© 2009 Dead Sexy Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
JOURNEY FROM MISSISSAUGA TO THE TORONTO STAGE
Written by Tom J
Photography by Carla Silva
Entertaining legions of adoring fans is something every aspiring performer dreams of and lots of dreams is something BREANNE ARRIGO has in spades, not to mention formidable singing talent.
We first caught wind of Breanne when she recently took on the lead role of Scaramouche in the highly successful and much loved locally produced and cast production of WE WILL ROCK YOU (Which just completed a 2 ½ year run in Toronto). But little did I know that this young and positively outgoing local girl also has maturity way beyond her years!
So we sat down with Breanne just before a recent local jamming session in a club in downtown Toronto to talk talent, drive, ambition and also what it’s like to tour Canada as the sole female of a 10-piece band. We chatted about having dreams, what it takes to be a performer, where’s she’s been and most importantly where she’s going.
When did you realize that singing was what you wanted to do?
Breanne: “It kinda just always came natural to me. I don’t remember that far back, that’s how far back it was. My parents told me that I was under 2 when I started to sing.”
So when was the first time? “In front of my church congregation, when I was 3 years old. I was singing before I could even read.”
Breanne continues to tell me that she comes from a very supportive and musical family. Her brother is an actor, her sister is a dancer and her father was a singer and is now an artist.
“It was great to have that encouragement and support.”
So how has been finding you’re way in a highly competitive field?
“As you get older it does get harder.” Breanne volunteers. “I always thought it would be easier, but the competition gets heavier and a lot of the time the people you are competing against are good friends.”
Some realism.
“The rejection gets harder so as a performer you have to work that much harder.”
But the ambition never dies.
“All through that, I never, ever, considered doing anything else.”
“It was a great experience. Incredible. We toured Canada a number of times.” Breanne reminisces.
How much more Canadian can you get to this point right? I wanna know what it was like to tour with all these guys.
“It was a really cool lifestyle at the time, something I always wanted to do. I was the only girl in a 10 piece band traveling in a crappy, sweaty, man-smelling, fast food garbage filled van with over 10 hours of traveling a day.”
Wow, life on the road is glamorous isn’t it?
“And it would be weeks at a time!” Breanne laughs. “But it was great to have that experience.”
After 2 fun yet tiring years with GMMF, Breanne wanted a new challenge. That was when the opportunity came to try out for a new Mirvish musical when a casting agent called Breanne’s agent to see about her auditioning.
“I went broke being with the band, since there is so little or no money in touring, so when We Will Rock You came along I was very interested.”
Initially the plan was to go for 8 weeks only however We Will Rock You went on to a highly successful 2 ½ year run with over 500 performances.
So we talk about a young girl’s journey to live her dream. A teenage Breanne (a honor roll student) finished high school early so she could take on her first stage challenge when she was cast in Hairspray. Until then she had never done theatre and she needed to grow up fast. She confides in me that the experience is what gave her a strong, hard working ethic.
“The opportunities I was given at a very early age always surpassed my expectations. I took whatever challenge I was given and ran with it.”
From there she fronted a musical review “School of Rock” at the crazy popular Canada’s Wonderland theme park during one of their summer seasons. Surprisingly it was there that she met so many musicians and producers.
“I was kinda discovered there. It was pretty much on a low budget basis.”
So Breanne started gigging and going to open mikes and meeting with lots of music contacts. From this Breanne met the base player of local outfit GOD MADE ME FUNKY. She met the members, played with them right away and was fortunate to be invited to join the popular Canadian Nu-funk orchestra/band in 2005 as the female lead singer. She toured all over Canada with them. During the time she was with the band they were nominated for a Juno award for their release “We Can All Be Free”.
So there was no drama or debauchery behind the scenes? No gossip for anyone looking for it. Looks like just another workplace to me, albeit with different hours.
Finally what is Breanne’s tip for anyone considering going into musical theatre?
“I would say to really round out yourself well as a performer. If you can sing, take dance lessons. You need to be able to access ALL your talents. And always be prepared.”
All future performers need to take note.
Sadly the Music had to end sometime so finally on June 28 the hit musical went dark. Where is Breanne heading now that WWRY has closed? She’s been working with some local music producers and writers in finding her signature sound and voice and writing lots of original material. She also is collaborating with some top Canadian and US recording studios in hopes of reaching her goal.
On how Breanne describes her style:
“Really R&B, bluesy is kinda what my voice suits best. But also I am a highly positive person so I like to write high energy, positive, uplifting messages with a great beat.”
Breanne started in the show as an understudy and over the run made the rise to the lead female garnering a lot of fans and adoration along the way.
What was the best thing about being part of WWRY?
“It was a great opportunity for me to grow and learn. The teamwork, we had a great team. And finally I knew if I was patient the chance to play the lead would come.”
The biggest challenge?
“I have a real appreciation for understudies. You have to learn say 6, 8 or 10 roles, depending and you have to stay current because you never know when they are going to call you to take the stage.”
WOW. That’s pressure. I’m sure a lot of theatergoers don’t think about the understudies at all when they go see a show and all the work involved.
“There were times were they called me half an hour before a show to tell me I would be on stage.”
WWRY had lots of fans so I finally wanted to ask what perhaps the fans would be the most surprised to hear.
Breanne smiles. “You know what…people tend to think we are party animals and super crazy but we were really straight. Nobody drank, nobody smoked, we were really straight arrows.”
“I’m at a point in my life that I really want to see what it’s like to pursue me as an artist.”
