Interview with SWEENEY TODD's Billy Harrigan Tighe

Billy Harrigan Tighe as Anthony Hope.

Billy Harrigan Tighe's past theatre credits include Elder Price in The Book of Mormon on the West End, JM Barrie in the National Tour of Finding Neverland, and Fiyero in the National Tour of Wicked. Recently, he could be found playing Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd at the Barrow Street Theater Off-Broadway.

Q: How long has theatre been a part of your life? A: I started doing theatre in high school.

Q: Do you have any pre-show rituals or special warm ups? A: It depends on the show. I always warm up before each show, but the warm up changes for each show/role. I think it’s important to know what the show demands of you physically/vocally and working with a teacher on tailoring a warm up for each show.

Q: How do you take care of your voice during a show?

A: Warming up is always important, but I think the key to taking care of your voice is a vocal routine and warming down. Warming down after a show is like stretching after a long run. It resets the voice and allows for the chords to settle. Same with a vocal routine. Warm up before each show, but steaming is important. Straw work to reduce swelling is important, basic vocal function is important and these are all things to do before you even think about doing a show warmup.

DeLaney Westfall as Johanna and Billy Harrigan Tighe as Anthony Hope.

Q: How is working in a 360 theatre space different than working on a traditional stage? A: Fundamentally we approach the story the same way. The difference is the audience is everywhere and you have to be extremely aware of them at all times, while also appearing like they’re not there at all. It means that instead of playing moments to the balcony you play things in your eyes. The intimacy of the space allows us to make our performances small and specific.

Q: How would you describe the character of Anthony? A: Anthony is the character who embodies hope and happiness as a stark contrast to Sweeney. He’s optimistic and young. His entire arc is an adventure for love.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring performers?

A: My advice to performers is to always be working to improve. This is an insanely tough business and there’s a lot of luck involved in getting jobs. Empower yourself to be the best you can be at all times that way when the auditions come you’ll be prepared to succeed. Take classes, work on the things your not good at. Try to be the best performer you can be, cause if you get lazy someone else will be right there to take that job from you.

Billy Harrigan Tighe

@BillyHarriganTighe on Social Media.

Many thanks to Billy for letting me interview him! He is an outstanding performer and is going far in the industry!