Beth Anderson '15 joins the National Tour of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
Elon music theatre alumna Beth Anderson’s 12-hour bus rides to and from New York for “Joseph” auditions did not go to waste as the 2015 graduate will join the tour this fall as Reuben’s wife and a member of the women’s ensemble.
Anderson booked the national tour of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” referred to as “Joseph,” as a result of the annual Elon Music Theatre Casting Director series. After auditioning for casting director Joy Dewing at Elon, Anderson was invited to a dance call in New York.
“The dance call was really fun,” Anderson said. “Working with Andy Blankenbuehler was an amazing experience.” Blankenbuehler, a Tony award-winning choreographer best known for his work on “In The Heights,” is the tour’s choreographer.
After the dance call, Anderson was invited to the ensemble callback where she was asked to sing something that showed off her personality. “I sang Poisoning Pigeons in the Park by Tom Lehrer—a comedic song with over-the-top and cynical lyrics,” she said.
Following this audition, Anderson returned to school to continue completing her final semester at Elon. A few days later, she received a call saying that she was invited to final callbacks in New York City. Anderson boarded a bus to the city anxious but was excited to complete the audition process.
During the first round of final callbacks, Anderson performed the dance combination and song she sang at her original audition. Cuts were made, but Anderson was asked to return for the second and final round of callbacks.
Anderson shared when she arrived at the final callback that she felt very confident. “I was looking around the room and noticed there were 15 men and 15 women,” she said. The ensemble of “Joseph” is mostly composed of 11 brothers and their wives, so there were only a few more cuts to be made.
“The fact that I had come this far motivated me,” Anderson said. “We learned a partnering combination and the pace was quick, but comfortable. I was having so much fun, I forgot about being nervous.”
When she boarded her overnight bus back to North Carolina, Anderson called her parents and told them that the audition had gone really well, but that she didn’t want to get her hopes too high yet.
Anderson arrived in Durham, North Carolina, at 4:45 a.m., and headed back to Elon for her 10:30 a.m. jazz class with Natalie Marrone. “I was exhausted from all of the travel and antsy for news,” she said.
Anderson checked her cell phone during class and saw that she had a missed called from the show’s casting director. When she ran out of the classroom to return the call, she found out she had booked the job.
“I started crying and ran back into my jazz class,” she said. “I quietly told Natalie the news and she screamed and told the whole class. It was a very happy day!”
Anderson started rehearsals for the tour in August and is very excited to travel across the United States. When the tour is over, she plans to go home for a few months to prepare for her move to New York City.
When asked what advice she would give to aspiring performers she had this to say: “It sounds cliché, but you just can’t give up. Challenge yourself to have a sense of humor and to find ways to be genuinely happy when things aren’t lining up for you,” she said. “There is always a way to push through if you simply get good at finding happiness.”
Click this link for the show’s touring schedule to see Anderson in a theater near you.