Alex Hairston
From Kat: I met Alex one glorious (and also exhausting) summer as an acting apprentice at Flat Rock Playhouse. Our particular group had some glorious bright spots: Michael Luwoye (Bluff City Law, Hamilton), Ginna Claire Mason (Wicked), Adam Kaplan (Newsies, A Bronx Tale), and MORE. (I’m not saying you’re going hear from more of these folks later in the blog, but I’m also not saying you won’t.)
And then there’s Alex. This young, shy, beautiful, and sickly talented resting stick of dynamite. Part of me felt like I got to watch the first ‘explosions’ of Alex’s career in Hairspray (Yep, she PLAYED a Dynamite- see what I did there??) and at midnight studios that summer, but I have a feeling she was shining WAY before that. She’s already had a career one can only dream of, yet you’ll find her humble, generous, and full of insight for folks that didn’t come out of a big school or didn’t feel like their school understood them. She’s already on the dance floor, so let’s get out there and disco with her!
Alex! We feel so excited that “Disco Donna” is one of our first posts. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi! I’m Alex Hairston. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina and now I call NYC home. I started acting at age 6 in Film and Television and found my way into the world of live theater in my early teens. Now, after 20 years in the business -woof!- I have been blessed to have traveled the world on 3 different cruise ships, spend a year on Broadway, and perform in 2 national tours; one of which I’m currently on and have the honor (and dream) of portraying Legend and Disco Queen, Donna Summer.
You’re a fellow cruise ship performer. Did you find value working on cruise ships out of school? Did you ever make the decision to stop doing cruise ships to stay in New York?
Cruise ships are such a love-hate relationship. Traveling the world, rent free, performing 3-4 days a week, and making more money than a broke college kid could ever dream of seeing in their bank account?! It all looks and sounds so glorious. And a good bit of it is. I guess it had to be for me to go back so many times. But there were hard times as well, things people don't always talk about. There are a lot of restrictions, simple things that after a while become big things; a nightly curfew, not being able to leave your room for a cup of coffee or a snack without being dressed up in business casual attire, bi-weekly weigh ins, weekly room inspections and daily security inspections, being away from your friends and family for months, and not having phone or internet for days at a time to contact them. It can be rough. But that’s the price you pay for the ‘glamour’. I had been to 8 different countries by the time I was 23 and every night I watched the most incredible sunset on the Atlantic ocean. It was like that line in Forrest Gump- “I didn't know where the earth ended and heaven began.”
I booked my first ship contract during my last semester of college. It was heaven sent because how many times do you graduate with a job already? I really enjoyed my cruise ship time for the most part. The opportunities it brought, both professionally and non-professionally, were incredible. I had a hard time in my college program. I didn't feel like they really understood me or what I had to offer. I was the only ethnic girl in my entire program, my voice was more pop than Disney princess. My vibe was more Hamilton than Music Man, and I don’t feel they really knew how to encourage or nurture that. So when I started working on ships and they encouraged me to tap into that side of me- to belt my heart out, to take center stage and live all the way out loud- I was in heaven! It’s because of that heaven that I enjoyed performing on cruise ships so much. I did 7 contracts (3 rehearsal swings, and 4 onboard) before the ‘glamour’ rubbed off and I started to wonder if I’d ever be more than a cruise ship performer. My dreams were much bigger, but was my talent? I was living in NY, working 3 days jobs, not booking a single performance contract, and I got the offer for another ship. I was a blessing and curse. I needed to money. But my soul did not want to be back on the ship. I knew that I had to make the choice to go hard for what I truly wanted, or go home- neither of which included a cruise ship- so I clinched my jaw I turned down the offer. When I hung up the phone I wanted to cry and throw up at the same time, but I also knew deep down that I made the right decision.
I have a friend who said something to me once that I remind myself of weekly- “Life is too short to be where your heart is not.” I knew my heart was not on a ship. As hard as life in NYC was, my heart was somewhere near 42nd street and Broadway, and that’s where I needed to be. The irony is, 2 years later I made my Broadway debut in a theater one block away from that very corner. I had 10 days to get fitted and rehearsed before my debut in Beautiful. It was crazy and terrifying and wonderful. It’s also something I wouldn’t have been able to do without having trained my body and brain in the art of high-speed retention during all those cruise ship rehearsals.
I know your story a little bit, Alex, but could you tell us about how you found your representation in New York?
My first NYC theatre agent was an absolute fail. He didn’t truly understand what I wanted or who I was and he made a lot of shiny promises that never came to fruition. I searched for 2 years looking for an agent and I was desperate so I believe everything she said and signed on the dotted line. In the end, I learned a lot about what I didn't want from that relationship. Last year I decided not to renew my contract with that agency and it ended up being a closed door that opened an amazing window. I was in final callbacks for Moulin Rouge and the casting director liked me so much that he reached out to an agency that he trusts and recommended me. I didn’t book the show, but I did end up with an incredible new Musical Theatre agent that truly care about shaping my career and who I am as an artist.
Simultaneously, Kat, who I worked with on a summer contract in 2010, reached out as a Voice Over assistant asking if I’d be interested in auditioning for DDO. The Industry gods smiled on me once more with another incredible agency. I started with VO, and it was a slow start indeed. I’d never done it before and it was a whole different world from the commercial auditions or theatre auditions I was used to. I’m still learning something new with every audition and recording, but it’s been about a year since my first VO audition and I’ve already done a few projects and have a reoccurring role in Dinobots!
There’s a saying in the business that ‘It’s not who you know, but who knows you’ and that’s been very true for me. I searched for years for representation and in the end, it found me—from connections I made through projects completely unrelated. Always aim to do good work, no matter what the project is. You never know when it’ll come back to you.
Was there ever a moment where you felt like giving up? What did you do to get through that time?
So. Many. Times. This business is insane. I mean, what sane person bares their soul and subjects themselves to judgement by strangers daily, while working a job they probably don’t like just for the mere sliver of a chance of getting a job they can’t live without? Actors are crazy. But so is life. Do what makes you happy. That doesn't mean you’ll be happy every minute of every day, but after a bad day, if you still dream this crazy dream then isn’t it worth giving it a shot?
How do you prepare for the big auditions?
I try to become as comfortable as possible with the material. Research. If it’s something they've given to me I solicit friends to help. Get an accompanist to record the music so there are no surprises in the room. Find a friend to be your scene partner and bounce ideas off each other. And then treat the audition like a rehearsal, not a performance. Be comfortable with what you're doing that you can take risks on the first go, but also be flexible enough to take direction. Getting direction in an audition is a really good thing- but to do that you have to give them choices strong enough to receive direction. If it’s a cold read or something that came about last minute, be a human. That sounds a little strange but at the end of the day, most characters are just normal people in extraordinary circumstances, so when you're approaching material that you may not have a lot of background with just be a person. Find what you can relate to your actual life and then heighten the circumstances.
What was the most important thing you did to get where you are?
One of the most useful things I learned audition in the city is to show your best self. So Step 1. Figure out your best self. What makes you unique. Not what your college or that masterclass last month said you should do or be. What is your strength? Your passion? The part of you that makes you: you? Make them (casting) believe that they need that and no one but you can bring that to the table.
Also, Make adjustments that work for you. If you're not feeling 100 percent, show style and technique in place of that super high note. If they ask for 16 Bars, give 16 bars that show you and what you have to offer, and that doesn’t always translate into belting the highest note in your range. Make them interested in what else you can do; what makes you special. Your job is to get the callback, not to get the job. There are too many factors that are out of your control that go into booking the job. If you can get yourself back in the room, you did your job.
One of the many reasons we admire you is your gradual climb. You were a swing on the Motown tour before taking over roles full time. You debuted on Broadway as the featured character Janelle Woods in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. And here you are LEADING a tour… Can you walk us through your thought process on that journey?
I believe that each step informed the next. Playing a variety of roles in college and regionally, plus Swinging for NCL prepped me for the Motown Tour. Swinging involves a lot of versatility and hard work. They say it’s the hardest working person in the cast because you have the least amount of rehearsal and have the most amount of material to memorize. (Props to all the swings out there!) I auditioned for Beautiful while I was on the Motown tour and I truly believe it helped me book the job because I had been living the ‘1950’s doo-wap girl group harmony’ life for months. The transition from Janelle in Beautiful to the legendary Donna Summer was as seamless, but the things I learned on Broadway the confidence I gained were vital. I wanted Summer so bad. I ate, slept, and breathed it. And when I finally got it, I questioned whether or not I was capable of such responsibility. I had never been a lead professionally and not I was about to portray a mega star and lead a first national tour. A good friend, that I solicited to be my scene partner ;) said to me “They need someone to lead a multimillion dollar show. You’ve got to go in there and make them believe that you are that person”. That was the exact thing I needed to hear. It’s not always easy to just believe in yourself all the time. Sometimes you have to go for it as if you know you’ve got it all -even if you don’t fully believe it- and then push yourself to live up to it.
Are you at the top of your mountain?
I am at the top of a mountain for sure. In fact, I’m literally writing this from an Air B&B in the Hollywood Hills. We open Summer tonight in Hollywood. What?! I’m so grateful, but I don’t want to get stop climbing. I’m so proud of myself. My dream was always to be on Broadway. And then it happened and it was incredible. It’s crazy when something that seemed so far away, so unattainable, is suddenly right in front of your face. I’m so blessed to have climbed that mountain, and then to have been presented with another mountain of opportunity. I always said that I never aimed to be famous; I want to do the work, to create, because that’s what makes me happy. So I’m currently reveling in every minute of it the peak, while still dreaming of more mountains to climb. Have bigger dreams, you’ll grow into them.
RAPID FIRE:
Favorite Broadway show: Ever- Sunday In the Park with George. Currently- Ain’t Too Proud.
TV show you binge: NCIS
Podcasts you like: I never got into podcasts *eye ball emoji*
Religious or nah?: YES! “You down with G-O-D? Yeah you know me!”
Former side hustles: Waitress, coffee shop cashier, children’s b-day party leader
Any bad audition stories: Being the only black girl auditioning for Sandy in Grease. I also had the wrong audition packet. And the female reader pretended to be a man with a long island accent. It was tragic.
Favorite audition song: “Someone Like You” Jekyll and Hyde. Don’t judge me, I slay those 16-bars.
Job you didn’t expect to book: Honestly, Summer lol.
Biggest beef with the business: Gimmicks.
Anything you’d like to promote?: Kindness. Stop using plastic straws. And recycle.
Interview by Kat Hargrave