Moses McGruder

Moses McGruder III

He was born and raised in Augusta, Ga and currently resides in New York City.

His natural born passion for the arts began at the age of 7 when he was cast in a production of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker as a Russian dancer. He also competed and won oratorical contests on the local and district levels.

He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Clark Atlanta University in 2007. He studied acting under the late Carol Mitchell-Leon. While at Clark Atlanta University he began his studies in Classical Voice/Opera. He sang in productions such as Amahl and the Night Visitors as Melchior, The Old Maid and the Thief as Bob. He also studied the roles of Mephistopheles in Faust, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Escamillo in Carmen to name a few. Onstage, he performed in roles such as Wendel in Before It Hits Home, Creon in Euripides Madea, and Papa Semple in The Tie that Binds just to name a few.

After graduation he continued to sing with and perform with a local opera company entitled the Americolor Opera company. He moved to New York City shortly after. He began singing with another local opera company entitled the Westside Opera. While there he sang in the roles of Marquis d’Obigny from Verdi’s La Traviata and sang in the ensemble of Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda.

In the Fall of 2016, Moses began studies at the Actors Studio Drama School where he’d reunite with his love of acting. He studied techniques such as Method, Meisner, Chekhov, Grotowski, Laban, LeCoq, Linklater, Devising and many more. While there he shined as a student and an actor.

He performed in a plethora of roles including: Beethoven in She Talks to Beethoven, Clay in Dutchman, Goldie in Hello from Bertha, Leroy in By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Jesus in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Aaron in Titus Andronicus and Darren in Take Me Out and many more. While matriculating, he was introduced to Shadow Work, a technique that he still practices. He also studied under the late Elizabeth Kemp. Moses completed his Masters of Fine Arts degree in Acting in 2019.

Since then, Moses has appeared in For Colored Boyz as the Man in Black on Theatre Row. He also does coaching for actors and has participated in several readings of new works by local playwrights. He is an advocate for Mental Health Awareness. Moses enjoys traveling, cooking, working out, meeting new people, learning new things, and enjoying this thing called life.

“Live your life passionately and fearlessly, for that is where true greatness lies.”

-Leontyne Price