Video Exclusive: Micaela Diamond, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jessica Chastain, & More Reveal High School Roles

Ever wondered how your favorite Broadway stars really got their start on stage? They were high school theatre kids once, too! BroadwayWorld asked Micaela Diamond, Jessica Chastain, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Matthew Morrison, and more to reveal the roles they played in their high school productions. See what they had to say in the video here!

"I was meant to be Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie!, but then I got grounded," says Jesse Tyler Ferguson. "I was demoted to pit singer. My parents made me drop out."

Billy Eichner shared the stage with another future Broadway star: "I played Nathan Detriot in Guys and Dolls, and Telly Leung, Broadway's Telly, was Nicely Nicely Johnson in that production."

But not everyone landed the leading role. "I was such a terrible singer that I always got roles that nobody else wanted," Kelly Ripa revealed. "I think in Brigadoon my freshman year I actually played one of the shepherds. I played a boy's role because there weren't many boys." 

The deadline for BroadwayWorld's Next On Stage Season 5, Broadway's biggest national competition for high school and college students is this Tuesday, October 29, 2024, by 11:59 PM ET. Don't miss your chance to compete for a scholarship to AMDA, and more on stage at 54 Below this January!

Enter The Contest

For Season 5, we're inviting high school and college-aged students to enter by submitting videos of themselves performing a song from the musical theatre canon. Each week, contestents will be voted on by the general public and judged by our returning, all-star panel of judges, including: J. Elaine Marcos (Drag: The Musical), Lesli Margherita (Gypsy), Kyle Taylor Parker (Kinky Boots), Courtney Reed (Moulin Rouge!), Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls), and Michael James Scott (Aladdin). Ben Cameron will return as host.