WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Deonte Warren

Ask people involved in theater around Nashville to list some of their favorites who have moved on to seek fame and fortune in other places, one name that almost always pops up is Deonte Warren. A graduate of Belmont University's musical theater program, he's worked throughout the country, ensuring that his name is known all accross the USA, eventually making his mark in New York City and then heading south to Orlando, Florida, where he is currently "spreading magic" and beguiling audiences at Walt Disney World's Festival of the Lion King.

And while his immense talents have ensured a promising future for the multi-faceted song-and-dance man, he actually started out in his hometown of Nashville, where he first became beguiled with the magic of live theater himself. You can find out more about him at either www.deontewarren.com or at www.singwithdeonte.com - and you can find out why this young man is such a popular figure in the Nashville theater community in today's edition of Where Are They Now?

How did your time in Nashville prepare you for where you are now in your career arc? Nashville, being my home, gave me my love for music and theatre. In high school, I was introduced to musical theatre, at Belmont my love for music theatre was nurtured and challenged. And I met some of my dearest friends and did some great shows at local theaters.

What's your most vivid memory of your time in the Volunteer State? Oh man, there are so many to choose from. I would say one of the most defining moments of my time in Nashville was my senior recital at Belmont University. Friends and family from all over Nashville came out and saw the culmination of my time in college and celebrated with me! For Belmont's musical theatre students, the senior recital is a 50-minute show with songs in different styles and original dialogue, monologues and choreography. When writing my show, I just decided to write the story of how I came to be at Belmont and how my time there taught me to love myself and believe in myself. It was incredible to share that with so many people. Nashville has some of the most sincere, encouraging and loving people I've met in my entire life!

Who were some of the people in your hometown who had a lasting impact on your and/or your career? There are so many! Mitch Fuller started it all! He was my show choir teacher at McGavock High School. Marjorie Halbert, founder of the music theatre program at Belmont University, Kate Adams over at Center for the Arts, Debbie Belue, director of dance at Belmont, and many, many others!

"Deonte is one of the best-hearted, hardest-working performers that I know," says Kate Adams. "He deserves all the success he is having and I am so proud of him. You will not meet a performer with a better heart and/or more love for his fellow actors."

What advice would you give to someone taking their first steps to becoming a part of the theater scene here? My best advice is: BE NICE. And not "fake nice" either. There are so many talented people in the world. A lot of them are in Nashville. Talent won't get you anywhere alone. Nashville is full of great people. Be one of them. It'll be the best thing you can do for yourself in Nashville and wherever your career may take you! Also, listen. There are so many great things to be learned from everyone around you. Listen better than you speak. You'll never regret it!

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