Frozen's Spencer Clark on How Rejection and an Obsession with Cats Made Him into a Successful Broadway Dancer

Born in Seattle, Washington, Spencer Clark always knew he was destined for the stage. As early as the third grade, he began performing in abridged Shakespeare shows in the park and spending as much time as possible acting. “I got involved with shows so early on because I needed somewhere to channel my energy,” he said. “I would get right up in people’s faces to talk and I needed somewhere where I could go and perform and have that be OK.”

Clark’s introduction to musical theater was through the 1998 VHS of Cats. “When you’re a little kid, you can't distinguish reality,” he said. “I don’t think I knew that it was a bunch of humans running around in cat unitards. I was so impressed by the dancing and that’s what started me into theater.” Clark admits that he spent his days dressed up as a cat dancing around his house, but he had no idea the impact that the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical would have on his career. “My freshman year of high school they announced that musical was going to be Cats,” he said. “I got Mr. Mistoffelees, but I wasn’t a dancer yet. I fell in love with dance and it was the first time in my life that I had latched on to something that I really loved.” After attending the Jellicle Ball as the high-flying Mr. Mistoffelees, Clark knew he needed to get serious. “I instantly decided that dance was something I was going to take with me,” he said. “I went and auditioned for a ballet school in my city and got rejected. I was bummed, but not surprised because I wasn’t good. I went and trained really hard that summer and came back to audition again and got accepted. It wasn’t because I was good, but because they could tell that I worked hard and improved so much from where I was before.”

After finishing up his schooling at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Clark packed up to New York City to earn a degree at Pace University. “I spent two years studying musical theater and then two years in the dance major,” he said. “I switched majors because I wasn’t dancing enough and that’s all I wanted to do. What I connected to so much about dance was this idea of like physically moving your body through space and at the same time connecting emotionally and artistically. It's the most perfect intersect for me.”

After graduation, Clark quickly found success by going right into rehearsal for West Side Story at Paper Mill Playhouse and only six months later making his Broadway debut in Paramour. “I remember the beginning of that year saying, this is the year I'm going to make my Broadway debut,” he said. “And then that was the year I booked three Broadway shows, which was insane.” In addition to the Cirque du Soleil musical, Clark also appeared on Broadway in his dream role as Alonzo in Cats and is currently in his second year as a swing in Disney’s Frozen. “It's crazy how you can be so little and just have an instinct of what you want to do. As you're getting closer to it, you start to feel more of the reality of the situation. Now having done it for two years, I feel so happy.”

Watch the video below to hear Clark talk about Frozen and more!

Photo Credits: Photographs by Matthew Murphy | Styling:Jake Sokoloff | Grooming: KeLeen Snowgren | Assistant: Evan Zimmerman
Video Credits: Directed by Kyle Gaskell | Produced by Paul Wontorek & Caitlin Moynihan Additional camera: Nick Shakra