Meet Moshe Henderson | Stage Director, Actor & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Moshe Henderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Moshe, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
I think theatre is a major networking event as it IS a collaborative art form. It requires you to meet other actors, playwrights, producers, directors, and creatives.

Theatre is also collaborative in the way that onstage the audience is like a scene partner. The audience is there with you. Whether you fully acknowledge them or not in the role, you are engaging in a dialogue with them too. Their energy is always present.

So, I think for those who are new to this industry, you just have to be aware that you’re always “working.” You’re always meeting new people. I don’t want to say “you’re always auditioning” because that could put people on edge. This art form has to allow the actor to go through the process, their process, their personal process, without feeling that they’re being judged on a performance level when they’re in a rehearsal or class setting. However, I think it’s good to recognize that anybody in your audience, classroom, or rehearsal space could be someone you work with in the future. They could be somebody who will call you up later and say, “Hey, I love your work here. Let’s do something.” So always put your best foot forward.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an actor, director, and aspiring playwright. I am also a Venue Manager and Casting Coordinator at HB Studio, and I get to work with so many amazing artists!

I grew up in Seattle, Washington as a child of divorce living with my single Filipino mother. My mom worked hard to take care of me and to eventually bring my family from overseas to the States. Then she remarried. I wanted to impress my parents and teachers with all A’s, and I was at the top of my classes through freshman year of high school. But then I had to get art credits outside of my high school because they only offered STEM classes. So I joined a local youth theatre company and met people that I could connect with. More specifically, I met other queer people there and was surprised to identify with them. I had grown up in a very conservative and religious home, and was raised to believe that queer people were over-sexxed sinners. But when I met them in a theater, it was like, “No, this is a person. This is a person who can love, who cares about what they do, and finds a lot of joy in the work that they’re doing in the theater.” And because I found love, compassion, and empathy in this work, I decided to pursue it.

The most difficult decision I’ve had to make was to come here to New York. For years I had been establishing myself in the Seattle theater scene, which is very close-knit. Right after high school, I produced and directed the musicals Ordinary Days and Spring Awakening under my LLC Basement Theatrics.

I then went into an undergrad program for Musical Theater in Seattle. I had a meeting with a teacher and was showing her a proposal I had for a musical that I wanted to produce as an immersive production. She said, “Oh, you can’t just put that up here in Seattle and transfer it to New York. They’re going to want you to come up with it in New York.” And I said, “Why am I here in Seattle than?” So I took a risk and left the undergrad program where I was doing very well.

I visited New York and saw my first Broadway show Once on This Island. I distinctly remember walking down 9th Avenue feeling the pace of the city and just feeling energized by it. Broadway had always been this idea in my head but to be on these actual streets and to realize that IT was actually right there: I decided that I was going to move here and I did the next month.

I lived in a project with cockroaches and a bad roommate for the first six months. Didn’t matter because I was happy to be in New York. I got to walk to Broadway shows from my apartment and saw most of them on Lottery Tickets. And even though I had to go back to a coffee shop job here in New York, it didn’t matter because I was supporting my dream.

Within a month of being here in New York, I also got a job directing a show at Off-Off Broadway theater company. I continued working with that company for a couple months and then saw an ad for HB Studio. Signed up for HB and started studying with Pat Golden and her directing class. She liked me and eventually helped me get a job at the Studio.

Success for me has been always finding a way to be involved in this art form, whether it’s by acting, directing, writing, or producing. To not have lulls in my work. To always be studying or actively participating in this field of work. In regards to “my brand,” I do feel particularly connected to queer narratives. But I think the whole point of theater and the work we do is to be able to connect beyond just our own communities. That we find humanity in others who are not from our same backgrounds. I hope that audiences will see our shows and hear our stories and be changed or inspired by them. And I hope that by exploring other people’s circumstances as actors too, we might be more empathetic towards our fellowman.

And now I’m also Co-Artistic Director of Between Us Theater Co. with my friend Emile Lacheny. I directed his play E.G.G. for the New York Theater Festival last summer, and we really enjoyed collaborating together. So we developed this company to support, elevate, and focus on new and innovative works created and led by immigrant artists and minorities. We want to ensure agency in how immigrant and minority stories are represented. Many of the original theatre companies in New York, like HB Studio, were founded by collectives of artists from different backgrounds who said, “I just want to do the work and get better at it.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was coming to New York, I’d certainly take them to see a Broadway show! Must-sees like Wicked, Sweeney Todd, Hadestown, and the Tony-Award Winning Revival of Parade! We’d walk around the many neighborhoods of Manhattan such as Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, Central Park, and Hell’s Kitchen. We’d have a bite at any restaurant that stood out to us that day or that was viral on social media. There is just so much variety in Manhattan! Then we’d visit the High Line and go to art museums like the MoMA, Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’d take in so much of the art and history that New York has to offer. I love this city and am so grateful to live here!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m very blessed to work at HB Studio as a Venue Manager and Casting Coordinator and to have this as my full-time day job. It’s connected me to other working artists and faculty members who have taken a liking to me, and I’ve got to continue with them on other projects whether that’s by stage managing, directing, acting, or even writing. HB Studio has supported my growth as an artist while also providing some financial stability and balance in my life. Thank you, HB!

Website: MosheHenderson.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/moshehere/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/moshehenderson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosheshenderson

Other: www.BetweenUsTheatreCo.org

Image Credits
AKIM Photography, Connor Mcilquham Photography, Brian Jr Photography, David Quang Pham Photography