Few artists enjoy steady careers working in regional theater, and even fewer manage to make the jump from regional work to Broadway.

Meet Josh Prince. You may not recognize his name today, but it’s likely you will next fall when he makes his Broadway debut as choreographer for the much-anticipated, DreamWorks-produced musical adaptation of “Shrek.” 

Born in Indianapolis, Prince knew at a young age that he was full of creativity. His formative training was in dance, but he ended up studying musical-theater performance at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. It was in between semesters that Prince managed to develop a burgeoning career as a choreographer

"I had a gimmick," Prince says. "I would offer my choreographic services to producers and directors when I auditioned for them, and I quickly became an official pinch-hitter on the summer stock/regional circuit." 

After graduating, he scored an agent, got his Equity card during the national tour of “Cats” and began building a strong reputation within the theater community as a choreographer and director.  

Prince relocated to Los Angeles to play the role of Carmen Ghia in the Hollywood stage production of “The Producers” alongside Jason Alexander and Martin Short, a move that—in the long run—proved to be less fruitful than he had hoped. In fact, he openly confesses that, with the exception of “The Producers,” Los Angeles "was kind of a bust. I had a lot of support, but it was becoming clear that two lines on a sitcom wasn’t doing it for me. I was free-falling in the business, and it was time for me to start driving my own boat again."  

And drive he did. Prince applied to DanceBreak, a high-profile showcase for professional choreographers in NYC, and was one of six choreographers chosen to receive a $1,000 grant to assemble two pieces: one number from any musical-theater production and one “freestyle” piece. His work demonstrated an expert ability to express wit, tell a story with movement and showcase passionate, technically proficient dancers.

It was here where he caught the eye of Jason Moore, the director of "Shrek"'s musical adaptation, who offered Prince the choreographer job.

Though “Shrek” isn't slated to hit the boards until 2008, Prince is already at work with pre-production. "Putting a cartoon up on stage presents a set of artistic puzzles," Prince says, "and I'm looking forward to helping solve some of them."

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