24 Things I Learned From Six Actress Lauren Byrne's Dance Workshop and Q&A

July 03, 2020 by Rachael Dickson in theater

All My Six Posts!
Over-Analyzing All the Historical References in Six- “Ex Wives,” “No Way,” “Don’t Lose Your Head” “Heart of Stone” “Haus of Holbein” “Get Down”
The Tudor Crown Inspiration in Six’s Logo; The Tudor Fashion Elements of the Costumes in Six (with Painting References)
Six the Musical Wives 1-3: Historical and Modern Costume Inspirations; Six the Musical Wives 4-6: Historical and Modern Costume Inspirations
The Ladies in Waiting of Six: Historical Inspirations and Costumes; Details from Six Costumer Gabriella Slade’s Instagram Takeover
The Early Costumes of Six the Musical: From Edinburgh to Cambridge to London
Updated Six the Musical Costumes for Broadway!; The Shoes of Six the Musical
The Alternate Costumes of Six the Musical; How the Six Alternates Change Their Styling for Each Queen
Virtual Dance Workshops and Q&As with Different Six Cast Members!

This has taken me a while to get up because frankly my depression is MUCH worse than usual right now because of all the self-isolation and the continued COVID-19 pandemic, which I …was really hoping would be over by July 4 but clearly won’t be. I’m working on it. Anyway, here you go.

I did a dance workshop and Q&A with Six actress Lauren Byrne last Saturday through Theatre Fan Workshops. Byrne plays Jane Seymour on the Six UK Tour, which interestingly enough, will be back soon in the form of a drive-in tour! I hope to get a post about that up soon too.

Byrne taught us the ending Dance of “Six” (from the end of Catherine parr to the end, but put in the dance break from ex-wives at the end) and the dance break from “No Way.” She had some wonderful commentary throughout on the dancing and choreography, which I’ve included throughout this post as picture captions.

In response to someone saying they’re too uncool for the dance warmup with the cabbage patch, bismark, and wu tan, Byrne said “The first thing we did at rehearsals was we did grooves like that to get used to things like and get our bodies used to th… — In response to someone saying they’re too uncool for the dance warmup with the cabbage patch, bismark, and wu tan, Byrne said “The first thing we did at rehearsals was we did grooves like that to get used to things like and get our bodies used to the dancing – and I definitely kept being like “I am way too uncool for this” – they used to call me cardboard lady.”

While demonstrating the “crown hands” which are brought to the forehead, Byrne commented “In the show, it’s horrible because you’re sweating buckets and you don’t want to touch anything to your face – but then the choreographer comes and is like ‘NO… — While demonstrating the “crown hands” which are brought to the forehead, Byrne commented “In the show, it’s horrible because you’re sweating buckets and you don’t want to touch anything to your face – but then the choreographer comes and is like ‘NONE OF YOU WERE TOUCHING YOUR FINGERS ON YOUR CROWN HANDS’ –so she’s really picky about it.”

1. Duck or giraffe? Giraffe. They’re just so cute – they’re like dogs but with long necks.

2. What was your favorite UK tour show? Guilford. That was full circle for me. I trained at Guilford. The venue we opened at was where I did a show in drama school. My family was first row.

Also the sing a long in Manchester will forever stand out in my mind. It was absolutely insane, I’ve never felt so much like Beyonce in my life and I very rarely feel like Beyonce actually.

3. Funniest moment while performing - There was one where i forgot my line – it was horrendous at the moment but hilarious to look back.
Also, the moment that Maddie [Maddie Bulleyment, who plays Anne Boleyn in Six] fell down the stairs in her song. I think it was right after “I think he’s really going to chop my head off. I guess he likes her head” – and she fell onto her hands and knees from the top step down at the bottom – once we knew she was okay, she fell apart.

4. Most challenging part of the show to perform – all you wanna do – it’s a marathon – all the choruses are really similar and just slightly different every time – learning it was a nightmare because of that reason – just slightly different – and performing every night – if you even slightly switch off in that number you forget what chorus you’re on, there are so many times where I’ve accidentally done the moves to chorus 2 in chorus 3

5. What queen she wanted to play when she auditioned? – I’d never listened to it before I auditioned, I thought it wouldn’t be my cup of tea, which is hilarious All my friends when I auditionered were like OMG lauren you’re going to get Jane Seymour so I assume I ended up in the right place.

6. What’s it like being in musical theater but also a band? [Lauren Byrne is in the country band Remember Monday with her friends Holly, who played Christine in the UK tour of The Phantom of the Opera, and Charlotte]
While I’m out of work, it gives me something else to focus on that’s creative and a use of that creative energy that isn’t like acting. I still have something that can be using that creativeness so I’m not just dying in a waitress job waiting to commit, I’m giving myself a creative outlet outside of the acting world – and being in a band with your best friends is like a childhood dream, isn’t it?

7. Favorite musical she’s participated in – Definitely Six but before Six came along, my first job was Sunny Afternoon. It isn’t a very well known show actually, but it’s such a cool show, I love it. And we all did music too; I played guitar as well. It’s about a band called The Kinks and it’s like a proper rock show – it was that kind of poppy rocky genre. It’s more like 60s rock rather than pop rock. I was a swing so I covered like all of the girl parts.

8. Favorite musical she’s seen – gypsy with Imelda Staunton- that’s my example when anyone says musical theatre actors can’t also be on screen

9. If you can be any kind of potato which one would you be? – Chips.

10. How she gets emotional in her song and still sing? It’s about being aware of where your larynx is – because your larynx rises when you cry. They give me a second before I do the high note thankfully. I say this with all my students as well: everything with singing on stage should be with how it feels rather than how it sounds – you want to base things on where it feels like placement wise.

During the Six improv dance break, “We’re basically just having a massive party on stage -0 = after five minutes in six – we’re six “woo party, do whatever you like for 3 counts of 8." She mentioned that she usually another actress throws a lasso at… — During the Six improv dance break, “We’re basically just having a massive party on stage -0 = after five minutes in six – we’re six “woo party, do whatever you like for 3 counts of 8." She mentioned that she usually another actress throws a lasso at her on stage and she hops toward her like a fish ona line.

Lauren emphasized that your wrists have to really be straight and strong in this position in “Six.”

11. Favorite Harry Potter characer – Hermione- I am Hermione.

12. What tattoos does she have? I have a Lightning bolt on a wrist from me being a massive nerd. Little shamrock on foot for grandad – he has one on his arm – we went to Dublin with SunnyAfternoon and I got it there. I also have one on back – a sun and a star and a moon – that’s for the band – we all have the same one.

13. Favorite joke in Six – one of bobo’s (Anne Boleyn’s) – all of her lines are just great – she’s got some really great one liners- she shuts everyone down with her sarcasm – and I can’t think of one right now, but all of her one liners are great.

14. Dream role – miss honey in matilda – everyone alsways asks me this and I feel like I’ll jinx it but I’ll tell you one –

15. What’s your best positive affirmation/mantra? – everything happens for a reason – last year when I was auditioning for miss honey – I was in for the third year in a row, and every time I go for it =- I’ll be like – oh this’ll be the year I get it – and I got to finals every year previously and – then third time – I had my final and it had gone well – then found out a few weeks later that my friends’ friend had gotten the part – so I found out through someone else that id idn’t get the part – iwas gutted, sobbing all day – then my agent calling me – and here’s the “I’m sorry you didn’t get the job call” – and she’s like “oh hi lauren I’m just calling you with an offer from six” – and I was like “what?” – if I had gotten Matilda, I would never have gotten this opportunity –

All the rejections you get could be over stupid little reasons – like oh we’d rather not remake the costumes so let’s get someone who fits the costume from last year, or based on height – it’s all just about timing and you’ve got to try to believe that it’s nothing to do with you personally – I know it’s harder to do than to say – but

16. About her yodeling: Why did she yodel? –[ lauren’s friend said she’s really good at yodeling at a stage door in bath]– and I yodeled. And it’s quite a country thing and people really like it. There was a show I did in GSA – there was one line and it literally sounded like I was yodeling and it wasn’t intentional that’s just how it came out - = she’s tall enough to be a mother. [she sang it for us to demonstrate]

17. Glinda or elphaba? [in Wicked]– Elphaba – I can’t sing soprano at all to save my life – because holly is one of those annoying people who can do everything – she’s over there singing Christine and pops uver to the band and sing a country song?

18. Which heather would you be? I don’t know heather very well, I’m sorry. [sees people’s shocked faces] I see your faces are so shocked – [people in the chat said heather mac.]

19. What do you think of the Six fandom? it’s so cool, honestly – I’ve never been part of anything like this show before – ti’s really amazing the social media presence it has – it allows you to interact with the people who love the how – never had that before [older shows have older fanbases that aren’t on social media as well] – you get to see how that the work you do can impact other people – I’ve never experienced anything like it – it’s unlike anything else, it’s so so cool.

20. What’s your favorite type of dog? – Labradors – I’ve got two – they’re very goob – I love them so much.

21. Funniest backstage moment – I actually can’t pinpoint one because there are so many – we’re all mental – when we were in the small space we were all in the same dressing room, and that doesn’t happen in any other venue –….it was so much fun, I mean it was hectic and manic and we were all like sardines but it was so so funny.
and any time there’s a show stop because everyone’s insane backstage – because we’re relieved that we get a breather – except if you have a show stop mid song and you have to go back – all you want to do and go do it again throughout.

22. Favorite cast album – Waitress – I love soft place to land and I love – Bangers.

[Follow up question - Who would you play in waitress? Someone has photoshopped my face onto Jenna, holly’s onto Dawn, and Charlotte’s face onto Becky’s – and I feel like that would work quite well – and I’ll be like I’ll take that,

23. Challenges performing in different venues – Every Tuesday or Monday when we load in, because that’s when you have to run the show a few times in sound check and then do it that night – it’s like a three show day, it’s tiring – soundwise – obviously we wear in-ears [mics] – the sound is so different in every venue depending on where the monitors are and the desk – that can be a massive struggle – it can take 2-3 shows to get the sound in your in-ears the way you like it.

24. What’s your favorite place you’ve been to because of tour? – I loved going to Ireland and I’m so sad we missed Dublin because of stupid corona – and I absolutely love going to Dublin and Belfast – I’ve been to Belfast as well on another tour – maybe it’s just because my family’s Irish and I just love to be there!

12 Things I Learned From Six UK Tour Alternate Jen Caldwell's Workshop and Q&A

May 23, 2020 by Rachael Dickson in theater

I did another workshop this morning, this time with Six UK Tour alternate Jen Caldwell through Theatre Fan Workshops! It was only at 7 AM EST, where I live, so I got to sleep…slightly later than I have the last few weekends? Lol. Jen’s a swing on the 2019-2020 UK tour of Six the Musical and also serves as their social media captain. She temporarily served as a swing in the West End production after performing as Anna of Cleves for several shows as an emergency cover.

Jen taught us some of the moves to the “I Don’t Need Your Love (remix),” which was pretty difficult and fast. I’d put it at perhaps #2 in difficulty in the Six dances I’ve done so far? At least for me personally. I was able to get only some of the moves but I wasn’t as laughably terrible as I was during “No Way.”

5. Six (taught by Harriet Watson)
4. Sorry not sorry (taught by Vicki Manser)
3. Get Down (taught by Harriet Watson)
2. I Don’t Need Your Love (Remix) (taught by Jen Caldwell)
1. No Way (taught by Collette Guitart)

Jen has this wonderful sense of humor that kept coming out as she was teaching the class. I copied down so many wonderful one-liners from her. She also was super cool and recognized a number of people on the call, specifically noting who she’s met at various performances and such.

Joking about what’ll happen to anyone who’s late and misses the warm-up: “THEY WON’T BE WARM.”

Later: “Everyone get on your goddamn feet!” “You’re all getting it, I’m not seeing anyone who’s upsetting me.” "

On teaching via Zoom: “It’s a goddamn nightmare!”

“Guys, I belieeevvveeeeee in youuuu” /sings/

Discussing one specific section of the dance: “Do whatever you want to do - /feel your oats/” [american accent]

referring to her wooden spoon: “I’m talking into this like a microphone and i need to stop.”

“Holyyy molyyyyy” [sings]

“and then we all imagine that we have friends. singgg with allll your imaginary friendssss”

“sing into the camera like I’m henry and you HATE ME”

She joked about how people can post clips of the class but “not the whole bit. We got an email about it.”

Standard disclaimer that I did the best I could to transcribe Jen’s answers all accurately but of course I might have gotten a few words wrong here or there.

Training: She did a one year course at LSMT (London School of Musical Theatre) and did a degree “Somewhere in Carlisle.” She joked: “don’t go there guys – I learned nothing.”
Audition Tips: “Just be yourself. They really want someone that they want to work with. Someone who’s moldable and malleable, someone’s who pleasant. You can have someone who’s the most talented person in the world, but if they’re a douchebag, you’d be like /ugh/ - it’d be amazing if everyone was talented and lovely – but mm, there are some REALLY talented douchebags. You must bring /yourself/ and show off what you can bring to a company and what you can bring to a course or a role. That’s what I would say - Be you!”
On her Costume: “I remember my first costume fitting, where they said you’re getting the teal, and i was like, ‘well that’s really turquoise,’ and ‘you’ve got a skirt! ‘Oh great, that’s cute!’ [makes face] And they showed the mockup of the skirt….And I was like ‘mmmm, that’s really short,” and there’s a big panel like, ‘hiiii everyone, have a look at my inner thighs, everyone look at the part of my body i hate the most.’ But now I love it. As soon as you’re on stage you forget about the bits of yourself that are showing.”

3. Favorite Queen to play: “My favorite changes all the time. I DO love Cleves. I also love Howard because she’s funny and a little bit bitchy.”

4. Least favorite Queen to play: “Toss up between Parr and Aragon. Aragon is a lot of pressure. You have to lead [the show] and she’s ALWAYS talking….and you have to sing and belt and riff and it’s very hard and not me. Parr - I’m not her. She’s very calm and I’m not particularly calm. I like singing the song but I find Parr a bit of a stretch for me. She’s hard.”

5. Funniest mistake she’s seen on stage: Apparently at one point Lauren [she just said “lauren” and didn’t specify which one, so this could be referring to Lauren Drew who plays Aragon or Lauren Byrne who plays Seymour] forgot her lines and was just “saying words” and looking around desperately at the other girls for help. “And Shaka’s [Shekinah McFarlane, who plays Cleves] got no peripheral vision, so she’s just looking around having a good time – and laruen’s looking at her like ‘HELP ME.’ Jodie came in and was like [spits out very fast patter in a great imitation of Jodie Steele, who plays Howard]”

6. Favorite part of her job: “Making some wonderful friends! God I love them so much. Not just the girls, everyone on that job is just insane. Being able to work with people that are that talented every day is insane.”

7. Advice during a gap year: “If you have the money, go to as many classes as you can - dancing and singing.” She also suggested doing amateur theater - “I always learn by doing…you learn how shows come together. You’re never too good to learn from other people.”

8. Dream role: “Miss Honey [from Matilda]. I’ve got like three that go with my age. Right now I think I’m like Miss Honey age. In 10 years, I want to go be Donna in Mamma Mia. I say 10 years, maybe 5 years [squints at wrinkles on her face, which are NON-EXISTENT by the way]. 10 years after that, I want to be Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.”

9. Harriet mentioned in her workshop a few weeks ago that Jen really helped her learn how to be a swing with her swing bible; I asked Jen how she put that together and how she learned how to be a swing. “Everyone does things differently. Cassie [Cassandra Lee, another alternate on the UK tour] tried to do a swing bible and that didn’t work for her – she learns from videos and mirrors and stuff. My first experience as swing on American Idiot; me and the dance captain made it together. I have a stage map and everyone’s got color coded dots and arrows when they move and where they move… Harriet tried to do it and was like ‘I can’t, it doesn’t work for me, can I just use yours?’ And I was like, ‘yes, yes, that’s fine.’ For me, once I’ve drawn the swing map, it like cements it in my brain. Once I draw the swing bible, I don’t need it. so I just gave it to Harriet.”

10. Differences between performing on tour and in the West End: “The house in London is smaller than the houses we play on tour. It’s a very different kind of energy. In town you can afford to do a lot less but the result is still the same amount of energy. If you’re projecting as much as you do if you’re playing the Edinburgh festival,which is like 1800 seats, if you give that much in a theater that only seats 350, you’re going to look ridiculous and people are gonna be like ‘calm down.’ Also every show that you do is different because of all the swings stepping in, which I love.”

11. Favorite show you’ve ever done: “I love all of them and I can’t say a favorite. I will not. [laughs]”

12. Did you get time to rehearse on the London stage before you went on? “About an hour? I did some rehearsals with Franny [associate director Franny Anne Rafferty]. THat was when Sophie Isaacs [who plays Howard] was rehearsing as well, so I had like an hour. She was running some Howard, so I was just running some Cleves stuff with her, which helped.”

I'm Doing 10! Workshops and Q&As with Different Six Cast Members!

May 16, 2020 by Rachael Dickson in theater

Originally published May 7, 2020 - Updated May 16 and May 29

As I mentioned in my post on the dance workshop and Q&A with Harriet Watson (hosted by the brilliant Theatre Fan Parties), I’ve already signed up for a few others!

Me. A non-dancer. Doing numerous workshops with professional dancers in an intimate setting where they can TOTALLY watch me flail about badly. (Harriet was VERY NICE about my bad dancing in an Instagram comment, but let’s just be honest here)

Me. The person who avoids waking up before 10 am as much as possible. Getting up at 5 am on a weekend numerous times.

This is how committed I am to the Queendom and getting y’all good Six coverage for my blog, y’all. Also, realistically, with all this self-isolation, what else am I going to do?

Note: Theatre Fan Workshops offers a TON of different workshops from different performers in a variety of different shows. Go check out all their workshops here!

[FYI - I’ve seen the Six alternates referred to as alternates, swings, and understudies, in just a ton of different outlets, so I’m using the terms interchangeably, although in most musicals, that’s not the case]

Here are all the classes I’m taking and when! I’ll update these with the blog links as I post them!

What questions should I ask them, y’all? What burning thoughts do you have about being in Six?

1. Six Workshop with Harriet Watson, 7 AM ET, Saturday, May 2

15 Things I Learned from Six UK Tour Alternate/Dance Captain Harriet Watson’s Workshop/Q&A

Harriet Watson is a current swing and the dance captain on the UK tour.

2. Six Workshop with VIcki Manser, 5 am ET, Saturday, May 9

18 Things I Learned from Six Alternate Vicki Manser's Dance Workshop/Q&A

Manser was an alternate in the West End production of Six and was the first cover for Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard (although she did end up covering every role). She later played Katherine Howard. She left the show on December 15, 2019.

Collette Guitart, probably going on for Catherine Parr (based on the costume)

3. Six Workshop with Collette Guitart, 5 am ET, Saturday, May 16

14 Things I Learned from Six Alternate/Dance Captain Collette Guitart’s Workshop/Q&A

Guitart is currently an alternate in the West End production of Six and also serves as the production’s dance captain.

4. Six Workshop with Jen Caldwell, 7 am ET, Saturday, May 23

12 Things I Learned from Six UK Tour Alternate Jen Caldwell’s Workshop/Q&A

Caldwell is a swing on the 2019-2020 UK tour of Six the Musical and also serves as their social media captain. She temporarily served as a swing in the West End production after performing as Anna of Cleves for several shows as an emergency cover. Her first cover is Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, but she’s played all the roles.

5. Everybody’s talking about Jamie Workshop with Cherelle Jay, 7 am ET, Sunday, May 24

11 Things I Learned from Six Alternate Cherelle Jay’s Workshop/Q&A

Jay is a swing in the West End production of Six. Her first cover is Anne Boleyn and Anna of Cleves. It doesn’t look like she’s covered for Catherine of Aragon or Katherine Howard yet.
Her workshop is for a dance from “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” but I’ve been told it’s okay to ask questions about Six.

ADDED TO POST 05/16/2020:

6. Six Broadway Workshop with Sam Pauly, 10 AM ET, Monday, May 25

22 Things I Learned from Six (Broadway) Actress Sam Pauly’s Workshop/Q&A

Pauly is currently playing Katherine Howard in the Broadway production of Six. She also played the same role in the North American Tour.

ADDED TO POST 05/16/2020:

7. Six Workshop with Natalie Pilkington, 7 AM ET, Saturday, May 30

24 Things I Learned from Six (Bliss) Alternate and Show Captain Nat Pilkington’s Workshop/Q&A

Pilkington was the show captain and one of two swings in the Norwegian Bliss cruise production of Six. Her first covers were Catherine of Aragon, Anna of Cleves, and Catherine Parr.

Grace Mouat, likely going on as Catherine of Aragon

8. & Juliet Workshop with Grace Mouat, 5 am ET, Sunday, May 31

13 Things I Learned From Original Six Alternate/Dance Captain Grace Mouat’s Workshop/Q&A

Mouat was a swing and the dance captain in the West Production of Six and in the 2018 UK tour. She left the show on August 18, 2019 and currently plays Judith and serves as the first cover for Juliet in & Juliet. Her workshop is for a dance from “& Juliet,” but I’ve been told it’s okay to ask questions about Six.

-ADDED 05/29/2020-

9. Six Workshop and Q & A with Lauren Byrne, 5 am ET, Saturday, June 27

Byrne plays Jane Seymour on the 2019-2020 UK Tour of Six.

-ADDED 06/06/2020-

10. Six Workshop and Q & A with Hazel Karooma-Brooker, 7 am ET, Saturday, 11 July 2020

Karooma-Brooker played Anne Boleyn on the Bliss 1.0 cast of Six from September 2019-March 2020.

What questions should I ask them, y’all? What burning thoughts do you have about being in Six?

14 Things I Learned from Six Alternate/Dance Captain Collette Guitart's Workshop and Q&A

May 16, 2020 by Rachael Dickson in theater

This morning, I participated in a virtual dance workshop and Q&A with West End Six alternate Collette Guitart! The workshop was hosted by the brilliant Theatre Fan Parties and is the third workshop of seven I’ve signed up for. I got up at 4:30 AM EST for it, which was…yeah, I don’t know how I’m awake right now. #committed

Collette Guitart taught us the second chorus and the dance break of “No Way,” Catherine of Aragon’s song. She noted that she really relates to Aragon because of her own Spanish roots.

Guitart was incredibly kind and helpful throughout and emphasized that this was really difficult choreography that took her a long time to learn. “Even in rehearsal when we did this I didn’t put pressure on myself to get it in one day, I was like, ‘it’s not going to look good for like a week.’”

She had a few specific suggestions for how to get the attitude of the song down, specifically referencing the backup dancers in Beyonce’s Single Ladies music video. “We’re sort of those friends to Catherine of Aragon… Think about your own friend group. If one of your friends was being treated badly, you’d just be like ‘uh no, absolutely not.’ Put your own sass on top of it.”

On a personal note, this was definitely the hardest of the dance workshops I’ve done so far. I’d rank them from easiest to hardest as:

4. Six (taught by Harriet Watson)
3. Sorry not sorry (taught by Vicki Manser)
2. Get Down (taught by Harriet Watson)
1. No Way (taught by Collette Guitart)

1. Hardest Queen to perform physically and emotionally:

Physically, Aragon, because of that [gestures to dance we just did]

Emotionally is either Howard or Seymour. Seymour’s got the beautiful ballad and you don’t want to cry too much or get too emotional so you can still sing the song beautifully. And Howard has such an emotional journey through her song that it’s such a roller coaster because it’s such a really deep song and it starts out so funny; it’s really hard to do that even though the song is like 7 minutes.

2. The Queens she initially auditioned for:

I did No Way (Aragon’s song) definitely. I think I had to do “All You Want to Do” (Howard’s song) too, which was terrifying because it’s really fun but it’s friggin hard. And Parr’s song, “I don’t need your love.” I didn’t end up signing Seymour’s song (Heart of Stone) throughout the whole audition process, but I did all the others.

3. Favorite part of Six:

The slow bit in “Six,” where it’s like “And now we’re one of a kind, no category.” At that point, all the audience is lit up and everyone is joining in together.

4. Has she ever collaborated with the Queens from other countries?

No, but we do had the random tour thing that happened, when he had jen and alisia? It’s totally random, that only really happens in time of need. We haven’t had a country cross over yet.

5. Her training:

I went to a performing arts college in Cambridge called Bodyworks Company. It was very dance heavy because I chose to go on a dance course. In your first year, you’re all trained to the same level and do the same thing. In the second year, you can either choose musical theater or a dance course. I wanted to become a better dancer, so I took that, and then outside I took private singing lessons.

6. Best advice for someone who has never danced before:

Do not put pressure on yourself and don’t compare yourself to others. You can look up to people, I certainly do, but you can’t compare yourself to anyone else because everyone is an individual. You’re never going to have the same talent as everyone else unless you’re like an identical twin. Whatever you’re doing, you just have to really enjoy it. Enjoyment comes first and that’s how you learn to love it. No comparison, because that can be a real soul crusher and that’s not what dancing is for. Dancing is meant to lift your spirit and all. The most important thing is that you’re enjoying yourself and it makes you happy.

7. Role as Dance Captain:

I have to know all the parts. I have to take warmup before the show, I have to do show watches a week. And those have to be different versions of the show with different alternates so I can give notes to everyone. I give notes to the girls; sometimes it’s not that they’re doing anything wrong, it’s just that they’ve gone so far into their character that they’ve lost the initial essence of the move. And sometimes if the girls have any questions, I’m sort of the person they go to to answer the question.

8. Favorite line in the huddle before singing “I don’t need your love” all together:

This isn’t my favorite but it got the biggest reaction from the audience – I didn’t hold my mic to my mouth but I held it here [down by her chest so it could still pick me up] – and said “I’m so sorry about this guys, this is so embarrassing,” turning to the audience before going back into the huddle. They LOVED it. It was quite the naughty thing though, it’s not supposed to be about the individual there.

9. Advice for learning more about musical theater:

Go to as many show as as you can afford and figure out what you like. Is it contemporary? Is it old school Sondheim? Discovering that is not only fun, because you get to see loads of musicals, but it also helps you figure out what kind of musical theater performer you want to be.

10. Tips on being a swing or alternate:

You need a swing bible. There is no person on this earth that can retain the information of an entire show just up here [points at head]. I think my brain is pretty good, like sometimes I don’t need to look at the Bible before going on a track, but I do it anyway, because if you mess up, even though everyone does it and you’re only human, you blame yourself. And you can only let yourself do it so many times before it becomes unprofessional

Stage Bible – I have a map of the stage for the covers I do. I put different colors for different characters and I mark out every single formation that there is in the show, even in the scenes where we’re quite static and don’t move too much. Like in Holbein, I’ve mapped that out; everyone changes their seat at every “tinder moment,” and you want to know where everyone is going and you don’t want to bump into them. You just want to have as much knowledge as possible before you go out there.

11. Are there any easter eggs in the choreography referencing history or the Tudors?

It’s all mental. There are bits in the show that, for example, in the song “Don’t Lose Your Head,” when she sings “I wouldn’t be such a b—if you could get it up.” She obviously didn’t say it like that, but she did say something like that, that her and henry’s sex life wasn’t going so well. There’re so many moments in thes how that they’re taking what they said in history and switched o modern life so we know what they’re saying and can go like OHHHH. We did loads of history research in the rehearsal process for this show. I was like /eye roll/ but it was SO INTERESTING. I learned so much more at Six than I ever did in history in school – Okay lies, I probably learned more in school, but I’ve retained more of it now.

12. How do you find remembering all the different choreography and harmonies?

It’s hard. It’s not easy, it’s a difficult job, but it’s also really rewarding, because I personally have that sort of brain at this point. I didn’t always, it’s all built up. My first few jobs gave me the knowledge of how to swing. If this was your first swing job, it would be mind blowing.

13. What was your most last minute show?

Manchester was WILD.

The shortest time getting ready was - Courtney was on for Seymour and she was having an allergic reaction and couldn’t stop coughing on stage. It wasn’t severe, she was fine, non-panic, but she couldn’t get rid of it and she couldn’t sing. Every time she opened her mouth, she couldn’t’ sing. We were so close to the end of the show, I was all packing up and everything. She came off at the beginning of All you wanna do,” and they were like, we need you to go on for Seymour. I just had the rest of “All you wanna do” to get ready and had to finish out the show. They didn’t even make an announcement because they just wanted to carry on.

14. Advice for auditioning for Six:

Be Yourself, because they want to see you and your personality. Have fun, because that’s all they want to see as well. Just have fun while you’re in the room. Look at them, they love a bit of eye contact, because as you know, we always look at the audience to connect with them. That’s quite rare [in musical theatre], it’s individual to this particular show. Have as much fun and be as relaxed as possible. Audition situations aren’t relaxed really, but the more you can show who you are as a person and not try to be “one of the queens,” the better.

18 Things I Learned from Six Alternate Vicki Manser's Workshop and Q&A!

May 09, 2020 by Rachael Dickson in theater

This morning, I participated in a virtual dance workshop and Q&A with former Six alternate and former Katherine Howard actress Vicki Manser! The workshop was hosted by the brilliant Theatre Fan Parties and is the second workshop of six I’ve signed up for. I got up at 4:30 AM EST. It was rough. I really don’t know how I’m awake right now but honestly I’m going to take a nap right after I post this.

At the beginning of the class, Vicki stated that like with Hamilton and many other shows, Six performers are only allowed to teach certain parts of the dances. She taught us the second chorus and second verse of “Don’t Lose Your Head.” The workshop was only about 25 people so you got to like, talk to Vicki a bit in the chat and get specific clarifications on dance steps such. When I joked that my cats weren’t cooperating with the “switch places” part in Don’t Lose Your Head, she even asked to see my cat!

For the workshop, Vicki brilliantly turned the lights in her apartment purple, the Six theme color! She noted that the first move in “Don’t Lose Your Head,” with the penguin hands, head and shoulder leans, and heel/toe movements, took her weeks to learn, and encouraged participants to just do it with the head and shoulder movements if it was easier. She was super encouraging throughout.

Disclaimer as always on these notes: I typed as quickly as I can, and tried to maintain all Vicki’s exact words, but I can’t promise that these are perfect quotations unless there are actual quotations around them. They’re more like a paraphrase capturing all the original intention of her words.

1. Is the choreography the same in all the Six productions throughout the world?

Yes! They did some adaptations to the choreo on Broadway, but then they went back and taught it to everyone, so every version should be exactly the same.

2. Favorite queen?

I’ve got a soft spot for Boleyn.

3. What queen do you relate to the most?

I relate to Boleyn the most, 100 percent.

4. What’s going to be the first show you see after lockdown is done?

Dear Evan Hansen! She previously had plans to see Courtney [Stapleton, another Six alternate, who previously did “Bat Out of Hell” with Vicki] in it as Zoe and definitely needs to see her in it.

5. How much of the history behind the musical was taught during the rehearsal process?

We were sent documentaries and videos and things to watch before we started the rehearsal process, so we understood where Toby and Lucy got all their ideas and inspiration for the show. While Courtney [Stapleton] and I were in Bat Out of Hell, we sat and watched them in our room backstage.

6. How much time do you have to learn a dance routine for Six?

You’ll have maybe a couple of hours [of dance rehearsal] in the morning, then a couple hours of singing, then boom – done, then you’re on to cleaning. [Cleaning refers to making the movements of the dance more accurate and precise]

7. What’s the toughest queen for you to play physically and emotionally?

Physically? The hardest by far in my opinion….you know what, they’re all hard.
Aragon, when you don’t play her all the time, is hard. The stamina that you need for that track is INSANE. It’s really difficult. It’s also got quite a lot of choreo as well.
But saying that – when I started as Cleves, I listened back to my dress rehearsal run and I’m like, ‘I sound awful.’
Also, Howard is very difficult to get your breathing right as well. You have to schedule your breathing and swallowing points. If you don’t swallow, your mouth fills up with saliva and you can’t breathe.

Emotionally, I think Howard is the most challenging to get right, because she goes on such a journey and literally tells her whole life in the one song. And it’s such an important message to get across. You need to get the audience to laugh with you and be on your side [at the beginning] and then you switch to, ‘how dare you laugh at me, what I went through was heart breaking.’ When the audience feels guilty, you know you’ve done your job. I used to love it when I didn’t get a round of applause at the end, because people feel so uncomfortable, and you FEEL that uncomfortableness and I’m like, ‘YASSSS.’

8. If you auditioned for Six again, what would you sing?

She mentioned that she sang ‘Run to you’ by Whitney Houston at her initial audition. ‘Maybe I’d do dream girls – something Effie.’

9. What thoughts do you have on the alternates having their own separate costumes? Did you have any input on the costume color or style?

I didn’t have any input on the color or style, but I LOVED the fact that the alternates had their own costumes. Everyone is unique and has their own version of the character. I think they chose the blue for me because they thought it would suit me and like, match my eyes [at this point she moved near the camera and opened her eyes very wide]. Gabby [costume designer Gabby Slade] thinks about what suits you as a person.

They wanted to put me in shorts because I go on as Cleves and that’s easy to dance in. They put Courtney [Stapleton] in pants because she goes on as Parr.

And now everyone has their different bits to go on as different queens. If I went back as an alternate now maybe I’d have like six different costumes.

I have a whole post full of photos of different alternate costumes over here, by the way!

10. What inspired you to do musical theatre?

I danced from the time I was a little girl. When I was 3 or 4, I started ballet. I was obsessed, that’s all I wanted to do. I broke my leg twice, and the second time around, I Just gotten out of plaster. I wasn’t able to dance and it was our annual dance show. She said well, you can’t dance, so maybe you can sing something. I was like 8 or 9. I sang a song and she gave me a little acting part as well, and that’s when I was like, oh it’s not just dancing I like. I love it all, give me it all. Let me do it all please. I joined a youth theatre troupe when I was like 10 and started doing it then.

11. What did she think about booking Six?

When I got the audition for Six, I hadn’t heard of it ever. There was nothing on youtube yet, maybe a bit from when they were in Edinburgh and when they were on tour [the 2018 tour]. As I got through the audition process, I realized how amazing it was.

“When I found out I got Six, I ordered 80 pounds of Chinese for three people to celebrate.”

12. Where did the absolute classic line [which vicki often said at performances] come from?

I used to be terrible about ad-libbing in the show. I got told off for it all the time and told to stick to the script, but in the moment I’d go crazy. The part where they huddle at the end was never supposed to be funny, but I kept saying funny things and now everyone does it and tries to get the funniest line. I’m the bad influence definitely. As Boleyn one day, I just said “Absolute classic” into the phone while doing a silly face and it stuck.

13. What’s the most last minute show you’ve played?

I never went on midshow at Six, but I did them all the time at Bat Out of Hell.

The quickest for Six was I found out at the quarter, maybe about 15 minutes before hand. I think it was Cleves maybe?

[host Taylor Farrow Said that sounded terrifying to him, and Vicki responded] Sometimes it’s better, it gives you no time to think about it and no time to panic.

14. How do you stay motivated while in lockdown?

You have to stay ready. I have to be mentally ready and physically ready for future auditions and keep my vocals fit. I’ve just been thinking – I don’t know when it’s coming back, so I’ve got to be ready at all times.

Various Auditioning and “Making it” advice:

15. What happens if I don’t get into drama school?

If you don’t get in, don’t stress, it’s not the end of the world. A majority of people in the industry didn’t get in the first time. A lot of people did gap years and just worked to train and expand their abilities and auditioned the next year. Don’t stop training just because you didn’t get into what you wanted this year! Also, not everyone has finished auditioning yet, so if you didn’t get into what you wanted straightaway, then apply for a last minute place somewhere else. That’s exactly what I did. When I was 18, I had my heart set on going to Artsed, as I could stay home while going there and I didn’t feel ready to leave home yet. I auditioned for maybe 6 schools and got into three of them, but not Artsed. I was gutted, absolutely gutted. That’s when I auditioned for Erdang [which also would allow her to stay at home while going there], in May or June time, and I got in. That’s where I ended up going.

[host Tayler popped in here to also note that because of COVID19, a lot of drama schools have heavily extended their audition period]

16. How to get into drama school and pursue a musical theater career if you’re not the strongest dancer:

Don’t give up just because you’re not a strong dancer, that’s not the end. If that’s not your strongest thing, work on it, train, attend Instagram live classes. Don’t stop working! Also – it doesn’t necessarily matter if you’re the best dancer or not – they’re looking for a diamond in the rough.

17. Dealing with setbacks:

You get so many nos and so many knockbacks. You think you can be perfect for a job and get cut within 20 second. (cough, Frozen, cough). I give myself a day where I say – okay, that didn’t go my way, I’ll have a cry, say I’m really annoyed, and give myself the day to mope around and feel sorry for myself. Then I gotta get back on it the next day. You’ve gotta be your biggest supporter and find that confidence from somewhere.

18. Auditioning Tips for Six:

If you have any idea about what Six is looking for, get it out of your head. They want to see what you as an individual can bring to the table that’s different. You only have to look at the difference between me and Lexi [McIntosh, who plays Anna of Cleves]. We are two totally different people. She is so cool. I am an absolute goofball. When she performs she’s got so much swag and has the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. And I was her understudy. Don’t go in pretending to be someone you’re not.

15 Things I Learned from Six UK Tour Alternate/Dance Captain Harriet Watson's Workshop and Q&A

May 04, 2020 by Rachael Dickson in theater

All My Six Posts!
Over-Analyzing All the Historical References in Six- “Ex Wives,” “No Way,” “Don’t Lose Your Head”
Virtual Dance Workshops and Q&As with Different Six Cast Members!
(^This post includes links to workshop/q&a roundups from Lauren Byrne, Grace Mouat, Natalie Pilkington, Sam Pauly, Cherelle Jay, Vicki Manser, Collette Guitart, Jen Caldwell, and Harriet Watson)
Details from Six Costumer Gabriella Slade’s Instagram Takeover
Six the Musical Wives 1-3: Historical and Modern Costume Inspirations
Six the Musical Wives 4-6: Historical and Modern Costume Inspirations
The Early Costumes of Six the Musical: From Edinburgh to Cambridge to London
Updated Six the Musical Costumes for Broadway!
The Alternate Costumes of Six the Musical
The Shoes of Six the Musical
The Ladies in Waiting of Six: Historical Inspirations and Costumes
The Tudor Fashion Elements of the Costumes in Six (with Painting References)
How the Six Alternates Change Their Styling for Each Queen

Last Saturday, I participated in a virtual dance workshop and Q&A with Six UK & Ireland Tour alternate and dance captain Harriet Watson! The event was hosted by Theatre Fan Parties and I really enjoyed it! Honestly, when I signed up, I kind of thought that there would be like 100 participants, but there were only around 20 and it made for a really lovely, intimate setting. Harriet was super sweet and lovely and encouraging, and I had a great time!

I liked it so much that immediately afterward, I went and signed up for a class in a few weeks with Colette Guitart, the dance captain and one of the Six alternates in the West End production (of course, I later realized that this particular workshop will happen at 5 am my time…ouch, but worth it!).

I frankly have zero dance training except for the few moves I learned in color guard in high school and some ballroom dance classes in college and shortly after. I definitely haven’t taken any dance classes since…2012 at latest. I’m not a very coordinated person, okay? But Harriet was a wonderful teacher and I managed to follow along pretty well despite all that.

Harriet posing nicely when Tyler (the owner of Theatre Fan Parties) asked her to. My face is awkwardly in the upper right because Zoom.

Harriet adorably hiding her face when someone asked her a question she wasn’t sure she was allowed to answer.

After a quick, efficient warmup, Harriet taught us the dance part to Get Down that starts at “I’m the queen of the castle, get down you dirty rascal” and goes through the next phrase through to “cause I’m the queen of the castle.” The individual moves weren’t too hard, but they were VERY FAST with the music, and I’m pretty sure I just flopped around like a fish. Harriet was constantly checking the chat for any questions about individual moves and interacted with everyone, complimenting people when they were killing moves and generally just being a wonderful person.

I did a lot better with the “Six” dance which she ended with, which was much easier. I actually still remember all the moves (Get down was gone…pretty much immediately from my mind, let’s just be honest). Harriet ended up taking a video of all of us doing the dance together and posted it to her Instagram stories, which was really cool! She also commented on my Instagram later about it, which was lovely.

After the dance workshop portion was over, Harriet answered questions from the attendees! She started out with a general explanation of how she got involved the show. I took a ton of notes, but I’m sure they aren’t perfect quotes (I was typing quickly but my cats decided that RIGHT THEN was the perfect time to start exploring the magical space behind my computer monitors and distracted me), so just expect that these are paraphrased quotes.

1. How she got in the show: She was initially up for Boleyn and Aragon – Maddie beat her out (presumably Maddison Bulleyment, who’s Anne Boleyn for the UK Tour cast).

She went to the open call for the show (handled by Pearson casting, who she described as “lovely and incredible”) and said there were probably 3,000 people there. The first day of auditions was just dance – choreography allllll dayyyy. When they got to the singing part of auditions, she sang jessie j’s mama knows best, then a song by adele, and beyonce’s halo.

After that she had a group audition, where a group would go in and each person would sing 5 songs in a row with all the other auditionees just watching. She saw Jenn (presumably Jennifer Caldwell, another of the UK Tour alternates) audition at that time.

She had a few more auditions after that, where they swapped around a ton of girls to see who worked well together. Apparently when she was offered the job, someone called and asked “what queen do you want to be.” (she later clarified that she didn’t actually get to choose which queens she was first cover for).

2. Favorite queen to play: Boleyn – she’s not my first cover but I love her because I get to be naughty on stage. [Harriet’s first covers are Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr]

3. Training: She trained at a college in Nottingham called MADD. She specifically noted that she didn’t get an agent from her agent showcasing in college and graduated with no idea where she fit into musical theater.

6 years after that, she did a LOT of workshops in London – she’d go for a week or a day. Her main training was from workshops – she got her basics from college but she didn’t know what songs to sing, what she was doing – workshops were the best things for her. That’s where she got her agent and really learned her stuff.

4. Her Personal Pop Inspirations for each Queen:

Seymour – Madonna

Parr – Alicia keys

Howard – Britney

Aragon – beyonce

She also mentioned Ariana grande and asked who was that – howard???

5. How important is being a good dancer in musical theater? It depends what type of theater you’re going into. If you want to do 42nd street or fame – you have to be a good dancer. You’ve got to sell it –

6. Beginner dance class suggestions: BALLET is the first dance class you really need to do – it’s boring but you need the conditioning

7. Hardest choreography in the show: “for me, all you want to do” It’s not the hardest – but it’s a slog – you have to stay centered and balanced and it’s SO long

She confirmed that she’s been signed up as an alternate again for the next tour!

8. Do you have to train differently to be a swing? Yes, for tech rehearsals before the show, she has to run the show from top to bottom on her own with the directors. She has a swing bible – that jenn [caldwell] made her – she listens to her harmonies and goes through her swing bible the whole time.

She highly suggested that if you want to be a swing or an alternate – start practicing NOW – start watching people’s tracks – you want to think about how to do the show as that person. I had never done it before – I never got trained in it in school – I cried so many days – jenn Caldwell saved me. Try to pick out harmonies for all the different performers. I didn’t get harmony training ever, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

9. Favorite tour venue: I loved Glasgow!

She conferred with Gemma, who she referred to as “head of sound” and was in the room with her, to remember exactly which location she was thinking of. She ended up asking the crowd where she went on for Boleyn and a chorus of “Salfords!” came through on the chat.

Where I was on for Boleyn – Salford! That sing a long was the most incredible experience of my life – everyone was sobbing and crying.

10. Do you get to choose your first covers? She said no. She said at first that she was cast as first cover for cleves and then cassie took it away. (said with much affection!)

11. Does she stay on the same harmonies or does she switch around with each queen? They switch everyone around – Boleyn’s on the top harmony lines at first. Howard starts low and then she hits top Gs. Alternates have to know all the harmony lines – it’s definitely the hardest bit about the show.

“Can we get a petition for alternates to have one harmony line? That would make my life very easy.”

12. Rehearsal process: Jenn and I got called in a little early and got to train with the town alternates – Colette [Guitart] and such. Rehearsals were very long - she said it’s sounds so cliché, but when you really do something you really love, I could do something from 6 in the morning to 12 at night. You just did number by number day by day. We’d tap in or tap out – for the alternates – and when I felt ready, I would tap in for lauren or whatever –

She doesn’t know if she’s allowed to say anything about tours for next year. When corona is over – doesn’t know what she can say so she just covered her mouth with her shirt.

13. Dance Captain: She did not specifically audition for dance captain but was offered it in the contract she was given as the alternate. Carrie [Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, the choreographer for Six] is in every audition to watch. They also look at your ability to converse and be kind to people.

Jobs of dance captain – she goes in an hour and a half earlier – warms up all the girls up for half an hour – does notes with them – she does a show watch twice a week to just keep the show as it was when it left rehearsals.

When we went to blue peter – went along to make sure they’re all in the correct position. Photo shoots where they’re all posing – making sure they’re all in the right position –

If they have any concerns, they can take them to me and I can get them to the director – it’s my favorite job – be the advocate for the girls really

14. How they found out about the remainder of the UK tour getting postponed due to COVID-19: Basically they were traveling to brighton and they got the call that the theater was closed – and just had to turn around. And that was that.

She said that she wasn’t doing stage door for like 2 weeks before they closed because she was scared of getting sick

15. Dressing rooms?: She always shares her dressing room with the other alternates, Jenn Caldwell and Cassie Lee.