Well-traveled actor and family find a nice place to live in Pleasant ...

You might say that Birmingham actor, director, teacher and choreographer Carl Dean has been a traveling man.

"I grew up an army brat and never had a hometown," Dean said.

He lived in five places growing up, including such diverse locales as Alaska, New York City and Ozark, Ala., where he played the lead in the stage musical "Singin' in the Rain" as a senior in high school in the 1990s.

And after earning a degree in theatre from the University of Montevallo, Dean returned to New York, working as an actor for 3 years.

"People ask where I'm from, I would say, 'I'm a mutt. I'm from everywhere,'" Dean said.

Perhaps it's no surprise that Dean ended up making his theatrical home, at least for now, in the Magic City.

Dean, who has made a living in the theater for about 15 years, has worked at almost every venue in Birmingham.

Maybe it's more of a surprise that this young man of the theatre lives not in a downtown loft or groovy Southside apartment but in the calm, family-friendly West Jefferson community of Pleasant Grove.

Dean has lived there for about 7 years with his wife, Rachel, an Oneonta native, and their kids, Caroline, age 10, and son Ryder, age 8.

The Deans have been married 11 years.

"You can go to the store and people know you... people know your name, and I didn't grow up with that moving around from town to town and duty station to duty station," said Dean about Pleasant Grove.

This was not part of the plan for Dean when he came back to Birmingham after working in New York.

"I came to Southside for a pit stop thinking I would save some money and move to the West Coast," said Dean, whose family has roots in California going back several generations.

However, Dean said that he started producing shows in Birmingham and traveling for other gigs from here.

And then he met Rachel.

"That's when I met my wife and decided that Birmingham is OK, that I can make a life here," Dean said.

The Deans found a nice house in Pleasant Grove when Rachel taught English at Pleasant Grove High School for a year.

"When my wife and I moved to Pleasant Grove, it was a nice oasis from the city," according to Dean. "It took me a while to get used to it. It's all so slow. But now I enjoy it. I get to dance and perform and teach kids to do those things, but I can come home and relax in a saner world than if I were in Greenwich Village in New York City hearing taxis and sirens."

There are plenty of advantages to small-town life, Dean said.

His kids are getting a good education at Pleasant Grove Elementary, according to Dean.

Dean has been a Cub Scout den leader for son Ryder the last two years and also rides motorbikes and goes to the shooting range with him.

Rachel, who played basketball in high school and college, coaches Upward Bound basketball for young kids at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

And best of all, Dean is close to Birmingham, where he is still very busy in the theatre, including a teaching position at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Ensley.

"Holy Family is only 15 minutes away and I am still close to downtown, and... I can come home and it's peaceful and quiet," Dean said.

Dean will be taking part in four large theatrical productions between June and December, including a staging of the popular Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun" at Virginia Samford Theatre from June 20-July 7. ?Dean will serve as choreographer.

"Every one of those shows will be an entirely new adventure with entirely new people," Dean said. "It's better than any drug invented. When you finally get to opening night and feel it with the audience. It's also thrilling as an actor, to be on stage and look them in the eyes and make them laugh or cry or feel something. But it's something to be out there with them as a director. You're always one step ahead. "OK, here comes that joke. I hope they like it.'"

Dean has been a popular actor around town but says he's less interested these days in being on stage himself. "I've come to enjoy directing and choreography the last 10 years more than performing," he said.

Dean recognizes the often devilish challenges of directing. "The responsibility as a director is sharpening the entire picture," he said. "It's not being just one piece of the puzzle as when you are an actor. The whole show is on your back sink or swim. You surround yourself with talented people, and then the show opens and it's terrifyingly out of your hands. I've been very lucky to work with some incredible people who have made him look good. It's always an adventure."

Dean is grateful to make a living in a place that isn't known as a theatrical or showbiz Mecca.

"I am blessed to be able to live in Alabama and make a living in theatre," Dean said. "I am so lucky to be able to do that here."

His directing and choreography credits include productions of "Hedwig & the Angry Inch," "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," "Pippin" and "West Side Story."

He is also the owner of Tigerfish Productions, which does acting classes and helps actors get parts.

Dean also recognizes that he makes a living doing something that kids do for free. "I'm almost 40 years old, and people pay me money to do something called a play," he said. "It's fun when your five years and old, and it's fun when you're 40. And I get to get up every day and do that with young people and put on shows for the community and allow other actors to perform."

Dean, who has been dancing and performing since he was in the sixth grade, believes in the power of theatre and enjoys sharing some of its lessons with his students.

"The performing arts are constantly awakening your senses," Dean said. "In the world we live in now, it's great to use your imagination and bring some joy into the world. For generations artists were celebrated for what they bring to the culture. Now people are famous for being famous. That's not what real acting is. It's a true expression from the heart. That's why I enjoy working with young people so much as I get older because I can share that experience with them and see that little spark."

Many of Dean's former students are making their names in the business.

Dominique Johnson -- whom Dean worked with through Magic City Actors Theatre, which Dean co-founded with Leah Faulkner -- has the leading role of a hit musical in Broadway, "Bring It On: The Musical."

Dean was in the audience for the first Broadway preview performance of the show. "When I watched (Johnson) take his curtain call, it was the most electrifying thing. It was like watching my own kid."

Jordan Fisher starred in MCAT's production of "Fame: the Musical," which Dean directed. Now he has a part on the ABC-TV series, "Secret Life of the American Teenager," Dean said.

Dean worked with Morgan Smith as a dancer for Southern Living @ Home national conventions; now she is starring in a Wendy's hamburger commercial.?

And most recently, Sarah Simmons -- whom Dean worked with at Mountain Brook High School -- has appeared on NBC-TV's musical competition, "The Voice."

And another Dean is getting into the act, his daughter, Caroline, who has begun taking dance classes at Birmingham Ballet, where Dean also works. "We've been able to perform in several ballets, most recently Peter Pan," he said. "I was Captain Hook, and she was a little fairy."

Dean seems so ?satisfied with his life and work, a reporter asked him if the Army brat is actually putting down roots in Birmingham and Pleasant Grove.

"Well, I guess that's the other thing about being an Army brat," Dean said. "I love my roots, and I'm really happy in Pleasant Grove, and I love where my kids are right now. But I don't think I'm done at 40 growing or changing or evolving. I'm very settled for now, very happy now, but I can't say it's the end of the journey for me or my family. You don't know where the tides going to take you or what opportunity may present itself. Being Army brat makes it worse. Every 4 to 5 years you think you should be moving somewhere else. It's hard to shake that.

Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/03/well-traveled_actor_and_family.html

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