Brandon Collins
The Alumni Spotlight of March 2019 is Brandon Collins, a former member of Chappell Players Theatre Group and former president of our sister organization, Alpha Psi Omega. During his time with Chappell Players and Alpha Psi Omega, he was very involved in shows such as Dance Concert, Cabaret, and original productions. He is currently a Program Manager for a coding boot camp in Manhattan as well as a podcaster, event producer, and comedian. We were lucky enough to catch up with him this month to see what he's been up to and here's what he had to say!
How was the transition from college to the real world? How was life after graduation?
After I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I actually ended up enrolling straight into graduate school at St. John's. I attended their "School Counseling" program and graduated with my Master's degree in 2011. Unfortunately, at that time there was a hiring freeze for counselors within the NY Department of Education so I ended up working odd jobs here and there until I began working as an outreach counselor for John Jay College. Since then I've been blessed to have had a lot of opportunities to build upon the knowledge I gained in college through various managerial roles and to pursue my art as a comedian and producer as well. I have had shows and podcasts featured in theNY Comedy Festival, NY Times, TimeOut NY and hosted private events for Yelp and Brown Paper Tickets.
Did being involved in the Chappell Players prepare you for life after college? How so?
My experience in the Chappell Players was very helpful in pushing me to build up strong time management experiences and understand the power of marketing. Being able to create a positive word of mouth and interest in a show proved to be paramount in achieving success in my independent productions.
What is your favorite CPTG memory or performance?
One of my favorite CPTG memories was when Joe Cantalupo, Alex Pereira and I improvised some dialogue towards the middle of my first CPTG production, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". Every performance Alex would change it up a bit and he always made me laugh no matter how hard I tried to resist. During one of the last performances he had a toy gun and was some random soldier and it was one of the hardest times I've ever laughed.
After I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I actually ended up enrolling straight into graduate school at St. John's. I attended their "School Counseling" program and graduated with my Master's degree in 2011. Unfortunately, at that time there was a hiring freeze for counselors within the NY Department of Education so I ended up working odd jobs here and there until I began working as an outreach counselor for John Jay College. Since then I've been blessed to have had a lot of opportunities to build upon the knowledge I gained in college through various managerial roles and to pursue my art as a comedian and producer as well. I have had shows and podcasts featured in theNY Comedy Festival, NY Times, TimeOut NY and hosted private events for Yelp and Brown Paper Tickets.
Did being involved in the Chappell Players prepare you for life after college? How so?
My experience in the Chappell Players was very helpful in pushing me to build up strong time management experiences and understand the power of marketing. Being able to create a positive word of mouth and interest in a show proved to be paramount in achieving success in my independent productions.
What is your favorite CPTG memory or performance?
One of my favorite CPTG memories was when Joe Cantalupo, Alex Pereira and I improvised some dialogue towards the middle of my first CPTG production, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". Every performance Alex would change it up a bit and he always made me laugh no matter how hard I tried to resist. During one of the last performances he had a toy gun and was some random soldier and it was one of the hardest times I've ever laughed.
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Have you been able to remain involved with theatre as much as you hoped/wanted?
While I haven't performed as an actor onstage in quite some time, I have performed in numerous venues as a comedian and podcaster. I used to be a founding member of sketch comedy group but that ended a few years ago when I decided to pursue new opportunities. I have thought about revisiting sketch comedy as I love performing live sketches but for now, am focused on performing only in a stand-up role onstage.
What is professional theatre like compared to what you did with the Chappell Players?
I was able to see a bit of the business side of theater in my role as President of Alpha Psi, but working independently with theaters, cast, and cast members and other producers I was way more involved in budgeting, marketing and producing that I was with the Chappell Players. At times it would be difficult to balance these responsibilities with having to perform and sometimes write sketches but thankfully the time management skills I had built during my time at St. John's came in handy.
Do you have any advice for Chappell Players going through college or those who have recently graduated?
During my time with the Chappell Players, I was always open to doing new things and pushing boundaries and that freedom allowed me to take more chances with my art.
While I haven't performed as an actor onstage in quite some time, I have performed in numerous venues as a comedian and podcaster. I used to be a founding member of sketch comedy group but that ended a few years ago when I decided to pursue new opportunities. I have thought about revisiting sketch comedy as I love performing live sketches but for now, am focused on performing only in a stand-up role onstage.
What is professional theatre like compared to what you did with the Chappell Players?
I was able to see a bit of the business side of theater in my role as President of Alpha Psi, but working independently with theaters, cast, and cast members and other producers I was way more involved in budgeting, marketing and producing that I was with the Chappell Players. At times it would be difficult to balance these responsibilities with having to perform and sometimes write sketches but thankfully the time management skills I had built during my time at St. John's came in handy.
Do you have any advice for Chappell Players going through college or those who have recently graduated?
During my time with the Chappell Players, I was always open to doing new things and pushing boundaries and that freedom allowed me to take more chances with my art.
