Actor is coming home to give back
Andrew Morrisey will be trading the stages of New York for the stage at the Marigold Cultural Centre this summer.
This will be the 10th year Morrisey, who is originally from Truro, has returned to the town to lead youth camps in musical theatre and drama.
During most of the year, he lives in
New York, where he performs on stage, and teaches piano, singing and acting.
“I look forward to doing these camps every summer,” he said. “The past couple of years I’ve had a lot of repeat students, and it’s really interesting to see how they’ve grown.”
Morrisey’s love of theatre developed when he was very young, attending performances with his parents.
“We went to see every CEC musical, and to Neptune,” he recalled. “Then my cousin and I would go into the basement and do our own version.
“I started taking singing lessons, took part in summer theatre at Festival Antigonish, and Truro Music Festival. I was in Cats and Beauty and the Beast at CEC. At the time, it was my Broadway.”
He was recently a production that won a one-act play festival at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, beating out 24 others.
“It was really great and exciting,” he said. “I worked with really talented people.
“It’s called The Daerie Queene, and it was about a brother and sister whose dad had just died. I played the brother, who came back to make preparations for the funeral and wake. He decides to invite a Tinder date for his sister to the wake.
“It included quick, witty humour, and it was a fun play to work on.”
Morrisey is currently in rehearsals for a new off-broadway musical called Dead Serious – The Musical. The show is about real-life celebrity psychic medium Thomas John, who plays himself. The play was going to be staged in May, but because of John’s schedule it had to be moved to the fall. Morrisey also works with Inside Broadway, a non-profit program that helps public school students stage musicals
“The best thing about working with young people is to see the growth,” he said. “You see the kid who was the shyest at the beginning of the program find their own way and blossom. They’re confident at the end in singing, acting, or just being themselves.”
When he’s in Truro, Morrisey will also be catching up with family, staying with his parents and attending a cousin’s wedding.
The Truro drama camp runs Aug, 13-17 and the musical theatre camp is the following week. They include a final performance on the last days of the week. The programs are for ages seven to 14 and cost $195. To register visit www.marigoldcentre.ca or call 902-897-4004.