Dirk's first part in a production at a bigger theatre was the role of the bartender and prisoner Pudritzky in Der Hauptmann von Köpenick at the Saarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken.

In New York he also studied acting with Bernice Loren in her "Expressions" Theater School and with Bennes Mardenn, who himself was trained be the famous Group Theatre.

In 1999 he won 2nd prize at the Lotte Lenya Competition for Singers in the United States and became known as an excellent Kurt Weill interpreter (Three Penny Opera, Johnny Johnson, Wall to Wall Marathon Kurt Weill at Symphony Space New York) and was a member of the Kabarett Kollektif which won the 2006 Nightlife Award for Most Unique Cabaret Performance.

His teachers include Judy Ann Bassing, Walter Nicks, Noelle Turner, Bennes Mardenn, Bernice Loren, Cornelius Reid, Ira Siff, and Ted Puffer.

He played among many other roles Macheath in the Three Penny Opera, Psychiatrist in Johnny Johnson, Danilo in The Merry Widow, Schaunard in La Bohème, Papageno in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts The Magic Flute, Dutch Schultz in theUS Concert Premier of Eric Salzmann's The True Last Words Of Dutch Schultz, als Understudy Dr. Dillamonth and The Wizard of Oz in Wicked, as Understudy Joey and Monsignore O'Hare in Sister Act, King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar.