Candy Washington: Hi Wendy, do you want to tell us how you got your start in the entertainment industry?
Wendy Rosoff: My true start was at age 7, I sang with The Metropolitan Opera and The City Center Opera Children’s Chorus. I performed in NYC and toured nationally for 4 seasons, I was even fortunate enough to originate a role in the American premiere of The Cunning Little Vixen, which was designed by the incredible Maurice Sendak. I still have sketches that he made while I was standing in front of him in a foam rubber suit that would eventually become my costume. It was magical!
CW: What were some of your first projects?
WR: Besides working in the opera, I got involved with singing in jingles and doing Voice Over work pretty early on as well. I also sang on many of the Sesame Street albums that were all the rage when I was young.
CW: I really love the NOH8 campaign, can you tell us how it came about that you were involved in the project?
WR: I love the campaign too! Here’s how it happened: The producers of Falsettos at The Third Street Theatre in West Hollywood came together with photographer Adam Bouska to shoot the cast as part of the publicity campaign for the show. One of the main themes of Falsettos asks the question, what makes a family? The main characters are two gay men, a straight couple, a lesbian couple, and one incredibly well adjusted, mature kid. It was a perfect fit for the NOH8 campaign!
CW: What was it like shooting the campaign?
WR: Easy breezy! Adam and his team have it down to a fine science. They know exactly what works and they make it so fun. My favorite shot is the entire Falsettos cast along with our director, Richard Israel. It just feels like family…. a very beautifully retouched family.
CW: My readers are dying to know, what's it like being a part of the Falsettos cast? Tell us more about the experience.
WR: Falsettos has always been a dream show of mine. I saw it on Broadway in the 90’s with the original cast and I remember not being able to move out of my seat when the show was over. Something inside you permanently shifts when you see an important piece of theatre. For me, Falsettos is one of those shows. Being able to perform it with our stellar cast and be on the other side of the experience was a huge gift.
As far as what’s next for The Third Street Theatre, I’m happy I’m currently in rehearsals for their production of THE FULL MONTY playing the role of Vicki Nichols. The show begins previews on September 5th. I can’t say enough about the cast and creative team…magic abounds!!!
CW: I see that you wrote and starred in Confessions of a Christmas Banshee, what was that process like?
WR: Honestly? It’s what I imagine giving birth would be like. Messy. Beautiful. Painful, Exhilarating. Scary as hell and everything in between. In my mind, creating one’s own content is probably the most gratifying and brave thing an artist of any genre can do. I’ve grown so much from all of the projects that I’ve created, but Banshee holds a special place in my heart, because it was my first. I’ve learned so much since then…I can’t wait to do it again and make it bigger and better.
CW: How do you deal with wearing multiple hats in the business? Actor and writer? Do you wear any others?
WR: I do. On any given day I act, sing, dance, write, direct, choreograph, teach and edit professionally. I know it sounds crazy, but I love being a creative hybrid. Why? Because we live in a time when we CAN be all of these things. There is absolutely no reason to wait for someone else to give you permission to be the most prolific artist you can be. That and I’m a control freakJ Yes, there are definitely days when I feel like a lunatic but I love knowing that I am doing everything in my power to live my creative life to it’s full potential.
CW: Do you have any advice for other actors and creative professionals?
WR: To quote from the film All About Eve, “Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!”
I think ours is a bumpy life. And we choose it. There are massive ups and downs but if you actively work on mastering happiness and gratitude during the day to day of it all, then you’re in good shape. For me personally, when I finally discovered the difference between achievement and success, my life changed for the better.
CW: What's one role you would love to play again?
WR: None. I’d love to re-examine some of my own material and play the roles again as they shift with rewrites, but there would be significant changes. I would love to continue to challenge myself with new material!
CW: What's next for Wendy Rosoff and how we can stay connected?
WR: There is a short film called Hard Sell that I play a role in that has been accepted into the No Budget Film Festival in downtown LA on Sunday, August 26th, and The Full Monty at The Third Street Theatre officially opens on September 7th. I’m also writing a short musical film that I’m about half way through… Just need to find a few more hours in the day. You can find me at www.wendyrosoff.com, or my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/wendyrosoffpage, and on twitter @wendyrosoff. Please stay in touch!!!
Connect with Wendy:
Website: http://www.wendyrosoff.com/
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
IMDB: http://pro.imdb.com/name/
Third Street Theatre: http://www.thirdstreettheatre.
Film Festival for Hard Sell: http://nobudgetfilmfest.com/
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
IMDB: http://pro.imdb.com/name/
Third Street Theatre: http://www.thirdstreettheatre.
Film Festival for Hard Sell: http://nobudgetfilmfest.com/
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