Joshua Castille, who is playing Billy in the new ACT product of Tribes, was just recently in a new commercial for HP. On stage, he was in the Broadway revival of Deaf West’s Spring Awakening as Ernst. A 22-year-old from Louisiana, we sat down with him to talk musicals, zoning out and the eclectic nature of Seattle. Tribes runs March 3rd through the 26th.
When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?
I realized I wanted to be an actor when I saw the movie, Chicago. I obsessively watched it and wanted to do musicals. My mom eventually put me in acting classes so I would stop moving the shower curtain into the hall.
What performance are you excited about seeing?
Whoo! This is a hard question because as I am seeing more and more theatre the more I’m getting into experimental theatre. I really want to see some of the greats on stage, like Bette Midler, Audra McDonald and Bernadette Peters. I am really sad I missed seeing Todrick Hall in Kinky Boots.
What do you do to prepare right before you hit the stage?
I usually just zone out and think of my track. Sometimes, I’ll pick showtunes that match my character’s emotions before I go onstage.
What artwork (piece of music, theatre piece, whatever) has always inspired you?
Right now, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Sleep No More are two pieces of work that I constantly think about. [Curious Incident… will be at the Paramount Theatre in July]. I’m very curious about how the Deaf community can create something unique and push the envelope even more than we did with Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening.
What do you like about Seattle’s arts community?
I love that it’s so supportive and unaffraid to be different. I love the eclectic nature of Seattle. I truly see that the heart of Seattle’s arts community allows people to tell their story while pushing them to reach higher standards.