Dayan Rodriguez

I remember seeing Dayan Rodriguez for the first time in a small role in a Christmas play at a theater in Plano in 2019. There was something about his presence and ease on the stage that set him apart and made me take notice. I have followed Dayan’s career ever since and seen him in ensembles, in featured roles, and as a lead. No matter what the part, Dayan disappears into the character, whether he is a dancer at the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret or the professor in Disaster! Dayan takes his craft seriously and his performances reflect the effort he puts into every role. Take a few moments to learn more about this exceptionally talented young man.

When was your first time on stage?

I had my noble start in acting in the grandest role of them all! Townsperson #2 in A Voice in the Dark: A Salem Story. I was upgraded from an understudy to an actual role in the show when one of the students who was cast in my role prior ended up quitting the show. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure because I will never forget how fun it was to be onstage with that group of performers and I'm still friends with them to this day!

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I didn’t decide I wanted to be an actor until I realized how viable of a job and career it is. I always thought it was just a dream job and had been trying to find a primary job to let me do acting. That was the mindset until the first year after I graduated from high school, I took an Intro to Theatre class with Scott Osborne at Richland College. I learned about their theatre department and realized that I could continue this passion of mine and better yet… I COULD GET PAID DOING IT!? I never looked back after that first semester and got to work auditioning as much as I could. I was already an actor but now I believed in myself on top of that.

Who is your greatest mentor?

Andy Long was my acting teacher throughout my time at Richland. I learned the most during my time when in college acting classes. I enjoyed diving into the challenges he was giving me, as well as I felt like I made some of my most progress while working in his class and working out on the field. I broke through walls I had limited myself with and grew as a performer. I owe a lot to him but also to the entire team that works and used to work at Richland like Gregory Lush and Scott Osborne. Another name I can’t leave out was the person who gave me my first opportunity in theatre at NTPA Rep, which is Ryan Matthieu Smith. They took a chance on my curly-haired talent as an actor, and I can't be more thankful for the chances they have given me.

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

Oh man, this is a tough one. I, funnily enough, got the most enjoyment from a show that not anyone I know has seen. It was for a Plano children’s theatre, directed by Daniel Dean Miranda. A show called, Little Red Riding Hood by Mike Kenny. It's a story about a little brother named Stephen (Me) and an older sister named Bridget (Pamela Anglero). It tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood but by the end of the play, the two become the characters they portray all throughout. Stephen, the little brother, becomes Little Red Riding Hood. Bridget, the older sister, becomes the Big Bad Wolf. It was written to be in British English, but we used a different take and made it about a Spanish family. I loved working with those two and having the children who watched the show interact with me. It was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had on a stage in a while and the most lines I’ve had to speak (As of right now)

Memorable favorites after that would be Ted Scheider in Disaster!, Snout the Tinkerer in Midsummer Night's Dream, and Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family.

Do you have a dream role?

Most definitely. As of right now, I think my biggest dream roles would be Usnavi from In the Heights and Hamlet. I'm sure this list of dream roles will only grow bigger as I continue to learn and grow in this dream career of mine.

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

I mean, my idol is Edgar Ramirez, a fellow Venezuelan actor that I truly admire and aspire to be like one day. Outside of him, I’d love to share a scene with Antonio Banderas and Latino icon Eugenio Derbez. Outside of celebrities, I love sharing the stage anytime with my favorite person ever, Mies Quatrino. 

What performances have you seen that impressed you?

The most recent performance that blew me away was from Stede Bonnet a F*cking Pirate Musical! Chris Llewyn Ramirez as Israel had so many levels to his portrayal that I didn't see enough praise for. Juggling a serious stoic pirate with also someone so passionate about protecting what and who he loves while ALSO having some of the funniest songs in the show is so impressive. 

Other performances that blew me away were Mies Quatrino and Daniel Dean Miranda in Cabaret at NTPA Repertory. They added so much to their performances in their details, while also sounding like literally goddesses while doing it.

What are your career goals?

My current goal and dream are to get to do more film acting, and I want to get more dramatic acting under my belt. It would be a dream to get to work on a film as a main named actor on a project nominated for big-time awards. Another goal is to play characters that are more than comedy relief and get to share a character’s feelings and thoughts with an audience that can relate to what the character’s experiencing. That would be so fun, and I know I could do more than what I’ve done so far. Finally, would be to get more Spanish-speaking roles. I’ll keep auditioning, so here’s to someday accomplishing those dreams and goals!

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I think it’s a surprise because I don’t usually talk about it, but I love to write. I like writing stories or self-thought point of view tales of what my character is feeling when experiencing a wide variety of things. I think this aids me in many ways outside of being a generally enjoyable hobby of mine since middle school. It gives me a closer, microscopic look at how my characters are and who they are as people. This love for writing started because I have enjoyed roleplay writing online since I was in middle school. It was like writing separate chapters in a book where others who were like me would write characters from their perspective interacting with mine. I’d write characters in different genres and sometimes create characters of my own in different worlds. It's something that brings me so much joy and I hope to one day write an original story of my own that I publish. 

 One day maybe you’ll see my name on a book you’re reading!