Written by Beth Hendricks, the story offers a great overview of his career since moving to Washington, DC:
Barboursville native Chris Sizemore found his acting career in the place most people find their political career.
With an obligatory pass through the theater capital of the world - New York City - Sizemore found success on stage in our nation's capital and said, "This year has definitely been my year." Sizemore garnered a Helen Hayes Award nomination for his role in Les Miserables at Signature Theatre.
The award went to fellow Les Miserables actor Christopher Bloch.
"Just to be recognized in the same group with those other nominees is, wow. It's a great feeling," said Sizemore of the awards he likened to Washington, D.C.'s version of the Tony Awards. "I don't do this for recognition, though. I just love it. I love what I do."
Sizemore was raised in Barboursville by parents Roger and Rickie Sizemore. He graduated from Cabell Midland High School in 1997 and earned a degree in marketing from Marshall University in 2001. The now 30-year-old did no on-campus acting during his college days, but was heavily involved in Huntington Outdoor Theatre.
"I've been in theater since I was 8 years old, and after I graduated from Marshall, I decided if I was ever going to try to break into theater in New York, that then was as good a time as any. My parents have always been behind me, supporting every move," he said.
Getting roles in New York proved to be quite a challenge for the "small fish in the big pond," Sizemore explained.
"You're always at the bottom of the totem pole when you're in these big cities. With this business, you have to be persistent, but you endure a ton of rejection. You have to be able to pick up and go on. Those are the people who succeed," he said.
Sizemore made the move to Washington, D.C. six years ago and said the move is when acting really became a career for him.
"I got here and started to be able to make a name for myself. There are so many of us trying to do the same thing, and I can say I'm blessed to be one of the few who can say they're making a living doing theater," he said. "I'm now getting to the point where I'm getting calls from theaters asking me in, although I did have my first audition in about a year this past week."
Sizemore said one of his coolest acting moments came even before his stint in Washington, D.C., when he performed with a national tour of Willy Wonka. He was with the tour when it passed through Huntington and made a stop at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.
"That was very cool. That was probably one of the best experiences I've had so far in theater," he said.
Sizemore's Les Miserables cast members and crew joined together to garner the most-ever Helen Hayes nominations for a single show. These days, Sizemore is performing in The Civil War at Ford's Theatre in D.C. It is scheduled to run through the end of May. Being on stage in eight shows a week does not lend itself to many trips home to the Mountain State, though, a fact Sizemore is pained about.
"That part kills me. I've very family-oriented, and I love getting to go back home, but the theater doesn't shut down. It's hard to get back," said Sizemore, who has been working to plan out the remainder of his calendar year with shows and a few much-needed rest breaks.
"I'm going to stay in D.C. and work as much as I can. I'm having fun, doing well, making a living. I'm going to ride this wave as long as I can," he said.
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