Joey Landwehr is a sensitive, talented, inspiring transplant from St. Louis, Mo., who now happily calls San Diego home. A card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Actor’s Equity Association, Landwehr is investing most of his time as artistic director of J*Company Youth Theatre, where he’s directing Yours, Anne, a musical drama based on Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and the play by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett.

I recently spoke to Joey about life in the fast theatrical lane as he ran between a tight rehearsal schedule and his administrative duties.

Gay & Lesbian Times: How did a nice quiet boy from Missouri find his way to the up-tempo pace of San Diego?

Joey Landwehr: I’ll soon be marking my four-year anniversary [living in San Diego] in January of 2007. I left St. Louis right after high school and attended grad school in Columbus, Ohio [Ohio State University], where I received an M.A. in fine arts. After obtaining my degree, I went directly to New York. After a few years pounding the streets of ol’ Broadway, I followed my partner, Kye, to San Diego.

GLT: How long did you seek fame and fortune in the Big Apple?

JL: I worked there for about seven years and had many experiences that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

GLT: Did you actually work on a Broadway stage?

JL: Yes. I worked in a show called The Secret Garden on Broadway and toured with the show for nine months in their national production.

GLT: After your studies at Ohio State, did you continue your studies in New York City?

JL: I studied with [actress] Betty Buckley after I passed her audition process.

GLT: Buckley is known in the business to have a certain reputation. How was your experience with her?

JL: When I was auditioning for her, I had heard these same stories about what a tyrannical diva she could be, but I found none of that to be the case. It was, without any doubt or hesitation, the best learning experience of my life. We got along so famously that I was asked to be her liaison with the Gay Men’s Chorus for one of her concerts at Carnegie Hall.

GLT: It seems you were making headway as an actor in New York. What circumstances paved the way to your exit from the city?

JL: After 9/11 happened, I rethought my priorities in life and made a decision to follow my partner, Kye, to San Diego, where he was attending medical school at UCSD. We were actually able to purchase a home in North Park that sits on a canyon, something that was not possible in New York.

GLT: When you arrived on San Diego soil, did you land with a secure job or simply possibilities of employment?

JL: I didn’t have a job when I came to San Diego and knew the acting/directing prospects would be limited. I connected with the San Diego [Performing] Arts League with a temp job that led into a full-time position that I enjoyed for about three years.

GLT: You seem to enjoy giving to the theater community. One of your charitable efforts to assist nonprofit organizations was the Arts Tix calendar for 2006, which was a lovely success. You also sit on various boards such as the Performing Arts League.

JL: I am delighted to be in a position to lend a helping hand for the arts in any way I can. My problem is that I have difficulty saying no to any worthy project, even though I have limited time now as artistic director of the J*Company Youth Center [San Diego Center for Jewish Culture].

GLT: You’re not Jewish and you’re gay; how did you land this job at a Jewish community center?

JL: I applied and got the job to direct one of the shows for J*Company, and while I was working that show a vacancy was created. I applied for the position and got it. It’s a dream job, but I’m working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life. I never seem to get a day off, but I love what I do.

GLT: I assume from that comment that your job encompasses more than just directorial duties?

JL: Yes. I’m responsible for the curriculum, hiring of teachers, working closely with the managing director [budget], PR and even decisions about the color of curtains.

GLT: This is your third show for J*Company. Tell us about your experience as a director working with young actors.

JL: It’s been fabulous. The first production for J*Company was Rumpelstiltskin Is My Name. The lyrics for this show were penned by one of San Diego’s gay musical icons, Ole Kittleson.

GLT: And then I hear you had a small cast for your next project, Oliver.

JL: I was quite brave in casting 76 children in Oliver. I could have cast less, but it ended up being a wonderful experience for me as a director and provided opportunities for lots of children to experience the thrill of being on stage as an actor.

GLT: Your current production is not a musical with a happy ending. Care to comment about the experience?

JL: I was initially concerned that Yours, Anne was too deep for the young actors, but in the end it’s about educating them about life and presenting a story about hope. I actually had an experience in my youth where one of my teachers told us that the Holocaust never existed. Later, after I was educated properly about this horrible systemic, bureaucratic and state-sponsored campaign of persecution and murder, I sobbed. And after my sobbing, I wrote a scathing letter to that unfortunate teacher.

GLT: As a learning experience, I understand that you’ve given each cast member a diary and asked them to record their experience and thoughts throughout the rehearsal and performance period.

JL: I’ve kept a diary for most of my life, and I thought the experience of keeping a diary would allow these young actors to connect to the story of Anne Frank. It allows them an opportunity to connect with themselves as well. Along these same lines, we’ve invited Edith Eger, a Holocaust survivor, to speak to the kids. She shares her incredible experience of actually being rescued from a mass grave because someone recognized her hand moving in the darkness. She, like so many others who have experiences of the Holocaust, remains a beacon of hope for the world.

Yours, Anne runs Dec. 1-10. For tickets, call (858) 362-1348 or log on to www.lfjcc.org/jcompany.