10 Questions
Take Ten: JOSH BRECKENRIDGE
From early dreams of donning Annie’s red curls to his current role in the world premiere musical Dave – at Arena Stage through August 19 – JOSH BRECKENRIDGE has always had the theatre bug. Check out this week’s Take Ten for the inside scoop!
1) What was the first show you ever saw, and what impact did it have?
It was Annie at the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts (PCPA) in Southern California near where I grew up. I said “I wanna DO that...I wanna be an orphan in a red wig!” Seriously though, I was bitten by the bug right then and there. I was in the 7th grade and had never seen a show before in my life. Once I knew that I could take on this art form as career and profession I thought “sign me up!”
2) What was your first involvement in a theatrical production?
It was freshman year of high school and I was Riff in West Side Story. First time I realized I actually had some talent, and others thought so too!
3) What’s your favorite play or musical, and why do you like it so much?
It’s very hard to pin point ONE favorite show, but I’d have to say Ragtime. It was my first “adult” show and I was about 16 or 17 and had only done high school and youth theater productions at that point, so for obvious reasons the nostalgia connected with the piece is considerable. However, the melodies, the story, the characters - everything about that wonderful piece of theater history has always stuck with me and inspired me to continue into this business. For that reason, it’s at the top of the list.
4) What’s the worst day job you ever took?
The worst AND the best was working concession at the Ambassador Theater for Chicago on Broadway. It was the best because I truly loved watching Broadway performers do what I wanted to do 8x a week; and the worst because I watched Broadway performers do what I wanted to do 8x a week!
5) What is your most embarrassing moment in the theatre?
I have MANY. One that sticks out is when I did the three actor play The Whipping Man at Kansas City Rep. At a very dramatic and emotional moment at the climax of the show, with my eyes weld with tears and nose running, I made guttural sound/action to “leave” as my character is scripted to do, and as I did a huge mound of snot shot from my nose out onto the stage! It was for a student performance so, you know those kids got a good laugh out of it.
6) What are you enjoying most about working on Dave at Arena Stage?
The endless bevy of resources and research opportunities that come from doing a show that takes place in and around the White House, actually in our nation’s capital. There is nothing like doing this truly AMERICAN show here in DC.
7) Other than your significant other, who’s your dream date (living or dead) and why?
Sidney Poitier…my IDOL!
8) What is your dream role/job?
Being an actor that is successfully and consistently working in all three areas of theater, film and TV.
9) If you could travel back in time, what famous production or performance would you choose to see?
James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope.
10) What advice would you give to an 8-year-old smitten by theatre / for a graduating MFA student?
To the 8 year-old I’d say: Never stop learning, training, sculpting your instrument.
To the MFA student I’d say: Never stop learning, training, sculpting your instrument.
JOSH BRECKENRIDGE last appeared in the D.C.-area as the Doctor in The Book of Mormon (first national tour) at the Kennedy Center. Broadway credits include Come From Away, The Scottsboro Boys and The Ritz. Off-Broadway credits include The Scottsboro Boys and Saved. Regional credits include Sunday in the Park with George (Huntington Theatre), The Whipping Man (Kansas City Repertory), Tales of the City (American Conservatory Theater), The Scottsboro Boys (Guthrie Theater), Hairspray (Marriott Theatre), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (The Cape Playhouse), High School Musical 2 and Dreamgirls (North Carolina Theatre) and Memphis (La Jolla Playhouse, 5th Avenue Theatre). He appeared in the film Finding Me: Truth and received his B.F.A. from Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Instagram: @josh.breckenridge
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