David M Burgess

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

Category: Experience

  • Without A Cue Productions

    I was introduced to Without a Cue by a board member at Beacon Theatre Productions where I had performed in Freud’s Last Session. She had needed a last minute replacement for the role of Jacques in a touring production of “Murder at the Moulin Bleu.” It was so much fun that I asked to be included in the next round of auditions.

    In the fall of 2018, I was cast in three shows with Without a Cue Productions, their Bewitched, Harry Potter, and Charles Dickens parody murder mystery dinner shows. In the Bewitched show, I played Uncle Arthur, inspired by the performance of Paul Lynde! It turns out I have a wonderful Paul Lynde impression! Next, I played professor “O’Donnegal” in their Harry Potter parody show, “Henry Planter,” names changed for copyright reasons. Lastly, I played Tiny Tim, and Sherlock Holmes in “A Dickens of a Murder.”

    Below are just a few pics of my time with Without a Cue! To find out more about Without a Cue check out their website, here! They’ve just recently gotten a new venue and have increased the number of shows available.

    Beard Drag!
    Jacques from Murder at the Moulin Bleu!
  • I was a Projectionist

    I was a Projectionist

    As a teenager, I worked at a movie theater and eventually made my way up to assistant manager. From there, I learned how to thread and operate 35mm projectors and build prints with trailers. This was a tedious process that involved taking actual film, physically cutting off the “heads” and “tails” of each reel, lining them up and splicing them together. Then you have to save all the heads and tails so they can be reattached before the movie can be shipped back to the distributor.

    Because of this I worked as a projectionist for the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, abbreviated PIGLFF, later shortened to QFest. A brief history can be found here. For just under 2 weeks each July, I would set myself up in a small projection room first at the Arts Bank, which is now part of University of the Arts, and later, at the Ritz East. This is where I worked on Philadelphia’s only 4K projector in 2009 or so.

    Below are some pictures of the new process. Films were now delivered super encrypted via hard drive that was then ingested in to the projector. From a pc interface, the projectionist would be able to build the show, graphically, but dropping and dragging programs into a lineup. For my purposes, this was just a projector with my equipment connected to it where I could play films submitted to the film festival on a variety of formats including BetaCam, DigiBeta, Blu Ray, and many more.

    The Projector
    My View
    How Movies Come Now
    Ingested over USB
    The Hard Drive
    More Hard Drive
    Shipped like this
    Fancy Box
    Another Movie
    My Rig interfaced with the 4K machine
    Divine!

  • Designing Collapsible Vases!

    Several years ago, I helped the fabulous Sandy O from Creative Juice Group by designing and building these Collapsible Vases for an event! Click here to check out my other post about Creative Juice Group and Sandy’s amazing work!

    They were designed to have a person inside dressed as a living flower who would hand out hors d’oeuvres or champagne. This was all Sandy’s idea of course. However, she needed them to be collapsible to fit in her car. So, as you can see from the pictures, the vases were designed in parts that clamped together on the inside using hardware. Sandy, of course, provided the faux stone finish.

  • Bristol Riverside Theater

    Bristol Riverside Theater

    In Winter of 2019, I was cast as an understudy for all male roles in a production of “On Golden Pond” for Bristol Riverside Theater. At the time, this was my first job in an Equity theatre. For many actors, getting their Actors Equity Union card can help them gain access to shows and auditions they wouldn’t normally have access to, while also giving them all the protections and benefits that a union has to offer. As an understudy, I was eligible to join the Equity Membership Candidate program where I would get credit for my weeks worked and eventually be eligible for full union membership. During the pandemic, this has changed and becoming a member of AEA has gotten significantly easier, but this was a big deal for me at the time.

    The three roles I was cast to understudy were Norman, Charlie, and Bill. The required me to prepare 3 completely different roles. The challenge to playing Norman was that he was nearly twice my age so I had to try to respectfully adopt the mannerisms of an older gentleman while learning his enormous number of lines. Playing Charlie, a much smaller role, required that I learn a New England accent, which took some time, but eventually I mastered it. Lastly, we have the part of Bill, who was probably the closest to my own age and type. Overall, this was a wonderful experience exposing me to the workings of a regional Equity theater.

    The theatre is located in Bristol Pennsylvania, which is located along the Delaware river, not far from where George Washington famously crossed the river on Christmas on 1776. Below are a couple pictures of the river flooding the parking lot after a snow melt to show just how close it is to the river!

    My old car in the parking lot
    The river creeping up the street
    My Bio for “On Golden Pond”

  • Hookman Student Performance

    While a student at Villanova University, I was asked to create and manage props for the student production of “Hookman” by Lauren Yee. This show required many props that could be borrowed from the Villanova Theatre props storage as well as many rather unique props that had to be made. Below are some of the interesting props I had to fabricate. To grab a copy of this amazing play, click here!

    Carboard base in pie tray
    Fake Cherries
    Cherries cut in half, glues and painted
    Complete with pre-cut slice for knife insertion
    Backside to look like a steering wheel
    Plaster cast of actor’s face pressed into silicone mold.
    Silicone Mold for “Ripped off face”
    Face skin ripped off
    Face skin front and back
  • Living Statues and Lots of Characters

    Living Statues and Lots of Characters

    For several years, I worked for Creative Juice Group performing fun characters and “living statues.” Below are some fabulous looks courtesy of Sandy O! You can see more of her fabulous work on her website here!

    Silver Man at a Trade Show
    Queen of Hearts at the Free Library of Philadelphia
    Blues Brothers at Corporate Party
    Silver Man
    Ben Franklin, George Washington and Betsy Ross in Bronze at the Constitution Center
    Ben Franklin, George Washington and Betsy Ross in Bronze at the Constitution Center
    Betsy Ross and George Washington at a Corporate Party
    Ben Franklin and George Washington in Gold!
    Viking at Vikings Exhibit at Franklin Institute
    Bearded Silver Man!
    Queen of Hearts at Please Touch Museum
    Driving to the Gig!
    Queen of Hearts at Please Touch Museum
  • Christmas 2012

    Christmas 2012

    Around Christmas of 2012 I released a music video for a song that I just loved by Princess Superstar, an NYC based rapper. I had enjoyed her clever wordsmithing in the past and this particular track told a story that I though needed to be told. Armed with a variety of costumes, makeup, and wigs, I went to task. The accompanying image shows the aftermath of all the props and costumes in a pile in front of a green screen! I play all the parts and took nearly 100 hours to edit out the green screen and composite all the layers. Take a look below! Also, below the music video is the making of video.

    I Hope I Sell a Lot of Records at Christmastime by Princess Superstar
    Outtakes and fun!

  • Ursula and Ariel Interview

    Here’s a really rough version of a sketch I wrote from my Solo Performance class at Villanova University. It’s a bit different than the typical Solo Performance piece since it’s on video, which is, of course, as a result of the pandemic.

    I chose an interview style cutting back and forth between two highly recongnizeable characters, Ariel and Ursula from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” This short comedic sketch throws a dose of reality into the interactions between this famous pair. Oh, and I have a beard that I kept the whole time. Check it out below!

  • 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!