Joel Perez is an American actor, singer, and dancer known for his work in several theatrical performances and television appearances.
Early life
Perez was born in Boston, and grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His father is a Pentecostal minister, and he was first introduced to singing at a young age in church. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in Lawrence in 2004. In eighth grade, Perez starred in the Fellowship Christian Academy's production of Cinderella as The Herald. He later starred in his high school's production of Bye Bye Birdie as Conrad Birdie.
College
Perez began his involvement in theater his freshman year of college at Tufts University. He played the role of Cain/Japheth in Torn Ticket II's production of Children of Eden. Initially, Perez was a pre-med student but changed majors sophomore year when he realized that he enjoyed drama much more than chemistry. His choice to become a drama major was solidified after playing a role in Hair. During this time, Perez also had a small role in a commercial for Air Jordan. He was an active member of the Association of Latin American Students, an organization which helped him become an activist for the Latinx community. Perez studied for a semester at the British American Drama Academy in London, graduated from Tufts University in 2008, and moved to New York in 2009. Perez also studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre his junior year of college.
Post-college
After graduating from college in 2008, Perez decided to move in with his parents in Lawrence, MA. He was accepted into the American Theater Wing Program Springboard NYC. There he received practical advice from a mentor who counseled him to gain some experience in the Boston area before moving to NYC. As a result, Perez then began working at a local TGI Fridays while also acting and gaining theatrical experience. During this time, Perez was involved with Stage Source and auditioned for In the Heights. A year later, he became an Equity Member Candidate for the Williamstown Theater Festival. He also received a call-back audition a year and a half later for In the Heights. After six auditions, Perez joined the play on its national tour. When he returned to NYC, he acquired his real estate license and began working as an agent. Perez did not enjoy the work because it was demanding and distracted him from his acting. He proceeded to waiting tables, working on transcriptions, and also worked for a clothing company named Moosey as a photographer. Perez also worked with a New York City awareness campaign for domestic violence titled Text for Life. He played the role of a boyfriend who was pressuring his girlfriend to send him naked pictures. Later on, Perez also worked as a PA for a PBS show named History Detectives.
Career
Perez began his career in 2010 with a role in the national tour of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights. Perez was inspired by the play before it won a Tony award in 2008, saying, "I first saw In the Heights in 2008, just before it won the Tony Award for best musical, and I remember being so happy that there was finally a show on Broadway that told my story... Being a part of it now is just a dream come true." While touring for In the Heights he appeared in the film BoyBand. In 2013, Perez played Mark, Pete, Roy, and Bobby Jeremy, one out of only two parts for men, in the world premiere public theater off-Broadway production of Fun Home. Perez became involved with the work in its earliest stages. While at the Sundance Theater Lab in Jacksonville, Florida, Perez met with Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, creators of the adaption of Alison Bechdel's work. At the time, Perez was working on Stuck Elevator. He quickly befriended the two, and they asked him to be in the play. In April 2015, Perez travelled with the show to Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it won five Tony Awards. Most recently, Perez played the roles of Vittorio Vidal, Daddy Brubeck, and Herman in The New Group's off-Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. Perez also starred in Broadway Sings, an annual concert started in 2011 by Corey Mach that celebrates and reinvents pop icons' music. Perez will be starring in the April 2017 cast of Feinstein's 54 Below's celebration of The Muppets, and will be acting in Christina Masciotti's Raw Bacon from Poland summer 2017 at the Abrons Arts Center in New York. Raw Bacon from Poland, supported by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, follows the journey of Dennis Toledo, a father, addict, and vet who struggles to overcome his inner mind.
Perez has been a member of the Broken Box Mime Theater Company in New York since its inception in 2011. Broken Box finds its roots in a student-run mime troupe named HYPE at Tufts University. Perez's work as a mime serves as a "home-base" away from the glitz and glamour of Broadway. Creating a skit is a collaborative process between actors and not primarily guided by a playwright. Most of the company's pieces are accompanied by contemporary music, which helps establish a mood for a given performance. Broken Box won the 2014 New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Ensemble.
Critical reception
Perez was praised by Jay Barmann in his role as Marco in Stuck Elevator. Barmann writes in SFist, "Joel Perez deserves praise as well for his role as Guang's coworker Marco, and for adding layers of rap and rhythm to the piece." He was also well received for his work in Fun Home's on-Broadway production. Jesse Green writes for Vulture.com, "Joel Perez, with three small roles—including two different young men the father tries to seduce—nails all of them. (He's also a hoot as the bespangled lead singer in a Partridge Family takeoff called 'Raincoat Made of Love'." Green described Fun Home at the Public Theater in 2013, which Perez acted in as well, as "hilarious and crushing," which also remained true for his viewing of its Broadway production. In his role in Sweet Charity as Vittorio Vidal, Michael Dale describes Perez as "marvelously hot-headed, but gracious in the role and sings the sweeping ballad 'Too Many Tomorrows' with elevated movie star passion."
Awards
Perez won the Goddard Rhetorical Prize in 2008, and won the 2017 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in Musical for his work in Sweet Charity.
