Peter Riga

Biography

Date of Birth 13 November 1961, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA Birth Name Peter Riga Jr. Mini Biography Born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1961. By the age of 5 was appearing in local plays on and off until the age of 15. 6 years later, on a dare from friends, he auditioned and won an appearance at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City as part of a showcase of amateur singing talent. Shortly thereafter, while accompanying a friend to a local theater audition, he was cast in a production of "No, No, Nanette" and began several years in local theater productions of "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers", "The Good Earth", "Rags" and numerous other shows. During this time, he was cast in several Off-Broadway Productions and commercials, and began to study acting, musical theater, and voice. In 1990 he relocated to the West Coast and began to pursue a career as a performer. Over the next 2 years he landed bit parts and appeared as an extra in several dozen television shows and motion pictures, including For the Boys (1991), Ricochet (1991), Man Trouble (1992), "Designing Women", "Doogie Howser, M.D.", and "In Living Color", while continuing his voice and musical theater training. Returning to New Jersey in 1992, he began producing, directing, and appearing in local theater productions and singing in cabarets and bistros around New York. He spent the next 5 years singing in New York at popular venues such as The 5 Oaks, Rose's Turn, The Duplex, Eighty Eight's and several other clubs, and appeared in his own one-man cabaret show "I'm Beginning to See the Light", which premiered at Danny's Skylight Room in November, 1996 to excellent reviews. He again resurrected the show a few months later for several performances at Rose's Turn. In late 1997 an auto accident put a halt to the new one-man cabaret act he was developing and to his other activities. He has intermittently continued to direct, produce (for which he has been nominated and won several NJ theater awards), and perform as a singer/actor at benefits and special events. Peter continues to work on individual theatrical, film, and television projects in New York and the surrounding area.