Singing has been my passion since I did my first musical theater role in Middle School. Although I thought I wanted to sing professionally, practicality prevailed, and I ultimately pursued a career in Information Technology. Early in my professional life in Los Angeles there was little time for singing, and after four years of singing only in the car or the shower, I found my way back into voice lessons and performing. When I moved to Ventura County in the ‘90s I was happy to find many performing opportunities through Ventura College, the Moorpark Melodrama, and Camarillo Community Theatre. In 2000 I found my way to CPT and performed the role of “Edward Rutledge” in 1776. It was a great introduction to CPT in a juicy little role that included a pivotal song – “Molasses to Rum”. I’m no triple threat. At that time, I could sing. That was it. Supporting roles with a song or two were what I aimed for.
Something changed in 2001. I auditioned for a Simi Valley production of The Secret Garden and was cast in the role of Archibald Craven. It was both thrilling and terrifying. I had done leading roles in small-town Iowa but had not ventured into bigger acting roles since moving to Southern California. I loved the show and the role, and I always have wanted to revisit it with a bit more experience under my belt.
I am absolutely beyond elated to have that opportunity here and now in CPT’s upcoming production. This time around, the role feels a bit more manageable and a bit less terrifying than last time, but the challenges it presents are what made me want another crack at the part. The pathos present in the character, his physicality as a hunchback, numerous difficult songs, and the British accent are all challenging elements, and mastering each one doesn’t necessarily mean that the character has been fully realized, which is my aim. One thing I’ve learned in the past 20 years is to enjoy the process, and our talented and dedicated creative team with Dana Kolb at the helm make the process a pleasure.
I’m grateful to have gained much of my theatrical experience right here at CPT, performing roles like Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, Anatoly in Chess, and a personal favorite, Percy in The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was also here at CPT where I got many opportunities to serve as musical director and conductor in shows like Joseph…Dreamcoat, Singin’ in the Rain, and The Wiz, Jr., in which my wife, Lissa, killed it (and frightened the Munchkins) as Evilene.
I was asked whether I have a favorite, funny, or scary memory from my time at CPT. My experience in directing Guys and Dolls in 2018 qualifies as scary, to be sure. We had a nearly perfect cast for that production, and it ultimately came out well, but we had epic challenges.
The trouble with casting great people is that they are busy with other projects, and we had an insane number of conflicts. Then there was the rehearsal that we had to cancel because an airplane had landed on the 101 freeway, preventing anyone from getting there. One night as we were starting to leave rehearsal, we learned of the horrific Borderline shooting that was in progress across the street. We all went back into the theatre and stayed until it was safe to depart in the wee hours of the morning. During what should have been tech week, wildfires struck much of Ventura County resulting in the evacuation of the area and the cancellation of several tech rehearsals. Scenery wasn’t painted, light cues weren’t set, and the orchestra hadn’t really rehearsed with the cast. Through the dedication of cast and crew alike, we miraculously managed to open just one day late. We dubbed ourselves “The Little Show That Could” after the train in the children’s story of a similar name. In the grand scheme of things, our struggles were trivial, and I hope that our show was a bright spot for someone in our community who may have been suffering during that dark time.
All these opportunities introduced me to some of my best friends. I will be forever grateful to those friends for propping me up during personally challenging times and to CPT for bringing us together in the first place. Regardless of whether you like to perform, work behind the scenes, or sit in the audience, CPT is a great place for local theatre lovers to be, and I feel so fortunate to have found it.
