10 on Tuesday with Cody Jamison Strand

Cody Jamison Strand is currently receiving raves as everyone's favorite Mormon embellisher Elder Cunningham in THE BOOK OF MORMON. We sat down with the talented actor for 10 on Tuesday.

1) Show you first auditioned for (and did you get the part)? The first theatre audition I had in NYC was actually for The Book of Mormon! And I got it! A whirlwind of perfect timing, honestly.

2) Where Are You From? Born and raised in the plains of South Dakota.

3) When did you know you wanted a career on the stage? I have never really been good at anything else, so I'm pretty thankful this is working out so far. I've always known that I wanted to perform and entertain.

4) What's your dream role/production? A big dream role of mine has always been Sancho Panza from MAN OF LA MANCHA. I think that show is beautiful, and the score is just astounding.

5) Favorite post-performance haunt? At the moment, McDonalds.

6) Living or dead, who would you drop everything to see perform? Sally Field. In anything. I'd see her in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. I don't even care.

7) What's your guilty pleasure/vice? Video games. I'm a nerd. I know, it's shocking! I often times forget just how long I've been at a console until suddenly it's time for me to go to work and I have done less than nothing with my day! It's a curse! A beautiful, wonderful, time-consuming curse.

8) What do you value most about acting? I value the visceral response Live Theatre is able to bring out of an audience. There's something so unique about watching someone experience something, especially the great performers out there right now. It's as close as we can get to actual magic.

9) What is the one song you never want to hear sing again at an audition? I don't know. But my go to audition song is "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal if that answers any kind of question at all.

10) Fill in the blank: "The thing I'd never change about theatre is ... " ...it's ability to observe, comment on, and shape our perceptions of ourselves and our world.

THE BOOK OF MORMON runs through Aug. 14 at the PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe. Tickets, $45-$120. 800.775.2000. www.bookofmormonthemusical.com.

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