Tom Schuch (pronounced shook) has called himself many things: student, gardener, waiter, restaurant manager, insurance salesman, husband, son, friend, brother, treatment foster parent, landscaper, painter, bartender, oral presentation coach, and vermicomposter. The list goes on and on. These labels provide the curious with a way of describing people they meet. When asked who he really is, without hesitation comes the reply, ACTOR. Since the age of 12, this is how Tom Schuch has seen himself. Oh sure, life has a way of taking us on detours, journeys and unplanned explorations. Schuch considers those detours as neccesary and invaluable. Everything he has done, every person he has met, and every situation he has lived through has in some way made him the actor he is today. Never is there a day he doesn't learn and improve, however minutely.
Schuch got his feet wet in a variety of theatrical productions while in school including works by Shakespeare, Anouilh, Giradoux, Medoff, Mamet, Williams, Wolfe, and musicals including The Boyfriend and The Music Man. After graduating with a degree in Drama from the University of Washington, Schuch began his version of life's pursuit and over the years lived in Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque acting-working-acting-working-acting-working.
During this time he acted in over 50 theatrical productions, a variety of short and feature films, industrial films, television and voice-over commercials. He made guest appearances on the Young & the Restless, The Nanny, and The Red Shoe Diaries. He was a founding member of a professional comedy improv troupe, Surely You Jest, and performance group, Shakespeare-on-the-Halfshell. All these experiences added up to a considerable resume. And then came THE moment...
There comes a time in every actor's career when they have to make a decision: Do I quit? Do I continue? If I continue, what does that mean? (By the way, Schuch says quitting was never a consideration.) What it meant was never accepting roles or producing work that wasn't challenging or important or cathartic. What it meant was never accepting work without remuneration. What it did was make actor synonymous with work. What it did was introduce Schuch to "Einstein: A Stage Portrait." He's never looked back.
Tom Schuch is the President of SPOLI Productions, President of the New Mexico Branch of Screen Actors Guild, a member of Actors Equity Association and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The University of Texas at Austin