S. Lewis Feemster

1. First show you saw:
   I recall a production of The Wizard of Oz in my elementary gymnatorium? Prior to that shining example, I encountered a number of deliciously unmemorable "original works" at my private school and church. I began performing, before I'd ever seen live professional theatre. My first professional show was a visiting production of RENT at the National Theatre. 
    
2. First involvement in a theatrical production:  
   I played one of Mother Hen's chickadees in kindergarten, a fairer-skinned Jesus once or twice, and sang a number of voluntold solos before being actually cast/drafted for my middle school's production of Guys & Dolls, Jr. I was hooked, naturally. 
    
3. Favorite play / musical:
   The answer might change before this is read, but I REALLY fell in love with Appropriate after the recent Woolly production. Sharp, hilarious, poignant. 
    
4. Favorite playwright / composer:
   My encounters with Suzan-Lori Parks have always been filled with moments of beautifully painful growth, I love how demandingly immersive her work is. I've had the opportunity to lose myself in TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, Fucking A, and In the Blood. Each experience was so deliciously confrontational, forcing me to uncover truths about myself while bringing her gorgeous characters to flesh. 
    
5. What you like most about Washington area theatre community:
   The Washington area theatre community has given me so much love over the years, and allowed me to stretch myself in ways I never imagined, i.e. playing a drag queen in The Shakespeare Theatre Company's recent production of Measure for Measure. (Transformation video on my YouTube) I also enjoy the opportunities to be involved in new projects (workshops, readings, etc.,) the energy around creation is exciting. 
    
6. Something others are often surprised to find out about you:
   I feel more like an introvert MOST of the time. I could spend HOURS in a bookstore with my phone off, only no one would know because... my phone would be off. I'm also REALLY good at math... but I couldn't get excited about it. #closetnerd
    
7. Other than your significant other, who would be your dream date (living or dead)?
   Oprah and I would have a damn good time, and I'm sure I could get a pass from my significant other. But I have always wanted to meet my father's father, who passed away before I was born. I've been told that he had a very strong personality, which shows up in smaller portions throughout the men in my family.
    
8. If not theatre, then what?
   Architecture. I used to practice making blueprints on graph paper to stay quiet in church. I wanted to go to architecture school, and even toured a number of them, but theatre won. I've designed numerous "dream homes" and was the lead consultant when my parents finished their basement. I satiated the desire with scenic design in college and received an honorable mention from an ACTF judge for my work on Jean Anouilh's Antigone, and another for my quasi-literal interpretation of Park's TOPDOG/UNDERDOG. I'll live in one of my own designs someday.... a house, not a set. 
    
9. Why do you do what you do?
   It permeates who I am. I act, sing, paint, design, style, write... I'm never not doing art. I can't help it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Art is my energy. It's subconscious before it's conscious. 
    
10. Advice for an 8 year-old smitten by theatre / for a graduating MFA student:
    Listen. Learn. Watch. Absorb. Practice. Apply. Excel. But do NOT "grow up."
     

S. Lewis Feemster has performed over 30 productions and in three major US cities. He recently performed at The Kennedy Center with legends Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno, and self produced his own sold-out cabaret: SO FAR. Feemster will make his Off-Broadway debut in Bob Marley's Three Little Birds as "Duppy," the role he created during the show's DC premiere. Previous credits include multiple seasons with the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Adventure Theatre MTC, and force/collision; and performances at La Mama ETC, Folger Shakespeare Library, Synetic Theater, The Studio Theatre, and Deeply Rooted Productions.

Feemster has a mutual love affair with the camera, and has been featured in print, commercials, and on film. He recently worked on the Netflix Original Series House of Cards and film projects including Going Down, Soulmates, When Beautiful People Do Ugly Things, Nobody is Somebody and Tight Rope. 

Often a featured vocalist, Feemster has trained, competed, and performed vocally for many years. His love for music led him to perform his contest-winning original song, "We Move On," at his high school graduation. With a keen ear for arranging, Feemster has often been known to unleash a funky rendition of a familiar tune on an unsuspecting cabaret audience. 

When not performing, Feemster is a teaching artist, distance runner, and cultural sponge.

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