Keith Caldwell is one of those super talented guys who grace the stages of the world from New York City to the gold coast of California.
Keith graduated from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama with a double major in theatre and music in 1979. Having sung in church since he was a child, Keith put himself through school, partially through being Minister of Music at Hephzabuh Baptist Church in Troy, Alabama.
From 1997 through 1999, Keith was leader of the praise and worship team at Christian Life Center in Houston, Texas, where he wrote an Easter musical with Clay Howell. Keith and Clay had already worked together writing secular music and performing together since 1993.
In 2002, Keith completed his Masters of Fine Arts in Acting at University of Houston, and continued his graduate studies with a voice scholarship working towards his Masters in Music with the Moore School of Music.
Keith began his musical theatre career in New York City in the musical "Trixie True, Teen Detective" at the Lucille Lortell Theatre DeLys in 1980. In Atlantic City 1981, he was the front man (lead singer/dancer) in Roger Minami's award winning. For 10 years Keith was the most popular male cabaret singer in New York City, performing in such clubs as The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama, The Eighty-Eight's, Paulsen's, and The Paper Moon.
After moving to Houston, he taught a class on the Art of Cabaret at The University of Houston, and is also a Professor at Sam Houston State University with the Department of Theatre & Dance, and at Houston Community College Central Campus with the Music Department.
Keith appeared in The Alley Theatre University of Houston’s co-production of The Diary of Anne Frank and at Stages Repertory Theatre's production of Sondheim’s Side By Side. Keith has also been seen at Theatre New West - Fairy Tales; Galveston’s 1894 Opera House – In
Gay Company; the lead in the Houston Childrens' Theatre Festival 2000 productions of The Ugly Duckling and Jerry Bock's The Magic Journey. Commercials include Domino Pizza, GTE and his Print work includes Lowenbrau, Navy, The Armed Reserves, and The Hardy Boy Mystery Books.
Keith has an MFA in acting from the University of Houston and is currently working on his MA with the Moore School of Music at the University of Houston, where he debuted as the Impressario in Mozart’s Impressario, Impressario!, and most recently played the role of Samiel (the Devil) in their production of Der Freishütz.
Keith is also continuing his studies in Stage Combat, and holds Actor/Combatant status with the Society of American Fight Directors with proficiency in Single Sword, Unarmed fighting, Broad Sword, Rapier & Dagger, and Quarterstaff.
In December 2003 and December 2004, Keith appeared at the Hobby Center in Houston, TX in workshop productions of the musicals The Life of Pi, and Time Remembered, both produced by famous Broadway producer Stuart Ostrow (producer of the original Broadway productions of Chicago, 1776, Pippin, M Butterfly to name a few). Keith was thrilled to make his debut as Jamie at Theatre LaB Houston in their production of the two person show, The Last Five Years, and then made his debut at the Ensemble Theatre in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and in a production of Man of La Mancha in Galveston at the East End Theatre as the lead, Don Quixote. In May of 2005, Keith performed his solo cabaret act at Ovations.
Keith was accompanied by his voice teacher Ann Gilbert Ostrow, famous jazz singer and recording artist of the 50's and 60's who also happens to be the wife of Stuart Ostrow, the Broadway producer. In 2006 Keith appeared in the Theatre Under The Stars production of Beauty and the Beast in the Hobby Center. In February 2007, Keith performed in the Houston premiere of A Tale of The Talmud at the Jewish Community Center.
In January 2007, Keith and his writing friend, Clay Howell, began working on a album to include most of the songs in the Easter musical they had written together in 1998 and submitted 12 songs including 6 from the musical for consideration to Tommy Smith, Country Gospel recording artist and promoter/producer.
Keith and Clay started writing together again in September 2007 and submitted 12 more songs to Tommy Smith for consideration for the album project. Six of the songs on the CD are ones that were written just prior to the album release. Oddly, the Easter songs have been put on hold to create an album for the musical itself, hopefully, to be finished late 2008.
Keith just finished recording his debut Gospel album entitled, A God of Second Chances in Dallas on Monday, November 26th and expects the album to be released at the beginning of 2008. His first single from this album, "If Christ Was Never Born," has already hit the radio waves and has been submitted to over 500 radio stations nation wide.
Keith sings in various churches in the Houston area as guest soloist each Sunday. He is also currently performing a concert tour to promote A God of Second Chances, which has already taken him to Branson, MO in December 2007 and a Carnival Cruise in January 2008 with Gospel recording artist Gary R. Smith and Clayton B. Howell. Keith and his co-writer, Clay Howell, are also at work on a second KCCH Music CD production scheduled to be released later this year.
