Q&A with Megan - Spring 2005

Megan answered this Q&A in the Spring of 2005, around the time she was transitioning from Glinda standby to lead in Wicked on Broadway. Questions were provided by fans.

Hey Megan! What is your favorite thing to do in the city when you aren't rehearsing or performing Wicked? - Cressa

My two favorite things to do are spending time with my friends and eating! So I spend a lot of time going out and finding new restaurants with them!

What was is like working with Idina? - Felicia

Idina is such an inspiration. When I first started working at Wicked I was totally starstruck (I still kind of am!) and I would get tongue-tied every time I would run into her in the halls. But she was always so nice and so incredibly supportive. Sometimes during the show, my mind would stop and think, "OMG! I'm singing with Idina Menzel! AAAHHHH!" She is such a powerful performer and has such a kind and generous spirit that I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the awesome experience of working with her.

What song did you sing for your audition for G(a)linda? - Caroline

When I auditioned for Glinda, the casting directors asked me to sing "Popular" and parts of the opening number.

What plays did you do when you were younger before college? - Megan

I did a lot of the old standard Musical Theater shows with the Bellevue Youth Theater. I played Nancy in Oliver, Laurey in Oklahoma, Meg Brockie in Brigadoon, Tuptim in The King and I. I also got really involved in local community theaters and did the title role in Cinderella, and had a bunch of bit parts in the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas like Pirates of Penzance and Iolanthe. And I took some time off in between high school and college and moved down to Southern Oregon to do shows there and I played Ermengarde in Hello Dolly!, a Soul Girl in Jesus Christ Superstar, the Mistress in Evita, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and Cindy in Suds.

What awards have you won? - Megan

I entered a bunch of vocal competitions in high school and won a bunch of awards through those...and in college I won first place in "Excellence in Performing a Musical Theatre Ballad" from the Jerry Herman/ASCAP organization. Also I received first place in the Musical Theatre competition from the NSAL Pittsburgh Chapter and went on to compete in the National level and won first place there too! The National Society of Arts and Letters is an awesome organization that helps young artists get a jump start on their careers. I was also a recipient of the Charles Willard Award for my achievements at CMU.

What shampoo do you use? - Felicia

I use several different Aveda shampoos. I love their products!

Hi Megan, it's Gretchen. I know there have probably been a lot in your career so far but do you have a favorite stage moment (or maybe one of many favorites you would like to share)? - Gretchen

Hi Gretchen! I think the really great moments in theater happen when things don't exactly go according to plan...I was doing Cafe Puttanesca and there was a scene where one of the characters has to open a valise and talk about the things that she finds inside of it. It's a very touching scene where this woman is remembering parts of her past and, of course, the valise wouldn't open. There were three of us onstage and the two other women were trying desperately to pry this thing open with forks and knives and banging it on the set. By that point the audience was well aware that this was not in the script and was roaring with laughter - the two women gave up and handed the suitcase to me and since there was no way that I was going to get it open, I announced that I was going to look for the key in the bathroom and ran offstage to have the assistant stage manager open it. It may not sound funny now, but if you've ever been in the audience when something goes wrong onstage, you'll know that those can be some of the most magical moments in theater because they can never be repeated.

What is your most embarassing moment? - Elise

I'm always doing weird things that end up being really embarrassing, but last summer I was wearing a skirt that blew straight up over my head when I walked over a subway grate...let's just say I wasn't as glamorous as Miss Monroe!

What is your favorite book? - Shy

Right now my favorite book is Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

What do you do at the theatre when you aren't going on? Do you get bored or do you have ways to pass the time? - Barbara

I can be within five blocks of the theater when the show is going on as long as I have my pager and my cell phone, so I usually go to the gym or see another show or watch TV in my dressing room. There's also a rehearsal hall in the Gershwin, so I can work on learning new music - I usually stay pretty busy!

Have you read the Wicked book by Gregory Maguire? - Bethany

Yes, I have read the Wicked novel.

Have you seen any good shows lately? Or are there any you want to see?

There are so many shows I want to see! I have seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and All Shook Up and had such a great time at both of them! I really want to see Spamalot, Doubt, Putnam County Spelling Bee, and believe it or not, I still haven't seen Avenue Q yet - so I really need to get down there!

Where you a thespian in high school? - Alisa

Yes! I didn't actually take part in anything my school did, but I was very involved with several Community Theater productions that rehearsed after school. Then, after attending public school for a year and a half, I transfered to the Washington Academy of Performing Arts where we focused heavily on theater, music and dance. I also did a program every summer called Bellevue Youth Theater. BYT and the program's director, Mrs. Banton, introduced me to the performing arts at a very young age and inspired me to start a serious career in theater.

If you were to have any role in any other show, what would it be and why? - Danny

I've always been a huge Bernadette Peters fan and ever since I saw the tape of her doing the role of the Witch in Into the Woods I've always wanted to do it too. I also want to be ANYTHING in Sweeney Todd...it really is the perfect musical. (Besides Wicked of course!)

What was your audition for Carnegie-Mellon like? - WickedlyInspired

My audition for Carnegie Mellon was fast and furious! I auditioned in L.A. and my flight was delayed for five hours, so I was already two hours late once my plane landed. I ran into the hotel and explained my situation (practically bawling) and they immediately pushed me into the first room where I sang for Gary Kline. The acting and singing auditions went great...but the dancing was a different story! I am notoriously AWFUL in dance auditions - it's not that I'm a bad dancer...but any time I have to audition (particularly when dancing by myself) I fall apart. The only thing that saved me was how confident I was. I was in no way doing the combination that was just taught to me, but the fact that I didn't stop or apologize profusely or make tons of excuses like a lot of the other girls actually gave me a leg up. I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT ANYONE ELSE SHOULD DO WHAT I DID!!!

How did you come about being in Wicked? - Danny

To make a very long and complicated story short...the school that I went to (CMU) has a showcase every year where the seniors get to go to NYC and LA and perform for a bunch of agents, casting directors, and managers. The casting directors for Wicked (Bernard Telsey Casting) saw me in the showcase and brought me in for a couple of things...including Wicked. And that all happened while I was still in school.

Hi Megan! I just wanted to congratulate you on taking over for Glinda. I'm sure you'll do fabulous! This might sound silly, but what in the world do you use to wash your face?! Your skin is like, superclear! And also, are there any special tricks you have about preparingyour voice for a show? Thanks! - Lacey

I use an exfoliate gel by Doctors Dermatologic Formula (You can get it at Sephora) and a moisturizer by Mary Kay. But everyone's skin is different! What works for me might not necessarily work for you or anyone else! As far as getting my voice ready I really like to work out earlier in the day to get my body warmed up first (it's all connected to vocal production) and then warming up in the shower. But as a standby I normally don't get that luxury of knowing in advance when I'm going on - so I have a series of quick warmups my voiceteacher put on tape for me.

How many people were in the musical theatre program with you at Carnegie-Mellon (if you were in that BFA program)? - WickedlyInspired

I think they accept about 12 people every year for Musical Theater - my class had 10. So there's about 40-50 people in the program at any given time. And yes - I was in the BFA program.

When you were growing up, what were your childhood dreams? - Danny

When I was little I wanted to be a flight attendant so I could see the whole world. But as soon as I started singing I developed a whole new set of dreams that included everything involved in the opera/musical theater/theater business.

Megan! First off, I just wanted to tell you that I saw Wicked for the first time December 26, and you were amazing. I felt very blessed to have seen you perform. :-) Now to the question. I know this is probably asked a lot, but as an actor/singer I'm always interested to see who everyone's inspiration is. Who has inspired you as an actor and singer? - Kerrie

I've always looked up to people like Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Angela Lansbury and other Broadway legends but the people who really inspired me were the people who taught and encouraged me when I was younger. My first voice teacher who, despite being blind, continues to educate and share her passion for music. My first drama/choir director who gave me (and thousands of other children) the confidence and the opportunity to experience theater for the first time. And an outstanding actress I worked with who fought breast cancer while performing eight shows a week because she couldn't stand the thought of her illness getting in the way of doing what she loved. They care so deeply about what they do, and help so many young people realize their dreams - and that's what ultimately inspired me when I was younger and continues to remind me why I want to be in this business now.

Source: MeganHiltyfans.webs.com