BroadwaySelect met with the multi-talented Julieta Sverdlick to talk about her original project THERAPY, HERE I GO!

 

 

 Q: You recently co-wrote the original musical THERAPY, HERE I GO! recently performed at The Producers Club. Can you tell us a little bit about the show?

A: Yes, friends of mine had an idea about how much fun it would be to see four characters interacting and then hear what they say in therapy about those interactions. They approached me to help them write it. In this story, four people are dealing with their own yearnings in a very humorous way, and even though they end up in their therapy sessions for very different reasons, they all discover that being open to change and self discovery is the best way to grow and search for happiness.

 

Q: What was this collaboration process like?

A: We met two or three times a week for several months and would talk about what should happen in the story, who these characters were, what the songs would be like, etc. We would take notes and then Hernan Bustamante would put it in writing, and Clara Canale would write the music for it. It was a fun process and we were very happy with the results. Yana Carracedo and I decided it would be a great project to translate it and take it to the stage here in New York. And it was.

 

Q: Do you find you face many challenges being an international performer in NYC?

A: Being an international performer in New York presents new challenges every day.

Getting used to the language was definitely the first one. The culture is very different too, so I’ll find myself explaining things that I do and consider pretty normal, or asking questions about customs that no one else finds weird or even interesting. Not to mention humor! It is astonishing how the kind of things we find to be funny are shaped so much by where and how we grew up. I do miss my family and friends from Argentina a lot, and deciding to be here is a choice I have to make every single day. However, nothing is as thrilling and exciting as being a performer in New York City. I’m in love with its streets, lights, surprises, opportunities as well as its magic. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

 Q: Do you plan on continuing with creating original works?

A: There’s nothing I love more than performing on stage, but this time I got to enjoy something really special without even looking for it. Which was, being on stage with a great group of people performing in an original show that we had created. Such a great experience only made me want to keep it going.

Auditioning is a very important training and also necessary for anyone in this profession. However, it’s also great to know that you don’t have to depend on someone else to choose you, to be able to step on stage. It is incredible to share that part of you that is awakened whenever you do what really makes you happy.

In the future, I plan on going with the same instinct that made me want to translate THERAPY HERE I GO, produce it, and put it all together, and I’ll see where it takes me.

 

Q: What is your ultimate goal as an actress and writer?

A: My goals change so often! I’ve written a poetry book (or two) and that turned into writing my own songs and music. I hope I can keep turning ideas into projects that go on stage, or pages or recordings.

As for acting, I had a teacher that always said “if you can do anything else, then do”.  I’ve tried to run away from it by studying literature, music, and many other things, and I was never able to.

I always kept going back to the stage, and there’s nothing I want more than to have the opportunity to be in new productions and take over new characters.

I’m excited to see what comes next.