Mickey Rowe currently appears on the SCT stage in Disney's High School Musical, and he kindly agreed to be the first of our artists to face 10 Questions.
What were you doing before being cast in High School Musical?
Before being cast in High School Musical I was a full-time student. When I found out that I might get to do the show, I had a long conversation with my mom about whether it would be okay for me to stop going to school for a few months to get to be a part of the Musical. Now the set of East High is my school. Instead of learning by sitting at a desk and listening to lectures, I get to learn by watching the older actors in the show and experimenting on stage. It’s a really wonderful experience.
How did you get cast in this show?
This summer I auditioned for a class at the Seattle Children’s Theatre and they asked me if I would like to be considered for High School Musical. I just checked the “yes” box not really thinking that anything would come out of it. A while later I got a call from SCT and they invited me to come in and audition. At the audition there were a lot of kids my age and we got to learn a dance combo and sing one of the songs from the show. Then they picked which kids they thought would be a good match for the show. I was terrified during the auditions because I had convinced myself that I couldn’t dance. I would have never believed that now I would be doing some of the dances from the show everyday.
Be honest – had you seen the movie when you auditioned for the role?
Haha, I had not seen the movie until I found out about auditions.
Who are you in this play? Tell us about your character(s).
I am in the ensemble of this play, what that means is that I get to help fill the halls of East High and make it feel more like a real school. For a lot of the show I get to be a brainiac with Gabriella and then I also get to be a fun unicycling character during the audition scene.
What kind of artistic training & experience have you had?
Besides doing shows at my high school and around the community, I have also taken a lot of classes at the Seattle Children’s Theatre. Last year I spent the summer at SCT’s Young Actor Institute where I learned how to “act better” from Rita Giomi (Director of SCT's production of The Big Friendly Giant). When the show is over, I will be studying drama at the University of Washington.
What is it like to work with a cast this large and with so many people close to the same age?
Just like a real high school. We have a very diverse cast so its always fun to get to have so many different people to act with on and off stage. Its nice because everyone knows that there is always someone who has their back, no matter what happens. This is the largest cast that SCT has had before, so there are a lot of people backstage. It is like a party every day.
How does East High compare to your own high school experiences?
East High is a lot like my high school. We had all the same cliques. I was definitely a thespian at my high school. I was always in the drama room, either in class rehearsing or helping to paint sets after school. My high school was also much different than East High because the cliques did a lot of things together. There were quite a few jocks and cheerleaders who would do plays with me in the Drama department… haha, and EVERYONE was in the band. (Even skaters)
Why do you do what you do?
That is a hard question to answer… Why does a Business Man do what he does? Well, I’m not in it for the money. I guess I do theatre because it is what I am passionate about. It makes me tick. I like people, and theatre is people collaborating ideas with each other and coming together to create a story to tell to other people and hopefully through that story I can share some insight on life with the audience. It makes me think of the quote, “Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it.” -Robert Motherwell
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
In ten years I see myself still doing theatre. Who knows, maybe I’ll get another chance be in a show at the children’s theatre. : )
You have the audience’s ear – what would you say to them?
Keep seeing shows (or taking your children to see shows). Allow your own ideas and way of thinking to be questioned, step out of the status quo and do things outside of your comfort zone that you usually wouldn’t do. That’s how we grow.
What were you doing before being cast in High School Musical?
Before being cast in High School Musical I was a full-time student. When I found out that I might get to do the show, I had a long conversation with my mom about whether it would be okay for me to stop going to school for a few months to get to be a part of the Musical. Now the set of East High is my school. Instead of learning by sitting at a desk and listening to lectures, I get to learn by watching the older actors in the show and experimenting on stage. It’s a really wonderful experience.
How did you get cast in this show?
This summer I auditioned for a class at the Seattle Children’s Theatre and they asked me if I would like to be considered for High School Musical. I just checked the “yes” box not really thinking that anything would come out of it. A while later I got a call from SCT and they invited me to come in and audition. At the audition there were a lot of kids my age and we got to learn a dance combo and sing one of the songs from the show. Then they picked which kids they thought would be a good match for the show. I was terrified during the auditions because I had convinced myself that I couldn’t dance. I would have never believed that now I would be doing some of the dances from the show everyday.
Be honest – had you seen the movie when you auditioned for the role?
Haha, I had not seen the movie until I found out about auditions.
Who are you in this play? Tell us about your character(s).
I am in the ensemble of this play, what that means is that I get to help fill the halls of East High and make it feel more like a real school. For a lot of the show I get to be a brainiac with Gabriella and then I also get to be a fun unicycling character during the audition scene.
What kind of artistic training & experience have you had?
Besides doing shows at my high school and around the community, I have also taken a lot of classes at the Seattle Children’s Theatre. Last year I spent the summer at SCT’s Young Actor Institute where I learned how to “act better” from Rita Giomi (Director of SCT's production of The Big Friendly Giant). When the show is over, I will be studying drama at the University of Washington.
What is it like to work with a cast this large and with so many people close to the same age?
Just like a real high school. We have a very diverse cast so its always fun to get to have so many different people to act with on and off stage. Its nice because everyone knows that there is always someone who has their back, no matter what happens. This is the largest cast that SCT has had before, so there are a lot of people backstage. It is like a party every day.
How does East High compare to your own high school experiences?
East High is a lot like my high school. We had all the same cliques. I was definitely a thespian at my high school. I was always in the drama room, either in class rehearsing or helping to paint sets after school. My high school was also much different than East High because the cliques did a lot of things together. There were quite a few jocks and cheerleaders who would do plays with me in the Drama department… haha, and EVERYONE was in the band. (Even skaters)
Why do you do what you do?
That is a hard question to answer… Why does a Business Man do what he does? Well, I’m not in it for the money. I guess I do theatre because it is what I am passionate about. It makes me tick. I like people, and theatre is people collaborating ideas with each other and coming together to create a story to tell to other people and hopefully through that story I can share some insight on life with the audience. It makes me think of the quote, “Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it.” -Robert Motherwell
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
In ten years I see myself still doing theatre. Who knows, maybe I’ll get another chance be in a show at the children’s theatre. : )
You have the audience’s ear – what would you say to them?
Keep seeing shows (or taking your children to see shows). Allow your own ideas and way of thinking to be questioned, step out of the status quo and do things outside of your comfort zone that you usually wouldn’t do. That’s how we grow.
