Home > Dream Job Holidays > Jeff Calhoun
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Broadway Producer
Arts: Jeff Calhoun, Various,
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Does an empty stage speak to your imagination and excite you with possibilities? Does your adrenaline start pumping when the curtain rises and the theater darkens? Do you value creative team work and a collaborative working environment? If you think “there’s no business like show business,” then we have the best ticket in town for you to “test drive” a career as a Broadway producer/director. Let us cast you in what could be a career changing role while on a VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Tony Award-nominated Broadway producer/director/choreographer, Jeff Calhoun.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Jeff Calhoun had two passions – the arts and sports. He began producing shows when he was eight years old. “My first show was held in my grandmother’s garage,” laughs Jeff. In high school, his love of sports led him to the football field where he was a quarterback until he was injured. Jeff decided then to give up the pigskin and helmet for a baton and drum major uniform. He also became involved in high school stage productions. This turned out to be a good choice, and by 16 he was doing summer stock in Ohio. “I was truly living the fantasy of every young person with the dream of being in show business,” says Jeff.
At 17, Jeff met someone who would become his mentor for more than 20 years. Tommy Tune, star of Broadway theater, offered Jeff the chance to dance in his production of “Best Little Whore House in Texas.” Jeff accepted that opportunity and found learning on the job to be an experience of a lifetime. Over the years, his career has continually evolved. Dancer, supporting actor, leading actor, choreographer, director, producer – Jeff has done it all and done it well. “I have enjoyed every aspect of my career. I feel like the world is my sandbox, and I am a lucky kid to get to “play in it for a living,” explains Jeff.
Jeff has a long list of credits including his role as producer, director and choreographer for the Broadway production of the musical Brooklyn; musical staging for Grey Gardens; director and choreographer for the award-winning Deaf West production of Big River; director and choreographer for the 1994 revival of Grease, for which he was Tony Award-nominated in 1994; and associate choreographer (working with his mentor, Tommy Tune) for The Will Rogers Follies in the early 90’s.
Although Jeff enjoyed his days on stage, he now spends his time directing and producing. “Watching from the back of the house now gives me the rush I used to get in front of the footlights,” states Jeff. He has been hired by Disney to do the stage production for the national and international tour of High School Musical and to direct the ice show rendition of this musical.
“As a producer and director, my major goal is to activate the imagination,” says Jeff. In his efforts to do this, Jeff incorporates the best ideas from the people who work with him, encouraging everyone to get involved and contribute. Much of Jeff’s days and nights are spent in rehearsal studios, and the cast becomes family. “I have never had an office job, but I can’t imagine that the camaraderie I experience everyday can be found in any other work environment.”
The rewards are many, but there are challenges. “You have to be able to negotiate the line between creativity and commerce so you can entertain the audience and pay back your investors,” cautions Jeff. Plus, the competition is fierce. There may be 20 -40 opportunities in a show for actors, but there is only one director. “I have been very lucky in my career and believe with privilege comes the responsibility to give back.” And that is exactly what Jeff is doing as a mentor for VocationVacations.
While on your Broadway producer/director VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Jeff Calhoun, activities will include some or all of the following:
- Attend work sessions with creative team members
- Compose a musical number
- Examine how to cultivate collaborators and generate projects
- Brainstorm a director's concept for a musical
- Network with industry insiders
- Discuss how to work with representation
- View technical rehearsals
- Draft an efficient rehearsal schedule
- Evaluate prospective material for production
The Broadway producer/director Vocation Vacations® holiday with Jeff Calhoun includes:
- Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a Broadway producer/director
- The ability to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), an online personality assessment designed to identify interests and skill sets
- The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
- A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
- Light lunches with your mentor
Available: All year based on mentor's availability
Price: $1999 Per Person
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