How was the mixing of the two groups during rehearsal?
Tempress: I was scared to be around these Broadway singers. I haven’t had any training, you know? But they were so welcoming, everybody gelled like a family, and that made it so much easier and better and comfortable and allowed me to express myself with my talents. From the beginning of the workshop, everyone had this confidence in me that, at first, I may not have even seen it myself. So it was love from day one in the room.
How did you find your way into your character?
Silk: For me, knowing that I am a runway diva—I vogue; I’m classically trained in modern and ballet, which is what Mr. Mistoffelees originally dances—I wanted to incorporate that into my performance. The original is very quirky, very fun and inviting, magical and mystical, very energetic, and makes sure that he brings the people in. For this one, I wanted to use my ballroom flair to spice it up a little bit. Whenever the other characters walk the runaway, I wanted to incorporate shade, as I would do on the floor. [For example,] blocking a girl from getting in front to make sure that she stays in her lane, which is behind me. Or, one thing that I love to do, is the, “Who is this next to me? I don’t know, I don’t even see this girl right here” [move].
Tempress: I feel like [Grizabella] is one of the girls who wanted to be accepted so much by society that we separated from ballroom and we went out into the world. Some girls didn’t make it, and they fell on hard times: sex work, drugs, all that. And sometimes, because of ageism, or you may not look how you did before, or sometimes you’re only as good as the last ball that you walk, when you come back into ballroom, you don’t get the reception that you want. That’s where I grabbed Grizabella. She’s one of those girls.
What did that mean to you?
Tempress: After I transitioned, I didn’t really know where I fit in. We weren’t really accepted like that, so a lot of us were living stealth lives. I just fell into other things, and I was so caught up in my transition that I kind of shied away from my talents. That’s why Grizabella means so much to me, because she’s coming back. I stand on the shoulders of the ancestors, of the trans girls who came before me in ballroom who didn’t have a voice, who weren’t as able to speak up about their truth.