1975: Heads to Roanoke to perform in "The Lost Colony."

1978: Graduates from the N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

1980: Debuts on Broadway in Cy Coleman's "Barnum."

1982: Originates the role of Rum Tum Tugger in "Cats." The cast of feline characters in this long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber show includes Betty Buckley, Rob Marshall and Charlotte d'Amboise.

1984: Helps launch N.C. Theatre, starring as King Arthur in the inaugural production of "Camelot." He serves as the company's artistic director and oversees 25 musical productions.

1985: Appears in Richard Attenborough's film adaptation of "A Chorus Line" as assistant director Larry.

1986: Ventures into sci-fi/horror film as an intergalactic bounty hunter in "Critters." Three sequels will follow.

1987: Earns his first Tony nomination playing Javert in "Les Misérables." Robert Lindsay wins for "Me and My Girl."

1989: Replaces Jason Alexander in "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," which stars Tony nominee Charlotte d'Amboise.

1994: Stars opposite Susan Egan in "Beauty and the Beast," Disney's first Broadway musical. The Beast gets the girl but not the Tony; Mann loses to Boyd Gaines for "She Loves Me."

1996: Marries dancer-actress Charlotte d'Amboise.

2000: Named artistic director of "The Lost Colony." He will oversee the outdoor drama through 2004.

2001: Takes over the role of Frank 'N' Furter in "The Rocky Horror Show." Less than two weeks later, terrorists attack the World Trade Center.

2002: Performs in Cary for the inaugural Carolina Arts Festival, which he co-founded.

2003: Returns to "Les Miz" in the long-running musical's final stretch.

2006: Joins the faculty at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

2007: Returns to Raleigh to direct the student edition of "Les Misérables."