape from my fingers to my back that my mom rhinestoned a spiderweb on. And I remember tap dancing and then also tumbling, which why was I doing that? But it was amazing. Because Spider-Man is good with the acrobatics.

[12:54] Emma Pittman: Yes. Well, I went to Spider-Man when I was a kid for Halloween once, so we've got that in common.

[13:00] Alan Seales: We do.

[13:00] Emma Pittman: And we both have, our birthdays are like a week apart, but you're a Scorpio and I'm a Libra.

[13:04] Alan Seales: I'm a Libra actually. Oh my God, I love this conversation. So my roommate, Brendan, my best friend, who makes all of my opening night dresses and the clutches and whatnot, he and I have the same birthday, but he's born in the evening and I'm born in the early morning. And because I'm in the morning, I'm actually a Libra and he's a Scorpio. It's crazy. I'm still Scorpio rising, so it makes sense if you get the vibes. But if you ever actually get to know me, or even work with me, I love balance and I hate confrontation.

[13:41] Emma Pittman: Me, me, me, me, me. Okay. October 18th, 10:30 AM. What am I? I'm a Libra. What's the Scorpio?

[13:48] Alan Seales: I know nothing about astrology. I love to watch people who are really into it, talk about it. So tell me all about it.

[13:52] Emma Pittman: Well, it's funny because I wouldn't say that I'm really into it. I just find it a fascinating topic of conversation. I didn't know what the big three were until I was working at Wagner. I directed and choreographed The Prom with my friend, Brendan, and we were doing a mic check and I was like, okay, everyone tell me your sign. And they were like, your star sign or your big three? And I was like, what is that? And they were like, your big three, your rising, your moon, your star. And I was like, I don't know what that is. So they made me download this app called CoStar. You should download it. You put in where you were born, what time you were born, and then it calculates based on where the stars are, what your moon, your star, and your sun is.

So your rising is what people perceive you. So people perceive me as a Scorpio. And then your star sign is like your normal sign, what you have your birthday. We're Libras. Wait, so hold on. While you're explaining this, I'm going to download it. What's this called again? It's called CoStar. C-O-S-T-A-R. Oh my gosh, this is going to be exciting. I can't wait to hear more about what your big three are. Okay, keep going, keep going.

[15:02] Emma Pittman: And then the moon, this one I don't really know as much about, but it's basically how you... I've heard it said two different ways. It's who you are on the inside, that's what I've heard. But another way would be like, that's how you process your emotions. And I'm also a Libra. So I'm a Libra, Libra, Scorpio.

[15:22] Alan Seales: Time for a quick commercial break. Hang on a second.

[15:26] Alan Seales: Welcome back to the episode. Wait, so what are the characteristics though of processing your emotions as a Libra versus a Scorpio?

[15:35] Emma Pittman: Well, I actually feel like I could answer this because Brendan and I have worked together and the way that we... We are like yin and yang of each other. It's kind of amazing. Whenever there's conflict about me, I will close down and need time to be upset about the situation before I can express my feelings and attempt to figure out what's the best way to move forward. But with Scorpios, they tend to be a bit more unafraid of conflict or confrontation. And so they're more willing to say how they feel in the moment and not be afraid of the repercussions of what that may bring.

[16:25] Alan Seales: Can I be right in the middle? I say what I feel in the moment and then I hate that I just said it.

[16:28] Emma Pittman: I can't wait to see what your moon is. I'm so fascinated now. Got my horoscopy thing installed here. Co-star. All right. I am a Libra with an Aquarius moon and Sagittarius rising.

[16:44] Emma Pittman: Oh, okay.

[16:46] Emma Pittman: So it says hates being alone. Check. Really good aesthetics. Okay. And conflict avoided. Check.

[16:54] Alan Seales: Yeah. Okay. Okay.

[16:56] Emma Pittman: Well, yes.

[16:58] Emma Pittman: We use NASA data to calculate your placements for hyper-personalized horoscopes.

[17:03] Alan Seales: Okay.

[17:04] Emma Pittman: Be careful. Now, Co-star can be a bit aggressive. Just so you know, the people who are listening who know about Co-star, it will send you unprompted notifications that are like, have you had any water today? And you're like, how do you know that based on the stars? Okay.

[17:20] Alan Seales: Of course I haven't.

[17:21] Emma Pittman: Of course I haven't. You jerk of an app that is totally accurate.

[17:28] Alan Seales: Okay. So then you are, you're dancing, you're at a young age and then...

[17:34] Emma Pittman: So I'm loving dance. I'm live, laugh, loving dance ever since I was two years old. And then when I get to middle school where I, my parents decided to move to Oxford because it was like, well, they're dancing there all the time. And the only thing that's keeping us in this small town of Batesville was basically our work. So if we can take our work into Oxford, then we'll move there and we'll start a new, we'll go to the school system there. We'll, we'll just set our roots down in Oxford. And that's where everybody is now. So I started my journey of theater at this new high school. I moved to Oxford, started in the ninth grade and this school had a theater program, which my school didn't have.

And I was like, Oh, I like theater. Like my parents, I saw the touring production of Beauty and the Beast for my fourth birthday. And I made my parents leave at intermission because the beast was so scary. But besides that I love theater. My parents had also gone to New York City one summer and brought me back the Wicked soundtrack and the Hairspray soundtrack. And those were my, like, put it on, stand in front of the mirror, play all the parts, create my own set design, costume, hair, play everyone. Maybe have my siblings come in every once in a while, but I was always the lead, you know, that type.

[19:01] Alan Seales: Right, right. As you would.

[19:01] Emma Pittman: As we do. So I was like, I would be interested in trying a musical. Well, yes. So the next big musical was The Wizard of Oz. And I remember in the audition, the choreographer who was a student, she was a senior. She was someone who I danced with at my dance studio. She was running an audition and she was telling us about the choreography, but she was also associating actions to the choreography. She was like, what does it mean when you do the leap? Like, are you going over there to, we were doing the combination from the jitterbug. She was like, how can you use this dance move to, like, cast a spell on Dorothy and her friends? How can you allow the dance to forward the plot of making them dance so hard that they are going to pass out?

And I was like, wow, I actually, this is inspiring. Like, you're right. How can I do this little shot, step, leap and be like, bam. And now you're going to dance forever. Ha ha. Take that. Instead of, and I'm just doing a leap and I'm just, you know, whatever. But that was the first moment that I was like, oh, I think this is actually what I really love about dancing is this aspect of storytelling. Every time I'd ever done a dance piece at my dance school, that was like, had a beginning, middle and end, had a cool twist or something in the middle. Like, I loved it. I was like, I can't wait to do that dance. That dance is like, because people are going to be and then he disappeared. You know, like, I love the story behind the dance. And so that was when that was the first like, oh, oh, I actually might like theater, actually, more than I just like dance.

[20:43] Alan Seales: How old was this? And what was your next step there? What was your next kickball change into that kind of career?

[20:50] Emma Pittman: Yeah. So I, I started dance as I said, when I was two, but my dance studio, it's giving like Dolly Dinkles tap studio on Lafayette Street. You know, it's not like a super fancy, well renowned, Dolly Dinkle, Donkey Dinkle, Donkey, Donkey, Donkey, Donkey, Donkey, Dinkles, Dolly, and I wait, Dolly Dinkles, Donkey.

[21:18] Alan Seales: Basically, the dance studio that I went to didn't have a strong technique base. And so I knew that even if I wanted to dance at some sort of level professionally, I had to take care of the lack of technique that I missed out on as a kid. Like, I had a lot of energy, and I had a lot of passion, but I didn't have a lot of technique. So even though I was like, I knew I could work hard and do, I could put my, you know, all my might into a lot of classes. But there was just a lack of technique that was holding me back. After my ninth grade year, every summer from then until I graduated, I came to New York and I did the Joffrey ballet summer intensive. And the first time I did it, I was like, I hate this because I hate ballet as well, respectfully.

It's all of the dance styles when I was a kid, I was like, it's the most boring, it's always the same. And I just didn't have an appreciation for it because I was a kid. And I didn't see lots of ballets, you know, I didn't understand that it was a foundation that then you use to create stories. I was just like, it's this annoying class that I always have to take. And I would like be like, oh, I don't feel good or my knee hurts and sit out because I hated it. I hated it. And I remembered the first time I did the Joffrey ballet summer intensive, I was miserable. I was at the very bottom level. And I was in the bottom of the bottom level. Everyone was taking point, I had never taken a point class before I had to like buy shoes and shove myself onto the toe box of this point shoe from Capizio on 50th Street.

Like, I had no idea what I was doing. And I felt I felt really not good. I was like, there's just look at all these people who are better than me just in the bottom level. Like this is there's no way respectfully like I was quite humbled that summer. And then when I came back, and I danced among my friends, I actually saw a difference. And I was like, Okay, you know what, that was really hard. I made lots of really, really great friends. If I can just focus on like, if I just put my faith in that it's working as it's happening. I can get better. Like it wasn't that I wasn't getting better. That's what I thought. I was like, Oh, this is rough. I am not. I am not progressing in this room. But when I finally came home and saw myself doing steps I had done before, and I was like, Oh, that was actually easier.

Oh, I can actually do a double without falling out now. Okay, okay, it's gonna suck. But it's gonna work. So I'm gonna I'm gonna put myself into that. So then I did that every summer until I graduated high school.

[24:07] Alan Seales: Wow. And I guess on that track, then did you always just know you wanted to go to college for it and do it professionally? Or was there ever a chance when you were like, Yeah, I'm gonna go be an orthodontist or something?

[24:16] Emma Pittman: You know, I actually love I was also all I was always really good at math. I was never like an English person I hate respectfully. I don't like to read no, I would never yuck anybody's yum about reading, but I am not very good at it. I don't like it. I don't like writing. But there was something about math that I enjoyed the process of going deeper and learning more. I ended up taking calculus my like, junior year and making a five on the AP calculus exam. If anybody knows what that is, it's the best. Yeah, yeah. I was like, I was like, Okay, there's kind of a world where I could be an engineer or something, you know, like, have some sort of math leading degree. I don't know what that would look like. But I you know, I know that I'm good at it. And it's interesting to me. But I think that I always knew that there was no way I could do anything else. Other than this.

[25:13] Alan Seales: I think we're the same person. I love math, computer science because of the math love. But here I am still afraid to, to leave the performing in the theater behind. It's hard. Gotta stay involved. It means a lot to us, you know, like, one time of Back to the Future, there was a sweet little girl in the front row. Her name is Casper. She must be 10 years old. And she knew every word to the show every word. Now mind you, we don't have a cast album like Back to the Future in America, but there is a

[26:18] Alan Seales: Welcome to The Theatre Podcast. I'm your host, Alan Seales, and today we have a fantastic guest, Emma Pittman. Emma, it's great to have you here!

[26:48] Emma Pittman: Thank you so much for having me! I'm really excited to be here.

[27:18] Alan Seales: So, let's dive right in. You've had quite the journey, especially with your experience in "The Search for Roxie." Can you tell us about that?

[27:48] Emma Pittman: Absolutely! It was such an incredible experience. I remember being so excited when I won, but I couldn't tell anyone right away because of the way the contest was structured. Then, of course, the pandemic hit, and everything got postponed, which was a huge challenge.

[28:18] Alan Seales: That must have been tough. How did you cope with that uncertainty?

[28:48] Emma Pittman: It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. I had to remind myself to stay grounded and focus on what I could control. I kept working on my craft and staying connected with my friends and family, which really helped.

[29:18] Alan Seales: That's a great mindset to have. Now, shifting gears a bit, let's talk about "The Outsiders." You mentioned you had a connection to the show before joining the cast. Can you elaborate on that?

[29:48] Emma Pittman: Yes! I actually read the book in high school and even performed in a play adaptation of it. So, when I found out I was going to be part of this production, it felt like a full-circle moment for me.

[30:18] Alan Seales: That's amazing! What do you think makes this particular adaptation resonate with audiences?

[30:48] Emma Pittman: The ensemble-based approach is really unique. It allows for a deeper connection between the characters and the audience. The raw and visceral scenes, especially the rumble, have a profound impact on younger viewers, making them reflect on their own experiences.

[31:18] Alan Seales: I can imagine. The themes in "The Outsiders" are so relevant today. How was your audition process for the play?

[31:48] Emma Pittman: It was really special. Director Danya Tamor prioritized genuine conversations with us during the audition process, which made it feel more personal. It wasn't just about performing; it was about connecting.

[32:08] Alan Seales: That sounds like a refreshing approach. How did you feel about breaking free from preconceived notions during your time in high school?

[32:28] Emma Pittman: It was definitely a challenge. I felt a lot of pressure to fit into certain molds, but I learned that embracing my uniqueness is what truly sets me apart. It's important to stay true to yourself in this industry.

[32:48] Alan Seales: Wise words! What advice would you give to young performers who might feel boxed in?

[33:18] Emma Pittman: I would say to embrace your individuality and not be afraid to take risks. The more authentic you are, the more you'll connect with your audience and find your place in this industry.

[33:38] Alan Seales: That's fantastic advice, Emma. Thank you for sharing your journey with us today!

[33:58] Emma Pittman: Thank you for having me! It's been a pleasure.

[34:18] Alan Seales: And to our listeners, make sure to check out Emma in "The Outsiders." You won't want to miss it!

[39:12] Emma Pittman: I feel like I could speak for myself, but I think that most people in our company like the thing that touches people is Susie's story. Like, she was the writer of the book. She wrote this when she was 14. And you can tell, like, that is the reason why it's taught to kids. That's the reason why it means a lot to kids. That's why it's, you know, Sky says it was the first book he'd ever finished as a kid. Like he was like this. There was something about this that was like, Well, yes, this is me. I am living this right now. I see this thing happening in my world. And I think that it's, I know, for me, that is the most special thing to be a part of, like, some of my favorite compliments at the stage door are like, you're exactly what I imagined when I read the book.

And I'm like, Oh, my God, that's great. Like, it's such an honor to be sharing this story. And sometimes it's people's first time ever knowing the story. Some people don't read the book. Some people don't see the movie. And they're like, I didn't know what this was about. But oh, my God, has this changed my life. So I think that Dhanya said, one of the best things about the nominations when we had a meeting on Tuesday, which was like, it's such an honor to be recognized for the greatness that we all believe in when it comes to this show. But it's especially an honor to be recognized amongst so much greatness. Like you said, the season is full of excellent theater, like new theater, exciting, innovative art, things that pull on people's heartstrings, things that make people laugh, and their cheeks hurt afterwards.

Like there is so much cool stuff happening right now on Broadway. And I think it's really, it's very touching to know that a show that a story that has touched generations for years and years is also being recognized at such length.

[41:35] Emma Pittman: I got to see the put in last Friday for all of the understudies, our first round of understudies we had to put in last Friday. And I got to, I wanted to see, I wanted to like support everyone and, you know, see everybody do their work. Oh my God, and I got to see the play, you know, and I was like, Oh my God, this is like, if I was a kid, and I saw this, it would become my entire personality. Like, I wouldn't, I would, I would cosplay as Cherry every day. I would probably grease my hair like I would have, so Saturdays I would have, I'm gonna be dressed as Ponyboy for Halloween. Like this story would have changed my life as a kid, especially as a musical, you know, it's very easy. It's just like a t-shirt, roll up a cigarette, and everyone will ask if you're Danny Zuko, but then you have to carry the book around.

And everyone, right, right, right. I didn't connect. I got close. I do feel like the building is very like, I mean, in all honesty, it's the same. Like we all not that we're not honored and not that we're not excited. We have our, you know, moments of like, geeking out with each other. But we all know this special story that is Susie, we know that it means a lot. I mean, just in some of our like, sit down table reads, everyone's sobbing. And that's, that's a testament to excellent writing. Yeah, so I think we're all very, very grounded in this story. I'm very thankful to be a part of that.

[43:14] Alan Seales: Time for a quick commercial break. Hang on a second. Welcome back to the episode. What's your favorite thing to watch in the show that you're not in your favorite scene?

[43:23] Emma Pittman: That's a great question. I mean, it's really hard not to say the rumble. So amazing. Just amazing. It's really hard not to say that. I mean, like, I love "Grease Got a Hold." I think it's one of the greatest numbers. This is dramatic, but I'm gonna say with my chest, I think it's one of the greatest, like musical theater numbers. Like, I love the dancing. I love the aspect of using the space. I love that you get to know each and every single greaser and what their relationships are, whether they're speaking or not speaking just by seeing them exist in this space. And it's like, really cool. Like it makes you feel cool when you watch it, because you feel like you're a part of it. That would be my favorite.

That's not the rumble. But the rumble is like, seriously, one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Yeah, it blew me away. And to learn that the Coopermans started with that scene when they were developing the show, I don't know if they ever told you that that's the first thing they did was the rumble scene. It totally makes sense to me. I mean, I wish I had my script on me, but it's at the theater. What Adam Rapp wrote in this script is like, it's literally a whole page of just what's happening, what the rumble looks like, like, and one of the one of the pieces that I know the Coopermans love to talk about is like, it's like, he Adam Rapp write something along the lines, like, there's nothing just the sound of fists impaling skin, boys fighting boys. That's it. And it's just like, so raw. And so visceral. Yes, it's devastating.

[45:03] Alan Seales: Okay, okay. Now we're gonna move over to a little fun game. I like to play called plot in 60 seconds. We got 60 seconds on the clock. You're gonna give me a number one through 13, which corresponds to a list of popular musicals. And so then once I give you the musical name, you're gonna give me the plot in 60 seconds. Ready to go?

[45:19] Emma Pittman: Oh, no, this is gonna be bad. And reminding everyone that I never did theater. I never did it. I never did. I didn't do it until high school. And even then it was this it was imagine the smallest amount. I learned everything in college. And even then I didn't learn enough. Oh, I'm sweating. Okay, let's go. So most of these, I think all of these are either if they've either been very popular movies, or they're like, basically currently still playing. So you should be okay. Alright, so give me a number one through 13.

[45:58] Emma Pittman: 10.

[46:00] Alan Seales: Okay. "Beauty and the Beast" go.

[46:06] Emma Pittman: "Beauty and the Beast" is about almost a Dorothy. No, it's about this girl named Belle. And she's super smart. And everyone in the town doesn't really like her. And she is really super smart and her dad's a little crazy. And she ends up stumbling upon this really nice castle where super scary beast that is cursed because he wasn't very nice. And it cursed all the people in the town and in the castle. And they're all turned into inanimate objects. But the only way to break the curse is if Belle and Beast fall in love. So the inanimate objects are trying to make the phone look and then they kind of fight but then they also kind of see each other maybe it's Stockholm syndrome who's to say but at the end of the day, they do see each other and love books and fall in love.

And when they kiss, oh, and then there's this guy gets on and he's really not nice. And he wants to kill the beast. So they try to kill the beast, they almost killed the beast. But in the end, the beast ends up falling in love with Belle with enough time that he changes back into a person. And they all live happily ever after. Yay, with four seconds remaining. That's pretty good.

[47:03] Alan Seales: God, there's a whole song about him. Listen, that was no shade against anybody else who's done this. But that was I think the best segment we've done so far. Like you didn't forget characters. You had the major plot points. A lot of times somebody did I think it was Joy Woods did Hamilton and didn't mention America or the founding fathers at all. So you know, it's amazing.

[47:30] Emma Pittman: And that is the Hamilton I would like to see next.

[47:37] Alan Seales: Well, I love it. I love it. Okay, so now the standard closing questions that I always have wrapped up with here. The first one just very simply is what motivates you?

[47:45] Emma Pittman: Oh, that's such a great question. Um, I would say the idea of always being better, like not necessarily like, in the sense of being the best, like talented, or like, impressive. I mean, like my best self, like the idea of evolving and always finding ways to be more kind and to have more empathy and be a teacher to people who come after me because I wouldn't be the person that I am today without the teachers who saw something in me and inspired me and taught me what they know. So yeah.

[48:24] Alan Seales: Alright. What advice would you give to your younger self and younger people listening now starting out down a similar path?

[48:32] Emma Pittman: Trust in the beauty of you. You don't have to worry about being someone else or attempting to achieve something that maybe doesn't align with who you are. I know that especially in this business, there's a world where people cared a lot about what your type is. And I think that that was made with great intentions that you would know what you have to sell. What is your type? Like, my type is I'm very silly. But I'm also like can do like a like a Lola type role. I know that I have a pretty wide range vocally, I can hold down a part I know how to dance like that is what it means to know your type. It doesn't mean to say, Oh, well, you look like an ingenue who is a soprano. So that's your type. Don't allow someone else to tell you what they think you are.

Learn and love things about yourself and bring those into the room because that is that is what people want to work with. That's what people want to get to know and support. That's similar to what you were saying about going into high school, people have their preconceived notions of who you are because of who you danced with. So they're already putting you in a box and typing you without even knowing how you can do anything else.

[49:42] Alan Seales: Exactly. They already do it in life. So don't do it in the stuff that you love.

[49:47] Emma Pittman: Yeah. Alright. Last question. Hardest one. If you can only see one show for the rest of your life, but you can see it as many times as you want. What would you see?

[49:56] Emma Pittman: "Company"?

[49:58] Alan Seales: Oh, nothing good with all the instruments.

[50:03] Emma Pittman: Oh, that's what you meant. Like the inanimate objects that are trying to get the beast and Belle back together. Yeah, those. Okay. Yes, I agree. Okay, where can we find you online on social media?

[50:13] Emma Pittman: You can always find me at Emma Pittman official. I'm on TikTok. I'm on Instagram. I'm not on Twitter or X whatever it's called. And then the Becoming Cherry Broadway vlog plug that. Yes, please follow every Tuesday. Call me Cherry the Broadway.com blogs where I take you backstage with the company of The Outsiders. Oh, call me Cherry. That's becoming Cherry. I've said it wrong like four times. Thank you for not correcting me. But okay, cool. Honestly, I was I kind of love it. Maybe we'll change it. Becoming Cherry. Call me Cherry becoming Cherry. There we go. I am on theater podcast.com. I'm on Instagram and TikTok and threads and Facebook and leave a rating and a review wherever you are listening. It helps go see The Outsiders the musical tell Emma Pittman that you heard her interview and you know all the fun stuff. Emma, thank you so much. It's been so nice chatting with you getting to know you.

[51:08] Emma Pittman: Same and I'm so grateful that you know more about yourself now you Aquarius moon. So