Garrett Weir
Garrett Weir received his theater training at Texas Christian University. His college productions include Bat Boy, 42nd Street, Pericles, and many more. Garrett made his professional debut in Dallas Theater Center’s The Supreme Leader and was outstanding. However, it was in Theatre Arlington’s production of Putnam County Spelling Bee that I first became aware of his remarkable ability to channel a character so thoroughly that his very physicality appears to change. Garrett was so convincing and compelling as the boy scout Chip Tolentino, that when I talked to him for this column, it took me a minute or two to realize that I was talking to a humble, grateful, and kind young man focused on his career and not on winning a spelling bee! In addition, to his incredible acting skills, Garrett is quite the singer and is currently a lead vocalist on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Let’s hope that when he docks, Garrett will find his way back to DFW. Take a few moments to learn more about the tremendously talented Garrett Weir.
When was your first time on stage?
The first time I performed on stage was when I was six years old as a singing angel in my church’s Christmas show.
When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
I have always loved performing from a young age and I have had many formative experiences, but a beautiful moment that stands out in my mind whenever I am asked this question is when I went to see the first national tour of The Book of Mormon. During the famous song “Turn It Off,” all the Mormons do a less-than-three-second quick change into sparkly vests and spats, bookended by a clap-on/clap-off lighting sequence, before tapping their feet off. When those lights came back on and the orchestra swelled as all the performers went into the dance break, I sincerely had to keep myself from jumping out of my seat. I knew then that I wanted to make a career out of giving those type of special, almost indescribable moments of jaw-dropping “theatre magic” that makes an audience feel fully alive.
Who is your greatest mentor?
Roy Mote, Josh Carr, and Twyla Robinson are two people I owe an incredible amount of gratitude towards for not only being sensational voice teachers but also incredible mentors. In various ways and at different stages of my life, they all taught me the importance of working hard at your craft, being true to yourself and your talents, and the importance of paying attention to the details when honing your skills. Roy passed away suddenly from cancer during my college audition process, which was a devastating loss for me during a time when his guidance had been so crucial. I have since then dedicated my journey as a performer to him, as he was the first person outside of my family to push me to pursue my goals. I was blessed to get connected with Josh doing shows in San Diego before going away to college, and Twyla was my voice teacher my entire undergrad at TCU. Both have been incredibly caring, supportive, and honest mentors to me ever since they took me under their wings. I would not be nearly the person I am today, let alone the performer I have grown into, if it wasn’t for their belief in me and their guidance throughout it all.
What role have you enjoyed the most in your career so far?
Although it wasn’t the most involving or difficult role I have done, I will always have such a special place in my heart for “Roger” in the world-premiere of The Supreme Leader at Dallas Theater Center. The entire team made me feel so welcomed and respected, despite it being my first Equity contract and me being the youngest person in the room. I could have run that show for months on end and not gotten tired of it – shoutout to Don X. Nguyen for writing such a beautiful, hilarious play and trusting me to originate a character within it. I will never forget that experience!
Do you have a dream role?
Too many. Back in the Book of Mormon vein, I have always wanted to play Elder Price or just be in that show whatsoever. Marius and, at some point later on, Monsieur Thénardier in Les Mis are both definitely on the list. John or Algernon in The Importance of Being Ernest, Orpheus in Hadestown, Emmitt in Legally Blonde, Fiyero in Wicked, Kristoff in Frozen… I’ll stop now, there are so many amazing characters out there I would love to dive into!
What person(s) would you like to be on stage with?
It would be a dream come true to perform with someone as iconic and accomplished as Hugh Jackman or Liza Minnelli! Derek Klena is another I would like to study and learn from. Here in the DFW area, I would love to share the stage with masterclass-level performers like Liz Mikel (unless Broadway doesn’t let her leave!!) Blake Hackler, David Coffee, and my bestie Zach Willis.
What performances have you seen that impressed you?
This is a tough question – so I will omit shows I saw on Broadway or on tour! I’m born and raised in San Diego and growing up I went to see the original productions of Come from Away and Hunchback of Notre Dame at the La Jolla Playhouse, and October’s Sky at The Old Globe. To this day I am upset that neither Hunchback or October’s Sky was able to transfer to Broadway like Come from Away did.
From a more conceptual and technical aspect, I was utterly blown away by the performances that I went to in Prague while on a summer study abroad trip with Theatre TCU. We saw two shows at Laterna Magika, which is world-renowned for being the first multimedia theater in existence, as well as a performance of The Cremator at the historic National Theater that still haunts me to this day. None of the shows were in English at all, yet the stories were so clearly relayed through the staging, acting, and design choices that the shows could have been performed in any language and still have been highly impactful. The storytelling abilities these theaters achieved by integrating state-of-the-art multimedia and technical abilities into their overall design concepts was nothing short of breathtaking – I could go on about this for too long!!!
What are your career goals?
I am currently in the process of re-evaluating these and getting more specific about what I hope to accomplish. My goal at the moment is to transition more into film and television work, but I will always have a deep love for the stage, and it has been a lifelong dream of mine to make it to Broadway. I trust that God will open whatever doors are meant for me when it is meant to happen. In the meantime, I have been working hard to establish myself in DFW not just as a high-level performer, but also a good friend and castmate.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I am extremely interested in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector! I was blessed to attend TCU largely on academic scholarships and be a part of the Honors College there, where I started learning about nonprofit work and the importance of philanthropy through the upper-division Honors course “Giving and Philanthropy.” What I learned and experienced in that course gave me the desire to help discover more ways of connecting the power of performance with philanthropy and give back to underserved individuals, communities, and charitable organizations through the arts in as many ways as possible.
