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Austin P. McKenzie
Austin P. McKenzie (born August 24, 1993)[citation needed] is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Melchior Gabor in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. His performance as Melchior garnered significant critical acclaim, and multiple theatrical award nominations, for both Los Angeles runs and its run on Broadway.
McKenzie grew up in Mesa, Arizona. When he was young, he wanted to become a music minister, even though his family did not regularly attend church.
Starting at age fifteen, McKenzie spent six summers assisting at a summer camp for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities called Lions Camp Tatiyee. The camp was his first contact with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and inspired him to enroll at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied American Sign Language and Childhood Education with the intention of becoming a special educator. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor's degree in American Sign Language and Vocal Performance.
During high school, McKenzie had a casual involvement in the arts and was involved with some theatre, but did not see it as a possible career.
Soon after graduating from Columbia College Chicago, McKenzie sent a tape to director Michael Arden and the creative team at Deaf West Theatre, with hopes of obtaining a job as an interpreter during the company's ASL-inclusive run of Spring Awakening. However, the Deaf West team saw his potential, and requested he audition for the leading role in the production—the radical atheist Melchior Gabor. He was given the role, and began rehearsing for the show in mid-2014. At first, McKenzie was the only member of the hearing cast that was able to effectively communicate with their deaf and hard-of-hearing cohorts, thanks to his training in ASL. Deaf West's Spring Awakening originally performed at a 99-seat theatre off of Skid Row in Los Angeles, California, from September 14, 2014, to November 9, 2014. It was McKenzie's professional theatre debut.
In 2015, the production was rebooted at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills with the additions of cast members Andy Mientus as Hanschen Rilow, Krysta Rodriguez as Ilse Neumann, Alex Boniello as the voice of Moritz Stiefel, and Alex Wyse as Georg Zirschnitz. McKenzie reprised his role as Melchior. McKenzie and the rest of the cast were highly acclaimed by critics, receiving many nominations and wins for Ovation Awards, including his Best Leading Actor in a Musical nomination. The show ran from May 21, 2015 to June 14, 2015.
In the mid-summer of 2015, it was announced that the production would transfer to Broadway with its current cast for a limited engagement at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. McKenzie made his Broadway debut on September 8, 2015, and stayed with the production through its closing on January 24, 2016. The show ran two weeks past its intended run due to its positive reviews, and garnered three Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical.
In addition to theatre, McKenzie has appeared on both the big and small screen. In 2015, he appeared in a one-episode, guest-starring role in the television series The 101.
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Austin P. McKenzie
Austin P. McKenzie (born August 24, 1993)[citation needed] is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Melchior Gabor in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. His performance as Melchior garnered significant critical acclaim, and multiple theatrical award nominations, for both Los Angeles runs and its run on Broadway.
McKenzie grew up in Mesa, Arizona. When he was young, he wanted to become a music minister, even though his family did not regularly attend church.
Starting at age fifteen, McKenzie spent six summers assisting at a summer camp for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities called Lions Camp Tatiyee. The camp was his first contact with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and inspired him to enroll at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied American Sign Language and Childhood Education with the intention of becoming a special educator. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor's degree in American Sign Language and Vocal Performance.
During high school, McKenzie had a casual involvement in the arts and was involved with some theatre, but did not see it as a possible career.
Soon after graduating from Columbia College Chicago, McKenzie sent a tape to director Michael Arden and the creative team at Deaf West Theatre, with hopes of obtaining a job as an interpreter during the company's ASL-inclusive run of Spring Awakening. However, the Deaf West team saw his potential, and requested he audition for the leading role in the production—the radical atheist Melchior Gabor. He was given the role, and began rehearsing for the show in mid-2014. At first, McKenzie was the only member of the hearing cast that was able to effectively communicate with their deaf and hard-of-hearing cohorts, thanks to his training in ASL. Deaf West's Spring Awakening originally performed at a 99-seat theatre off of Skid Row in Los Angeles, California, from September 14, 2014, to November 9, 2014. It was McKenzie's professional theatre debut.
In 2015, the production was rebooted at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills with the additions of cast members Andy Mientus as Hanschen Rilow, Krysta Rodriguez as Ilse Neumann, Alex Boniello as the voice of Moritz Stiefel, and Alex Wyse as Georg Zirschnitz. McKenzie reprised his role as Melchior. McKenzie and the rest of the cast were highly acclaimed by critics, receiving many nominations and wins for Ovation Awards, including his Best Leading Actor in a Musical nomination. The show ran from May 21, 2015 to June 14, 2015.
In the mid-summer of 2015, it was announced that the production would transfer to Broadway with its current cast for a limited engagement at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. McKenzie made his Broadway debut on September 8, 2015, and stayed with the production through its closing on January 24, 2016. The show ran two weeks past its intended run due to its positive reviews, and garnered three Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical.
In addition to theatre, McKenzie has appeared on both the big and small screen. In 2015, he appeared in a one-episode, guest-starring role in the television series The 101.