Thoughtful Leadership
CCM's Chair of Musical Theatre Vincent DeGeorge
“How you do anything is how you do everything.”
-Martha Beck
Dinner was perfectly plated, with attention paid to every detail. A bed of rice cooked exactly right, tender short rib with diced veggies and microgreens on top, and crispy green beans were served alongside. The blue tablecloth matched the napkins and plates. Despite being fancy, it wasn’t formal. The atmosphere and the meal were both warm and intentional.
Much like his production of “Little Women” last weekend.
Vince DeGeorge, the new department chair of CCM’s Musical Theatre program, and his wife, Amy Luce DeGeorge, hosted me for a meal. We’re friendly - I’m closer to Amy than Vince, but that’s more about practicality than it is anything else. DeGeorge is a busy man, teaching, directing, and administrating at one of the best conservatories in the world. I felt lucky to get an evening of his time.
Vincent DeGeorge was born to a big family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From an early age, he was interested in theatre; he chose to attend Seton LaSalle High School because of its theatre arts program. There, he grew his love for performing in shows like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” and as Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
He auditioned for three college programs and was accepted to two of them. CCM waitlisted him, but that was his first choice, so he took a risk by declining the other - and was accepted to UC’s prestigious program. While in Cincinnati, he performed in shows like “The Pirates of Penzance” and again in “Little Shop”— this time as the dentist.
It was at CCM that he also met his wife, Amy, also a MT Performance major.
As a performer, DeGeorge toured and performed in various productions in NYC, as well as with a dance company co-founded by Taye Diggs and Andrew Palermo (CCM MT ’94.) While he worked consistently, he did not find the fulfillment he sought. He then set out to study massage therapy. While in school, he discovered his interest and love for anatomy. And then it clicked—he could use this knowledge to help actors improve their craft. After graduating, as a Licensed Massage Therapist, Vincent began to research and develop his own acting technique. He held workshops and master classes, working with actors to help them understand acting through and with their own bodies.
DeGeorge has spent over twenty years researching and developing the Theatrical Awareness Practice, a somatic and experiential theater technique that trains the actor to live fully in their experiential mind/body. This practice consists of deeply researched and highly structured improvisational explorations that are designed to reacquaint the artist with the infinite intelligence and creative capacity of their own human body experience.
Vincent’s research into his acting technique didn’t always resemble the work he had done at CCM and in business. “I would stage performances in the lobby of the law firm where we both worked,” Vincent explained. We’d start at 5 a.m. before the office opened and I invited Amy to come see my work.”
Amy recalls that it was very avant-garde stuff. She laughed. “I remember crying and saying, ‘Will you please just do musical theatre?’”
Eleven years later? He is the new Chair of Musical Theatre at CCM.
Former MT Chair Aubrey Berg reached out about an available position teaching acting at CCM in the 2013-2014 academic year. Vince wasn’t sure he wanted to do it, but Amy helped convince him to give it a shot.
“I thought it would be a one-year job,” he said. That was over ten years ago. He’s since earned tenure and a handful of promotions. He began as a Visiting Professor, was named the Joseph Weinberger Chair of Acting for the Lyric Stage, and in the fall of 2023, DeGeorge was appointed the Patricia A. Corbett Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre. He was also the proud recipient of the 2019 Alumni Award and he teaches and directs in the CCM Opera Department.
He’s a busy man.
In fact, scheduling time to talk to him took months. Between his teaching load, directing “Little Women,” collaborating with Instructors Eric Byrd and Julie Spangler on the Senior Showcase, and the many meetings and administrative duties, Vince barely has time to breathe. Despite this extensive schedule, his enthusiasm for his job seldom wanes - and he continues to invest in his work, harvesting big returns.
DeGeorge earned a Master's in Directing and Public Dialogue at Virginia Tech, where Amy also got her Master's in Stage Management. During his studies at Virginia Tech, DeGeorge was also a company member of Building Home, which uses theater-making to facilitate and stimulate social justice through public conversation and community engagement.
He’s always had an interest in the human side of theatre.
His passion for humanity is at the core of his work as a teacher, director, and administrator. Even in shows like “Seussical,” which Vince directed in 2017 - the emphasis is firmly on the characters and their stories.
His students will tell you how much his work matters. “Vincent is one of the greatest creatives I have ever had the privilege of knowing. His work is unparalleled, compelling, and genius, and I am so humbled to have been in two shows with him during my time at CCM,” says Nate Jones, a graduating senior.
“From teacher to director to mentor, Vincent has been a constant over my four years at CCM. I will hold his lessons in and out of the classroom and rehearsal rooms for the rest of my life.”
Jones played Mr. Brooke in “Little Women.” “Vince led the company with such love, grace, and patience as we all navigated staging a show in a bookstore rather than the traditional spaces we’re used to. As someone who has worked with him closely before on many occasions, I can truly say he is a director who makes you feel seen and champions you. I would not be where I am today without him championing me along the way.”
Eli Owens, who graduated in 2022, agrees. “Vince instilled in me a passion for acting I never realized I had until I took his class my freshman year at CCM. His teachings were unique and challenging, yet still approachable and totally grounded in his own palpable passion for the craft. You could always tell he cared immensely about each student's success.”
Owens and two of his classmates, Chesney Mitchell and Cassie Maurer, wrote and produced a feature-length film (“Booked”) while in their senior year, continued. “I will forever be grateful for his presence in my artistic journey and will continue to utilize the skills he instilled in me as I navigate my personal and professional life.”
Learning from DeGeorge is special. Haley Root, a 2023 graduate, provided this photo, stating, “This is a terrible photo, but I thought you should see it. This is a screenshot from a video from our last class with him. 🥹 A very special day.”
Root explains more about the bond her class has with DeGeorge. “Vince, in many ways, was my class’s main teacher. He ended up teaching a class to MT 23 every semester except when he went on sabbatical. Our class, in particular, faced a lot of change and uncertainty due to COVID. But Vince was the one constant that we always had. We grew a lot together as students and teacher. We learned so much from each other. Vince allowed us to fail and to grow. He saw us through our freshman showcase (which never happened due to the shutdown) until our last class with him, filled with many tears. He really helped shape our class’s spirit.”
DeGeorge has directed over 20 CCM shows over the last 10 years. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was the first, followed by “Big River,” “110 in the Shade,” “Blood Brothers,” “Children of Eden,” “Seussical,” and many others including Vince’s personal favorite - so far - “Yeast Nation.”
“Yeast Nation,” by Urinetown’s creators, Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, is the story of evolution and revolution in the year 3,000,458,000 BC - set at the bottom of the primordial sea. It centers on a society of salt-eating Yeast, the world’s first life form.
Here’s what I said about the show when I reviewed it in 2019.
I will say, though, that without a director and choreographer with Vince’s skill, talent, and vision, this show could easily be a disaster. YEAST NATION is an absurdist story, a ridiculous and over the top satire, and in the hands of a less capable director and cast, would easily fall apart. The tone has to be just right to work. With too much slapstick, it would lose its sweetness. Without the self-aware sense of humor, it would just be stupid. DeGeorge is masterful in maintaining the sincerity of the fable while keeping the audience in stitches with surprising physical humor and choreography to match the witty lyrics. It’s hilarious, over-the-top, and tonally specific.
While all his shows have been artistically successful, Sondheim’s classic, “Sunday in the Park with George,” might be his biggest artistic triumph. Haley Root also said this:
“When I came in as a freshman, my biggest goal was to perform in a Vince-directed studio show. That goal came true when I got to perform in his production of “Sunday In The Park.” Vince’s attention to text, detail, and intent is unmatched. His attention to those things is so exciting as an actor. It forces you to work with that level of intention.”
“Working in a rehearsal room with him was always safe and collaborative. I admired his direction so much that Nate [Jones] and I created a video highlighting him and his process. That video, to this day, is one of my favorites of all the things that Nate and I have ever worked on for CCM Instagram. It truly highlights the admiration we all have for him!”
While DeGeorge’s studio and mainstage shows are highlights of his career at CCM so far, I am most fond of his work in the classroom and in individual mentoring. I’ve seen several independent study projects, like Zack Triska’s work on “The Kryptonite Kid” (a project that Vince adapted and performed while he was an MT major) and John Collins and Delaney Guyer’s performance of “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” that were overseen by Vince; they’ve all been remarkable. But Rose Messenger’s work on “Fleabag” might be my favorite.
Messenger said, “My favorite production I was a part of here at CCM was my junior year production of “Sunday In The Park With George,” directed by Vince, and that show is one that I will remember forever.” Rose, class of 2023, continued. “I couldn’t think of a better option than to ask Vince to help direct my senior independent study of the one-woman production of “Fleabag” by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. It was one last project with the teacher who I feel really shaped me and guided me along the way to becoming the performer I am today.”
“I find myself getting choked up whenever I begin thinking about what Vince means to me as a professor, director, and mentor. Before coming to study in Cincinnati, I had had some acting training but had never studied any specific techniques seriously, so I consider Vince’s freshmxn acting class to be my first formal acting training experience, and it was a new world. It was the first time I felt that I was truly honing my craft, and to this day, I still use the basics from his class whenever I approach any piece.”
That classroom performance, which I had the honor of seeing, was brave and brilliant. Messenger doesn’t think she could have done it as well without him. “I have always felt like Vince has seen something in me and truly pushes me to reach my greatest potential. He is someone I will stay in contact with and credit for the rest of my life and career.”
In his role as administrator, DeGeorge, while working alongside the exemplary MT faculty, is finding new opportunities to connect. “I really enjoy interacting with our donors and supporters, the folks that truly allow us to continue our work.” He’s continued to forge a partnership with The Carnegie as they produce summer stock shows, providing another place for students to perform. He’s the Co-Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee. He’ll head back to Italy in June to educate and to direct “Spring Awakening” at the Trentino Music Festival, something he’s done for several years. Also this summer, the play he’s been working on with former students John Collins and Chesney Mitchell, “It’s Not What It Looks Like,” will have an Off-Broadway run in NYC this July at the Soho Playhouse.
However, his primary focus is on leading CCM into the future.
Raven Michelle Thomas, a 2016 graduate and an alum of “Hamilton,” said, “Vince has been a part of my journey as a performer since my Sophomore year. His art is pure and transparent because his heart is in the work from the beginning. And not just the beginning of a project but rather the beginning of meeting you as an individual. He sees you as a human being before anything else. And he teaches you through instinct, connection, and honesty.”
Thomas has a long history with DeGeorge. “Vince has been a part of my journey as a performer since my Sophomore year at CCM in 2013. He has been my Choreographer in “Carrie: The Musical,” my Director in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” my acting Professor, my Co-Director in “Say What You Wanna Say,” my Colleague in the Freshman Showcase for the Class of 2024, and my Friend.
Thomas says that whenever she’s asked to collaborate with Vince, the answer will always be an easy ‘yes.’
“I’ve seen firsthand how he cares for a piece, the artists involved, the technical production elements, and how he constantly tries to merge all aspects to make a cohesive piece of art. Vince is always willing to listen, grow, partner, and learn. But he also is someone you can trust to lead. Someone who sees the journey as the most rewarding aspect of a story. And someone who finds the riches in the many mini moments along the way.
He leads through his eyes, his heart, and his mind. And I can’t wait to see the legacy he leads the College-Conservatory of Music to in the future.”
Sam Yousuf, a current sophomore, agrees. “I could talk about the greatness of Vincent DeGeorge forever. He is our Patricia A. Corbett DISTINGUISHED Chair of Musical Theatre and certainly lives up to the hype of that name. He brings a welcoming and down-to-earth energy to CCM, and his transparency in a leadership position has been refreshing. It is okay for someone in charge not always to have the answers, but working with us students to find the answers is something Vincent does really well. CCM was due for change, and Vincent is certainly leading us to that.”
Based on my experience seeing his productions, spending time with him - and now eating his cooking - I have no doubt that he will continue to thoughtfully focus on the details while creating magical and meaningful experiences that have a long-lasting impact on the community and the arts.
I’m sure Vince will continue telling “epic stories in humanistic ways,” which is how he described his approach to the art of musical theatre.
There’s so much more I could say about Vincent DeGeorge - and I hope I have many more years to write about his work and contributions to CCM and theatre-at-large. But I’ll let Vince himself have the final word. Here’s his heartfelt message to the class of 2024 after their senior showcase: