BWW Interviews: Janet Dickinson, On the Road with BILLY ELLIOT

Each night---and sometimes even twice in a single day---actress Janet Dickinson gets to pretend to be a sassy, chain-smoking Brit in charge of a bunch of rowdy, screech-happy pre-teens at a community center ballet class in the current national tour production of BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL, now playing through April 28 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA.

But prior to donning the English accent and 80's-era leg-warmers, Dickinson originated the roles of Courtney in DIVORCE PARTY - THE MUSICAL, and Sandy in the Off-Broadway production of FAT CAMP - THE MUSICAL. She's no stranger to tour life either having spent time on the National Tours of both 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (she also appeared in the Broadway production of the latter). She was also a recipient of the 2008 Drama Desk Award for her work in the Off-Broadway production of Forbidden Broadway'S RUDE AWAKENING and the 2011 NYMF Award for Best Individual Performance in MADAME X.

Nowadays, she's playing Mrs. Wilkinson, young Billy's outspoken ballet teacher and, yes, in a way, a living, breathing substitute mom for the would-be dance wünderkind. A testament to her genuine talents, Dickinson really holds her own while sharing stage time with a bunch of scene-stealing kids, especially the four incredibly talented young boys who share the title role at different performances.

Before the tour's arrival in Orange County, Dickinson answered a few silly questions from BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos while on the road...

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BWW: Hi Janet! Okay, right off the bat, I'm not detecting a British accent... where did you grow up?

Janet: [Laughs] I grew up in Minnesota, actually. Northern Minnesota. It's a small town called Bemidji. And, of course, I have lived in New York for years.

Was it difficult to learn this particular accent?

They have a coach that helps everybody with it. And we also have a Brit who's in our show and he'll listen [to us] and give people notes. It's not difficult at all... after a while, it becomes like music... like learning a song, in some ways.

I see. Now for the benefit of our readers who've never seen the musical or even the film it's based on... can you tell me a little bit about your character ... and her role in Billy Elliot's life?

The part I play is Mrs. Wilkinson, the local dance teacher. You know, she is somebody who probably had aspirations to do something bigger with her life---maybe in performing. But she found herself back in this small mining town and, maybe, got trapped there. A lot of her dreams have been dashed. And so she teaches ballet to all the little girls in town... but she's cynical. A wiseacre. She is a flawed person... saying things that, maybe, she shouldn't. But she's in this rough-and-tumble sort of town, so, you know... And in the middle of this coal mining town, she sees this kid [Billy] who just happens to stumble into her ballet class. She sees him as this "diamond in the rough," and so she coaxes him into coming back again. And thus starts his journey of realizing that he has this affinity for something and that he's really good at it! All this sort of sprouts his dream of becoming a ballet dancer. Of course, his father and brother do not want him to do it. But eventually, it becomes this age-old story where his family and the entire town itself rally behind him, so that at least one child can finally get out of what is turning into a continuing terrible situation that started with the famous mining strikes. Eventually, [then Prime Minister] Maggie Thatcher sets the wheels in motion that just destroyed all these small mining towns in Northern England!

And speaking of Maggie Thatcher and her role in this tumultuous period in British history... as you know, the former Prime Minister just passed away very recently. Did the show change the way it deals with her in light of her death, especially with that one not-so-flattering song that starts the show's second act?

Well, you know, yes, she's mentioned throughout the show. We were in touch with the creatives in London and they said, "nope. Don't change the show." There's no way to change it or circle around it. That's a significant pillar of the show---the way [these citizens] felt about Maggie Thatcher. [They feel that] she is the lynchpin for the destruction of these small mining towns. So, yeah, she was not very well liked. I'm not sure all Americans were aware of that.

For you personally, what do you feel is the most rewarding part of playing the role of Mrs. Wilkinson?

You know, like all roles, there's something challenging about it. I love that I have all these scenes with these great kids. But what's most fun about her is that she's flawed. She's not just a character from, you know, HELLO DOLLY or WICKED. She's a real person. She maybe does things or says things that might have negative repercussions, but [underneath that], she's got a heart of gold. It's really fun to play someone who's real and to sort of navigate yourself through those emotions every night. To me, that is satisfying... to take this great journey every night into a great story. The role is also a great combination of singing and dancing and these great dramatic scenes. And funny scenes! It's a very funny show!

I totally agree! So, how long have you been with the show?

For about nine months!

What would you say has been a real highlight of tour life with this particular show?

Well, the best thing about touring is that you get to go to so many fabulous cities! We're going to be in California for five weeks, and that's going to be wonderful. We've just been through Canada---in Montréal and Vancouver---and lots of other wonderful cities in the United States.

Great! Well, now we've come to the portion of the interview I like to call the "Lightning Round!" I'll ask you some quick, short questions and all you have to do is give me the first thing that pops into your head. Is that okay?

Oh, awesome! I love this! [Laughs]

Alright... first question: Do you have any pre-show rituals before each performance?

I do... I have quite a few, actually. I think a lot of actors do. For me, I do a warm-up and also I go backstage and talk through my first song and my first scene by myself while the first ten minutes of the show is going on. And then there's the stuff that I do with all of my costumes--I have five! And I have to make sure that I have a microphone on, my jewelry on... I sort of count off all those things. Yeah, you do get into a routine that involves lots of rituals! Oh, another thing... for instance, a couple of kids go off-stage before I come on, and I always hug them on their way off and say, "okay, have a good show!" And with some of the kids, I always say, "see ya later, alligator..." and they'll go "after a while, crocodile!" [Laughs]

Cute! Now, describe for me what goes through your head right before you step out on stage?

I'm backstage with the ballet girls at that particular moment, and so we have this sort of camaraderie thing that we do... we do a little routine. And then they go on stage and I'm left there for a moment. In my head, what I go through is... I just sort of reset my brain to what is actually going on in Mrs. Wilkinson's world. I'm thinking she may be real hung-over, and she's about to start class! So I sort of get myself rooted into what I think is really going on in her head, and I enter [the scene] with that in mind.

Great! Okay, what's the song that you like belting in the shower or when you're all alone in the car?

[Laughs] You know, it depends! It really depends on what show I'm working on. Sometimes I'll belt things out from WICKED or from ANYTHING GOES or even rock songs from TOMMY. Oh, wait! You know, when I'm in the car, I like to turn on Country-Western stations and start belting out those songs!

Cool, well you already mentioned a few there, but what's your all-time favorite musical cast album of all time?

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND!

Ooh, great choice! So, what's your dream role in another show that you hope to portray someday?

[Pauses] Wow, that's a good question! You know, this is a dream role, but I'd love to play Reno Sweeney in ANYTHING GOES. And I'm sure I'll probably do MAME at some point... that's probably something that's down the line for me. You know... actually, it's less "what's my dream role" but really "what role am I right for?" that I ask myself.

I see. Now, what do you like to do on your day(s) off?

I like going to a local zoo ... or go out to dinner. It's usually the one night when we can actually go out and do that. But usually we can't do anything much during the day because we're usually traveling on our day off.

What's your one guilty pleasure?

Hmmm. I seem to have a lot. I don't know... eating a pint of Chocolate Haägen-Dazs Ice Cream.

Ha! Omigosh, I can totally relate! Alright, what or who irritates you the most?

What or who irritates me the most? [Pauses] Hmmm. That's hard because I'm a pretty even-keeled person.

Haha, okay, well then, let's try this... what instantly puts a smile on your face?

Ooh, when I see dogs! I love dogs!

Nice! What makes you laugh uncontrollably?

Oh, well, it's usually when something [bad] happens on-stage. You know, you try to hold it together, but then once you go off-stage, that might make me laugh uncontrollably. It's really hard to keep a straight face when something goes wrong on-stage. Well, it's live theater, you know?

Absolutely! Okay, so if you could trade lives with someone for one day, who would that person be and why?

Woo! Wow, that's a good one. One person? I don't know! [Pauses] Wow, I haven't even thought about that! This is an excellent question! What about you, who would you trade lives with?

Me? Well, I've always been curious about the 60's music counter-culture, so maybe step into Janis Joplin's shoes and experience that whole hippy vibe and being on-stage at Woodstock, maybe...

Yeah, right! Well, I guess there's so many with me... I mean, Jackie Kennedy then would be one of them. She had a fascinating life. Or maybe Princess Grace. You know, someone with a completely different life than mine.

Well, going along those lines, if you weren't an actor, what other profession do you picture yourself doing instead?

I may sell real estate. My family's in real estate so that might have been an option.

Oh, okay. Alright, one final question: A lot of our readers on BroadwayWorld are young students who are trying to pursue a career in musical theater like yours. What's your one piece of advice for them?

Well... keep studying! Keep taking voice classes... dance classes... acting classes... You have to keep studying all three of those things until you become this, you know, well-oiled machine. I guess a lot of people will want to say, you know, "pursue your dreams!" and that is true. Don't let anybody tell you you can't do it, but... it is a job. It's a job! It's not like some reality show. You audition, you get a job, and then you have to go to work. The fame and fortune side of it is very far and few between for a lot of people. So what you're doing is you're training yourself to be the best at your job. And it is a job, it's not some fantasy life.

Follow Contributing Editor Michael Lawrence Quintos on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

Middle photo of Janet Dickinson and Noah Parets (Billy) from Billy Elliot - THE MUSICAL by Amy Boyle. Bottom photo of Dickinson from Billy Elliot - THE MUSICAL by Doug Blemker.

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Performances of the National Tour Production of BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL at The Segerstrom Center for the Arts continue through Sunday, April 28. Tickets can be purchased online at www.SCFTA.org, by phone at 714-556-2787 or in person at the SCFTA box office (open daily at 10 am). Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

For tickets or more information, visit SCFTA.org.

The tour moves on to the San Diego Civic Center from April 30 through May 5.

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