Today we’d like to introduce you to Carson Shelton.
Hi Carson, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began acting about seven years ago, at the age of six. I’ve had a big personality from the beginning and was always making crazy facial expressions and being very animated. My mom decided to sign me up for a week long summer camp where we presented a very short version of The Wizard of Oz. I played the Lion and absolutely loved it. My parents say that’s when they discovered how much I loved performing. Shortly after that, I started taking on-camera classes where I was able to perform a short monologue at a showcase in front of Atlanta agents and casting directors. I signed with an agent and continued to take on-camera classes while submitting auditions that came my way and occasionally working on set. In 2017 one of our family friends invited me to attend a summer musical theater camp. I was a little bit hesitant because I didn’t know much about singing or dancing. I ended up playing Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka Kids and was hooked. I continued to participate in different musicals over the next couple of years at local children’s theaters and slowly learned more about singing and dancing and the world of live theater. I was able to attend Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta in 2019 and was chosen by the judges as an “All Star” and got to perform on the big stage in front of about 6000 people.
To this day that is the most people, I’ve ever performed in front of at one time. I was actually able to return the following year and perform in a New Works Production on the big stage again, which was absolutely incredible. I’d say everything took a shift when I was asked to audition to play the role of “Les” at Lambert’s High School Production of Newsies. Little did I know that this school had an incredible program that would ultimately win several Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards, including Best Production. That was the first taste I got of working with teenagers and adults who were performing at a very high level, and my love for the craft grew tremendously. That was about the point where I made the decision to focus my efforts in training for musical theater and put on-camera to the side. I had soooo much to learn about singing and dancing and knew I was going to have to start training specifically in those categories if I wanted to continue doing this. A few months later, I was given the opportunity to audition for a role at a new professional theater in Atlanta, City Springs Theatre Company. I didn’t think I ever had a chance of booking it but wanted to start putting myself in those stressful situations so I could start to learn how to handle them.
After hearing nothing for a couple of months, I was shocked when I was asked to come in for a callback and ultimately booked my first professional theater role. That was an absolutely incredible experience where I learned so much. After that, I continued to train while performing in another high school production, a college show and a second professional show. As we all know, Covid shut theater down for quite some time, and although there were no shows being performed, many teachers, coaches and organizations started offering virtual classes. Since I had usually been committed to one show or another, I hadn’t had the time to work on my singing and dancing as intensely as I had wanted. There were actually opportunities now to work with people from New York who previously only offered in-person options. I started working with people on a national level during that time and was able to learn more about the industry and how to be successful. Fast forward to August of 2021, when I sent in my taped audition for A Christmas Story the Musical National Tour. The rest is history!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I can’t say that I’ve hit a ton of rough patches, but I’ve worked hard to get to this point. With everything, natural talent helps, but it’s the work you put in that sets you apart. My strength has always been acting. I have a natural stage presence and feel completely comfortable in that element. Musical theater, however, is so complex because you HAVE to be a triple threat and keep all three skills fresh and constantly improving. Singing and dancing have not come natural to me, and at times I have felt like I’ve struggled to keep up with kids who have done half the training. I’ve had clear weaknesses that I’ve had to focus on improving and I have to stay dedicated to continuing to train. Sometimes you just want to spend your time doing what you’re good at and what comes easy to you, but that won’t make you better.
I’ve also had to make a lot of sacrifices when it comes to spending time with my friends and family. “I can’t, I have rehearsal.” has become something everyone in my life has heard a thousand times. I’ve really always tried very hard to be as prepared as possible, and that can be very time-consuming because there’s always the next thing you’re trying to get ready for. I’ve also had to pull out of public school twice in order to be able to juggle it all successfully. Re-enrolling in the middle of a school year is not ideal and comes with a lot of challenges, but just like other things has made me stronger. It’s totally worth being with my school friends again.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
There is no doubt that I am most proud of my latest adventure – “A Christmas Story, the Musical” National Tour. It was the most unbelievable experience of my life. It all started last August when I was invited to submit a taped audition that consisted of two sets of sides (lines in the script), two songs cuts, a choreographed dance and a tap number. It was a ton of material that definitely took me a while to prepare. A few weeks after everything was submitted, I was in the middle of a regional production in Atlanta when I received word that I was invited to an in-person audition in New York City! This was all I ever wanted because I had never been to NYC and had dreamed of it for years. The timing however didn’t match up because I had two shows on the day of the audition. I figured I completely missed out until I got word that they were willing to see me over Zoom! They ended up scheduling it a few days later when I was in tech for that show. That was crazy day because it was an 11-hour rehearsal where I had the biggest audition of my life during the hour break. I thought the audition went horrible, but a few days later, I was offered the role of Schwartz, one of Ralphie’s best friends!
About a month later, my mom and I left for NYC to spend the next four weeks rehearsing at the iconic Ripley Grier Studios. We actually rented a brownstone in Brooklyn with three other cast members, so it was literally a non-stop party. I was able to attend my first Broadway shows, see all of the famous NYC sites, and live the city life. Every day was a dream come true in so many ways.
The day after Thanksgiving, we left for our first city on tour, where we would hold our tech week and previews. Tech week is where you perfect the blocking (down to the inch) add the lights, effects, sets, costumes and live orchestra. It was such a fun, fast-paced production, full of so many big numbers that bringing it together didn’t even feel like work. We continued the tour for the next five weeks, which was a whole other adventure. We still had 4 hours of school each day, but after that we were able to do so many cool things in each of the cities we went to. Getting to perform this show over and over never got old. It was just such an unforgettable time in my life.
I am so grateful I was given this opportunity, especially being able to work with and build friendships with the rest of the cast. I’m proud that my hard work showed and I hope I can continue to grow to go on more tours and hopefully my ultimate dream of Broadway someday.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I sure hope we can keep going! Covid kind of changed everything, making it clear that everything can be over in an instant. There are so many new protocols in place to keep everyone safe, but it’s definitely stressful. For the tour, we were tested twice a week during rehearsals in NYC and then pretty much every other day once we were on the road. It included the actors, creatives, orchestra, crew, and guardians. When things got crazy over Christmas, we lost several cast members and each day we tested, we were stressed the show was going to get shut down. We tried to quarantine in our room and do everything we could to keep the show going. I actually ended up missing the last four shows due to a positive test which was super sad. One thing I can say is that we all learned just how valuable swings are! Swings are actors who learn multiple tracks and are ready to step into several roles in the case that actor can’t perform. It is a very hard to be a swing and they are the superheros who keep the shows going. Covid really taught us how valuable that position is and I think the awareness and appreciation of swings has improved a lot and will continue to do so moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/carson.o.shelton
Image Credits:
Alex Sabatell KBT Photography
