Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Paul Branca.
Hi Joseph Paul, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a professional actor and work in communications for a union theatre company in Salt Lake City, UT. I was born in West Jordan, UT and attended both Westminster University and The University of Utah for Acting and Vocal Performance. I began my career as an actor by starring in a film around 14-years-ago, and have spent the subsequent years working in both film and theatre. I’ve had the opportunity to travel for my acting and spent a year and a half living in Osaka, Japan working as a main stage performer for Universal Studios Japan. Aside from my time in Osaka, I have lived in downtown Salt Lake City and worked with many prolific theatre companies, including Salt Lake Acting Company, Hale Centre Theatre, Plan-B Theatre Company, Good Company Theatre, The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater, Hale Center Theater Orem, West Valley Arts, and several other organizations throughout the intermountain west and beyond. I have originated roles in several World Premieres of new theatrical works and films in addition to more than 60 professional theatrical productions.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There were certainly societal advantages to my career as an actor in that I am both a man and white, however the unique arts community in Utah did present challenges on my journey. I first came out as a gay man at 18 in the midst of starring in a religious film and being thrust into very public situations with very little experience or preparation. I am also not a member of the majority in Utah religiously or politically. These aspects of my life kept me on the outside of the rooms I wanted to be a part of in many ways. I was not introduced to the arts in any serious capacity until my late teens when I was able to secure a full-ride scholarship for musical theatre and realized for the first time that I might be able to make a career out of acting. It felt like I spent the subsequent half of a decade playing catch-up with my contemporaries who were not only introduced to the reality of a life as a performer at a very young age, but also spent their time seriously training as performers. It often felt like everyone I was in auditions with had a 15-year head start. But through hard work and a lot of luck, I’ve been granted many amazing opportunities as an actor.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I would say that I’m probably most well known as a character actor and for my portrayal of comedic roles. Though, somewhat ironically, my career began with very serious, grounded characters. Real-life people or those thrust into dire and frightening circumstances. While I’ve been able to carve out a niche for character work, I’m also very lucky to often be given the chance to interpret more serious characters. Both types of acting come with huge pros and cons! I wouldn’t say I’m more fond of one than the other, they both offer challenges and rewards that motivate me and keep me excited about the work. I’ve also had extensive experience in Theater for Young Audiences, professional theatre created specifically to help introduce children to the arts and physical storytelling. I helped create and develop youth outreach programs for both Hale Center Theater Orem (The Adventure Writers), and Hale Centre Theatre (The Story Weavers), as well as performed in the first of many Theater for Young Audiences productions at Hale Center Theater Orem, and have worked on several professional TYA shows at Salt Lake Acting Company. I have been lucky enough to win a handful of awards for my work on stage and film as well, which is just a little cherry on top of the experience.
In my work behind the scenes, I was lucky to train as a union stage manager through Salt Lake Acting Company’s Professional Theatre Program for Developing Artists, and have spent the last 8-years as the Director of Marketing & Advertising for Hale Center Theater Orem (2018-2024), and as the Director of Communications for Salt Lake Acting Company (2022-current). Through my work with both theaters, as well as many hundreds of hours behind the scenes in various capacities elsewhere, I have gained knowledge of all of the inner workings of a professional theatre company, and hope to serve as an Executive and/or Artistic Director for a theatre someday.
What matters most to you? Why?
It’s hard to define what matters most to me, but if I were to talk about the first things that sprang to mind, I would say joy and perspective matter most. I think we can gain unending joy by mastering perspective. I believe that joy is a different thing than happiness. Joy is a level of comfort within yourself that allows you to experience life from a sense of learning and growing, rather than trial and suffering. Life is so many things, and I believe if we are able to maintain perspective on the world and our role in it, what we can and cannot control, how we can benefit and enrich others lives by living our own to the fullest, we can free ourselves from the servitude of a life lived for or against us. We are participants in this story. We are able to positively impact the world around us and be impacted in beautiful ways in return. It does not mean a life free of trial, suffering, or heartbreak, but rather a path back to the road through our challenges. By holding joy at our center and understanding the perspective of our role, we can achieve anything. And we should laugh. Unabashedly. All the time. I also believe that life in a great many ways is a joke, and we are meant to be in on it. The universe and reality are not laughing at us, but with us, and we should never be afraid to laugh too.
Contact Info:
- Website: JosephBranca.com
- Instagram: @JosephBranca
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joseph.branca
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-paul-branca-00b224b8/
