Spotlight On...Corey Camperchioli

Name: Corey Camperchioli

Hometown: Bridgewater, New Jersey

Education: New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts

Select Credits: The History Boys (Posner, The Gallery Players); Tea and Sympathy (Tom Lee, American Theatre of Actors); Spring’s Awakening (Ernst, Roy Arias Theatre Center), lots of exhilarating new works, as well!

Why theater?: Someone thought I would make a great owl in my first grade play.  One HOOT and I was hooked.

Tell us about The Pride: It’s a stunning story that alternates between 1958 and 2008, specifically focusing on the differences between homosexuality in those two time periods.  I play Oliver, and it’s really a treat because I get to play Oliver in both time periods.  In 1958 he is involved in a secret, illegal affair with his best friend’s husband, and in 2008 he has just been broken up with because he is addicted to anonymous sex.  It jumps back and forth between these two time periods, exploring how far we’ve come in regards to human rights, but how we have oh so far to go.

What is it like being part of The Pride?: It really is a love fest.  It’s myself and three other brilliant actors:  David Lind, Laura Delhauer, and Nate Jensen.  David, myself, and our director Mark Gallagher all did The History Boys at The Gallery Players last winter and I’ve been itching to work with them again.  And Nate and Laura were two people whose work I’d seen around the city and really was in awe of- so to be able to work with people that I really respect and look up to is such a treat. 

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like being part of theater that makes me feel small.  I was talking about this with my cast mate Laura the other day.  Working on The Pride makes me feel really small in a really good way.  As if I’m part of something way bigger than myself.  That inspires me.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Max in Bent!  Ken in RED!  Billy in The Cripple of Inishmaan!

What’s your favorite showtune?: Anything Sondheim.  Or Finn.  They make me think.  And feel.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Mark Rylance.  I've seen him in La Bete and Jerusalem and I CANNOT WAIT to see him as Olivia in Twelfth Night.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: They did make a movie of my life.  It’s called "SHOWGIRLS".

What show have you recommended to your friends?: My good friend Zi Alikhan just put up a stunning production of Gross Indecency by Moises Kaufman.  I've been raving to all my friends about it.  I saw it very early on in my rehearsals for The Pride and it really blew me away how complementary the two pieces are to each other.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: The Real Housewives.  New Jersey.  Orange County.  Atlanta.  New York.  I’ll take ‘em all.

What’s up next?: Living the dream!  And by that I mean… auditioning.

For more on The Pride, visit http://thirdyearcollective.com