Andrew Burnap’s big idea is winning the American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center in late April. It’s not a far-fetched idea – after all, he beat out more than 240 fellow actors from 55 New England schools to win the regional festival in January.
Andrew’s stage talents have enthralled audiences since he stepped into his first role at eight years of age. His talent and drive have allowed him to successfully play all kinds of characters at URI, from his work in “The Seagull” and “Rocky Horror Picture Show” to “Tartuffe” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”
Andrew came into acting first through a love of music, and he’s able to play dramatic and musical roles with equal ease. He likens Shakespeare to Sondheim, saying that the complex emotion of both leads an actor to burst into to verse and poetry or verse and melody. His favorite role at URI has been Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show, and local audiences are looking forward to his dancing prowess as the Don Lockwood (the Gene Kelly lead) in “Singin’ in the Rain.” One role he hasn’t played yet, but would love to, is Prince Hal in Henry IV.