Bryson Morlan

Bryson Morlan is a young man destined for success in the performing arts. If you saw his brilliant portrayal of Carl Perkins in the Firehouse Theatre’s Million Dollar Quartet, you are most likely already a Bryson fan. Although young in years, Bryson has the presence and confidence of a pro. He is blessed with a great voice and his on stage charisma is undeniable. Bryson is currently back at the Firehouse in the ensemble of Godspell and his big song “All Good Gifts” is a highlight of the show. Take a few moments to read about this exceptionally talented DFW rising star.

When was your first time on stage?

I performed in many elementary school choir performances and church Christmas plays, but my first time doing an actual musical was performing Shrek the Musical Jr. with Rowlett Summer Musicals, where I played Baby Shrek and the Ugly Duckling (not sure what they were trying to say with this casting, I’m actually very beautiful). That was in 2016 and I was ten years old.

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I’ve always looked up to my older sister and she did musicals all throughout middle school and high school. I would go to see these productions and I was always blown away, so I wanted to do the same. The first one I remember seeing her in was Seussical Jr. at Rowlett Summer Musicals where she played Mayzie (she ate). The next summer I begged my mom to sign me up as well and she obliged!

Who is your greatest mentor?

So many people have helped me on my journey and I could never narrow it down to just one, however, I do have three that stand out. Rico Hamilton, my high school choir teacher, taught me so much about my voice, singing technique, and music theory. He also pushed me to only sing tenor 1 (much to my dismay) which has helped me in the theatre world, given the abundance of roles for tenors. Byron Holder, my high school theatre teacher, taught me so much about the history of musical theatre, acting through song, and the ins and outs of the theatre scene in DFW. LaQuita Gumm, one of the directors at Rowlett Summer Musicals, helped me get my start. She cast me in many leading roles (even when I sucked) which allowed me to experiment and lead me to being the actor that I am today.

What role have you enjoyed the most in your career so far?

I would have to say Carl Perkins in Million Dollar Quartet. I loved playing the least popular of the quartet because I had freedom to portray the character how I wanted to, as most people don’t know much, if anything, about Carl as a person or a performer.  I also loved it because I got to surprise audience members who were coming to see Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis, and make them finally recognize the man behind ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. One thing I didn’t expect going into the process was how therapeutic playing guitar to an audience would be. It feels great to sing your heart out and act your face off in a show, but melodies themselves have meanings and playing guitar for the show gave me that same relief acting and singing do. I also got to stand on a freaking piano!

Do you have a dream role?

Bobby in Company. If I don’t portray him before I die, I am putting on a production of the show in the afterlife and doing so. My second is George in Sunday in the Park with George and my third is Sweeney in Sweeney Todd (some of you may be noticing a trend here). Not to mention Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story, Johnny in American Idiot, Gordon Schwinn in A New Brain (rest in peace William Finn), and countless more! 

What person(s) would you like to be on stage with?

As far as performers in DFW, I would say Cara Statham Serber. She is phenomenal in every production she is in and seems like a joy to work with. If I could pick any actor in the world, I would pick Nathan Lane as he is one of my biggest inspirations as an actor.

What performances have you seen that impressed you?

Since I just mentioned Cara Statham Serber, I saw her as Diana in Next to Normal at Theatre Three and she made me sob more than once. I also must mention MD Christian as Tom Collins in Rent at Lakeside Community Theatre because he made me sob during the scene of Angel’s death (spoilers, whoops). 

What are your career goals?

I want to check off every role on my bucket list! There are about twenty on there as of right now, so I hope I have time for them all! I would also love to move to New York City at some point and try my hand at Broadway, but I could live without it.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I am a Christian, which may be surprising to people I’ve done shows with because I swear all of the time (nobody’s perfect)! I am ecstatic to be performing Godspell as of writing this, as it’s a show I’ve wanted to do for years and it has truly reignited my faith in God. Also Bless the Lord is one of my favorite songs in musical theatre history (we should all strive to be like Lindsay Mendez after all)!