Interview with Justin Colombo

Rachel and Ned sit down with Troop 54's playwright Justin Colombo and discuss his play, his process, being a cub scout and how funny Chekov is to Russians.

Justin Colombo - Playwright

Justin Colombo is New York based Actor and Playwright, who hit .637 in 2016. Justin first began writing in 2007, when Troop 54 was entered into the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Festival. The initial production won awards for set design, costume design and every acting category, which made for some nice resume padding.

Justin went on to attend Ithaca College’s BFA Acting Program, but really found his writing skills after studying at the Moscow Arts Theatre in Russia. Once he returned home to the states, Justin began writing Konstantin, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and his first full-length play. Ithaca College and MXAT allowed Justin to find his creative voice as a playwright and as an artist, something he is forever grateful for.

His writing took a bit of a backseat once his acting career took off. Justin began his career playing Lonny Barnett on the National Tour of Rock of Ages. While on tour Justin found his days were very useful for practicing his writing. While on tour, Justin expanded Troop 54 and wrote The Black Parade, a musical based on the music of My Chemical Romance.

Since leaving tour, Justin has worked in many theatres across the country doing shows like: Fiddler on the Roof, Shrek, Saturday Night Fever, Rocky Horror Show, Ragtime and more! However, Justin never leaves his writing behind. In 2016, Justin made his second foray into writing with Three Up, Three Down, a fantasy baseball blog that caters to the causal fan and the General Manager in all of us. While writing hasn’t always been his main priority, Justin looks forward to the possibilities it presents for the future.

If you’re interested in learning more about Justin’s work you can contact him at www.threeupthreedownblog.com, or come see him on the National Tour of Kinky Boots! Thanks!