Acting teacher Stella Adler is credited with a sentiment that’s shared widely and often ironically by theater professionals, parents and those who love performers: If you can do anything else besides acting, then do that.
No matter, the profession continues to draw smart, beautiful storytellers who hold their own on Twin Cities stages. Here’s a bouquet of these promising bloomers.
Will Dusek
He has a beautiful voice, dramatic range and something that can’t easily be bought or taught: star power. A Cretin-Derham Hall graduate who studied musical theater at Illinois Wesleyan University, Dusek won the triple threat award in Hennepin Arts’ Spotlight program in 2018. And lately, he has been living up to expectations, exploding on the scene even as he continues to hone his craft.
Where you have seen him: Dusek played heartthrob Frankie Valli in “Jersey Boys” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, finding the singer’s vulnerable falsetto and edgy charm on songs such as “Beggin’” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Dusek also was affecting as strike leader Jack in “Newsies” at Artistry, imbuing the restive newsboy with pathos and a dreamy grandeur.
Upcoming: “Scotland, PA” at Theater Latté Da.
Audrey Parker
An elfin ingenue who belts high notes effortlessly, Parker commits fully to her roles. She comes by her gifts by natal immersion and study. Her mother, voiceover artist Teri Parker Brown, is a veteran Twin Cities singer, actor and dancer while her father, Vin Parker, is a musician and actor. Parker cut short her studies at Marymount Manhattan College to work.
Where you have seen her: Her Ann Miller in History Theatre’s “Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters” exuded glamour and a winning empathy. In Artistry’s “Newsies,” where she played sassy reporter and love interest Katherine, Parker invested her musical and dance numbers with lots of character that made Katherine smartly engaging.
Upcoming: “A Christmas Carol” at the Guthrie Theater.