Hawai'i siblings working for big break in New York
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
You've got to admire the Rumbaugh family's nerve: Dawn Rumbaugh, her son Ryan and daughter Christy moved from Honolulu to New York nearly three years ago, without so much as a job, a contact or an interview lined up.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The reason: The kids, who had been active in Honolulu theater and modeling, were hungry for work and experience in The Big Apple. A New York livelihood was the stuff of dreams.
Dawn Rumbaugh, left, took her children, 17-year-old Christy and 15-year-old Ryan, to New York so they could have their shot at fame. The siblings have gotten some modeling stints and dancing gigs so far.
As it turned out, 15-year-old Ryan, who at 10 played Gavroche in a Honolulu production of "Les Miz," reprised his role on Broadway.
"People discouraged us," said Dawn Rumbaugh, a single parent. But she said her children are attracted to show biz and hungry for experience. So she took the plunge, kids in tow.
"We were lucky to meet an agent so fast," Ryan said.
"We hit all those backstage calls," said Christy, 17.
With patience, perseverance and some prayers, the Rumbaughs have carved out a modest livelihood in New York. Christy and Ryan have been building their portfolios with a fistful of print jobs, an occasional show and the opportunity to enroll in a "Fame"-like academy, the Professional Performing Arts School on West 48th Saint and Eighth Avenue, to hone their crafts while awaiting roles and stardom.
Dawn Rumbaugh, who works weekends at the Broadway Dance Center, found she was in the mix of dancers and choreographers coming and going. So she "incorporated" last month, founding BDR Management, and now manages dancers and choreographers, sending clients to commercials and voice-over works. (One of Rumbaugh's clients is off to perform for the queen of Morocco right now.)
Christy and Ryan have been shuttling from jingle work to voice-overs, from modeling stints to dancing gigs, mostly for pittance but "lots of tearsheets," Christy said of her print campaigns.
They got a lot of mileage through agent Wilhelmina, who has access to numerous print modeling jobs, while VAM (Val's Artist Management) has steered them to voice and jingle work.
Hardly the stuff of fame, but a beginning.
"I would like to someday do another Broadway musical," Ryan said. "But I also want to go to college."
Until recently, he was the "perfect size" for Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers, for whom he modeled gear for the 12-to-14-year-old market. "I met Ralph Lauren. He was nice, and he has good eyes for suits," said Ryan, who at 5-foot-4 is now too tall for that demographic.
And nope, he isn't partial to any one designer. Nor was he able to keep the clothes.
Ryan keeps busy, performing with an ensemble of three males and three females called "Broadway Kids" that tours New York, New Jersey and Illinois and periodically records CDs.
One of his widely-seen appearances was in the dance ensemble for an 'N Sync and Britney Spears appearance when he first arrived in New York. He was the littlest guy in the crew. He also has done an anti-smoking campaign and commercials for McDonald's and Hasbro.
Christy, at 5-foot- 8 1/2 and a size 3, aspires to tower at 6 feet (some of the runway biggies are tall), and is prepping to portray Ursula in "Sweet Charity," a spring production at her school.
She says she definitely would complete her education before going full-throttle into a career. Meantime, she nibbles at what comes her way — like stints on MTV, including the "Wannabes" pilot, a Foo Fighters video, Avon campaigns in Europe and a Chapstick ad in teen magazines.
The family lives in Astoria, Queens, and commutes to Manhattan via subway.
"I love the subways," said Ryan, who recalled his earlier rides when he was doing "Les Miz." "It's so accessible to everywhere."
"But I want to get my license (to drive)," Christy said. "The subway's fine for now."
On Sept. 11, Christy was on a job on 34th Street, not far from the World Trade Center, aware of a fire in the towers but unaware of what happened till later that evening. Ryan was in school, quickly learning about the two planes crashing into the towers. Mom was at home, unable to reach her kids by phone.
"They couldn't come home that night because the bridges were closed and the subways weren't operating," Dawn Rumbaugh said. "Fortunately, they were able to stay with friends overnight."
While visiting friends here for about 10 days, the Rumbaughs have been reliving memories and catching up on what's really important to locals: the food.
"There's no Zippy's in New York," Ryan pointed out.
"No Kozo Sushi," Christy said.
"No malassadas," Ryan said.
"No Waiola Shave Ice," Christy said.
