Beetlejuice The Musical || Taylor Scanlan

The Fame Reporter interviewed Taylor Scanlan, the Dance Captain and Swing in the incredible cast of the spectacular Broadway smash hit Beetlejuice The Musical. Playing at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre in Brisbane until 5 July.

Few performers know Beetlejuice The Musical inside and out quite like Taylor. As both Dance Captain and Swing, he’s constantly balancing leadership, adaptability and the excitement of never quite knowing when he’ll be called on.

We chatted about life behind the scenes, unforgettable last-minute put-ins, his move to Brisbane, why being a swing is one of the most rewarding jobs in musical theatre and more.

You’ve just made the move to Brisbane—how has settling into a new city lined up with stepping into Beetlejuice again and its wild, high-energy world?
I have always loved Brisbane and moving here has been on the cards for quite some time now. But to come up here and be a part of Beetlejuice has just made the move so much more enjoyable.

It’s become my favourite city to live and now I get to match it with one of my favourite shows!

As both Dance Captain and Swing, you’re balancing leadership with adaptability—how do those two responsibilities intersect in your day-to-day on the show?
Day to day, I have always found such fulfilment in helping others and being a leader, so being able to bring that into this large-scale production is something I don’t take for granted.

I am always looking for ways to simultaneously support the cast and ensure the show continues at the high standard we know it to be.

When it comes to adaptability, I am always seeking new ways to challenge myself outside of the theatre to keep the brain and body fresh and thankfully, this has translated into my work onstage as a swing. I love change and seeing it as a way to learn, grow and try new things.

Swings are often called the “unsung heroes” of musical theatre—what do you think audiences would be most surprised to learn about what goes into covering multiple tracks?
The fantastic part of this show and most shows in musical theatre is that the show you see every night is backed by hours upon hours of rehearsals both during the show week and even as shows are running.

It’s never truly the exact same show and similarly, the audience is never the same. So, when we have covers/swings jump on, it just adds so much value to the spectacle of live performance.

Audiences would probably be surprised to know that as a show is running and they are watching it, there is usually nine times out of ten, a whole other rehearsal happening backstage.

For example, us swings are always running the show in different configurations as the show is happening, so we can keep up the show fitness but always keep the work in our bodies.

You’ve swung in major productions like Mary Poppins and Cats—how has your approach to the role evolved across those very different shows?
Each time I come to this role, I learn something new and over time you begin to refine your process into what I call “what actually matters.” For example, when I was starting out, I used to draw stick figures of the choreography and spent hours wasting away on things that actually didn’t actually help me. But because I was new, I didn’t know that at the time, so I did everything.

I am now able to see rehearsals and the process of placing a show together both for my brain and helping other swings as a dance captain, in a whole new light that is filtered through clarity, simplicity and a whole lot of trust in my own abilities to get the job done.

What’s the biggest mental or physical challenge of switching between tracks, sometimes at a moment’s notice, and how do you stay ready?
Switching between tracks or being thrown on last minute never ceases to get the heart pumping and the nerves flowing (no matter how many years you do it).

One thing I always come back to is my ability to self-regulate, in these high pressure moments, I have to learn how to calm the breath so I can think clearly, if I don’t I will only panic more, which as you can imagine, leads to not a great performance.

For me, affirmations work tremendously well, this is where I would use it to convince myself that “I know exactly what I am doing, and I am going to focus on having fun.”

The biggest challenge is never “do I know what I am doing” It’s actually getting your mind onboard to just got for it and trust yourself.

As Dance Captain, how do you maintain consistency and energy in a show as chaotic and precise as Beetlejuice?
Wow, it’s funny because the show itself is chaotic, but we were so fortunate to have a creative team teach us it with such clarity that it’s become really easy to maintain the consistency and energy of this show.

For me I like to ensure that all cast members first of all feel great in what they are doing, if they have had a great day or not and then lead from there.

Above all else, we are all humans first and even on the days the choreography might slip a little, I always ensure I am checking in on the cast so I know where they are at before coming at them with 20 notes…haha.

Have you had a moment in your career where you’ve been thrown on unexpectedly? What happened, and how did you handle it?
Oh, more times than I can count this has happened. On Beetlejuice it actually has happened too, I was actually side stage when it happened and gosh did it happen quick. I remember watching the show from the sidelines and then in seconds one of our assistant stage managers turns to me and says” You’re On” for so and so after this next number and all you can do in that moment is actually say YES and get on with it.

You’ll be surprised how much you get on board when you say yes. If you question yourself in the moment, it goes downhill quickly.

I ended up grabbing my iPad, quickly watched the next number I was about to go in for, got dressed and just went out there. The best thing is, in that moment, it’s never about getting it perfect. The reality is that someone is down and to ensure the show can continue, you need to go ahead and make that happen. So even if you stuff up, you’re already doing the show a massive service but just doing your best.

What makes Beetlejuice particularly demanding (or rewarding) from a choreography and ensemble standpoint?
It’s demanding in the ways that once you are on (especially for act two) you are on full steam ahead and you have minimal time to check your notes, so you got to be ON IT for act two.

Otherwise, as a swing anytime we go on and get to the bows feels like the greatest reward, because we train so many hours to do the thing. So, when we get to do it, it’s makes it all so worth it.

How do you build trust with the cast when you’re both leading them and also stepping into different roles alongside them?
Like I mentioned before, it all comes down to being a human first. But also understanding where to have healthy boundaries.

At the end of the day, it’s a workplace so if we need to ensure a note it given, it will be done. But to build trust ultimately, I have found has come from listening to the cast and really coming from a place of wanting to support them, whilst also ensuring the integrity of the show is being withheld to the highest standard.

For aspiring performers, swings can sometimes feel like a daunting path—why do you think it’s such a crucial role in large-scale productions?
I am so passionate about swinging because it’s the only place where I have felt I truly use ALL of what I trained for. But it always pushes you in ways being in the ensemble wouldn’t.

I definitely wouldn’t be as calm, regulated, and adaptable in life if I didn’t step into swinging.

It had to discover how to live in that way. So without it, who knows, maybe I would have been a stressed and anxious person. For new performers, it always comes down to the unknown, it’s the unknowing that scares them. But once they understand what their own process is and what supports them the most, everything changes.

What’s one track in Beetlejuice that keeps you on your toes the most, and why?
Oooo, to be honest, they all do but maybe as a different kind of answer.

I would have to say the girl tracks because in this production, I can also go on for a number of women which is great, but it’s not on the top of the radar so keeping those in my body as well and the men is what keeps me on my toes every week.

Finally, what excites you most about bringing this show to Brisbane audiences?
What excites me the most about bringing this show here is the people of Brisbane! Every time I do a show here, the audiences are just next level.

I love how involved they get and how responsive they are. Which is SO fantastic because this show requires a LOT of audience participation and receptivity.