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[0:00] Martín Acuña: Hi everyone. I am Martín Acuña and you are listening to Backstage Talk.

[0:16] Martín Acuña: Hello everyone. Welcome back to this season finale of Backstage Talk. I am really excited about today's guest. I have here with me Dean Cestari. He is a performer currently based in New York City and as a member of Actors' Equity and SAG-AFTRA, and wrapped by Brian Herrick at the Hell's Kitchen Agency. We've seen him in American Horror Story Season 11, Law & Order, The National Tours of Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Story, and as Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things Off-Broadway. Also, the regional productions of Sound of Music at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Kinky Boots, Newsies, and so much more. So, Dean, thank you so much for being here. I'm really excited to have you over at Backstage Talk.

[1:03] Dean Cestari: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

[1:05] Martín Acuña: So, tell us a little bit more about yourself. What did we miss on your bio, and what else can you tell us about yourself?

[1:14] Dean Cestari: Sure. I mean, that was quite the introduction, so thank you. Born and raised on Long Island. I grew up there with my three younger sisters, my amazing parents, and moved to the city in summer of 2016. I decided that I wasn't going to go to school. I was just going to move to the city and start going after the dream, and been here ever since. I've just been super lucky to work at some amazing places, meet some amazing people, do some really fun shows, and just learn so much since I moved here. So, I'm very excited to be here. Very happy to be where I'm at today.

[1:52] Martín Acuña: I love that. What would be a random fun fact about you?

[1:57] Dean Cestari: Random fun fact? Oh, okay. When I was in high school, I spent four summers teaching English camps in the Czech Republic. Yeah, I guess that's random.

[2:14] Martín Acuña: It is random. Not everyone goes abroad to teach another language, so that's cool.

[2:21] Dean Cestari: Yeah, it was really awesome. Prague is now one of my favorite places in the world.

[2:26] Martín Acuña: And why the Czech Republic? Just because?

[2:29] Dean Cestari: I went with a youth group that I was a part of at the time, growing up, and we just had a connection that he lived full-time in the Czech Republic, so he brought small groups of us over, and we would teach these English camps for two or three weeks over the summer, and it was awesome.

[2:48] Martín Acuña: That is amazing. Also, I saw recently, I think it was on your TikTok or Instagram, maybe both, but you, coming from Long Island, you were saying that you haven't tried really good pizza, bacon, egg, and cheese, and bagels if you're not from, if you haven't tried it on Long Island, because New York has pretty good ones.

[3:13] Dean Cestari: Okay, I will say New York City has very good pizza, bagels. We love a classy bacon, egg, and cheese, but I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just because I'm from Long Island and I'm partial, but it just is so much better out there. I think people will come at me for that, but I stand by my decision on that stance.

[3:32] Martín Acuña: Well, I'll have to go to Long Island, and everyone now who's listening will have to go to Long Island and try that, so.

[3:39] Dean Cestari: Absolutely.

[3:40] Martín Acuña: So let's get into your specifics on musical theatre and your journey going to Broadway. Which was your aha moment?

[3:51] Dean Cestari: I feel like, I mean, there were so many. I think at a young age, The Wizard of Oz is kind of what started everything for me. I was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz as a kid, and that kind of just sparked my love for theatre. And I remember I did my first community theatre production when I was eight, and it was a children's production of Little Shop of Horrors, which looking back is really crazy that that was allowed. But I would say that first performance at my community theatre, first time really in front of a big audience, I was kind of like, oh, this is what I love to do. This is what I want to do. And then, of course, you grow up and you question that. And I think, honestly, the thing that made me commit to going for it 100% was in high school.

My grandma took me to go see Newsies. And I think leading up to that, I kind of was like, maybe I'll just be a high school English teacher or a drama teacher or something. I don't think I really want to perform as a career. And I remember seeing Newsies and being like, oh, wait, I can do this. I see people that look like me on the stage and that are doing something that I'm super passionate about. And so I think that was kind of the moment that I was like, you know what, I'm just going to go for it. And I'm going to see what happens. And then full circle moment, you were in the original production of Newsies.

[5:19] Dean Cestari: Yeah, yeah, I got to do it twice, like back to back, which is really awesome. So definitely full circle. And definitely, yeah, definitely just a super nice moment to have to be like, oh, cool. I fantasized about doing this show specifically, or, you know, being up on that stage. And so, yeah, I think high school was kind of the real like, oh, okay, I want to go for this.

[5:42] Martín Acuña: And your most recent one?

[5:44] Dean Cestari: My most recent aha moment. Oh, gosh. I, you know, I would say probably the first time back performing after the pandemic. I think there, I think like a lot of people, the pandemic kind of, like, it just made me think about if this was what I really wanted to do still and I think I fluctuated often between like, I miss it so much and I want to do it and also like, okay, do I need to be more realistic or more practical? And I think, you know, doing my first performance back after the pandemic, I was reminded of like, no, this is what this is what I love most. And I'm going to keep, you know, pursuing it for now and see where it leads. But yeah, I think I think kind of that like first night back, honestly, also that first night that Broadway reopened, I got to go see Wicked, which is like so like musical theater, dream fantasy.

But that opening night on Broadway, like reopening of Wicked was just so wild to be in the audience for. And that was kind of when I was like, okay, yeah, this is this is so special. And I forgot like, how much people love it and how much I love it. So yeah, I had so many friends at that reopening night of Wicked. And I remember just like scrolling through TikTok and watching videos because they let you record the part when Glinda comes down. And it's like, it's good to see me and everyone was just like screaming and crying. So yeah, it was it gave me chills. Yeah, it was it was pretty incredible, honestly.

[7:28] Martín Acuña: So why musical theater and why dreaming about Broadway as the pinnacle of our industry?

[7:36] Dean Cestari: Yeah. I think, yeah, like I said, musical theater, I think came into my life at such an early age, I had such an appreciation for The Wizard of Oz and an obsession with Judy Garland. My mom used to, or I used to, I don't know if my mom did it, but I used to run around the house in like a Dorothy dress, skipping around. My aunt would dress up as Dorothy when she would babysit me. Like that is like the intensity of my obsession. And I don't know, I just I was so drawn to it from such a young age. And I got really lucky living on Long Island. There are so many community theaters around and so many opportunities to perform and just to see theater and also being so close to the city. It was always like my birthday present from my grandma was like for Christmas or for my birthday, we would go see a show for Christmas, we would go see a show.

So I just was immersed in it. I feel like from such a young age that I, I don't know, I just I felt so naturally drawn to it. And, you know, as I continue to do more shows as a kid and just kind of learn more about the industry, there's just there's something so special about musical theater. And I think just theater in general, just the collaboration, the relationships that you make. I find often that like a lot of my love for these different contracts that I'm on or the different jobs that I do is like, yes, about getting to perform and yes, about like just like loving musical theater, but also so much just about the like relationships that you make and the people that you get to interact with.

And even just like the audience members that you get to interact with. There's just such a communal aspect of it that I think is so beautiful that you don't really get on in other fields. Like, I mean, you kind of get that in film and TV as well, I guess, but there's something different about like a live production where you are spending all your time together to kind of come together and create this, this beautiful thing.

[9:14] Martín Acuña: Yes, I agree with you. So how would you summarize your journey in the industry? Because you've had a lot of regional productions, you've tried on TV, but you also had this off-Broadway show with Stranger Things. So how would you summarize this whole journey?

[9:55] Dean Cestari: I would say it's been crazy. There's been a lot of ups and downs. There's been a lot of doubts and fear and a lot of immense joy and gratitude. But, yeah, I don't know. I think my perspective on things have changed over the years. I think I used to kind of be like, you know, Broadway's the end goal. And if I don't get to Broadway, then it will have been a failure. And I think, you know, I haven't made my Broadway debut yet. And I think I had always imagined that by like, you know, I'm 26 now. I thought by 26, you know, I'll for sure like be on Broadway. And that just, you know, that happens for some people. And that's just not the journey that I'm on right now. So I think I've had to kind of adjust the mindset of like, okay, yes, I would love to be on Broadway.

I would love that to be the end goal or, you know, a thing that I do even just once. But I think as long as I'm getting to perform and do what I love, like I think that will be success in my eyes. And so I think just adjusting that mindset has given me a better appreciation for the industry. And like you said, I've gotten to do some really awesome regional work. I got to, you know, do the Off-Broadway show and create an original show and record a cast album for that, which is really cool. And so I think kind of taking myself out of, you know, out of my body, I guess. I don't know. I'm like looking in on what I've done. I find so much of so much appreciation for the things that I've gotten to do and not holding this like Broadway is the end goal, the end all be all.

Like, I think I can just kind of see all these things and be like, wow, I got to perform and do what I love and get a paycheck for it and like do it for a living. So that's like, I don't know, it's a it's a very like up and down feeling, I think. But overall, I feel very blessed to be working and blessed to be making so many amazing connections with people and relationships with people and just getting to like honestly see the country from all the regional work and the tours. And it's just something I never really thought I would get to do. So it's been very beautiful and very eye opening.

[12:08] Martín Acuña: And I love that. And I really, really love that you mentioned that. We all had this mindset that at 24, 25, 26, we needed to be on Broadway because I had that same mindset. I'm 28. Probably when this is out, I'll probably be 29. So I'm just like, I needed to be on Broadway in my 20s. But recently I was, again, scrolling through TikTok and one of Ann Juliet's cast members appeared and said, I'm 54 and I'm doing my Broadway debut at 54. And that was like so validating that everyone is on their own timeline on their own journey to achieve their dreams. If it's at six years old, like the kids in Matilda or 26 as young people in any other show or 54, we all have the same dream, but we are on our own timeline. And that is really validating. And it's really encouraging to keep ourselves pushing forward.

[13:36] Dean Cestari: Yeah, yeah, I think it's I think social media has like kind of made I mean, obviously it's made like the competition mindset so much harder because you see all these people that are your age or that, you know, you know, that are, you know, on Broadway or doing the things that you want to be doing. And it's so hard to not focus on that and not like get down on yourself because of that, because I don't know, I think there's enough competition in this industry that like just being able to like cheer on other people is such like it's such an important thing just to be able to support your friends and your colleagues and and not let it say anything about you or your journey because we are all on our own. We are all on our own timeline. And it's going to happen when it's supposed to happen.

[14:13] Martín Acuña: Yes, absolutely. So what advice would you give to those that want to start a career in this industry?

[14:16] Dean Cestari: Yeah. I would say, I would say, learn everything you can, not just about theater and not just about musicals, but about just like life like try so many different things that have nothing to do with theater because I find that like the more I immerse myself in learning other things, and not just being solely focused on this one thing I just become a better performer. Because I learned how to be a human and I for sure in high school was that kid that like eat, sleep, breathe, musical theater and like only listen to theater. And like, I think that that's awesome. And that's what sparked my love for it. But I think kind of just learning about other things that help you become a well-rounded human really help you become a well-rounded performer.

And I would say if this is like what you love more than anything, and you want to do it, just do it like don't let anything or anyone hold you back from like taking the plunge, and just going for it because if you don't take that first step to do it, then you're just going to continue to hold yourself back. So I think, yeah, just learn, learn everything you can about everything. And also just don't be afraid to like take that first step to go after the thing that you love the most.

[15:32] Martín Acuña: And I love that you just said that because you also have a passion for interior design and home decor.

[15:38] Dean Cestari: Yeah, I'm a sucker for some home decor.

[15:42] Martín Acuña: Yeah, I love that you bring everything you learn outside into your work and your art as a performer.

[15:49] Dean Cestari: Yeah, I feel like it also just helps like we face so much rejection in this industry that like being able to kind of occupy yourself or like find joy in other things is super important. And I, you know, I kind of had to learn that the hard way after moving to the city is just like having things that spark joy in other areas is super important to just keep you like grounded and present and level headed. Because when you hear that like 17th rejection, it's nice to be like, great, well, I can go spend time with these people that I love and I can go do this other thing that I love to kind of like bring me out of the funk. So I think that's super important.

[16:27] Martín Acuña: Yeah, I love that. What is a risk that you have taken that has totally paid off?

[16:35] Dean Cestari: I'm not gonna say I promote not going to college. I think that for me personally, like the biggest risk that I've taken so far has just has been like not going to school and moving to the city and everyone has their own opinion on that and everyone has their own journey with whether or not they want to go to a BFA or a conservatory. And just for me personally, after high school, I knew that like I wanted to just be here. And so I think the biggest risk that I took was not going to that four year BFA school. And I think it's mostly all my friends have done that. Mostly all my friends have graduated from a program. But I think personally, my, yeah, I guess the biggest risk that I've taken was not doing that and just moving here and making those connections by myself and just kind of learning through auditioning and learning through taking class here.

And I think it's paid off OK so far. I mean, it's definitely been a lot of extra work because I didn't have the like the chance to make connections in school or to like graduate and have a showcase like all those things that are, you know, super beneficial. But, yeah, I think just taking that jump from like high school to like, OK, I'm going to try it has been the best risk that I've taken so far.

[18:02] Martín Acuña: I love it. I love it. Last question. What are your top five favorite musical theater shows?

[18:08] Dean Cestari: Oh, this is so hard. We know Wizard of Oz is the first one. Wizard of Oz is a classic. I would say. OK, Wizard of Oz is just like has such a special place in my heart. I love Parade, which we love, but that's coming back. Parade is one of my favorites. Bright Star, I think, is so underrated and so beautiful. Oh, gosh. Once on this Island is probably my top five for sure. I love Urinetown. I think Urinetown is brilliant. And, oh, gosh. OK, honestly, Les Mis. Les Mis is a classic. I think that Les Mis is beautiful and the music is stunning. And I'll stick with that. I'll stick with that. I think that's my top five.

[19:02] Martín Acuña: I love them. I love them. Dean, thank you so much for being here, for sharing your story, your thoughts. Personally, I am really happy about your journey. And I know this is just the start of it. So wishing you the best. And thank you for being here for this season finale of Backstage Talk.

[19:20] Dean Cestari: I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. And thanks for, you know, giving so many people this platform.

[19:26] Martín Acuña: Thanks, everyone, for listening to this new episode of Backstage Talk. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Backstage Talk Podcast.