Pulse: Character: James Sugg

Age: 41
Known best as: Regular Pig Iron actor, Barrymore Award winner, and recent recipient of New York’s coveted off-Broadway award, the Obie. Also, Philly’s most sought-after theatrical sound designer.
Why we’re paying attention now: Pig Iron’s Chekhov Lizardbrain—the show that led the New York Times to deem Sugg “amazing”—opens here on December 10th.
Born and raised in: Saudi Arabia. “My dad worked for TWA, but I moved back to the States as a teenager because there were no English-speaking high schools there.”
Why Philly: Cost of living. Sugg got a deal on a former funeral parlor and made it home. “You can actually afford to make things happen here. And the theater scene is strong, but not as saturated as New York.”
Next best thing to winning the Obie: Singing Queen at a karaoke bar with Neil Patrick Harris. “We went straight for the -glory … Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Next big project: Composing music for a Los Angeles magic show.