Final Five Questions with Ricky Schroeder
Actor and singer who is becoming known for more than his dancing.
Ricky Schroeder is a red-headed actor, singer, dancer, halloween lover, and cat dad (a black cat, of course) who is currently performing Off-Broadway in Kinky Boots at Stage 42 after previously touring the country on the first national tour. He also has appeared in regional theatres, multiple readings and workshops of new works, and as a featured guest in Cyndi Lauper’s annual Home for the Holidays concert at the Beacon Theatre.
However, dancing since the age of 3 has put him on a certain track as a performer, and most of his early credits have come as a dancer. And while Ricky loves that side of his creative abilities, he has begun asserting himself more as an actor and singer, not only on stage but also on television. He has appeared in episodes of Pose, Tales of the City, Partner Track, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as well as an onscreen performance highlighting all his skills — Hairspray Live!
Recently, Ricky joined Why I’ll Never Make It to talk about the highs and lows of his actor journey as well as the love of his life Jerry Mitchell (a former guest on WINMI as well). Here Ricky answers five final questions about lessons he’s learned and what “making it” means to him.
1. What job within the arts do you feel is the most undervalued and why is it so important?
I think there are a lot of undervalued positions in theater, namely anyone working on a show every day, but not on stage: wardrobe, wigs, deck crew, electricians, props, audio, lighting, front of house, stage managers, company managers, covid officers. The show couldn’t happen without any of them, but they barely get the recognition they deserve.
2. What does success or “making it” mean to you? And how has it manifested in your life?
I’m still trying to figure that out, all I know is I haven’t made it yet. I think artists rarely ever feel like they’ve made it. There’s always something more to strive for. But talk to me after I’ve made my Broadway debut, and maybe I’ll be closer to figuring that out.
3. What frustrates you most about how the business has changed since you started?
It’s frustrating that social media presence can play into what actors are going to get cast over others. I understand it from a business perspective, but some actors are just better at the social media and some actors are better at….well, the acting.
4. Describe a personal lesson that took you awhile to learn or one that you are still working on to this day?
I’m still working on detaching myself from auditions. As soon as I get the appointment I start imagining what it’s going to be like working on the gig, what my schedule will be, how amazing or hard it’s going to be, and then ultimately it hurts even more when I don’t book it. But at the same time I kind of think that delusional hope is what keeps me going.
5. What’s the most useful advice you’ve received AND how have you applied it to your life or career?
So, it’s not ‘advice’ per say, but I will say that taking improv classes has been one of the most helpful things I’ve done thus far in my career. It made me more confident in myself, my sense of humor, and gave me permission to just make choices either in the audition or rehearsal room, especially when it comes to comedic material.
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Host/Producer
