Steven Telsey is a New York-based actor, originally from Queens and Long Island, who received his degree and training in Music Theatre from Elon University in 2018. Shortly after graduating, he joined the Broadway National Touring company of The Book of Mormon. Telsey starred on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre as “Lesh” in the original Broadway company of Harmony: A New Musical. In addition to his stage credits, Telsey’s New York concert appearances include Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops and five-nights at Radio City Music Hall alongside Barry Manilow. Telsey graduated from Great Neck South High School in 2014.
Sarah Sun: When did you attend Great Neck South High School? What was your most memorable experience?
Steven Telsey: I attended Great Neck South High from 2010 to 2014. It’s difficult to choose, but I have two particularly memorable experiences. First was playing the Emcee in Cabaret in the high school musical. I also had some good memories playing baseball on the JV baseball team. There was one game specifically where I scored the winning RBI, which stuck with me.
SS: What was it like participating in the musical at South High?
ST: The musical was the place where I was able to create and learn to do something that meant a lot to me. I also did the opera and the plays—I basically did everything I could possibly do until my senior year when I was auditioning for colleges and I couldn’t be there specifically. Without the theater program at Great Neck South, I wouldn’t be doing this as a career today, so I’m very thankful for everything that the program and those teachers gave me.
SS: Was there a teacher at South that particularly influenced you?
ST: At the time, the director of the musicals was Mr. Marr, who now teaches English. He was the one who really believed I could do this as a career, and he forged a path for me and helped me work towards getting into college.
SS: You’ve been in music and theater for a long time—did you always want to be an actor and musician? What inspired you to pursue a career in theater?
ST: I didn’t know that I wanted to be an actor or a musician until about my senior year of high school when I needed to start applying to colleges. And I thought, I can’t go through my life without trying this, because I’d always think “What if?” Luckily, not just in theater, but all the teachers at Great Neck South are so great and supportive, and I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do in the arts, such as getting into a good program for musical theater.
SS: How is your current job different from the productions you did in high school?
ST: The thing is, it’s not really that different, though obviously I’m now doing it for a living. I recently made my Broadway debut in the show Harmony, and the crazy thing about it is that you try to get to this goal that’s magical and special, and then you get there and it is all of those things, but you’re just doing what you’ve always done. Maybe I’m better than I was back in high school because of training and practice, but really, I’m doing the same thing on Broadway that I was doing as the Emcee in Cabaret.
SS: How do you prepare for a show? What are some of the routines you have in place?
ST: First, I like to do a lot of research, especially if I’m playing an actual person. For example, one person that I played was a real person who was part of a real singing group, so I found interviews with his family online, learned about his hometown, and learned a little more about Germany, where he was from. Some of my castmates actually went to Germany, which I didn’t get a chance to do, but I picked their brains about what it was like. So, research is really important, and where did I learn research? No other place than Great Neck South, where I did loads of research papers. And then, I just liked to be prepared, the same way that you need to be prepared to take a test at school, because you want to have every possible thing on your side. So, I learn all the music and know most of my lines in advance.
SS: What are some pieces of advice you have for budding musicians who are currently starting the audition process?
ST: Auditioning can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be because it is the job of an actor to audition. Going out and doing the show is a vacation from your real job, which is auditioning. So if you’re auditioning, congratulations, you’ve done it—you’re an actor! Also, it sounds really corny, but just simply be yourself. What you have in that moment is all you have and you can’t do anything about that. If they want to work with you, they’ll want to work with you, and if not, then somebody else will. It takes literally hundreds of “no”’s before you get a “yes”. It’s just part of the business. And, the “no”’s do get easier to handle. It doesn’t get any more fun but know that it’s just a part of the journey that everybody goes through.
SS: Can you describe your experience with your role in Harmony, which was your Broadway debut?
ST: My Broadway debut in Harmony was an absolute dream come true. I got to work on the show for three years. I did an Off-Broadway production and I did multiple workshops in New York, so I got the chance to create this role and make it myself. A lot of my friends came and saw the show and said, “that was just you up there.” I also thought it was a really interesting story, and the music was great, written by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, two absolute legends now bringing their musical to Broadway. They worked on this show for almost 30 years, so to be able to be a part of that was unique and rewarding.
SS: How else do you get into a role, including right before a show starts?
ST: In Harmony, there was this giant blown-up drop at the beginning of the show that fell back into the floor, and then we were there and we were them. At that moment, the character I played was very exuberant, happy, and just full of joy. He couldn’t believe the success that had befallen them. So right there in the scene, they’re about to perform at Carnegie Hall, the drop falls, and I would kind of squint my eyes open and picture everything in black and white. I know it wasn’t in black and white for them, but I would kind of picture it like a movie shutter because there are films of them. Then it would fall, I would just be there and I would be in character. Some of that I actually learned from Mr. Marr in high school—I still use some of the techniques that he taught me today.
SS: You’ve also performed in many different venues—do you travel a lot? What are some of your most memorable performing experiences?
ST: I have traveled a lot. One of the fun things about being in this industry is you never know where you’re going to be, who you’re going to meet, or where you’re going to meet. I’ve done shows in upstate New York. I performed in Mexico City for three weeks. I’ve performed in Regina, Saskatchewan, Los Angeles, Toronto, all over the place. In a lot of careers, you get the job, you do that job for 30 years, and then you retire, and you do it all in the same place. For me, I’m very thankful for the amount of travel I’ve done and the people that I’ve met along the way, and I’m very excited to see who I meet and where I go next.
I performed at Carnegie Hall and Radio City this past year, which is really exciting. That was a big old bucket list check. I performed with Barry Manilow at Radio City Music Hall, which was just insane. It was a huge space and it didn’t feel real. But there are a bunch of venues where musical theater happens—there are 41 Broadway theaters in Manhattan between 41st Street and about 57th Street, as well as Off-Broadway venues too. We did Harmony Off-Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage all the way downtown in Battery Park. Musical theater can happen anywhere.
SS: How has being an actor influenced your outlook on life?
ST: I think it has made me a more caring and empathetic person. Instead of making quick judgments about people, I think about why someone would do or say something or what would bring them to that point. It’s your job as an actor to be in the mind of the role that you’re playing. I also like to people-watch at the street corner, while having coffee. It’s interesting, when people walk by, to think about what is happening in their day or where they’re on their way to or what their voice would be like if they were talking.
SS: What advice would you give to high school students, young artists, or anyone in the process of figuring out themselves and their future?
ST: My biggest piece of advice would be that there is no one way to get to where you want to be. And, even if you think that’s where you want to be, you really have no clue what’s going to come your way, so just go along for the ride. You also can’t compare yourself to anybody. I had a professor tell me once that you can’t move forward if you’re looking side to side at your peers. You’re with your peers together and someone may have a direction that you want to go in, but it will happen for you with time. There’s no right or wrong way. I did a pretty traditional method of getting to Broadway where I got a BFA in Musical Theater from Elon University, and I got my four-year degree, but I was with people who didn’t have a degree. Everyone’s talented, so just be a good person. Treat people with respect.
SS: What are you working on now? What’s next for you?
ST: I’m doing a couple of workshops, some new musicals, one play with music. But, the simple answer is I don’t know what’s next. I’m doing my first TV gig in a couple of weeks, but generally, I just wait for my agents to send in the auditions and then I go, and I guess we’ll see what’s next. The thing is, you never know. For example, the pandemic happened and I was on tour with Mormon, and the show got shut down in 2020. But Harmony was supposed to happen right around then, and if that didn’t happen, I would have never been in Harmony and made my Broadway debut. I don’t know what’s next, and I’m okay with that.
