We all love the Broadway tale of the unknown chorus girl who's plucked from the ensemble to take over the lead and becomes a Broadway star! Some of the actors you look up to most didn't start out as Broadway divas. Sutton Foster was famously promoted from the ensemble of Thoroughly Modern Millie to win a Tony award on Broadway in the leading role. Laura Benanti made her Broadway debut in the chorus of Sound of Music and was eventually a replacement for the starring role of Maria!

In our STAR TO BE feature, we interview Broadway's most talented supporting players, swings, and understudies. These are the performers to watch! This week, meet Dana Steingold who is currently appearing in the George Street Playhouse production of Calvin Berger!

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Name: Dana Steingold
Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI
College Attended: New York University
Current Occupation: Actor; Currently appearing in Calvin Berger

What was your first professional acting job?
My first REAL job, and how I got my equity card, was the National Tour of Spelling Bee.

Tell us about your role in the new musical Calvin Berger. How did you become involved with the show?
Calvin Berger is a show I fell into totally by accident. While I was on tour, a mutual friend called Andrew Keenan Bolger and asked him about me and I ended up getting an offer for the reading with no audition when it was being done in a reading series at MTC. When the new creative team came on last year, I had to audition, as did other people who had been involved previously along with tons of new people. Thankfully, I was still offered to come back! I then got an offer in September to do this production.

You have gained a following through your appearances on YouTube in Andrew Keenan-Bolger’s Spelling Bee Blog and the web series The Battery’s Down. Do you think that these shows have affected your stage career in any way?
Absolutely! I can’t even tell you how many readings are done now where they have limited casting time so they tell people to look up a list of people up on youtube to choose for some smaller features. Actually, I think I got cast off of Andrew’s blog for Calvin Berger. That was part of how they okayed me!

You recently performed the role of Little Red in the Moises Kaufman production of Into the Woods at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. What was that experience like?
Little Red is a role I wanted to play for a LONG time. I began rehearsing it in my bedroom at the age of 14. The production was exciting conceptually. Moises definitely played up the coming of age part of Little Red’s story. We looked at her as more of a blossoming young girl than a child. She wants so badly to the right thing, but the wrong thing feels so right! Also, it was just gorgeous to look at. I had the best costume in the world in that show. I wanted to take it home with me.

What was your favorite part about touring the country as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee?
Truthfully, I just LOVE the show. I saw it while I was in college and it was one of the first shows where I said to myself, I am so right for this, I can definitely do this. It was actually my first audition with my agency and I got VERY lucky. I remember the first time we were doing “Magic Foot” with the orchestra and lights; it was such an out of body experience. The best part, hands down, are the volunteers. We have the best stories. I think we figured out we had over 2,000 people on stage with us or something wild like that!

Did you always want to become a performer?
Yes. I cannot remember a time I wasn’t performing. I started to community theatre when I was 7 and never stopped. When the time came to apply for college, I think it was just a natural thing to apply for theatre, but I knew I wanted to be in New York so when I was accepted to NYU, I accepted right away.

Tell us about the organization you co-founded, Shifting Ground Productions. How did the idea for that come about?
My senior year of college a friend of mine approached me about starting a volunteer group of some kind. I had always been passionate about children’s hospitals because my sister had spent a good deal of time in them when she was little and she had abandoned the medical program to study theatre. We researched what already existed in NYC and realized there were lots of companies that came to hospitals for holidays or special events, but none that actually interacted with and made personal connections with the patients. We came up with the idea to start a not for profit organization that brought interactive theatre to the patients on a regular basis and we partnered with Morgan Stanley Children’s hospital. Some friends from college and summer camp were our initial volunteers and we basically started a company out of our apartment. We just entered out 4th year.

What Broadway stars do you look up to?
I have always loved Barbara Cook and Bernadette Peters. Currently, Sutton Foster, Kate Baldwin and Kristin Chenoweth.

Do you have a dream role?
This is really hard! For my Dad, I will say Eponine in Les Miz because he loves the musical so much. Nothing would make him happier than to see me sing that song. We use to see the tour every year when it came through Detroit! I’d also love to She Loves Me, either role.

What advice do you have for aspiring performers?
I look back on college and realize that the moments when I was most uncomfortable and really out of my comfort zone were probably the moments I learned the most. Above all, look forward, never sideways. It is such a difficult business and everyone peaks at different times. Never compare yourself to a friend. Their successes should be as exciting as your own. Surround yourself with the right people and that will definitely be true!


Don't miss Dana in Calvin Berger! Click here to get tickets now.

Calvin Berger is playing through March 14 at the George Street Playhouse. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. Also features Noah Weisberg as Calvin, David Hull, and Krystal Joy Brown.

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