BWW Interviews: Will Connolly in BE MORE CHILL at Two River Theater

Two River Theater (TRT) in Red Bank will present a World Premiere Musical, Be More Chill from May 30th to June 21st. It is directed by Stephen Brackett, with choreography by Chase Brock and music and lyrics by Joe Iconis. The book is by Joe Tracz and is based on the novel by Ned Vizzini.

In the show, Jeremy Heere is just an average teenager. That is, until he finds out about "The Squip"-a tiny supercomputer that promises to bring him everything he desires most: a date with Christine, an invite to the raddest party of the year and a chance to survive life in his suburban New Jersey high school. This is a hilarious, honest and invigorating look at the lengths one will go to get the girl, set to vibrant and exciting songs.

Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Will Connolly who plays Jeremy Heere about his career and the Be More Chill.

Will Connolly was in the original company of Once. In NYC his Off-Broadway credits include Once (NYTW), Spacebar: A Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman (The Wild Project, Studio 42).His regional and international credits include The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Southern Rep); The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Misanthrope, The Wind in the Willows (The NOLA Project); A Woman of No Importance (Yale Rep); Candida (Palm Beach Dramaworks); A Day in Dig Nation (Amsterdam Fringe Festival); and others. Connolly received a B.F.A. from NYU Tisch, and an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. He is a founding member of The NOLA Project, a Carbonell Award recipient, and a Drama Desk Award nominee. Connolly is a co-writer/composer of the musical Fly by Night (Playwrights Horizons, Dallas Theater Center, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Yale Cabaret). As a musician he has performed at Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub, Highline Ballroom, 54 Below and others.

When did you first become interested in the theater and performing arts?

When I was 4 or 5 years old. Some of my earliest memories are of my big sister, Kristen Connolly, performing with the local youth theater program. I remember thinking that it looks like so much fun! She would also make lots of home movies, mostly recreations of fairy tales and whatnot. I gradually became a series regular. We were always raiding my grandparents closet and dressing up in all their old clothes, or doing funny voices from The Simpsons. I think that really got the ball rolling.

Who have been some of your mentors?

My sister, my brother and my parents are the greatest mentors I have. I've learned more from them than anyone else. My best friends, playwright Michael Mitnick and actor Damon Daunno, have been with me through thick and thin. We are constantly learning from each other. I also went to drama school - two schools actually! - and studied with a lot of terrific teachers, like Ron Van Lieu, Earle Gister, Christopher Bayes, Jimmy Tripp, Richard Armstrong, Peter Francis James, Grace Zandarski, Beth Maguire, just to name a few. And of course John Tiffany, and all my comrades from Once. Being surrounded by them, day in and day out, was one of the most insightful, inspiring, and educational experiences of my life.

What are your favorite performers and performances?

I got to see Mark Rylance in his last performance as Artistic Director at the Globe Theater. They were doing The Tempest. His Stefano was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. And when he delivered Prospero's final monologue, for the final time, you could just feel this palpable shift in the air, like you knew you were witnessing something special. I was also fortunate to see Philip Seymour Hoffman several times - in Long Day's Journey, True West, Salesman, Othello - and every time he was astonishing. I cherish those memories.

Tell us a little about your role as Jeremy Heere in Be More Chill.

Jeremy Heere is a pretty unremarkable high school junior. Deciding he wants to change his persona and his social standing, he purchases a Squip - a pill-sized supercomputer that communicates directly with the human mind and body. It can access the Internet, security cameras, even your own memories. Of course the consequences are horrifying, and hilarious. It's a cool exploration for an actor because Jeremy has to adjust to the technology over time. It's difficult for him at first, but eventually it changes his walk, his speech, his habits, his style, everything. We get to track his progress as he carries on conversations with people and communicates with his Squip, which is fun because it's like playing two scenes simultaneously. But when Jeremy discovers that there is a terrible price to pay for this so-called Upgrade, he literally has to fight for his life against the voice inside his head. It's pretty wild.

Tell us a little about your experience working on Be More Chill at Two River Theater.

Working at Two River Theater has been a blast! I'm a New Jersey native, so it's great getting to work so close to where I was born and raised. But the staff and crew at TRT are lovely, the space is beautiful, and the facilities and housing are all top notch. They treat their artists incredibly well. And the material is so much fun. Joe Iconis, Joe Tracz, Stephen Brackett and Chase Brock are four of the nicest, most talented people I've ever worked with, and their collective vision for the show is so unified it's almost like they operate as a single mind. And the cast is amazing! There's a real summer camp vibe to the whole experience. It's always great working with old friends, and making new ones is just the best. It's very humbling to work with them every day. The positivity is contagious.

What advice would you give a young person interested in a career in the performing arts?

Embrace yourself. Your flaws, fears, and insecurities are the most interesting parts about you. Do what you love, and surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are, who inspire you and make you laugh, who tell you the truth and help you see the wonder and sometimes amazing beauty all around us. Sh*t happens, it's true. But one thing leads to another. Sometimes you just need to be patient. Work hard, have fun, be good to people. The rest is jazz.

Anything else, absolutely anything you would like BWW readers to know.

I just released a new EP of original songs! It's a concept record called "Caterpillars of the Commonwealth". You can buy it, or pay what you want, by going here: willconnolly.bandcamp.com.

Ticket prices range from $37 to $65, with discounts available for groups, seniors, and U.S. military personnel, their families, and veterans. A limited number of $20 tickets are available for every performance; $20 tickets may be partial view. Tickets for patrons under 30 are $20 and include the best available seats at every performance. Tickets are available from tworivertheater.org or 732.345.1400.

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