#FFB: Ryan Worsing
After getting inspired by so many FFB girls, I was eager to get a guy's perspective through Ryan. Enthusiastic to offer new, unique information, Ryan represents the perfect example of a healthy, fit, and successful lifestyle. With SO much talent and such an endearing spirit,
Ryan is FIT FOR BROADWAY!
BIOGRAPHY: My name is Ryan Worsing and I'm a professional actor/singer/dancer in New York City. I've wanted to be a performer for as far back as I can remember. Originally from Overland Park, KS, I began performing in community theater and training with the Miller-Marley School of Dance and Voice just before entering middle school. Upon graduating high school, I moved to the city to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts CAP21 program. Since graduating with a BFA in drama, I have been fortunate to perform with the Broadway companies of Chicago, Irving Berlin's White Christmas and Shrek the Musical and across the country at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Sacramento Music Circus, KC Starlight, St. Paul's Ordway and the Kennedy Center. I was also seen in the world premiere of Jerry Lewis, Rupert Holmes and Marvin Hamlisch's The Nutty Professor in Nashville, TN and will be seen this fall in the Paper Mill's pre-Broadway tryout of Cole Porter's CanCan.
INTERVIEW:
Q: What is the most physically challenging part of performing?
A: While there are the obvious injuries and physical pains that come with performing, there are two particularly unique challenges I never thought about.
The first would be the uneven wear and tear performing can put on your body. When you're in a long run, doing eight performances a week for months or years at a time, your body eventually becomes very conditioned for that particular show. But as your body adapts to the weight of a costume or choreography like lifts and leaps that engage one side of the body more than another, it becomes more and more important to try and reverse the strains of that show and find balance in your routine.
Second, and I know this sounds funny, but I never expected to be so affected by the hour of day in which we work. We have to live our days in class, rehearsals, auditions, and completing everyday tasks only to have conserved enough energy and stamina to perform at our physical peak for an audience full of people AFTER 8 o'clock at night! It takes a clever arrangement of the schedule (and a couple cups of coffee or tea) to help me get my second or third wind of energy for the evening show some days.
Q: How would you describe your fitness routine?
A: My workout routine is pretty varied. Having spent the past few years at Chicago the Musical, I have definitely gotten more comfortable in the weight room than ever before. I will usually try and lift weights four or five times a week. Sometimes I'll include cardio (especially when I can run Central Park in the summer) and plenty of dancing, whether it be class or other projects. Now, I'm working on yoga. I'm trying to get better, because I notice a big improvement in my stretching and my breathing and that helps everything.
Q: How do you keep your voice healthy?
A: I have a whole bunch of tricks and superstitions as far as maintaining vocal health goes. Most of them are old wives tales and probably just psychological, but that won't stop me from using them anytime soon. Things I will swear by: tea with any combination of honey, lemon, ginger and Apple cider vinegar, neti pots, Ricola or Grether's lozenges, a healthy diet with lots of water and a really good voice teacher.
Q: Do you follow a specific diet?
A: Yes and no. There are very few foods that are off-limits in the traditional sense of a diet, but I am very mindful of what I eat as well as when I eat. I try to balance healthy meals around my work schedule (no one likes to do a show on a full stomach, especially when you're as thinly costumed as we are at Chicago). Usually, I save a big cheat meal for the day off, to make it that much more rewarding.
Q: What is your favorite energy-boosting snack/meal?
A: I love to have Greek yogurt or some mixed nuts during intermission most days to keep my energy up for act two. Bananas and peanut butter or string cheese are favorites, too. Anything to keep me going.
Q: What is your favorite late night snack after performances?
A: I wish I could tell you I went home after work and was very sensible about my diet. This is usually when I eat that extra bowl of cereal or order that extra order of delivery dumplings. I love to cook and if I've been smart enough during my day or week to have leftovers of mushroom quinoa or chicken salad, I'll try to eat that. But after work, all bets are off!
Q: What is your best advice/strategies to fight fatigue?
A: I can honestly say that the most energetic people I know are also the most active. Staying mentally and physically active is the best way I know to keep from getting fatigued. I try to keep myself busy so that I don't have time to think about or feel the inevitable exhaustion. Diet, drinking lots of water, and a good night's sleep also help, but I really think energy begets energy and the more you try to use, the more you'll have.
Q: What is your best advice for stage confidence?
A: I think it's very easy to fall into the trap of trying to be anything and everything but yourself. Trying to sing like one person and dance like another all while trying to look like someone entirely different... It gets exhausting and you're never going to be a better version of any of those people than they are of themselves. And everyone does this. But the minute you capitalize on your strengths and have confidence in the unique talents and traits you bring to the table, the more success you'll see. It's very empowering knowing you don't need to be anything or anyone other than yourself.
Q: Who or what inspires you?
A: I'm inspired by great storytelling, no matter the medium. And I'm inspired by people who are constantly trying to better themselves, the projects they work on, and the people they work with. Flash in the pan is one thing, but when you see someone grow and surprise you in their work over time and style and genre, that inspires me to try new things and never stop learning and working.
Q: How does your physical fitness affect your performance abilities?
A: Immeasurably. Physical fitness didn't start as a passion but as a way to keep up with the rigors and demands of performing professionally. If I hadn't adapted and learned better ways to care for my body, I couldn't be doing what I'm doing.
Q: Tips on finding the time to stay physically/vocally fit?
A: Make the time. You will only improve if you dedicate the time. Even if it's 15-20 minutes of exercising in your living room or vocalizing in the shower, that's far better than nothing.
Q: What is your advice for those trying to perform on Broadway?
A: Work hard, be persistent, learn as much as you can and be nice to people.
**See Ryan now in CHICAGO the MUSICAL**
