Today we’d like to introduce you to Landon Hudson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Where do I begin haha. I started doing theatre at Connection Point Church in Raytown, Missouri when I was about 9 or 10. We would do christian musicals, and I vowed to never sing solos in them, but to have speaking lines was enough. I did five shows with them, and got the courage to auditon for my first real show, The Girl with the Golden Locks at Blue Springs City Theater in Blue Springs, Missouri. That started an addiction if you will. I say that because besides Covid, I have not had a break since, and that was 2015.
I went on to work at other community theatres around Kansas City like City Theater of Indepdendence, Summit Theatre Group, Olathe Civic Theatre Association, and I made my professional debut at the Metropolitian Ensemble Theatre in Oliver! in 2022.
After being Blue Star Nominated for Shrek the Musical my senior year at Blue Springs High School, I had this deep deep secret; I wanted to go to school for a BFA in musical theatre. But I didn’t, I was scared, and I was told by so many that you could do theatre without the degree, which is true, and so I chose to go to Northwest Missouri State University, and I pursued Speech and Theatre Education and Theatre: Performance, a double major. Wasn’t the BFA experience, but it was something. I had just triple finaled at the National Speech and Debate Tournament, placing second twice in Original Spoken Word Poetry, and Sixth in Prose Interpretation.
So I went to Northwest, and I was in 4 shows there, and I was nominated for the Irene Ryans Acting competition, which was in Des Moines, Iowa that year. This was KCACTF, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
So I went with Northwest to this festival, and it changed my life. I finaled in the Musical Theatre Intensive, and met people at Minnesota State, Mankato. Matt Caron, an acting professor at MSU, asked me what I wanted, the dream, and I told him, I wanted to pursue a BFA in MT but I was too scared, and I didn’t need one to pursue theatre. That week he kept investing into me, and after I finaled, he offered me admittance into the BFA program. He told me he would use that performance from finals as my audition, and I had been accepted. I respectfully declined, and went back home.
Back at northwest, I was performing in The Spongebob Musical as Patrick, which I loved by the way, but I could feel it in my body, I yearned to do more of this. Musicals, Northwest only did one musical EVERY OTHER YEAR, and something one day in me just snapped. I emailed MSU and told them I accept, and threw my phone down and freaked out.
I called my mom, and said “don’t be mad, you can’t do anything about this, I’m moving to Minnesota, and I’m going to acting school”
I had been to minnesota ONCE, I had no friends or family there, and I said screw it, I’m going for my dream.
3 Years Later, I just graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Minnesota State University, Mankato. I was apart of 15 productions, I finaled at KCACTF seven times, as well as placing 2nd twice in Irene Ryans Acting Competition (2025, 2026) and fourth in 2024, as well as WINNING the Musical Theatre Intensive in 2025, and getting to go along with the 7 other regional winners to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in april of 2024, and performed at the Kennedy center.
I was a 4x Irene Ryans Nomination (The most you are eligable to get)
I went on to win the National Association for Teachers of Singing Musical Theatre Upper Male MT competiton in 2025 in Philly.
I am currently directing my second piece at the State Street Theater in New Ulm Minnesota, Matilda this summer, which runs July 24-26th. I directed the music man there last summer.
I just recently made my twin cities debut at park square theatre in the young minnesotan playwrights festival, where professional actors were hired to workshop and perform in high school new works
I forgot to mention haha, I founded my own company in Kansas City, called sandstone.kc, along with my friend Danielle Omer, where we showcase the performers rather than “characters” per se. And at the end of July, we are having our final professional show. Revolutions: A New Musical workshop about the first american roadtrip will premiere at Olathe Civic Theatre Association in Olathe, Kansas July 31-August 1st. This show, I’m starrring in, and taking a backseat with directing.
This august, I will also be in Minnesota Fringes production of Foshay! The Musical, playing the lead, Wilbur Foshay!, and in October of this year, I will be making my Lyric Arts Main Stage Debut in 12 angry men as the bailiff, and Juror 2,5,6 understudy.
I am excited to continue my third year with Mounds Park Academy as the assistant speech and debate coach, as well as finishing up my third and final year Teaching Theatre at Drama Kids International in New Ulm, Saint Peter, and Mankato, Minnesota.
I have been so blessed these last couple of years, and I am so excited to jump into the twin cities, and eventually head off to New York.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
oh 10000%, moving from missouri to minnesota without any contacts, and just jumping on the dream was terryfying. Graduating now and looking at my degree was terryfying, what was I going to do with it?
Luckily, I have been the meals on wheels coordinator for 15 months in new ulm, and that has just landed me a full time case management position in the twin cities as a day job!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Most of this I explained in that first paragraph.
I think what sets me apart from others is the drive and ambition. By the age of 17, my fully written musical Human, made it’s world premiere at The Star Theater in Willow Springs, Missouri-with people from 7 states that I met on facebook driving and flying in to perform.
I have directed, acted, done props, crew, intimacy coordinator, and THROWN myself into every facet of this business. It’s my life, my passion, and my greatest strength
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
to be 100% honest I have been my own coach, of course I have had hundreds supporting me, but I really had to PUSH and trust myself that everything was going to work out.
I think for a mentor I would say Dale O’Dell has been an amazing friend and insipration to me. Finding a queer, older brother type friend where I can just lay everything out on the table has been amazing.
When you do a show with someone, and you have a connection with them, DON’T let it die when the show closes. Foster that friendship with them, check in, and you never know what might happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://minnesotaplaylist.com/talent/landon-hudson
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/landonhudsonofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landonhudson807
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLandonHudson
