Age & Hometown: 25; Charleston, South Carolina
Current Role: Unleashing his inner rock star as Roger in the off-Broadway revival of Rent.
Roger That: With his (fake) tattooed biceps, newly spiked hair and artful stubble, Shingledecker's Roger looks quite different from his most recent role, clean-cut Tony in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. “Tony was always my dream role,” says Shingledecker, who studied classical voice in London during his college years at Elon University. “I got to do it on Broadway, and I was the last Tony to work with [librettist] Arthur Laurents. When it was over, I felt a sense of completion and an urge to do something totally different.” After winning over skeptical Rent producers, Shingledecker began to create Roger for himself. “I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Jeff Buckley,” he says. “To be true to this piece, you really have to get in touch with some deep places in your soul. It’s therapeutic but exhausting.”
What’s In a Name? Just before college graduation, Shingledecker landed a role in Spring Awakening on Broadway, which led to a debate over his last name. “I almost changed it when I started Spring Awakening,” he ...
Monday, August 15, 2011
Rent?s Matt Shingledecker on Channeling Roger, Charming Lin-Manuel Miranda and Not Changing His Name
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