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As Mustang Sally, Julie Danao makes sure her crowd has a good time at The Karaoke Show.



2g resident artist Julie Danao at a Wedding Banquet reading this spring

Behind The Scenes:
(October 2004)
(September 2004)
(November 2003)
(September 2003)
(August 2003)
(July 2003)
(June 2003)
(May 2003)
(April 2003)
(March 2003)

Meet The Artist:
(October 2004)
(September 2004)
(November 2003)
(November 2003)
(September 2003)
(August 2003)
(July 2003)
(June 2003)
(May 2003)
(April 2003)
(March 2003)

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October 2004 Newsletter : : Behind The Scenes : : Meet The Artist : : FAQ


Meet the Artist: Julie Danao

As a young girl growing up in Miami, Julie didn't dream of Broadway and being a singer. In fact, she remembers herself as "shy, painfully shy" and being uncomfortable in the limelight. However, like most girls growing up in the eighties, she loved to sing along to Madonna and Patti Smyth-a sign of things to come. While Julie continued to cultivate her love of singing by competing in talent shows and pursuing Christian contemporary music, she also wanted to help others, and study to be a teacher or a nurse.

Fate intervened by way of Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed Julie's home and her worldly possessions. Left with nothing, she ended up performing with the nonprofit group Young Americans, and credits choir director Bill Brawley with changing her life. He challenged her ideals at that critical juncture in her life. Julie recalls, "That's when I knew-I could potentially be a singer." The conservative route and career plans were abandoned.

After graduation, Julie left for New York in pursuit of her new dream: being Whore #1 on Broadway in Miss Saigon-she achieved that easily enough. Broadway continued to light the way, with roles in Rent (Mimi/Alexi Darling), Aida (Amneris), and Saturday Night Fever. A knee injury forced Julie to take a break from Broadway, so she picked up the guitar and learned how to play. She had always been writing, and now used her new skill to concentrate on her music and to write more. As she explored pop and rock songwriting, Julie discovered that she had things to say. One might say that fate had intervened again.

A friend introduced her to Second Generation (2g), and along with 3 other women, they performed in 2g's I Enjoy Being a Girl, a showcase of original music presented at The Public in 2000. Julie credits 2g for being one of the main reasons she can pursue her music, "One reason I can do it is 2g. I can turn to them to express myself; and they're open to my ideas. It's a platform to use my voice."

When 2g came calling for The Karaoke Show, Julie took the opportunity to work with Project 400 founders and The Donkey Show creators Diane Paulus and Randy Wiener. "Working with Diane and Randy is great. (Although) the role was originated by another, they gave me room to create. I love it! It has a cast that works so well, it's a true ensemble." If you've witnessed Julie in her hosting duties as Mustang Sally on Thursday nights, you've seen her work the audience and pull shy karaoke singers to out of their shell. "It's been a huge education to working interactively with an audience-that fourth wall is broken!"

In addition to The Karaoke Show and I Enjoy Being a Girl, other 2g productions Julie has worked on include the concert version and album of the musical Making Tracks, readings for The Wedding Banquet, Thank You Andrew-her one-woman-show with a nod to that fateful hurricane, and the upcoming 2g After Dark's Something More at The Cutting Room.

After sharing her perspectives in Thank You, Andrew, Julie reached deeper to create characters like a young girl, a friend, her own father to create Something More. Inspired by her personal experiences, Julie says, "This story is more telling, more universal, to bring people together to be more aware of cultural differences and generation gaps. Love is universal concept. The loss and gain of it happens to everybody." In the piece, Julie uses her own songs and character interactions to explore the basic search to feel satisfied. She is thankful for what she has achieved thus far, "but I always want something more. I'm goal-oriented but never satisfied." She nurtures that dissatisfaction and uses it as ongoing motivation towards being a better person, and a better artist. Like the song says, she always wants more. "It's a journey to loving who I am, and how to love." Having worked on the piece the past two months, Julie is ready to share it with an audience on June 11th at The Cutting Room.

As a 2g Resident Artist, Julie reveals, "I realize that 2g is why I was able to do it (to tell my story), and why we need to support this organization. 2g is more open to doing cutting edge, innovative, conceptual ideas, even for a young company. I know in 10 years, 2g will make a huge difference. 2g has already made a difference in my life."

Other upcoming projects for Julie include a concept album, like musicians Styx and Pink Floyd made back in the day. Julie notes, "America in need of real music and stories. It isn't just about me-there are others like me. I'm just telling the story." Spoken like a fearless artist who likes to challenge concepts and a true pioneer who will light the way.