By Lorraine Glowczak
Chelsea
Williams lives her dream as an actor, currently performing on a Broadway
national tour in the ensemble of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and being an understudy
of the Mary Magdalene role.2008 Windham High School graduate Chelsea Williams
is currently performing in the national Broadway tour
of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' across America.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The
2008 Windham High School (WHS) graduate got her first big break performing in
the role of Sophie on the Broadway national tour of “Mamma Mia” in 2013.
However, Williams wasn’t fully aware of what she “planned to do with her one wild and precious life” as poet Mary Oliver famously asked of her readers. But sometime during her late years at WHS, a certain level of clarity swiftly came into view.
“All
I ever wanted to do as a child was pretend act, and it was something I
continued to do long after the other kids stopped doing it,” Williams said.
“Acting was always inside of me, but the thing is – I had major stage fright,
so it never really occurred to me to go into this field as a profession.”
Singing
is also a passion of Williams. At age 12, she began taking voice lessons and
performing in choirs. She was also a member of the WHS’ Windham Chamber
Singers.
Williams found that singing was easier than acting because she could hide in the background without the spotlight focusing on her. It wasn’t until she unknowingly challenged herself during her late high school years that the acting bug took hold and began to soar.
“I
auditioned for my first play in high school because my best friend wanted to
try out, and I wanted to do it with her,” Williams said. “We both got a role,
and that experience was a game-changer for me. From then on, acting was
something I knew I wanted to do – and music was, and continues to be, my
religion. Both activities fill my soul.”
As
with every meaningful life experience, Williams’ path from Windham to New York
City took hard work and courage.
Upon
graduation from WHS, Williams earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical
theater from Emerson College in Boston in 2012. She remained in Boston, selling
pastries at an upscale bakery during the early morning hours and bartending in
the evening while performing at local Summer Stock Theaters and other
professional theater groups. Although she dreamed of moving to New York City to
make her big break, it took confidence and bravery on her part to finally make
a move to the Big Apple.
“I
was pretty intimidated by the thought of moving to New York,” Williams said.
“Between the competition on Broadway and the cost that comes with living there,
it seemed like a huge challenge. But I decided to work my tail off to save
money; I took deep breaths and small steps toward action.”
For
one year, Williams said she would often work her morning shift at the bakery
and the evening shift at the bar and then hop on the train to New York for an
audition.
“I
would often travel on the train from Boston to New York at around midnight,
arriving in the city around 5 a.m. and then go stand in line for an audition,
returning to Boston that same day.”
Within
seven months of repeated long-distance auditions, Williams accepted an offer to
perform on a Broadway national tour of “Mamma Mia.” She toured for almost two
years, playing Sophie in different cities around the U.S.
“Being
selected to tour with “Mamma Mia” was the gift that kept on giving,” Williams
said. “It was my first national tour and my first show performing in Las Vegas
at the Tropicana. Then, toward the end of my second year with the company, I
was asked to be a in the ensemble and understudy for the role of Sophie on
Broadway. It was at this point I finally made my move to act and live in New
York.”
Williams
acknowledges that she had encouragement and support from family, friends, and
mentors.
“I
feel very fortunate and grateful to be surrounded by so many special people who
encouraged me to follow my dream,” Williams said. “I had many mentors growing
up that included my coaches, teachers, and theater directors.”
Williams
made special mention of theater director John Miele, track coach Jeff Riddle, and
musical director Dr. Richard Nickerson as a source of inspiration. She also
acknowledges her family.
“When
I decided to take theater more seriously, I was made to feel like I deserved
it. My parents, grandparents, and mentors believed in me and never told me that
I should never go into acting even though it is a risk. I have met a lot of
people in the industry that were discouraged from acting because it is not an
easy path – there is no stability, no retirement.”
Now
that she has “made it,” Williams offers inspiration and encouragement to others
to follow their dreams. She recently visited WHS to perform as a special guest
with the Windham Chambers Singers at their annual American Family Holiday
Tradition (AmFam) this past December.
During
her performance at the event, she sang with chamber singer and senior Madelyne
Hancock, who starred as Sophie in WHS’ performance of “Mamma Mia” this past
fall.
“It
was such a privilege to be able to sing with Chelsea during AmFam,” Hancock
said. “My excitement built up for quite some time because Dr. Nick shared his
idea with me while we were early in the rehearsal process for ‘Mamma Mia.’ The
day before AmFam, Chelsea came to rehearse, and we got to listen to her sing,
and she sounded amazing. We finally got around to rehearsing our medley of
songs from ‘Mamma Mia.’ It was such a unique experience because as a junior,
Chelsea played Millie in ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at the high school and got
to perform with Susan Eagen, who played the part on Broadway. Chelsea shared so
many interesting stories with us and treated each and every one of us with
courtesy. She set a wonderful example for me as both a performer and a person.”
Recently,
the WHS choral and chamber singers traveled to Boston to watch Williams perform
while the tour stopped in Massachusetts. Hancock said it was nice to see
Williams’ performance in a different context. Other students expressed their
amazement.
“During
AmFam, Chelsea showed us a warmup exercise that the cast of JCS uses to connect
with one another before the show. Watching the show, it is obvious how close
the cast is to one another,” said Teddy Becker, a WHS junior.
Other
students agree.
“Even
though it wasn’t a traditional ‘happy’ show, I found it very uplifting. Chelsea
was amazing to watch,” said freshman Gabriel Morales.
Freshman
Riley Yates was inspired by Williams in several ways and was enthralled by the
fact that “she once walked the same hallways that we do.”
Williams
offers advice for those who wish to follow their dreams, whether in acting or
otherwise. She said she would highly advise those who want to make a career in
the arts, which tends to be a profession with little stability, is to arrange
and plan their future finances so one can be prepared during the lean times. Also,
she advises against comparing yourself with others.
“One
important thing I still have to tell myself is life and career do not happen
the same way for anyone,” Williams said. “It is easy to look at others who
appear more successful than you and try to imitate their path. To compare
yourself only robs you of your personal joy and can even hinder progress and
success. The more you keep your blinders on – the more you stay your own course,
the happier you will be. When I don’t compare myself to others, it empowers me
to connect with my friends more deeply and be genuinely happy for their
successes. Don’t focus on what you are missing or lacking, instead think of all
that you have and what lies ahead.”
“Jesus
Christ Superstar” just finished its performances in Providence, Rhode Island,
and is heading to Cleveland, Ohio, and will be there until Feb. 22. After that,
the tour will continue around the U.S., with the last performances of the
season to end on Aug. 7. <
