Otterbein grad Jordan Donica talks training in Ohio and starring in ‘Camelot’ on Broadway
An actor with ties to the Columbus area is once again on Broadway.
Otterbein University graduate Jordan Donica plays Lancelot Du Lac in the latest Broadway revival of Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot," for which he was nominated for best featured actor in a musical at Sunday's Tony Awards. (Actor Alex Newell, of the musical "Shucked," ultimately took home the trophy.)
The 2023 "Camelot" production opened earlier this spring, with shows lasting through late summer. In this revival, directed by Bartlett Sher and adapted by Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin, King Arthur finds himself in a precarious situation. He fights to safeguard his kingdom while confronted with challenges to his marriage with Queen Guenevere and his rightful claim to the throne.
Donica, 29, starred in the last Lerner and Loewe revival at Lincoln Center Theater, 2018's "My Fair Lady," as Freddy Eynsford-Hill. He has also played Raoul in 2022's "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway, in a brief return to the show where he made his Broadway debut in 2016.
In addition, Donica has played Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in the Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of "Hamilton."
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Donica has made a name for himself onstage and in front of the camera. Donica, who grew up in Indianapolis and currently lives in New York City, also starred in The CW's brief "Charmed" reboot for two seasons.
In an interview that took place earlier this spring, Donica discussed his Otterbein University beginnings, his role as Lancelot Du Lac, acting for television and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: How has Otterbein prepared you for your career now?
Donica: I found Otterbein because I have an aunt that lives in Clintonville. And she suggested that I check [it] out. They're really well-known for their theater program and their arts. I didn't really want to, but we stopped in.
From the moment I sat in on an acting class, I knew that that was where I needed to be. And I needed to learn from the people that were there. A lot of those people have since moved on. But it was a really life-changing experience. I felt like they were able to put into words everything that I had learned about acting up to that point. I was like, 'If I can learn this much in one three-hour class that I'm just shadowing, imagine what I can learn in four years.' And that thought and that feeling came to be true for me. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Q. Can you tell me more about 'Camelot,' your role as Lancelot Du Lac, and what sets it apart from your previous roles?
Donica: We see his real humanity. He's a Frenchman ... who comes to be of service to his kingdom and to his God. Of course, human fallibility comes into play. (He's) just a passionate man, and he is kind of set in his way until that gets turned upside down.
Also, this role is very physical. It's been great for me ... living out my childhood dreams of sword fighting and swashbuckling in leather pants. I haven't done that since (performing) Shakespeare.
Q. You appeared on the CW's 'Charmed' reboot from 2019 to 2022. Are you still interested in TV? How is your approach to acting for TV different than acting on Broadway?
I'm always interested in looking for those opportunities. (With the writers strike), there's honestly not a lot of opportunities in that arena right now. But it is something that I'm looking to do more of, and I know I will do more of. Spending three years on this show was a great lesson for me.
(My approach to acting) is basically the same process. It's just like doing tech theater every day ... where you are figuring out all the technical elements of the show, so you're onstage for the first time, you're under the lights for the first time. The difference, you might get a little bit of rehearsal, but not really. We would get a script for "Charmed" ... a 55-page script maybe two or three days before we were going to start shooting that script. And sometimes we might have a read-through as a cast, sometimes we might not. (And) that script that we receive won't be the final script that we shoot with.
You might be working on a scene for three to five hours, but you might only be acting for like 30 minutes tops. Because you're constantly adjusting the camera angle, you're adjusting the lighting.
Q. What advice would you give a young person who wants to perform on Broadway?
Donica: Have broad goals. The best piece of advice that I got was from actor Cory Michael Smith (best known for his role as Edward Nygma / The Riddler in the Fox television drama series "Gotham"). He was speaking to us as a unit, as a department, when he came to visit us (at Otterbein). And he said, 'So let's say your goal is Broadway. And let's say you get there, then what?' So, have a lot of goals and be open to change.
Be open to your dreams and desires evolving. I know mine have. And that's okay because that's who we are as human beings. And Otterbein is a great place to give you the tools not just to be a great artist, but to be a great human being.
It's a very enlightening and fun journey of a life, this artistic life. (It) isn't just about what you're doing in the dance room, what you're doing in the voice lessons, what you're doing in your rehearsals. It's about what you're doing in your life, because that is what will inform how you act and what you bring to the table.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Broadway welcomes Jordan Donica in 'Camelot' revival
