In our series interviewing folks who are transitioning to a new institution, Matty and Kikau chat with André Garner who recently joined the Department of Musical Theatre as an assistant professor in the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. We talk about the strong UMICH alum community, how we nurture curiosity and rigor, and so much more!
Andre’s recommendation is The Morning Show on Apple TV and we chat about America’s Sweethearts on Netflix.
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Garner’s Broadway credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Music Man, Marie Christine, and Grease. Off-Broadway, he starred as the title character in Langston Hughes’s Little Ham, as well as performing in From My Hometown. Garner appeared in the national touring productions of The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Miss Saigon. Internationally, he toured with the European and Asian companies of A Chorus Line.
Garner has taught at Ball State University, Baruch College, New York Film Academy, and California State University, Long Beach. His professional memberships include SAG-AFTRA and the Actor’s Equity Association, and he currently serves on the executive board of the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance.
Garner received a BS from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an MFA from California State University, Long Beach.
