Hayes Burton
Hayes Burton
tick, tick … BOOM!
MARCH 17 — APRIL 23
What excites you about tick, tick … BOOM! and the role you are playing?
TTB is such a meaty show with minimal sets and props and only three actors. There is nothing to hide behind - you’ve gotta put your talents and hard work on full display. What an incredible gift to be trusted with such a role!
What’s your process like in preparing for a show like this, and how does that process change (if at all) from other shows?
I always like to know my character’s life story, including the parts we don’t ever see or hear about. I know Michael’s favorite song to sing in the shower, his favorite comfort food and how he asked his date to the senior prom! With a show like TTB - which centers around an autobiographical character - I also like to know as much about the writer and their reason for writing the piece as I can.
What’s your biggest challenge about taking on this role?
Like I said before: there’s nowhere to hide! We are all on stage almost the entire show, we all have big songs and tight harmonies and important moments... the audience leaving with a sparkle in their eye rests squarely on the shoulders of three people, and we've gotta work our butts off to earn that!
How did you get started performing?
I entered a talent show when I was in first grade to sing Silent Night... in April. I sang it a cappella. I loved it so much I promptly wrote a play that was an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland where Alice had a brother and a dog with her (I wanted to play the dog). When she saw how much I loved performing, my mother fostered that interest by finding acting classes, voice teachers and opportunities to perform! I am very lucky to have such supportive parents!
Why do you still perform?
It's in my blood. I just love it so much. The ability to use your talents to help other people feel things is an immensely powerful gift!
What’s your dream role, and what do you feel you would bring to it?
I love to play roles that double as a narrator and can break the fourth wall, because I love the crowd work that comes along with that. You've gotta help the audience feel extra special and included by crafting a persona for them that is slightly different than your persona IN the show - it makes them feel like they are sharing a secret with you! I'm really good at that! Roles like Pseudolus in Forum, Emcee from Cabaret or Hermes in Hadestown. If I were a better dancer I'd say Leading Player from Pippin!
What’s a fun fact people may not know about you?
As a child I was going to be Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace - the contracts were negotiated and everything... until George Lucas decided a 12 year old actor was too self-actualized and changed his age to 8 and I was suddenly ineligible! Good thing, though, because otherwise the world would have missed out on that smoldering romantic tension between Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman...
