Photograph by Angie Lipscomb
Creators, directors, and Cincinnati natives Drew and Lea Lachey began their musical passion project, label•less, at the School for Creative and performing Arts eight years ago. Originating from an acting exercise about empathy and discrimination at their performing arts nonprofit, Lachey Arts, label•less has become popular for its ever-evolving content: The piece changes as the cast changes, with new stories from the actors highlighted in every production cycle.
The 90-minute production tackles real-world issues that the performers themselves have faced, from discrimination to identity, including race, gender, sexuality, and mental health. The Lacheys’ goal is not only to raise awareness of such issues, but also to promote unity and a sense of hope in the belief that “Together is Better,” as reflected in the musical’s final song.
Since the production’s inception, the show has seen massive success, with an off-Broadway run currently underway in New York for the summer.
Drew Lachey of pop boy band 98 Degrees and Dancing With the Stars fame, and choreographer Lea Lachey, who has worked with various musical casts and the Rockettes, intended to create a space for empowering young artists through training in vocals, dance, and acting with the founding of Lachey Arts. What came of it, rather unexpectedly, was a musical with a mission, which ultimately brought them to temporarily close the nonprofit’s physical location in March. If one thing remains clear, though, it’s that the Lacheys continue to see the significance of “seeing beyond labels,” now more than ever.
Have themes of discrimination and identity in your musical changed in interpretation over time?
Lea Lachey: Absolutely, yes. I think what makes the show unique and interesting is the fact that we constantly have our hands around it, trying to stay on target with what is going on and what is relevant in that time. If we were to just kind of leave it, I feel like we wouldn’t be doing it justice. I think that a lot of things evolve, and it’s important for us to tell those stories correctly.
Drew Lachey: As the world changes, the show has the ability to change too, and I think that’s what separates us from a lot of the other shows that are happening right now. Our show is constantly evolving as the world evolves. As our cast evolves and changes, our show changes.
Do you continue to discuss discrimination with performers, and how does this inform their performances on stage?
LL: It’s their life experiences that inform us. We are constantly talking to them, whether it’s personal conversations or whether it’s geared specifically towards the show. As creators, we are in a very unique position. When we’re listening to their day-to-day and their stories, we don’t take it lightly. It’s important for us to get it right. It’s such a beautiful experience and exchange between the creators and the cast, and I believe we work as a unit.
DL: It affects how we direct, how we write, how we create the show, because the show is their true, real-life stories. In order for us to do the show justice, we have to constantly check in with them and make sure that the show represents what’s going on in their lives.
How do you navigate portraying the performer’s true stories while giving them agency to tell them?
LL: One, they are very brave. Two, we have to ask their permission. There is give-and-take there, and I think it’s important to keep everyone safe. It involves a lot of cast members, and it’s important to check in on them when you’re telling stories that have so much weight to them.
DL: It comes as we’re writing monologues. It’s sitting down, talking with them, figuring out what they want the world to know about their life experiences. I then shape that into a monologue so it has cadence, rhythm to it, and a flow that feels cohesive. It’s their stories, I take their words and try and represent it, and we go back and forth until we’re sure that it’s telling the story that they want to tell.
Has label•less, and the stories it tells, changed your perspective on our world, and what feelings has it evoked?
LL: I am a different person than when I started this process eight years ago. With each version that we do—this is the 10th version that we’re getting ready to start—there’s no way not to be changed. I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned, and I like to think hopefully others follow suit, is to listen. I think a lot of times people are so quick to talk and get their point across, and if we listen, we can learn so much from these components of the show. It’s their truth, it’s authentic, and they live it every day.
DL: Coming from the flip side, knowing these people in this cast, it changes me because, in many ways, I would feel very pessimistic or negatively about the future. But knowing it’s in their hands, and that we have people like them who are moving forward in the world with compassion, love, and hope—it gives me a sense of hope. The world is not so locked in the course we are on. We can change, we can evolve, and we can become better people. The show offers a sense of hope, of humanity, of being unlimited and undefined.
What was the impact of your shows in Cincinnati, and how did that land you in New York?
LL: Pushing nonstop. “Keep going” is pretty much our motto. There’s been a lot of nos, a lot of doors that have been doors, but also a lot of doors that have been opened. I think the natural evolution of it happening in Cincinnati, where it was born and bred, was the obvious choice. We really started to sell out and have momentum at our performance at the [American] Sign Museum in 2022. It’s been a blur. Cincinnati gave us the opportunity to learn on our feet, be there, and continue to support the show.
DL: One thing that most people who aren’t in the industry don’t know is that every show has workshops everywhere. We looked at that model and said, well, why can’t Cincinnati be one of those places where shows are built? Cincinnati, as Lea said, has been an intricate part of not only the creation of the majority of these stories, but also where we fine-tuned the set, where we went through trials and tribulations, fund-raising and marketing, where we learned so much as creators.
What sets label•less apart from the many other endeavors both of you have embarked on in your careers?
LL: We always say this is our most favorite working environment. This community of people is like no other. We are a true family, and so to be in a room with people that are joyful is so refreshing. It is the perfect combination of our backgrounds. This has our footprint on it, and I think that’s incredible. We take everything, like the pop world and the theater world, and we like to think that label•less is a marriage of both.
DL: Without sounding too cheesy, I feel like these steps in our careers in the last 30 years have been building towards this point. It isn’t like this is an afterthought after 98 Degrees. These are all those steps, laying the foundation of who we are as people, as performers, as creators, to get us to this point. Those are all foundational pieces that this label•less house is built on.
Do you see a future where your nonprofit, Lachey Arts, will open its doors again?
LL: The physical space had to close for now, and that was not an easy decision for us. Without Lachey Arts, there would be no label•less. I think that it is important as artists, artistic directors, and founders of that to be able to pivot as well. Never say never. I will miss teaching and choreographing too much not to be present in the city doing that. I think that it will evolve and change slightly.
DL: The mission has always been to make the arts accessible to everybody, regardless of financial means. While in the past it has been making training and classes available to everyone, it has now shifted more towards making sure there’s representation for everybody on the stage and making available tickets to people who otherwise might not be able to experience theatre. While the Lachey Arts physical space is closed for now, the mission is very much alive. It’s just taking a little bit of a different form right now.
What do you hope audiences will walk away with when they come to watch your show?
LL: I hope that they leave hopeful. I hope that it has a ripple effect. I hope that people can truly listen to what people are saying and that they can leave the theatre in the space of being more open-minded and a little bit kinder. It’s as simple as that for me.
DL: We hope that the audience takes away the same things that we’ve taken away from being a part of it. We are all more similar than we are different. We all have more room for empathy and compassion in our lives. We are all able to coexist together in a way that is loving, full of support, and generosity. We are trying to lead and send people back out into the world feeling together, united, and knowing that each other is a better option than the way that we are.
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