Actor, Singer, Cabaret Artist, Pianist & Composer.
Roland lives in Irvine (CA) having moved there after being selected as the MFA candidate in Musical Direction at University California, Irvine. This was a significant academic and artistic milestone with UCI accepting only one candidate, annually, for this Master of Fine Arts degree.
This exciting journey comes on the heels of prior study in South Africa, Roland’s home county, where he obtained a B.Mus from UKZN, a Licentiate in Musical Theatre (with distinction) from Trinity College, facilitated by the Waterfront Theatre School in Cape Town, and an M.Mus in songwriting (with distinction) from Bath Spa University, in the UK.
A consummate performer, Roland has held his own as leading man, has produced a number of chamber musicals and various cabarets. He also has a keen eye on new musical theatre development and spearheaded the “Cabaret and Beyond Festival” initiative in partnership with “The Centre for Creative Arts” at UKZN.
Roland goes where adventure calls; seeking out projects that allow for meaningful collaboration that bring together the magic of theatre and music. The adventure continues in sunny SoCal where he is in year 2 of the 3 year MFA degree program.
Tick, Tick... BOOM!
5-8 Feb at the Robert Cohen Theatre, UCI
Roland is the musical director for Tick, Tick… BOOM! being produced by MFA Stage Management candidate DJ Maloney. DJ is also directing after the big success of his directorial debut with Twelve Angry Jurors last year. This prosecution is part of the emergent series at UCI with and is unique in that it expands the cast of 3 with an 9 piece ensemble augmenting the much loved work by Jonahtan Larson.
Projects in 2024
Little Women
This musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s much loved novel first premiered on Broadway in 2005 and has enjoyed multiple regional stagings since then. Part of the UCI mainstage season, the show boasts a large scale production team and is directed with creativity and focus by Dr. Myrona DeLaney, professor of teaching and head of Music Theatre at UCI. Roland leads from the podium with an acoustic 12 piece orchestra that supports a mixture of undergraduate, BFA and MFA UCI actors who bring the musical’s characters to life.
Roland’s MD work is praised in the Orange Curtain review making special mention of how the music came to life at the Irvine Barclay Theatre: “The music was divine. I was in the second row. Even that close to the action, the band’s live instrumentation sounded incredibly balanced. … The singers delivered incredible harmonies during the performance.”
