When the Sun caught up with theater student Maxwel Corpuz, he was busy prepping for a cabaret to raise money to pay for his NY Theatre Intensives, a six-week educational experience. He was chosen as one of 10 students from the United States to join this summer’s training roster. While there, he’ll train in acting, playwriting, collaboration, and theater repertory under the mentorship of master teachers from NYU and CSU Fullerton,
as well as professional friends and associates of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
Though he earned a scholarship, he still needs money to round out tuition costs and to take care of living and travel expenses. At press time, he was prepping for a benefit musical cabaret titled HEAR Right Now, featuring songs from musical theater with splashes of folk and acoustic pop, weaved through a snappy original narrative chronicling his life and experiences in the theater.
On the eve of his benefit concert, Corpuz took a few minutes to let Sun readers who may have missed the concert get to know him a little better.
What’s your educational background?
Juan Pacifico Ontiveros Elementary, El Camino Jr. High, Santa Maria High School (class of 2006); I spent my summers taking dance and GEs at Allan Hancock College and California State University, Fullerton, where I was one of 10 selected for the competitive bachelor of fine arts (BFA) in musical theatre program.
What’s your ultimate aspiration?
To find success and happiness in the industry of theater—whether it is acting, directing, or teaching—while maintaining a sturdy and honest moral compass. I also think being a dad would be cool.
What inspired you to get into theater?
When I was younger, I noticed that there weren’t many Filipino-American actors on the scene. There weren’t many faces or voices in American mainstream entertainment that I could connect with on a cultural basis. This desire for cultural outreach and diversity, especially through the medium of theater and the arts, has been a key motivation throughout my education and my career thus far.
What would this theater intensive mean to your career?
Networking opportunities and education/training. I will be training with the preeminent educators of theater within this intensive. Master teachers from NYU, CSU Fullerton, affiliates of the renowned Ensemble Studio Theatre Company NYC, and other artists who are currently working on Broadway will act as our mentors and teachers during the intensive. I believe that when it comes to an artistic craft, one cannot become complacent in refining their skills. An artist should always be pursuing more education, always be polishing their craft throughout their careers, and NY Theatre Intensives will allow me to do this. I feel like this opportunity will elevate my purpose, expand my potential, and bolster my future within the theater.
Who inspires you to keep pursuing your dreams?
God. Throughout my 23 years of life, I’ve been blessed with numerous successes and special opportunities that I never thought would be possible for a guy like me. I can’t help but feel like he has something great in store for me.
Is there a dream show you’d like to work in or person you’d like to work with?
A dream show that I have yet to be cast in is In the Heights, the hip-hop/Latin musical by Lin Manuel-Miranda. It fuses two of my passions: hip hop and musical theater, and also tells a story of culture and family. I also would love to be in any show composed by Stephen Sondheim or Jeanine Tesori; their music explores the layers of the human experience at depths no other composers have. As far as people I want to work with, I would say Lea Salonga, since she has broken boundaries in the American theater world, and she continuously carries the banner for Filipino-American actors hoping to find success in a highly competitive industry.
We all have setbacks/obstacles or challenges in pursuing our dreams; how do you find the strength to move beyond those setbacks?
Faith, family, friends, and fight. One has to fight fiercely for their dreams and truly earn their calling.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone is a fighter. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 7-14, 2012.