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TV Exclusive: Konversations with Keeme: A Chat with Christine Dwyer
9K views
Nov 2, 2022
Thirteen year old Ajibola Tajudeen, better known as Keeme, is the host of New Paradigm Theatre's brand new web series debuting here on BroadwayWorld. 'Konversations with Keeme' is show where Keeme interviews seasoned television and film professionals like Tamara Tunie of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Renee Lawless of Tyler Perry's The Have and the Have Nots, as well as Broadway veterans such as Emmy and Grammy winner, Paul Bogaev, Emmy-nominated Scott Bryce, and Broadway pros Christine Dwyer, Kelly Grant, Juwan Crawley and more.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hello, my name is Aja Bola, Tajudine, but you can call me Kimi, and today you're watching
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Conversation with Kimi. The show we ask stuff and we make stuff
0:19
Today, my guest is a Broadway actor and performer, Christine Dreyer. Woo
0:26
So, Christine, what was it like growing up as a child? You know, I grew up in..
0:31
Oh, great. Okay, yeah. I grew up in Massachusetts, right outside of Boston
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and didn't go to a performing arts school. I went just to public school
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but kind of found a passion for swimming and a passion for singing
0:49
And I sort of had to figure out which one I wanted to do more
0:53
because they were taking up too much of my time and my grades were dipping, and so my mom told me I had to pick one
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And I couldn't imagine my life without theater. So I started doing that instead of swimming
1:03
And I did all the school plays and some summer stock things
1:08
But generally, I really learned most of what I used today in college
1:16
Because through the Heart School and Kristen Huffman, my teacher. Yeah, and I really had a great childhood that was a feeling
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with lots of different things. It was sports, it was school, it was music, acting, you know
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So what was something that you learned as a kid that you still use them as a model or like a
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quote? That's a really great question. I think one thing, the golden rule has always been
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sort of my thing that I, you know, learned when I was younger. And I think it's super important
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to be kind and understanding of one another And I think that that is something that you learn you know when you five years old that can carry you through everything you go through in your life
2:08
Would you say that's the best thing about being an actor? Yeah, well, the best thing about being an actor
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is that you do get to meet so many different types of people and you get so close. You know, you've done shows, right
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Like you get so close to your cast and your crew and your director and all that stuff
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And so you meet a ton of people that are different. than you are and that grew up with different backgrounds and that had different hardships that
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brought them to where you are, you know, where you're all in the same place telling the same story
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So what's your next goal in life? Well, I'm going to get married soon
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So my next goal is to kind of plan that whole wedding thing and get that done
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Yeah, it's starting a brand new chapter. I am, you know, I never really thought I was going to get married
2:56
And then I met Matt and it kind of all came together
3:00
And I think that, yeah, my next goal in life is to kind of start that new chapter
3:05
being a partnership with somebody else. So you played Elphaba on Broadway, right
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Yes, I did. How long was that? I, let's see. I played Elphaba on Broadway for almost two years straight
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I played it on the road for a year. And then I had a few months off and I went to the Broadway company
3:26
and did it for a year. So as Elfaba on tour, what was that like
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Elvaba on tour. Elvabon tour was difficult because you're traveling around a lot and
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it's a really hard role anyways. And so when you're traveling to different places with different, you know, allergies
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and different theaters that, you know, some are older than others, some are dusted
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than others, you have to deal with a lot of vocal health and you have to deal with a lot of vocal health. to really trust your training and things like that So what was it like to perform at the Tonys as Elvabo Oh my god that was so that was so scary I honestly I never been the type of person that gets excited for big things like that
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I get really, really anxious and really nervous. So when I first found out that we were going to be doing that
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I honestly, my first thought was I don't want to do that
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Because at first they wanted me to do Define Gravity and then they decided against it. And I definitely didn't want to do Define Gravity
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to do Define Gravity on the Tony Awards. I would have been so terrified. But luckily we got to do
4:34
for good and I got to have Jenny Barber, who was my Glinda at the time there with me
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and she kind of held my hand through it all because she wasn't as anxious as I was. And that
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was really awesome. But yeah, it's really scary. I mean, because you have shows that day
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Like, you know, while the Tony Awards are kind of about to happen. So you get a, you get
4:57
up at like six in the morning and you go to Radio City and you do a full costume makeup run through
5:04
of the whole thing that they record just in case something happens on the live recording
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And you do that and then you go to your Broadway theater and you do the show and then you
5:15
get your makeup done, you get all this stuff done, you wait in your theater and then maybe
5:20
30 minutes before you're supposed to perform, they bring a bus over. I had my big alpha costume on, the hat, the green, everything
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I get into this van, we bus over, we get, you know, put directly, like, in the back to our dressing rooms
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We have a couple of seconds to just kind of look at each other and say, oh, my God, this is happening
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And then you are backstage and it's happening. So this summer we're doing a production of Hunchback of Norton Dame with a new paradigm theater
5:46
And the subject is outcast, you know, the Hunchback of Notre Dame. And where there are any times that you felt that you were an outcast or you felt out of place and why
5:56
Yeah, absolutely. I mean I always been I feel like a weird musical theater actor because I had so many other interests and I also I just felt a little bit different than everybody in college and I felt a little bit out of
6:12
place my freshman year. So I was thinking about getting a nose ring. What was the reason for you
6:20
getting a nose ring? And how long ago did you think? I got it in college. Honestly I got it
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because I can hide it really easily. So I didn't want to get one on my nostril
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because I didn't want to deal with having to show it while it was healing
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So this is kind of weird, but whatever I'm going to do. So I can just stick it up into my nose
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and then it's like, I can audition for something, you know. And then pull it back down
6:45
And then I can fill it back down. And it's like, you know, now I'm punk rock
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and I can be in like, Jesus Christ, Super Star Live. So we're coming to the end of our interview
6:55
I would like to know what would you say to young leaders out there who want to lead in their community
7:00
You're never alone in this. There's always someone that can help you
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There's always someone that needs your help. And no matter where you come from or how much you know
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you can all sit around a table and create something together. Art is for everybody, no matter who you are, no matter what your age is
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You know, we have to remember that, yes, you could be a leader, but you are leading a group of people
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So it is a community always. Okay, let's show our work. You can tell who's the better artist
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This is so much better than mine. Well, thank you for being a guest here on Conversations with Kimi
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And you guys know that I like to say, your voice is your power, so use it
7:43
Kemi out. So we're coming to the end of our interview. I would like to know what would you say to young leaders out there who want to lead in their community
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