We are excited for you to learn more about our staff, starting with one of the newest additions to the team: Nick Benz.
Nick will be teaching Theater Play in April, and helping us create some exciting high level intensives and professional prep courses for the summer.
We asked Nick a few questions, and here is what he has to say…
Briefly list your education/experience in theater: I am a graduate of the professional actor training program at Northern Illinois University, where I hold my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. Since graduation I have worked in Chicago with companies such as Free Street Theatre, The Runaways Lab Theatre, and Pop Magic Productions. This fall I will be relocating to Richmond, VA where I will be working towards my MFA in Theatre Pedagogy and Performance and in the future hope to become a professor.
What are you most excited about sharing with Limelight participants? Limelight was the first theatre I worked with outside of school, and it helped solidify the passion that has driven my career. As an instructor, my greatest hope is to share the same joy and passion with the next generation of theatre artists.
What do you like most about theater? I love theatre because ANYONE can be great at it, regardless of their experience level. The truth is that there are no tricks to becoming a great performer– you already are! I have always loved the Wizard of Oz and I find it very applicable. “You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”
Which Limelight productions have you been a part of? Lumberjacks: The Musical, West Side Story, and The Music Man.
Share a memory from your time as a Limelight participant. I played Bernardo in West Side Story, and Bernardo has a great deal of dancing throughout the show. I was terrified! At that age, I had no dance experience. I remember our choreographer asked me to do a pretty complicated lift and then place an actress on my shoulder. With the right amount of effort and practice, we got it and it looked awesome! I learned a lot that day about never giving up. To this day, I’m still reminded of that valuable lesson in my work as an actor in Chicago.
What is your dream role? Didi (Vladimir) in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
What game or movie universe would you most like to live in? I’m not a big gamer, but I am always intrigued by what it would be like living in the Pokemon universe.