Actor Jeremy Kushnier headlined opening night for the fourth season of ArtSpeak!--a program that brings performing artists into the Fairfax community to talk about their artistry.
Kushnier, who was in the Broadway cast of "Footloose" and is now appearing in "The Rhythm Club" at Arlington's Signature Theatre, spoke to an audience of 500 people at Poe Middle School in Annandale Monday night. It was the first of five presentations this year for ArtSpeak!, which is supported by a corporate grant from Shugoll Research in Bethesda.
Earlier Monday, Kushnier was interviewed by five Poe students--Ashley Batten, Alexis Bobe, Tamara Friedler, Andrew Gisch and Meg Nielson--under the supervision of English teacher Bonnie Birdsong.
Some highlights from their interview follow.
Q: Tell us a little about your background.
A: I'm originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. After I graduated high school, I did a year of university in Winnipeg and then moved to Toronto, working up there for five years. Then I moved to New York.
Q: How did you get the part in "Footloose"?
A: I have kind of a Cinderella story as far as getting my role. I'd been out of work for eight months--eating lots of macaroni and cheese--and my agent called and said, "If you can be in New York tomorrow, you can audition for this new musical." So I borrowed money from friends and got on a bus for a 12-hour bus ride. I auditioned, and I think my focus and determination came through. I found out the next day I got the part.
Q: Can you tell us something about your new show, "The Rhythm Club"?
A: It's a great show. There is some wonderful swing dancing in it and there is really great music. Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin wrote the book and the music. It's full of energy. The great thing about it is it tells a story in a historical period about kids trying to find themselves, but it really could take place any time. It's really a great show. I hope you have a chance to see it.
Q: What was your first role and how did you get it?
A: I was 9 when my mother asked me to go with my cousin to give her confidence at an audition for "Tom Sawyer." While I was there, I auditioned, too. When my mother picked us up afterward, my cousin was in the front seat. My mother asked her how she did, and she told her she got a part in the chorus. My mother asked me how it went, and I told her I got a part. "What part?" she asked me. "Tom Sawyer," I told her. "No, that's the name of the play. What part did you get?" she asked. "Tom," I told her again. Then she asked my cousin what part I got. "Tom Sawyer," my cousin told her.
Q: Did you like school? Were you a good student?
A: I had some trouble in school. Early on, they found out I was dyslexic. I think my favorite subject was recess. I really liked chemistry and, of course, chorus and drama. I was in a lot of extracurricular activities.
Q: When you were young, did you think you would be an actor?
A: I think before I knew how to walk, I knew I had to do something that would get some kind of attention. I was always the class clown. My parents knew straight off that I was going to do something that involved performing. They thought I was going to be either an actor or a politician, one or the other.
Q: What candidate would you like to see win the presidential election?
A: That is a hard question. I haven't really thought about it since I can't vote--I'm Canadian.
Q: Right before you go on stage, is there a weird thing you do to get ready?
A: A lot of people do a big vocal warm-up or physical warm-up. I like to get a cup of coffee and do the crosswords, to tell the honest truth. It kind of just calms me down. But it depends on the show. When I was doing "Footloose," we'd find some great '80s rock-and-roll music and play it real loud and kind of jump around the dressing room for about five minutes before we went on. But that doesn't really work for "The Rhythm Club."
Q: What person influenced you the most?
A: My biggest role models were my parents. Neither of them was in theater, but my mother gave me my first taste of theater. We used to sit around and watch old musicals together. And my dad has taught me never to give up, and to follow through on whatever you do. They were very supportive.
Q: We found out on the Internet that last week was your birthday. So we got a card for you and a piece of birthday cake. Did you get to celebrate?
A: Thank you. That's really kind of you. Yes, I did celebrate. I live so far from my hometown that I didn't get to see my family, but "The Rhythm Club" troupe is like a family. We did celebrate.