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Exclusive Interview: Nolan White of 'The Outsiders' · The BSB Podcast

• 0:00
  time to stay gold as the outsiders is coming to the Fisher Theater as a part of ATG Detroit's current Broadway season.
• 0:05
  And today we're talking with Ponyboy himself, the incredibly talented Nolan White.
• 0:09
  Thank you so much for being here.
• 0:11
  Of course, Brian, thank you for having me.
• 0:13
  um So, well first off, you're welcome, thank you.
• 0:16
  Ooh, I guess I'm nervous talking with you.
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  Like I said, this is such an important show to me and it feels like such an honor to be talking with you that I'm just like fumbling the ball here.
• 0:25
  It's okay.
• 0:27
  So I saw The Outsiders on Broadway last year and it's truly such an incredible show.
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  What is it like to be a part of a show such as this one for you?
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  It's been a total dream come true.
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  Coming from like only ever doing like a weekend run of a show to doing, I think we're on performance 165 or something like that.
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  It's crazy.
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  Like it's a whole nother ball game.
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  It's all about consistency and you know, being on stage in front of houses that big every night is a dream come true and you know.
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  hearing people like sniffle near the end and get emotional at what we're doing.
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  It just means the world and I'm glad that we're able to, you know, make people feel things and think in the theater.
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  I think, yeah, it's a blessing.
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  Especially for a show like this because not only does it have such a long history, um I read it in middle school, I've seen the movie, I mean this is also a Tony award-winning
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  show, there's a lot of history with the Outsiders to kind of be bringing to cities around North America.
• 1:27
  Yeah, there's so much history with the story with, you know, it really does have something for every generation with the original book and the movie in the 80s and now the musical.
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  And I'm glad that it seems to resonate with people of all ages because it has such important themes that are relevant for everyone.
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  How familiar were you with the story prior to being cast in the show?
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  I was pretty familiar with it.
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  I read the book in seventh grade and my dad actually grew up not too far from where the story takes place.
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  He was born in a lot in Oklahoma.
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  So it's definitely the story hits close to home.
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  He shares a lot of similarities with Ponyboy So when I was learning the role, I kind of talked to him about his childhood growing up and, you know, kind of drew from that.
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  So I knew a good bit about the story before going in.
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  So has your kind of your thoughts or around the story has they changed now that you're in the role of Ponyboy?
• 2:32
  They definitely have.
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  I learn something new every night about Ponyboy.
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  Being in his shoes and interacting with his friends, just so...
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  It can be a lot on some nights because it's a really heavy story.
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  I'm not gonna spoil anything, but um yeah, it's definitely...
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  I learn something new every night.
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  and you know different mannerisms and things that I you know do in certain scenes that I realize like wait that's that's Ponyboy like that's something that's unique to this
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  performance that I don't do in real life that is stuck around like little habits that have it's fascinating I've never had anything like that happen but when you do it a million
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  times yeah
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  was gonna say, I'm not an actor, but I imagine if you're in something for so long and doing it every night, it becomes almost, you are kind of adding some of what sounds like
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  your father into that, also Ponyboy's kind of taken on a life of its own.
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  Yeah, it's almost like a second you.
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  It's really cool.
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  um But yeah, just intentional decision making and also I've gotten out of my head, because you know at first it was like, my gosh, I have to get up on stage in front of like 2,000
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  people.
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  It's terrifying.
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  And it still is terrifying, but the nerves really kind of do fuel it rather than hinder it, I think.
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  um So yeah, it's definitely gotten easier.
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  So without giving away too much then, obviously we want people to go see the show, but for those who maybe aren't familiar with The Outsiders, what's kind of going on in the show?
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  Okay, so I'll give a little brief rundown of where it takes place.
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  So we're in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1967, and there are two groups of boys, the greasers who are sort of lower income, like, know, orphan, not as well off, like they're really
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  tight-knit and close.
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  And then the socis who are, you know,
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  a little better off, have a ton of money, and like football players, jocks, what you'd expect.
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  And so we have this rivalry going on.
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  And some of us used to be friends, but now it's, we're button heads.
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  you know, it starts off with Ponyboy, the youngest of the, there's three Curtis brothers.
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  There's Darryl, Soda Pop, and Ponyboy.
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  I'm the youngest.
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  And I'm a storyteller.
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  And...
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  I get jumped by this group of socias and I'll leave it at that.
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  That's where our story starts off.
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  yeah.
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  this is such an incredible story because it feels like something that maybe people are familiar with.
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  I don't know if they read the book and stuff like that, like, you know, there's like comfortability because like we kind of know these, these dynamics, but it's so unique
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  because you're seeing it through Ponyboy's eyes and he's, you know, the youngest of the, greasers and also dealing with, you know, loss and grief and everything like that, but
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  also
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  trying to navigate still having hope and all of that.
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  So it's like such an interesting dynamic, I would assume, to play a character like that.
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  It's really interesting balancing the, you know, the innocence of a 14-year-old with how much he's gone through.
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  And I think Donya Taymor, our director, described it as like kind of the regaining of innocence throughout the show.
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  um
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  because I didn't mention that Ponyboy had lost his parents earlier that year.
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  So I'm struggling coping with that and also moving forward in life and throughout the show finding my artistic voice as a writer and you know.
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  just finding myself as a person.
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  It's really a beautiful, beautiful character development that I love getting to work with every night and live through.
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  My day job is a psychologist.
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  And so when I saw this the first time, I was really drawn.
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  Yes.
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  Yeah.
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  Thank you.
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  I appreciate that.
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  But when I saw the show originally, I was so intrigued by the dynamics of you, Ponyboy and his brothers, because they're all dealing with the loss of the parent differently.
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  And, you know,
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  know, Daryl's trying to hold the family together and, you know, you know, Soda Pop's still kind of finding his, his identity.
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  But I just loved that Ponyboy was still very bright, even though before the show even began, there was such a tragedy.
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  And like, and that is, that's just like something you don't always see, especially when you think about the timeframe and the area where they're, the story's kind of taking
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  place.
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  Yeah, I think it definitely, peaks through at moments like in the bedroom scene um with Soda Pop where I can be vulnerable, but I think a lot of the time it's kind of just an
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  undercurrent of, you know, it being there.
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  But I try to mask it and be a tough greaser and be okay most of the time.
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  But it's always there.
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  Absolutely.
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  So with you being the narrator basically of the show, you know, because you're kind of telling the story um and then you're also in the in the story as well.
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  How do you approach carrying the story while also still being present in each scene?
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  That was a huge challenge at first.
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  That was one of the hardest things about learning this role is, you know, having that narration feel authentic and, you know, breaking the fourth wall in a way that doesn't
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  take people out of the story but brings them in.
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  um And making sure that they hear every word.
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  uh you know, navigating that was really fun because they are two very different things because the Ponyboy in the moment, it's...
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  It's weird because the Ponyboy in the moment is also about to look back on what he just did and explain it.
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  And it's really interesting.
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  But I think when people see it, it really helps guide them through the story.
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  And as I've continued doing it throughout the tour, I've gotten more confident in, you know...
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  addressing members of the audience directly and like finding faces in the sea of faces in the darkness and I think it Yeah, it's a really fun thing to get to do and I love
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  narrating the story
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  it's such a different dynamic.
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  don't usually get to talk and interact with the audience.
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  Usually there's that wall there that's you're on stage acting or watching, but it almost makes it more reflective.
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  Ponyboy is looking back and kind of seeing where things went right or where things went wrong.
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  And you getting to be the steward of that is probably really cool.
• 9:27
  Yeah, it's honestly, I think it's one of the things that make this live show so incredible.
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  It's like, you know, this character can directly address you.
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  Like in a movie, it's the story playing out, but I'll reach out to the audience.
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  so it's a whole nother thing.
• 9:47
  Absolutely.
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  um So how do you balance, you know, Ponyboy sensitivity with the expected toughness of a greaser?
• 9:53
  Because you kind of mentioned like there's some scenes like in the bedroom with with soda pop and stuff like that.
• 9:58
  And even through the narration that you do, you do get to see these moments of vulnerability.
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  How is you as an actor, do you find that balance?
• 10:05
  That's a good question.
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  um I think the balance is a little different every night.
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  Sometimes Ponyboy can be little quieter on certain nights and sometimes he's a little more uppity.
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  I think it depends on what comes out that day.
• 10:23
  ah But I try to strike a good balance that I worked on with Danya in our rehearsals, which is...
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  um
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  not letting it bog things down, but also like you want to keep the essence of, you know, the 14 year old pony boy excited to, you know, go to the drive-in and hang out with his
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  friends.
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  But also like, I just got kicked in the face by Soche and you know, you have to keep the things that happened, you know, in your body despite being in a different place in the
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  story.
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  It is a very delicate balance that I'm still learning how to, you know, tackle and it's fun.
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  But yeah.
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  that kind of adds to the authenticity of the role in each night, you know?
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  Yeah.
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  For sure.
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  So with this being based off of a book and a movie and stuff where this now has music, what do you think the music adds to the outsider's audience might not get from reading the
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  book?
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  That's a great question.
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  Music in general, I I love, I think music elevates everything.
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  That's why we have soundtracks in movies and that's why we blast stuff in the car radio and sing along to it when we're driving.
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  Music just brings things to the next level.
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  I think this score is...
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  just gorgeous and I think Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine did such a great job at bringing that soul Tulsa sound to a musical theater show.
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  Because it's not a typical musical theater score.
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  The way we sing it is not um how other shows are gonna be singing.
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  But it's so...
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  of the time and of the place that I really think that people are gonna latch onto it and I think that people do latch onto it every night and it's special hearing people talk about
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  it at the stage door like this song really touched me like yeah I really think that the music is one of the highlights of our show
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  It is, I will agree with that.
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  It's definitely one of the most moving shows musically that I've seen.
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  And you know, I think a lot of people are, when they go into this, they're assuming like a very like country vibe, which there's some country vibe there, but it's not like a shucked
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  country vibe.
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  This is very much like a soulful yes.
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  And that speaks a lot to the story that like that actually, I think it elevates the story of what's going on in the outsiders.
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  Do you have a particular favorite song from the show that you like performing?
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  I I love Far Away From Tulsa.
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  I think that's my personal favorite to sing.
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  How about a soft spot?
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  man, it's just being up on the...
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  um
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  play ground apparatus, you know, and just getting the belt your face off and I, me and Bonale are good buddies.
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  So getting to do that every night is like a little touch point um in the show.
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  It's it's really great.
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  And it feels freeing to just, you know, get to sing such a beautiful song up there and just let it all.
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  Absolutely.
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  With a show like this where there is quite some impressive vocals, there's a lot of physical uh movement and stuff like that, there's quite a few scenes that are just kind of
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  breathtaking to watch.
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  How do you prepare for both like a vocally challenging and physically challenging show such as this one?
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  First off, whenever I wake up, I usually kind of check my range.
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  I do a little warm up earlier in the day to see where I'm at.
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  And then I usually I work out during the day, so I'll go hit the gym and I like to stay physically in shape and conditioned.
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  um I have a training regimen that the Cooperman Brothers gave me to make sure that my joints and muscles are doing good.
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  m
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  And then before the show, I make sure to drink a ton of water, get a ton of sleep.
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  ah That's number one.
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  And most of us nebulize and steam ah to take care of our voices.
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  And then I do a good warmup and then hit the stage.
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  I mean, that's super important to do all of those things because again, like you are, I mean, out of all the characters, you're pretty much on stage from start to finish.
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  Like you are the kind of the touch point through most of these scenes.
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  So you have to be prepared at any time.
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  It's uh heck of an undertaking every night.
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  Yeah, two and a half hours on stage.
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  And is there anything that you do specifically to get into the mind of Ponyboy before you step on the stage?
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  I do, have a couple rituals that I do.
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  um Backstage, I usually, uh you know, I find like, Bonale, Johnny, we, you know, give each other a little hug, like, let's do it.
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  um I find a whole bunch of my other friends and just like, you know, check in with them.
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  And honestly, the whole pre-show where I walk up and I get on stage, that's the moment it goes from Nolan to Ponyboy.
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  I kind of think of it as like, when I step on stage, I kind of leave Nolan.
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  in the audience.
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  I don't have to worry about what I'm doing or what Nolan's doing.
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  It's just Ponyboy.
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  uh
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  like actively walking into that scene and you're walking into that character.
• 15:49
  So I'm hoping that we can talk about you for a little bit as well and just kind of where your journey with music and theater kind of began.
• 15:54
  Yeah.
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  So where did your love for the art start?
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  I've really loved music and yeah music in general since I was born like when I was two years old I was always drumming on stuff and singing and um
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  Even in pre-k, I loved singing and I had like a solo and some Polar Express like choir thingy that I did.
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  But somehow I think I developed like some stage fright because I cared about it so much.
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  And I cared about how I sounded and I stopped singing in front of people.
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  And I took me a really long time to get...
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  the courage to like sing in front of people and share what I love to do.
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  And in sixth grade, I auditioned for the school musical on a whim.
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  And my mom was like, do you even know how to do like audition for something?
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  I'm like, I don't know, I'll figure it out.
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  And I got a part And it my first show ever.
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  And I loved it.
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  And I've been doing it ever since.
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  And I really found an awesome outlet to share what I love to do.
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  So, yeah.
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  story that you overcame the stage fright, because that could be challenging to overcome, especially at a young age.
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  It really is.
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  And then eventually it led you to the outsiders.
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  What was your process to getting the role of Ponyboy like?
• 17:20
  It was really interesting.
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  I had no clue that anything like this was possible.
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  I was at school, you know, doing my freshman year at Michigan and go blue.
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  And, you know, I saw the announcement on Instagram for like a open call for Ponyboy and Johnny.
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  And my mom sent it to me and was like, hey, do you want to go to this?
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  know outsiders is like in your wheelhouse.
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  I'm like, there's no way I have time for that.
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  I'm like, that's crazy.
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  Let's do it.
• 17:48
  then uh it happened to fall on a great weekend.
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  And I waited in line outside of Pearl Studios in New York City for like four hours and 20 degree weather with my Starbucks coffee.
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  There's like some picture online of me standing in line.
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  someone like found me.
• 18:09
  uh And eventually, yeah, I got my chance to sing and I did a whole bunch of callbacks after that and yeah, so it was really crazy.
• 18:22
  Well, know, going from being a U of to going to being the outsiders.
• 18:29
  That's really cool.
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  And then I would say I'm always wondering as a psychologist as well, with a show that has such heavy emotion, how do you find balance in your own life to not always take that on?
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  Because I know that sometimes that can be difficult as you're walking on stage, you're having this really impactful story.
• 18:43
  We're not going to spoil the ending of it, but like bring tissues, everybody.
• 18:47
  m
• 18:48
  How do you as an actor find balance to not have to carry that burden after the show?
• 18:54
  That's a great question.
• 18:55
  It kind of ties back to what I said about, like, when I step on stage, you're leave Nolan, you know, to watch.
• 19:02
  It's like, it's kind of the same thing.
• 19:03
  Like, when I step off stage, I leave Ponyboy on the stage.
• 19:07
  So it's like, I like to think about it like that.
• 19:09
  Like, I kind of compartmentalize, you know, what I'm doing so it doesn't bleed into what.
• 19:15
  is happening in my life, but sometimes I'll use how I'm feeling.
• 19:18
  Like if I'm like, you know, upset about something on a certain day, then I'll absolutely use that in the show.
• 19:27
  that's a gift.
• 19:28
  Like if you have something that's either making you really excited on any day or maybe a little down, like that just means you're gonna play the role a little bit differently, but
• 19:39
  it's still gonna be Ponyboy and it has to inform what you're doing.
• 19:42
  So like...
• 19:44
  That's all I think about that.
• 19:45
  kind of got off topic.
• 19:46
  But, yeah, I, we have this process called de-rolling.
• 19:49
  Um, so we find something that like, you know, brings us back into, into Nolan land.
• 19:55
  Like for me, like I'll, uh, I'll have like a decaf coffee when I get back to the hotel, cause I just love coffee.
• 20:02
  Um, or I'll play like a round or two of Fortnite or listen to one of my favorite songs or something like that.
• 20:09
  Like, you know, it's very.
• 20:10
  brings you back to you.
• 20:11
  Yeah, so but yeah, I haven't really had many like an issue yet about you know Keeping you know the hard material on the stage um It's been Of course, it's really heavy, but I think
• 20:30
  all of us have done a pretty good job in Keeping it, you know as the story
• 20:37
  Absolutely.
• 20:37
  And that's also, you know, why you're the professional.
• 20:39
  know how you can separate the two pieces of this.
• 20:43
  And also coffee, you're going to have, we have lots of great coffee places in Detroit, so we're going to have to get you some recommendations.
• 20:49
  um But one of the final questions then for you is just what themes from The Outsiders really resonate with you with where you're at currently in your life?
• 20:58
  What themes resonate with me?
• 20:59
  um I think, um I think chosen family, that was a big one that Danya and the creative team touched on, um is this idea of like people around you don't have to be blood related for
• 21:18
  you to be family.
• 21:20
  And I really think about that with my cast.
• 21:24
  Like, I love each and every one of them so dearly and they, you know, really welcomed me with open arms as like, you know, a young person coming into this, having never done that
• 21:35
  before.
• 21:36
  And it's a lot of us, or a lot of our first times on the road, or first times doing something professional.
• 21:42
  um And it's, I've just, I've really lucked out having this specific group of people because...
• 21:51
  m
• 21:53
  I'm so thankful for them and that's the biggest thing.
• 21:58
  Like, they're the best.
• 22:01
  It sounds like it truly is the gift that keeps on giving for you.
• 22:03
  It is.
• 22:04
  It really is.
• 22:06
  Well, thank you so much, Nolan, for being here.
• 22:07
  I appreciate you talking with us, and we're so excited for you to arrive in Detroit with the Outsiders.
• 22:11
  So excited to get there.
• 22:14
  So The Outsider arrives at the Fisher Theater on March 3rd and runs through March 15th.
• 22:18
  So get your tickets now and we'll see you at the show.
• 22:20
  Thank you so much, Brian.
• 22:21
  Thank you.