Meet Stuck Elevator's Joel Perez, whose credits include Showtime's The Big C with Laura Linney and the First Broadway National Tour of In the Heights.
Name: Joel Perez
Roles: Marco, Bladder, Player, Resident
What are your preshow/postshow rituals?
I like to do something physical before every show. Usually it's going for a run, yoga, or spinning. It gets the juices flowing! After a show, I like to enjoy some bourbon and Family Guy.
What is your favorite thing about San Francisco?
The landscape. It is a really nice change from the concrete jungle that is NYC.
What is your favorite song and why?
My favorite song is probably "Takeout Man." It's a fun song that leads up to a bad-ass wrestling match.
The ensemble plays various characters to that draw out the complexity of the main character
Guāng. Can you share one aspect of Guāng that is illuminated by your character(s)?
Guāng's friendship with Marco is very special. They are both immigrants from opposite sides of the world, but their experience brings them together. It is a nice example of how, despite a language difference, people can still find camaraderie.
If you were to battle it out with a monster, who would you be and what would be your super
hero power?
I'd want the power of flight and telekinesis.
We're impressed with your TV and musical theater credits! Can you tell us a little more about
your experiences in Showtime's The Big C with Laura Linney and being in the First Broadway
National Tour of In the Heights?
Working on The Big C was pretty incredible. How I got that job is a great story: I was called in to do a table read of an episode with the cast in Connecticut (where the series is produced) for a character who was already going to be played by an actor who lives in L.A. The character spoke Spanish in the episode, so I was called in to translate the text and read it with Laura Linney. Needless to say, I was FREAKING OUT! But I kept it cool and did the table read. After it was done, I thanked the director and show runner and they were very pleased with my work—so much so that they re-wrote another character so I could be in the episode! I got to do some fun scenes with Gabourey Sidibe [best known for her work in Precious]. Shooting in Puerto Rico was also a nice plus. I learned so much during the shoot and definitely plan to do more TV work during my career.
In the Heights was a big reason why I moved to NYC after graduating from Tufts University. After seeing that show, I saw that my dream of being on Broadway wasn't completely ridiculous. The story of my culture and family was being shared and there was a place for me. I was waiting tables and pounding the pavement in NYC when I got the job. I got my Equity card and got the chance to tell this story around the country—and even Tokyo! I made some incredible friends and it's an experience that I will cherish forever.
Read Joel Perez's full bio on the A.C.T. Stuck Elevator show page.
Roles: Marco, Bladder, Player, Resident
 |
| Joel Perez Stuck Elevator runs April 4–28. Learn more about the production and order tickets. |
I like to do something physical before every show. Usually it's going for a run, yoga, or spinning. It gets the juices flowing! After a show, I like to enjoy some bourbon and Family Guy.
What is your favorite thing about San Francisco?
The landscape. It is a really nice change from the concrete jungle that is NYC.
What is your favorite song and why?
My favorite song is probably "Takeout Man." It's a fun song that leads up to a bad-ass wrestling match.
The ensemble plays various characters to that draw out the complexity of the main character
Guāng. Can you share one aspect of Guāng that is illuminated by your character(s)?
Guāng's friendship with Marco is very special. They are both immigrants from opposite sides of the world, but their experience brings them together. It is a nice example of how, despite a language difference, people can still find camaraderie.
If you were to battle it out with a monster, who would you be and what would be your super
hero power?
I'd want the power of flight and telekinesis.
 |
| Joel Perez in Stuck Elevator rehearsal. Photo courtesy of Julius Ahn. |
your experiences in Showtime's The Big C with Laura Linney and being in the First Broadway
National Tour of In the Heights?
Working on The Big C was pretty incredible. How I got that job is a great story: I was called in to do a table read of an episode with the cast in Connecticut (where the series is produced) for a character who was already going to be played by an actor who lives in L.A. The character spoke Spanish in the episode, so I was called in to translate the text and read it with Laura Linney. Needless to say, I was FREAKING OUT! But I kept it cool and did the table read. After it was done, I thanked the director and show runner and they were very pleased with my work—so much so that they re-wrote another character so I could be in the episode! I got to do some fun scenes with Gabourey Sidibe [best known for her work in Precious]. Shooting in Puerto Rico was also a nice plus. I learned so much during the shoot and definitely plan to do more TV work during my career.
In the Heights was a big reason why I moved to NYC after graduating from Tufts University. After seeing that show, I saw that my dream of being on Broadway wasn't completely ridiculous. The story of my culture and family was being shared and there was a place for me. I was waiting tables and pounding the pavement in NYC when I got the job. I got my Equity card and got the chance to tell this story around the country—and even Tokyo! I made some incredible friends and it's an experience that I will cherish forever.
Read Joel Perez's full bio on the A.C.T. Stuck Elevator show page.
