David M Burgess

Actor, Singer, Dialect Coach, Props Master, Designer, Drag Queen, Writer, Academic, Technician

Author: dmbadmin

  • Philly Fringe 2008-2010

    The Philly Fringe festival has always been an exciting time in Philadelphia. When it started, the festival brought underground, unknown, and often queer, entertainment to the city. It was a wonderful, accessible way to see a ton of diverse performances in a short amount of time. Each night also culminated in a Cabaret where folks could meet and network. I was lucky enough to be involved in the set design and sound creation for a show in 2008, “Waiting for the Show” written by Terence Diamond. Go here to see more of his work and below are a few picture I snapped at the time.

    The following year, along with my partner at the time, we came up with our own original show, a parody of the Philadelphia morning news called, “Wake Up Philadelphia!” Check out the playlist below for clips.

    “Wake Up Philadelphia!” entire show!

    With the mild success of “Wake Up Philadelphia!” we decided to return the following year, even bigger and better with “Now Showing” a comedic mystery story about working in a movie theatre in the 90’s. Check out the playlist below for clips..

    Scenes from “Now Showing”

  • Voiceovers

    Since I can do many accents and funny voices, voiceover acting seems like an obvious choice! In 2022 I made this demo in the hopes of being cast as a voiceover actor. It’s not bad for a first attempt. I should revisit this and make an updated demo in 2024. In the mean time, check out my demo and if you think you can use me in your project, drop me a line!

  • My Many Looks

    My Many Looks

    Here’s a video I made a few years ago with my many looks. I pride myself on being a character actor and being able to change my look with ease. Check out this video to see what I can do!

  • I speak French!

    I speak French!

    And I sing in French too! Well, I guess the more accurate statement would be that I have studied the French language for years. I began in French 1 in 7th grade, many years ago. I progressed all the way through French 5 and even read a couple plays and books in French. I then took one semester of French in college. After that, speaking French was just a hobby. I hadn’t really given it much thought for some time. About a year ago, after seeing an ad, I installed Duolingo on my phone. Since then, I have brushed up on my skills, achieving at least a B1 proficiency on the The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. Within the next year I hope to become a B2 and become CEFR certified with the hopes of having the opportunity to teach French or even apply study abroad programs.

  • The Bald Soprano D-File

    The Bald Soprano D-File

    In Dramaturgy class at Villanova, we were asked to select a play for a full dramaturgical analysis that culminated in the creation of a website with all the pertinent information, research and articles about that play. I chose “The Bald Soprano” by Eugene Ionesco. I had read “La Cantatrice chauve” in French class when I was in high school, but absolutely did not understand its meaning. It just became a fun set of phrases and bits we learned in French that became a sort of inside joke between us French students. I memorized the line, “oh mon petit poulet roti, pourquoi creches tu du feu?” (pardon the lack of accents) which means, “oh my little roasted chicken, why are you spitting fire?” a perfectly respectable line of dialogue for the theatre of the absurd. Take a look at my deep dive by going here and viewing the entire D-File Website.

  • Crazy For Your Rehearsal Continues!

    Crazy For Your Rehearsal Continues!

    At rehearsal tonight. Getting to see all the amazing work the dancers have done in the past few weeks. We open in just 3 weeks!

  • Hidden meanings

    Hidden meanings

    In grad school I did research about potential hidden meanings in 17th century British plays using an old secret circus, traveler, and merchant language utilized by LGBTQ people across Europe called Polari. Since then, I’ve been working on revising that paper in preparation for submission to a peer reviewed theatre journal. More to come as I prepare my research. The features picture on this post is Fabuloso by Paul Baker which is a wonderful resource for Polari. Grab yourself a copy today by going here.

  • Accents and Dialects…

    Accents and Dialects…

    I’ve always loved making funny voices, so when I started acting, accents and dialects seemed like a skill I should try. I recently got this book, “Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen” by Paul Meier, to really cement my skills in the hope of becoming a dialect coach someday. Come see me in Crazy For You at Villanova University where I will be doing a British accent playing the role of Eugene Fodor.

    Over the years, I have worked with coaches in various productions to do British, Irish, and Maine accents, while also learning IPA. With those two skills, this book makes it easy to pick up a new accent or dialect with ease. I highly recommend it. These skills really do increase your marketability as an actor. To pick up a copy of “Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen” by Paul Meier, go here!

  • Curtains, a Murder Mystery Musical

    Curtains, a Murder Mystery Musical

    In 2022, I was invited back to Villanova University to audition for Curtains, a murder mystery musical. I had previous experience doing murder mystery dinner theatre and I love musicals, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity after not being able to perform for so long due to the pandemic. I ended being cast as the eccentric British director, Christopher Belling. It was a fabulous role for me that I would love to play over and over again. I once again got to use a British accent in this fabulous Kander and Ebb comedy. The last pics are a view from the orchestra pit where my character made an appearance and surprised the audience.

    My view from the pit
    More from the pit
    Orchestra Pit
    Belling with his kitty!
    A view from the balcony
    In the dressing room
    Christopher Belling!
  • Philadelphia Museum of Art

    Philadelphia Museum of Art

    For nearly a decade, I worked at the Philadelphia Museum of art. For the first two years, I was an Audio Visual Technician, working in the Audio Visual department. There, I ran lighting and sound for many concerts and performances. During that time, I edited audio used in audio tours, maintained the cell phone audio tour, and produced the occasional video. Upon the completion of the Perelman Building, the first official annex to the PMA featuring Costume and Textiles and Industrial Design galleries, to name a few, there was a need for additional IT support. Then I became a Helpdesk Technician in the Information Services Department were I worked for over 7 years. By the end of my time there, I had a grasp of nearly every aspect of the museum industry as well as the technology used to support a world class museum, its donors, and employees. In the picture, I’m removing microphones from a piano after an event.

    Dressed as Fountain by Marcel DuChamp
    The old West Lobby
    Melting wax on a Rodin
    Planning for an Exhbition
    More Exhibition Planning
    The PMA Tunnel before the renovation
    PMA Tunnel Construction
    Great Stair Hall at Christmas
    The Tunnel at PMA
    Ellsworth Kelly in a crate
    More Ellsworth Kelly
    Out the windows on a rainy day
    A view of the West Lobby
    My Great Grandfather at the West Entrance where he was a guard at the PMA