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Tierre Diaz, right, appears on “Dexter.” SUBMITTED PHOTO

Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Having lasted since 2018 without a day job, Worcester actor and musician Tierre Diaz is no rookie when it comes to being on screen. He’s played lead and featured roles in People’s Choice Award nominee “The Purge: Election Year,” the

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dramatic film “Bike Thief,” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” a biopic about the life of Whitney Houston, which was partially shot in Worcester and is expected out in 2022.

Earlier this year, Diaz received the surprise of his life when he found out he’d been cast in season 9 of “Dexter: New Blood.” A longtime fan of “Dexter,” Diaz said, “it was a dream come true” being assigned to play the role of Zach’s friend, an Iron Lake wrestler whose character name is yet to be revealed at the time of this writing.

“’Dexter’ is and has been one of my favorite shows of all time, but the show ended 8 years ago and that was way before I began my acting career,” Diaz said. “As a fan, there was no sense of me thinking I’d ever be on the show. Then I think it was around early 2020 when I found an announcement that the show was returning and I was so excited. Then a couple weeks went by and more information about the show came out and I found out it was being filmed in Massachusetts … and I was like ‘Woah, I need to be on this show.’”

Landing his role in the new series was an arduous task. By the time he found casting agents to submit his portfolio to, most characters had already been booked as filming locations were being announced.

“When there’s already filming dates confirmed, that means the majority of the casting has already happened. So I went all out. I reached out to any type of source, found out who was casting, I sent my headshots, my availability, my acting reels, and I went all out,” Diaz said. “I put in action to try and make it happen, and more importantly, I put my energy towards it. I made the conscious decision to channel my energy that I’m already on the show. So I wrote it down in my journal. I’m big on manifestation and journaling and I just knew I was going to get on. I found out in late February that I’d been cast.”

On top of hustling last-minute to distribute his acting portfolio, Diaz had done enough research to know the “Dexter” role was being listed under a code name — a common tactic in high-profile filming.

“I booked the role without even knowing it was ‘Dexter.’ It was under the code name ‘Marble.’ And at that point I said ‘yes’ to the role because of the amount of dates on it and I knew how good of a paycheck that was, and that whatever the project was I wanted in. When I called my girlfriend to tell her I booked the role (on) ‘Marble,’ we did some research and found out it was for ‘Dexter.’”

The first scene Diaz appears front and center aired Nov. 14 in episode 2 “Storm of (Expletive)” when Zach and his friends show up to Dexter’s cabin, which had become home base in a missing person search. Diaz is seen wearing a forest green and gold Iron Lake letterman jacket as he and the

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Natalie Holt MacDonald clearly has a glowing endorsement for playing the title character in the national touring production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical.” She’s not a misfit in the role, as MacDonald is on her fourth year in the national tour as Rudolph, and she also played the part at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 2019. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” will be at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Worcester for a performance at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Children can usually be relied upon to give the show a ringing endorsement as well. “Children — they love, it they adore it,” MacDonald said. “There always oos and aas in all the right places. Sometimes getting up and dancing to the music. So it’s really special.” Following six years (and more than 600 performances) altogether, with a year off last year due to the pandemic, the national touring production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” from California is back on the road for November and December traveling coast-tocoast and down to Florida. The show is based on the 1964 NBC Christmas stop motion animated television special “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” that has gone on to be broadcast annually. Among the hits are the title song and “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” The TV cast included the voices of Burl Ives and Billie Richards. Because of his shiny nose, Rudolph doesn’t feel like he belongs in Christmastown and sets off to find a place that accepts him. Along his journey, he encounters fellow misfits, only to realize that home is where he has belonged the whole time. When a storm threatens to keep Santa’s sleigh from taking flight, what makes Rudolph different turns out to be what helps him save Christmas. “It’s very true to the TV special,” MacDonald said of the stage musical during a recent Zoom interview. She watched the TV special many times herself growing up. But the touring show also has some some additional choreography elements and “a couple of surprises in there,” MacDonald said. The show’s characters include Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice the female doe, Yukon Cornelius, and Rudolph. “There are a few challenges,” MacDonald said of playing the roles on stage. These include “trying to stay true to the voices” in the televi-

When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 Where: The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester How much: Tickets are $29, $39, $49 and $59 depending on seat location. (877) 5717469; www.thehanovertheatre.org. Complete details about The Hanover Theatre’s safety protocols are at https://the hanovertheatre.org/safety protocols “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” will be performed at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

PHOTO COURTESY TIMOTHY NORRIS

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