The Professional Conservatory at New York Film Academy (PCMT at NYFA) alum Jeff Sullivan has a new happy thought he can use if he ever needs to fly to Neverland — he’s just been cast as the lead in the national tour of the Broadway hit musical, Finding Neverland!
Jeff is originally from Canada and has toured on Cats, West Side Story, The Producers, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and has performed in numerous regional productions. He received his training from New York Film Academy’s musical theatre school in 2011, taking the 2-year program at the PCMT at NYFA in New York City.
The New York Film Academy’s musical theatre school helps aspiring actors develop their skills as triple threat performers by studying with faculty who have appeared in numerous Broadway and touring productions, top-rate regional theatre, opera, hit movie musicals, and television shows. Students receive real world training that prepares them to achieve success in the industry, creating an educational experience few other musical theatre schools can offer.
NYFA’s musical theater alumni include Pierre Marais (Aladdin), Ilda Mason (On Your Feet), Kylan Ross (Straight Outta Oz), Christopher Viljoen (Les Misérables), and Tony Award-winner Yael Silver (Once on this Island).
Jeff Sullivan’s casting in Finding Neverland is his most high profile role to date. He will be playing the lead, J.M. Barrie, the real-life author of the Peter Pan books. The role was originated on Broadway by Glee’s Matthew Morrison. Finding Neverland is based on the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, which itself was based on the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. The story follows the turn-of-the-century relationship between playwright J.M. Barrie and the real-life family that inspired the characters in Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.
The book for Finding Neverland was written by Olivier nominee James Graham, while the music and lyrics were written by Gary Barlow and Grammy-winner Eliot Kennedy. Finding Neverland’s choreography is by Emmy-winner Mia Michaels.
Jeff will be joined in the production by co-star Rudy Gibbs as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. The cast also includes Conor McGiffin as Charles Frohman/Captain Hook, Emmanuelle Zeesman as Mrs. Du Maurier, Brody Bett as Jack/Michael, Seth Erdley, Caleb Reese Paul, Paul Schoeller, and Ethan Stokes as George/Peter/Jack, and Josiah Smothers as Jack/Michael. Coincidentally enough, Creative Director of PCMT at NYFA Kristy Cates was part of the Broadway cast in 2015 and 2016.
Finding Neverland is produced by Diane Paulus and will be starting its first previews on September 28 in Elmira, New York at The Clemens Center. Its official opening will be at the Hershey Theatre in Hershey, Pennsylvania on October 1.
New York Film Academy congratulates alum Jeff Sullivan on the role of a lifetime and looks forward to seeing where his career takes him — second star to the right and straight on ’til morning!