Meet Gary Muse

While many people in Evergreen may not know Gary Muse, they are familiar with many of the characters he has played. Maybe they know him as the Baker from “Into the Woods,” or as King Sextimus the Silent in “Once Upon a Mattress.” But one look at his bright and smiling face, it’s easy to see that there’s much more to Gary than his memorable characters.

Gary was born and raised in Texas. At 15, he and his family moved to California where he attended high school in Orange County. Gary first arrived in Colorado for college at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. Pursuing his passion for music and theater, he obtained a degree in Music Education with an emphasis in voice and keyboard.

After college, Gary didn’t immediately start a career in music. After school, he spend a year working for Youth for Christ in Denver before continuing the job in Indiana. There, he eventually became an EMT. After working at a LaGrange County jail, Gary says, “I discovered that I had an aptitude for police work.”

In 1998, Gary returned to Colorado, moving to Conifer, where he worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. He ended up spending a lot of time in the Evergreen/Conifer area and loved every minute of it. “I loved working in the mountains,” he says. “I always chose an assignment up here when I had the choice.” Through the sheriff’s department, Gary worked as the supervisor of the School Resource Officer Unit, assigned to the schools in unincorporated Jefferson County. Though he retired from his Jefferson County job in 2007, he knew long before he left that he wanted to continue working at the mountain-area schools.

This past year, Gary taught upper elementary music at the Montessori School of Evergreen and drama at Front Range Christian School. When Gary isn’t teaching music, he’s making it. He joined the Evergreen Chorale in 2003 and was already stealing the spotlight in his first Chorale musical, “Oklahoma!” in 2005. He has starred in multiple shows and performed in choir concerts with the Evergreen Chorale, as well as a few musicals with the Evergreen Players. Gary has also been involved with the West Bowles Church music program, appearing in 14 of their musical productions and co-writing scripts for their annual “Colorado Christmas.”

When he’s not performing on stage or teaching his students, Gary is an active member of the Evergreen Rotary Club and says that he considers himself an amateur genealogist. He has spent many hours scouring the libraries, courthouses, and even cemeteries to locate hundreds of relatives. “I have even scheduled vacations just to travel to places where I wanted to do research,” he says.

Going from EMT to music teacher, Gary is man who’s full of surprises. With his wide array of hobbies and experiences, there’s no knowing what he’ll do next. But for now, he’s sticking with his passion for performance. So keep an eye out for Gary Muse at a school near you or in his future roles at Center Stage. He’s sure to catch your attention.