Posted on April 23, 2007
Three hundred people came to audition for the Broadway revival of “Grease,” and of the three who were cast, one was a JMU alumni.
Keven Quillon graduated from JMU in 2003 with a double major in music and theatre and English.
In March, viewers of NBC’s show “You’re The One That I Want” voted on who would play Danny and Sandy in Broadway’s “Grease.” Quillon recently found out he would be part of the ensemble cast of “Grease,” starting in August.
“It’s really exciting because the show has had a lot of publicity. The show has already made $10 million in presale,” Quillon said.
For Quillon, Broadway is a first, but performing has been his interest for the past ten years.
“I started acting my sophomore year of high school, but I didn’t start dancing until I was a sophomore at JMU,” Quillon said.
After graduating Quillon went on to act in “We Will Rock You,” “Saturday Night Fever,” and is now completing a national tour of the musical “Sweet Charity” starring Molly Ringwald. “’Sweet Charity’ ends in August, but I have to leave the show early because ‘Grease’ rehearsals start June 11,” Quillon said.
Despite Quillon’s success, he is not quick to forget how he reached his goals.
“I’m very thankful for JMU,” Quillion said. “I had several professors that really helped me with dancing and vocals when I was there.”
Bill Buck, head of the music and theatre department at JMU, was not surprised about Quillon’s success.
“He was a student who loved musical theatre and was actively involved in all aspects of the program,” Buck said.
Quillon ‘s activities while at JMU included “Madison Project,” “The Madisonians,” and Theatre II performances. Buck believes that making it to Broadway is an achievement not to be taken for granted.
“It is an outstanding accomplishment and a testament to the hard work that [Keven] did both as a student and in the years spent developing his skills after graduating from JMU,” Buck said.
On Broadway, the eight shows a week may seem grueling enough, but Quillon is planning to add more to his already hectic schedule.
“Broadway shows don’t last forever, so you always need to be out there finding new roles,” Quillon said.
Finding more work may include a nine-to-five job and more auditions.
“My dream when I was at JMU was to one day be financially stable and a successful actor,” Quillon said.
With Broadway now in his future, he is well on his way to accomplishing his dream.
