Travis was born and raised in San Jose, California and began acting at a young age through Children’s Musical Theater San Jose, as well as attending the performing arts magnet, Lincoln High School.  He received his BA in Music from Whitman College, and studied classical voice in Vienna, Austria.

Travis has performed with the Post Street Theatre in San Francisco (BUDDY! The Buddy Holly Story, for which he received a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Male Principal Performance), Marin Theatre Company (River’s End – World Premiere), American Musical Theatre San Jose (Tapestry- The Music of Carole King; The 3 Musketeers), Theatreworks (Dessa Rose, Emma), Theatre on San Pedro Square (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Forever Plaid), Pacific Repertory Theatre (A Streetcar Named Desire; Talking To Terrorists; My Way). 

Travis is also an active songwriter, with various CDs to his credit.  He has written songs ranging from musical theatre to pop to rock to Christmas music to children’s music.  Travis and his wife, Barbara, have recently completed their first self-titled children’s CD, “The 2 Tones.” Travis currently lives in New York City.

Travis Poelle: At A Glance

• Featured performer at Joe’s Pub in October, 2007, in a showcase for Broadway composer, Paul Gordon.

• A lead actor in the new musical, “Emma”, written by Paul Gordon. Travis performed in the 2006 staged reading and the highly successful initial full production in 2007, at TheatreWorks in Mountain View, where it broke all previous box office records and received critical acclaim.

• Lead singer in two Valentine’s Day Concerts in San Jose, California. In 2007, Travis performed with Lianne Marie Dobbs in a concert of Paul Gordon music. In 2006, produced a Valentine’s Day Concert featuring an assortment of romantic love songs, from ballads and swing to show tunes and classic rock.

• Headlined Carmel’s popular “Roots of Rock N’ Roll” tribute concert in Monterey County, portraying all three rock icons in one show; Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Paul McCartney.

• Performed as “Buddy Holly in the West Coast Premiere of “Buddy:  The Buddy Holly Story”, in San Francisco and in extended and repeat runs in San Jose and Carmel, California, over a period of  3 years.

• Awarded “Best Actor in a Musical, 2004” by San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for his performance as Buddy Holly in “The Buddy Holly Story”.

• Performed lead roles in two hit shows that had long, extended runs in a regional theatre in San Jose, lasting more than six months each; “I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change” and “Forever Plaid”.

• Travis performed with rock star, Greg Kihn, and Buddy’s Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, on the Classic Rock station, KFOX, in October, 2003.  Due to its popularity, the forty-five minute segment has been repeated six times on “The Best of Greg Kihn”.

• In 2004, Travis performed “America the Beautiful” at the California State Democratic Convention.

• The official Travis Poelle Fan Club currently has over 200 members. 

• In 2003, Monterey County fans wrote “We Love You Travis” in 6 foot-high seaweed letters on the famous sand dune billboard known as “Scribble Hill”. 

• Produced a holiday CD, Songs for the Season; several songs were played on San Jose commercial radio stations KRTY and KSJS in 2004.

• In 2005, Travis and his wife, Barbara Poelle, launched their new children’s CD, The 2 Tones, a compilation of all original music that they composed, arranged and performed together.

• Worked for the San Jose Jazz Society for three years, helping to coordinate the annual jazz festival and performing with local jazz musicians in their education outreach program.
  
  
• Graduated from Whitman College in Washington with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music.  Studied classical voice in Vienna, Austria.
  
  
• Attended Lincoln High School in San Jose, a local performing arts high school and, during high school and college; also performed lead roles for Children’s Musical Theater San Jose.