Discover The Drifters Girl Faye Treadwell

How would you describe Faye and her role in the story?

She’s tenacious, groundbreaking, hugely intelligent, and resilient. If there wasn’t a Faye Treadwell there wouldn’t really be The Drifters because they would be a new iteration. They’d be some sort of tribute band, but she persevered and kept everything going. She kept them at the top of their game AND fresh. The show is about this woman who took on an industry that didn’t have women in managerial positions and, because she was the first African-American female manager, she was constantly overlooked and undermined. That’s crazy when you consider all the things she did. Why would you keep undermining her and overlooking her?

Can you relate to her in any way?

One hundred percent. In our industry sometimes people go ‘oh okay, that’s what you do’ and they want to keep you in a specific box. But I like to do things that scare me and push me out of my comfort zone. I never just rest on my laurels.

Were you already familiar with the true story that inspired the show?

No, I just knew the songs and often I didn’t realise it was The Drifters singing them. Seeing the show really opened my eyes and made me realise ‘oh my word, this woman was the backbone of The Drifters’. She made them who they were and created a legacy both for herself and for the group.

Do you think she was ahead of her time?

Absolutely. As an African-American woman in the record business she was groundbreaking, and to persevere when people always keep telling you ‘no’ and shutting down your ideas takes a lot of resilience. She really was ahead of her time because she could have easily just given up and gone home.

What first led you into performing?

My friend went to dance classes when we were in nursery school so I wanted to go too. I was painfully shy, so dance and drama were about the social aspect of it and having an emotional outlet. I really caught the bug from doing am-dram – the dressing up and being able to express myself through different characters. One of my first jobs was High School Musical at Hammersmith Apollo. It was insane because it was more like an arena than a theatre, but it was amazing.

What have been your musical theatre highlights so far?

I can pick a few because I feel like I’ve been really spoiled. I think one of my proudest jobs was definitely Memphis because it was such an ensemble piece. The skillset and the talent in that show was unreal. Chicago was my first West End job and that was incredible, getting to work with such a vast group of talented people. When I did the concert version of Gypsy, I felt like I’d won a competition because we had seven Mama Roses, and to be in a room with such formidable women and learn from them was unreal. Then obviously doing Anything Goes was also a huge highlight because it got such a great response from the audience. To get an Olivier nomination [for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical] was amazing.

What are you most looking forward to about touring the country with The Drifters Girl?

I’m looking forward to seeing how each city responds. I know they are going to be blown away by the magnitude of the talent of the company because our Drifters are something else. I just don’t know how they find these people that have the vocal range and the acting ability to put on so many different hats. The cast is incredible and the buzz from the audience is going to be electric. They’re in for a great time. I also hope they come away knowing more about who the backbone behind The Drifters was and how much tenacity went into keeping them going. Faye has such a great heart, such great commitment and resilience.