Elon music theatre alumna Mallorie Sievert ’24 will spend the next year traveling the United States with the first national tour of "Shucked." Sievert is one of at least 7 Elon music theatre alumni currently in a national tour.
"It's so exciting to be doing what I set out to be doing when I got my BFA and when I moved to New York," Sievert said. "It's like, 'Oh, I did it. You made it.'"
"Shucked" is a Tony Award-winning comedy musical about a small town that loves corn. Sievert is one of the production's swings, meaning she knows multiple roles in the show and can step in if someone is sick or taking a day off. Sievert said she is learning all eight of the ensemble tracks in "Shucked."
"It's kind of terrifying and very exciting," Sievert said. "It doesn't feel like I'm going into work and doing the same thing every day because, quite literally every time I go on, I am doing something different."
Sievert made her national tour debut in Cleveland, Ohio. As of June 4, she has performed in "Shucked" seven times. When she's not on stage, she's watching from the audience, sitting with the band in the pit or studying her roles backstage.
At Elon, Sievert performed in main stage shows, music directed performances and wrote a play about nuns. When she graduated, she moved to New York and auditioned for shows. It was easy to get discouraged, Sievert said, and living in New York is a much different environment from going to classes at Elon.
"It's easy to look at me and be like, 'Oh, wow, she's so successful a year out of college,'" Sievert said. "But there was like nine months where I was in New York and not doing anything, and feeling like I made a mistake getting this degree, feeling like I should quit and go home."
However, Sievert said she is glad she never gave up and kept auditioning. Her first role after graduation was in the Elvis jukebox musical "Heartbreak Hotel." She was a swing for Engeman Theater's production in New York. The production ended in March, and Sievert joined the "Shucked" tour in April.
"I'm so happy that I chose to do this," Sievert said. "Every day, I get to go to work doing what I love most."
Even after graduating, the Elon community continues to be a core part of Sievert's life. Her two roommates in New York are also Elon alumni, and she called one of her professors when she wanted help reviewing her "Shucked" contract.
While "Shucked" was in Charlotte, Sievert said some of her former professors and peers were able to see the show. Sievert performed twice during the show's run in Charlotte from May 27 to June 1. The tour is currently in Florida but will be back in North Carolina from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1 at the Steven Tanger Center in Greensboro.