Today we’d like to introduce you to David LaTorre.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began my journey in theatre at age 14 when I auditioned for my first community theatre show, The Sound of Music at Village Square Theatre. I had done some church plays and sung in choirs when I was younger but never ventured out to our local theatre scene to audition. I saw musicals here and there but didn’t really have the urge to audition.
A friend recommended that I should try out for The Sound of Music and I actually got in. I continued doing musicals throughout high school and then eventually majored in it at Anderson University. After graduating with my BFA in Musical Theatre, I came back to Columbia and began directing, performing in, and producing musical revues at different venues. I directed several shows at the Abbeville Opera House before moving to Florida to do entertainment at Universal Orlando Resort. I was a character performer for the holiday parade and also worked as a ride operator in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I also worked at Walt Disney World and an escape room during my time in Orlando.
After several years, I returned to Columbia where I directed children shows, taught classes, and coached young performers for auditions and shows. In the spring of 2025, I was hired as the full time Artistic Director at Village Square Theatre, the same theatre that gave me my start on this journey.
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?
The entertainment industry definitely has it’s challenges. This line of work can be very subjective in all areas such as performing, marketing, and in administration. As a performer in Orlando, I started working right before the pandemic. I had almost completed training for some new roles in entertainment at Universal when my training was halted. The theme park shut down for 3 months. When I returned, my training was delayed and it kept getting delayed unfortunately. I found new jobs at Universal and in the surrounding areas.
In this industry, you have to keep going and be able to be flexible. Expectations may not always work out but I’ve learned you have to be grateful with whatever opportunity presents itself and be willing to push through. I’ve found that there are paths that I would have never explored if it wasn’t for bumps in the road.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I started out as a community theatre performer and then later took on professional jobs as a performer and now I am in an administrative role where it allows me to be creative but also still perform when I am able.
I like to think that I am able to adapt to different situations and work well with a lot of different personalities.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see theatre becoming a lot more accessible. Theatres are starting to offer live stream performances and filmed performances to watch back for those who are not able to travel to see some of those larger productions on Broadway for example. They are being shown in movie theaters even sometimes for more people to enjoy and experience.
Theatre will have more ties to the community whether that be with business or different groups of people. I see stronger community partnerships where everyone can benefit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.villagesquaretheatre.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidlatorre
