‘Theatre is a place to stand up for what’s right, and change what’s wrong,’ says Colorado native making DCPA debut.

MEET CORBIN PAYNE
Colorado Springs native Corbin Payne is making his DCPA Theatre Company debut as a male swing in The Who’s Tommy. In musical theatre, a swing is a member of the company who understudies several roles. Regional credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Arvada Center, Baby in Little Theatre of the Rockies in Greeley, Fun Home for the Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins, and Dogfight for Denver’s former Ignite Theatre (pictured at right). 

• Hometown: Colorado Springs
• Home now: Greeley
• Training: I have a B.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley (Go, Bears!)
• What’s your handle? @pint_0_corbin on Instagram
• Twitter-sized bio: Singer, actor, Colorado native. Lover of craft beer, ’80s guitar riffs and “Star Wars.” Currently living in Greeley, and yes, it does smell like cows 90 percent of the time. Second passion is writing music. Lost without guitar and piano. Vegetarian and avid couch potato. Addicted to french fries. Loves hiking. (I grew up a few miles from Garden of the Gods how could I not?
• Website: corbinpayne.com
• What would you be doing if you were not an actor? I would be a choir teacher. I grew up singing, became addicted to choir, and spent the majority of my high-school days in rehearsal for concerts. I was really quite torn between teaching and performing while I was auditioning for colleges across the country. I love teaching, enjoy kids for the most part, and celebrate the idea of spreading music to all corners of the globe. (Photo above: Opening night of The Who’s Tommy by Bamboo Booth.)
• Bucket-list role: Roger in Rent
  
• What’s playing on your Spotify? Logic. He is an incredible lyricist and has such an incredible message to share with the world. He can rhyme, his flow is insane and he just sounds like a cool dude.
• One time you saw greatness play out in front of you: Watching Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway (pictured right). It was the most phenomenal performance I have ever seen. Every second I watched was a lesson to be learned and it was truly beautiful.
• One thing most people don’t know about you: I hate throwing things away. Secretly I’m a hoarder. I keep every note, card and gift I am given. I love holding onto memories. But I’m neat about it. Everything has its place, and everything has a purpose. Reflecting on the past is one of my past times.
• One thing we should be doing to foster the next generation of theatregoers? The next generation of theatregoers needs constant examples of inclusivity and diversity. No one should ever be left out, feel alone or be alienated because of race, gender or disability. Theatre is a place to stand up for what’s right, and change what’s wrong. The more we spread that message, the more success the next generation will have.

• What is The Who’s Tommy about? It’s a musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who’s classic 1969 rock opera. Tommy retreats from the world after a traumatic incident, but a newfound talent for pinball introduces him to fame and fortune.
• Why does The Who’s Tommy matter? Because it is a story of reflection. It’s dissecting the past by journeying into it, and seeing how such small events can define or change who you are. All too often, we as humans forget about where we came from and focus on tomorrow, instead of living in the now by remembering where we came from, and using that to see the miracles of today.
• What do you hope audiences get out of seeing The Who’s Tommy? I hope audiences just get to rock out. No one should leave with both eardrums intact. If this cast doesn’t send you out the door ready to re-live the days of rock ‘n roll, you need to check your heartbeat.
• What do you want to get off your chest? Stop eating meat. Invest in public transportation, clean energy and education. Preserve this planet for generations to come instead of being selfish!

Corbin Payne in ‘Spring Awakening’ for the University of Northern Colorado.

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

The Who’s Tommy: Ticket information

Based on The Who’s iconic 1969 rock concept album, Tommy is an exhilarating musical about the challenges of self-discovery and the resilience of the human spirit. When young Tommy retreats into a world of darkness and silence after a deeply traumatic incident, he must navigate a harsh and unforgiving world with no hope of recovery. But when he discovers a newfound talent for pinball, he’s swept up in the fame and fortune of his success. Tommy and his family give new voice to The Who’s classic stadium rock as they navigate the troubles and joys of being alive.

• Presented by DCPA Theatre Company
• Performances through May 27
• Jones Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Call 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE

Previous NewsCenter coverage of The Who’s Tommy:

• Andy Mientus: That deaf, dumb and blind kid is anyone who’s been marginalized
• Owen Zitek on standing up for those who are thought of as lesser
• Aussie Gareth Keegan on rescue dogs and your melted face
• Director Sam Buntrock on riding the rock ‘n roller coaster
• Opening night photos and celebration
• Broadway’s Alex Brightman sings praises of The Who’s Tommy
• Video: Your first look at The Who’s Tommy at the Denver Center
• Video: Tommy’s Andy Mientus, Lulu Fall sing for Denver Actors Fund
• Game on: 10 things we learned at first rehearsal
• Our interview with Tommy star Andy Mientus
• How The Who went from smashing guitars to blowing people’s minds

Photo gallery: The making of The Who’s Tommy at the Denver Center:

The photos above are from the making of the DCPA Theatre Company’s new production of The Who’s Tommy, spanning the first day of rehearsal on March 13 to the Opening Night performance on April 27. To see more, click on the image above to be taken to our full gallery of photos.