From ISU's Theatre and Dance Program to Broadway: Q and A with Actor Tito Livas

Tito Livas graduated from the ISU theatre program in 2006 with a dream to have a career in acting. This is his story from Pocatello to the historic San Francisco Old Globe theatre, where he was on the cast for "Destiny of Desire", which producers are now taking to Broadway.

Q: You are an alumnus of ISU. Can you tell us about your experiences at ISU and how that played a role in what you're doing now?

TITO: I am from Caldwell, Idaho. ISU was the only school I applied to and wanted to go to, and that was because of the choral program. I went to ISU because of Dr. Anderson. I met him at a choir event and he invited me to attend. I auditioned and got a scholarship. I studied music and opera for three years then I switched to theatre studies. 

Because the program was so small they were able to give me a lot of one-on-one attention and help hone my skills. They really believed in me and my talents, which, as a brown kid in theatre back then before representation improved, was hard to do. The faculty were so open to giving me opportunities. The first role I played was a 53-year-old Irish man. They said we can see you have something, so we're going to let you do what will help you. That was instrumental in making sure I was working on bettering myself. From there, as soon as I graduated, I started working, and I haven't stopped. 

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your journey in theatre thus far?

TITO: I started touring with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. I toured with shows, worked with Princess Cruises, Holland America, Disney World, performing, and doing film, TV and commercials. I moved to Salt Lake City and did theatre there with the Pioneer Theatre Company and Salt Lake Acting Company, and Plan-B Theatre Company. I've been on Hallmark and Lifetime and lots of commercials. 

I found Destiny of Desire on a casting notice on a website where they post acting work. I audition for everything because that's what you do. I did not think I was going to get this role, partly because I am based in Utah. Once I was cast and met the other cast members, I realized that everyone else was out of NYC and LA. I was the only one who didn't have Broadway credits. I don't know why they're taking the chance on me, but I'm certainly happy they are.

Q: Can you tell us about Destiny of Desire and how you will end up on Broadway?

TITO: With all the hype out of the Old Globe theatre and how well it was received there, it is a selling point for them to bring the show to Broadway. Several productions have started at the Old Globe then moved to Broadway. Destiny of Desire producers would like us to be in New York rehearsing by October or November.

Destiny of Desire by Karen Zacarías has gotten much notoriety and many awards. It has been done once or twice before. The performance I am part of is the iteration they have decided to take to Broadway, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who is a Tony Award-winning actor. The people involved in this show are Broadway veterans from Hamilton and Wicked. One main actor left Chicago on Broadway to do this show. She's a judge on Dancing with the Stars in Mexico. Carlos Gomez has been in this business forever. He was in The Heights. Everybody on the design team is a Tony Award-winning designer. 

I, on the other hand… I’m an Idaho-raised boy. My role is to play the pure goodness of the character, Dr. Diego. He wants to build a free clinic and is one of the love interests in the show. This is a Spanish soap opera on-stage. It's very over the top, but we are not making fun of Spanish soap operas. What makes it so funny is how much we believe in it. It's a melodrama in English. We had people who came back 4-5 times to the shows at The Old Globe theatre in San Diego. It was a way to escape life. It's hilarious when you're on stage, and you hear the gasps from the audience. It was so fun listening to the audience's reactions. 

Photo: Destiny of Desire had a great showing at the Old Globe theatre in San Francisco this summer

Q: What’s the best part of what you do?

TITO: The best part about what I do...The best part is getting to pretend. That's my job. I pretend really hard. And out of that comes being able to bring emotion out of other people: laughter, sadness, whatever it is. It’s helping people feel things because of that. Getting to pretend allows me to connect with people. 

When I was at ISU they did a really good job helping me delve into character analysis and making sure whatever I was doing was believable. One of my beginning acting teachers, Tamara Cress, said to us, “As an actor, you're like a corndog. Your character is the bread, but you are the weenie on the inside. In order for your character to feel whole you have to have both. The character has to be part of who you are.” 

I've always used that. I always think about how I will create emotion, not how I think the character would create the emotion, and build from there. You have to remember who you are and build from there. When I am onstage and I am performing, that is the moment, and that's where it is. 

Q: Is there any advice you would give to students who are thinking about becoming an actor or going into theatre? 

TITO: There are two things that I live by. One is you have to be tenacious. You have to really want it and beyond that, you have to believe in yourself enough to know that even if you aren't getting cast, it's not necessarily because you aren't good. It's because you don't fit what they think that character is in that moment. You want to train and study. That's not something that is advice. If this is what you want to do, that is the groundwork of everything. 

Beyond that, 90% of an actor's job is auditioning. You don't get most of the things you audition for. It's being prepared to go into it. I'm going to always bring my best to auditions. Tenacity and belief in self…If you want it, you have to stick with it. It is not easy. 

I am incredibly lucky to have the career I do with the family that I've always wanted. I have no complaints in terms of my life, but that doesn't mean I've lost my ambition. That doesn't mean I'm not striving for more.