DEREK R. HERMAN

​Q: How did you get into acting? A: My mom took me to The Ladybug Theatre in Portland, Oregon all the time. I loved sitting on the floor and watching the actors perform and would go back home to reenact what I saw. It wasn't until I saw my first show at Northwest Children's Theatre that I knew that performing was something I wanted to do.  After taking classes, I auditioned for their main stage season when I was 10, and then booked my first show, and as the lead! I was playing Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story. On opening night, I fell off the stage, but I got back up and continued going, and haven't stopped performing since. ​Q: Which movie would you most like to have been in and in which role?​ A: There was an open casting call for a film called Thumbsucker starring Keanu Reaves that I stood in line for as a kid growing up in Portland, Oregon. It was for the role of the lead actor as a kid. This boy I knew from my time in the theatre saw me in line and started talking to me. He then stood in front of me as they were making a cut for the last in line! Guess where they ended it? Yup. So, who knows how far I would have gotten but there's always that wonder. He didn't book it.  Q: On top of being an actor, you have a background in teaching. Tell us about it. A: I went to NYU for Graduate School where I got my master's degree for Theatre Education for Colleges and Communities. I Teaching is what fills my soul. Acting is what fills my ego. In order to be a good teacher, I believe you must be actively performing and relevant. Acting is the Field Work that helps me carry lessons into the classroom.  Q: What would you say is some of the best advice about the industry you’ve ever received and why? A: That the Casting Director/Manager/Agent are all rooting for you! It's so easy to see failure in this industry when there can be a lot of success. If you're getting called back by that same CD for that same show, chances are they are trying to find a role for you. Stay positive. Look for the good. Q: What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage/the camera goes up? A: It truly depends on the project. I'm a huge fan of making a playlist that is relevant to the character I'm playing and that hypes me up or gets me where I need to be emotionally. Q: What do you do when you’re not acting? A: I'm either teaching or directing or writing/adapting a script for young audiences. If not that, I can be found at a Barry's Bootcamp class, taking myself on a historic walk around New York, or listening/telling someone what Chani Nicholas (my favorite astrologer) said.  Q: Where do you see your career in five years as an actor?​ A: I'd love to have been in a show at a theatre in New York like the Public, 2nd Stage, or Signature Theatre in the first cast of a new show, or a revival of a classic. I would have hoped to mark off being on Law & Order off my actor's bingo card. I would have had a couple of co-star credits on a streaming series on HBO or Netflix or something. Also, there is a one-person show that I began work on in Anna Deavere Smith's class at NYU that I'd like to continue working on. Ultimately, engaging in the world as a civic artist.