Cody Dry

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com

In the Dallas Voice Readers Voice Awards issue, we bragged about Cody Dry’s talents. The musician has served a number of area theaters providing music direction and accompaniment, and his resumé features numerous shows at Theatre Three, Stage West, WaterTower Theatre and others.

But there are still new theater experiences ahead for Dry who, next month, will music direct and conduct his first ever Broadway Our Way revue for Uptown Players.

This will be the first time Dry is back with Uptown Players since last summer’s co-production of Cruel Intentions with Stage West. The annual Broadway Our Way serves as a fundraiser for the company.

For Dry, it’s been a rather efficient experience.

“This process has gone just a little faster than other productions. Jeff and Craig have done it for so long, so it runs smoothly,” he said of the upcoming fundraising production. “There is lots of fun and challenging material, but they run a tight ship and know how to schedule things and not waste people’s time.”

Jeff Rane and Craig Lynch are founders and co-producers of Uptown Players. This year will mark Broadway Our Way’s 21st year with proceeds going toward the company’s operating costs and programming.

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‘Broadway Our Way’ Cast & Crew
Presented by Uptown Players
Written and directed by B.J. Cleveland
Music directed by Cody Dry and Lee Harris
Conducted by Cody Dry
Musical arrangements by Adam C. Wright
Choreography by Alli Betsill.

Cast: Tim Brawner, B.J. Cleveland,
Peter DiCesare, Presley Duyck,
Stephanie Felton, Elizabeth Kensek,
Natalie King, Linda Leonard, Laura Lites,
David Lugo, Michael B. Moore,
Randy Pearlman, Amy Stevenson,
Kylie Stewart, Carlos Strudwick,
Sammy Swim, Trey Tolleson,
Emily Truelove, Danny Vanegas,
Lee Walter, Brett Warner, Garrett Weir.

May 2-5 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater,
3636 Turtle Creek Blvd.

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A pure celebration of musical theater, BOW will feature selections from The Wiz, Moulin Rouge, Waitress and Sweet Charity among others — but all with a twist. The cast of more than 20 performers are actors who Uptown Players fans will recognize from previous shows including Presley Duyck, B.J. Cleveland, Randy Pearlman, Kylie Stewart, Michael B. Moore and more.

BOW also features a raffle and silent auction.

The fundraiser show runs May 2-5 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Paul Williams as Sister Helen Holy takes center stage in a previous ‘Broadway Our Way’ production (Courtesy photo)

While Dry serves as music director with Lee Harris for this show, it’s almost a surprise that he’s become such a prolific name in DFW theater.

“I was doing a lot of gig work in the early days to make ends meet. After getting my degree in music education, I was a choral director for a few years. Then I realized that wasn’t my thing. So I had to adopt a hustle,” he said.

Living up that struggling artist life, Dry taught voice and was the piano accompanist for various projects. He was an actor. He sang in choirs.

All that led to the career he has had for almost 15 years now. “Along the way I developed my music directing and teaching private voice lessons,” he said.

But he still has that hustle and flow.

When Dry isn’t involved with a show, he’s got his other gigs. He is part-time faculty at UT Arlington where he teaches voice and serves as a collaborative pianist. He’s working toward making that a full-time gig. “I love working at UTA,” he explained. “They cultivate a supportive and creative space for the students.”

Since January of 2022, Dry has also served as music director for Oak Lawn United Methodist Church. But he’s the first to admit that it’s not his strongest suit.

“I want to say first that it’s definitely a group effort,” he stressed. “I grew up in the church, but liturgical and worship music is not my forte. “Within the appropriate context, I might pull in some Broadway tunes and, with Mark Mullino on piano, we go into that direction a lot.”

WIth OLUMC and now Uptown Players, Dry has found a way he can connect to the community through his work. After coming out at 16, he discovered early on — even despite not having any severe queer trauma himself — that creating safe spaces for people to be authentic would be a mission in his life.

“That’s the foundation of community for me, and I strive to offer that place and hope that it can spread out beyond the theater community, the work place, church. Eventually they all intersect, and more people can feel safe and be themselves.”

Does it intersect any more than at a fundraiser for Uptown Players? Dry said he’s thrilled to do this gig: “Any way I can be a part of raising money and garnering support for minority voices for them to really be seen and heard, that’s exciting,” he said.

For tickets, visit UptownPlayers.org.