Digging it
Taye Diggs poked his head in from the left side of the stage.
‘Did she introduce us yet?’ he said. ‘Oops…we’ll just go back here.’
The moment of over-eagerness for Diggs, a 1993 graduate of Syracuse University, spilled over into the rest of the event – a question-and-answer session given by the ‘Private Practice’ star along with friend and choreographer Andrew Palermo.
The two chatted at Syracuse Stage on Sunday to a large crowd at John Archbold Theatre. The audience ranged from the members of the cast of Syracuse Stage’s ‘The Bomb-itty of Errors’ to high school students and SU students – both drama and non-drama.
The question-and-answer session marked the end of a weekend-long residency with students in the department of drama. The weekend consisted of three workshops – two dance workshops and a television and film acting workshop taught by the duo.
Diggs is best known for his roles in ‘Rent,’ ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’ and various Broadway shows. Palermo is a respected choreographer and Broadway actor, appearing in the original cast of ‘Wicked.’
‘They are both very talented,’ said Crystal Bailey, a senior musical theater major. ‘And they’re very chill people. Taye was very down to earth. He was real.’
In one of the dance workshops, the group of about 50 students was taught two dances by the guests: one from ‘Spring Awakening,’ Diggs’ original choreography and a pre-Broadway combination from ‘Wicked,’ taught by Palermo.
Seated amongst the graffiti-ed set of ‘The Bomb-itty of Errors,’ the co-artistic directors of dre.dance, Diggs and Palermo, spoke about their relationship, Broadway and their schooling – driven by audience questions and moderator Marie Kemp, a professor of musical theater and acting. The modern setting suited the contemporary dance duo that seemed relaxed as they joked with the audience.
Amidst the stories, the duo’s amiable nature stood out. Referring to an acting workshop, Diggs brought up a scene to illustrate a point: If an actor is connected – emotionally, physically and spiritually – he or she won’t need anything extra to make a bold choice because the strong choices will come from a grounded state of mind.
Coming out onto the stage by doing a flip, though unexpected, is not a bold choice, Diggs said. Neither is wearing clown makeup, just for the sake of making a bold choice.
‘Chances are, if it’s something you’re scared of, it’s probably good for you,’ he said. ‘Madonna said that. I didn’t know she said that so I wasn’t trying to steal from Madonna. But, that tends to be the case. You have a safety net here, take as many risks as you can while you’re here.’
Diggs and Palermo met in Rochester, N.Y. at the School of the Arts, before separating for college – Diggs came to SU to study musical theater, while Palermo went to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for acting. The two remained close friends despite the distance.
‘Before he was ‘Taye Diggs,” Palermo said, ‘I would always say to (friends), he was going to be famous. Something about his vision and drive, you couldn’t doubt it. If you believe it, it’s pretty possible it’s going to happen.’
After college both were fortunate, Palermo continued, because both had agents. Rather than traveling the route of ‘Hell on Earth’ open calls, they were able to go to agent submissions and were lucky to get jobs on Broadway quickly.
However, though both began on Broadway, they eventually strayed. Palermo went backward, traveling on national and European tours to see the world, while Diggs chose a more unconventional direction.
‘He (Taye) went to Disney Tokyo after he had done a Broadway show,’ Palermo said. ‘He wore bananas on his arms. You might be able to find YouTube videos, I don’t know.’
But before that, immediately after graduating, Diggs headed to New York City and began auditioning for musicals. As a triple threat – dancing, acting, singing – he knew it was his best bet for getting cast. Keep in mind what you want to be, he said. But also, keep in mind what you are.
‘For me, it’s good to see an African-American representative since we make up such a small part of the department,’ Bailey, a music theater student, said. ‘To see someone that has made it pushes me to be the best I can be.’
As time ran down, Diggs and Palermo answered the final questions and left everyone with some advice.
‘Me, being as old as I am, and seeing how young you are, there is this need to impart what I can upon you – be honest with yourself,’ Diggs said. ‘And it’s perfectly fine if after all of this money and all of these classes – if you’re not feeling it – it’s fine to choose to do something else… Figure out what it is that you love, it may still be in the arts, it might not be. Do it for you.’
Published on March 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm
