10 on Tuesday with Henry McGinniss

One of the brightest new stars to grace the Chicago stage, Henry McGinniss currently appears as everyone's favorite tabloid human/mammal hybrid in Griffiin Theatre's production of BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL. We hung out with McGinniss for this week's 10 on Tuesday (upside down in a dark cave, no less!).

1) Show you first auditioned for (and did you get the part)? When I was in elementary school my mom convinced me to audition for OLIVER! at a community theater in my hometown. The film has always been a personal favorite of ours, so I convinced my two best friends to go to "try outs" (we didn't know they were called auditions) with me. After having what I thought was a great "try out" and callback for the role of Oliver, the people in charge of casting realized I was too young to be in the show (they had a set age for kids that they were allowing to be in the show and I was just six months shy). I was so upset! My friends who were older immediately quit, as they didn't actually have any interest in theatre if I wasn't involved. I didn't audition for another show for almost a decade.

2) Where Are You From? I was born in Rhode Island, but moved with my family to Naperville, Illinois at a young age.

3) When did you know you wanted a career on the stage? When I was a junior in high school I was cast as Tony in WEST SIDE STORY. During our first performance, as I was singing "Something's Coming", I remember thinking "this is what I want to do with my life!" Nothing makes me feel more alive than when I am performing.

4) What's your dream role/production? I truly could not pick just one. Tony in WEST SIDE STORY will always have a very special place in my heart as it is the reason I fell in love with theatre. I would kill to play it again now that I have more training and experience. I want to play Elder Price in THE BOOK OF MORMON so badly, it hurts. Also, I would LOVE to play Fabrizio Naccarelli in A LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.

5) Favorite post-performance haunt? Toons on Southport, or on my rooftop!

6) Living or dead, who would you drop everything to see perform? While I have wanted to BE Justin Timberlake since practically my birth, I would give anything to go back in time and see Michael Jackson perform live. He was, in my opinion, the greatest all around performer of all time.

7) What's your guilty pleasure/vice? Milkshakes. Chocolate with peanut butter. Hands down.

8) What do you value most about acting? Telling important stories and having a personal impact on the audience. Nothing makes me happier than to hear "Wow, that really opened up my eyes to ______" or "I never thought about it like that until now".

9) What is the one song you never want to hear sing again at an audition? I know that the cast album came out this year, but I have honestly heard "Out There" from THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at every single audition that I have been to this year.

10) Fill in the blank: "The thing I'd never change about Chicago theatre is ... " The community. Sure, the "theatre world" is small no matter where you go, but I love how connected and supportive everyone is of each other in Chicago.

Griffin Theatre's BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL runs through July 24 at the Den Theatre, 1329 N. Milwaukee. Tickets, $39.50. www.griffintheatre.com

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