Enjoy our November Q&A with BCT Alum, Kevin Mahoney!
LEFT: Kevin in the roll of “Riff” in West Side Story.
RIGHT: Kevin today, a senior at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
BCT: What was your first show at BCT?
Kevin: My first performance at BCT was as a member of Fagin’s gang in Oliver! when I was ten years old. This show holds such a special place in my heart because it was also the first show I ever did – when I was five years old with a community theatre in Everett. It was so exciting to be able to perform in a theatre in Boston for children my own age at that time. I still remember how exciting it was to come out after the show in costume and have children ask me for my autograph.
BCT: What was your favorite role at BCT?
Kevin: My favorite roles at BCT were definitely Fagin in Oliver! and Archibald in the The Secret Garden. Fagin is a role I’ve wanted to play since I was first introduced to theatre at the age of five. I was so hopeful to get the part that when I wasn’t asked to sing or read for the role at callbacks I asked the production team if they would consider letting me read. When they first declined and I begged for an opportunity, Ms. Gleeson, the director, stated “Kevin, we don’t need to see you read for Fagin. You’ve already been cast in the role.” I actually got up and did a dance around the rehearsal room. Everyone at callbacks clapped. I was getting the opportunity to play my dream role. The Secret Garden was my final performance at BCT. I was initially cast in the supporting role of Dickon but when Dan Reardon was forced to drop out of the show, Ms. Gleeson asked me to step into the role. Archibald was my first opportunity to really stretch as a dramatic actor and I felt as though it really completed my career as an actor at BCT. I can still remember the final performance in which so many of my cast members and best friends were weeping on stage throughout the curtain call.
BCT: What other roles did you play at BCT?
Kevin: I was a member at BCT for eight years and played multiple roles in mainstage productions, special classes, and also in the summer stagemobile program. Some of my most memorable roles include The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Cogsworth in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Riff in West Side Story, and Mr. Mayor in Seussical.
BCT: Was there a person – staff member or fellow performer – who you remember in particular?
Kevin: There were so many wonderful directors and teachers who made my time at BCT so special. One person I have to give credit to is Ms. Busswell. Ms. Busswell served in so many responsibilities at BCT, but she mainly served as set designer and stage manager. Ms. Busswell and Ms. Gleeson were so inspiring because of their amazing dedication to theatre and education. I remember the night before opening of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Ms. Buswell actually spent the entire night in the theatre, finishing the set and working all the way through until the performance. BCT was Ms. Busswell’s life and her dedication to the program has had such a profound effect on my own personal work ethic.
BCT: What is your favorite BCT memory?
Kevin: This may sound a little disturbing but one of my favorite BCT memories was in a performance on The Wizard of Oz in which the wizard’s flying contraption actually broke. Luckily, the actor performing was not injured, and the show continued. However, my friends were sitting in the first row hysterically laughing and I was forced to ignore this and try to finish the poignant scene in which Dorothy is saying goodbye to all of her friends in Oz. If there’s one thing Ms. Gleeson taught me it is that “stuff happens.” She always said “I don’t care if the roof caves in, you keep going.” And that’s exactly what we did.
BCT: What are you up to now?
Kevin: I’m currently a senior at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, where I am pursuing a major in public relations and marketing. Although theatre may not be my major, it is still a passion of mine and I am still performing, both at my university and other local theatres. I’ve also become involved with Cellar Door Stage, an emerging theatre company in the Boston area. I was lucky enough to perform as the original Mad Hatter in ALICE:A New Musical, with Cellar Door.
BCT: What message would you like to share with BCTers?
Kevin: Although BCT has taught me so much about the fundamentals of theatre, the life lessons I learned from my time at BCT will travel with me forever. BCT will teach you so much about responsibility and teamwork and the lessons I learned from my time there has shaped me into the passionate and dedicated individual I am today.
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