Seasoned thespian brings his many talents to the performing arts department

MHCC has welcomed a new theater instructor, Jesse Merz, who brings experience and a passion for working in what he calls his dream job at MHCC.
Merz comes to MHCC with years of professional experience as an actor, director and teacher.

“(The theater instructor position) been part-time the last couple years,” Merz said. “Our only other part-time person is Rick Zimmer. It’s important to know that (he) was here for years and years — I don’t know how many years — but Rick Zimmer was in my position forever.”

Merz said for the last four years he has been at Wayne State University in Detroit running the undergraduate program and teaching in the graduate program, and spent a few months as the interim assistant chair.

Merz said Wayne State is one of the biggest universities in Michigan, along with University of Michigan and Michigan State. “It is a major university and a major theater program; they do about 20 shows a year,” said Merz.

“In terms of my other theater experience, I’m a professional actor. I’ve performed in 120 cities in 34 states nationwide. I’m a member of Actors Equity Association (the professional union for stage actors and stage managers) and I was in leadership,” he said.

“I’ve performed off-Broadway, regional theater, summer stock, feature films, and on the radio,” Merz said.

Merz said he once turned down a Broadway show.

“My most recent show I did as an actor was in New York in March 2012. It was a reading of a new musical off-Broadway called ‘Jonestown’,” he said.
Merz grew up in Hood River and said he had been working toward teaching at MHCC for quite sometime.

“I was the drama teacher at David Douglas High School and when I was there from 2003-2006, I realized I’d rather work with a slightly older population and work on theater,” he said.

“I wanted to do a little bit more mature theater,” he said, so he attended graduate school at University of California-Davis, earning his masters of fine arts in acting in 2008.

“Truthfully I visited Rick Zimmer in this office while I was a David Douglas teacher because he also taught at David Douglas. When I met with him, probably in ’04 or so, I asked him about being a college instructor and if he liked it and he just loved it. So I’ve spent the last six or eight years working toward this type of position and even though I had a great job in Detroit, how could you beat living here,” he said.

“We love Corbett (where he lives) and we’ve always wanted to raise our kids in Corbett. We love the Corbett schools, so this job is just a great blessing for my family and me and we’re very excited to be here,” said Merz.

“This (MHCC) is where I want to be and where I’ve wanted to be for a long time,” he said.

“One of my colleagues reminded me that when I first went to get my MFA, I said ‘Yeah I want to go teach at Mt. Hood Community College someday,’ and here I am, living my dream,” he said.

As the theater artistic director and the theater instructor, Merz will be responsible for teaching acting, directing, voice and movement and he will direct the winter musical, the fall children’s show and he will oversee the students who direct the spring show.

“This fall I’m teaching intro to acting and I’m teaching Acting Fundamentals I and I’m directing the children’s show,” Merz said.

Every year the fall production features a children’s theater show and this year actors will perform “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Merz said the show is “about a very stealthy fox who does what must to provide for his family, even if it means outsmarting some evil farmers. It was popularized recently with the Wes Anderson movie with George Clooney as the voice of Mr. Fox,” Merz said.

He said the winter musical in March “will be ‘RENT,’ one of my favorite musicals.”

‘RENT’ is a Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony award-winning musical.
“It’s a show that really speaks to my generation. It’s all about facing AIDS and the challenges of drugs in New York City in the early ’90s/late ’80s and it’s all about finding community and love in a troubled environment which I think speaks to today’s generation as well.

“I think the theme of ‘RENT’ is about finding your community and finding a way to cling together when we face strife,” Merz said.

“In the spring we’re going to be doing a student-directed play. As of today we have not made our final decision about what show it’s going to be, but it will be announced soon,” he said.

“This year we are probably doing one play. We did do two last year but it’s a really tough logistical challenge to produce two shows in a quarter, because of rehearsal spaces and Memorial Day weekend, so I think probably this year we are doing one spring show, but you never know what the future might bring. We might do more,” Merz said.

Auditions are today and Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the College Theater. “Come one, come all, open auditions,” he said.