Theatre Raleigh is staging a production of ‘The Prom.’ We talked to star Amy Spanger

Broadway and TV actress Amy Spanger will come to Raleigh this month to perform in the Theatre Raleigh adaptation of the popular play and Netflix movie “The Prom.”

Spanger talked to The News & Observer about her career and the upcoming show in Raleigh.

Learn more about Spanger and “The Prom.”

Amy Spanger on Broadway and TV

Amy Spanger is a Broadway and television actress, performing in plays including, “Kiss Me Kate,” “Rock of Ages,” “Elf: The Musical,” “Chicago,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “Matilda.”

You may have also seen her on television shows such as, “Six Feet Under,” “Royal Pains,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Blacklist,” “Chicago Med” and “Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.”

Although she has had an extensive career, Spanger came from humble beginnings.

“In the very beginning, I was living in an apartment, where the ceiling fell down while I was taking a shower.” Spanger told us.

“I would go to these open calls where you had to wait outside with a cup of coffee like in the freezing [cold], lines down the block. And I remember talking to my dad, and he’s like, you can come home and I was like, I’m having so much fun.”

Preparing for ‘The Prom’

“The Prom” is a story about a high school girl who was banned from bringing her girlfriend to the high school prom. Four Broadway actresses, with fleeting fame, hear of her story and decide to go to her small town in Indiana in protest.

The story was originally a Broadway production but was made into a 2020 Netflix movie starring Meryl Streep, Ariana DeBose and Kerry Washington.

Spanger plays Dee Dee Allen, one of the four actresses who travel to Indiana to protest the school’s decision. Her character has just received a horrible review on her previous play, so she hopes this will give her some good publicity. Streep played this role in the Netflix film.

Spanger was approached by Theatre Raleigh artistic director Lauren Kennedy Brady, a Raleigh native and former Broadway actress, to play Dee Dee. She jumped at the opportunity, she said, calling it a “phenomenal” role.

To prepare for the role, Spanger talked to Beth Leavel, who played the character in the original Broadway cast. Leavel gave her stamp of approval when she heard that Spanger was going to be playing this role, Spanger said.

Spanger says she draws on her own experience — specifically, periods of not working — to relate to her character feeling like she needs to quit acting after her bad review. Similar to the character, Spanger reminds herself that the stories she tells could help other people feel things.

“We help people feel things, we help people grow and change and see, like the stories that we tell, and we help people heal,” Spanger said.

“I think with this story, in particular, a young girl who is a lesbian comes out in the story, and I think that’ll be a beautiful thing in terms of having young people see it — having young people feel like they might have permission… to come out.”

How to see ‘The Prom’ in Raleigh

“The Prom” will run at Theatre Raleigh Arts Center, Aug. 2-13.

Tickets are on sale at theatreraleigh.com.