Interview: Jason Pumarada in BUNNY BOY at The Growing Stage 2/8 TO 2/16

The Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theatre, will present the world premiere production of BUNNYBOY by Philip Kaplan. The show will be on the Netcong stage from February 8 through 16 with performances on Saturdays at 4:00PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM.

BUNNYBOY, the 2019 Laurie Award Winner from The Growing Stage's New Play-Reading Festival, introduces you to Peter, a sixth grader, through a series of accidents, develops superpowers and becomes Bunnyboy. Now what? Peter and his friends, Skip and Karen, discover it's complicated being a superhero - there's no manual. And when Bunnyboy has to face an actual super villain, the Animal Master, is he up for the task? And will he get his homework in on time?

Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Pumarada who plays Skip in BUNNYBOY.

Pumarada is thrilled to return The Growing Stage, where he has previously been seen in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Beast/Prince) and The Cat In The Hat (Boy). Proud member of Actor's Equity. T. Schreiber Studio alumnus & Susan Eichhorn-Young Voice Studio student. Selected credits: NYC: Balm In Gilead (Singer, NYIT Award Winner). NJ: RENT (Roger, NJACT Award Nominee), Evita (Che), Murder Ballad (Michael), The Fantasticks (Matt), The Wild Party (Black).

Who were some of the first people to recognize your acting talents?

I took the unconventional road into theater. It actually started in high school, where I competed in forensics. My coaches saw I was comfortable in front of people, which led to doing the school musicals, where the director noticed something and cast me as probably the first ever Asian Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors. Then, in college, my mother signed me up (without me knowing) for our local church's yearly musical review fundraiser show. I'd done the musicals prior, but always in fun, and I never really sang seriously before. But something clicked, and the director of those shows was the one that really took an interest in me and really kept pushing me to give theater a shot. Acting was never really the goal, but I'm here now, and I'm glad I've ended up in this position.

Tell us a little about your education and how it contributed to your career.

I actually don't have a traditional acting training background. But I've picked up so many little nuggets along the way, starting with forensics. It's definitely something I'd recommend for younger actors, especially, as it really honed my ability to listen and respond. As an adult, I was so lucky to have found T. Schreiber Studio in New York City. All of my teachers at the studio gave me a two year, night school crash course on focusing my natural instincts with process and technique while introducing me to plays and giving me my first, real, acting gig. In addition, my voice teacher, Susan Eichhorn Young, has been nothing short of the perfect "Yoda" for me in terms of learning how to access my full vocal potential.

It's great to see you back at The Growing Stage. Tell us a little about your experiences working with the theatre.

The Growing Stage is truly a special environment. The culture that Steve, Lori, and the entire staff has created here, which I believe really stems from the theater's other primary role as theater educators for children, is nothing short of amazing. In all of the shows I've done here, actors here are fully free to practice their craft, explore, mess up, collaborate, and create. And personally, I've always felt trusted and supported in the process, which I'm extremely thankful for. In addition, performing for children is truly a unique experience. In my opinion, kids, moreso than adults, can spot a fake a mile away. If you, as an actor, aren't at your most authentic, you'll find yourself in a room full of rowdy kids really fast. It's such a different and great challenge that I love!

Why do you think children's theatre is so important to the arts community?

I actually think that children's theater is vital, not just in shaping the future of the arts community, but to society as a whole. It's a cliche and infinitely corny to some extent, but children are the future, right? Not to get preachy, but when we're seeing arts, theater, and music programs being cut left and right, a place like The Growing Stage may be the only way that young children get exposed to things other than reading, math, science, and their iPads. To me, the most well rounded kids I've come across, even the kids in my own family, have the arts in their lives, so children's theater can definitely have a big impact in shaping how kids today grow up.

We'd love to know a little about the characters you play in Bunny Boy.

I play Skip, Peter's (Bunny Boy's alter-ego) best friend and de-facto narrator. What I love about Skip is the fact that he's overall just a good, moral, kid, which is amazing considering he's only in the 6th grade. When Peter gets a little off track, Skip is always there to try to steer him back on course. When Peter needs a little nudge, Skip is there to do the pushing, and with just enough snark and sarcasm to make it hilarious at times. It's a great balance, overall, between Skip and Peter that's just a joy to explore. We've seen a lot of superhero material recently in movies, but this is probably the first piece I've come across that puts that sort of story into the realm of kids.

What would you like audiences to know about the show?

There's always a misconception when you do children's theater that it's just for children. Of course, there's always a good amount of children's theater shows that are just for kids. But this show is very much in the vein of Shrek or the Pixar movies, where adults can have a good time as well. There's a lot of little "in-jokes" throughout that adults can definitely get a kick out of too!

Can you share with us any future plans?

At the moment, I'm pretty much an open book. I've always been told that the work of an actor is not just the job itself, but auditioning. So I plan on hitting the pavement and getting back to work really soon!

Anything else you'd like our readers to know?

Keep supporting local theater and keep supporting The Growing Stage. It's been my pleasure to be with them the last few years and I just think that every kid could benefit from a little Growing Stage magic! Hope to see you all there!

All tickets for BUNNYBOY are $28 for Adults, $22 for Seniors and $18 for Children. BUNNYBOY is recommended for the entire family and has a running time of 60 minutes plus a 15-minute intermission. To purchase tickets, please visit www.growingstage.com or contact the Box Office at (973) 347-4946. Special group rates and season membership plans are available.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jason Pumarada.