Changing Roles
East Brady native and musical theater actor Brady Patsy will be assuming a new and challenging role this fall, that of the new conservatory director of the Pittsburgh Musical Theater.
The theater announced his appointment to lead the theater's Richard E. Rauh Conservatory for the Performing Arts July 13.
Patsy, 29, who has been appearing on stage professionally since he graduated from Karns City High School in 2007, has long been associated with the Pittsburgh Musical Theater, previously serving as an acting/voice instructor for the conservatory
“The Pittsburgh Musical Theater has two facets: a professional company and a student conservatory like a student arts school,” said Patsy. “I will be in charge of the school. We actually have close to 300 students in the conservatory.”
He added, “I will be doing some teaching. But I will be limiting my teaching by choosing which classes. I want to keep an eye on each student's arts education.
Patsy said conservatory students range in age from 4 to 18 and work in one of three programs to develop their singing, acting and dancing skills in a classroom setting.
He said the Pittsburgh Musical Theater's programs have served as a path to Broadway, feature films and university training. Conservatory graduates have matriculated at Yale, Carnegie-Mellon University, Boston Conservatory, Florida State University, Penn State, Point Park and many others.
Taking on the teaching position doesn't mean Patsy will be giving up the stage.
He said, “When I spoke with Executive Artistic Director Colleen Doyno about the directorship, she definitely wanted me to stay on the stage. I definitely will be performing in the future.”
Patsy, the son of David and Kim Patsy of East Brady, went into Pittsburgh Musical Theater productions right after his high school graduation.
He's also taken the stage at the West Virginia Public Theater, Boston's North Shore Music Theater Company, and many others, including productions of the Musical Theatre Guild in Butler.
In 2008, Patsy spent a year working for the Walt Disney World Co. in Orlando, Fla.
Upon returning to Pennsylvania, Patsy said he has been performing almost non-stop.
He has had the opportunity to play roles in shows as diverse as “Sister Act “(Curtis), “Grease” (Miss Lynch), “Disney's The Little Mermaid” (Grimsby), “Children of Eden” (Father), “Hairspray” (Edna Turnblad), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (Peter), “Spring Awakening” (Male Authority Figure), “Beauty and the Beast” (Cogsworth), “Seussical” (General Schmitz), “Rent” (Tom Collins), “Les Miserables” (Javert), and “Cats” (Bustopher Jones/Gus) as well as many others.
He said his last role was as King Triton in “Disney's The Little Mermaid.”
He said, however, his most challenging role was Javert in “Les Miserables.”
He said, “I think the opportunity to play Javert was challenging in living up to the legacy of the role.”
In addition to acting, Patsy has taught at a charter school in Pittsburgh, taught acting through PMT, and taught voice and acting privately.
During 2010-2012 he served as production administrator for Grayfin Arts Entertainment Events. He also served as a theater instructor for the Butler Center for the Performing Arts.
“I have been fortunate that every job I've had has been in the creative arts,” he said.Taking on this latest teaching role is almost the completion of a circle.He credits Beth Ackelson, his music teacher at Karns City High School, for setting him on the path to the spotlight.“Beth Akelson brought our drama club to the Pittsburgh Musical Theater when they had student matinees on Thursdays, and that's how I got to PMT,” he said.Ackelson, who has been music teacher, drama adviser and director of the school musical for the past 24 years, remembers the student matinees.“They still have them, and I still take students down to the PMT,” Ackelson said.She remembered she was performing professionally in “The Civil War” during her field trip with Patsy's class.“I told the class, 'Have a seat,' and I went on stage and performed,” she said.She said she and Patsy have found themselves performing together in the years since his graduation.She said, “Mostly I have directed Brady, but I have acted with him.“In 'Beauty and the Beast,” he was Cogsworth and I was Mrs. Potts,” Ackelson said. “We've done a lot of community theater. We were both in 'Damn Yankees' and 'Into the Woods' for the Butler Musical Theatre Guild.”She said, “I haven't had any students do that, go straight from high school into professional acting, but Brady skipped college and went into it.”Ackelson said she and her former student keep in touch.“He's helped me with productions,” Ackelson said. “He shared choreographer duties with my daughter, Lyric, on 'Suessical.'”As far as his new directorship, Ackelson said of her former student, “He's a very hard worker, he's got a lot of charm and he's great with people.“He's a very hands-on teacher, just like me,” she added.For now, classes are over at the conservatory until Sept. 8“I can spend a month and a half looking at everything we do, making sure we give the best education we can give,” said Patsy.In the meantime, Pittsburgh Musical Theater is in rehearsals for its annual West End Overlook showcase Aug. 9-11 and Aug. 17 and 18,.“It's a free outdoor concert,” Patsy said. “Basically, it's a two-hour promoting the upcoming shows in the Pittsburgh Musical Theater season.”For anyone thinking to trod the board in Patsy's footsteps, the Pittsburgh Musical Theater holds an annual open house, where potential students can tour the facility, have questions answered, and even take a few sample classes. This year, the open house dates are:11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 255:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 5.
