After exploring his educational interests in Houston, the Elon graduate packs his bags to join "Cinderella" as he continues to pursue his career as an actor.
As John Yi begins his rehearsal process for the National Tour of “Cinderella,” he will follow his personal mantra, “show up, let myself be seen, and be courageous” – Brene Brown.
Yi received the news that he had been cast in the ensemble of “Cinderella” less than a month after his first invited dance call for the show, the beginning of a series of callbacks. He will also be covering the roles of Prince Topher and Jean-Michel.
Though he performed in a three-month international tour of “Miss Saigon” with Pittsburg CLO before his senior year at Elon, “Cinderella” will be Yi’s first national tour.
Since his graduation, Yi has pursued his passion for education through Teach For America. “From 2011-2013, I taught seventh grade reading to over 400 low-income, Title I, and/or at-risk students [in Houston,” Yi said.
Within his first year of teaching he raised the quality of education for his students within the classroom setting, while in the second he served as the English Language Arts Department Chair, as well as a District Instructional Practice Coach.
He also created opportunity for students with music theatre interests in creating an elective and after-school club. At the end of last summer, Yi joined the National Team of TFA in New York, serving as part-time coordinator for the Educational Leadership team.
Yi said he feels that his TFA experience has been imperative in exploring himself as a human being and an actor; and that these lessons he has learned from being an educator, and experiencing the growth and astounding achievement of his students has motivated his own career goals and personal ambitions.
Read more about John Yi in “Cinderella”: http://m.playbill.com/news/article/193929-Cinderella-Finds-Her-Prince-Additional-Tour-Casting-Announced