Interview: Luke Surretsky in NATE THE GREAT at The Growing Stage
Luke is a NYC based actor who will be making his debut at The Growing Stage in the starring role as Nate in NATE THE GREAT
The Growing Stage: The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, located in the historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong, NJ will present Nate The Great from May 1st to May 17th. Based on the book by Marjorie Sharmat with book & lyrics by John Maclay and music & lyrics by Brett Ryback. The production is directed by Lori Lawrence, TGS’s Director of Educational Programming with musical direction by Melinda Bass O’Neill and choreography by Cari Sanchez.
BroadwayWorld had the pleasure of interviewing Luke Surretsky who plays the starring role of Nate in Nate the Great. He told us about his background, career, and the upcoming show at The Growing Stage.
Luke Surretsky is a NYC-based actor/singer/musician born and raised in northern NJ. Select Credits - TV/Film: Evil Lives Here (Hulu), Bitchy BFF (GoodShort). Off-Broadway: A Christmas Carol (The Players Theatre), Santa’s Sing-A-Long (Theatre Row), Pinkalicious The Musical (Vital Theatre Company). Regional: The Amory Wars (Norwegian Cruise Line), Ring Of Fire (John W. Engeman Theatre, RWS Global), Heartbreak Hotel (John W. Engeman Theatre), Million Dollar Quartet (Hangar Theatre), Escape To Margaritaville (New Bedford Festival Theatre), East Carson St. (Bell Theater, Axelrod PAC), Rent (Area Stage), This Is Our Youth (Area Stage), Sweeney Todd (Area Stage), American Idiot (Asbury Park Theatre Co.), Oliver! (Area Stage), Nate The Great (The Growing Stage). Concert: Jazz At Lincoln Center (The Appel Room).
Tell us a little about your training as an actor and musician.
I started taking piano lessons and acting in musicals at my local youth theatre when I was just 5 years old. At 10, I then started taking voice lessons and playing the upright bass. Throughout high school, I’ve continued to expand on and nurture these skills participating in a multitude of local theatres (whether community or school-related), playing bass in 2 of my former high school’s jazz bands, and by continuing to take lessons! I was accepted to Montclair State University’s BFA Musical Theatre program upon graduating high school, and my sights were set. In a sudden turn of events, I ended up dropping out of college one semester in, as I’d booked my first professional acting job at a regional theatre in Miami, FL. Since then, I’ve been working as an actor, singer, and musician full-time all around the US & seven seas working in Off-Broadway shows, regional shows, cruise ship shows, TV shows, movies, commercials, concerts, weddings, etc. I’m proud to say that I now confidently play the piano, upright bass, electric bass, acoustic guitar, and can hold down a tune on electric guitar and/or drums. All of these skills have been instrumental (pun intended) to helping me book so many shows in the theatre world, with actor/musician shows and jukebox musicals becoming so popular as of late!
You have a diverse array of credits. What are some of your most memorable performances?
One of the most memorable performances I’ve gotten to be apart of was “The Amory Wars”, which was a brand new rock musical that recently debuted on the Norwegian Jewel. For anyone who isn’t familiar, Coheed & Cambria is a kick-ass progressive + heavy metal rock band who has a cult-like following. The lead singer, Claudio Sanchez, has been writing a series of comic books for decades called “The Amory Wars”, and all of the band’s music directly correlates with these comics. Mark Wahlberg bought the rights to The Amory Wars however many years ago, with plans to potentially turn it into a film franchise, but those plans fell through. Just this past year, Coheed & Cambria asked Area Stage in Miami, FL (who was the first theatre company I ever worked with professionally), to take on creating a stage musical of The Amory Wars for the 3rd voyage of Coheed & Cambria’s specialty rock cruise, the SS Neverender (aka the Norwegian Jewel). I was asked to take on originating both villain roles in the show, and got to undertake this challenge with the pressures of performing it for both Coheed & Cambria themselves and their entire fanbase. I also got to perform crazy feats for both of my roles, like doing an entire fight scene in stilts on a BOBBING ship, or voicing the voice of a giant demon bicycle puppet, and much more. The debut of the show was definitely a hit, the band loved it, the fans loved it, and it will definitely be returning to the stage in the near future.
How are you preparing for your starring role as Nate in Nate the Great?
I’m preparing for my role as Nate The Great just as I would any other role! However, it’s definitely fun getting to let my guard down a bit when I remember, I’m playing a kid, so I needn’t think TOO hard about anything. As long as I’m properly prepared with all my lines, songs, blocking, and choreography, I can let my kid instincts take over and just have fun. My little cousins also remind me of how much INFINITE energy kids have, so I can definitely draw some inspiration from them as well.
Why do you think children's and family theatre is so important?
Children’s and family theatre is so important because it literally changes lives. In both big and small ways. My mom taking me to see Beauty & The Beast and The Little Mermaid on Broadway, are the reasons why I’m playing Nate The Great now and moreso why I pursue all of this as a career! Theatre changes lives by inspiring, by uniting, by providing an escape, and by giving all of us an outlet to be vulnerable. Theatre is therapy for the soul, whether it’s bawling your eyes out or laughing so hard it hurts. Whether you’re helping a parent get through a tough week at work, or inspiring a kid to become an actor, children’s theatre can be extraordinary impactful. One of the best treasures mankind has is the gift of storytelling.
Please tell us a little about the cast and creative team for the show.
The cast and the creative team are simply wonderful! It’s been nothing but a joy to work with everyone thus far, and I can’t see the rest of our time together going any differently. Everyone is extremely talented, intelligent, understanding, driven, and works extremely well together! I’m honestly looking forward to getting know everyone better and hopefully hanging out more once the show starts running, because we’ve just been working hard rehearsing for the past few weeks.
What is the significant messaging for youngsters who see Nate the Great?
Nate The Great has so many great messages it’s hard to pick one! I think that Nate The Great teaches youngsters how to overcome challenges no matter how difficult they may be, teaches kids to appreciate art and their own creativity, encourages critical thinking and looking at situations from multiple perspectives, and lastly, learning to not judge based on appearances. Everything is not as it seems.
Can you share with us some of your future plans?
So far, my future plans include playing Johnny Cash in the jukebox musical, “Ring Of Fire” throughout June at a theatre called Festival 56 out near Chicago, IL. Then, I’ll travel to New Bedford, MA to play the lead in Jimmy Buffet’s jukebox musical, “Escape To Margaritaville” throughout July. Otherwise, I’ll just be auditioning for the next thing after those! I also just parted ways with my former talent agent and manager, so my plans also include looking for new representation (if you’re reading this, please sign me!).
To learn more about the career of Luke Surretsky please visit his website at https://lukesurretsky.com/ and follow him on Instagram @luke_surretsky.
The Growing Stage: The Children's Theatre of New Jersey is located in the historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong, NJ. Nate the Great runs May 1-17 with performances taking place Saturdays at 4:00 PM, Sundays at 2:00 PM, with a special opening night performance on Friday, May 1st at 7:30PM.Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.growingstage.com or by calling the Box Office at (973) 347-4946. Group rates are available for all productions.
Photo Credit: Anthony Misiano
