CAPA Marquee Awards
From the wings of Pickerington North’s performance of Shrek during the fall of his freshman year, Nash Bright listened to the music, singing and laughter of the cast and longed to be a part of it. Naturally shy, Bright joined the production as a member of the backstage crew, but deep down, he knew he was meant to be on stage.
@audsomepics
Taking the first step
After spending so much time on the set, he eventually memorized the ensemble vocals and would sing along backstage. When a sophomore complimented his voice and encouraged him to audition for the spring show, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, he decided to give it a try.
“I was terrified (to audition), but I knew in the back of my head (that) I had people who wanted me to succeed and wanted this for me,” Bright says.
Since then, Bright’s acting credits include roles in a long list of shows, such as Herbie in Gypsy!, Lendall in Almost, Maine, Tommy Ross in Carrie: The Musical and more. One of his favorite experiences thus far was playing Dick in 9 to 5 during his junior year, because it was the first show he got to do with his best friend, James.
In addition, Bright served as the student director during his sophomore year and stepped into the role of president of the theater department for his senior year.
“Looking back at the beginning of my freshman year to now, it’s like night and day,” Bright says. “(Joining theater and my directors) really helped me become the person I always was. I was just afraid to share that.”
@audsomepics, Pickerington Community Theatre, Holly Bright-Clark, Pickerington Online
In the spotlight
CAPA Marquee Awards
Bright at the CAPA Marquee Awards
Bright is no stranger to the arts. He enjoys reading, writing and drawing, but he says theater allowed him to become a more confident version of himself.
“Theater gives you a world (where you can) play around with who you want to be,” Bright says. “When I joined theater, it was a way of expressing (my) feelings through art.”
Now, he is not only performing in his school’s productions, but he has also landed multiple roles at the Pickerington Community Theatre. Along with this, Bright says his greatest accomplishment so far was being nominated his sophomore and junior years to perform at the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) Marquee Awards – an awards program that recognizes local high school theater students across central Ohio and gives them a chance to perform on the Ohio Theatre stage.
“It’s a lot of kids who all love theater and the arts as much as I do, and to be able to perform a medley of songs in the opening and closing number, on the Ohio Theatre stage, with a fully sold-out audience, was an experience like no other,” Bright says.
The next act
The final two shows of Bright’s high school career will be Twelve Angry Jurors and Cinderella. In the spring, he plans to audition for the role of Prince Charming. He also hopes to be nominated as a semi-finalist for this year’s Marquee Awards.
After graduation, he plans to pursue theater at the college level. His dream program is at Ohio Northern University, but he says that as long as he is involved in theater in some capacity during undergrad, he will be happy.
Ellie Keehn is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
