Meet Brandon Ferruccio | Theatre Arts Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Ferruccio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I think with any Art form, one has to make that decision of it being career driven or as a hobby. I know for me, I went to school thinking I was going to pursue the Arts as a career, but I think I was about maybe 21, or 22 when I realized that the struggle is REAL. Its incredibly intimating… for me it almost became less and less enjoyable and more stressful. I realized the shift into Theatre as a hobby and volunteer work was where it was at. Now I get to have a separate career (in the Airline Logistics Industry) and be able to use Theatre as my outlet. It has now become my mental stress reliever. I normally take on 1 directing project per year, and do smaller projects throughout (IE: readings, writing, costume assist.) The balance is no longer a challenge. With that being said, if it is your dream as a career path – GO FOT IT! Take the chance. You will know if its right for you or not.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was first involved with Theatre through my high school Drama Department. After that I continued on the path in College where I was first exposed into the realm of directing and I’ve been addicted to it ever since. Although the Arts is not my career path, it is very much my passion and my ultimate stress relief from work. Living in the South Bay LA is really ideal because I’m between Los Angeles County and Orange County, so I volunteer with different Non for Profit Community Theatre’s all over and I’ve been able to spread my Director wings to a pretty wide net.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Great Question! Well, being in the arts I would definitely take them to a couple shows. Professional, some place with a lot of history like the Pantages Theatre. If we were supporting a local Theatre I would take them to either Kentwood Players or Theatre Palisades, that way they could see the local talent we have to offer. Also, call me old fashion but I have taken many of my visiting friends to Grauman’s Chinese theatre to see the famous handprints. It never gets old, even for someone like me who has grown up in LA. I mean it goes without saying that a trip to Disneyland or Universal Studios would be in the mix. In fact my friend is coming into town from Seattle in a couple weeks and we will be hitting up Horror Nights at Universal (I never miss it!). Food Wise, Id say we definitely would have our fair share of Mexican food and Margaritas (La Villa or The Burnt Tortilla in Gardena) and for sure some great Korean food. My favorite Korean restaurant is Yellow House Cafe in KTown Los Angeles. When taking friends to a Beach city, I definitely head to Orange County. Huntington or Newport are great for grabbing a coffee, window shopping and walking around to take in the scenery.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this article to all of the Non For Profit Community Theatre Organizations that volunteer their time and efforts into keeping the Arts alive in our local communities. I currently have a show running at Kentwood Players (Westchester Playhouse) its a thriller called Night Watch by Lucille Fletcher, come support and join us  @kentwoodplayers

Instagram: @bferruccio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandon.ferruccio

Image Credits
Theatre Palisades Kentwood Players Westminster Community Playhouse