We had the good fortune of connecting with Finnegan Clisham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Finnegan, what’s your definition for success?
Succeeding, in my mind, is being happy doing what I’m making a living off of doing. Making narrative art makes me happy, no matter what the art is, and so my goal is to be able to live comfortably off of doing that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I run an amateur theater company called State of the Art Productions that was started when my friend, Jonah Fried, and I were listening to the 1991 recording of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins and said, “what if we put on Assassins?” Three months later, as we were in the early stages of planning the show, COVID hit, and we were derailed in our efforts to put on an in-person production for over a year. Eventually, though, we persevered, and launched a three-show run in July 2021 with an 18-person cast. Before the show even closed, we had begun work on our next show, Merrily We Roll Along, which opens this July.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m not the sort of person who really enjoys going out and doing things, but I do love to eat. Chino Bandido on Bell is THE must-eat place in Phoenix as far as I’m concerned, and I’d put Otro Cafe on the same list. George Yang’s on Bethany Home is also amazing, since I love Chinese food. I have tons of places I love to eat at, but once we’re past that, I’ll bring my friend to Desert Ridge, Norterra, and Arrowhead malls. I also know several theaters to go see amazing shows, such as Arizona Broadway Theater, TheaterWorks, and Spotlight Youth Theater, if they’re interested.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my friend and collaborator Jonah Fried, who has been my partner in crime for almost three years as we’ve put together our shows.

Instagram: @state_of_the_art_az

Facebook: State of the Art Productions

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCcgs0XLWSK0qo6-okphm39w

Image Credits
Sullivan Clisham

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