Theater is oftentimes a hobby one is born into. For others, it is a passion found along the way. For industry professionals James Beaman, Rebecca Eichenberger and Kelsey Stalter, it was a combination of the two.
Beaman, Eichenberger and Stalter are three professionals from the theater industry who worked both on and off Broadway over the years. In the coming weeks, they will perform alongside OU’s theater students in their rendition of “The Prom.”
Each performer has an extensive list of credits and talents that qualify them to teach OU’s student artists. Each of their careers had its own difficulties and upsides, and they all went through different journeys to get to this moment.
Stalter grew up in Milford, Pennsylvania, with her parents. Coming from a musical family, Stalter found her footing in music early on. The endless support from her parents was a large factor in getting where she is today.
“My mom loves to play the piano,” Stalter said. “My dad loves to drum on anything and everything. So I was exposed to music through my parents, and at a very young age I also started singing in the car and dancing around the house and getting involved in it that way.”
After studying at Syracuse University, Stalter began performing on cruise lines, summer stock theaters and regional theaters. She performed in shows such as “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Rogers Musical.” Now, she has the opportunity to play Angie Richardson in “The Prom.”
After getting sent the audition by her agent, Stalter jumped at the opportunity to audition for “The Prom.” She reminisced on her time at Syracuse University experiencing similar moments.
“Every professional had a different story and a different ground, which was so cool to see,” Stalter said. “I remember thinking when I was doing it that it would be really cool to be able to reach a level in my career where I'm the one who's coming in and working with the students, and it really is very surreal to be the person who's coming in and now to see it from the other side.”
James Beaman will play Barry Glickman in the “The Prom.” Beaman grew up in Beverley, Massachusetts, where he learned all things musical theater from his parents. Before high school, Beaman had the opportunity to perform in many theater productions, and he owes the opportunities he received to his mother’s theater company.
After getting his BFA in acting at Boston University, Beaman moved around until finally settling in New York City. He also had the opportunity to perform on the national tour of “Spamalot.”
“I played 700 performances,” Beaman said. “So I got to tour the whole country. I played 62 cities in North America, every province in Canada and I worked with some greats of the theater.”
Beaman looks forward to performing alongside eager students in “The Prom” and gets to experience the role. Now, Beaman feels an attachment to his character and is grateful for the chance to play a character that hits so close to home.
“I feel like, in a way, I'm able to give something back,” Beaman said. “My big number in Act Two is ‘Barry's Going to Prom,’ and I didn't go to my prom either, and so for me, it's kind of like, ‘Wow, I get to go to a high school prom.’”
Rebecca Eichenberger plays Dee Dee Allen in “The Prom.” Growing up in Denver, Colorado, Eichenberger was also brought up in a musically inclined family, but she found her own way to musical theater.
“I went away to college as a music major,” Eichenberger said. “But I kept sneaking off to the theater department because the people were more fun. I went to college at USC, University of Southern California, and at the end of that, I joined a Musical Theater Workshop that led to my first audition for an equity company.”
Over the years, Eichenberger has performed in 10 Broadway shows, including “The Phantom of the Opera,” “1776” and “Evita.” She described her career as solid as she reminisced on shows of the past.
Now that Eichenberger has the opportunity to perform in “The Prom,” she discussed her excitement about working with college students.
“It's been really fun,” Eichenberger said. “It brings you back to when you were that age. It's easy to kind of lose that having been in the business as long as I have, which is probably 35 years as a professional equity member. So it's really fun to see just the pure joy and shimmer that they have.”
Overall, the three leave advice to their OU cast members or anyone looking to get into theater: Understand all parts of the theater, read plays, listen to original cast recordings and know and honor yourself as someone in the industry.
Tantrum Theater’s “The Prom” is holding performances from Feb. 27 to March 1 and from March 5-8. Tickets range from $10-$25 and are available to purchase on Tantrum Theater’s website.
