Recent MSU graduates find success on and off Broadway

As Missouri State University is investing in both its Theatre & Dance Department facilities and the students who come through the program, a trio of the school’s alums are among those either embarking on new roles on Broadway in New York City or set to hit the road in a national theater production this fall.

Sadie Dickerson, Janae Hammond and Claire Marshall, who all currently call New York City home, are making successful moves in their young acting careers. All three of them credit the Springfield university for helping pave the way toward improving what Josh Young, associate professor and coordinator of BFA Musical Theatre at MSU, calls “the business of themselves.”

Dickerson, a 2024 MSU graduate, made her Broadway debut Sept. 16, portraying actress Sandra Dee in “Just in Time,” the Tony-nominated musical that tracks the life of 1950s singer Bobby Darin. Hammond, who graduated from MSU in 2019, is set in November to assume a larger role of Rose Granger-Weasley in the Tony-winning play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” for which she joined the cast last year as an understudy for numerous parts. And Marshall, a 2024 MSU graduate, begins a national tour this month of the Tony-winning revival of “Chicago,” portraying Velma Kelly.

Stage action
Dickerson, originally from Austin, Texas, said a production of “Annie” in sixth grade set her on the eventual path to enroll in MSU’s musical theatre program.

“I only joined theater because my older sister was in it,” she said via email. “But I will never forget the feeling of being on stage for the first time. I feel like since then I’ve known I wanted to chase that feeling for the rest of my life.”

At MSU, Dickerson performed in numerous productions, such as “A Chorus Line” and “9 to 5: The Musical.” She said the quality of training, particularly the support of her professors, has been the most impactful as her stage career develops on Broadway. 

“I think that being kind in this industry is kind of a lost art, and to have a program where it is embedded into the very core of the curriculum is a very special thing,” she said. 

Marshall said she remembers being on a national tour of “The Cher Show,” which had a Springfield stop in April at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. 

“We were in Hammons Hall for one night and coming out of the stage door I saw a lot of professors that wanted to come support me, and that was just so sweet to see they really are vested, even post-grad,” she said. 

A native of Orange County, just south of Los Angeles, Marshall said the theater program is what drew her to Springfield. Shows she performed in while on campus included “Ordinary Days” and “Xanadu” in Tent Theatre. 

“You can learn all you want to and take all the notes you want in class, but ultimately it’s not going to really all come together until you have to put it in practice,” she said. “Pretty much every show was like that for me that I did at Tent Theatre. I learned a whole lot.”

Marshall said she took a lot more dance classes than needed to graduate but added it benefited her to pick up choreography quickly and understand different dance styles.

“For a lot of people, myself included, there’s just endless possibility in musical theater,” she said. “Maybe I’ll be doing the overarching musical theater job for years to come, but it will never be the same job twice. And that really excites me.”

Hammond, who joined the Broadway cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” last November, said she came to MSU seeking to major in business. But the Kansas City native said she also had performed in theatre and dance since she was 2 years old and eventually switched to musical theatre.

“They were like, ‘OK, for this business degree you have to do accounting.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no, I don’t do math,’” she said with a laugh.  

“Legally Blonde,” “Cats” and “My Fair Lady” were among productions Hammond performed in during her time at MSU. 

“A big thing with Missouri State is they always were saying they give us the tools that go in our toolbox so that we can build what we need,” she said. “I was just not like that kid who grew up knowing all of the shows and the songs. I think Missouri State just gave me a chance to explore that a bit more, to find my passion for it and develop the confidence in myself that I could do this full time.” 

Training ground
Young said he taught Dickerson and Marshall, noting both were “triple threats.”

“They were equally as good in singing, dancing and acting, and that makes you more marketable,” he said. 

Young describes MSU’s musical theatre program as a conservatory-style training ground for business-focused artists. It’s also very competitive, Herr said, noting the department auditioned close to 2,000 people last year for 16 slots. Herr said the department has roughly 280 students.

Young, who himself has Broadway and national theater tour acting experience, said he doesn’t think most schools that teach musical theatre focus a lot on the industry. That includes how to get jobs and make connections with industry professionals such as agents. But that’s not the case at MSU, he said, noting the program is “employment focused.”

“One thing that I try to do is use the connections and the business know-how that I have in order to set the students up for success,” he said. “I was in New York City on Broadway for 20 years and use those connections to help bring my students into that industry.”

That includes bringing in guests to classes, such as boutique talent agents and casting directors.

“We try to introduce them to as many people in the industry as we can before they even graduate,” Young said, adding faculty keep themselves open to students reaching out for advice after graduation. “That way it’s not as overwhelming for them when they get to New York City or wherever they go.”

While Young said there’s a low employment rate in musical theatre nationally, he estimates roughly 50% of the program’s graduates go into a job upon graduation. 

“We have that goal that they are employed, not just employable when they graduate,” he said, adding he reminds students about the time commitment and effort necessary to pursue theatre as a full-time career path. 

“In addition to that, I try to tell them that every day they need to do something to improve their business,” he said. “Whether that be reaching out to a theater company, whether that be updating their website, whether that be redoing the layout on the resume. Every day, they should be doing something to better their business. If you’re not doing something, somebody else will be.”