Latest / The BSB Podcast / Exclusive Interview: Cora Steiger of OnOurOwn Productions' 'Seussical The Musical'

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Exclusive Interview: Cora Steiger of OnOurOwn Productions' 'Seussical The Musical' · The BSB Podcast

• 0:00
  We're so excited to have you here.
• 0:01
  Thank you so much for joining us.
• 0:02
  So you're currently in the rehearsal process for Seussical the Musical.
• 0:05
  How's that been going so far?
• 0:07
  It's going really well.
• 0:08
  Obviously, it's pretty laid back since we have Jerry with us.
• 0:12
  It's so much fun to be able to work with everyone, be able to work with all my friends, and be able to mess around a bit and just be able to have fun with this family-friendly,
• 0:22
  super fun show.
• 0:23
  I was gonna say, seems like that's kind of on our own productions, like, Trademark is like a very family-friendly show that everybody can come to and just enjoy.
• 0:32
  it's really family friendly.
• 0:33
  Obviously, we do a lot of really fun shows that any kids can come to, and we also have really low prices.
• 0:40
  So that definitely helps.
• 0:41
  Absolutely.
• 0:42
  uh So what is the story of Seussical the musical?
• 0:46
  Basically, it's kind of based on the book in the movie of Horton, Hears a Who.
• 0:52
  But it's basically where Jojo, the marathon, it's about him and his, how he lives through his thinking and how he gets sent off to military school and like all this chaos is
• 1:07
  happening in the Whos.
• 1:09
  And then we have the Jungle of Null where the main character Horton finds a clover.
• 1:14
  and he's hearing things, but no one else is listening.
• 1:17
  And basically they somehow meet and they kind of become like best friends along the way.
• 1:22
  That sounds super awesome and you're playing JoJo, correct?
• 1:25
  I am.
• 1:26
  So who, so you kind of said who Jojo is in the story, but like who is Jojo to you and what do you feel like is like your journey with this character?
• 1:34
  think JoJo is just such a fun, energetic character who obviously loves to think, but he gets in trouble a lot because he has flooded his house multiple times and he has made his
• 1:48
  teacher get mad at him.
• 1:50
  But I think he's just such a fun character, enthusiastic, who does what he wants to do.
• 1:56
  And he also just wants to have fun and live his life, you know?
• 1:59
  And so how does he kind of meet Horton?
• 2:02
  mean, don't want to spoil the show too much, but what kind of brings them together?
• 2:05
  Basically, when he's in military school, of, um Horton is like, I'm all alone, and JoJo feels like he's also alone.
• 2:15
  And they kind of meet through a song, and they talk about how they can both, they both think, and how JoJo's like, are you real?
• 2:23
  And Horton's like, yes, I am.
• 2:24
  And I, I think too, and that's okay.
• 2:27
  And you're allowed to think.
• 2:29
  So basically, it's, they meet through like, feeling each other and like, knowing that
• 2:35
  Not everyone's the same, but they kind of have a connection that way.
• 2:40
  So they're kind of both outcasts to different degrees.
• 2:43
  I love that.
• 2:43
  then they, so it's kind of like a buddy show.
• 2:46
  Like the two of them kind of finding each other.
• 2:50
  Yeah, for sure!
• 2:52
  love that.
• 2:52
  uh So what drew you to wanting to be in the show?
• 2:57
  Oh, well, I just, I've actually, this is my first time being in a And I think when I first heard that Jerry was like, we're doing a musical, I was so excited because I really wanted
• 3:10
  to be JoJo.
• 3:11
  Cause I love the songs in this show.
• 3:14
  And I also love like the characterization.
• 3:17
  I really wanted to be like a funny character who gets to like go on their own journey.
• 3:24
  And I also,
• 3:26
  Jerry, who plays the cat in the hat, he and I get to mess around a lot in the show.
• 3:31
  So that's really nice to be able to be on stage with him.
• 3:33
  I was going to say the only other show I've seen you in so far has been Fun Home, which is like completely different tonally than this show.
• 3:39
  It sounds like this show is just a lot of fun, kind of capturing the energy of the Dr.
• 3:45
  Seuss world in those books that we grew up reading.
• 3:49
  So you knew you wanted JoJo when you kind of auditioned for this process.
• 3:54
  Okay.
• 3:54
  So what is it like then to step into this childlike world?
• 3:58
  of Dr.
• 3:59
  Seuss because there has to be such an incredible kind of feeling to revisit it in a different way.
• 4:04
  Mm-hmm Yeah, I used to I used to like love all the doctors use books and I still have a lot of them in my bedroom cyber little sister so I feel like being able to step into this
• 4:14
  world and my theme to like relive this Amazing like fun show.
• 4:21
  It's just it's so incredible to me that that's what theater does You can just step into something you're not and you get to like if you know the show you get to relive it I was
• 4:30
  like
• 4:31
  They're a bit older and I just think it's so cool.
• 4:34
  I do love that.
• 4:35
  I actually, I want to talk to you for a second about, cause you have been acting quite a bit lately and you are doing more shows.
• 4:43
  uh You, Soft Target is currently you're in that show, right?
• 4:46
  uh And you're getting ready for Beetlejuice 2 as well.
• 4:51
  So you're kind of juggling a few, a few different shows.
• 4:54
  What's that like for you juggling all of
• 4:55
  For me, it can definitely be hard at times, like during like school year and everything, but I'm actually getting out of school this week.
• 5:03
  So I think that would be really nice to be able to be able to be on my own time with theater.
• 5:09
  And I do, I love doing shows.
• 5:12
  So like, I think being able to get used to doing multiple shows at a time really helps me get ready for if I do get into the big theater world, going on tours and stuff like that.
• 5:23
  This will definitely help me be able to prepare for that.
• 5:26
  And I think just when I'm doing shows I like, I don't really think about, I'm doing so many shows right now.
• 5:33
  I kind of just, I like go to rehearsal to rehearsal the rehearsal.
• 5:37
  And since I have shows for self target, I'm also going from like show from self target to like be to rehearsal or show for self target to a physical rehearsal.
• 5:49
  And I think it just.
• 5:50
  I'm bouncing back and forth from the things that I love doing.
• 5:53
  That doesn't really cross my mind sometimes.
• 5:57
  So you're able to kind of keep it all level in your head because you're visiting these different worlds and everything is so unique to what it is.
• 6:05
  Yes.
• 6:07
  So I have to know, you talked about going, you know, kind of Broadway world, going on tour and stuff like that.
• 6:11
  What is your dream role?
• 6:12
  What do you want?
• 6:13
  What's the one role that you're just like, I always wanted to have?
• 6:15
  That's really hard, because I like a lot of shows right now.
• 6:19
  But I would say right now, Stagecrafters in Royal Oak is going to be doing Tucker Relasting.
• 6:26
  And for a long time, of my dream roles has been Winnie Foster.
• 6:31
  So right now, Winnie Foster is definitely my dream role that I would love to play one day.
• 6:39
  You know, I grew up, Tuck Overlasting was one of my favorite books growing up.
• 6:42
  And so when they announced that one, I've never seen the musical.
• 6:45
  And I said, that sounds like such a cool show.
• 6:47
  And I think that you would be perfect for it.
• 6:50
  No, because when I found out I got the book and I read it and I watched the movie, I was like, oh, this is so good.
• 6:57
  It's so good.
• 6:58
  It's such a timeless tale.
• 6:59
  uh Much like like Seussical and uh the world of Dr.
• 7:05
  Seuss, but uh speaking of this production, going back to it, what's maybe like a favorite song or number you like performing in Seussical
• 7:14
  Oh.
• 7:15
  Do you have a favorite?
• 7:17
  Oh, there are so many good ones, but I think, um, right.
• 7:21
  I think the opening number is definitely so much fun to do because it's like everyone's involved in it and it's all the things you can think.
• 7:28
  So you're just talking about thinking and obviously Jojo isn't Jojo yet.
• 7:33
  He's just a boy, but it's so much fun because you get to interact with all these people and like just do like such fun dance moves.
• 7:41
  And the song it's also so fun to do.
• 7:44
  So.
• 7:44
  sure.
• 7:45
  I think that's probably my favorite.
• 7:47
  It's either that or having a hunch.
• 7:48
  And we're just having a hunch come.
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  Is that like in the second act?
• 7:51
  after JoJo basically like pushes off the military leaders.
• 7:59
  He's like, I'm leaving.
• 8:01
  And he gets lost.
• 8:04
  So the cat in the hat comes along and is like, hey, we're going to scare you.
• 8:08
  And it's just a whole day of somewhere about how JoJo gets scared and then finds his way home.
• 8:14
  I love that.
• 8:14
  It sounds like the show is just truly so much fun, like to perform.
• 8:21
  How has this role maybe challenged you as an actor?
• 8:26
  I think I haven't done like many roles that are like super like having to be um
• 8:34
  Like I've played funny roles before a lot, but I don't think I've ever done like a role that has to involve like a lot of characterization to it.
• 8:47
  Cause a lot of, I've done a lot of musicals before and stuff like that.
• 8:52
  And most of the time I know the show very well before I do it.
• 8:56
  And I actually didn't know musical that well first.
• 8:59
  When I first.
• 9:00
  I didn't know it very well, so I think that definitely challenged me.
• 9:03
  Like, I knew some of the songs.
• 9:05
  But also JoJo has a lot of characterization to him.
• 9:08
  Like, he has a lot of parts where he's happy, and then he goes straight to sad, and stuff like that.
• 9:14
  So I think that's been kind of difficult at times to play around with.
• 9:18
  But at the same time, I do love playing around with characters.
• 9:20
  Do you like, so when it comes to approaching a project, cause you mentioned you didn't really know Seussical that well, do you like knowing a project a little bit deeper or do
• 9:28
  you, would you rather not know it and have any like preconceived notions to kind of go into it fresh?
• 9:35
  I think I've done so many shows like I've known the show that I think I really like being able to know the show really well before doing it.
• 9:44
  So I have a good like meaning to it and like what the character is feeling in that direct moment and stuff like that.
• 9:54
  So I think that definitely helps me in my conditions and stuff.
• 9:56
  But at the same time, I do like going in fresh for certain shows.
• 10:02
  That makes sense.
• 10:03
  uh So for JoJo, do you have a process on how you get into character?
• 10:08
  Is there anything specific you have to do to kind of channel JoJo as you're in the rehearsal process and you're getting ready for the shows later this month?
• 10:14
  I think I just, I just gotta be happy really.
• 10:18
  Cause yesterday we had rehearsal and I think just joking around with a lot of people before rehearsal definitely helped.
• 10:24
  Cause in the first scene I'm like super happy and upbeat.
• 10:28
  I'm like, whoa, what a cool hat.
• 10:30
  So I think just being able to like channel my inner JoJo like just be happy.
• 10:36
  Like be happy, you're living your life.
• 10:38
  You get to think like.
• 10:39
  love that.
• 10:40
  uh Is there a specific theme from Suzical, the musical that stands out to you?
• 10:45
  Oh, I don't know.
• 10:47
  There's so many good ones it sounds like.
• 10:49
  so many good themes in this.
• 10:51
  I don't know.
• 10:52
  I don't know if I can pick one.
• 10:53
  That's totally fine.
• 10:54
  Well, do you have a standout moment then from this production so far?
• 10:57
  I think being able to work with my dad on stage, because my dad is General Genghis Khan Schmidt, that's definitely been so fun to be able to mess around with him on stage and
• 11:08
  everything.
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  So I haven't been able to do that, because a lot of the time we're very separate characters in shows.
• 11:14
  And this is one of my maybe third show that I've actually done with my dad fully.
• 11:21
  Because usually he's the director, or just a part of the production team.
• 11:26
  But being able to work with him on stage and stuff and being able to work with him at home, working about Seussical, I think that's definitely been one of my favorite moments
• 11:38
  to do.
• 11:40
  He is a hardworking man in the world of theater and he does a lot of directing too.
• 11:45
  So this is cool to see him on stage.
• 11:47
  year he's trying to get more on stage and I think that that's great because he hasn't been on stage in a while.
• 11:53
  He really just, he's just been directing, directing, directing.
• 11:57
  Cause he's also the president of Ridgedale right now.
• 11:59
  So he's working on all that stuff.
• 12:00
  But I think it's really amazing that he's going to try to do a lot more shows this year.
• 12:06
  And if correct me if I'm wrong, he's also the director of Beetlejuice at Stagecrafters, correct?
• 12:10
  he is.
• 12:12
  So he just never stops.
• 12:15
  But that's cool though, because it's a cool thing to be able to do with your family.
• 12:19
  But also in this moment, you get to be on stage with him in such a, like you said, a family friendly show that really adds, that adds to the excitement of it.
• 12:27
  it does.
• 12:28
  So final question for you is just what are you hoping audiences take away from this production of Seussical the Musical?
• 12:34
  oh I think they just they walk back with like a smile I really hope they like the show because it really is just a fun family friendly show that like honestly It's gonna be so
• 12:47
  amazing Like bring your kids just come see it like a family night and I really hope they just walk away Be like all those really for the show.
• 12:57
  I'm we went to go see that
• 12:58
  Absolutely.
• 12:59
  mean, with you as the lead and this wonderful energy you've already brought to it, I think that everybody's going to be in for a pleasant surprise about what's happening with
• 13:07
  Seussical the Musical.
• 13:08
  So thank you so much for your time, Cora.
• 13:11
  It's been a pleasure talking with you.
• 13:14
  On our own production, Seussical the Musical arrives at the Fraser Performing Arts Center June 20th and runs through the 28th.
• 13:20
  So get your tickets now and we will see you there.
• 13:23
  Bye, thank you!