Elon Music Theatre Alum John Barsoian joins the cast of the National Tour of Stephen Flaherty’s Ragtime this fall
Starting in September of this year, Barsoian will have the opportunity to inspire audiences again on the National Tour of Ragtime The Musical. Barsoian, an alumnus of the Elon University Music Theatre Class of 2015, will be performing as a member of the ensemble, and understudying Willy Conklin, JP Morgan, and Harry Houdini.
John’s Ragtime National Tour journey started with an open call in New York City during spring break of his senior year. Following his audition, he received a callback for the role of Tateh. Due to the fact that he had to return to school, he completed his callback by video by completing a packet of scenes and songs for the role. Upon receiving these materials he was ecstatic—he shared, “Thank God I knew the role!” with a laugh. He recorded his callback scenes opposite his best friend and fellow alumnus Savannah Sprinkle, who gave an outstanding performance of Mother opposite John in Elon’s production of Ragtime.
A few days after his video submission, Barsoian received an email saying the creative team wanted to see him again in New York for a round of final callbacks. During these callbacks, he competed with eight other hopefuls for a spot on the national tour. Barsoian shared that he felt very prepared for his callback, “The work we are able to do senior year with our faculty is really what allowed me to be so prepared. I didn’t have to worry about the music or words anymore, all I had to do was go in there and be me. I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t nervous—I just felt ready.” A week after his audition John received a call from Mark Minnick, associate producer and casting director of Phoenix Entertainment, offering him a contract for the tour.
Barsoian is most excited to travel the United States and have the opportunity to experience the various cultures this country has to offer. He also shared he is thrilled to be working on Ragtime again. He’s most nervous about being around so many seasoned touring professionals as someone who is new to the process. After he completes this tour in July 2016, Barsoian plans to move to New York City to further pursue a career as a performer.
When asked what advice he had to offer aspiring music theatre performers, he responded with a laugh, “I don’t have any advice! I’m still a child!” he continued, “I guess I would say really focus on your work and throw yourself into what you love. The work we do is physically and emotionally daunting and you will not succeed if you do it half-heartedly. Elon is such an incredible place because it allows you to invest in the work. Every teacher made themselves available to help me with my callback material and reaffirmed for me how wonderful of a community Elon is. Elon allows you to be vulnerable while pushing you to do the work, and the work is everything—it’s what will get you the job.”
The Elon Music Theatre Program is so happy for John, as he has the opportunity to explore new roles in Ragtime and touch people all over the country. Click here to see John perform in a city near you.