Derrick Davis, An Evening of Broadway

Derrick Davis Pre Performance Talk

Before gracing the stage of the Lied Center last year with The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Tour, Derrick "Dream Climber" Davis built up an impressive resume. He's performed for film and television, but Derrick in best known for his work on Broadway. He performed as Mufasa and other roles in two productions of, The Lion King, Dreamgirls and I Dream before playing the title role for Phantom. Davis will pull from these experiences and more for his solo performance at The Lied.

Playing the Phantom was a full-circle moment for Davis because The Phantom of the Opera was the first show he saw. "My parents took me to see it as a kid," he said. "Like so many people in the United States that I've come to meet, it was the show that introduced me to musical theater. I didn't even clock the idea that I could play the Phantom for years and years because it hasn't traditionally been held by a person of color, but this creative team is genius and opened up the possibilities."

We probably won't see it all in his show, but Derrick has some special skills on his resume that you might not expect such as football, knitting, and real estate-but his real hidden skill is teaching. Last year, Derrick led a musical theater masterclass here at UNL for the Glenn Korff School of Music. With less than 15-minutes with every student, he helped the students transform their performance and confidence. Even if that meant he laid down on the floor for part of it. Currently Derrick serves as a professor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM.) Before Derrick takes the stage at the Lied Center for his performance this Saturday, he will be engaging in two virtual events with students here at UNL. He will be visiting a musical theatre performance class where he will lead students in a musical theatre vocal master class, and he will visit with an Intro to Theatre class where he will chat with students and share his remarkable and inspiring journey and his career in the performing arts.