“Since leaving college, I've been very fortunate and very grateful for all the opportunities I've gotten and worked for," Britts said.
Following his time in the UMD College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), Britts moved to Minneapolis, where he spent almost two years working for different theatre companies. Britts made the decision to move to New York City to further pursue his dream and quickly landed a national touring production of Disney's "Frozen." Soon after, he booked the role in "& Juliet."
“It's surreal. We as theatre makers and students dream of this happening,” said Britts. “A lot of people that move out to New York don't make their Broadway debuts for five to ten years. So, I've been very grateful for it.”
And what a show for a Broadway debut. "& Juliet" is a jukebox musical wrapped in a what-if scenario. Punctuated by the instantly recognizable songs of Swedish mega-producer Max Martin — who is responsible for massive hits by Britney Spears, Katy Perry, P!nk, N*Sync, and many more — the show posits a world in which Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare’s play and instead strikes up a new romance.
"'There’s life after Romeo’ is our saying," Britts said. “It's an amazing show.”
Britts said his time at UMD made him a more complete performer. He credits the UMD Department of Theatre's program, a hybrid of a conservatory-style education, which heavily emphasizes practical performance experience and technical mastery, and a traditional liberal arts education, which exposes students to many subjects and many mediums of art.
“Our classes were still primarily focused on theatre, but there was so much more to it," Britts said. "And it just made me a more down-to-earth, well-rounded person. That actually helps me in my career."
Britts said many of the lessons he learned from his professors at UMD stuck with him after he left, including the importance of being a lifelong learner.
“The goal is to work, and learn, and keep growing so that you can one day become a master at your craft,” said Britts. “You'll never make it, but as long as you strive for that, you will be seen as a master of your craft.”
“Another thing that has stuck with me is from a class of Tom Isbell, and it's so simple, but it's just ‘do the work,’” Britts said. “Whenever I get an audition, or I'm in rehearsals, I just do the work. I have all the tools, I know what I'm doing, and as long as I do the work the outcome will be what I want."
If you’d like to see the current results of Britts' work, “& Juliet” is running on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Advice for current students:
“The advice I would give to current students right now is be present in your classes. Take in all that you can," said Britts. "As actors and performers, we learn from other people, and we take from other people. You're going to get a lot of tools in your toolbox, and once you graduate, you can start sifting through what's useful for you and what's not. Be the person you would want to work with. That has gotten me very far in my career. It's making those connections and just being a hard working, dedicated, positive person."