Singer/Actor Astrid Van Wieren is joining us from New York on Cue To Cue today! Astrid originated the role of Beulah in the cast of Come From Away that is now playing on Broadway and has been received with critical acclaim and touching the hearts of audiences from around the world. I saw it here when it played in Toronto and instantly fell in love with pretty much everything about the show. The care that Irene Sankoff and David Hein took with the storytelling, the cast, the simplistic genius of the set and brilliant direction of Christopher Ashley… I could go on. It was one of those rare experiences after a show where I felt, inspired, changed, proud and excited because I believe pretty much everyone who saw this show was thinking what I was thinking. This is going to blow up!! It did.
Astrid is bringing her whole heart today’s episode. She is sharing the rollercoaster it has been to be a part of Come From Away from the beginning to Broadway. The insecure moments and the moments they have made her heart explode with joy. During our converting the word inspiration kept popping up and I realized about halfway through the podcast that Astrid is someone who looks for inspiration. I asked her if that has been one of the keys to staying in the entertainment industry and she confirmed that we get what we look for. She went on to say with a laugh, “A good cup of coffee can inspire me sometimes.” Astrid drives home, for me, that it is our responsibility as an artist to look for inspiration. Not that we don’t have down days but when you are looking to be inspired the world will move you in ways you never expected.
Grab a beverage of your choice and enjoy!
In this episode:
- What she believes the best creative ideas are a result of
- How living with abundance can be just as challenging as living with scarcity
- How to avoid what Astrid calls “gerbil brain”
- What she has realized about broadway since she has started performing there.
- How to process notes given to you and learning to communicate with a director
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Astrid Van Wieren: How To Stay Inspired, The Process Of Originating A Role, And Come From Away
A little about Astrid:
Astrid is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre school (Robert Christie award). She is a recipient of the Dora Mavor Moore Award for her dramatic work in THIS WIDE NIGHT (mercury/mermaid parade). In the last few years, Astrid originated the lead roles of Beulah (& Others) in COME FROM AWAY (La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Ford’s Theatre, Mirvish Toronto and Broadway) and Sheilagh Fielding in COLONY OF UNREQUITED DREAMS for Newfoundland’s premiere theatre company, Artistic Fraud. She also lead the beautiful BELLES SOEURS company as Germaine Lauzon – a stunning, new musical. Other favourite roles include (all premieres): Grandma in THE WAY BACK TO THURSDAY (Passe Muraille); Huhu in UBU MAYOR (One Little Goat) and Holly in MYTH OF THE OSTRICH (Toronto Fringe Festival). She was also in the original North American premiere of MAMMA MIA! and the subsequent First U.S. national tour.
She co.wrote, co.produced and stars in the indie feature THE RIVER YOU STEP IN..
Check it out!
Follow Astrid!
Instagram: @astridvw2020
Twitter: @astridvanwieren
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What spoke to you the most today? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
