Former Broadway national tour singer, dancer and actor Shaun Moe will present a Musical Theater Showcase at Bluefield College, Saturday, September 16. Open and free to the public, Moe’s showcase will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Harman Chapel.
Now the national director of Image National Dance Challenge, Moe’s visit to Bluefield College is a part of a week of specialized training, where he will be working with a student ensemble in an intense week-long residency, culminating in the Musical Theatre Showcase on September 16.
“Our students are so excited to have Shaun work with them in this one-week intensive,” said BC music professor Dr. John Moir who taught Moe in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. “Shaun has always been passionate about musical theater and showed his professionalism during the two years I knew him. When he landed his first Broadway tour, I was so proud of him. Since then, a number of my students have gone on to do work on Broadway, but Shaun has always kept his enthusiasm for this genre and his love of teaching others.”
Moe will work with a select number of BC drama and music majors on staging, choreography, character analysis, and the presentation of music from a variety of shows from the 1950s to today. At the end of the week, Moe and the students will present their work to the public during the September 16 showcase.
“The program is just the right length — 45 minutes to an hour,” said Dr. Moir. “Come watch the future stars of tomorrow as they strut their stuff, doing songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, ‘A Chorus Line,’ ‘Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,’ as well as ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.’ It promises to be a fun evening.”
Moe was raised in upstate New York training to become a dancer and musician. He attended the University of Buffalo on a dance scholarship before he finished his bachelor’s degree in music from the State University of New York (SUNY) in Oswego. There he met and studied with Dr. Moir, now an assistant professor of music and director of choirs and voice at Bluefield College. After following Dr. Moir to Syracuse University, Moe continued to practice his vocal studies and went on to perform with the Syracuse Opera for two seasons before landing his first national Broadway tour in the role of Moose in “Crazy for You.”
Moe has also appeared in the Broadway tours “Oklahoma!” and Monty Python’s “Spamalot.” After his years in musical theatre, he moved to Arizona to start a career in music education. He has since retired from public school teaching to become the national director for Imagine National Dance Challenge in Edgewater, Maryland. He also serves on several boards of directors for community organizations in northern Virginia.