Since the beginning of October, the “Frozen” tour has made a stop in Pittsburgh at the Benedum Center. Daniel Switzer, singer, dancer, and actor, plays many substantial parts in this musical, helping to create the magic of the story truly come to life. 

From a young age, Broadway star Daniel Switzer always knew where his heart was- on the stage. Whether it be singing, dancing, or acting, Switzer loved every second of it. 

“When I was a kid, I knew I loved musical theater. I decided to get involved in community theaters, dance studios, and participate in any other theater opportunities I was given from my young age up until today.” 

Growing up in St. Louis Missouri, Switzer certainly had to work his way up in the theater world to land his spot on Broadway. Theater in LA is extremely competitive and intense so he had to really be able to prove himself in the industry. Switzer did this initially by taking dance classes at a young age through a local dance studio. He instantly fell in love with the art. 

“I really enjoyed any type of dance that had lots of energy and gusto.”

Switzer loved taking musical theater dance classes the most and because of this, he asked his parents to enroll him in singing lessons as well as many local theater programs. Gateway Playhouse, 3-D Theatricals, Round Barn Theater, and Timber Lake Playhouse are just a few of the programs that Switzer has been in productions through. 

While being a part of many productions through his school and other theater programs, taking countless dance classes a week, having multiple acting and singing coaches, and also participating in tons of incentives to further his passion, Switzer certainly stayed busy and well trained. His schedule was constantly filled up with all activities musical theater related.

After graduating high school, he attended college as a musical theater major at Rockford University in Illinois and after graduating college, moved into the professional theater world. His first step in the professional world was going to LA to get his equity card and then joining the union. An equity card shows proof of membership in the Actors’ Equity Association of the United State and ensures that you are a professional. This was a huge step in Switzer’s career considering that he did not know what he wanted to do when he was growing up. He loved musical theater, but was not sure of how to make it a career. 

“Growing up, I knew that I loved musical theater and was drawn to it but I really didn’t know I wanted to get into it professionally.”

After gaining his equity card, Switzer was immediately picked up by “CATS” the musical and offered a spot in their cast. In the production he played Mungojerrie, a young, high-energy character. This role fit his demeanor in real life perfectly as he was fresh out of college and loved anything high energy. After the “CATS” tour, he joined the “Wicked” tour as an ensemble character with an understudy of Boq. 

Switzer made his first Broadway debut on the “Mean Girls” tour as an ensemble character. This experience was incredible for Switzer considering it was his first time hitting a broadway stage. Another pivotal point in Switzer’s career has been being a part of the “Newsies” national tour. He was in the ensemble for this show as well as being an understudy for Race and Davey, two of the lead characters in the musical. 

“In Newsies, there are amazing dance moments of strength that get told through a perspective of youth moving into maturity.”

“Newsies” is a high energy, dance-heavy musical that shows the struggles that some go through in their lives. It is a great story portrayed through much dancing, which is what Switzer loves. 

The “Newsies” tour has also been picked up by Disney+, which is incredible for Switzer since people can watch him perform at any time now, not just in the theater. 

“The dance has a lot of fight and bite to it and a lot of times it’s conveying a message of angst and wanting to improve upon where they are in life.”

Currently, Switzer is on the “Frozen” tour and he is in the ensemble every night as an understudy of Olaf and Wesleton. It is clear that his hard work, training, and dedication has truly paid off looking all of the award winning shows he has been a part of. 

“I feel like I’m a unique person in the fact that I grew up dancing so I have a dance background but I started singing right after and I studied acting in college. I like to think of myself as a true triple threat.”