ALAN KRIER was born in Philadelphia, grew up in Mt. Laurel, NJ and has lived in Maple Shade, NJ since 1987. He has been performing for over 30 years. Alan has been married to his beautiful wife Donna since 1987 and has three children, Lindsey, A.J., & Lisa. He works as a technical instructor for a South Jersey manufacturer.
ANGELA: When did you start acting? And why?
ALAN: My very first show was Cheaper by the Dozen when I was a Junior in high school. I watched my brother do high school shows and I was completely enamored with the whole experience and couldn’t wait to get involved. My parents had also taken us to see A Chorus Line at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia and that was the first live musical I had seen. My parents always exposed us to movie musicals. I believe one of my first memories is seeing the movie Oliver in 1968. They purchased the soundtrack LP and I would listen to it over and over again. After high school I had every intention of attending college for acting. The problem was I did not have any guidance in high school. I don’t think a counselor ever once spoke to me and parents just didn’t push me or weren’t aware of what it took to apply to colleges etc. Consequently, I just started working after high school, got married and started having children. Then one day a guy I worked with who happened to go to the same high school told me one of my old friends with whom I did comedy in high school was working on a play in Philly and said I should audition. I did, and for the next few years I did comedy improv in Philly. Then one day I realized there was a community theatre only a few miles from my house in South Jersey. This was 1996. Burlington County Footlighters (BCF) has essentially been my home theatre since then. I currently serve as the artistic director at BCF.
ANGELA: Which actors, movies, plays, or television programs have been particularly inspiring?
ALAN: The list is probably endless. I think my favorite actors are Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and, of course, The Godfather (1 & 2) are my favorite movies. I have also watched Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind many times. I just think it is an underrated performance, and I hope to play the part one day. For several years I thought the themes of Inherit the Wind were becoming irrelevant – now they are more relevant than ever. From a comedy standpoint, Mel Brooks and Monty Python were my bible. I could perform entire scenes from Monty Python and thankfully in 2022 I was lucky enough to play King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot.
ANGELA: What is your preferred acting technique? And why?
ALAN: I don’t know that I have a specific technique. I work hard to first memorize my lines and, only then, when I can recite them like it’s second nature, can I start to “play around” with them. I have been told that I have a very natural and conversational way delivering lines. Several years ago I did Glengarry Glen Ross from David Mamet. It is a very ‘wordy’ play. I recorded all my scenes and listened to them everyday on my commute. At the time my commute was an hour to my home office and very often I had to drive in to New York City, so it was very helpful.
ANGELA: What types of acting have you done? (Broadway, Off Broadway, movies, regional or community theatres, television, commercials, voice over, etc.)
ALAN: I have only performed in community and regional theatres. In the late ‘90s I did a couple local independent movies. I really didn’t enjoy that. A lot of waiting around and you don’t get the immediate gratification of a live audience. In my day job I have had the opportunity to do voice over work for technical training videos – real boring stuff.
ANGELA: Have you had any formal training or education? Do you feel it was beneficial?
ALAN: I’ve had no formal training. I think just watching movies, television shows, and other live theatre performances is my training. I really just never had the opportunity to take any acting classes – so I’m probably doing everything wrong.
ANGELA: What other creative activities are you involved in?
ALAN: I’m currently working on a Christmas variety show for BCF. We’ve never done anything like this. We’ve had cabaret’s but they are typically events where one person after another just gets up and sings – often referred to as a park and bark. This will be a show in the vein of the old ‘70s variety shows from the likes of Andy Williams, Dean Martin, etc. I’ve written several Christmas-themed comedy sketches and there will be musical numbers with choreography. It’s called Sleigh What!? A BCF Christmas Extravaganza.
ANGELA: How do you prepare for an audition?
ALAN: I hate auditioning! Also, having directed, I hate having people audition for me. Depending on the audition requirements I will learn everything I can about the show for which I am auditioning. If it’s a musical, and they give the option of performing a song from the show, I will always do that. If it’s a straight play, and the audition consists of cold readings from the script, which is how I run auditions, again just becoming completely familiar with the material.
ANGELA: Where can we watch you act?
ALAN: My next show will be She Loves Me at Burlington County Footlighters opening November 7, 2025 followed by the Christmas show December 19-21, 2025. I’ve performed throughout the South Jersey/Philly region but I always come back to BCF.
ANGELA: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were starting out?
ALAN: I used to be intimidated by more experienced actors but I soon realized that everyone is just worried that people will discover that we’re all frauds.
ANGELA: What is one piece of advice you would offer to someone who is new to acting?
ALAN: Treat everyone with respect and kindness and don’t be a dick. I guess that’s kind of redundant.
ANGELA: What do you do about creative burnout?
ALAN: I don’t think I’ve ever experienced burnout. Acting is my outlet. If I didn’t have it, I don’t think I would be able to get through my day job. It’s a soul sucking job and I need theatre to revive me.
Connecting and keeping up with Alan Krier
Facebook
Instagram
Interview conducted October 2025.
Night Sky Coaching 