Beetlejuice Standout Ramone Owens Tried Horticulture Before Discovering Dance

Beeltejuice ensemble member Ramone Owens says musical theater has always been an important part of his life. "I joined the drama club in sixth grade and had a blast," he said. "In seventh grade I thought I would try something new, so I did horticulture for two weeks and went back to the drama club where I got bit by the bug." Growing up in Los Angeles, Owens was surrounded by five siblings who all play sports. "Finding my way into theater arts was probably one of the most exciting things to happen to me as a child," he said. "In hindsight, my parents probably thought I was crazy hearing me sing Seussical and On the Town in my room. We were not a theater family at all, but they were very supportive."

Owens' love for theater led him to the dance studio when he chose taking dance class over P.E. in order to help him get better parts in the school musicals. "I went to a performing arts high school and when the seniors above me were applying for colleges, I realized I needed to decided between pursuing Spanish or dance, and I decided to go with theater." That choice led Owens to the Boston Conservatory, where he studied musical theater with an emphasis in dance. "Doing theater in college definitely challenges your psyche," he said. "I always felt challenged but there wasn't a lot of doubt. I wasn't really good at anything else, with the exception of double-dutch and playing tambourine, which remain on my special skills [on my resume]." After graduation, Owens did a slew of tour and regional productions, but now he's found a steady home in New York City thanks to Beetlejuice. "Every single night during bows I look out at the house and am like, 'Wow, this is happening,'" he said. "I worked so hard for this and now I'm in the greatest city in the world at the top of my caliber. It's a dream come true and I can't believe it every single day."

Watch the video below to hear Owens talk about Beetlejuice and more!

Photo Credits: Photographs by Matthew Murphy | Styling:Greg Dassonville for DassonVogue | Grooming: KeLeen Snowgren | Assistant: Evan Zimmerman
Video Credits: Directed by Kyle Gaskell | Produced by Paul Wontorek & Caitlin Moynihan Additional camera: Alexander Goyco | Location: FD Studios