In Dialogue with Logan Schmucker

A classically trained violinist and Academy grad, Logan Schmucker ('19) has built a career that blends music and performance. We spoke with him about how the violin shaped his path as an actor, navigating the industry post-pandemic, and where he’s headed next.

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Your multi-hyphenated talent is playing the violin.

I've been playing since I was seven years old. I didn't really want to, but my sister played, and then I played and started liking it. I took to it pretty naturally. My first teacher was instructing me and didn’t need to adjust me too much. That was how I knew I might be decent at it, and I just never stopped playing.

How has it shaped your career?

I spent two years at university before realizing I needed to be acting. At the Academy, as soon as they found out that I played, they all told me what it could do for my career, especially when you’re new to the industry. I love the intersection of music and theatre, I think it can create such a strong narrative and interesting atmosphere.

Where did the initial interest come from?

I don’t know if I remember exactly what drew me to acting. I think was a Christmas Eve memory. I remember doing these scenes at my grandparents church in Ohio, and the whole congregation was watching me. It sort of terrified me but I also really liked it. I suppose I always knew what I wanted to do, and I never grew out of it. 

My day job is at Steinway & Sons. I love music so I’ve been able to find a job that keeps me around it. Steinway takes a bunch of skills that I’ve been working on for years and uses them. The family that started it was from Germany, and created a huge cultural wave that amplified immigrant voices.

Would you have picked one over the other, if you had to?

Great question. I’m interested in playing the violin, I love it, but I couldn’t do it every day. But I can act every day and it doesn’t get old. After the pandemic and multiple strikes, when you really hold onto something after the world ends four times, it settles some doubts. There's a lot of doubt when you start out.

 Industry-speaking, hardships you’ve faced and overcome?

We graduated from Company in January of 2020. It was a great showcase, a few agents reached out to me. I started out with one who sent me on a ton of in-person auditions. This is what I’d been training for, and, I was thrilled, “This is finally happening!” Then March happens. It was like being shot out of a cannon into a pool of molasses where time isn’t real. Nobody knew what to do: how to stay sharp, stay hopeful, stay sane. That momentum was lost. You had to start making your own work. Since graduating it has been almost only uphill.

Roles you’ve done or pieces you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of?

I remember working on a production of Hamlet where I played Laertes. I got to play the violin on stage. It felt like my sweet spot that set a high bar of where I want to be in the industry and what kind of projects I want to work on.

Working on The Walking Dead was an incredible experience, too. When I read the sides, I felt like I knew the guy. There were so many similarities between myself and the character. My bow arm would shake when I performed recitals as a kid, I would get this violent anxiety about performing. My character was scripted to make a mistake and it felt like everything had come full circle. It was unreal.

Moving forward, what’s next? Where do you hope your career moves?

I’m auditioning quite a bit. The entertainment industry has always been driven by pioneers, and you need to make it your own at every given moment. I’m looking at producing my own work. That’s where I want to be, creating and forging my own path ahead.

In March, catch Logan in Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library. Directed by Alice Jankell. Playing at Philipstown Depot Theater.