Austin P. McKenzie

Austin P. McKenzie
McKenzie in 2015 at the stage door of Spring Awakening on Broadway.
Born	24 August 1993 (1993-08-24) (age 23) Mesa, Arizona
Residence	New York, New York
Alma mater	Columbia College Chicago
Occupation	Actor, singer, ASL Interpreter
Years active	2014-present
Known for	Playing Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening on Broadway

Austin P. McKenzie (born August 24, 1993) is an American stage and screen actor best known for his role as Melchior Gabor in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 Broadway Revival of Spring Awakening.^[1] His performance as Melchior has garnered significant critical acclaim, and multiple theatrical award nominations for both Los Angeles runs and its run on Broadway.^[2][3]

Early life

McKenzie grew up in Mesa, Arizona.

When McKenzie was young, he wanted to be music minister, despite the fact that his family did not regularly attend Church.^[4]

Starting at age fifteen, McKenzie spent six summers assisting at a summer camp for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities, called Lions Camp Tatiyee. It is where he first came into contact with people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The camp inspired him to enroll at Columbia College Chicago where he studied American Sign Language and Childhood Education with the intention of becoming a special needs teacher.^[5] He graduated in 2014 with a bachelor in American Sign Language and Vocal Performance.^[6]

Also, during high school, McKenzie had a casual involvement in the arts and was involved with some theatre, but did not really see it as a possible job, as shown by his decision to go into an educational career track.^[7]

Career

Spring Awakening (2014 – 2016)

Soon after graduating from Columbia College Chicago, McKenzie sent in a tape to director Michael Arden and the creative team at Deaf West Theatre, with hopes of obtaining a job as an interpreter during the company's ASL-inclusive run of Spring Awakening. However, the Deaf West team saw his potential, and requested he audition for the leading role in the production—the radical atheist Melchior Gabor. He was given the role, and began rehearsing for the show in mid-2014.^[8] At first, McKenzie was the only member of the hearing cast that was able to effectively communicate with their deaf and hard-of-hearing cohorts, thanks to his training in ASL.^[9] Deaf West's Spring Awakening originally performed at a 99-seat theatre off of skid row in Los Angeles, California from September 14, 2014 to November 9, 2014. It was his professional theatre debut.^[10]

In 2015, the production was rebooted with the additions of cast members Andy Mientus (as Hanschen Rilow), Krysta Rodriguez (as Ilse Neumann), Alex Boniello (as the Voice of Moritz Stiefel), and Alex Wyse (as Georg Zirschnitz.) McKenzie reprised his role as Melchior. The show was produced at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. McKenzie and the rest of the cast were highly acclaimed by critics, receiving many nominations and wins for Ovation Awards—including a nomination for McKenzie as Best Leading Actor in a Musical. The show ran from May 21, 2015 to June 14, 2015.

In the mid-summer of 2015, it was announced that the production would be moving to Broadway with its current cast for a limited engagement at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The show ran two weeks past its intended run, due to its rave reviews.^[11] McKenzie made his debut on September 8, 2015, and stayed with the production to its closing on January 24, 2016.^[12]

Film and Television

In addition to theatre, McKenzie has appeared on both the big and small screen. In 2015, he appeared in a one-episode guest starring role in the television series The 101.

He has also completed production for an upcoming feature film titled Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam, set to come out later in 2016.^[13]

McKenzie is currently filming the ABC miniseries When We Rise, helmed by Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant. He will portray the young LGBT activist Cleve Jones in the period piece, which tells the history of the gay rights movement.^[14]

Theatre Credits

Filmography

Awards & Nominations

References