Central New Yorker Shines Bright As Waitress Comes To The Stanley Theatre

Many people dream of the bright lights and being on a touring Broadway musical. One Central New Yorker is living out that dream every day of his life.

Devin Croad is a Vernon, New York native who attended VVS. Nowadays, he works as the Head Electrician for the nationwide touring production of Waitress. The musical was written by Sara Bareilles and nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Where it's many theatre lover's dream to be in a Broadway or touring show, Devin is no different. He has been learning and working hard for years to get where he is. He graduated from Oswego back in 2019, and has been involved with the show since.

Devin had his dreams and goals set for electrical work from the beginning, but he does say to anyone unsure of their career, it's okay to be uncertain.

I was very lucky to come out of high school knowing what I wanted a career in... But it's not to say that people haven't found their career, even in my career path, ten years later.

Being on tour and doing the same show over 100 times does become a little repetitive. Devin says what makes up for that is exploring new cities and making experiences.

We were in downtown Detroit a couple weeks ago and we went and saw the GM headquarters, saw Canada across the river... it's the outside of work that keeps you going for me.

Being back to Utica has to be exciting for a theatre lover who grew up in Central New York. Devin says besides family, the most exciting thing to him was introducing his cast mates and crew to a Utica staple. Chicken Riggies!

You can catch Waitress at the Stanley Theater in Utica one more time on Wednesday, March 23rd. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are available on Broadway Utica's website.

Listen to Big Frog's full interview with Devin Croad while he was in Utica.