Brian Clowdus has a presence onstage and off. With his height, wit, vivacious personality, easy laughter and Southern charm, Clowdus lights up the room. It could be his charm that helps him get his way. It could be his smile that makes it impossible to say no to him. Most likely, though, it is his determination.
Singing for the crowds
Clowdus, a theater and dance major from Hokes Bluff, Ala., knew from the very beginning that he wanted to perform in a musical as a portion of his senior thesis. "I came in, and said 'I am going to do a musical for my senior project if it kills me,'" he said. "Everyone said it couldn't be done, but I knew it was going to happen." Clowdus was not discouraged. Since there was no musical theater program that consistently offered productions at the College, he looked elsewhere to utilize his talents, always keeping in mind that he intended to perform as part of his thesis.
His first challenge was surviving a competitive audition process for the Zumbyes. "When I came to Amherst College, I thought that if I was not a Zumbye my life would be over. When I saw them for the first time I thought 'Oh my word! I have to be in that group!' When I got in, I felt like my life was complete. I had won the lottery. I was one of only two freshmen who had gotten into the group," he said.
The Zumbyes demand a great deal of Clowdus' time. "We rehearse regularly, but the week of a concert we rehearse every night for say, four or five hours at a time," he explained. "I think a lot of people think a cappella singing groups aren't that big of a time commitment, but we work really hard to put on a good show," Clowdus added.
As a first-year student, Clowdus also auditioned for a production of "Cabaret" which was being produced at Mount Holyoke College. He landed the lead role, and consequently spent a good portion of his first year on the PVTA , balancing "Cabaret" rehearsals at Mt. Holyoke with Zumbyes rehearsals at the College. There were benefits to having long rehearsals that ran late into the night, however. Clowdus met his best friends during "Cabaret" rehearsals: Alex Kissel, a senior at Smith, and Molly Corkern, a senior at Hampshire.
A true friend
Since those first rehearsals, two things have remained constant: Clowdus' dedication to the Zumbyes and his friendships with Kissel and Corkern. Clowdus, Kissel and Corkern have come full circle in four years: they met performing in five-college musical theater and they ended their college careers with it as well. Kissel and Corkern both acted in "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying," Clowdus' performance thesis.
"Brian is a very consistent friend," said Corkern. "If you're friends with Brian, you're friends with Brian. He'll never turn his back on you. He's extremely supportive. He always calls you back when he says he's going to. He's always there. He'll always tell you that you did a good job."
Zumbye Chad Mills '04 agreed. "Brian always wants things to go right for his friends, and he goes out of his way to make sure that it does." Mills explained that Clowdus, as the business manager for the Zumbyes, was responsible for planning the Zumbyes' spring break trip to Florida. "He was so excited for the trip. He went all out for us and arranged for us to stay in hotels, which we never do since we always stay with alums, and to eat in good restaurants. He always had his eye on the prize."
For Clowdus, the prize of the future is a role on Broadway. "I want to be on Broadway so badly," he said. "I am a firm believer that if you want something badly enough, it just takes perseverance."
Clowdus certainly perseveres. "If you're performing in commercial musical theater, you're most marketable when you're young. That was the thing that stressed me out the most about not going to a Conservatory," he explained. "I knew that it was absolutely imperative that I utilize my summers in a professional setting."
Preparing for the roles
For the past three summers, Clowdus has worked to prepare for his acting career. Each summer, a number of different shows are performed at a venue. He performs every night of the summer and spends his time during the day rehearsing and preparing for the next show. The summer before his junior year, Clowdus auditioned for the national tour of "Cabaret" and made it to the final four people in the country auditioning for the lead role before he was cut. "The point of going to a Conservatory is to make connections and get experience in theater, so I used my summer to do that. If I hadn't utilized my summers, I'd be scared to go into the professional world."
The next step is a big one for Clowdus, and this year was particularly important. He traveled to New York City a number of times for casting calls and auditions, but he never lost sight of what was going on at the College-preparations for his thesis.
"How to Succeed"
"The written portion was pretty open. Performers are supposed to write about their processes as an actor and about the development of the character and how to work as an ensemble with the company," Clowdus said. "My situation was especially unique because it was the first musical that had been done in such a long time at Amherst."
Although Clowdus' thesis was based on performance, he also had to do substantial research. Like J. Pierpont Finch, his character in "How to Succeed," who spent the show searching for the right position in the right company, Clowdus had to pick the right show, with a suitable lead character.
"Finch had so many different sides. He was very charming and had this whole façade and he hid his schemingness behind his charming smile. Rosemary brought out the honest side of him," Clowdus explained. "I liked the character because it was like he was battling between his two sides."
Although Clowdus was pre-cast for the lead, the theater and dance department held auditions for the rest of the cast. Clowdus had nothing to do with the casting, but he was at all the auditions. "I didn't want the cast to think 'oh he's at home sippin' his martini and memorizing his lines," said Clowdus. "I read with everybody on the stage since I was pre-cast and the directors had to see me opposite all the cast members. It changes everything having the lead pre-cast."
For three months, he balanced "How to Succeed" rehearsals, Zumbyes rehearsals and competition preparations, the written portion of his thesis and frequent trips to New York. "At Amherst, a musical was being done for me. In the other part of my life I'm in New York where nobody knows me, auditioning with hundreds of people and getting my fair share of rejections," he said. "It was good because it kept me in check. I didn't get a big head from the musical, but I didn't fall apart from rejections."
Clowdus got a great deal more than just rejections. He was called back for the part of Mark in the national tour of "Rent" and has made it to the final call back for the part of Kenickie in the national tour of "Grease." Even if he doesn't land the part, Clowdus has a contract with Holland-America Cruise Lines to perform in various shows on the cruise for seven months. "If I can't do a national tour, I will do the cruise. It will allow me to save money for a half a year or a year so I can afford to live in the city. It will also give me time to focus on auditions," he said. "The stress of having a job and auditioning at the same time is just too much to handle."
No matter how much stress he faces, Clowdus will always have the support and encouragement of his grandmother, his mother and his sister. "My mom, my granny and my sister are the three most amazing women in the world. They are so supportive of me," he said. "I wear a ring with three diamonds, one for each of them, so I know they're always thinking of me."
Clowdus' grandmother came to Amherst from Alabama for his final Zumbyes performance. For Clowdus, the performance marked the culmination of a wonderful thing. "The Zumbyes have provided me with an outlet to sing, dance, act and perform," he said. For the audience of his final Zumbyes show, just as for the audience of "How to Succeed," Clowdus embodies the words of a James Taylor hit, one of his solos in the Zumbyes: "Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself."
"Brian is gracious, warm, appreciative and with a quick hug and smile for everyone in the cast. His personal popularity and talent is such that many people wanted to be in 'How to Succeed' just because he was slated by the theater department to be its star," said "How to Succeed" musical director Mark Swanson and director of the College's orchestra. "He is a real joy. We'll miss him."