The View From The Footlights - with Ricky Rojas

To celebrate one year of The Kevin Clifton Show, we’re in conversation with a very special guest - singer, songwriter and performer, Ricky Rojas, whose theatre credits include such stellar hits as ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’, ‘Fame’, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Grease’, to name but a few!

Ricky joins the show to discuss the incredible road that’s taken him to the heights of theatre-land, the impact of COVID-19 upon the livelihoods and careers of theatrical creatives, and why performers must always enjoy the ride!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• With so much uncertainty in the theatre right now, many are clinging onto their optimism in the hopes that life will return to normal. The best estimates are that performances will begin again in early 2021.
• Representation in media of positive Hispanic role models has been a long time coming. For the longest time, they have often been portrayed as villains, or as secondary characters, but that viewpoint is thankfully changing now.
• One of the greatest ways of learning the theatrical craft is to enrol in theatre school, where the unexpected lessons can be practically learned, such as the importance of read-throughs, connecting with song lyrics, and how to build confidence.
• When we want something so much, we can be counterproductive to ourselves by holding onto the hope too tightly. Being a performer is all about tempering expectations, and finding the right balance between hope and practicality.
• As performers, it is our job to leave our personal challenges at the stage door when we perform. Our moods can show when we take the stage, therefore part of the job is being able to detach.

BEST MOMENTS

’It’s a matter of not “if” we go back, but “when”’ - 7:35

‘I don’t think I had a massive goal - I just knew I liked singing’ - 10:10

‘Don’t take yourself so seriously, and just enjoy the ride, man’ - 17:12

‘You’ve got to learn to be alright with whatever voice you’ve got that night’ - 47:07

‘You need to remove the word “impossible” from your vocabulary’ – 57:07

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Ricky Rojas - http://www.rickyrojas.com/Ricky_Rojas/Home.html

Ricky Rojas Twitter - https://twitter.com/r_rojas?lang=en

The Kevin Clifton Show - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-kevin-clifton-show/id1475650764

ABOUT THE HOST

Kevin Clifton is a professional dancer who has been performing & competing at the highest level for over a decade. Kevin has worked on shows like 'Burn the floor' & 'Rock of Ages' to 'Strictly Come Dancing' one of the biggest TV shows in the UK which Kevin won in 2018.

CONTACT METHOD

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