FULL NAME: Emmeline Rose Smythe
ROLE IN MUSICAL: Angelina
SEXUAL/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Bisexual & Heteroromantic
HOMETOWN: Sutton, MA // Avignon, France
YOU’RE THE ONLY LOVE I’VE EVER KNOWN →
Emmeline might have been born in Sutton, Massachusetts, but she was raised by her father in southern France for nearly a decade and a half of her life; her parents had separated shortly after she was born, and while she spent her summers with her mother in Sutton, she spent most of her year in Avignon with her father. Living both in the States and France helped Emmeline develop a fluent knowledge of both English and French, though sometimes she feels more comfortable speaking French.
When she was sixteen years old, her father passed away in a fatal car accident, and she was sent back to Sutton to permanently reside with her mother. After losing her mother as well just over a year later, Emmeline moved in with her grandparents, and that’s when her real problems began. Growing up, Emmeline had noticed that her eyes lingered on not only men but other women as well. It had never really been a big deal to her, but when her grandparents found out…well, it had almost been like the world had come to an end.Life with her grandparents turned into quite the stressful ordeal as soon as they found out about her sexuality. Rebelling a bit against her old-fashioned grandparents, Emmeline started flaunting girl after girl in front of her grandparents (both girlfriends and random flings) just in an attempt to force them to accept her for who she was, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Instead, her relationship with her grandparents became even more strained. She consistently fought with her grandmother about their family image and her reputation, but Emmeline ignored it all. She hadn’t really cared what people thought about her before, and she wasn’t about to start now.
In an effort to get away from the stifling atmosphere that surrounded her grandparents, Emmeline left home as soon as she could do so. Initially, she moved to Los Angeles to become an actress - mainly as a stab at her grandparents who had always wanted her to be a doctor or a lawyer or something they deemed ‘respectable’. She enrolled in the Los Angeles branch of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts mainly because of how many famous alumni the school boasted of. She hadn’t actually expected to fall in love with what she was doing. Life in LA moved much faster than what she was used to, but oddly enough the pace worked well for Emmeline; in fact, she thrived off of it. She had to work hard to get what she wanted, but that was no problem for her. Throughout her years there, she was cast in a few background roles in some B-list movies, but being cast in the ensemble of Mamma Mia in Los Angeles’ theatre district really awoke a new passion inside of her that she hadn’t known was there.
Graduating at the top of her class, Emmeline has spent the last seven months in the ensemble cast of the nationwide tour of Wicked - nervously cast as Elphaba’s understudy as well. When the show ended its tour in New York City, Emmeline fell in love all over again, but this time with the city. The decision to shift her life from Los Angeles to New York City hadn’t been a hard one for her to make, especially knowing that her cousin was living in the city as well. Since moving to the city, she’s been in multiple productions both on and off Broadway, though she’s only been cast in the lead in a few off-Broadway productions; the one she’s the most proud of is her work as Nadia in Bare: A Pop Opera.
When she heard about a show in production that focused on songs that had been made by P!nk, Emmeline had nearly tripped over herself in her excitement to audition for the show. She had auditioned for a role in the ensemble, even willing to play an understudy, but she had never imagined that she would be cast in a main role. Playing Angelina will be the first main role that she’s ever played - even when she was an understudy in Wicked, she never actually played the role. Emmeline is worried that she’s going to mess everything up, feeling less qualified than some of the other actors, but at the same time she’s determined to do her best in the show. There’s no way that she’s going to let her own worries and doubts ruin the potential a show this amazing holds.
