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Lily pops across the street from Signature Theatre to Busboys and Poets. Over lemony tea with a healthy scoop of honey, we chat about Fiddler on the Roof, being a fourth-generation DMV Jew, finding yourself in the stories you tell, the headspace of a nun, and showmances.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Lily: I was born and raised in the DMV. We’re actually fourth-generation Jews in Washington, DC on my dad’s side. He was born and raised in Maryland, and my mom moved here when she was 10 or 11, so I’ve spent my whole life in the DC area. I went to college at American University. This area is the perfect blend of city and greenery. And, I’m four hours away from New York if I need to go up for an audition or to see friends. I love it here. This is my home.
Samuel: What’s kept you here long-term?
Lily: Community as a whole. My whole family including my grandparents live here, so getting to see them as frequently as I do really fills up my cup. Then, there’s the theater community here. The DC theater community is large, but it’s such a tight-knit family. I run into friends at every audition, which is so unique and special. Every show I do here, I’m working with people I’ve worked with before, or they’re a mutual friend. There’s a lot of love and mutual respect and teamwork across the board. So, my family, my friends, and the work are all so rich and full and beautiful, and that’s what keeps me here.
Samuel: Right now, you’re in Fiddler on the Roof at Signature Theatre. What’s that been like?
Lily: I saw that Signature was going to do Fiddler back in January or February of last year, and I immediately thought: I have to be a part of this production. I did Fiddler at a summer camp when I was 13 years old, and immediately fell in love with the show.
Samuel: At that point, were you already, like, a dyed-in-the-wool theater person?
Lily: I knew I really loved performing, and I knew that I felt the most myself and the most joyous when I was doing theater. But, I didn’t think that it could be a career until I got to high school, and then, you know, you start dreaming about being an actor. I had a voice teacher who sat me down and said: This is a very hard life. It is not for the faint of heart. You have what it takes to do it, but you have to be ready for what’s to come.
I ended up studying Psychology and Musical Theater in college, just in case I wanted to go into something else…but when I was in school, I thought: I don’t want to be 70 years old and wondering what my life would have been like had I not gone into theater, if I didn’t follow that passion. So, yeah. I’m very, very, very glad that I did. I’ve made some of my best friends in the world doing theater. I met my boyfriend doing theater.
Samuel: Showmance? [Editor’s note: Show + Romance]
Lily: It was an educational production, over six years ago, called Sweet Charity. He played Oscar and I played Charity, who were love interests in the show. We became friends, and the rest is history.
Samuel: You said that when you were young, you felt most yourself doing theater. Is that still true? What does that look like?
Lily: This career really forces you to look inward and confront parts of yourself that may be uncomfortable to face. I’ve had to study my behavior and look at parts of myself that are holding me back in some way, and ask: “Where does that stem from? How can I show love to that part of myself, so I’m not blocking myself in the work that I’m doing?”
Imposter syndrome is something so many actors feel, and something I’ve certainly felt, and I’ve had to look inward and see where that stems from. I don’t think I would have the need to do that if I wasn’t an actor. It’s forced me to learn about myself, and prompted me to express myself in so many different ways. You get to live lives you’d never get to live otherwise.
Samuel: What’s being in Fiddler meant to you? Does it land differently – in preparation or performance – because you’re a Jewish woman?
Lily: I try to approach every character I do in a similar way, but I’ve felt a real spiritual connection with Fiddler that I haven’t felt with other shows I’ve done. I’ve never felt more connected to my ancestors and heritage than I have with this. My dad loves looking at all the ancestry stuff.
Samuel: As fathers do.
Lily: He was saying that my great-grandparents grew up and lived in a town, in what is now Ukraine, that would have been right where Anatevka is – where Fiddler takes place.. They fled due to pogroms and came to Ellis Island in the early 1900s. It is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world to feel like you’re honoring your family’s story. It’s not a feeling you can replicate in most other jobs, or any other production for that matter. I get to live their stories for three hours. It’s incredible.
Photo by Daniel Rader.
I was in The Sound of Music on tour for a year, playing a nun. My mom’s mother was almost a nun, and I asked her what that was like…but I didn’t feel this guttural, spiritual connection to being a nun. I had to do a lot of digging. But with Fiddler, there’s just this invisible string feeling connecting me to this story.
I was talking to my sister today, and we were talking about how we used to do Passover every year at the American City Diner. Those were some of the most happy memories we had as kids because everyone in our family is so lively and funny. We were talking about how Jews are fantastic storytellers…traditions are not things that are written down and prescribed. They are so often ideals that are passed down verbally or through action. In preserving those traditions and religious practices, you have to be a good storyteller. To connect storytelling and my Jewish identity in this production has opened my eyes and made me feel closer to my Jewish heritage as a whole.
Samuel: What do you think Signature is doing with Fiddler that feels particularly unique?
Lily: The big word of the process has been “community.” What we’ve done is create this immersive world for the audience to be a part of. The show starts with a big table in the middle of the stage, and we’re all sitting around it. The audience is so close to the stage, and is in the round, so they are also invited to this table. There’s little to no separation between the audience and us. They get to be a part of this world that [the director] has so beautifully created.
I also love how Jewish stories are being pushed to the forefront of this production. We have a rabbinical consultant who came in on the first day and blessed us and the production. It was so spiritually and moving to connect our religious upbringing and culture with our art. We have fabulous dramaturgs too, who have done so much research on the Jewish communities at this time. It’s very important to everyone involved that the Jewish stories are being told well, honored, and celebrated.
Samuel: I’m thinking about that voice coach who told you this is a hard life. Is it?
Lily: It’s not easy. There’s a lot of rejection. It’s not a consistent career – there’s ups and downs. It forces you to be vulnerable in front of a lot of people. But, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Samuel: Okay, a couple quick ones to close. You’re hosting Shabbat dinner and can invite any three people. Who are you bringing?
Lily: Julie Andrews. Meryl Streep. And then my great-grandmother on my Mom’s side and great-grandmother on my Dad’s side. I would love to talk to them.
Samuel: Do you have a dream role?
Lily: Dot in Sunday in the Park with George.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Lily: We gab for hours.
Photo by Christopher Mueller.
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