Photo courtesy of Alex McCuaig - Hatter David Jeffery will be taking to the Broadway stage in the Tony award winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen.

By Alex McCuaig

Broadway local

Local musical theatre talent to hit the Broadway stage

Dec 30, 2019 | 9:00 AM

Medicine Hat, AB – A musical theatre actor who honed his chops in Medicine Hat will be taking his talents to the Broadway stage in a Tony award winning musical.

David Jeffery performed in more than 25 performances in the city before heading to Ottawa for post-secondary school.

But he still had the acting bug that he first caught in the Hat.

“The theatre community here is amazing,” said Jeffery, who was in the city over the holidays. “We have four theatre groups putting on wonderful productions – I’ve been involved in all four of them, they are all wonderful people. The audiences that come to support the local are incredible.”

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With the confidence that comes with a supportive community and family, Jeffery says he decided to reach big, sending off an audition tape to the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen, a play which garnered a Tony Award for Best Musical.

“Everyone who talked to me after a (Medicine Hat) show probably put it in my head that this is something that I could do for a living,” said Jeffery. “So I have the community to thank.”

The simplicity in the path to the big stage, however, doesn’t take into account the gumption and the hard work required.

But that path started by heading to New York to take in the musical Jeffery would one day be in.

“When I saw the show, I feel in love with it and just on a whim, I thought, I’m just going to send in a video – just to audition for fun. Nobody asked me for it, I just sent it in on my own,” said Jeffery.

A few emails and conversations over a 10-month period didn’t seem to go anywhere, said Jeffery.

“But then I got a phone call from the Toronto production and they had received my material from the New York production.”

From there it was an audition for the Canadian production where he secured the part. From there it was on to the national touring production and now he’ll be playing the part of Connor Murphy on the Broadway production.

Jeffery’s advice for those who want to reach big?

“Keep doing it,” he said. “No matter what level of theatre it is, the size of your role. Experience was so beneficial to me and if I could talk to anyone I would say, just do it, audition for things. If you don’t get in, that’s fine. Audition for more things.”

The ongoing Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen is playing at the renowned Music Box Theatre in New York City. Jeffery’s first performance will take place on February 11.