Christopher Young of Manhattan on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Christopher Young and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
One of the biggest misunderstandings about professional theater is how much work it is and what the “work” actually is. In all fairness, part of the job is to make it look as natural and seamless as possible, so I guess it’s a complement when people assume what I do is just fun or simply easy. The training that goes into having my skills prepared for any show is all encompassing. each new show I begin rehearsals for will ask me to utilize my body in a different way and in a matter of weeks I have to recondition myself around a completely new way of functioning. I am an athlete. i train 6 days a week in the gym, 4-6 voice lessons/coaching sessions a month, Acting workshops/classes once a quarter, plus learning new material for auditions. It takes a lot of consistent work to make the performances an audience sees seem natural and seamless

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi there, I’m Christopher Henry Young. I’m a professional theater artist and arts educator. I’ve performed on and off Broadway, across the country on national tours and in regional theaters, and I’ve traveled North America working with the next generations of theater artists helping them discover themselves and work towards their theater dreams. What makes theater interesting is that it’s an everchanging arts medium. Every year the world is different, we are different and thus the art we engage with is different. As an actor, it’s my job to connect with the world around me through the characters i portray and in theater we get a chance to bring those characters to life, right in front of people. helping them see the world and empathize with others through the stories we perform. . . . . . also, the costumes are awesome hahaha

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I find this question so interesting because I have made it a practice of mine to push back against being who I am and in order to do that, I had to acknowledge that the world was telling me, constantly, who it believed I was/needed me to be. But before I realized that, I was two different people, A young person afraid, in need, and in pain; and a dreamer, determined to become something. Growing up I was constantly being told who I was in one way or another, so my internal life became everything to me. My dreams became the place i’d find peace. Making my way through some difficult life experience showed me how hard life can be and i internalized a lot of that pain. always hoping for something to offer me care.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I lost my father when I was 13 and my mother two years ago. I didn’t really understand how deep the wound of losing my father was until I started trying to connect with people in my 20’s. losing my dad set me on a path towards my career in theater and, in my 20’s, allowed me to understand why having a support system is so important for our survival. losing my mother a few years ago forced me to step into a new era of my life. decided to allow myself space to become a leader when needed help me heal. the young boy inside me who was always afraid and hiding no longer had two of his 3 biggest superhero’s (Fortunately my stepfather is still alive and well.) So, becoming my own superhero and finding my community is how I’ve healed or at least, it’s how I’m healing.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The two biggest and most dangerous lies that show up in the theater industry in my opinion are.
“Theater is a Family” and “We have each other’s backs”. It’s not that these two thoughts are outright lies, but they are often misleading at best and truly dangerous at worse. the myth of the “Theater Family” is as much a lie as any family dynamic is. When folks use that phrase, it’s often in an attempt to express how close we can be or how intimate the dynamics of a show are. but I ask you, are close with your entire family? do you like your entire family? for so many people the answers to those questions are complicated and so are the dynamic of a theater production. we spend so much time together, working rigorously on these shows, so yes, there can be a bond that forms but it’s not inherent. In fact, pretty often you wind up at odds or indifferent with someone you work with because the circumstances are challenging. and the concept of everyone in theater having each other’s back is misleading because ultimately, professional theater is a business. which means folks on different rungs of the latter have different needs. often those needs are competing. it doesn’t mean anyone is a bad person, but it may mean that their ability to meet your need is compromised by their position and the needs/demands of that position.

Too often these two lies lead new artists to believe in this utopia that isn’t real. I find that we can build a realistic vision of what theater is if you understand it and see it for what it is.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I really hope people tell stories of how I loved them, how I cared for them, and more specifically, how they knew. I hope they tell the story if my life through their eyes and experiences. Ever since I moved to NYC, finding a community and building a family has been a big piece of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cyoungonstage.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyoungonstage
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cyoungonstage

Image Credits
Matt Rodin
Leicester Mitchell