Words From The Wings: McKinley Belcher III of DEATH OF A SALESMAN Shares His Backstage Must-Haves, Favorite Moments, and More!

BroadwayWorld is bringing you Words From the Wings, a new series of interviews that take fans behind the scenes of some of their favorite Broadway stars' backstage routines!

Today we're chatting with McKinley Belcher III of Death of a Salesman, who shared his favorite backstage moments, must-haves, and more! Check out his answers, along with photos taken by BroadwayWorld's Jennifer Broski, below!

---

What's the first thing you do when you arrive to the theatre?

The literal first thing I do is sign-in and take off whatever layers I have on. But after that I usually take a moment to ground myself with music in my dressing room. And depending on the day it could be jazz like Miles Davis or Charlie Parker who's inspired my approach to Happy, to R&B, Hip Hop, folk, rock or something real ratchet. We go from James Blake, to Missy Elliott, Beyonce, Billie Eilish, Jidenna, India Arie to Hozier and Alina Baraz.

What's the last thing you do before you go on stage?

Giving the one and only Sharon D. Clarke a squeeze is usually the last thing I do. I genuinely love her. We all have our specific rituals of how we send each other off, like André and I do a little bump, Wendell and I have a handshake, I dap some people up and do a dance with others, but Sharon is usually the last one. Filling up on love makes the launch into Act I easier.

What's your must-have backstage snack?

I love sour gummies, so anything like the Trolli Sour Worms or Haribo Bears keep me going.

Pre-show ritual that others may think is weird?

My castmates laugh and sometimes cheer me on, but I love doing laps around the house or up the stairs all the way to the 3rd level. Running helps wake my whole body up and gives me the energy to go on this 3 hour journey. I'm sure I look like a crazy person, but it works for me.

What are five must-haves in your dressing room?

Lotion, because ashiness is a sin, water for hydration, a photo of me and my fiancé and a photo of Sidney Poitier, both for inspiration, and my red Sony speaker because I love music.

What's your favorite moment from the show to watch from the wings?

I'd say is about midway through Act I after my 2nd quick change, I have a moment to just stand there and watch Wendell and Bill(our Charley) duke it out. It's before things get heavy, so there's a lot of play, humor, wit and history in their repartee. And that scene leads to bringing in Ben(the André De Shields in all his glory) and Sharon. So I get to watch the vets in our cast live and be joyous in what feels like a light moment. I'm almost always smiling or laughing when I'm watching. It's inspiring to witness people be great! And joy is contagious.

What has been your favorite backstage moment in your time with this show so far?

This is probably going to sound weird, but they're all moments where we had to stop the show and regroup backstage. Once for a medical emergency in the audience, another for an automated platform that got stuck and most recently for a rogue fire alarm. Obviously these aren't ideal and we want the show to run smoothly and everyone to be healthy, but there's a thing that happens when these things happen. There's a leaning in and coming together that's kind of beautiful. It's electric and alive. I love seeing and feeling how, we has a company, take care of each other and allow ourselves to depend on each other. It's a healthy reminder that all we have is each other and our gifts. Sometimes we get through the show on will, hardwork, love, tears and/or sweat, but always together.

---

About McKinley Belcher III

Since graduating with an MFA from USC, McKinley Belcher III has been steadily building a strong body of work. Belcher appears on the critically hailed Netflix series "Ozark" as Agent Trevor Evans, in the limited series "The Good Lord Bird" opposite Ethan Hawke for Showtime, and was seen as Mark Fein in the Simon Curtis-directed film The Art of Racing in the Rain for Fox 2000. He can currently be seen as the series lead in David Simon's "We Own This City" for HBO, and will next be seen in a recurring role in Netflix's live-action adaptation of "One Piece." He has recently come off playing the pivotal series role of convicted murderer and death row inmate Anthony Carter, in the FOX drama series "The Passage." He was noticed for his work as Samuel Diggs, a free slave and self-educated laborer with the hopes of becoming a doctor, on the PBS series "Mercy Street," and on David Simon's HBO miniseries "Show Me a Hero" as the blue-collar Dwayne taking care of his diabetic mother. Prior to this, McKinley recurred on the Starz drama "Power." His other film credits include the biopic Mapplethorpe opposite Matt Smith, which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, and Trial by Fire directed by Ed Zwick, as well as John Sayles's independent film Go for Sisters. On stage, McKinley starred in The Light at MCC Theater for which he was nominated for an Outer Critic Circle Award. He made his Broadway debut in the revival of A Soldier's Play for Roundabout Theatre Company.

About Death of a Salesman

Following its critically acclaimed run at London's Young Vic Theatre and on the West End, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is told - for the first time on Broadway - from the perspective of a Black family. This vibrant and timely production is directed by Miranda Cromwell, who co-directed the London production alongside Marianne Elliott. Together, they won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Direction.

Olivier Award nominee Wendell Pierce and Olivier Award winner and 2022 Tony Award® nominee Sharon D Clarke reprise their roles as Willy and Linda Loman, and they are joined by Khris Davis as Biff, McKinley Belcher III as Happy, and Tony Award® winner Andreì De Shields as Willy's brother, Ben. Additional cast includes Blake DeLong as Howard/Stanley, Lynn Hawley as The Woman/Jenny, Grace Porter as Letta/Jazz Singer, Stephen Stocking as Bernard, Chelsea Lee Williams as Miss Forsythe, and The Wire's Delaney Williams as Charley.