CJ is a multi-disciplinary performing artist, drag creator, arts educator, and event host. Known for his innovative blend of theatre and drag, he is a two-time recipient of the Platinum Entertainer distinction (Community Votes Moncton) and is becoming one of New Brunswick’s most recognizable live entertainers.

CJ has combined his passions to offer a unique brand of theatre, creating the acclaimed dragsicals Jingle Belle and Flyin’ Solo! (Fan Favourite at the 2021 Fundy Fringe Festival). Beyond drag, CJ’s stage highlights include playing Angel in RENT (Ghostlight; Dalhousie Theatre Society), Jinx in Forever Plaid (Hazy Grape), Scuttle in The Little Mermaid, and Pugsley in The Addams Family (Capitol Theatre).

A graduate of ArtsLink NB’s CATAPULT Arts Accelerator, CJ merges artistry with entrepreneurship—creating original works that blur the lines between theatre, cabaret, and community engagement. He is the creator and host of Stages of Art, a RogersTV show spotlighting local creatives.

Through his educational organization Creative Juiceworks, CJ helps youth, artists, and entrepreneurs build confidence and skills through classes, workshops, and coaching. Partners include ArtsLink NB, Chroma NB, Pride in Education, and the IDEA Centre. He also teaches weekly classes at the Capitol Theatre Academy.

CJ has released two empowering pop music singles: Rainbow and Roll Together, both available to stream.

CJ’s mission as an artist is to bridge social gaps through joy, humour, and fearless self-expression. His motto is “Art is the universal language.”

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what sparked your interest in performing arts?

I see my life as ‘before the stage’ and ‘since the stage’. I grew up in the rural community of Salisbury and started out as a pretty timid kid. That is, until I found the performing arts.

In fourth grade (1999), I was cast as the lead in a school play, and it sparked my appreciation for being on stage. Shortly after, I attended the ‘Hazy Grape Performing Arts Camp’, directed by Michael McArdle, in the old (then current) Moncton High School auditorium. That summer, and the next several summers, changed my life. The skills and memories built in that big old theatre throughout my youth took my interest in acting and transformed it into a full-blown passion.

I recently got the chance to collaborate on stage with a long-time, dear friend who I met through this summer tradition. We clicked on the first day of camp in 2004, and we’ve been kindred spirits ever since. That’s how powerful it is when young people find themselves and their people, through a shared passion.

I continued to hone my performance skills throughout my teen and young adult years and have been lucky to create a career in our regional arts industry. I have ambitions to eventually take my work outside the Maritimes, but I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to accomplish so far in an area with limited opportunities.

You’re known for your comedic characters. What drew you to comedy, and how do you develop your characters?

In high school, I discovered that at my 5’4” stature and quirky demeanour, I wasn’t exactly the template for a traditional male romantic lead. I kept being cast as the dorky sidekick, and figured out that’s where I thrive, and where I have the most fun. People need comedic relief, and I’m happy to provide that.

I spent most of my 20s doing a lot of improv-based musical theatre, often juggling multiple characters in a single show. This diversified my comedic abilities and helped me be less precious with acting choices. Doing the same interactive show several nights a week, for several months, certainly fosters spontaneity.

When creating characters from scratch for my own projects, I honestly spend very little time finding the characters, because they’re extensions of me. Once I decide on the concept of a show, and what I want to convey through that character’s story, it’s like their voice and mannerisms come to me almost instantly. It’s a great way to get to know yourself by channeling your own sense of humour through someone else’s voice.

My comedy is always shaped by the audience in front of me. I love using improv and crowd work to make every show feel alive and unrepeatable. Often what comes out of my mouth spontaneously is funnier than what’s in the script.

What inspires or excites you in your work?

Themes and motifs are what I think about most. New concepts for innovative musical productions are constantly popping into my brain. I wish I could shut it off sometimes but it’s how I process the world around me.

I like to put twists on what’s familiar—to me or to audiences—to fit new concepts and narratives. It’s like up-cycling furniture and fashion. You honour the original piece and its previous life, while revitalizing it with a new purpose. I ask myself, “How can I use [this trope] as the tapestry for [this message]” or “What if I told you [this story] through [this structure]”.

In terms of inspiration, I am very influenced by multi-talented women who blend music and comedy—like Carol Burnett and Dolly Parton. And I can’t leave out my co-Northern Stars of drag Jinkx Monsoon and Bendelacreme. Their annual holiday production was a major inspiration for my own annual cabaret “Jingle Belle”, which is in its third year now.

As a multi-faceted artist/entrepreneur, you wear lots of hats. Why not one or two hats, and how do you balance them creatively and logistically?

I LOVE variety. In what I create, consume, and the activities I engage in. I loathe monotony—classic Aquarius. So, the fact I have carved out such a dynamic career is really no surprise. But at times, it can be like I’m being stretched in too many directions: between performing, creating, producing, hosting events, and mentoring youth, it’s a lot. And there is a plethora of other endeavours I am still trying to find time for—my brief foray into pop music has been on pause for too long. I’m always reassessing priorities in hopes of finding the perfect equation to balance it all. Is art math a thing? (I think it’s called music).

I do try to plan my year with blocks of focus on certain projects penciled in. This plan has to be super flexible, but it’s my way of making sense of all the things I’ve committed to. Plus, I love organization. A comprehensive spreadsheet is *chef’s kiss*.

The values that tie all my endeavours together are storytelling, playfulness, and empowerment. When I boil it all down, there are a few key messages I’m always sharing, but the method and art form changes. When I lead acting and public speaking classes, I foster confidence, creativity, and connection. When I step onto a stage in drag, I want the audience to be ‘feeling their oats’. When I host events, it’s about creating a playground for adults to let out their inner child. And not only do I want audiences to experience these feelings in that moment, but for it to spill over into the rest of their lives. 

How has your personal experience or upbringing influenced your work?

I was a child of the 90s (1990s, that is), so the pop culture of that time stays with me and definitely seeps into my work. The campiness of the Spice Girls; the fierce energy of Britney Spears; the contagious beat of an NSYNC dance track. Max Martin is responsible for about a quarter of my brain’s contents.

Of course, there are other creative influences besides the pop stars of my childhood, but I think I’ve been equally shaped by other experiences like my Taekwondo training and leadership positions I held in my youth. I was that kid who was involved in EVERYTHING in my community and beyond including a church band that played secular classic rock. I was basically the entire cast of Glee in one teenage energizer bunny (that show didn’t come out until I was 19, so I’m going to go ahead and say Ryan Murphy wrote it about me). As I try to replicate that multifaceted dynamic in my 30s, I look back and wonder how I did it all. And then I remember…the sciatica only started at 28.

What stories or themes are you particularly interested in exploring?

I love an unsung hero story. When I was asked to write a community play to celebrate the Capitol Theatre’s 100th anniversary, I used a couple (late) real-life heroes as the basis for fictional characters who would save the day in our play. Next time you visit the Capitol, make sure to salute Alexander ‘Sandy’ Lindsay, whose portrait hangs in the lobby on your way into the theatre.

I aim to champion social justice on topics like gender roles and the misunderstood, but in a light-hearted way. Nobody wants to go to the theatre and be aggressively preached at.

Can you describe a production or project that you're particularly proud of, and why?

My very first self-created, self-produced, self-performed production, Flyin’ Solo! This is an example of taking initiative even when you don’t know what you’re doing. It was born of instincts, and the need to explore and create something that was authentic to where I was in life.

I knew I wanted to explore feminine energy on stage, and to find a way to perform some of my favourite female-led Broadway material. I was binging every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race at the time (pandemic things), and seeing the expansiveness of drag was inspiring. I discovered it’s not just one thing; one performance style; one aesthetic. I realized drag could be the container for a lot of other skills I already had and some I would develop in the near future.

Opening night of Flyin’ Solo! marked my official drag debut (I had played a couple of drag musical theatre roles before, but I don’t count those). I ended up winning Fan Favourite at the Fundy Fringe Festival (2021) and took the show on a Maritime tour the next year.

Marie Forleo, a thought-leader in creative entrepreneurship, says “insight comes from action, not thought”, and that’s what I did here. I didn’t wait for permission or an invite. I just made sh!t happen, and that’s been my M.O. ever since.

How do you handle challenges or unexpected issues that arise during a performance or the creative process?

Those are two very different answers for me.

1. During a performance? I LIVE for that. It’s what I love about theatre vs. film. Not that I intentionally create mishaps (unless it’s a planned comedic bit), but my experience in various performance settings has given me lightning reflexes, but a relaxed energy at the same time. When a ball drops, I never panic—like one time in the Capitol Theatre’s 2018 production of Mary Poppins: I collected plastic balls that were falling from a set piece, and stored them in my clown-like pants so my castmates wouldn’t trip during the hectic choreography of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

2. During the creative process? I just shout “PLOT TWIIIIIST!” into the abyss. No, but I do call upon the principles of improv. When deadlines are involved, there’s no time to stew on problems. So, I keep moving some way, somehow. If the show CAN go on, I find a way to make it happen, as close to my original vision as possible.

What has been your biggest success and/or biggest mistake in your journey as an artist, and how did you grow or learn from that?

The only thing I might consider a ‘big mistake’ is not choosing a creative career sooner. As I transitioned to adulthood, I didn’t really have anyone encouraging me to pursue what was considered a risky path. I knew deep down that it’s what I wanted to be doing, but I needed guidance and permission. And it took two waves of limiting belief deconstruction to get to my current mentality. First, I took a leap and found work as a performer. Then, years later, I took that confidence a step further and decided I could CREATE my own opportunities, and I could design my own career.

I’m proud of building a sustainable creative business from the ground up. It’s something I share with young folks considering creative careers now. I let them know that it’s totally possible, and contrary to what other adults may say, you don’t have to just keep your passion as a hobby.

How has living and working in New Brunswick helped and/or inspired you on your journey?

Being in a smaller area in terms of population and opportunities has certainly been a challenge. But invention is the mother of necessity, and honey, she’s been mothering. There’s a certain attitude and work ethic you develop (or are born with) that’s required for carving out an arts career in New Brunswick. You have to be creative about being creative. And that resilience is something that will serve you in multiple areas of life.

The silver lining of small communities is that getting connected is a bit easier than in metropolitan regions, which are absolutely flooded with people all vying for the same space. It always helps to lean into your individualism, so you’re able to stand out and be chosen for the opportunities that aren’t suited for just anyone.

One unique thing about the New Brunswick arts community is that it permeates art form divisions. I have friends in all disciplines, because there aren’t enough of any one type of artist to fill its own community (plus I think diversity of influence is vital anyway).

How do you see your work contributing to New Brunswick’s cultural landscape?

I offer a unique brand of performance that tends to reach audiences you might not expect for the labels I wear, like drag artist, musical theatre actor, etc. My audiences span a wide range of ages and backgrounds. It’s not something I originally set out to accomplish, but the type of art and entertainment I offer casts a wide net because of its hybrid nature. Some people come for the comedy; some for the music; some for the drag, etc. I just did a show in Halifax, where I’m not that known yet, and it was interesting to me that I drew in a similar audience as I do here in Greater Moncton. Watching a 75-year-old man and his wife participate in Mrs. Claus’ twerking tutorial was a hoot, to say the least. Warmed my heart.

When people let their guards down and open themselves to a bit of harmless fun and connection, it’s a powerful thing. One of my biggest goals in life is to show people that we have more in common than we think. My motto is ‘art is the universal language’.

How has your journey as an artist evolved over time? Were there key moments or experiences that shaped how you work and create today? 

In 2022, I took the CATAPULT Arts Accelerator program with ArtsLink NB, which was toward the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey as an artist. The components on brand, identity, value proposition, and art writing (describing your work) were totally transformational for me. It helped fuse my incubating business sense with my (also incubating) creative sense. I finished that 8-week intensive program with the confidence I needed to move forward with gusto. While the program is moreso geared toward visual artists, it’s still a really solid stepping stone for any creative who wants to galvanize their art business for success.

Also, having my debut music single be covered on the national news was a really cool surprise. I released “Rainbow” in 2023 as another way to uplift people, and Global News picked it up. You can watch the segment on my website under Press.

Describe what you are most proud of in your career.

That is still yet to come, but I think finding my voice is a big one—figuring out what I wanted to say, and how. I never really identified with the term ‘artist’ before that. Actor, singer, performer, entertainer? Sure. But I truly feel like I am in control of what comes out of me now. When I play characters that are not my own, the artistry is the ‘chameleonism’ I enter. That’s something else I’m proud of – the range of roles I play on and off stage. I started 2025 playing a strange little boy in The Addams Family, and I’m ending the year as Mrs. Claus. And I guess CJ is somewhere in the middle!

What would your dream project look like?

I want to direct a stadium tour for a pop act. Someone with dramatic costumes, sets, and choreography. I think my interests and experience will lead me there. Sadly, I think Ariana is going to stay in the musical theatre world for a while after Wicked, which is both exciting and saddening. 2030 comeback tour? Let’s femmifest (it’s like manifesting, but without the patriarchy).

What advice would you give to an emerging theatre artist, or to someone interested in the performing arts?

Play! Try all the things! See all the things! Soak up creativity in all its varieties. If you only open one door in an entire house, you’ll never know which room is your favourite. And don’t be afraid to knock down a few walls and create a bigger room with corners for different types of creativity. And an epic mixer in the middle.