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So did you go to your own high-school prom?I didnt.
I was actually homeschooled, so I didnt have a prom.
Did not get the invite.
Now I get to go to the prom every night.
I had been doing kids theater since I was 3.
Its just always been a part of my being.
When I was 15, I went to an open call for the national tour ofSpring Awakening.
In the callback process they figured out how old I actually was.
So, we want you to do that.
Was that a hard change, going from Seattle to New York?It was pretty overwhelming.
We had two weeks notice.
So were gonna do this.
Then, my parents had a long distance relationship for two-and-a-half years until my mom moved back to Seattle.
It was a huge change.
It was the hardest six months of my life.
And yet, you were inSpring Awakening.It made no sense.
But yeah, it was hard.
I was in the show but I wasnt a huge part of the show.
I had my scenes and then didnt really do anything else.
To be able to watch the people in the show do their thing was so cool.
Watching Kelli OHara do that every single night was just mind-blowing.
So you started working onThe Promabout four years ago?Four years ago in October was my first audition.
I was like, Well, Im not right for this.
Casey Nicholaw very quickly was like, Hey, youre not right for this role.
How about you read for Emma?
So I did that.
It apparently went very well, because I ended up booking the role.
At that point, when I auditioned for the show, I knew nothing about it.
It was just like, Oh, Casey Nicholaw is attached to this project.
Its probably gonna be good.
I did the 29-hour read of that, and then the following summer we did a lab of it.
And then the next summer we went out to Atlanta.
Now, four years later, were on Broadway.
How was Emma first described when you first auditioned?It was pretty basic.
It was just, like: Emma, 17, lesbian, trying to find herself.
Pretty straightforward, no-nonsense, which I think shes kind of stayed true to, four years later.
Caitlin would definitely laugh.
There have been a couple times during previews where Brooks has done something that Ive lost it to.
You have to look away, otherwise you keep laughing.
The plot ofThe Promis based on an amalgam of various true stories about queer kids in America.
How did you find Emma as a character?Its unfortunate because this scenario has happened to many people.
It is not a one-and-done story.
News articles keep popping up.
We have a group thread where we post them, and its like, It happened again.
Not everyones queer experience is heartbreaking.
Yes, a lot of them are, but you also want to show the good in it.
It ends on a good note, which I think is important.
I get so much just incredible open and honest fan mail.
Its completely overwhelming but so magical and special.
So now theyre going on a date.
Do you consider yourself a member of the queer community?I dont.
I consider myself an ally.
Its not this, like, perfect, happy couple.
They go through their struggles, theyre trying to figure it out.
I am really awkward, I dont apologize for that, and I feel like Im playing real people.
Theres a time and place for that.
Its funny, because people always ask me, Whats your dream role?
Well, what is your standard musica- theater dream role?Eva Peron.
Which will never happen, but I want to play it so bad.
Sometimes you see me, sometimes you dont.
Im finally in a place where Im actually here.
Im doing a show.
People will see it, and theyll see me in it.
Hopefully it will go well.
What is my life?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
