FORT SMITH Everything In ‘Chorus’

Aspirations, angst blend together in classic musical

All of those auditioning for the fictional roles in the musical “A Chorus Line” bring with them their dreams — and emotional baggage. The show comes to the Arkansas Best Performing Arts Center in Fort Smith on Tuesday.
All of those auditioning for the fictional roles in the musical “A Chorus Line” bring with them their dreams — and emotional baggage. The show comes to the Arkansas Best Performing Arts Center in Fort Smith on Tuesday.

— Ryan Steer has been lucky when it comes to finding work.

But he knows his profession, and he knows it might not always be that way.

“It’s very cut throat. Successes come, and failures come, but you’ve got to take it in stride,” he says by phone from Reno, Nev., where the actor has stopped with the tour of “A Chorus Line.” The same production will come to Fort Smith on Tuesday for a show at the Arkansas Best Corp.

Performing Arts Center. It’s part of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith’s Season of Entertainment offerings.

There were a couple of months in New York City that saw Steer, an Oklahoma native who graduated from Oklahoma City University in 2009, waiting tables and hoping for his next chance. That opportunity came in form of the role of Zach in a national touring production of “A Chorus Line.”

“I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve been working very consistently,” he says.

During the audition process, he was called back several times and alternately showcased his dancing, singing and acting abilities.

Finally, he was asked to try out with a group of five other potential Zachs and nearly as many female actors hoping to play the role of Cassie, Zach’s former romantic interest who is auditioning for a play that he will direct.

That’s when it hit him: “I could potentially really book this,” he remembers thinking.

That’s exactly what happened.

Since that audition process, Steer has been experiencing a fictional audition process onstage. In the musical, which debuted on Broadway to critical acclaim in 1975, 19 dancersare auditioning for a limited number of roles in an upcoming chorus line. It is Zach’s role as the director to find out who will make the cut.

To do this, he attempts to find their passions and motivations, which also means he must learn a little bit about their personalities. They bring with them various emotional issues, but they’re all unified indesperately wanting the gig.

Steer says “A Chorus Line” remains popular for that very reason. Even if the audience members have never auditioned for a musical, they can find something to appreciate, Steer says.

“It’s a timeless story. Anyone who has chased a dream can relate,” he says. “It was as relevant in 1975 as it is in 2011.”

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FAQ

‘A CHORUS LINE’

WHEN - 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE - Arkansas Best Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center

COST - $37-$40

INFO - 788-7300 or www.uafortsmith.edu

Whats Up, Pages 18 on 02/25/2011

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