More from the NEW gendance Ambassador Series: A Day in the Life Of...
Seth Stewart; From Broadway to Business Owner.
Tuesday night, July 6th, 2010: Is it really over? In The Heights has been a part of my life for 3 years now! Wow... is all I have to say! Thursday and Friday night I went on as the lead of Usnavi, and my whole family was there! I was a little more nervous than I thought, but luckily I had my Heights cast/family there. I say "family" because these people are so much more than a cast. New and old members are all a part of an extended family. I had so much support, it's ridiculous. I woke up that morning very calm... even though I maybe slept 4 hrs. I said a little prayer, and started my day. I actually sat down and had a regular breakfast, and even read the newspaper like a normal person. At 2pm I had rehearsal at the theater. At 5pm I went for a quick last minute voice lesson with my teacher, just to make sure my voice was where it needed to be. At 6pm I had dinner with my mom and sister, but we didn't talk much because I was put on vocal rest by my voice teacher, which I never did before. My dinner conversation consisted of hand gestures and head nods. And I only had a salad because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep anything else down... hahaha! Before the show, I listened to two of my pre-show hype songs, "Umi Says" by Mos Def, and "75 bars/ Reconstruction" by The Roots. I sat in the star dressing room, thinking to myself what it would be like... and then I forced myself to stop thinking because I was driving myself crazy. At 15mins until the show I got a call from Lin Manuel wishing me luck and giving me once last push of encouragement. Then the director stopped in to check and make sure everything was good, I just nodded my head and smiled. And when I put on my full costume for the first time... I transformed! I looked at myself in the mirror, with my Kangol Hat and Puma sneakers and I laughed..."I AM Usnavi!" I am Usnavi now and it's time to give the people a show! I wasn't nervous anymore, I was excited. I rapped to myself in the mirror, adjusted my stance to fit the character, and let the transformation happen. "Ok... here goes nothing... are you ready world? ‘Cause I am!"
Right before the show, we had our prayer circle. I had the blessing of Chris Jackson, I played around and talked last minute notes with Noah Rivera who also understudies Usnavi, and got a hug and last minute talk with Nina LaFarga who helped me calm down and put my feet back on the ground. Thank goodness for them and my other cast members. They were all behind me... they gave me looks that let me know, no matter what, it was gonna be OK. And I couldn't wait to play and interact with everyone onstage.
Onstage: I have my props, tilt my hat, say a prayer.... the music starts... "Here we go!" "Lights up on Washington Heights..." and I'm off! Both spotlights are blinding! I can't see the front of the stage.. .but I'm in it now. I can hear my voice louder than ever... but I'm in it now. "Let em' have it Seth! Calm down Seth! Breathe Seth!" Throughout the show this is what I was thinking. I was seeing the stage and feeling the show in a whole new way... this is fun! At some points, I didn't even feel like I was the one performing. It felt like someone else was rapping and moving for me, and I was watching... it was an out-of-body experience! Awesome! When I would have a short break between numbers, I was drinking so much water, and taking deep breaths trying to calm myself down. And there they were... my cast mates with smiles and hugs. I would check in with Noah again to make sure I was in the right spots. I would see Nina and give her a hug and take a deep breath. Luis would slap me 5 in passing. Chris would pat me on the back and tell me keep going... they were all there, all behind me supporting. I realized, I didn't have to do this on my own. They were my strength, and may not even realize how much they helped. But that's the way it works... no one, in any line of work, gets to a great place without the help of others, without support and belief of others, without people coming before them who paved the way. If anyone says they became successful all on their own, they're probably lying!
The show went by so fast I almost didn't realize it was over! My family came backstage and were cheering for me, they were all overly excited, and I was so happy to have them there. My agents were waiting in the corner... excited! That night I went home, slept like a baby, and did it again the next day. Saturday was my last 2 shows... show 15 and 16! It was an awesome day! I even played basketball between shows. The last show went by so fast I almost didn't realize it was over. It was a bitter sweet good-bye.
The 4th of July was my first day off in 2 weeks. Most of the cast went to Riverside park for a barbecue. It was hot, but we ate so much food, lounged in the grass, threw around a football, and sat by the water. The George Washington bridge was to the right, it was so close it didn't seem real. I saw the fireworks on the way home because I wanted to beat the crowd. The next day I woke up and began the re-organization of the studio, talking to my assistant, passing out more flyers, and trying to find new music. And it begins... the next chapter in my life... business owner, artist, and the feeling of a normal person who gets to decide whether I want to sleep in, go to the beach, or what movie I want to go watch. It's weird, I haven't taken a summer off since high school, and even then I was still busy with something. But I'm finally at a place where it's ok to take time off, take time to live, time to explore, time to find a new way! The summer is here, and I'm happy to be free!
See you in class... or on the beach!
Stay tuned for next week’s journal entry from Seth Stewart with gendance Ambassador, A Day in the Life Of...
For last week’s journal, click here.
