- CONNOR MURPHY |
Hi, my name is Mike Faist and I am from Gahanna, Ohio. I moved to New York when I was 17 studying at a conservatory program for two semesters before dropping out to sell tickets on the street for off-Broadway shows. It took me months to actually gain the courage to start auditioning for shows, but once I started, I saw that I was booking work. My first professional job was at a non-union dinner theater in Springboro, Ohio. After that I came back to the city where I registered for food stamps and went back to selling tickets for off-Broadway shows. It took a little less mustering to get back out and audition, and sure enough, I started working at a non-union theater in New Hampshire, where I stayed for half of their season. While I was there, I saw a breakdown for a show called Newsies. For some reason I had a gut feeling that I had to audition. I just knew that I was going to get the job. I didn’t know why but I did. After seven auditions, three megabus rides to New York from New Hampshire and back, and crashing on couches, I got the job. Newsies at Papermill Playhouse was my first union show. When I found out that the show and myself were transferring to Broadway, I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it. It all happened pretty fast. Two years of being in New York and I booked Broadway? I was giving myself until I was 25. Well at 24, I’m coming back to Broadway for a second go around. Dreams come true If you trust, and are persistent and positive. I believe there are two mindsets when it comes to happiness and goals: “I Can,” and “I Cannot.” The people who say, “I can,” do. I’m happy to have been with Dear Evan Hansen from the beginning stages. I feel satisfied as an artist knowing that my work helped shaped the show, and I am even more thrilled to know that people will see our work and walk away differently than how they came in.
