CREDIT: PROVIDED BY HENRY FIRMSTON
Londoner, Henry Firmston is having the time of his life and making a name for himself as an actor.

Henry Firmston is a theatrical performer, raised in London, Ont. who recently had major success in the industry and is currently performing for his debut season at the Stratford Festival.

Firmston shared with the Interrobang, the story of his life in the arts and some pivotal moments in his career that brought him this far.

“I don’t know if there was ever a defining moment”, Firmston said, in regards to when he decided to pursue this craft. Both his parents were performers as he was growing up and his first introduction to performing himself was through enrolment in dance classes at an early age.

Early in his high school career, Firmston’s involvement in a metal band soon brought him to a cross roads of deciding whether he wanted to continue on this artistic path or transfer to H.B. Beal Secondary School to further himself in the theatrical arts.

“I basically had a decision to change schools and kind of commit to doing the musical theatre thing… obviously, it was the logical decision, just because I had always done that and I had always performed,” Firmston said.

There, he became involved in Beal Musical Theatre and was given his first leading role as an actor, an important moment for him.

“I always just kind of thought of myself as the ensemble dancer,” Firmston recalled. “Then preparing for that audition and getting it and really feeling like I could do this, doing the role that was really important to me.”

His desire to be a performing artist became so deep, there wasn’t any other career path that appealed to him and he committed to giving his all in this field.

“It’s kind of an incredible thing when you don’t have a backup plan. You’re kind of committing to one whole thing,” Firmston said.

Upon graduating high school, Firmston landed a gig performing on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship.

Firmston discussed how this was an excellent way to develop the performance endurance required of a professional performer.

“They were just a bunch of pop rock review shows which I think was really helpful to me, to learn how to dance and sing like that, two shows a day for nine and a half months,” Firmston said.

After taking on a second contract with Carnival Cruise Lines, Firmston returned home and attended the Stratford open calls in Toronto, not expecting to gain anything more than experience of the process.

“I thought, ‘I’m way too young for anything that they could possibly be doing’,” Firmston said. “I got so lucky that the show that they were doing required a bunch of [athletic] teens…so I just really lucked out that I fit that niche really well,” Firmston said.

After many callbacks, Firmston received a call offering him a spot in the ensemble of The Music Man.

The biggest surprise, however, came when they asked him to be a swing in The Rocky Horror Picture Show as well. “I kind of thought that if there was going to be anything, it [would] be in Music Man… but then it was the swing in Rocky Horror that really got me stoked,” Firmston said. “I don’t really ever get worked up about things ever but that moment was pretty surreal.”

The lucky streak continued when an audition tape Firmston submitted to a production of Grease in Toronto was recognized and he was offered the part of Doody.

Moving to Toronto with only a few weeks to prepare was a challenge, but Firmston welcomed the adventure with open arms. “I’ve been really lucky with things that have just tried my ability,” he said.

Following this, Firmston was on his way to Stratford to begin rehearsals.

“We started rehearsals Feb. 2 and we only opened Music Man, May 29. So, we were basically in rehearsals all the way up to that point,” Henry said.

Keeping energy up that long without an audience was one of many new challenges Firmston faced.

Another was the new experience of being a swing, in which one must learn several parts of a show to fill in for absent actors when necessary.

“What they are creating is the show and I’m just there to learn their version of it. So, I [didn’t] want to cramp on anyone’s style,” Firmston said.

The excitement of the show far outweighed these early challenges however.

“I feel so lucky because I feel in our production of Music Man the dance numbers are kind of the highlights,” Firmston said, referring to the show’s take on the number 76 Trombones.

Conceived by director and choreographer Donna Feore, associate choreographer Stephen Cota and drummer David Campion, the number extended to fit a lengthy dance break that brought a standing ovation on its opening night. “That was [it] if we wanna talk about moments where I got choked up…every single person in the house was standing up which was pretty spectacular,” Firmston said. “It felt like such a relief of all this work we are putting into it as the ensemble was worthwhile.”

When asked about some notable mentors or experiences during his time in London, Firmston noted that with such a dance heavy career, his dance teacher at Dance Steps Studios, Donna Bailey, was a major influence.

“I danced so much in her studio… I would not be here if I didn’t have that kind of nurturing and kind of care.”

Both shows are now in full swing, but Firmston noted that he won’t be letting his guard down anytime soon.

“I’m grateful that I am doing it and boy oh boy does it never end. Because it’s only just getting started now.”