Interview: Theatre Life with Burke Swanson

Today’s subject Burke Swanson is currently living his theatre life playing the iconic role of George McFly in the North American tour of Back to The Future The Musical. The show is currently playing in the Opera House at Kennedy Center through August 11th.

Prior to taking on the role that would make anyone say, “Great Scott!!”. Yes, I know wrong character, Burke was seen on Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company in The Rose Tattoo. It was actually his first big performing gig. You might have also seen him on TV in Harlem.

If you have seen the show or the movie, you know that George McFly is quite a physical role for the actor playing him. There is a certain way you have to carry yourself. Read on to see how Burke keeps in shape and stays safe eight shows a week.

There are certain movies that you see over and over again and wonder how would you put it onstage? Having seen the show in London and now on tour, I can say the creators of Back to The Future The Musical have very successfully answered that question. It has a great score, an excellent cast and direction and much more.

A big part of the tour’s success is Burke Swanson’s performance of George McFly. He takes a role that everyone knows, gives the audience what they expect while making the role very theatrical as opposed to a true copy of a performance from the movie.

Avoid the plutonium but please grab some tickets to Back to The Future The Musical at Kennedy Center. Burke Swanson’s performance alone is worth the price of admission so here is your chance to catch a very talented actor doing what he does best. That my fellow readers is what I call living your theatre life to the fullest.

At what age did you get the performing bug?

The first time I got on a stage was back in the summer of 3rd grade when I performed in a talent show during a sleep away camp. I had been a soccer fiend up until then, but, after that stand-up routine with my camp friends, I went home and simply said to my mother, “I don’t know what this is, but I’ve got to have it in my life.” 

Where did you receive your training?

I received my training at the Savannah College of Art Design (SCAD) down in Georgia. Though I got my BFA in Performing Arts, there was such a celebration of collaboration amongst my peers and professors that allowed me to discover what it was to be an Artist. That allowed me to explore things like photography, graphic design, writing, producing, directing, and to meet other creatives from across the arts spectrum. At a local level, outside of having great teachers in school who encouraged me to keep exploring, I got to be a part of the Virginia Residential Governor's School for Arts & Humanities. My time there with 39 other performers, allowed me to deep dive into Devised and Experimental theater, and opened me up to a whole other world of this art form. Those folks are still the background of my laptop.

What was your first professional job as a performer?

Outside of doing some local dinner theater and national commercial work, my first professional job post-SCAD was for the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo. Directed by Trip Coleman at Roundabout Theatre Company, under the late, great Artistic Director Todd Haimes, the show starred Marisa Tomei. In addition to achieving a long-time dream of making my Broadway Debut, to experience that alongside such an incredible breadth of talent was such a gift. We’re talking about the likes of some of the great titans of this industry, Portia, Andrea Burns, Tina Benko, Cassie Beck, Greg Hildreth. We’re talking fresh, bold voices like Ella Rubin, Paige Gilbert, and Katerina McCrimmon. Every day was a masterclass, and it showcased to me what being in this industry could be like, and how we can make it even better.

When preparing to play George McFly in the North American tour of Back to The Future The Musical, was part of your preparation to watch the original film or did you prefer not to be influenced?

When preparing to play George McFly, in the first North American tour of Back to the Future: The Musical, watching the original movie was obviously mandatory. The film is so iconic and has been so influential, not only domestically, but internationally as well. To be inspired by that source material and to honor the folks who made it what it was, in my case Crispin Glover, was necessary in order for me to do our audiences justice. That said, I believe you always have to make it your own in order to let it breathe within a space and to honestly connect with audiences. Each member of this company brings a little something of themselves to the story and that makes it all the more alive. Furthermore, our Tony Award winning director John Rando and our choreographer Chris Bailey were incredibly instrumental in encouraging us to play in the room every day. Alongside THE Bob Gale being with us throughout, our show is not only one that celebrates the source material, but also one that highlights the power of creatively fulfilling experiences.

Your character gets pretty beat up during the course of the show. Can you please talk about the daily preparation (aka how the fight call works) before each performance to keep yourself safe onstage?

George specifically has a fervently peculiar way of moving, and in order to live that sustainably, I have to make sure that I am also consistently stretching, going to the gym, and working with our PT person. In regard to daily preparation though, every actor has their own process for warming up for the show. Mine includes a physical vocal warm-up, which can be described as a mix of Alexander Technique, Yoga, and Qigong. The whole goal is to relax my body and let go of as much of my tension as possible, before taking on the tensions of the character. I then follow that with a traditional singing warm-up, and then I jump into our fight call. Fight Call is where we get to check in with each other physically before we are going 88mph during the live performance. There are a lot of physical moments within this show that often involve intricate technical elements, therefore, safety has to be the highest priority. Having this check-in allows us all to do our jobs while also having each other's backs. 

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of Back to The Future’s original release. Why do you think after all these years people are still drawn to it?

Can you believe it’s already been 40 years!? It’s unbelievable how moved people are by the story, even today. Throughout the tour thus far, we have folks from across ages, backgrounds, hometowns attend and have a blast at our show. Obviously, you have folks who were born around the time of the original movie who have been lifelong fans come to the show, but it’s amazing just how many young people are in the audience. I have never been a part of a show that has had such vocal audience participation. And it’s indicative of the timeless story we have with this musical. It’s a story about family, particularly between father and son, learning to trust one another and to love each other for who they are without judgement. If you ever wondered what your parents were like in high school or how your parents met, if you’ve ever wondered what would be like to travel time or live in a different decade, whether you’ve been a fan since 1985 or are just diving in, or even if you’re simply a fan of musicals, there’s going to be something for everybody in this show. It’s high-octane fun. Joy joy joy has been the mantra throughout the whole process and to be about to continue sharing that with people all over the country is such a blast.

The movie has a huge fanbase and I imagine sometimes people show up to the tour in costume. Have you had any interesting stage door encounters thus far with uber Back to The Future fans?

We had so many fantastic encounters with people across all ages, fully committing to dressing up as characters from the show. I think my favorite one has been somebody dressing up as the Clock Tower Woman, who is iconically played by Marylander Jenny Dalrymple, and we even had someone come as Clock Tower itself. Talk about creativity folks! Some of these look as if they came backstage and grabbed pieces from our costume department. It’s truly amazing. I think it’s just such a beautiful way of expressing their love for the show and it makes the show so much more fun for us on stage. Being able to look out in the audience and see a Doc and Marty sitting in the 5th row makes for a great energy within the space, and I think it makes it even more fun for the audience too.

As Washington DC is only the third tour stop for Back to The Future the Musical, what are you most looking forward to about playing George McFly across the country?

Our producer Colin Ingram made a really great point at the beginning of this process, that, in many ways, this 1st North American Tour of Back to the Future: The Musical is one of the most important iterations to date. This is our opportunity to bring this story to the people who the movie was originally made for, and to be able to go to so many great cities, some many historic venues, to bring this story back to life with audiences from around the country is such a thrill. Moreover, talk about an incredibly stressful and important political year! That paired with all the tragedy that is going on around the world, remembering joy, remembering to breathe, to relax, to be reminded of the strength of community. These things are important too and often they are taken for granted. This musical reminds us. It’s a perfect space for you and your loved ones and your friends to come and just enjoy yourselves, so that you can be refreshed to get back out there and get back work.

Special thanks to Kennedy Center's Director of Public Relations Brendan Padgett for his assistance in coordiating this interview.

Theatre Life logo designed by Kevin Laughon.

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