Have you ever wondered if one phone call could change your life? Well, it changed Marina Jansen’s life while they were packing to board a flight to London for a study abroad program. That call was an invitation to attend a final audition for the new Broadway musical, “How to Dance in Ohio.”
Jansen heard about this audition in an unusual way. Instead of finding the notice on popular casting websites, they received an Instagram DM with the information from their friend and fellow Elon student Ella Huestis ’25.
The junior musical theatre major submitted the self-tapes, digital files of their performances that were requested by casting, and received a callback, which is an invited audition.
“I got a request to come in-person to Manhattan to meet the creative team, the director, the choreographer and audition for them,” Jansen said. “I was very nervous. I was supposed to fly out to London to study abroad with my class, and I had to cancel my flight because my audition was the same day, and the audition went very well.”
Now, they’ve booked their first Broadway show while still pursuing their degree at Elon.
“How to Dance in Ohio” is a new musical based on an award-winning HBO documentary that follows seven autistic young adults at a group counseling center as they navigate adulthood and prepare for an upcoming spring dance.
“I think what’s really cool is that the seven autistic characters are played by seven actual autistic actors,” Jansen said. “Additionally, the understudies and swings included are also on the autism spectrum.”
Jansen hopes young people on the spectrum will know they can be proud of who they are and not have to hide it. “I hope this production will showcase how there is no one way to be or “look” autistic,” they said. “It affects every person differently.
“I always thought in order to be successful in the performing arts industry I would have to downplay or ‘mask’ my autism since it is widely misunderstood,” Jansen added. “Being in a room of people just like me not only onstage but on the creative and technical team is such an honor. You don’t have to try to be someone you’re not, you can just be you.”
Jansen is a “principal swing,” which means they cover multiple roles and are on standby to perform if needed. Sometimes swings have scheduled performances if a principal actor has an approved personal day. Often, swings find out they are “on” the day of the performance and, if necessary, they might hop into one of their roles halfway through a performance.
Being a principal swing comes with its homework. Jansen used a preparation worksheet from their music theatre performance course with Brian Kremer, associate professor of music theatre and Music Theatre Program coordinator, to prepare for the audition.
“There was this wonderful worksheet with questions that we were supposed to do when we would get up and sing in front of our peers in class and I did that worksheet for the audition,” Jansen said.
Jansen said their experience so far at Elon has helped prepare them for their work on Broadway. “One thing I’ve loved about going to college is getting to lean into the things that I know I’m very good at but also getting to explore the things that I’m not good at and push myself out of my comfort zone,” Jansen said.
Jansen also cited their dance for the musical stage course with Assistant Professor of Performing Arts Alexandra Warren and an auditioning class with Adjunct Assistant Professor of Performing Arts Michael Tourek as instrumental in landing their spot on Broadway. In describing the class, Jansen said, “we talked about, where do you stand? Where do you look? How do you exit the room? And those little things all helped me.”
Jansen’s path to their first professional show began early, as they grew up going to the dance studio. At the age of 13, they were preparing for their first professional show at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., surrounded by other child actors. This was a great way to start putting themselves out there to work in the professional industry.
“I’ll never forget that because it was the moment where I was like, ‘I definitely could see myself doing this my whole life,’” Jansen said. “In the back of my mind, I always wanted to do theater, no matter if it was Broadway or arts, the performing arts, my whole life.”
In addition to their busy schedule as a music theatre student, Jansen is taking classes in Spanish and Arabic in the World Languages & Cultures Department at Elon. Jansen’s diverse interests translate into broad and varied career goals.
“My goal career-wise is to have a long career in the performing arts, whether that be onstage or offstage,” Jansen said. “I love choreography. I love writing. I think being involved in the industry would be great. I would love to teach when I’m older, perhaps at the regional or collegiate level, but I think that’s a long way away.”
As they work toward the premiere of “How to Dance in Ohio,” Jansen said that they have realized that if you’re so focused on extrinsic or external gratification, it will not serve you as an artist.
“You just have to believe in yourself as an artist,” they said. “I mean, I’m a swing and 99% of the population doesn’t know what that means.”
“How to Dance in Ohio” begins previews on Nov. 15 and opens on Dec. 10 at the Belasco Theatre in New York City.
Terminology
Self-tape – a digital file of an actor performing material (I.e., song cuts, dance sequences, or a set of lines) that has been requested by the creative team (may include a director, choreographer, musical director, and more)
Call or notice – an advertisement announcing that a production is in search of actors.
Callback – an invited audition that follows the first audition; there can be many callbacks in the process of “booking” (securing a position) a Broadway show.
Understudy – an actor who does not perform a role regularly but is ready to perform if needed.
Swing – an actor who prepares to perform multiple roles in a production.