This past summer, when 16 year old Archbishop Carrol High School student Austy Hicks won The Vocalist contest at The Media Theatre, he made the comment that—when it comes to performing—“If you love it, you have to do it. Share your gift.” Little did Hicks know at the time that his goal of pursuing a professional career would begin to take shape at such a rapid pace.
The talented Wayne resident has been cast in the memorable role of Benjamin, the youngest brother, in The Media Theatre’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. He shares the stage with Emmy nominated actor Kyle Lowder, who worked for a decade in principle roles on both “Bold and the Beautiful” and “Days of Our Lives”. Lowder is an accomplished stage performer, having recently finished a run of the hit musical “Rock of Ages” in Las Vegas.
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“I’m honored to be working with such a great role model,” Hicks said of Lowder. “This is very exciting and allows me to continue being educated while I’m performing, before I have even started college. It’s a great privilege.”
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The musical, as well as other Broadway Series productions at The Media Theatre, is produced by Media Music Theatre Company, a non-profit organization housed at the venue. Its Artistic Director, Jesse Cline, is proud of the work being done by the company for youth with a passion for theatre.
“Austy is one of the youngest actors we have ever had on the stage in a principle role,” Cline explained. “His talent was evident during The Vocalist competition and it is a part of our mission to educate those who have a desire to pursue a professional career on the stage. He represents, along with the youth choir in the production, our commitment to who they are and to whom they hope to become.”
The same could be said of the musical itself, as the show is focused on Joseph dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up, moving forward to face his adversaries, and eventually finding peace within. It’s all done with a memorable score which features various genres of music and plenty of humor and energetic choreography, which Hicks is a part of along with the other brothers in the cast.
One of the most popular songs from the show, “Any Dream Will Do”, certainly applies to Austy Hicks’ aspiration of continuing his music theatre education and achieving his goal of having a professional career on the stage.
For tickets to “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at The Media Theatre, call 610-891-0100. All evening performances are at 7pm. The show has more weekday matinees during holiday weeks than is the norm for the theatre. The entire schedule is on the website,mediatheatre.org.
