The cast of Shadowbox Live's current production of Rent consists entirely of the troupe's resident metaperformers - plus one: Nick Wilson!
Wilson, a seventeen year-old junior at Eastmoore Academy, will make his second appearance as a chorus member with Shadowbox Live musicals.
Wilson made his debut on the Shadowbox Live stage last fall, when the popular original musical Back to the Garden was revived. Through Shadowbox Live's community relations program, performance internships for local high school students were implemented giving the young actors, singers, and dancers an opportunity to hone their skills in a professional setting. From a mass audition four students were selected, and Wilson was one of them.
"When the opportunity for a performance internship for Back to the Garden came to my school," said Nick, "both my vocal and theatre director came to me and said, 'You have to do this!' I'm very glad they did!"
Based on his growth and success with Back to the Garden, Wilson was invited to audition for Rent, and was accepted as a member of the chorus. Shortly after rehearsals began Wilson was added to the Rent dance corp, a specialized team who perform the majority of choreography while still maintaining roles as regular chorus members.
The promotion to Rent dance corp led to significant responsibility for Wilson in his high school production of West Side Story. "I was already playing one of the Jets," said Nick. "After I was cast in the dance corp for Rent, I was made Dance Captain!"
"Nick began as a performance intern," said Stacie Boord, Community Relations Director for Shadowbox Live, "but through his hard work, he has earned the responsibility of a fully-fledged cast member." In addition to performing of Rent each Sunday from March 6 - April 17th, Wilson will also participate in the pre-show, gaining invaluable experience of what it means to truly be a metaperformer.
"Nick's talent and skill level made it obvious we could work him seamlessly into the show," said Shadowbox Live CEO and Executive Producer Stev Guyer. "We want to give him a professional theater experience."
As for Wilson, he has big plans for his future. Scheduled to graduate from Eastmoore Academy in 2012, he wants to attend college in New York and major in musical theatre. Before that, though, he plans on returning to Shadowbox Live for another internship in his senior year, which will focus dually on the administrative, and performance sides of being a professional metaperformer.
"After college, I want to be on Broadway," Nick says with determination. "All of this is preparation, and it makes me feel like I have potential."
"And," he adds a little sheepishly, "it makes me feel like there's something special about me."
Rent runs every Sunday at 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM through April 17, 2011. Tickets are $30 / $20 for students, seniors, and active military. For reservations contact the Shadowbox Box Office at 614-416-ROCK (7625) or go online to
www.shadowboxlive.org.
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