Interview: Blaine Alden Krauss of A MOMENT OF CLARITY From Smash Studios On September 10

Blaine Alden Krauss is just days away from fulfilling a dream. This isn't a dream that he has had since childhood because never, as a child, could he have imagined going for six months without performing, never could he have dreamed that the only way to do a show was as a live streaming event. But for several weeks now Blaine Alden Krauss has dreamed of that moment when he would raise his voice in song, once more, and on September 10th that is exactly what he will do, when, from SMASH STUDIOS, he presents his concert A MOMENT OF CLARITY.

As the countdown begins, Blaine spoke with Broadway World Cabaret about the upcoming show, his life as an actor, and the critter that made quarantine bearable.

This interview was conducted digitally and is reproduced here in its entirety.

Blaine Krauss! We are nine days away from the debut of A MOMENT OF CLARITY! How are rehearsals going?

Stephen! Yes, nine days away and I couldn't be more excited for our show. Rehearsals are going more than well. I've assembled an amazing team of musicians and vocalists that have been arranging and prepping for the evening. We are ready!!

Put a picture in my head of the rehearsal process for a concert in a world where many people are still choosing to quarantine, and worry about the global health crisis.

Picture very intense detailed planning and scheduling. Fortunate for us, New York City is entering Phase 4 of getting the city back and running, so a lot of health precautions have been in the works for a while when it comes to rehearsal spaces. Smash Studios has gone above and beyond in prepping their space to be safe to handle these kind of live-streams and I'm fortunate that I will be able to bring you all a high-quality show without you having to leave your homes.

Let's talk a bit about your history as a performer: what was the beginning of the fire inside of you to entertain, and what was your family support system like?

I can't think back far enough into my childhood in which music and being a performer wasn't at the core of who I am. My mom tells a story about walking outside one afternoon and watching me give some kind of rousing speech to all the kids on my block, the only issue was none of us could speak English yet. It was all in gibberish! Thankfully my family was very in tune to my talents at an early age and truly have spent my entire upbringing doing the best they could to make me see these dreams come to fruition. And they taught me about economics early too! At 6 years old, a song request was a dollar minimum!

Did you have one teacher or mentor who was especially instrumental in shaping your talent and work ethic?

Anyone who knows me hears me frequently talking about how "it takes a village." Anytime I spend a moment reflecting upon my journey and on those who have aided me, I'm flooded with an overwhelming mirage of faces and individuals. It isn't exaggeration when I say that I've been shepherded along this journey by a good amount of people. My family. Teachers picking up where my family couldn't. Friends offering support and guiding me to mentors. Mentors becoming family. This kind of upbringing and journey as a kid is what has defined my view on how we all need and can support one another. If I had to get specific I would name Greg Cannella, who was my elementary school music teacher. He was the first adult outside of my family that saw potential in me, and frankly without my even asking or knowledge of my own talent, made it his mission to connect me to people and performances that would shape my life.

What was the audition song that landed you your first Broadway show?

A Change is Gonna Come. It booked me my first professional job out of college, The Lion King, and then my Broadway Debut, The Great Comet of 1812!

Do you still sing that song?

Every single audition. If they ask to "hear something of mine" they will always get Sam Cooke.

Will you sing it on September 10th?

How did you know. =)

How did you transition from the art form of playing a character on a theater stage to showcasing your personal being on a concert stage?

So, music separate from theatre has been inside of me from day one. Doing gigs, performing at Church, events for school, etc was always a very natural habitat for me. Theatre came a little bit later in life, so this idea of having a career where I would be playing a "character" instead of myself was the more foreign feeling of performing. Even in my collegiate study of theatre, I never dropped what to me is the more vulnerable setting which is the concert stage. Most singer/actors find it more difficult to be themselves in a concert setting and for whatever reason I enjoy the intimacy and vulnerability. I think I'm very addicted in knowing that we are all in this shared space with one another, I have the ability to control the ride, and that the only tool I have in reaching that evening is myself. It's cathartic. It's incredibly vulnerable and scary. And therefore makes total sense that I choose to make this my living! Ha.

What was that learning curve like, from putting on display the person your life has made you to playing someone another person has written?

Well in some ways, if you can embrace owning and sharing your own thoughts, words, and actions you're in a great space to be a vessel for another character's words. I mentioned before the vulnerability it takes, even for actors, to be on stage and to be themselves. The ride that you're on as an actor playing a character is so thrilling and freeing because you're expressing some of the deepest parts of you with the least amount of consequences. Its all done under costumes, music, and situations that aren't really yours. Be the headline of your own show and you step into a different kind of power and vulnerability that is life-changing really. And like any other area in our lives that challenges us to embrace the uniqueness of who we are and to be open to strangers, its a muscle you build the more you do it.

You're very open, onstage and off, with the person that you are. Do you think that the times have made it easier for young performing artists to be authentically themselves, as opposed to bygone times when artists had to hide certain aspects of their personalities in order to maintain an image?

Absolutely. I was just saying to a friend that I think the reason we don't have these "icons and legends" for lack of a better term, is because there was a secrecy about them that kept us coming back for more and more. I think we've learned over time that these secrets were actually more detrimental to their careers and personal lives because they were being forced to oppress very real parts of their humanity. In some ways, I think we may have swung the pendulum aggressively to the other side, where we ask too much of young artists and it makes people feel like they have to curate a version of ourselves that is accessible to everyone. There does seem to be a middle ground we are finding in which "authenticity" is desired not because of the art but because we need to know as a society that we are "all in this" thing together.

These have been trying times, socio-politically, and you often raise your voice in protest. What thoughts and feelings roll around inside you, as a gay, bi-racial young man, as we approach election day amidst all the trauma of today's circumstances?

Honestly, I am exhausted with thoughts and feelings right now, and its part of the very reason why I am doing this concert. The biggest thought that comes to mind right now is the necessity for everyone to not let this exhaustion corner you into inaction. Amidst all of the trauma in today's circumstances things can seem like they are getting worse when in reality they are getting uncovered. And the process of reacting to what is being finally revealed to us has shaken and paralyzed many of us. When in fact we must do the opposite, we must reflect and then make moves. And that starts with voting on November 3rd. The most important step we can all take in response to this year is voting.

Back to Moment of Clarity - you are a man with a big style and a big voice, is there a technique to dialing that back for the cameras, or do you just let 'er rip and leave the rest of it to the universe?

"Let 'er rip and leave the rest to the universe" sounds like the title of my memoir. You kind of nailed it on the head with that, in which I do as much prep as I can and then I just have to toss it to the moment and go for the ride. However, I have been conscious that this is filmed and I have the benefit of performing in a studio with recording quality equipment, so I've been rehearsing a lot on tailoring my show to this setting.

We've all heard you do great renditions of songs we know and love, like when you sang I Am What I Am for the An Evening With... series, do you do any writing? Might there be some original Blaine Alden Krauss recordings in the future?

Quarantine has offered me a lot of space to be creative and delve into projects. An album with original material has been on the dream list and is definitely in the works. I have an unbelievably high bar for everything I do, so the delay is in making sure it's done right.

I've saved the most important question for last: How is Phalcon?

Awwwww, Phalcon may be reaping quarantine benefits the most, he's with me all day every day! Dog lovers out there know what I mean when I say I could not have survived this without him.

Blaine, thanks for talking with us today, I can't wait to see you on September 10th!

Thank you, I am very excited to share this moment with you.

See Blaine Alden Krauss A MOMENT OF CLARITY On Sept 10 - for information and tickets click HERE

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