Jamey McGaugh
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jamey is a native Arkansan whose DNA was equally split at birth between his father's storytelling and his mother's musical genes. These 'from the womb' traits led Jamey on a very long and very circuitous path to the inevitable highs and lows associated with the life of a creative.
After dropping the business major half-way through his first semester, Jamey eventually received his BA in Speech, Theatre and Journalism from the University of Central Arkansas in 1991 and his MA in Drama in 1995 from the University of Arkansas. During his undergrad and graduate education years he was a three-time Kennedy Center Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship State Finalist. He was chosen as the only senior his undergrad class to receive a directing fellowship for a main-stage production of David Mamet's American Buffalo. During grad school taught beginning acting for majors at the University of Arkansas and he co-founded Fiat Lux which produced local professional productions at the new Walton Arts Center. He directed, acted and produced a number of financially successful productions. Fiat Lux became the precursor and laid the groundwork for TheatreSquared, the region's first and only professional equity regional theatre.
After grad school, Jamey moved to New York City and began a successful career as a professional actor. Musical theatre at regional theatres up and down the East coast was his bread and butter, but new play development ran a close second. His work with Broadway actors and directors in the new play development process led to opportunities and productions at The Atlantic Theatre Co, Goodspeed Opera, The American Theatre Co, a concept album for Placido Domingo's Vlad, and numerous appearances at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
After 9/11, and an experience with a director that shaped his view on how to treat actors for the rest of his life - 'never lie to an actor', Jamey formed the Manhattan based rock band Han Shot First and turned his creative energy into songwriting and fronting his band. Han Shot First was a straight-ahead rock and roll band that played all over Manhattan and toured from Philadelphia to Montreal. Han Shot First was fortunate to catch the last part of NYC's original music hay-day, and played at such legendary venues at Siné, Crash Mansion, CBGB's, The Living Room, Pete's Candy Store, The Continental and many more.
Little did he realize that all the jobs he had to support himself over the years; consumer behavior consultant, art collection manager, Cadillac car salesman, and fundraiser for two massive arts capital campaigns, were simply preparing him for the next chapter in life. Filmmaker.
The creative forces that had been kept under wraps for those 'learning years' were eventually set free and Jamey created a rock-n-roll cabaret show to tell the stories behind some of those Han Shot First songs and about his time in NYC. That cabaret led to a stage play called B-Side: Myself which led to the screenplay B-Side.
While B-Side was in development Jamey wrote and directed a short web series called Our Father Knows Best and wrote the short film Chronic which made the festival rounds. He co-wrote the comedy feature film Ressurectified (in development) as well as two pilots and show bibles for Kingmaker and Fortune Cookie.
After dropping the business major half-way through his first semester, Jamey eventually received his BA in Speech, Theatre and Journalism from the University of Central Arkansas in 1991 and his MA in Drama in 1995 from the University of Arkansas. During his undergrad and graduate education years he was a three-time Kennedy Center Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship State Finalist. He was chosen as the only senior his undergrad class to receive a directing fellowship for a main-stage production of David Mamet's American Buffalo. During grad school taught beginning acting for majors at the University of Arkansas and he co-founded Fiat Lux which produced local professional productions at the new Walton Arts Center. He directed, acted and produced a number of financially successful productions. Fiat Lux became the precursor and laid the groundwork for TheatreSquared, the region's first and only professional equity regional theatre.
After grad school, Jamey moved to New York City and began a successful career as a professional actor. Musical theatre at regional theatres up and down the East coast was his bread and butter, but new play development ran a close second. His work with Broadway actors and directors in the new play development process led to opportunities and productions at The Atlantic Theatre Co, Goodspeed Opera, The American Theatre Co, a concept album for Placido Domingo's Vlad, and numerous appearances at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
After 9/11, and an experience with a director that shaped his view on how to treat actors for the rest of his life - 'never lie to an actor', Jamey formed the Manhattan based rock band Han Shot First and turned his creative energy into songwriting and fronting his band. Han Shot First was a straight-ahead rock and roll band that played all over Manhattan and toured from Philadelphia to Montreal. Han Shot First was fortunate to catch the last part of NYC's original music hay-day, and played at such legendary venues at Siné, Crash Mansion, CBGB's, The Living Room, Pete's Candy Store, The Continental and many more.
Little did he realize that all the jobs he had to support himself over the years; consumer behavior consultant, art collection manager, Cadillac car salesman, and fundraiser for two massive arts capital campaigns, were simply preparing him for the next chapter in life. Filmmaker.
The creative forces that had been kept under wraps for those 'learning years' were eventually set free and Jamey created a rock-n-roll cabaret show to tell the stories behind some of those Han Shot First songs and about his time in NYC. That cabaret led to a stage play called B-Side: Myself which led to the screenplay B-Side.
While B-Side was in development Jamey wrote and directed a short web series called Our Father Knows Best and wrote the short film Chronic which made the festival rounds. He co-wrote the comedy feature film Ressurectified (in development) as well as two pilots and show bibles for Kingmaker and Fortune Cookie.
