What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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January 15-21, 2023 What's up! 37 Bright Lights, Big City RiveR valley Chad Burris wrapping third Broadway show BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette C had Burris has been living every small-town actor's dream. He's just wrapped up his third show on Broadway, "Almost Famous," based on the Cameron Crowe movie of the same name. Based loosely on Crowe's life, it's the story of a teenager who dreams of becoming a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s. Burris' life is based on his own dreams, the ones he first dreamed when he was an Alma student working with the Young Actors Guild. His first role with the company was offstage as the dog handler in "Annie," his second on stage in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" in 2003. "YAG completely changed my life and helped me find my path," Burris says. "I learned so much about performing and gained lifelong friends and mentors through that experience." Missy Gipson, YAG's current director, remembers meeting Burris for the first time at auditions for "High School Musical" around 2006. "His singing voice was already impressive at a young age," she recalls, "but honestly, what I remember most — and is still true today — he is whip smart and ridiculously funny. You can't help but smile when you are around him." After high school graduation, Burris went off to Ouachita Baptist University to study musical theater. "Even though I was pursuing the degree, I still felt so out of the loop with how the business worked," he remembers. "I spent many evenings reading online about auditions and pushed myself for many projects while in college. "I really lucked out and while in college I booked the national tour of 'The Book of Mormon' through video submission," he goes on. "That opened a lot of doors for me. I left the tour and moved to New York City, and it took me a couple of years to book my first Broadway show." Before that first show, "Frozen," was a lot of babysitting as a day job — "I became the manny of Washington Heights," Burris laughs. After it came "Mean Girls — and during "Mean Girls" came the pandemic, which shuttered Broadway. "It was disheartening," Burris admits. "I moved back home to Arkansas, and I taught a lot and worked with a local high school theater program. Besides that, I enjoyed time with my family and using this weird time to make memories with them." His role in "Almost Famous" was three years in the making. "I have been a part of 'Almost Famous' since April of 2019," he explains. "Most Broadway shows do years of development before it ever sees the stage. I've done three workshops/readings; I did the out-of- town tryout at the Old Globe in San Diego; and now I'm finally part of the original Broadway company. The audition in 2019 was fairly simple. I read a couple of scenes and sang the Stevie Wonder song, 'If You Really Love Me.' I booked the show three days later." Burris says a typical show day means "working on my own writing projects at home, cuddled up next to my dog. I have to be at the show about 45 minutes before curtain. Lots of rest." Although "Almost Famous" had a short run — it debuted Nov. 3 and closed Jan. 8 — Burris was lucky enough to have his parents in town for the opening. "Seeing them so happy and proud is the best part of this experience," he says. "I've been lucky to perform in three beautiful Broadway theaters," Burris goes on. "Every time I look out [from the stage], I think of the 15-year-old version of me who was seeing his first Broadway show and thinking Chad Burris was part of the original Broadway cast of "almost Famous," his third Broadway show. he credits the young actors Guild in the river Valley for setting him on his path to the Great White Way. (Courtesy photo/Chad Burris) Fyi Follow Burris on Instagram at @chad_burris. performing on a stage like that seemed so far away. As I walk across to my dressing room, I look out and think, 'We did it, kid.'" Next up for Burris, he says, is continuing work on a feature film he's writing with "an awesome LA based writer" with the hope of pitching it in the spring. He admits he's sad to see "Almost Famous" close, but "this fall was incredibly turbulent putting up this show, so I think I'll be resting a bit." Asked what he'd tell other aspiring actors in Arkansas, Burris is quick with an answer: "My best piece of advice is be kind, work hard, make your own opportunities, and trust your gut."