Video Spotlight

This month’s feature is with Jason Gotay, Broadway and television actor, and musical theatre coach. He began his Broadway career originating the role of Randall in Bring It On the Musical in 2012. His most recent Broadway performance was in the Tony nominated musical Floyd Collins.  

I met Jason through his coaching services several years ago and it has been a delight to work with him. I am so grateful to have him share some of his journey and background with us. 

 

 

JG: Theater came to me through school plays in elementary school. Every year, each class had to put together a play based on a fairy tale, a children’s book, or historical event. My 1st grade play was “The Tale of Christopher Columbus” and I was cast as Christopher Columbus. This meant that, while everyone else’s paper bag hats were covered with blue stars, my hat was multi-colored (red, white, AND blue stars, naturally). I loved doing these plays so much that my mother got me involved in the local community theater when I was around ten years old. It slowly dawned on me that if I could make a living doing this professionally, I had to try and see it through.  

 

 

JG: Kindness and inclusivity were at the core of my theater training. I was a part of multiple community theater groups, and I remember one of them feeling like a very safe space and the other one feeling like a sort of “cool kid’s club.” I experienced firsthand what it felt like to be othered and left out because I was new to the group, and noticeably different. I had a lot of trouble fitting in and feeling safe at school, so the group that took me in and made me feel valued and respected helped me fall in love with theater even more. It taught me that theater is a team sport, and in order for any one person to succeed, we all have to succeed.  

 

 

JG: I learned a lot about the art of stillness from the great director Jerry Zaks. He used to talk about how performing a scene or a song is like casting a spell. Oftentimes, a stray movement or gesture can break that spell. There is so much power in simply telling the truth with your eyes. That lesson has stayed with me and I truly believe it’s made me a better actor.

 

JG: No matter what kind of theater you’re doing, you have to find the balance between being as honest and truthful as possible onstage while making sure that every person in the audience can feel that truth, no matter where they’re sitting. There’s a real craft to giving each moment the size and scope it needs to be felt in the very back row while staying as honest and grounded as possible. Doing this in a way that doesn’t feel forced or contrived is extremely difficult, but it’s a skill that will serve you no matter what size theater you’re performing in.  

 

 

JG: It sounds cliche, but a good warm-up will always improve the quality of my work. A vocal and physical warmup gets my mind, body and voice feeling more present, alert, and prepared to use my instrument effectively and stretch the limits of what it can do.  

 

 

JG: There are so many ways to answer this question. An artist’s definition of success is constantly changing, and it’s definitely evolved for me in the past couple of years. Of course I want to cultivate a life of artistic integrity, one where I can lend my voice to as many stories as possible that teach us to be better, more empathetic and compassionate human beings. But I also want a career that sustains me.  

At first, I thought that meant being able to pay my bills. If I could perform for a living and make it month-to-month, I was successful because I was able to “make a living” pursuing my passion.

Now, as an actor in his mid-thirties, I don’t just want to be scraping by anymore. I want to live a full life that allows me to live comfortably and plan for the future instead of just living in the present. It turns out this is much harder than it sounds! But my new vision of success is being able to support myself and my husband and have the things we need and the quality of life that we want. Everyone deserves this, in my opinion. Oftentimes, we feel that, as artists, we’re not entitled to it. But quality of life is extremely important and plays a pivotal part in my definition of success.  

 

 

JG: I do still offer virtual coaching when my schedule allows. I’m open to more in-person coaching, but my acting career has been keeping me very busy (which I’m very grateful for)!  

Teaching and coaching has had a profound impact on my work as an actor. It allows me to practice what I preach. If I empower my students to be bold and authentic in their work, it forces me to be bold and authentic in mine. If I ask them to do the homework on their material, I have to do the homework on mine, too! It holds me accountable and keeps me diligent. It’s also one of my greatest sources of inspiration; seeing students overcome obstacles and push themselves to be better challenges me to be the best artist I can be.

 

 

JG: When schedule permits, my friends and I have an informal play-reading group where we gather together and do living room readings of contemporary plays. It's a space to have fun and flex the muscle of exploring text/character out loud.

 

Can you share about your next upcoming project?  

 

JG: I’ll be doing a production of the new musical Ever After, based on the 1998 film starring Drew Barrymore. I’ve been helping to develop it for the past few years, and I’m very excited to do a full production at the Phoenix Theater Company in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ll be playing Prince Henry. It’s a beautiful story with a gorgeous score by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, and I can’t wait to see it come to life. 

 

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While I recognize the vast amount of theatre in Central Oregon, I have decided to bring my passion for community to life in the form of drama clubs for all ages. Drama club brings the education side of this art form downstage center. We want to help build a foundation for our students to prepare them for performance opportunities. 

 

If you were to pop into any one of our drama clubs, whether it's for ages 4-6 or 75-100, you will see us using exercises from The Viewpoints, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, and more. Drama club is the place where our imagination can run wild! We practice and play in the world of storytelling without the pressure of memorizing a script or blocking. CoCreated partners with Bend Parks and Rec for our students ages 4-15. We also host The Drama Gym, which is drama club for older teens and adults (16+) and we offer private classes for our homeschool, charter schools, and assisted living partnerships. 

Because performing is an important piece of this art form, the drama club classes present a collaborative showcase in the fall and spring. Follow us on social media if you would like to be part of what we are doing locally!

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