This is the recording of the 75 minute discussion on cruise ship work. It includes in-depth discussion on the benefits and challenges of working on cruise ships, how each panelist got into this work, and many of the unexpected aspects of working in this industry.
It was held between the current students of TH2100 Technology for Theatre Professionals, other current interested students, and a panel of alumni from our program from recent history.
An email address is listed here for each panelist.
The email addresses are visible only if you are logged in to this callboard.
Panelists
Brady Piper Lynch studied Musical Theatre at Plymouth State (class of ’11) before moving to New York City. After only two months, she booked a 10-month contract on Disney Cruise Lines, as well as her first off-Broadway show. Brady played Belle in a new production of A Christmas Carol entitled Three Ghosts (available on Spotify), and then moved to Toronto to rehearse. In the 2½ month rehearsal process, she learned 5 shows (including The Golden Mickey’s, Toy Story, and Disney Dreams) and understudied three other roles besides her own. Brady sailed 7 and 14 day cruises to Alaska, Hawaii, Western Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest. Brady returned to NYC worked on the off-Broadway production of Fancy Nancy for over a year. She continued to leave the city to perform regionally, including with the Winnipesaukee Playhouse. In 2014, she began an internship in the London West on the National Tour of Avenue Q as a production assistant. Brady continued to explore the production path back in NYC with Stage Entertainment (Big Fish, Rocky, Anastasia) before landing a full-time job with Junkyard Productions, where she opened Doctor Zhivago. Zhivago’s run was short. Brady segued further after that, and is now an Executive Assistant for Peloton, an exercise equipment and media company based in New York City.
bradylynch00@gmail.com
Andrew Burton Kelley graduated from Plymouth State in 2015 with a degree in Theatre Arts concentrated in Musical Theatre. He has performed with the Seacoast Repertory, NCCA’s National Tour of A Christmas Carol, the Palace Theatre, and performed for Carnival Cruise Lines as a production singer aboard the Carnival Victory. He has been pretty busy so this bio was written for him. He is currently a swing performer in the national tour of Waitress.
kelleyandrew12@yahoo.com
Rachel Pantazis graduated from Plymouth State in 2015 with a degree in English with a concentration in Dramatic Literature and a minor in Music. Rachel is a professional musical theatre performer, voice teacher, and musician. In 2020, Rachel closed out her first cruise ship contract just days before the nationwide stay at home order. She and her husband, Andrew Burton Kelley performed as production singers aboard the Carnival Victory for Carnival Cruise Lines . Rachel now lives on the upper west side of Manhattan with her cat named Eloise.
rachel.pantazis@gmail.com
Molly Ricker graduated from PSU in 2018, after which she went to work for Princess Cruise lines as an Assistant Cruise Director. Her job was to run the pop choir, dance classes, trivias, game shows, the flash mob and make people happy! While there, she was given the creative libety to write, produce and direct her own mystery melodrama called When at Sea, Ship Happens! During her time she traveled to the Caribbean, Alaska, California, Mexico, Central America, and Hawaii. She also moonlights as a professional mermaid doing parties for kids. Now she lives in Delray Beach Florida and is involved in the biggest dinner theatre in the country called “The Dinner Detective.” She hopes to start her own mermaid and makeup business very soon
mustbemollyricker@gmail.com
Brandee Peglow Walker is a PSU Alumna of 2011 with a BA in Musical Theatre. Since her graduation from PSU, Brandee spent a couple years performing in the New England area with PSU’s TIGER Children’s Theatre and at the Medieval Manor Dinner Theatre in Boston. In 2014, she began performing as a cruise production vocalist with Stiletto Entertainment, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruises. Brandee has since established her career in Orlando, where she performs on various stages at Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and Disney Springs. Brandee is also the co-founder of Broadway Beach Entertainment, an entertainment production company that produces acts for regional venues as well as cruise ships. Most recently, Brandee’s a cappella group signed with Don Casino, a world renowned cruise industry talent agency.
brandeelynnewalker@gmail.com
Ryann Elizabeth Willard is a Graduate Assistant at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. She graduate from Plymouth State in 2012 with an option in Theatrical Design & Technology. She has been wardrobe supervisor or costume designer for professional theatres in New England and Kentucky, and was Wardrobe Supervisor for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. for five years from May 2014 – Apr 2019.
ryann.willard@siu.edu
Natalie Roy Camargo is a graduate of Plymouth State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Musical Theatre. She has performed professionally in multiple regional and national theatre productions. She travelled the world with Royal Caribbean International as a featured singer for five years. She is currently living in Durham, North Carolina where she is the proud owner of TidalWAV Studios, a company that specializes in voice overs and music production. She records narration for television, radio, audiobooks (Narrator of FIERCE by Olympic Gymnast Aly Raisman), promotional videos, video games, phone messaging systems, e-learning videos, and more! She sings and writes original music for commercial jingles, podcasts, personal projects, and more.
natlroy@yahoo.com
Natalie was unable to join the discussion live, but she delivered a video summary of her experience with cruise ships which is included at the start of the video.