By Kimberly Dijkstra
It all started with “Blue’s Clues LIVE!” When young Ryan Rodiño saw the loveable little puppy and his colorful friends at Radio City Music Hall, he was captivated.
“I told [my mom] that I wanted to perform and that I wanted to do what they were doing on stage,” Rodiño said.
She promptly got him in acting and dancing classes and he hasn’t stopped since.
Growing up in Bellport, NY, was a lucky break for an aspiring theatre performer. Home to the Gateway Playhouse, the oldest professional theatre on Long Island, Bellport is a vibrant community full of artists. He even performed on the main stage as a kid when parts for children were available.
“I realized how fortunate I am to have grown up in a place where the arts was so accessible to me,” Rodiño said. “We’re the lucky ones on Long Island because we also have Manhattan right in our backyard.”
Rodiño began to get recognition for his talents in high school, when he was given the
program for Long Island students following in his footsteps.“I owe so much of everything that I know to mentors, people I took classes from, and people that I looked up to, so any opportunity that I have to give back to the community that gave so much to me, I love doing,” Rodiño said.
Since graduating from college with a BFA in musical theatre, he has performed in a number of musicals and concerts in theatres around the country and abroad, with “A Chorus Line” playing a tremendous role in his life.
Playing Bobby and understudying Paul, Rodiño was part of the national tour of the classic show, directed and choreographed by Baayork Lee, who originated the role of Connie in 1975. The international tour brought them to Japan, where it caught the attention of Chinese producers and led to a 2019 engagement in Shanghai — a first!
“We got to bring the show to China for the first time ever,” Rodiño said. “Getting to be part of the first company…was pretty special.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic threw the world into lockdown, Rodiño got by taking virtual classes in order to keep up with his craft.
“It’s such a community everywhere,” he said. “Being able to take virtual dance classes with so many friends and colleagues and peers when they’re all over the country quarantining in different places, we can share something together. I think that’s one of the best parts of technology — that we can stay connected.”
Rodiño says his “Covid journey” was difficult, but also put things in perspective about what not to take for granted.
“I truly have a whole new appreciation for the community and what we do and how we can bring joy and entertainment to others when times seem a little rough,” he said.
His first show back in 2021 was a production of “42nd Street” at The Rev Theatre Company in Auburn, NY.
“ʻ42nd Street’, other than all the glitz and glam of it being a Broadway spectacle, the storyline is about Broadway returning from the Depression,” Rodiño noted. “It was really special to be able to revisit a show that I think means a lot during this time as we’re all trying to figure out what this new chapter of the industry is.”
Since then, he’s done a workshop and been in several regional productions, including a role as Race and dance captain in “Newsies” with his Gateway family on Long Island and another successful run of “A Chorus Line” in Atlanta, GA.
Check out Ryan’s personal tour of the City Springs Theatre
The up-and-coming actor and dancer has a few exciting projects planned and is thankful that live theatre has bounced back.
“I’m just looking forward to continuing what I’ve started with my life and my career goals,” he said. “I am grateful that we are figuring out how to navigate this and move forward because I don’t wish to stop doing this. It’s what I love to do, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to keep doing it.
Keep up with Ryan Rodiño online at www.ryanrodino.com, on Instagram @ryrodino, and YouTube.
