Go West! (and other news)

Whew! The last month or so has been quite action-packed, so I figured an update was long overdue:

After wrapping up my BFA in Musical Theater at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, my friend and classmate Joe Moeller and I made the great pilgrimage, as most MT BFA holders do, to NYC. We showcased with the rest of the 2011 class on April 11th, and then real life suddenly started. Settling into the New York life, learning to navigate the subway system, hating on tourists, auditioning and meeting Lady Gaga in the street numbered among the activities of my first official week in NYC. I had waited so long for this life to began, and it finally has!

After a week or so of auditioning, I landed my first NYC gig.

I had the great fortune of being hired to work on a staged reading of a new musical called Go West! This brand-new musical follows the forming of the legendary disco group The Village People. (Yes, those Village People.) I played Henri Belolo, the Frenchman responsible for co-creating the iconic group. One of the most exciting aspects of the project was getting to meet, and work with, the real Henri (a producer on the project, pictured

on left.) With a score comprised of the Village People's greatest and lesser known hits, this workshop was some of the most fun I've had on stage. Go West! has so much heart and I cannot wait for everyone to have the chance to go on this disco-tastic journey.

What's next?

In just a few days I am set to start rehearsals for a production of Forever Plaid. Playing the role of Frankie, we will be performing weekends July 8th through the 23rd in lovely Sugar Loaf, NY at the Lycian Theater. I'm so excited to get started on this hilarious and poignant show.

So far, New York City has been nothing but a dream come true. I'm so excited to see what the next adventure will be! Stay tuned...

Experiments in Puppetry: Video Highlights

As previously posted, I recently had the opportunity to put together my own evening of original puppet works. Entitled "Experiments in Puppetry", the show used a variety of types of puppetry and a mix of song and spoken word. The "experiments" ranged from humorous to heart warming and I am very pleased to share some video highlights from the performance.

One of the pieces I am most proud of is my interpretation of some pieces from Daniel MacIvor'sHumans. This table top piece was inspired by work I saw at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's 2010 Puppetry Conference which I attended this past summer.

The performance featured a very special guest. One of my personal hero's and a veteren children's performer.

My homage to the early work of Jim Henson, another hero of mine.

I also took an existing musical theater tune that I love to perform and "puppetized" it.

The finale of the show, and one of my favorite "experiment" was this performance of In the Mood. Joining us on stage was tapper Leeds Hill.