ABOVE: Kaden Kearney (L) stars as Emma in the Broadway national tour of “The Prom.” (Photos courtesy Dr. Phillips Center)
Kaden Kearney (they/them) came out of college in 2019 looking to start their acting career just before a pandemic started to take over the world.
“I moved to New York after graduating from [University of California Irvine], did a summer in west New York, then I moved to the city and did some shows but then COVID hit,” Kearney says.
As Broadway began opening back up and national tours announced they were heading back on the road, they landed the lead role of Emma in the national tour of the Tony Award-nominated show “The Prom.”
The tour dazzled audiences at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando Dec. 7-12, and it’s returning to Florida from Feb. 15-20 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa. Kearney discussed the show with Watermark ahead of their Orlando stop.
WATERMARK: This is your first national tour, and first time out you get a starring role, how has tour been going?
KADEN KEARNEY: It’s been going great. It has been an interesting first tour experience given COVID and the ins and outs of how we navigate that, but it’s been a blast. It’s just wonderful to be back performing.
When did you realize the stage was where you wanted to be?
My mom would tell you it’s since I was a child. I grew up in a very musically inclined family. My dad plays guitar my mom sings; they are both public school teachers, so the arts and music were somethings that were very valued in our house. I did my first play when I was in the first grade. I played the Cheshire Cat in “Alice in Wonderland.” I just loved it and did it all through school.
At some point in high school I realized this really is my dream, that I really wanted to do this, so in college I set out to study it. I told myself I would try it out to see where it would take me but of course immediately I was hooked. It happened gradually but I can trace it back to when I was young. I’ve always, always, always loved theater.
What was the first musical you saw?
It was “Annie Get Your Gun.” I was like eight I think and my grandma took me. The first national Broadway tour I saw was “The Lion King” and I grew up seeing tours. Living in California we couldn’t make it out to the city so once a year we would see a touring show.
For those who haven’t seen it, what is “The Prom” about?
“The Prom” kicks off with four Broadway stars who are trying to redeem their reputations that have just been tarnished. So they set off to try and change the world and get some good press. They end up descending upon this town with this girl who is trying to take her girlfriend to the high school prom and the PTA will not allow it, and hilarity ensues [laughs].
It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, it has levity but at the same time it has a lot of honesty, truth and deals with a lot of topics that are heavy but in a way that is so fun. Audiences are on their feet by the end of the show and just having the best time.
You identify as trans-nonbinary and queer, how was your coming out and how did your identity help you in developing how you portray Emma?
I came out as gay in high school, my senior year. I actually came out in a speech to my school, that was in 2011, and it’s wild to think about how much has changed since then. Because of the time it was very scandalous for me to announce that I was gay. In terms of my gender identity, that sort of came along a little later. In the last couple of years is when I came out as trans and nonbinary, and that’s been a more nebulous experience and a little harder to pin down for myself.
And of course it has effected the way I present, and the way the industry views me I’m sure, but I do have to say I was scared for so long to cut my hair. I was scared for so long to present as I felt, you know. But I’m so glad I chopped my hair off. I’m so glad I’m living in the middle of my authenticity because I do believe that that is what helped me book this role, and any future roles I will book, because I was walking into the room as myself, with less layers of crap to work through. I wish I had done it earlier.
In terms of the role of Emma, you know Emma’s not trans or nonbinary. Emma is a young girl but she is on a journey of gender expression. There is a journey there where she doesn’t feel quite comfortable wearing a dress, she would rather wear a tux. It’s wonderful that I can step into this role and I really relate to that part of it just with my own experience. That layer is probably a little more present in my iteration maybe because of who I am. And at the same time with the queerness, her sexuality, it’s so healing to be able to go back and hug my young self through this role. It’s wonderful.
The tour recently started but have you gotten the chance to meet and talk with people who have seen the show to see how it is impacting audiences?
We aren’t allowed to have a stage door unfortunately because of COVID, but I have talked to a few people who have seen the show who have reached out to me on Instagram, so I am able to have conversations with them that way. Occasionally there will be people who aren’t officially stage dooring, they will just be around [laughs].
But I’ve gotten tons of messages from people, especially nonbinary people, who say “it means so much to me to see you in this role.” To see someone like me on stage period. You know “you’re the first nonbinary performer I’ve ever seen live.” All these things and it is so wonderful and heartwarming to hear.
When you check out a lot of Instagram pages, it’s a bunch of selfies and what they had for lunch, but your page is more socially conscious. Posts involving trans rights, Black Lives Matter, and a linktree to more of your activism. Where did your passion for activism start?
I think I’ve always just cared deeply about people. Growing up I just card about making the world a better place. I was raised by two people who are very caring and cared about the world. But when I moved out of my hometown and went to college, as you do when you leave everything you’ve known and your world just opens up, I learned a lot of the realities that I had been sheltered from, from my own privilege or whatnot, and it just felt like in terms of Instagram or using my voice, it seems important. I know that posting about it isn’t everything but I do think it is important to keep those conversations going. I would rather have someone see that and take a moment to think about what is going on because it’s important. I think as an artist, it is intertwined with my artistry. There is no way to put my acting over here and my activism over there; it is all together.
Did you attend your own high school prom?
I did, I went to prom twice in high school but did not go my senior year. I was not out the times I went so I went with guys, which is funny to think about now. I wore a dress and I did my hair and makeup, looking back on it now it is kind of sad because it feels like a shell of a person. But yes, I did go to prom, and it was not at all like Emma’s experience. There were no out gay people there.
The film version of “The Prom” came out on Netflix last year and it got a lot of flack, most of which surrounded the topic of straight actors playing LGBTQ roles. Do you have any thoughts on that?
I think each situation is unique and nuanced, however I do think that we need to prioritize LGBTQ actors playing LGBTQ roles.
I think it gets tricky sometimes when we don’t know how the actor identities and they might be on an exploration about themselves, so at what point to we say they have to be out or you have to prove yourself. But I think having queer and trans actors in queer and trans roles is important. I think it does make a difference and it goes back to that representation we talked about. I remember watching queer shows or a movie and then looking up the actors and finding out that they are all straight, and as a kid it was disheartening, thinking “oh that wasn’t real, I don’t actually exist out in the world.”
I don’t think it is a hard and fast rule for me, but I definitely think it should be a priority and I think it should be a part of the intention.
“The Prom,” starring Kaden Kearney, plays at the the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa Feb. 15-20. For tickets and more information, visit StrazCenter.org.
