By Gianna Barberia, news correspondent
Although Renée Elise Goldsberry usually sings onstage about Alexander Hamilton’s legacy, she came to Northeastern University’s campus Tuesday to speak in remembrance of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
Goldsberry, who played Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway play “Hamilton,” held a master class with aspiring performers and spoke to students and faculty about the importance of inclusion as part of the Department of Theatre’s NU Broadway series and Northeastern’s annual commemoration of King’s legacy, “A Tribute to the Dream.”
“The theatre is like the church, and everyone is welcome,” Goldsberry said. “Martin Luther King said ‘Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.’ I believe very strongly that he took that first step. He made it easier for me to do what I’m doing, and I’m very grateful.”
Beginning last fall with a visit from Broadway director Moritz von Stuelpnagel, NU Broadway aims to provide theatre students with the real-world knowledge needed to work and succeed.
“At Northeastern, we embrace diverse measures of success and ways of making theatre from fringe to Broadway,” said Scott Edmiston, theatre professor and chair of the Department of Theatre. “The focus is on both the artistic process and professional career preparation. The focus is not on fame or ‘stars.’”
Edmiston plans to offer similar master classes each semester that will feature directors, actors, playwrights, designers and stage managers. In addition, the Department of Theatre has two Broadway veterans on its faculty. The department worked closely with a team of Northeastern staff, faculty and students to plan Goldsberry’s visit.
“One of the things that is so amazing about Ms. Goldsberry is her versatility,” Edmiston said. “Many people know her best from Broadway musicals – “Hamilton”, “The Color Purple” and “RENT” – but she has had a very artistically diverse career. As an actress and a person, she transcends categories and boundaries. Renée is a wonderful role model for the theatre students. She represents values we try to instill in Northeastern theatre students – values of integrity, respect and artistic fearlessness.”
During Goldsberry’s master class, she spoke about her experiences on stage and behind-the-scenes. Additionally, she gave undergraduate theatre majors and minors advice on their performance skills, especially to three theatre students who performed for her. Madison McDaniel, a third-year marketing and entrepreneurship major and theatre minor, sang and acted for Goldsberry.
“When I found out I was going to perform for Renée, I freaked out,” McDaniel said. “I saw her in ‘Hamilton’ and she completely blew me away, so I was really excited for the opportunity to get feedback from her. While it was happening, it was so nerve-wracking. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous. Then after, I wanted to fall on the floor. There was a serious adrenaline rush.”
Christina Mei Chen, a junior theatre major and another performer at Goldberry’s master class, also spoke about the emotions she felt performing for Goldsberry.
“I really enjoyed myself, and felt that in that moment I was exactly where I wanted to be,” Chen said. “She suggested a couple of ways for me to improve the monologue without overwhelming me with too many notes to remember for the second time I performed it. It was just really refreshing and inspiring to see that someone with such immense talent was taking time out of her day to give me constructive feedback on how to improve my acting.”
Students said Goldsberry inspired them not only with her feedback but with her personal career and life advice as well.
“I think what impacted me the most was how much you need to value yourself in order for someone else to value you,” McDaniel said. “While she said it in relation to theatre and auditioning, I think it is extremely relevant to anybody. If you walk into an interview and you don’t think you are any good, you won’t get the job. You have to value yourself and know your strengths.”
The topics shifted from career advice and humorous backstage stories to larger societal goals and conversations about race and inclusion when Goldsberry later spoke at Blackman Auditorium.
“I think it’s impossible [to keep politics out of theatre],” Goldsberry said. “I think that if you’re an artist and if you’re good at it, it will come out. It’s in the recipe; it’s the ingredients that make the picture.”
Politics have particularly motivated Goldsberry throughout her life and career. She related King’s message of inclusion to the theatre and to herself.
Goldsberry later became emotional when speaking about her impact on young people of color and how society perceives these people. She also shared her views on the current social media age and other aspects of the internet.
“I tend to speak very personally about what I feel,” Goldsberry said. “I talk about how it feels watching my 7-year-old son get older. I talk very personally about watching a little boy become more of a threat in the world. It’s nice to hear when someone wins a Tony, but it’s more valuable to hear what people have gone through. I never want to do a role that I wouldn’t want a little back girl to see. I always feel responsible for that little black girl watching and her self-esteem.”
After Goldsberry’s address, Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun spoke about inclusion within the university community and pointed out Northeastern students who contribute to Dr. King’s dream.
“Diversity and inclusion are not buzzwords that we celebrate once a year,” Aoun said. “It is our charge to make Dr. King’s dream a reality. Together, we will make Northeastern a model for society.”
The program ended with Goldsberry’s performance of “How I Got Over,” a song that was made famous by Mahalia Jackson when she performed it after Dr. King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
Photo courtesy Carla Mirabal
