BWW Blog: Sugar, Butter, Faith - WAITRESS' Kayla Davion's Journey to Broadway

After attending Broadway Workshop's WAITRESS Broadway Day, I was so enthralled with Kayla Davion's spirit that I wanted to learn more about her story. A native of Chicago, IL, she began singing in church. Her father was a Pastor; she and her siblings grew up singing in his church choir. Her first show was a local production of THE MUSIC MAN in third grade. She did not do theatre again until the end of her junior year in high school.

She auditioned for a production of MEMPHIS at the encouragement of her sister's acting teacher. "That's when I found out that an African-American woman could play a lead role," beamed Davion, "and it was eye-opening." The production of MEMPHIS was for an all-state theatre program that culminated in a thespian festival. The production consisted of students from all over Illinois, and the rehearsals met at her high school.

"Seeing how everyone plays a part, and the passion that everyone had while doing it sparked me in a way that I'd never seen before," she says. "It was a way for me to combine my singing and being able to tell a story. Learning how to be in an ensemble made me fall in love with teamwork. Being in that show led me to want to continue with theatre afterwards."

Davion had originally planned to go to school for Psychology, but her plans changed after her MEMPHIS experience. Her mom was hesitant at first, especially given that it was already Davion's senior year and college deadlines were fast approaching. "I told her, 'when you see it, you'll understand.'"

Her mom came and saw the show, and was immediately on board with Kayla's new plan thereafter, as was her dad. "I was in the ensemble... that just shows how big the role of being in the ensemble actually is; how big of a role we play in the story. A lot of times the 'background' characters and people behind the scenes are overlooked. They need to be recognized more."

After googling 'Top 10 Musical Theatre Colleges,' Davion started looking at potential colleges to audition for. One day an informational packet from Ball State in Indiana arrived in the mail. Davion knew that was where she was meant to go. "I got this feeling of peace that I assume was God, and I went with my gut. And it was the only school I actually auditioned for... I do NOT recommend doing that!" she laughs. "But I got in, and I knew it was meant to be." She says. "I didn't have any resources going in... like an audition coach, training, things like that... it was literally me just wishing on a dream and hoping that it would come true."

At the freshman welcome party, one of her classmates told her that the class wasn't sure if she was going to 'make it' at Ball State. Davion called her mom in tears, and her mom said not to care about what others say or think, and if she really wanted this dream, she had to go for it. They prayed over the phone together that Davion would book a Broadway show before she graduated college.

Davion took her mom's encouragement to heart and proceeded to work as hard as she could to learn and grow as an artist. She frequently sought out extra help from teachers after class during their office, and attended classes with advanced dancers "so that she would put in the work to get somewhere."

She continued, "It's not always about looking your best. The point isn't being perfect - the point is doing the work by making the mistakes." She says that she asked to be put in extra classes for the knowledge and extra practice. "I always told myself - 'I am a sponge. I have so much more to learn. And I AM going to learn.'"

Davion almost wasn't able to continue after her freshman year because her family didn't have the funds, but the school believed in her and helped her work out a plan to stay. She worked three jobs. "It was not easy. But the love that I received from certain individuals and my desire to learn is what kept me going."

Fast forward almost three years, and Davion was signed by an agency after her senior showcases. She made sure to let her agency know that she would stick to her morals, first and foremost. That's why after she got a callback for WAITRESS after a last minute audition and was asked if she booked it, would she start the next day and leave college, she said no.

"I was like, 'No. I can't. I'm the first person in my family to graduate. It's too important.' We only had a week left." She says. She went to the callback, not expecting to book it for this reason.

But she did.

The prayers that she and her mom had recited over the phone during her freshman year had come true - she had booked a Broadway show the Wednesday before graduating college. She graduated, and started the very next day. The rest, as they say, is history (that will be remembered by the sweet smell of pie).

You can keep up with what Kayla is up to on her Instagram, @kayladavion.