Candace Rhodes ‘23 is currently traveling from city to city with the hit musical "Come From Away."
Elon Alum Candace Rhodes ‘23 is making her mark while traveling all over to perform in “Come From Away,” the hit musical that tells the story of 7,000 air passengers stranded ina small town in Newfoundland following the 9/11 attacks.
This alumna has been working toward performing since her junior year of high school. “When I was in high school, the first show I auditioned for was Jesus Christ Superstar. It was not what I expected, but honestly, I loved it,” said Rhodes.
Rhodes continued her education at a local community college before transferring to Elon to join the Class of 2023. Rhodes said her singing, dancing and acting classes at Elon were essential in preparing her for this experience. “I didn’t realize how much dancing, how much movement I do in the show,” Rhodes said. “Elon really did help me do what I need to do now, I don’t think I would have been able to do it if I did not go through the training at Elon.”
Through the Music Theatre Program at Elon, students work closely with experienced faculty members to improve their acting, singing and dancing skills while exploring the theories of the craft and learning how to apply them. Students have ample opportunities to showcase their talents in stage productions, concerts, recitals and revues from their first semester. Rhodes was one of the featured singers for her own Commencement.
“I realized that every part of Elon’s curriculum for the Music Theatre Program now I get it,” said Rhodes. “I didn’t get it before, but now I understand it.”
Rhodes graduated with a BFA in Music Theatre in 2023. As a part of her Senior Seminar II course, Rhodes sang and danced for casting director Rachel Hoffman. “She reached out after we auditioned for her and it was like, ‘Hey, I’m doing this project called ‘Come From Away,’ Rhodes said. “Would you like to audition for the role of Hannah?’ I’m like, absol-freakin-lutely.”
Following the invitation was a month of callbacks including singing, dancing and acting. She was packing up her bags at Elon to move back home for her usual summer job when she received the call that she had booked the role of Hannah in “Come From Away.” Within a month and a half of that call, she was repacking her bags for the tour. The characters in “Come From Away” are all based on real people. During the rehearsal process, Candace worked with writers Irene Sankoff & David Hein.
“David and Irene — we met them, and they told us that these people are their friends,” Rhodes said. “I haven’t met Hannah yet, but she has a son named Kevin, who was a firefighter. During the show, Hannah is looking for her son. The show is filled with waiting and anticipation.”
On any given day, Rhodes might get up at 8 a.m. to start the travel day to a new city. After arriving at 4 p.m., she might have a quick bite to eat before going into a new theatre for a 5:30 p.m. sound check and then preparing to perform at 7:30 p.m. While the schedule is undoubtedly grueling, there is a positive aspect for someone as generous as Rhodes. “Honestly, what I do love about this tour specifically is how much of the show we are getting to people who probably could not afford to see it on Broadway,” she said. “I’m grateful that we are at least able to bring the show to as many people as we can.”
Rhodes views her role in “Come from Away” as a first step in her professional career. ‘“I want to keep doing more tours within my career,” she said. “I think I’m also excited to do more training. …When I’m in the city, I think my main goal would either be New York, or LA, one of those big cities to where I can just plant myself and see what the theater or the film industry is like.”
Her advice for current students is to take more risks. “I wish in school I did that a lot more, taking more risks,” she said. “Taking those harder classes, doing monologues that would have you on dragging on the floor… I think in school, that’s when you can be vulnerable, you can mess up because you have great professors who can just truly give you feedback.”
“Come From Away” is currently touring from city to city. Check the schedule to see if a performance is coming near you.