The most popular and prevailing myth about life in the theater is the one perpetuated by the 1933 musical “42nd Street,” in which a near-invisible chorus girl goes on in place of the leading lady and becomes a star.
Few aspiring actors or theater artisans would confess to being naive enough to believe this fantasy. But none would deny that the prospect of instantaneous success on or behind the professional stage had crossed their mind, despite the odds of earning any kind of sustainable success in this highly competitive industry. Pre-pandemic statistics reported that only 38% of the 51,000 professional actors and stage managers who make up the membership of the Actors’ Equity Association work at any given time. There are even fewer jobs for other types of stage technicians and designers.
And yet, there is no shortage of impassioned, emerging local talent with their sights set on making it in Northeast Ohio’s vibrant theater scene and beyond. Canvas profiles three of them here.
Alexandra Baxter
Alexandra Baxter didn’t go through life marking random floors with glow tape, calling light cues when friends entered a room or yelling “15 minutes” before a family dinner. “But I’m certainly a Type-A personality,” she says, “always organizing and scheduling. I have a color-coded binder and planner for everything.” And so, it was only a matter of time before she found her way to stage management. Read more.
Casey Venema
Flying in the face of the fantasy perpetuated by the musical “42nd Street” is the reality that sexual misconduct has long been part of the entertainment industry. One of the most infamous examples was on the set of the 1972 movie “Last Tango in Paris,” where a nude, simulated sex act was reportedly unscripted and occurred without consent from then-19-year-old actress Maria Schneider. It wasn’t until the #MeToo movement that concerns about discomfort and mistreatment in scenes of intimacy have been voiced and listened to on a larger scale, resulting in more ethical practices and a greater sensitivity regarding how sex and sexual violence are staged. This also gave rise to a new role on the creative team of a theatrical production, titled intimacy choreographer, of which Casey Venema is a local practitioner. Read more.
Marcus Martin
Marcus Martin is living the “42nd Street” fantasy. After graduating from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea in 2020 and riding out the pandemic, he hit the ground running by landing the role of Genie in the re-imagined North American tour of Disney’s “Aladdin,” to be launched in October. He knew he was made for the stage after what he calls “epic fails” at sports. A mental light switch turned on at the age of 6 while attending a theater camp at Weathervane Playhouse in Akron’s Merriman Valley. Years later, after seeing the musical “Aladdin,” Martin realized that his dream role was the Genie. And when he saw on television “fellow plus-sized actor” James Monroe Iglehart win the 2014 Tony for his Broadway portrayal, he says he knew playing that role was a possibility. Read more.
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