Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy Struxness.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up as a dancer/performing artist. During my childhood, I trained with Kansas City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and School of American Ballet. I also performed with various companies in Kansas City such as The Lyric Opera, Starlight Theater and Worlds of Fun. After graduating high school, I went to The Juilliard School in New York City where I earned my BFA in dance while auditioning for Broadway. Upon graduating, I baby-stepped my way through the NY theater scene over the course of some years and landed on Broadway in Wicked. From there, I went on to be cast in Memphis, and then began originating Broadway musicals, such as Matilda and the smash hit phenomenon Hamilton. My personal creative outlet throughout this journey was photography. My interests truly began to form around portraiture and travel photography, and it was a great way for me to escape the daily grind of theater life in NY. After Hamilton, I decided I no longer wanted to do someone else’s creative bidding, so I began to explore what it would look like for me to develop my own broader creative voice. I began to write, began to film my own dance projects and then decided to move out to Los Angeles.
After 20 years in NY the sunshine and nature of California were calling me and LA proved to be an easier city in which to create. To get settled and familiar, I began to teach WERQ cardio dance fitness, a super fun dance fitness program based around pop and hip-hop music, which happens to be owned and created by my sister. With the new connections I made through WERQ and my NY transplants here in LA, I began to create my own video and photo projects. Some highlights have been my work with drag queen Miss Evita Loca, comedian Kevin Yee, and helping launch the #GTLFTD Fitness Festival in LA back in February, as well as helping create their first virtual event back in July. In addition to my creative work, I am in the process of starting two different businesses, one in the entertainment realm and the other in the fashion/philanthropy world. For the majority of my life, I was laser-focused on one goal…Broadway. Having reached it and then some, I am now allowing my scope to expand so I can keep my hand in as many different projects and worlds as I possible. I am an artist of many facets, a leader and an activist.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh man it has not been a smooth road at all. While in college I was totally that kid who thought they’d move directly into a Broadway show, but instead it took me seven years from graduation to Broadway debut. I went from a cruise ship gig to a non-union musical theater job, to waitressing at Planet Hollywood in Times Square. I booked a non-union tour and then finally an Equity (union) tour three years after graduating which felt like the “big break” I’d been looking for. After that tour, I took myself to Europe for six weeks with my camera and had an amazing time traveling around alone and seeing so much beauty outside of the US and outside of theater. When I came back, I quickly booked Wicked, but in Chicago. I was there for a year and a half, moved back to NY and spent the next six months unemployed and auditioning for every Broadway show under the sun, but still no job. Wicked called again, but in San Francisco, and I needed the health insurance weeks, so I said yes.
After four months out in San Fran, I finally was offered a temporary spot in Wicked on Broadway for someone’s medical leave. Once there, I quickly booked the show Memphis, and then couldn’t book another Broadway show for two years, not for trying. Leap of Faith was the first original Broadway show I did and it closed 2.5 weeks after it opened. Luckily there was another opening in Memphis, so I got my old job back. But it closed six weeks after I returned. Then along came Scandalous, another original Broadway show, and it closed 3.5 weeks after it opened. However I’d booked Matilda, where I stayed for a year and a half before leaving to do the then unknown show, Hamilton. By the time I got to Hamilton, my body was beat up from the years of dance and the grueling Broadway show schedule (8 shows/wk, six days/wk). While it was a magnificent artistic endeavor to be a part of, it was by far the hardest part of my journey, and after, I was ready for a complete overhaul to my life. I got into voiceovers, had some middling success in TV, but couldn’t seem to gain purchase outside the Broadway world, or outside being just in the ensemble.
I sustained a large injury at the beginning of 2017, that sent me into a depression, as well as having bought property in Brooklyn that proved to be a huge headache requiring the majority of my time and attention. No one seemed very interested in hiring me for work, I was angry, confused, frustrated and sad. I picked up The Artist’s Way in 2018 and it helped transform my mind and made me realize I wanted to live out here and I wanted to pool all my creative strengths together. However, I didn’t make it out to LA until the beginning of 2019, and then my dad had a heart attack, my dog died and my 5.5 year relationship ended. Just when I was getting my footing under me at the top of 2020, Coronavirus hit. The last 3.5 years have been a trial unlike anything else I’ve faced in my life, but they’ve helped me figure out what really matters to me, and for that I’m grateful.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a photographer. I’m a videographer. I’m an editor. I’m a director. I’m a dancer. I’m an actor. I’m a singer. I’m a voiceover artist. I’m a writer. I’m an activist. I’m a teacher. I’m a creator.
I’m still known best for my work on Broadway. The theatrical community will always be in my heart and in my DNA. All my work is based off my training and my experiences, so even in editing video, I’m connecting the music to the story, the music to the edits, the story to the visuals, the visuals to the beat of the music. Creating new works on Broadway on multiple occasions taught me how to craft a story, how to focus it, how to light it, how to underscore it, how to dress it, etc. I bring all of that into every project I do.
I’m proud of the tenacity I have to keep going, to keep pushing and to stick to my gut. I’m proud that I’m not afraid to change.
What sets me apart is my ability to be both incredibly creative and incredibly logical. I’m fastidious and full of integrity both in person and in execution.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family is the biggest component of my success and my support. Randi and Paul Struxness have said yes to me at every single turn, even if they were hesitant and scared. My brother, Reed and my sister, Haley have always been supportive as well, continuing to champion me and my endeavors. Haley and I are kindred spirits who’ve only gotten closer and closer over the years. I hear her voice deep in my bones, telling me I’ve got this, telling me I’m smart, telling me I’m worthy of everything I dream about. They all want to see me kick ass and take names.
Haley specifically has been a huge help in my move out to Los Angeles. If not for WERQ, my transition across the country would not have been possible.
I have a pool of friends who’ve been amazing throughout the years as cheerleaders, support systems, collaborators and muses. I feel fortunate to say, there are too many to name, but you can find them in my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.betsystruxness.com
- Instagram: @be_strux, @be_strux_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betsy.struxness
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVIR6eg-lrpKAZWR5YqCtTg?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Betsy Struxness
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