Celina Nightengale discusses Chicago, Janet Jackson & no path being the singular "right" path!

I would like you to meet the oh so talented Celina Nightengale. Celina is currently making her Broadway debut in the long running revival of Chicago performing the role of June ("Squish" for any Cell Block Tango fanatics). Before that Celina performed in the first national tour of Aladdin, Rock of Ages in Las Vegas and Spamalot at The Ogunquit Playhouse. She has also been seen on TV in Wicked City in music videos for artist such as Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Adam Lambert and Jason Derulo just to name a few.

Celina is truly a bright beacon on and off the stage and any show/project she is apart of is only better because of her presence. I am very thankful to have the chance to feature Ms. Nightengale!

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?

I knew very early on! Probably around 6 or 7. I would go to the top of the slide on the playground at school and act like I was on a stage singing down to my fans. I don't think I've ever told anyone that before, but it's a very vivid memory.

Where did you study? Are there any mentors who helped you become the fantastic performer you are today?

First of all, I'm honored to be called a fantastic performer. Thank you. As far as training, I started at a studio in Colorado called Hill Academy of Dance and Dramatics. I grew up a competition dancer, so we did a lot of competitions and conventions. I also took classes at Colorado Ballet and Cleo Parker Robinson dance. My mentor was the studio owner of Hill Academy. Her name was Kathleen Hill. I looked up to everything she did. She passed away recently, but she came to see me when I was on tour with Aladdin and I hadn't seen her in at least 15 years. I immediately burst into tears when she greeted me at the stage door.

I would also say Sarah Schacterle who was a coach I had in Denver and a lot of the teachers I had at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Each played a different role in shaping my career.

Chicago is arguably one of the greatest musicals of all time and the Cell Block Tango is truly legendary at this point. What does it mean to you to perform in such an amazing show on Broadway?

The experience that I've had with Chicago has been completely surreal. I had the opportunity to join the show when Broadway was returning from the pandemic and to re-open such an iconic show at this time in history has been more than I could ever have dreamed of. It also comes with a certain amount of responsibility that I don't think I can fully explain. You are helping to carry on a legacy and you hope as a performer to make the people who have come before you proud. As far as being one of the Cell Block Six... it's badass. That's all I can say about that!

Are there any shows, moments or performances in your career that stick out and will always be near and dear to your heart?

Performing with Janet Jackson has been a moment in my career that didn't feel real at the time and as I look back, it still doesn't feel real. When you are standing next to one of your idols it's one of those "pinch me" moments that you hope to never forget. A close second is my Broadway Debut. You'll never get that debut again so you try to stand in every single breath of that night.

What advice would you give any aspiring artist who wants a career in the performing arts?

I think the best piece of advice that I can give is that no path is the singular "right" path. I got stuck in the what if's and the timelines of other people around me and sometimes it took away from my successes and experiences. I didn't take the path that most people did. I went to school for communications and marketing and then moved to LA to do commercial jazz. I didn't truly discover theater until my late 20's and now I'm on Broadway. Just do you and follow your path. It will work out the way it's supposed to, even if it's different than you had envisioned.

For more information about Celina's current gig make sure you visit -https://chicagothemusical.com; and to learn more about Celina make sure you visit her official website at - https://www.celinanightengale.com