Geoff Lutz
I first saw Geoff Lutz in the ensemble of The Firehouse Theatre’s Something Rotten! Geoff got constant laughs and could steal scenes with just a look. I was most definitely impressed. A few weeks ago, there was Geoff again, but this time in the serious role of Lightoller, an officer in RCT’s Titanic. He was so totally different in this serious role and had such a magnificent voice, I had no idea that he was the same person I had seen previously until I checked the playbill at intermission. To call Geoff talented is an understatement. He has many years of experience and even stopped performing for 13 years. Geoff is a man of many interests and accomplishments. You will be surprised when you read his thoughtful answers. My advice to you is to be sure to catch a Geoff Lutz performance. He will be seen next in RCT’s CATS. Geoff, we are glad you came back to performing and incredibly glad you chose to come to DFW.
When was your first time on stage?
The first time I was on stage was when I was 4 years old. My family was on vacation somewhere in the West, and we were having dinner at one of those old-time saloon kinds of places. The band had a jig contest and asked for contestants, and I ran onto the stage and took my place with a bunch of adults. I don’t really remember how it went, but my parents tell me I picked it up easily and performed it with a lot of presence. While I didn’t win, I was given a souvenir mug and some kind words of encouragement by the band leader. After then, I was hooked! I always sought the limelight in my formative years-- whether it be in a talent show at the campgrounds my family would visit, writing and performing a play with my siblings for our relatives, singing in a choir or playing an instrument, or eventually performing in full scale productions.
When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
I knew I wanted to be a performer at a very early age. However, I was more interested in being a recording artist at first. I had a lot of fantasies of being in the next big boy band, like New Kids on the Block, or being the next big mallrat solo artist, like Tiffany or Debbie Gibson. That set me down a musical path at first-- taking private voice lessons, singing in local and school choirs, and playing the viola. Yet, I was also fascinated with the acting world. Even at a young age, I was a bit of a cinephile and watched films and tv shows with a very analytical eye. Acting was something I tried out when I was 9 years old as another opportunity to perform and sing, and there was no looking back from there! I quickly got involved in any opportunity I could find within my schools and community. In terms of when I transitioned from acting being a hobby to a career aspiration, it was always something I dreamed about and aspired to; I got serious about it at some point in high school, when I was considering my collegiate prospects. I had the option to either continue pursuing my musical pursuits with my viola or take a chance and meld a lot of my different passions together in studying musical theater. I chose the latter.
Who is your greatest mentor?
I have been fortunate to have had many different teachers and mentors that have set me down this path: my orchestra and choir teachers that fostered my early musical talents, my private viola instructor, community theater directors and choreographers, college professors, dance teachers, and so many more. It’s hard to highlight just one! I would say the teacher and mentor that had the biggest impact on my pursuits as an actor would have to be my middle school Drama director, Dennis Martell (RIP). I was still in the very early stages of discovering acting when I worked with him as a troubled youth with dwindling self-esteem and confidence. He offered students a safe space with his afterschool drama club, where we could go daily to play theater games, craft one act plays, and rehearse full scale productions. He also took us on overnight trips to New York City and introduced us to Broadway. Sitting in the audience and taking in the magic of those shows was the catalyst for my foray into the musical theater world. Mr. Martell offered an immersive program that was unheard of at the time and instilled a passion and professionalism in me that stuck with me the rest of my life. Without his guidance and support, I might have kept retreating inward and never have discovered this invaluable mode of self-expression and creativity.
What role have you enjoyed the most in your career so far?
When I was performing in my 20s, I was living in NYC and had the honor to be cast in a variety of exciting national tours and regional theater productions. While they were all my favorites for different reasons, I think the one that has been the most beneficial to me as a performer--and one that I also really enjoyed-- was being an ensemble member and swing in the national tour of Evita. It was exhilarating to jump from track to track within the show. Some nights I would cover different vocalists and have new lines and harmonies to tackle. Other nights, I would cover for one of the dancers and have to navigate myself in the traffic patterns onstage. There was always a new quick change to make, always a new prop to handle, always a new piece of blocking to remember. Sometimes, I even went on for Magaldi, the tango singer. Being a swing made the show exciting and new with each performance. It all kept me very sharp and much more adept at picking things up quickly and being in the moment, which has served me well in my ventures both on and offstage.
Do you have a dream role?
I’m at a transitional stage where I have aged out of a lot of the roles I once coveted. It’s an exciting time to embrace a new character type and see what opportunities are available to me at a more mature age, and I am kind of learning and exploring as I go. I am excited by the thought of playing fatherly figures such as Bruce in Fun Home, Edward in Big Fish, Jean Valjean in Les Mis, and Reverend Shaw in Footloose. Robert in The Bridges of Madison County would also be an amazing opportunity. I was the understudy for Nick Bottom in Something Rotten! when I performed in it recently. I’d love to circle back to it sometime and give that role a proper go. One dream role/show from my past that I would still love to see happen is A Chorus Line. It eluded me in my younger years, and I am still very eager to be on the line!
What person(s) would you like to be on stage with?
The actors in Dallas that I have met and worked with have been so incredibly warm and welcoming, and they’re so stinking talented! They’ve been an absolute delight to work with and learn from. I’m really looking forward to meeting and collaborating with more people within the community as I continue putting down roots. I hope that’s not a cop out, but it’s the truth! If we are talking more in a fantastical/hypothetical context, I would love to be cast as a minor role in an ensemble film or play filled with heavy hitters: Meryl Streep, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, Leslie Odom Jr., etc. It would be amazing to be in their presence and observe their process. I would learn so much!
What performances have you seen that impressed you?
I honestly haven’t had the opportunity to see a show in a while. I was traveling the past year, and I’m still getting settled here in Dallas. And I’m very fortunate to have been kept busy with shows since I’ve arrived! I am looking forward to seeing performances around the greater Dallas area and have heard so many good things. It will be great to see some of the people I’ve worked with in a different capacity and learn more about the local theaters and producers that work so diligently to make Dallas such a wonderful theatrical hub. In terms of all timers, I saw A Lesson Before Dying at Syracuse Stage while I was earning my BFA, and it has stuck with me to this day. Hamilton also really blew me away when I finally saw it a few years into its run. I’m starting to cry thinking about it!
What are your career goals?
I am so fortunate to be getting a second lease on performing, and I just want to have fun and see where it leads. I hung up my performing hat 13 years ago and honestly thought that was it for me, so I am just relishing every opportunity that comes my way. I want to take this time to challenge myself and see what I’m able to accomplish without the self-imposed pressures of making it a living, which is what held me back in the past. I feel older, wiser, and more grounded this time and have a deep motivation to hone my craft again and try new and scary things. I want to learn new shows and roles that I’m unfamiliar with. I want to do more comedies. I want to keep dusting off my dancing shoes and be a middle-aged hoofer. I want to be in a Sondheim show (I’ve never been). I want to branch out of musical theater and do plays and Shakespeare. I’d love to do television, commercial, and film work as well. I’m open to anything and everything, really!
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Something that has definitely surprised fellow actors and audience members as we look each other up on our socials is that I am a certified sommelier (wine professional), and they are often eager to hear more about that. I would wait tables when auditioning in New York City and later when applying to and working through graduate school in Los Angeles. During those times, I was often the staff member that took interest in the wine list, and everyone would send me to their tables to discuss it and make sales. A manager pulled me aside at some point and told me, “You really ought to be getting paid for what you do,” and encouraged me to enroll in a course with the Sommelier Society of America. I did work as one very briefly in Los Angeles, when I first arrived and was transitioning into my current educational career. Now, it’s just a fun title that I have, I guess, though I do occasionally lead a tasting for corporate events and colleagues. I would love nothing more than to crack open a few bottles with my newfound community and discuss wine, life, and theatre!
