Welcome to another installment of our Working in Theater series. This series in which we interview people working in different theater-related jobs runs periodically on Saturdays. Today we will be speaking with J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company's Associate Artistic Director, Benjamin Nissen (BN)
BN: Associate Artistic Director
How would you describe what you do?
BN: Assist the Artistic Director in maintaining the highest possible presentation and production standards for the J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company.
How did you come to be doing the job that you do?
BN: Our Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Robert W. Schneider, and I have a history of producing concert-revivals of musicals at Feinstein's/54 Below. Our Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Jim Jimirro, saw one of the shows, one thing led to another and now we all get to do them together as full productions at Theatre Row!
Did you have to get any special training for your job?
BN: When it comes to producing and theatre administration, most of my training is through experience and mentorship. However, I did receive my BFA in Musical Theatre from Penn State where I received a very thorough education in performing and making a life in theater.
What is the best part of your job?
BN: I love being able to be a small part of introducing these stories to new audiences and sharing their rich history. My hope is through either being on stage or in the audience we've introduced someone to their new favorite show.
What is the worst part of your job?
BN: I love watching the casts up on stage having so much fun and sometimes it makes me miss performing. Who knows, maybe one day you'll see me roll-up at the auditions!
What are some of your favorite shows that you have worked on?
BN: I really enjoyed getting to be a part of the team on both Seesaw and No Strings last season! Truthfully, I wasn't familiar with either of the shows until we were exploring options for our season and I ended up really falling in love with the scores and stories of the shows.
What show if any would you loved to have worked on?
I would have loved to work on the original Broadway production of Cabaret. This is one of my favorite shows of all time and I think it would have been really cool to be involved with it from the beginning. Watching that team work, exploring new songs, so awesome!
Who are some other people in your field that you admire?
BN: Two people that I really admire deeply are Sue Frost and Randy Adams. My first job on Broadway was working in their office on Come From Away and they taught me to always lead with kindness in this industry. I owe so much of who I am and how I work to them and the entire team at Junkyard Dog Productions.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?
BN: Stay curious! The first time I worked with Rob was as an assistant director at a summer stock theatre in Pennsylvania. I was pursuing a performance degree at the time and wasn't sure if it was the right path for me. I was hungry to learn and excited to take on any new responsibility that he needed help with. Over the past 6 years of working together, I've had the opportunity to work on concerts everywhere from Feinstein's/54 Below to Penn State to the St. James Theatre on Broadway. This all came from me saying to Rob, "Hey, I might be interested in directing... if you have any shows coming up I'd love to sit-in and learn from you."
We thank Benjamin for taking the time to answer our questions. The first J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company show of the season, A Class Act will open on Thursday, February 10 and run through Sunday, February 20. That will be followed by A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine which will run from Thursday, February 24 through Sunday, March 6. The final show of the season will be The Baker's Wife which will run from Thursday, March 10 through Sunday, March 20. All shows will take place at Theater Row, 410 W. 42nd St., New York, NY. For more information about J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company or to purchase tickets to any or all of their shows, visit www.j2spotlightnyc.com. We will also provide further updates as they become available in our weekly Sunday Scoop posts.
Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop post.
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