Beethovan Oden: Purpose

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Beethovan & Rhonda talk about Beethoven (the Ludvig van version), growing as an actor, that time in Chicago, books, books, books, getting an agent, booking the room, the value of a coach, and much, much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes!

Hailing from the rich cultural soil of Oakland, California, Beethovan Oden is a graduate of the Academy for Performing Arts at Skyline High School. He received a BFA in Acting from Cornish College of the Arts and earned an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University's Meadow School of the Arts. He has also trained with The Acting Conservatory of Chautauqua Institution, the School At Steppenwolf, Labyrinth Theater Company and Upright Citizen’s Brigade.

Select theater credits include Clue, The Bluest Eye, Intimate Apparel, The Mountaintop, Master Harold…And the Boys, The Fabulous Miss Marie, Argonautika, A Raisin in the Sun, Our Town where he was recognized for his turn as the Stage Manager and My Children! My Africa! for which he received the Ossie Davis Award for his portrayal of Thami. Regionally, he has appeared onstage at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, New Stage Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, Colorado Shakespeare, Indiana Repertory, Theater Florida Repertory Theatre, Capital Stage Company, Virginia Stage Company, Syracuse University and Florida Studio Theater. Based in New York City, he has worked with legacy institutions such as Woodie King Jr.s New Federal Theatre, The Bushwick Starr and Playwrights Horizons, among others.

On screen, Beethovan was featured as Officer Carl in the short film Brenda & Billy (and the Pothos Plant), with Santino Fontana and Sarah Stiles, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. He has also appeared in national campaigns for Little Caesars Pizza, AT&T, Direct TV, Navy Federal Credit Union and Visa Check Card, international campaigns for Meitav Investments and has guest starred on Wu -Tang: An American Saga on Hulu, FBI: Most Wanted on CBS, The Last O.G on TBS, Inventing Anna on Netflix and Power Book II: Ghost on Starz.