A.R.T.I.S.T Spotlight: Lawrence Dandridge
Last month, we had the chance to talk with Lawrence Dandridge, Aurway’s Creative Artistic Director, who is currently on the first national tour of “Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations”.
NF: What is the name of your show and what role are you in?
LD: The name of the show is Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. A lot of people think it's, “The Temptations Musical”, and that's not it… Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. This is the First National Tour which began in November 2021. I play Smokie Robinson and Damon Harris, which are both ensemble roles. I also play a bartender and a slick-talking thug at a certain point. I also play a camera operator. Oh, and I understudy the roles of Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin, two of the original Temptations.
NF: Very nice, a National Tour! So, where are you guys right now, and how long will you be there?
LD: Right now, we are in Boston, Massachusetts playing the Boston Opera House. We are here for two weeks. So, we’ve been here from April 19th and May 1st is the day we will leave.
NF: So, how many cities have you been to already?
LD: Hold on! I know this information based on my crystal log…14 including this one.
NF: Hmm, what has been your favorite city/ theatre so far?
LD: My favorite city...I don't know if I have a favorite city, yet. Boston has been cute. But a favorite theatre…yea no. Haven’t gotten there yet. I’m very specific. I do love a classic theatre with beautiful architecture. Like the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. We played that and it is a beautiful classic house. But, it wasn't my favorite ;)
NF: You mentioned a logbook. Tell me more about that?
LD: So, I have a crystal notebook and I have decided that while I’m on tour I am going to buy a new crystal in every city. So, I have been logging each city by which crystal I got in that city.
NF: Can you walk me through a typical weekly schedule on tour?
LD: There is a lot of routine. Monday’s are our travel day, normally. Get into our hotel at around midday, like 4 ish. You have the night to settle at the hotel. The next day (Tuesday), the crew has to load in the set at around 5 am. For me, because I have two major quick changes in the show, I get called in at 2 pm. Depending on who the locals are who are going to quick change me, it can take from 30 minutes to an hour. Then, I have a small break and come back at 5 pm, in which the whole cast is called for a company meeting.
In the meeting, we talk about the city and the logistics of the specific theatre. Then, we all do our covid testing which happens 3 times a week. Tuesday is our busiest day! So okay, 5 o’clock meeting, 6:30 pm soundcheck, and then normally on the first day, the show starts at 7:30 pm, which means we're already at the theater. The show normally runs around 2 and a half hours so we’re finished at 10:30 on a good night. That’s Tuesday.
Wednesday, we always get called a half-hour before the show. So, say our show is at 7:30 pm. We would have to be there at 7 pm. That is unless you have rehearsal. Which usually takes place during the day between 1 and 5 pm. Rehearsal will depend on which grouping of understudies needs to be rehearsed or let's say there's a special engagement happening or if there's a full cast clean up. That timeframe will be 1 - 5 pm. So then that's Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with a show every night.
Then, once we get to the weekend we have two shows on Saturday, 2 pm and and 8 pm. Then, two shows on Sunday, 1:30 and 6:30 pm. If we're only there for a week then the crew will load out that night. But, if we're here longer than a week, like here in Boston, then that Monday will be a day off. It's called “Golden Day” on tour. Very far and few between because Mondays are usually when we're traveling but on this one day we get to sit down and enjoy a full day of rest. Then, you rinse and repeat and do it all over again.
NF: How did you come to be in this show?
I’ve always been a fan of the Temptations but, I was not too familiar with the show. I auditioned because I lost an (Aurway) company member to Covid-19 and the aftermath left me in a darker place than I was prepared for. So, art being one of my personal refugees, I decided to audition for a production of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, put on by Pleasant Valley Productions in West Orange, New Jersey. Which happened to be directed by Jelani Remy, who played Eddie Kendricks in the Broadway production of Aint Too Proud. So, he was directing that and I auditioned for the show. Got in and we started to form a beautiful connection. Somewhere along the line, he pegged something in my work ethic and decided to pass my information off to the people at Aint Too Proud. At the time they were looking for swings for the tour and apparently one of the representatives came to see Smokey Joe’s. They passed some good vibes along and apparently, the primary audition was more or less my Smokey Joe's performance. Then, I was in a slew of callbacks. And, after being called back for all three of the swing tracks, I didn't book any of them. Instead, booked Smokey Robinson and Damon Harris, so, it's been a fun fun time to be alive.
NF: What is the difference between an understudy and a swing?
LD: Basically, the difference is a swing is someone who covers multiple tracks or multiple roles in a show and is on standby in a space where they can “swing in” to a role in the case of an emergency. So, say someone gets hurt or becomes sick during the middle of a show, or someone shows up late for a show. Then a swing is available to step in and do the show in their spot. It’s the equivalent of the show must go on!
An understudy is someone who is cast in a role but they have also learned another role that they can be tossed into. So, not exactly a swing. Whereas a swing may learn 4-5 different roles, doesn't perform every night, an understudy performs every night but also learns another role.
NF: Have you had a chance to perform your understudy tracks?
LD: I recently just got finished learning the Otis Williams track which is the narrator lead and also the founder of the Temptations. Which now puts me in a space to be swung in to do that part at any time. It’s exciting because I haven't done it in front of an audience yet! I have done it through rigorous rehearsals and the powers that be think I'm ready to do so. It’s an exciting space to be in.
Since this interview, Lawrence has gone on for the role of Otis Williams in Buffalo, NY. This was unfortunately the same weekend as the inhumane mass shooting of 10 black citizens only miles from the theatre in which they performed.
NF: Was there anything different or challenging to this role?
LD: The most challenging part about learning my Otis track whilst doing my Smokey Robinson and Damon Harris split-track every night is he speaks soo much. He never leaves the stage comparatively, where normally, I have some pockets of time where I am not on stage. There are just a lot of things to track. We have a grid on the stage with numbers set up to remember the blocking and he has a lot of specific blocking to remember. Which is starkly different from the blocking I already have to remember. So, it's just the balance of that. Like, retain this, because eventually, I will have to know it, but also remember where I am specifically right now. It’s a lot. Some of his choreography is on the opposite arm or the opposite side of what I do now. So, just like telling myself, okay do the opposite. Then, he also does choreography that I don't do every night so it's a matter of learning a lot of choreography. I mean, I've gotten over that hump. The next hump now is the Melvin track against the Otis track…because they always do opposite choreography. So, now that I've learned all the Otis choreography on one side, I will now be learning the Melvin choreography on the other side.
NF: Really keeps you on your toes huh…
LD: Oh yes, perpetual rehearsals…
NF: Is this your first tour, and if not what has this one taught you?
LD: No, this actually my third tour. My first tour was the second national tour of Sister Act: The Musical. I played TJ on that tour. Then, I also did a children's tour of a Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare. And, that was like a schooling tour. But no this is my third.
Ya know, touring is very specific for me as I am someone who spends a lot of time trying to feel grounded in spaces. The idea of tour is that you can’t plant roots for too long. So this go-round has been very specific in how I’m allowing myself to feel grounded in my space. But, I’ve been enjoying my time. It is a growing and learning experience for me, mostly as I try to balance my work here with my work at home. Understanding that as much as I want to put my undivided attention on things, there are times and spaces for me to do that. So, in order for me to stay on top of a lot of things, it requires a very specific discipline and a very specific focus that I am looking forward to continuing to master. It is a learning experience and I’m just grateful to be present in it and remain present in it.
“These people are so specifically interwoven into the fabric of what created a sound of an era. Then us, as young black and brown artists of color, getting to travel as a family in the midst of the world still facing very specific racial tensions. It just reflects a specific mirror of what our show brings.”
NF: How does it feel to be in this specific cast?
LD: I think there is something specifically powerful when artists of color are able to make art together and feed off an innate understanding of each other's energy. To be able to play with that on stage in musical theatre is very, very rare. So, the beauty of Aint Too Proud and our cast is that there's so many colorful people of color on stage taking the form of these icons. These strong black men who were icons in their day and now these brilliant young black men stepping into these roles to portray them. I think there's something beautiful in that legacy.
Our show has five women who tour with us, four on-stage and one swing. They portray the Supremes and Tammi Terrell, and all these female figures. Josephine, the wife and mother of Otis William’s child. These people are so specifically interwoven into the fabric of what created a sound of an era. Then us, as young black and brown artists of color, getting to travel as a family in the midst of the world still facing very specific racial tensions. It just reflects a specific mirror of what our show brings. To be able to be touring out of a pandemic with such dynamically talented people is really powerful as a black artist. To be able to know that the kind of representation that is seen on our stages can’t be matched in a lot of other shows touring across the country.
To follow Lawrence’s journey follow him on instragram at @that_musicman.
And check out his new single, “Hard to Tell” on all streaming platforms.
Also, catch Lawrence on tour in a city near you!
