ACTOR

PAUL R. COATE, AEA

Paul is a member of Actors’ Equity Association with over 100 stage productions to his credit.

Paul has performed in over a dozen states and in dozens of venues in the US and Canada, including Tony Award- winning regional theatres like The Guthrie Theater (The Music Man) and Children’s Theatre Company (How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Shrek, The Sneetches), and celebrated organizations like The Minnesota Orchestra. 

PERFORMANCE RESUME

“SWEENEY TODD” at DULUTH PLAYHOUSE

“Paul Coate builds to a frenzied peak of madness, despair and bloodlust, using his barber’s razor to slash his way to his ultimate goal of the evil Judge Turpin. One of Coate’s strongest dramatic scenes is when he turns on the audience, threatening those in the first few rows with the wrath of his shiny blade.

Coate and (Jen) Burleigh-Bentz have their strongest vocal moment together with the witty Act One closing song, “A Little Priest.”

  • Duluth News Tribune

In March and April 2019, Paul performed the role of “Sweeney Todd” in the Duluth Playhouse’s Norshor Theatre production of this Stephen Sondheim masterpiece. Under the direction of Melissa Hart (Tony Nominee for “Georgy”) and co-starring Jen Burleigh-Bentz (Broadway’s “Mamma Mia”) as Mrs. Lovett, Paul tackled the role of the Demon Barber Of Fleet Street to standing ovations for the first (and hopefully not the last) time!

“ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914”: THE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR and PBS BROADCAST

“This small masterpiece has a unity and a vocal power. “Auld Lang Syne” breaks the heart, and the emotional center of the show remains that moment when enemies come together to bury their dead and sing “Silent Night.”

  • Minneapolis Star Tribune

Since 2015, Paul has been involved with multiple national tours of this beautiful true story of the truce between the allies and Germans in World War 1 around Christmas 1914. Created by Peter Rothstein and Erick Lichte (with additional arrangements by Timothy C. Takach), “All Is Calm” features the songs and words of those who were there. In 2018, Paul again joined the tour as it expanded to several new states and several venues in Canada.  In 2019, Paul again revisited this important story, joining members of the Off-Broadway cast in Theatre Latte Da’s Minneapolis production which was nationally broadcast on PBS and is now available for viewing at PBS.ORG.

FAVORITE ROLES and FAVORITE SHOWS

In close to thirty years on stage, Paul has had the great fortune to play a wide variety of roles and to share the stage with some amazingly talented and passionate human beings as they told compelling stories to gracious, appreciative audiences of all ages. Favorite experiences on the stage include…
 

“Cervantes/Don Quixote” in MAN OF LA MANCHA

“Sweeney Todd” in SWEENEY TODD

“Buddy Plummer” in FOLLIES

“Professor Callahan” in LEGALLY BLONDE

“Rev. Shaw Moore” in FOOTLOOSE

“Mervidge” in DR. SEUSS’S THE SNEETCHES (originated the role)

“Harold” in THE FULL MONTY

“Serge” in ART

“Max” in LEND ME A TENOR

“Captain Walker” in THE WHO’S TOMMY