Senior Spotlight: An Athlete’s Approach to Acting and Singing

Athlete, singer, actor, demon barber. These are all words that can be used to describer Austin Ryan, an eighteen-year-old at Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School with lots of passion and big dreams.

Ryan comes from a rich tradition of family members who love the arts, particularly Broadway shows and musicals. Austin explains, "I was brought up very old fashioned. I was raised by my parents, but also by my grandparents. As early as I can remember I heard the music from great Broadway shows like The Phantom of The Opera, Les Miserables and 42nd Street.”

Even his first real step into the world of theater was through a musical. “My first performance was in 3rd grade in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel at a local theater,” said Ryan.

But, theater wasn’t his only interest growing up. “It's interesting, I played a lot of football, and I still consider myself an athlete,” he said. “In fact, I’m a huge fan of college football and my favorite professional team is the New York Jets. But as a player I had a few head injuries and I decided I had to choose, so now I'm focused on what I want to do most, which is act and sing.”

Ryan finds an interesting parallel between his football playing and performing. “I see a strong similarity between the time before a game and the time before a performance. Many actors I know are relaxing or listening to music before a performance, but I'm getting myself pumped up the same way I did before I went out on the football field."

Ryan said he has a diverse group of favorite entertainers and influences to draw upon when singing and acting. Classic rockers Meat Loaf and the Doors and their iconic singer Jim Morrison are his musical inspirations. Interestingly enough both groups are very theatrical in their music and its presentation.

Among many great film actors, Ryan said he likes Robert Downey, Jr. for his range and ability to express so much with a simple look, facial expression or by simply raising an eyebrow. When considering Broadway actors, Ryan definitely goes old school and said he admires the work of Tony Award Winner Robert Preston, star of numerous shows including The Music Man, I Do! I Do!, Mack and Mabel, Mame and the film Victoria, Victoria.   

Regarding his school and the theater program, Ryan speaks reverently about his director. “Suzanne Sweeney is an excellent director and teacher, and her directing style has created some of the best productions in the area,” he said. “Academically, I love history. It's an odd mix, but I really like medieval history, U.S. history, and I just read a book on the original Dracula by Elizabeth Kostova called The Historian which was great."

One of many accomplishments, last year Austin starred as Tevya in the RFH production The Fiddler on The Roof. His performance earned him the “Outstanding Lead Actor in a High School Musical” award at last year’s Basie Awards.

The Basie Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the productions of Monmouth County’s high school theater companies this year. The Basie Awards feature performances by the casts of the Best Musical Nominees, and celebrity presenters from across Monmouth County during a special evening at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. 

Looking forward, Ryan has applied to Emerson College in Boston, which has a great musical theater program. Second choices include New York University and Loyola. In the more immediate future, Ryan is in rehearsals for this year’s school play, . Ryan has the lead role and performances are March 18th, 19th and 20th.

Visit www.rfhrhs.org for show times and more information.

Jim Josselyn is a musician, composer and writer and is the director of the Academy of Music and Drama.