BWW Interviews: Cassidy Stirtz of ONCE

Cassidy Stirtz will return to her Nebraska roots and perform the role of Ex-Girlfriend as ONCE the musical takes the stage at Omaha's Orpheum Theater next week. The show runs May 12-17.

Tell me a little about how you got your start. What is your background and how did you get interested in musical theater? I see you went to Millikin University in Chicago.

I was searching for musical theater programs specifically, and I am happy I found Millikin for a couple of reasons. I think it was really easy for me to take a lot of acting classes. I ended up with a BFA in Theater with an acting emphasis degree. I was able to take things like dialects, which really helps in this show because I play both a Czech and an Irish woman. I also got the chance to study abroad, which was really great. We connected with Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London and worked with a company in Paris, and with Punchdrunk, which is a really great company that is now getting shows in New York. I got a lot of really good movement training. I graduated and moved to the city.

Did you grow up near Chicago?

Yeah, I'm born and raised in the Chicago area. I'm a Chicago girl, but I've got Nebraska roots. My grandparents raised my dad and uncles out there. I have family in Gretna, so that's where I will be staying when I'm performing. My grandma still lives in an old renovated church. I have an uncle in Lincoln and an uncle in Gretna. All the cousins and aunts and uncles and grandma get together at Christmas time, so I've been out there a lot. I'm excited to get the chance to perform in Omaha. My cousin's actually graduating the same week so it's going to be a big family reunion.

How did you decide to go from Shakespeare to musical theater?

I think most actors will just try to take work whenever it's offered to you, so I was doing everything in Chicago from small black box shows to Jane Austen adaptations. I was doing small one-act festivals and pretty much anything where I could make money doing what I love to do. I started doing outdoor Shakespeare the next summer and really loved everything. But being a musician first is kind of how I was raised. My whole family was musical. I played viola in a few different shows that I've done in Chicago and I've always felt that was a real passion of mine. ONCE is a perfect marriage of getting to perform and doing different accents and playing and moving and harmony. I do pretty much all of my loves while doing this show.

Did you see the film version of ONCE?

I did see the movie and I loved it. I saw it in my hometown in a really small theater with my friends. I think there were a total of four of us in the movie theater and it was really quiet. I remember the opening credits piece with Glen Hansard belting out his music and it really arrested me. So powerful! I didn't even think about turning it into a musical until I heard my friend Claire was performing on Broadway for six weeks as Reza. That was the first time I saw the show. In April 2012 I flew out to New York and saw her perform. That was my first experience with the musical. So inspiring! So amazing to see an older cello player or an older mandolin player dance or move like that with their instruments. It was visually stunning and musically beautiful. I remember thinking musical theater is changing. Now the musician craze is blowing up and people are really cultivating those crafts.

You play the violin and viola. Will you be playing on stage?

Yes. I started playing viola when I was young but I play violin in the show. That was definitely my biggest challenge when I started this job. It's a different spacing for your left hand so it took a lot of practice. It's a lot of Irish fiddling or jigs. There are beautiful harmony lines and really striking music. It is just a really beautiful score.

How did you find out about ONCE and how did you go about auditioning?

I kind of knew when I first saw the show that this is something I would love to do. My friend Claire had been in it and she threw my hat into the ring. I met her while she was developing "Youth in a Roman Field" and I was lucky enough to become a band member. We started playing with a few other ONCE alumni and some other collaborators. We were playing a couple of gigs and she happened to think of me and threw my name in.

My audition stories are hilarious and stressful. I was in another show when I got my first audition and we had to move a performance so I could fly out and audition. So it was chaotic. It was a once day affair. I flew there and back, a 4 am to 1 am window. We had dress rehearsal the night before, opening the next day, and it was crazy. The audition went okay, but I needed more practice. I didn't get the position that they had at the time, but they kept my name handy. Then they were looking for this understudy job and happened to call me again. I flew out last summer back to New York straight from a benefit in LA for ONCE, so I got to meet the ONCE people and perform with them as a part of Claire's band, then flew overnight to New York and performed the next afternoon in New York. It was crazy. It was so worth it and I'm so thankful that it turned out the way it did. Now I get to travel and play music. It's awesome!

This might be kind of a spoiler, but I'm going to ask you about the Ex-Girlfriend. How do you feel about her? Do you think she deserves Guy and should she end up with him?

Haha! Good question! I think everyone who has played Ex-Girlfriend probably has had a different idea of what happened with them and I think kind of a different background for how they got separated and what happened. I think what I bring to the table is someone who really cares about this guy but he's stuck. He's too afraid to move and to change or grow better. So when she moves to New York, it's less of a leaving someone behind because she doesn't care, but that she needs him to grow with her or they can't be together.

What do you love most about this musical? Is it the music or the relationships?

I love lots of things, but I think one of the coolest things that I have ever seen in a Broadway show is the preshow. They open up the house 20 minutes before and all the audience gets to come up and buy a beer and listen to Irish music two feet away from where the performers are. The audience gets really wrapped up in what's to come, and it also shows you up close and personal that these are real musicians and they really worked hard to get where they are. They practice a lot and it's all real playing. It breaks down that barrier, you know, "Is she really playing the piano?" You can feel the energy. You feel very alive. And it gives the actors a chance to connect with each other and get excited to tell the story. It's a good transition from audience to stage. And then you all become connected in one story and we share it with you.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I think pursuing the actor-musician lifestyle is what I'm most passionate about. Whether playing fiddle or singing, that is what I feel most moved to do. I'll probably still be auditioning for commercials and stage plays and whatever comes up, but I'll really be drawn to play music. Maybe on another tour. I love traveling. I'm open to whatever's thrown at me.

Anything you'd like to say to your Omaha audience since you have roots here?
I can't wait to come back. It's going to be such an honor to play in a town and in a state I feel connected to with my family and friends and supporters. I just can't wait to tell this beautiful story.

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