Mirror Q&A: Brinie Wallace

I had the pleasure of seeing Brinie Wallace perform as part of the ensemble cast of The Book of Mormon in 2018. Subsequently, I attended her Master Class hosted by the Inspiration Performing Arts Company. There, she taught the participants choreography from the Act 1 closing number of The Book of Mormon, which was choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (an acclaimed Broadway choreographer with several Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk award nominations). A Q&A session was held at the end of the class, where Ms. Wallace spoke about about life on tour, being an actress, The Book of Mormon, and much more.

I reached out to her earlier this month for an interview about being an actress during the turbulent year of 2020. We have seen theater shutdowns throughout the country and world, leaving actors, directors, choreographers, ushers, make up artists, light technicians, and so many more professions to ask themselves the question, “What now?” While hope is emerging with new productions of shows incorporating social distancing and rewrites to the scripts and blocking, I could only wonder what actors have been thinking throughout all of this. Getting to talk with Brinie again provided me with those answers, as well as a reminder that we can still enjoy theater from our homes.

Mirror: How did you get involved with Book of Mormon?

Brinie Wallace: A Facebook message. In 2016, one of the casting associates of BOM heard of me and asked me to send in a few self-tape auditions. A couple months afterward, they asked me to go into New York and audition for the associate team! So I took a bus from State College, PA (where I was attending Penn State University for musical theatre), went to three auditions, and booked it a couple more months later! Such a wild ride. Ever so thankful.

M: Were you still with Book of Mormon on the road when the shutdown happened?

BW: Yes! We were in the midst of our run in Los Angeles when the pandemic shut everything down! It was so crazy too, because, originally, the BOM company told us to wait in our respective Airbnbs and hotel lodgings for this to “blow over”… Hilarious. Before we knew it, they were refunding thousands of people’s tickets, loading up the set and shipping cast and crew home. So crazy.

M: If so, how did they go about pausing production? Were you told a few weeks prior that the show would be pausing, or was it sprung upon you?

BW: They told us to wait it out in our respective lodgings and that they’d continue paying us per diem until this Corona craze died down.

M: Were any changes starting to be made during the starting days of Covid 19 for Book of Mormon? For example, I remember in Boston they shut down the stage door.

BW: If I remember correctly, they didn’t really shut down our stage door while our production was running. They just cancelled our backstage tours.

M: Was any form of support offered out to actors when the shows were shut down, and is that support still being offered to you now?

BW: The company paid out our sick days, encouraged us to file unemployment in NYC (since that’s where the touring company is based), and told us to lay low. As of now, I’m still on the unemployment I’ve been paying into for nearly three and a half years, and I’m doing well!

M: If you could give yourself a piece of advice to you from a year ago, what would you say?

BW: I would tell myself to breathe, let go, and let God. There is not much you can control in the future except how you handle that which is thrown your way.

M: As a poc actress, what do you think needs to change when theater starts up again?

BW: What needs to change is the lack of investment in not only the characters that are of color, but the lack of investment in the actual actors of color that portray these characters. What do I mean by that? So often, whenever a character of color is in a show, they are an afterthought of inclusion, instead of intentional inclusivity (primarily when a show is written by someone who is not POC). Therefore, they are lazily characterized/crafted by the author, and ignorantly guided by the director. And the end result is more often, than not, two dimensional. I want more POC to be at the heads of tables offering insight, and I want more egos to be laid aside by non-POC creatives so that the best work can be produced - work that is no longer generic (because generic ain’t cuttin’ it any longer). Now, to touch on the lack of investment in the actual POC actors in shows written and directed by non-POC, I want to first state that I don’t want special treatment. I want to know, like any human in a professional setting who is doing the work, that I am respected, valued and appreciated, just like my white counterparts. Period.

M: What was your first reaction to the shut down as an actress?

BW: Shock, pain, loss, and then relief. I was shocked that our tour really refunded thousands of people’s money! I had never seen that before, nor has that ever occurred until the pandemic of 2020 (because we weren’t to receive confirmation of the indefinite shutdown of our tour until later). And then, when it was official that we were not starting up again in LA, early 2020, it was painful to get back to the theatre to clear out our dressing room stations. Losing this life, this job, this network of people that I had known for years was hard! However, as the quarantine chugged on, I felt relief that not only had I saved so much money being on tour, but I also had the opportunity to try being in a relationship with my boyfriend sans being on the road, and I finally had the chance to set roots down and unpack my suitcase ! This time off from working eight shows a week has really been a blessing for me. And I thank God daily for that. Not a day goes by where I don’t reflect on how grateful I am to be where I am today.

M: Have you been able to book any acting or singing jobs during Covid 19? If so, how has the process been different than past jobs?

BW: I have not booked any jobs, and I’m so happy about it. I’ve worked pretty consistently as an actor for nearly a decade now, and I’m just really loving this time of rest and rejuvenation! I’ve learned new skills like, guitar, plant-tending, and cooking! It’s been brilliant. Not to mention, I thoroughly enjoy using my free time to spend with my love, Riley Volkman. He’s the best.

M: What does your day to day look like now compared to pre-corona times?

BW: My days start a lot earlier than they did pre-Corona! While on tour, I used to want to sleep pretty late so I could conserve as much energy as I could to do the show later that night. And, occasionally, depending on the city, I would go out and look at the sights. However, these days, I get up around 8am, enjoy my morning coffee, meditate, do a devotional, workout, practice guitar, cook a few home-cooked meals (with a real full kitchen!), watch some shows (who am I kidding, BINGE SOME SHOWS), and then sit back and read one of my books to cap the night. It’s felt like early, temporary, retirement, to be honest. I love it.

M: What advice do you have for high school kids trying to get into the industry?

BW: Don’t take yourself so seriously! Have fun! Create! Figure out what you do well, and RUN with it.

M: What is your favorite musical?

BW: Legally Blonde. Hands down. A witty, catchy, heartfelt musical that elevates the movie.

M: What is your dream role?

BW: Gosh. SO many. Marta from “Company”, Ti Moune from “Once on this Island”, Dawn from “Waitress”, Angelica from “Hamilton”, Kathy from “The Last Five Years”, Cinderella from “Into the Woods”, Zoe Murphy from “Dear Evan Hansen”. Honestly, I could go on.

M: What is your favorite role you’ve played?

BW: Gary Coleman in “Avenue Q”. An unexpected role that turned out to be an absolute BLAST.

Brinie Wallace is a singer, dancer, and actress from California. She has been in shows such as The Book of Mormon (Ensemble, U/S Nabulungi/Sadaka, North American tour), Hairspray (Dynamite, The Muny), and Spring Awakening (Martha, Penn. Centre Stage) to name a few of her credits. You can find her on Instagram at bougieatbest!