Hello Beautiful People,
Andrew Kober is quite possibly one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I’m confident in saying that you’d be hard pressed to find someone to say anything to the contrary. He’s an actor/singer that’s making quite the name for himself in Manhattan, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, and quite the comedian. Kober was in the 2009 Broadway revival of HAIR, and the West End Revival of HAIR. He recently played John Dashwood,was in the ensemble,and was the understudy for Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility the Musical. Just this past month he was in the concert reading of #UntitledPopMusical, (Book by Michael Kimmel, music and lyrics by Drew Gasparini), and A Lasting Impression, by Zoe Sarnak. I’m truly grateful that Kober was able to take the time to participate this interview, and blessed to be able to call him a friend. This interview had a lot of laughs, and I know all of you readers will enjoy it.
So, Ladies & Gents, meet Andrew Kober…
TWT: Did you always want to be a singer/actor?
AK: I found it in middle school-ish. I had a high school girlfriend, her name was Lauren, and she demanded that I audition for the drama club production of The Pirates of Penzance. She said it was important to her, and I was trying to be a good boyfriend, so I auditioned. I got one of the leads. I had never tried to sing or act before, and I figured out that I was reasonably good at it for a twelve year old (or however old I was), and I liked it, and people laughed and clapped for me, and I liked that as well.
TWT: You played Mr. John Dashwood, were part of the ensemble, and also the understudy for Mr. Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility The Musical. Can you explain to our readers a little bit about this production?
AK: I just finished the three-month run in Denver, and it was incredibly well received. We sold out the run, and it got rave reviews across the board. The last official word that we got from our producers and creative team was basically that they are just regrouping to figure out the next best move for the show. This was a world premiere, we rehearsed for five weeks and then had the run, and it was great. It had been a long time since I had been able to develop something brand new, and our director, Marcia Milgrom Dodge was wonderful to work with. We had a great time; it was a great cast. Denver is a cool city, although it was tough timing to leave New York for so long because I had just gotten married in the fall, but I never would have left if I didn’t care so much about the project. It’s truly a gorgeous show, and I can only hope that it gets more of a life.
Photo by Jennifer M. Koskinen
TWT: Just for fun, what’s permanently on your bookshelf?
AK: I have everything by Dave Eggers. Everything by Jonathan Saunders. The last couple of years I’ve really gotten into short stories and essays, I feel like it’s really conducive to the New York Lifestyle – perfect for subway rides. I just finished David Sedaris’ new book, I’ve read everything he’s ever written. Although, I do prefer him on audiobook – his readings are wonderful. I just started the new Dan Brown book. It’s a captivating read, a fun read. I do read a lot of things on my iPad, just because it’s so portable. But I still won’t get rid of my books. In my apartment, we have two gigantic bookshelves, just chock full of books. Even when I read a book on my iPad, if I really love it, I’ll still go out and get the hardcopy.
TWT: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, what movies and television shows would you want to have with you?
AK: When I was in Denver, I just re-watched the entire series of The West Wing. I could watch that over and over again. I love Wet Hot American Summer; I usually come back to that once a year. I know Drew said it, but The Birdcage is also one of my favorite movies.
TWT: What sound do you hate and what sound do you love?
AK: I love background noise. I’ve lived in New York City for about eight years, and I now I can’t sleep unless there’s some noise in the room. I do have a white noise app – silence freaks me out. I also hate forced, fake laughter when someone makes a joke.
TWT: What character in musical theater are you most like? Least like?
AK: I saw Murder Ballad a couple of weeks ago; many of my friends are in it. I realized what I want to be is Will Swenson’s character, but I’m really John Conlee’s character. I want to be the rugged bad boy, but my whole aesthetic is young, tired dad – even though I’m not a father. I don’t have the energy to be so brooding and sexy, it’s just not in me.
TWT: What advice would you give to students who want to pursue a career in the arts?
AK: I coach a lot of high school, college, and just out of college actors for auditions. The thing that I always tell them, and always remind myself everyday, is if someone is asking to get out on stage and perform, perform. Do whatever you can to be on a stage, it doesn’t matter if it’s terrible, it doesn’t matter if it pays nothing – you have to say yes. Try to say yes to everything. I’m very fortunate because when I first got to New York, I started saying yes to everything, and it’s led to some really fantastic relationships with people who have become really successful. Oh, you want me to go to Brooklyn and sing your song? Sure. I said yes to everything. I had five weeks off before I left for the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and I did four workshops during that time. There are going to be long stretches of time when nobody is paying you to act, but for me, the best way to combat that is to keep working. I’d say that ninety five percent of the work that I do is for no pay, but it’s making relationships, and gaining trust, and it keeps those muscles stretched.
TWT. In today’s economy, arts programs are being cut. What reasons would you give to a politician in an effort to preserve arts education?
AK: I was very lucky because I went to a public school that had wonderful arts funding and a wonderful arts program. Because of that privileged educational situation that I came from, it wasn’t until after high school that I realized how unique the situation was – I don’t know where I would be without those classes. I certainly don’t know what I would do for a living, but I don’t know what kind of person I would be. I think that arts education, even if you have no intention of casually or professionally becoming an artist, builds good people. It builds kind, intelligent, and culturally aware human beings, which I think has to be part of the job of education system. Public education is very fact driven,for example, know certain equations, historical references, etc. – and that’s fine, but arts education is what gears us towards making younger people a responsible member in society. Creative thinking allows students to express themselves in an objective way. I think it’s probably the most important character building part of a public school curriculum. It’s vital. We have to have it. And, I did sports. There’s no reason why schools can’t have both.
Photo by Monica Simoes
TWT: What’s next for Andrew Kober?
AK: I’ll be in a production of Johnny Baseball, which is will be done at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in July and August. I’ll be singing at Drew Gasparini’s I Could Use a Drink Concert at Joe’s Pub on July 29th. The day after I get back from Williamstown I’ll be hosting Carner and Gregor’s Barely Legal Concert. They do this thing once a year where they solicit video submissions from young singers across the country, and then pick a couple to come and sing at the concert. I love hosting it; it’s a great time. I also finished shooting the pilot episode of the (M)orons, a show that I’m developing with Alex Brightman, Drew Gasparini, and F. Michael Haynie.
TWT: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
AK: In elementary school, I had a teacher named Jean Reinhold when I was in fourth grade. She taught us about creative thinking and about people. She also headed up the peer mediation team, which I was on. In middle school I had a teacher named Heather Pincoe, who was my advanced English teacher. She taught me so many things, one of them being the word orthography, which is just a really fancy way to say spelling. That has always stayed with me. She was the greatest. Toni Cervino, who was my director at youth theatre, well, she taught me everything. She taught me how to get onstage and sing a song and not look like an idiot. She taught me how to be a nice guy, to be myself. It’s not always easy to be the kid in high school who wants to be in theatre, but she taught me how to own it.
Thanks, Andrew!
Live, Love, Learn,