Jordan Okeke has been a very lucky actor. He started working professionally while he was still in college. “I worked every summer,” said Okeke recently. “My university allowed you to work while you were still in school.”
Okeke, who studied musical theater at Sam Houston State University, has spent his summer at Theatre by the Sea. “My agent sent me an audition for ‘Little Shop,’” he said. “I noticed they were also doing ‘Titanic,’ which I’d just done at Ogunquit Playhouse, so I asked to be considered for that too.”
Okeke submitted his audition by video. “In February, they offered me ‘Grease’ and ‘Titanic.’” Ironically, he was not cast right away in “Little Shop of Horrors,” the show that had first caught his eye. But that changed a short while later, and Okeke arrived in Matunuck in May.
According to TBTS’ general manager, Karen Kessler, Okeke is the only performer doing three consecutive shows this summer.
In “Little Shop,” Okeke was in the ensemble, but was also the understudy for Audrey II and the puppeteer. In “Grease,” he was Teen Angel. In “Titanic,” which is TBTS’ current production, he’s playing multiple roles. “I’m very grateful for everything that’s happened so far,” Okeke says.
This all means an amazing commitment for an actor. Because he’s in back-to-back shows, he’s required to rehearse one show while he’s performing another.
A native of Houston, Okeke says since middle school he “always knew I wanted to be a performer. I didn’t know how to articulate it, but I knew.”
When he got to high school, he met a director that “gave me my basic training.” When he got to college, he wanted to pursue acting, but his high school director encouraged him to do musical theater instead.
His career has been on fire ever since. While still in college, he did summer stock and worked at Lexington Theater Company. When he performed in Sam Houston’s senior showcase, Okeke met his agent. “He believed in me, and it’s been smooth sailing after that.”
This is Okeke’s first time in Rhode Island, and he loves it. “Great weather. It beats Houston’s humidity.” He says he loves Narragansett, the Providence Place Mall and the beach in Charlestown even though “the water is kind of cold.”
Once the run of “Titanic” ends on August 15, Okeke will head to New York. “I’ve been subletting, because I’m always out of the city working,” he says. “I’ll be trying to secure a full-time place. I’ve been auditioning, the usual grind. I’d really like to see what New York holds for me.”
“Titanic the Broadway Musical” opens this Friday and runs through August 15 at Theatre by the Sea. For tickets and information, call the box office at 401-782-8587 or visit www.theatrebythesea.com.
