“Believe in yourself. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself.” - Chatting with Diana Huey!
Kevin Ray Johnson
It is my true joy to introduce you to Diana Huey! Ms.Huey is an actor and singer best known for her year-long run as Ariel in the First National tour of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Gregory Award) and Kim in Miss Saigon at Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes Award).
Diana’s journey is one that is very inspiring, and during these uncertain times, it was so wonderful to have the chance to interview such a fantastic artist!
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?
It was somehow always just ingrained in me. I was always singing and turning my entire life into a performance piece. There is a famous family photo of me from a Christmas visit to my Dad’s side of the family in North Carolina. I am about 3 years old in the photo and am wrapped up in my new pink feather boa that I had received. You can just tell from all the photos of me posing in it that I was living my absolute best life. No one in my family was surprised that I wanted to be a performer. Everyone chuckles at that Christmas photo and says, “We all knew!”
Where did you study and are there any mentors in your life who truly helped you become the amazing artist you are today?
I was very active in any form of the arts I could be as a kid. I took dance lessons from preschool through high school, started voice lessons around age 12, attended classes and camps, and was passionately involved in choir, drama, and the school musicals during middle and high school. I then went on to get a BFA in Theater from Cornish College Of The Arts in Seattle, WA, followed by a year-long internship as an Acting Intern at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
I am super grateful to have had a handful of incredible teachers and mentors growing up - many of whom I am still in contact with today! I was incredibly lucky to have a fantastic arts department at my high school. I am still friends with my high school choir and drama teachers and have gone back to visit and speak with the students there when I am home. I also had a really great voice teacher in high school who believed in me and challenged me in ways that shaped my voice today.
And I would not be anywhere without the other artists, especially female artists of color and Asian artists, who paved the way for my generation. I know that there is still a lot of work to do in diversifying the arts, but I am in awe of the groundbreaking work that those who have come before me have done to make my career possible.
One of the best days of my life is still when I got to finally meet Lea Salonga, my ultimate idol, and she exclaimed how excited she was to meet me! I seriously almost fell off my own two feet. Before I even knew who Lea specifically was, I tried to emulate her voice as a kid singing along to Princess Jasmine and Mulan. Then when I got older and learned about Lea, it confirmed that I was right in wanting to be like her. Her career is obviously one to admire, but so are her impeccable work ethic, her activism, and her heart of gold. I love that she is still working and changing the world.
How do you stay motivated as an artist during Quarantine, and what does your daily routine look like nowadays?
Staying motivated during quarantine has had its ups and downs! There are some days that I will spend the entire day working on a project, and the time flies by. Then, there are days where I feel worn down for no reason and am completely unmotivated to do anything. It’s easier said than done, but I do try to allow myself the space to feel whatever it is I am feeling day today.
Times are crazy right now, and I think there is a lot of necessity in allowing yourself some space and time to process all the changes and sadness surrounding us all. I celebrate the days I am productive, and I try to forgive myself for the days I am not.
There have been some things that have remained a constant for me throughout these past 100+ days. I try to get in a workout every day, even for just 30 minutes. It’s great “me time” where I can zone out and solely focus on one thing, working out, while also getting out some aggression and stagnant energy from being cooped up!
I have also found myself cooking a LOT during quarantine! It’s been a super fun activity for my boyfriend and I. We will pick our favorite foods that we miss from when we used to eat out, and learn how to make them. My favorite was the week we learned how to make Indian food from scratch! We added a new dish each night, so by the end, we had five different homemade Indian dishes for a delicious feast!
Speaking of my boyfriend, this quarantine gave us a ton of unexpected time together! He is a musician and is constantly recording and out touring with his band, Brass Against. Before quarantine started, between my shows and his tours, we had only seen each other maybe two days in 2020!
During this time, I was supposed to be doing a show out in Seattle for the summer, and he was going to be on tour in Europe. We weren’t sure if we would really get to see each other until the fall, so these last several months together were a very welcomed silver lining amongst the insanity. We, of course, are both heartbroken for everything going on in the world and in the arts but are so thankful that we were able to both be home right when it all hit and could quarantine together.
Your performing career has been so wonderful and very inspiring. Are there any shows or performances that you have done in your career that stick out and will always be near and dear to your heart?
Thank you so much! I feel so lucky to have had some really amazing, life-changing experiences and to have been able to support myself as an artist most of my adult life through theater. The National Tour of Disney’s The Little Mermaid will of course forever be one of the greatest years of my life. Not only was I getting to live out my childhood Disney Princess dreams, but I was getting to travel the country with a company of people I was really close with, and got to meet people in every city who have left an imprint on my heart.
I am still friends with many of the people that I met during my time on tour and strangely still get a ping of homesickness when I see a hotel hallway or people traveling on a bus or plane in a movie, which is a strange thing but so familiar to everyone who has toured.
I was also challenged in a new way when the controversy of my being cast as Ariel started flooding the internet. While there were some really challenging and heartbreaking moments, I wouldn’t trade a thing. I learned so much about my own strengths and resilience and got to be lifted up by my community and by complete strangers. The outpouring of love and support far outshined the negative hatred, and being lifted up and taken care of like that — it’s something I will always appreciate and treasure.
I am also incredibly grateful for my time in Miss Saigon at the Signature Theatre in DC. I was still living in my home city of Seattle and non-equity at the time with very little on my resume when he cast me off of a YouTube video. I couldn’t believe it! I was so sure that they would change their minds that I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it until I started rehearsals. It was my first time leading a show like that and at a theater of that caliber. I didn’t know anyone and had never done an out of town contract like that. I was a complete newbie and stranger to everything and everyone.
That show allowed me to stand up on my own two feet with zero preconceived notions of who I was. It was terrifying and liberating! By the end of that show, I had decided that I wanted to move to New York (something I was terrified of even thinking about before), and shortly after, I did, and I have loved every part of the past six years!
2020 has been a challenging year for all of society, especially artists. What advice would you give any aspiring artist in these times?
I think my advice is still the same now as it was before 2020 and all its madness: Believe in yourself. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself. It’s a hard business where you are constantly being challenged and judged, and if you don’t believe in yourself, your work, and what you have to offer that makes you special, how is anyone else going to see it? It’s easier said than done, and something I still have to practice myself, but it’s so important.
You are going to get more no’s than yes’s. Try to look at each “no” as a lesson or step to get you to the next door. You are in what feels like an endless pool of other people oozing with talent. It’s hard to not get intimidated and down on yourself, but try to focus and remember that no one else is YOU, so shine your brilliant light! And my last piece of advice is to BE KIND. Be kind to everyone. There are so many talented people out there, but people want to hire people who are not only talented but someone they want to work with and be around every day. The more you work, the more you’ll realize that you have one degree of separation with just about everyone, so help represent yourself in the best light and put your best self out there!
Remember that it takes a village to do this, so please be appreciative of everyone involved from not only the creative and company but to your stage managers, designers, theater staff, the volunteers who usher! Everyone is playing an important part to put on a show and everyone is just as valid and important as you are. Always, always, always lead with love and kindness, it just helps make the arts and this world a better, brighter place.
To learn more about this talented artist make sure you visit her official website at – www.dianahuey.com