After a nationwide search, a new teacher is finally in place at Center for Creative Arts to fill the gap left by the retirement of musical theater instructor Allan Ledford.
Jason Whitehead from Orlando, Fla., who has been the musical director at the University of Central Florida’s theater department, finds himself cast in a new role: teacher.
The 26-year-old brings a wealth of stage experience to the position. Since high school, Whitehead has performed in 11 musicals, served as musical director of more than 30 productions and directed more than two dozen shows. His arrival at CCA was delayed due to a gig playing piano in the orchestra of a Long Island, N.Y., production of “Hello, Dolly” featuring actors from New York City.
CCA Principal Deborah Smith said Whitehead is teaching under a transitional license.
“Jason’s an artist educator. He has a degree in theater and has entered the Teacher Preparation Academy at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to take classes he needs to meet requirements to become state-certified,” Smith said.
“Because he has such professional experience in theater, we knew he would bring a new dimension to the classroom,” she said.
Whitehead talked about his new roles as both teacher and student.
Q: How did you learn about the position at Center for Creative Arts?
A: I read playbill.com, and it posts job listings. The UCF job was becoming a little stale. I was reading the job listings and saw one for director of musical theater, so I decided to give it a shot and applied.
Q: What interested you about the job?
A: I’m a musical theater nerd. I just came back to: “If I was in high school, what would I want to know?” Having been a performer and a director, I could approach that from both sides. I thought it was an opportunity to enlighten and inspire the young minds of tomorrow’s actors.
Q: Not having worked in a classroom situation, what are you discovering your teaching style to be?
A: You’ve got to be personable. If you’re not, you’re going to lose them.
But I also have to remind students that I know what I’m doing. If you don’t prove to them right away that you deserve to be in this spot, you’ll lose them. The kids were asking me today if I could tap. I said I could, and they said, ‘Show me.’
I like to show clips from modern shows, use contemporary visual aids with what I teach them, to show how what I am teaching them applies to their performances.
Q: What do you want this class of seniors to take from your instruction?
A: That it’s half craft (technique, skill and terminology) and half business to make it. Understanding the business side can be a headache, but they need to know how to audition, how to write a cover letter, to format a resume, how to handle themselves on an audition or when asked to do things on the spot. Those are just as important to getting work as the craft is.
Talent isn’t everything anymore; you’ve got to be a working professional.
ABOUT HIM
* Age: 26.
* Hometown: Richmond, Va.
* Education: Bachelor of fine arts in musical theater from University of Central Florida.
* Career: Past three years spent working for the University of Central Florida theater department as musical director and pianist; spent eight years as director of high school productions and musical director for children’s productions at Orlando Youth Theater.
* Favorite musical in which he’s performed: “The Secret Garden.”
* Favorite role to play: Bob Cratchit in “A Christmas Carol.”
* People would be surprised to know: “I’m a twin.” His brother is Jeff.
* Guilty pleasure: “TV shows on DVD. ‘Friends’ is my all-time favorite.”