What’s goin’ on, welcome or welcome back to The Polaroid Podcast! The second to last episode of the Hellish year that was 2020 was a great one. Around 4 years ago I met my episode’s guest, Henry Crater. Then just Cast mates in A Chorus Line, we would expand our friendship over time. I was blown away by Crater’s talent, though he was two years was Junior. On the Podcast, he walks me through music’s place in his life. He recalls singing before he could remember, eventually taking piano lessons around the age of 8. Continuing to add tools to his arsenal, he found his place in musicals and dancing. Originally in the ensemble, he enjoyed being amongst his cast mates , and it was clear that Crater wanted more than just a taste of the theater. He described 6th grade as the “boom” in his development as an artist. Far different from his first role as an Alligator in the Jungle Book, he sang the national anthem at a Boston Red Sox Spring Training game. The game, which was at JetBlue Park Stadium, was meaningless to Crater, but the performance was critical for his confidence. He would need this confidence as he would start auditioning for Broadway national tours just months later. Though he did not book a tour and break into the Broadway scene at a young age, he thinks that it was for the best. I first heard bits and pieces of this story from Crater during the beginning of our work on A Chorus Line. In the months preceding, Crater was struggling with the social adjustment more so than academic adjustment. We spoke at length about the journey one takes when preparing for a role, and we both learned new things about our own personal Ragtime experiences. In the words of one of his Professors at Michigan, “You never know what you have until you put it in front of an audience”. Henry talked about wanting to be granted the keys to play bigger, more mature roles during his sophomore year. Despite the lows of Junior year, he was cast as John Valjean in Les Misérables his Senior year. The role was a dream come true, which Crater immediately dove into. He was knee- deep in notes and journals as Valjean, when Coronavirus put the world on pause. He recalls struggling with the news for multiple days, unable to accept our new reality. When he finally understood the gravity of it all, he had no choice but to turn the page. Post-Andover, he had the opportunity to bring his conceptualized album The Cycle, to life. He ran into a 90 day trial for Logic Pro, one of the best Music Producing apps on the market. Multiple hours a day for a month and a half on end led to Crater releasing the album this past year. The album details the cyclical nature of humanity, and the touches on the themes of love, loss and growth. Entirely self-written and self- produced, he was able to use the album both for his personal leisure and for the sake of closure. Crater just concluded his first semester in the renowned Michigan Musical Theatre program. Recorded 12. 21. 20. Stream The Cycle here: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-cycle/1516707609
