Joaquin Pedro Valdes recently appeared in the UK / international productions of “Miss Saigon” & “The King and I,” and “Fanny and Stella,” the first fully staged musical to open in London after the COVID lockdowns. (Bridgerton fans, this show was done at The Garden Theatre at Vauxhall.)
A professional theater actor in the Philippines from a young age, he set aside that calling for “more practical” pursuits and took up architecture and then film in college, launching his career as a director. He made films that were screened in festivals worldwide, and also made a name for himself in the industry directing commercials and music videos for nearly a decade.
He continued to star in theater productions as a break in between directing jobs, until the lure of the stage proved too strong. He took a leap of faith and decided to pursue theater full-time in the UK, going to head to head with the best performers from around the world.
On the pod, he gets candid about the ups and downs of being a professional actor, and how his previous experiences in the Philippines (as a director and actor appearing in theater, film, TV, and radio… and also a recording artist in a boy band) helped prepare him for the international scene. He also shares insights on the future of the performing arts and storytelling in the new normal.
This episode is dedicated to anyone who has relocated in pursuit of a calling, and to fellow theater fans. At a time when the arts are being defunded, it’s inspiring to see people soldiering on in service of storytelling that nourishes the soul.
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Follow Joaquin on Instagram @joaquinpedrovaldes or on Twitter @jpedrovaldesuk
Choice performances from his YouTube channel:
1. A hopeful song for anyone who needed to hear this
2. Original songs performed with the group 17:28 (2020 reunion versions)
Come Breathe Me - Joaquin wrote this one!
Features and Press Coverage:
Fanny and Stella Reviews - London Theater Reviews, GScene, The i
Behind the Scenes - Theater Fans Manila, ABS-CBN News, The Inquirer
Profiles - TresA Magazine, Pocket Size Theatre
More on his theater journey on the Samsung Performing Arts Theater podcast:
https://tinyurl.com/JoaquinValdesStateoftheArts
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Photo by @pndheadshots
Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sound Editing by franticsong
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xoxo Jo
