Where are they now? Lyndon Watts (SJOC 2011) Former student Lyndon Watts (SJOC 2011) is wowing Sydney audiences as Aaron Burr in the smash hit musical Hamilton. He spoke to KYLIE OLIVER about his lifechanging starring role and the journey that led him to it.
When Lyndon Watts thinks back to the biggest influences on his future career direction there is one name that immediately comes to mind. “Miss McLean,” he says, without hesitation. Lyndon, who is currently starring in the mega hit musical Hamilton, has nothing but glowing reviews of Janine McLean who was his drama teacher at St Joseph’s College. “I moved to Joeys in Year 9 and friendships had already been made so I struggled fitting in at first but I instantly found a home in the drama and music department,” he recalls. “Janine was a really big part of that, I think she was excited to see a young man so passionate about creative arts and drama. “She had a passion for acting and a sense of joy with it as well which I always really liked. She put on fabulous productions which she has an absolute gift for … she would have helped a lot of kids tap into their creative side.” Lyndon says it was Janine who helped with his audition for a place at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He was accepted into the world-class performing arts academy and spent three years studying musical theatre. His career has flourished from there. The 27-year-old has performed in musicals such as Aladdin, West Side Story and A Chorus Line. He was also a finalist for a Rob Guest Endowment award in 2018. But securing a lead role in Hamilton has proven to be beyond anything he could have imagined. It has been a defining moment for the talented performer who is from a Caribbean/Australian family, with his dad originally from Trinidad and Tobago and his mum hailing from Colac. He was hand-picked for his role by Lin-Manuel Miranda,
11
the award-winning writer and creator of Hamilton which tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and features a score which blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway. Lyndon plays to the soon-to-be vice president of the United States, Aaron Burr, but he did not have a specific role in mind when auditioning because it was the show itself that captivated him. “I saw the original Broadway cast in New York in 2015 and it was pretty important to me because not often, at that point, had I seen that many people who looked like me, my family and my loved ones, telling stories and singing – it’s quite rare to see an ensemble of actors represent what our streets actually looked like,” he says. “That was one of the first times I saw myself truly represented in a contemporary sense in the art I was pursuing. Normally with people of colour or the black experience, sometimes it can be limiting and there might not be more than one role in a musical you think you have a chance at getting. You might have one supporting role you think you might have a shot at. But with Hamilton there were so many opportunities that I just wanted to give it my best shot and see where I landed because I could see myself in so many of these characters.” Lyndon says not being able to perform due to the pandemic also elevated the experience of being cast in the show. “It’s wonderful, the response has been incredible,” he says. “I hadn’t quite prepared for what the audience response was going to be. I knew they would enjoy it because Hamilton the musical
Lyndon performing at the school production, Seussical the Musical, whilst at SJC in 2008.
Lyndon enjoying the moments before heading onstage in his role as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.