Getting to Know...Studio Tenn Artistic Director PATRICK CASSIDY

Though hard to believe it may be, Studio Tenn artistic director Patrick Cassidy and his wife Melissa Hurley Cassidy have been Tennesseans for well over a year now - he took the reins at Studio Tenn, the Franklin-based professional theater company that has gained critical acclaim and national notoriety during its existence for its unique blend of musicals and original plays - but only now, as theater re-emerges from the dark days of a pandemic-related shutdown, have we managed to get the peripatetic Mr. Cassidy to take time out from his hectic schedule to answer our questions and give BroadwayWorld readers a chance to get to know him better.

It was November, 2019, when Cassidy was announced as the new artistic director for Studio Tenn, arriving just in time to welcome audiences to the company's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which opened in December of that same year. Following the production of the Beki Baker-directed Steel Magnolias in January, 2020, the company - like most theaters around the world - was closed because of the dangers of Covid-19.

Since then, Cassidy has led Studio Tenn through a transitional phase, strengthening the company's education program, creating virtual projects to keep audiences engaged and launching Studio Tenn Talks, a weekly streaming talk show that has attracted some of the biggest names from Broadway and Tennessee alike. In fact, Cassidy regularly invited local arts leaders and creatives (including Nashville Ballet's Paul Vasterling, Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Jennifer Turner, Nashville Children's Theatre's Ernie Nolan, Nashville Shakespeare Festival's Denice Hicks and Nashville Repertory Theatre's Drew Ogle, to name a few) to Studio Tenn Talks for lively conversations about the state of the arts in Middle Tennessee, thus filling a leadership void created by the shutdown.

In addition, in collaboration with TPAC's Turner, Cassidy and Studio Tenn partnered with the region's leading performing arts venue to launch TPAC and Studio Tenn's Cabaret On Stage: An Intimate Evening With..., a five-part series that kicked off in May with a cabaret performance by Susan Egan and followed in June by Adam Pascal. Upcoming headliners include Branden & James, Shoshana Bean and Norm Lewis.

The son of show business royalty Shirley Jones and the late Jack Cassidy, and the brother to Shaun, Ryan and the late David Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy's career as an acclaimed performer and director has spanned Broadway, film and television. Prior to relocating to Nashville, he was artistic director for 5-Star Theatricals, the resident musical theater production company at Civic Arts Plaza, the largest theater between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Here is your chance to learn more about Patrick Cassidy, why he loves living in Tennessee and what Studio Tenn's future looks like in his vision, with the return of our feature series Getting to Know...

Where are you from originally? I was born in Santa Monica, California. Raised in Beverly Hills. (Yes, 90210) Moved to New York at the age of 18 to study and audition. Within three months, I was cast opposite Kevin Kline, Kaye Ballard, Maureen McGovern and George Rose in the New York Shakespeare Festival's The Pirates of Penzance. My Broadway debut. Truly a blessing.

Coming from show business royalty, did you feel like it was expected of you to go into the family business? Quite the opposite. My parents, being performers themselves, did everything they could do to keep my brothers and me out of show business. It clearly worked like a charm. All of us went into the business. I think the expectation of wanting or having to succeed, fell on each of us individually. They were big shoes to fill.

What was your first introduction to theater? In 1977 at the age of 15, I played Rolf in The Sound of Music. The production was at the St. Louis Muny Opera, with my mother, Shirley Jones, playing the part of Maria. I got my Equity card that year.

What brought you to Nashville? My wife Melissa and I had been wanting to leave California for quite some time. Our 22-year-old son got a record/publishing deal in Nashville. I had never been to Tennessee before. When I arrived I was struck by how beautiful the state was. The kindness and generosity of the people. So I did a little intel detective work and found out about the theatre community. I found out about Studio Tenn and the history of quality the company has had on the community itself.

What's been the greatest adjustment you've had to make since moving to Tennessee? Well, obviously, Covid 19 has had a profound effect in my first year and a half. That said, Covid has actually been a benefit to me personally. I was able to learn the history of Studio Tenn - where we are at, and most importantly, where I believe we need to go. There will always be adjustments moving forward, but adjustments that are welcome and will be most productive for the future.

What's been your biggest non-pandemic challenge since joining Studio Tenn? We have used this time during the shutdown to strategically redefine the company. To put forth a more sustainable model both financially and artistically. The challenge ahead lies in the execution of the plan.

What impact has the pandemic had on Studio Tenn, in particular, and theater, in general? And how will your company respond to what's happened over the past 18 months? All non-profits and for-profits have been profoundly affected. Most smaller companies were not able to keep their lights on and have been forced to close. Studio Tenn has remarkably been able to continue. Of course, we had to furlough five employees. Cut salaries and consolidate everything. We managed to create a great deal of content virtually. An Education Program. A musical theatre contest for kids and their families. Two virtual fundraisers. And Studio Tenn Talks, which exposed our company nationally and garnered much attention during the time of crises. The plan is to slowly come back with smaller productions and build a new Studio Tenn.

What are some of your impressions of the Nashville theater community since coming here? The actors seem to be a tight, close, supportive community of artists. I have been able, again because of Covid, to develop wonderful relationships with the leaders from Nashville Rep, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville Children's Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival and Nashville Ballet. All of which I hope to collaborate with as we move forward into 2022. Already, TPAC and Studio Tenn have produced Cabarets on Stage, An Intimate Evening With...

Theatrically speaking, what sets Nashville apart from other cities and Studio Tenn apart from other theater companies? Nashville is the epicenter of music. What better place to create musical theatre than here? Studio Tenn has had a long history as being the only Equity theatre in Williamson County. And to my understanding, has produced some of the best quality of musical theatre in all of middle Tennessee.

What do you hope to accomplish in the longterm with Studio Tenn? I want to create a resident company. A cultural understanding of what theatre means to a city. To a county. To this community. What it does for families, education, diversity and entertainment right here at home. That a night out in Franklin, in Williamson County, can be dinner and a comedy, and a drama, and a musical. Stories that evoke change, acceptance, and present new questions that the arts has always provided.

Now, for a change of pace, how about some "fun" questions:

What was your first onstage role? I did a musical in high school that Tina Landau (director/book writer of Floyd Collins) wrote and directed. It was so good that a producer took it and produced a professional production in Los Angeles.

What is your dream role? I always wanted to play George in Sunday in the Park with George.

What are your favorite shows? Anything Sondheim. I have been fortunate to have done five of them. The Music Man will always be a favorite. After all, I was conceived during the making of the motion picture.

What musical best exemplifies your life story to this point? Wow! There are so many. For different reasons and at different times. The Music Man. Company. Aida. Maggie Flynn (a show my parents did together on Broadway). Not to sound cliché or sappy, but It's a Wonderful Life.

Who would you like to play you in the onstage version of your life? Mmm, that's tough. If they did my life up until right now? Norm Lewis. He'd capture the essence of me extremely well.

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