Wade Elkins constantly feels the “blues.” This out gay member of the Blue Man Group on Halsted Street has a long history in the theater.

A North Carolina native, he moved to New York to pursue his dreams of performing. Elkins has been seen in classics such as Fiddler on the Roof and Hello, Dolly! Now his life has led him to playing drums and painting himself blue at the Briar Street Theater.

Blue Man Group was formed in 1991 and has grown into productions not only in Chicago but New York, Las Vegas, Boston and Orlando, Florida. Over the year the various cast members have released five albums, toured the world and won several awards.

Windy City Times went backstage recently to talk with Elkins.

Windy City Times: Hi, Wade. This is a rare opportunity to talk to you Nunn on One because the performers don’t usually talk to the audience these days.

Wade Elkins: It’s true. We have a special VIP package people can buy and if there aren’t little kids then we might answer some questions from them. With kids we try to uphold the characters.

WCT: So you are originally from North Carolina?

Wade Elkins: Yes, I am from there and went to school there. I moved to New York to pursue performing. I mostly did musical theater then got into all different styles of acting while I was there. My agent submitted me to the Blue Man Group. I knew I was rhythmic and knew I could do it. My dad and brother are drummers and I was a music major. I went to the audition and did well. They kept bringing me back and when a spot opened in Chicago I was hired.

WCT: I heard the auditions are a bit intense and they do cattle calls.

Wade Elkins: It’s a lot of people. Some of the auditions are an open call where people line up and some are by appointment. Your agent can submit you and give you a time slot. I was in a group of ten other guys where we auditioned together. They wanted to see how we can work together as a group. There are several steps in the audition process, more so than most other acting gigs.

WCT: How long have you been in the show?

Wade Elkins: Jan. 22 was when I started training in New York. March 22 [marked] three years in Chicago.

WCT: You were a director of music ministry?

Wade Elkins: Yes. I was a voice major in college, a singer by trade most of my life then I booked a show where I don’t open my mouth! After college I became a director of music at a church in Georgia with every intention of saving up money and moving to New York. I spent time in Georgia revamping their music and teaching voice at the college.

WCT: Were you raised very religiously?

Wade Elkins: I did grow up in the Methodist church. I definitely had a hard time figuring stuff out as a gay man, but I navigated it. I am still very spiritual. I would like to get into church again and it is lovely living in an urban place like Chicago where there are options that support gay people.

WCT: You were in Altar Boyz, which is about a boy band with a gay member.

Wade Elkins: I was not that character. I was the Jewish character.

WCT: What was the Gay Bride of Frankenstein on your resume?

Wade Elkins: It was a mix of Rocky Horror with Scooby-Doo. It was a group of kids figuring out a crime, and the Bride of Frankenstein comes back and is a lesbian. One of the school group is also a lesbian and they hit it off.

WCT: Do you get tired of the same routines in Blue Man Group?

Wade Elkins: With any job, there are days when I am tired. The great thing about this show is that it changes every day. It is so dependent on the audience to what we do. Somethings are improv based like when we bring a lady up on stage to eat with her. The show is never the same and the audience as well. The overarching of the show is the same but there are many different moments. Some of the guys have been in the show 20 years. Most jobs you won’t find an actor willing to do that but here it is a different show every day. We play different roles within the show.

WCT: So you switch roles?

Wade Elkins: Yes; right now two of us play two roles and four of us play all three roles.

WCT: People are then rotated out for a day off?

Wade Elkins: Exactly. We might have a week where we do 20 shows so obviously we are not going to do all 20 shows. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now!

WCT: How do you pick audience members for volunteers to be on stage? Do you look for something in them?

Wade Elkins: We do. We look for a spark. We look for someone who is willing and engaged but also maybe a little hesitant. We don’t want someone that is like, “pick me,” because that person is going to be showy and try to take over. We also don’t want people that will completely shut down either. We want people in the middle who are shy and nervous because that energy brings out fun quirks. We like a character and someone who has a lot going on. We all have our type of person that we choose. I can predict who the other person will pick.

WCT: Is it hard to keep in character and not laugh sometimes?

Wade Elkins: Oh, yes. If you ever see a Blue Man looking at the stage there might be a grin he is trying to hide. Usually, we do a good job of fighting that. What can make blue men interesting is when they are on the edge of that where we are wanting to crack but don’t. That can really draw in the audience. That makes it engaging, real, and live. It is fun for us.

A lot of the show is very funny but for the character it is very serious so we have to tow that line.

WCT: How long does it take to put on the makeup?

Wade Elkins: We have it down to 30 minutes. About five after the hour, we are ready to go. We have one wardrobe person that helps us take care of stuff. I have been doing it for a while so it is down to an art.

WCT: After the show, there are donations taken for AIDS.

Wade Elkins: Yes, that has been going on for a long time. The band stands at the exit and collects donations. We have donated over $2 million [for] AIDS organizations. It is really great.

WCT: It must be fun to be in the gay hood so you can go out after.

Wade Elkins: I have to tell you when the directors in New York told me where I was being placed I screamed, “It’s in Boystown. I’m so excited!” We get such a wide variety of people in the audience. We never know who is going to be out there. This show appeals middle America as well as high brow people that want to think and analyze things. The show is for everyone.

It is nice to get a drink right after the show just down the street.

WCT: And no one recognizes you?

Wade Elkins: Every once in a while. I did the show on a cruise ship and these girls were whispering when I having lunch afterwards. Somehow they figured out that I am a Blue Man. Maybe it was my long neck or something!

WCT: Are there more updates to the Blue Man Group coming?

Wade Elkins: Yes, the 5G show that we are doing now came in about three and a half years ago. Within the next year or two we should have some revamped material. Every year little things change. We will have direction visits two or three times a year. There will be tweaks, cuts, and additions. Those are little changes then every five to seven years there is a good overhaul of the show.

WCT: Blue Man Group is one of those shows that has an appeal for people that may not want to see Shakespeare—kind of like Stomp.

Wade Elkins: It is a show where ladies can bring their straight boyfriends to. We beat on things!

WCT: How has Blue Man Group changed your life?

Wade Elkins: For the time being, I am not a struggling actor. It is a wonderful company to work for. I’m the only gay blue man currently in Chicago, but there are LGBT people in the crew. They really take care of us.

What I love about this show as opposed to other places is everyone is on equal footing from the crew to the front of house to the box office, and the performers. Everyone is an equal. They don’t put the performers on a pedestal, which was a little hard getting used to but we all make this show happen. It isn’t the Blue Men that make it happen. It is everyone, including that audience.

One of my favorite moments of the show is during the bows when the audience will sometimes just raise their arms to us in silence. It is like they have learned our language. In that moment we are connecting and we have made something special together. It is nice to be a part of a show that wants to be a part of society and not just entertain. We want to change your life and take you out of it, connecting with the people around you. That is what the show is all about.

Catch the Blue Men at the Briar Street Theater, 3133 N. Halsted St., each week. Call 773-348-4000 or visit www.blueman.com/chicago/buy-tickets for information today.

Also, Elkins is a founding member of FWD (Festival of Works in Development) Theatre Project, which is holding a “Songs For a More Funnier World” reading April 13-14 at the Windy City Playhouse. Visit www.fwdtheatre.org.