Theatre alumnus cast in Broward Center production

By Bryce Johnson

Bill Adams, professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts, learned Spencer Carlisle, NSU alumnus, was cast in “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” when Carlisle’s mom emailed him.

“[I am] super happy for him and certainly proud of him, proud for the school, that what we’re doing is working and there’s a success of what we did,” Adams said. “But mostly it is just great for him that he’ll get to take what he’s learned here into the real world and figure out how it goes.”

Carlisle will play Johnny Nunzio, Tony’s little brother, in “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The play runs from Feb. 14 – 25.

“I can hardly still believe it right now. I am so amazed and honored to be able to be in a show at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts because that’s one of the biggest stages in Fort Lauderdale,” Carlisle said.

“Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” is an immersive play where the cast interacts with the audience, like making jokes or dancing with them.

“It is a play of huge audience interaction. So that is very much encouraged. Definitely, if you plan to go, dress up as if you were actually going to a wedding,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle, who took his final courses at NSU last semester, learned about the auditions through Facebook. His said his audition was challenging but fun.

“What was required in the audition was just to see if you could do improv and be able to hold a made-up scene together with other actors,” Carlisle said. “I basically did that on Zoom and had a great time doing it. And luckily they were impressed.”

Carlisle credits the late Mark Duncan, former NSU theatre professor, and his participation as a student in Shark Talent and Improv Jam with preparing him for his professional career.

“This is Improv led by NSU alumni Angelica and Alexandra Zadak also helped me with improv by practicing with me and employing me as well,” Carlisle said.

Adams, who taught Carlisle since he was a freshman, said that Carlisle was an important part of NSU theatre.

“Spencer’s a super, super nice guy to work with. He does his homework, he comes, he’s prepared and he’s always in a good mood,” Adams said. “ I always want to make it clear how dependable he is, what a good person he is.”

For students wanting to pursue acting, Carlisle encourages them to put themselves out there.

“I know it can be daunting to do that because it’s a big field out there. There’s lots of competition, but while you can come up with any reason why you couldn’t get the part, you could also be exactly what they’re looking for,” Carlisle said. “And if you get discouraged, you just got to keep on saying, ‘Thank you next,’ and don’t let any of it bog you down.”