‘Once I had the bug in me, I knew I was bound for Broadway.’

Eric Strauss, Great Neck

“I started performing in the sixth grade in Great Neck, both in school and in an after-school program at my community center called Levels. My mentor, Barry, would coach us in lighting, directing, costumes, props — it was entirely student run. That’s where I developed my love for theater. I would visit the city on weekends because I was a ‘Renthead’ — standing in line for the Broadway lotteries.

“Once I had the bug in me, I knew I was bound for Broadway. I went to Marymount Manhattan College for stage management, but realized it was not right for me. I shelved my Broadway dream for the moment and worked in fashion retail and then as a hotel concierge for nearly a decade.

“My dream was still to get to Broadway. My love for Halloween led me to creating intricate costumes for drag and burlesque performers and thus began my focus in wardrobe. In 2018, I started working for Off-Broadway shows. I’d work 9 to 5 in my concierge job and then do a show from 6 to 10. On weekdays, I’d use my company printer to print resumes. On weekends I would pass out resumes to every stage door.

“After a few weeks, I finally made my Broadway debut. I was supposed to work the matinee at an Off-Broadway show. At 9 a.m., I got a call from the wardrobe supervisor, Melissa — aka my ‘fairy gawdmother’ — at ‘Come From Away,’ asking if I was available to come in. I’d never seen the show or worked on Broadway. I thought, I have nothing to lose! I booked my second show as a swing dresser at ‘Carousel,’ followed by ‘SpongeBob.’ I’d swing at all three shows until I booked my first full-time track at ‘Anastasia.’

“When it closed, I returned to swing dressing for shows like ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Aladdin,’ and ‘The Lion King.’ My next full-time show was ‘The Tina Turner Musical.’ Then it was back to the swing life, dressing at ‘Jersey Boys,’ finally booking my current full-time show, ‘& Juliet,’ where I dress the principal men. I love the live aspect of Broadway. I thrive off the energy from the audience and the feeling you get from walking in a dark theater. I love the constant motion and running around. Live theater is a beautiful sport. It’s different every night, and anything can happen at a moment’s notice.”

I thought, I like to dress up and I like to have fun. How can I make a career out of this?

“With my love for Halloween, dressing up just once a year was not enough. In 2015, I started doing drag and going out to themed parties, where I connected with other creative people like myself. I thought, I like to dress up and I like to have fun. How can I make a career out of this? I don’t know where I got the crazy idea, but I went online to get ordained and began to officiate weddings. It was just something I did for fun. I even surprised my family and popped up as the officiant at my brother’s wedding. I officiate ceremonies in drag as Prince Powderpouffe — my drag alter ego — but also officiate weddings as myself. I created my own business, Your Royal Wedding Officiant.

“When I’m not working on Broadway or officiating weddings, I love building costumes for myself, for burlesque performers and for drag queens. Designing in this way really got me invested in the costume world when I was trying to get a job as a dresser on Broadway. Every New Yorker needs at least two or three side hustles. Between my time on Broadway, my drag persona and my wedding business, it checks all the boxes of interests for my multi-faceted life.

“Anyone who wants to work on Broadway should be persistent — don’t give up. It’s a hard industry to break into and get a foot in a door. Getting the first day is the absolute hardest and the most discouraging at times. Once you have your first day, the next one will just come rolling in. I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener