“Why should we stop singing?” : Glory Crampton and Project 9

“What’s gonna happen to us? Where do we go from here? And is it ever gonna be the same again?”

These are the questions that came to mind for professional actress, Glory Crampton, in the wake of the tumultuous theatre shutdown of 2020.

For the past thirty years, Crampton has lived and worked in New York City as a performer. Her credits include classic leading ladies, such as My Fair Lady’s Eliza and the original Christine in Kopit and Yeston’s Phantom. In her career, she has overcome challenges – including a battle with stage fright – but the unexpected theatre shift presented a new hurdle entirely. She single-handedly produced, directed, and starred in an adapted, virtual musical.

Project 9 is a 15-minute video tribute to the musical NINE, which documents the internal battle of Guido Contini, a renowned Italian director with a failing marriage and lack of inspiration. Eleven years ago, Crampton and her co-stars performed NINE to enthusiastic live audiences. On April 28th of 2021, the show was borne in an entirely new light – virtually, with the castmates miles apart.

“I came up with the idea to get all of us off the couch, connected,” Crampton shares. “I saw this vision really quickly. I didn’t know it would take as long as it did, but I saw very clearly how I wanted it to look. So I called all the girls and I said, ‘I have this idea, and I wanna do this quarantine thing with fifteen minutes of NINE.’ And then I called Maury [Yeston] and asked him, and he’s like, ‘Sure. Go for it.’ And it evolved from there. I had to learn every step of the way what to do. I didn’t know how to do any of it.”

Guido’s journey in NINE is certainly one of reinvention. Crampton’s was as well – though it came from a much more selfless place. “I think a lot of people started to reinvent themselves,” she observes. “And you’re actually faced with a whole new array of decision-making skills of, ‘What am I going to do now that my normal is no longer here? What do I have to offer? What’s needed? And what’s needed the most, that can shift other people?’ As soon as I learn to take the focus off myself is when things always kind of move forward for me.”

Crampton has faced the fear of treading through new artistic territory. Though she was able to approach Project 9 from a professional perspective, she was not alone in needing to adapt. This year, many aspiring young actors will graduate from BFA, BA, or Conservatory programs and enter into an unprecedented industry. They will need to be resourceful in keeping theatre alive, honing their craft, and moving forward. Crampton lends her advice to these new industry professionals, explaining, “A lot of our thoughts are about the future – the fear of the future. [For example], if I’m stepping onstage for an opening night, I’m terrified that I’m gonna somehow forget my lines. That’s in the future. So it’s just calming down those thoughts. . . [it’s about] taking a deep breath and just staying in the moment and grounding your body and just thinking about the next, tiny step you have to take.”

Project 9 has been met with great success. It was the winner of the 2021 Gold Telly Award for Best Music Video. It also claimed the Bronze Telly Awards for Craft in Editing and Best Online Remote Production. Despite the startling impact of the pandemic on the theatre industry, Crampton has positive feelings about the future.

“I hope,” she says, “that we come back with a vengeance.”

And if the dedication of the actors in Project 9 is any indication – we certainly will.