Meet Arthur Ross of Costa Mesa, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arthur Ross.

Arthur, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began my passion for Theatre when I snuck away and auditioned for the High School Production of Guy’s & Dolls as a seventh grader. I knew I loved singing and dancing but didn’t know how much I loved show life until I was the youngest principal cast in the musical as Nicely-Nicely Johnson. I then had to face the music and tell my mom what I had done. She was hesitant and cautionary about my participation if my grades didn’t stay up. My dad was ecstatic with glee 😁 The moment I stepped on stage and performed “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” in front of an audience and came alive like a finale firework in a Disneyland Forework show, I knew my life had changed for the better and I was destined to do this.

A plus sized triple threat male of color off by himself for the first time in the middle of an Ohio cornfield for college was a truly an eye opening, challenging and life changing experience for this native So-Cal fella. I discovered that not everyone could see a guy like me in their show. They appreciated my talent but couldn’t figure out what to do with my packaging. Well, I wasn’t going to waste my talents or skills. The many no’s lead me to getting a job in the costume shop on campus as a freshman and then a job at Disneyland in their College Program discovering the world of Entertainment Costuming. Whenever I was away from college on a break I was passionately obsessed with my Disneyland job doing any and everything I could to learn that world of costuming and all things Disney. At school I was studying Directing & Choreography trying to navigate my way to become the next visionary like my idol Bob Fosse. A Musical Theater degree just wasn’t happening fast enough within the program so I created my own path.
Once I graduated college, I took a full-time job as a Costumer’s assistant at Disneyland learning many awesome and beautiful things until finally I got overwhelmed by that desire to be on stage! So off to graduate school I went in Sin City, the great and brightly exciting Las Vegas.

I perfect my chops getting my MFA in Acting but I needed work. So thankfully I knew costuming and Cirque du Soleil was calling my name. I became an on call-dresser at the Las Vegas Cirque original, Mysteré! I was put on probation because of my size and left to be the help or clergy roles until a black grad student wrote a play that allowed space for an actor like me to blossom. I fought my way to that mainstage with the help of mentor and Director extraordinaire Professor Glenn Casale. He saw me and made sure I got a role as a principal my last year in a mainstage musical. From that moment on I knew I had a buddy for life. While in that awful and ugly probationary period, I decided to fight back by starting my own production company and wrote a Christmas Musical. We performed at the famed LATC theatre and put ourselves on the map.

After graduation I moved back home to LA while still driving back to Vegas to cover vacations as a swing dresser on Mysteré, but got a job performing at Universal Studios Hollywood. I was an original prototype for a brand new guest surprise hip-hop street show as a principal dancer. From that point on I found my way to my ultimate goal of being a cover vocalist in the Blues Brothers R&B Revue. All while starting my teaching career in the Community College Circuit in North Orange County. I had a budding stage and commercial acting career while freelancing as a Director and Choreographer.

I have produced several concerts, a one man musical and choreographed 2 critically acclaimed musical theatre productions housed at The Hudson Theatre. In 2014 I finally booked a tour and then Broadway and several regional theatre productions until things slowed down and I returned to the world of costuming as an IATSE local on Broadway. I was a swing dresser for three Broadway shows until I was offered a full time track. Once the pandemic hit I came back home to So-cal to help my now late father through a sickness. I started over and booked my first show at Disneyland as a principal vocalist after 20 years of no’s, then was prematurely laid off sending me back to North Orange County Community College District where I am now a professor of Musical Theatre. I have a very beautiful and full experience with many many obstacles. But I refused to allow anyone to define me or deter me from my dreams.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. Many obstacles I have faced all begin with my size. I am a plus sized triple threat! Once people were pleasantly surprised by my skills and talent, my ethnicity kept me from many opportunities. I have overcome a lot and have changed many minds, but the industry is very troubled and closed minded. I am not a stereotypical black male, so I have often been pushed to play roles that are only written for black characters. I have faced several situations where I have been asked to “blacken” up my approach to the text because I wasn’t acting black enough. Many have tried to change me or force me to loose weight or comeback when I was smaller. I have fought and paved my own way to show up and show out as I was engrained in my ny my parents. Once given the opportunity to shine and soar my “star quality” essence is undeniable. This is where my nickname and social media identity was born. Starqualityross!! These are just some of my struggles…

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a very passionate and dynamic Director & Choreographer that loves to produce my own concert or thematic events when not working on book musicals. I am a teaching artist working as a Musical Theatre Professor in specializing in Dance for the Actor and Acting for the Dancer. While living in New York for over 5 years, I worked as a Teaching Artist in after school programs in Brooklyn and in Upstate New York outside of Poughkeepsie teaching Youth Musical Theatre and Acting. I am also a professional Wardrobe attendant and Costumer. I have styled, costume designed and maintained numerous plays, musicals, concert events and my very own Christmas Special I filmed and streamed during the Pandemic.
I have also created my own Santa Claus Character that appears for VIP Guest appearances for clients such as Beyonce and The Kardashian’s.
I am most proud of my students that have learned to by fully realized humans that storm the stage with passion, panache and fully realized performances. I have. Two students currently on Broadway and a handful more on tour. What sets me apart from others is my ability to be an actual visionary and communicate to designers from their perspective. To pull out passionate and honest work from my theatre students, to stage a production number that evokes more than just eye candy and nostalgia, to direct a production with multiple disciplines working cohesively and in harmony for the production. I am passionate, I am bold, I am enlightening, I am prolific, I am joy personified and I do it all without ego. It’s a language of love!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk taking is when the artist or creative go beyond what is given and make bold, honest, vulnerable and effective choices that set themselves free. I am most certainly a risk taker. If in a circumstance where a client needs me to do something exactly as asked, then I will give my everything in a fully realized manner. But if given the opportunity to open minds, take people on a journey, shout about an unjust situation or make the entire audience uncomfortable or fully aroused…that is my cup of tea. I would never have gotten as far as I have in my career or acquired certain opportunities if I didn’t take a risk. So yes I am absolutely a risk taker.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arthurlross.net/
• Instagram: @STARQUALITYROSS
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthur.ross.184?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits
Jesse Ashton
Stephen Buskin