Whether prepping for a performance or directing from behind the scenes, senior musical theatre major Tommy Walker is up for the challenge. Walker first discovered his interest in musical theatre in the fourth grade and began with shows in high school.
“I was like, I have to do this,” Walker said. “Once I started there was really no turning back. It’s a great vehicle to harness the creativity you have building inside of you.”
Walker became very involved in his high school theatre department and developed his skills as a performer there as well as in the local community theatre. He was also introduced to directing during his junior year of high school. His theatre teacher at the time left unexpectedly, leaving Walker and a staff of performers with no director for their upcoming performance of “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Walker’s classmates elected him to take over the directing position, and thus, he made his directing debut.
“You have to be the battery and you have to keep the gears moving,” Walker said. “You have to build the characters and build the show. It’s a very creative process. That’s why I love directing.”
Walker said he never had any doubt that he wanted to continue with musical theatre as a degree and so he auditioned for a spot within the major’s program. Ten candidates are chosen each year to be accepted into the musical theatre major via an audition process which takes place at the beginning of the year.
“You have to audition to be able to major in musical theatre,” Walker said. “They only accept about 10 to 12 a year. You have to bring a monologue and you have to bring two songs.”
While prepping for his audition, Walker overheard another hopeful singing one of the same songs that he had come prepared with himself. He quickly switched the song with one of his back-ups that he had brought, but he did not feel as prepared with the replacement song.
“Out of the two songs, they picked which one they wanted you to come back and sing for real later in the audition process,” Walker said. “And which song did they pick? The one I didn’t rehearse, of course.”
Contrary to Walker’s doubt in song choice, the panel decided to make Walker one of a few musical theatre majors. He was accepted into the program and has since been working to build his resume.
“I can see Tommy on Broadway easily, but as a teacher, I would be thrilled to study with him,” Sherri Ryan, Sparkman High School theatre director, said. “This is a gifted young man and no matter what he decides to do with his life, he will touch each person he encounters in a positive, wonderful way.”
Ryan first met Walker when he was a stage technician for a production of “Nonsense,” when he was first starting out. She later became the theatre director at his high school and was able to watch as Walker grew as a performer. She said she has never seen someone commit to a character the way that Walker does .
“For such a tiny walk on, he was so dedicated and funny from the beginning,” Ryan said. “He went on to play Pseudolous in ‘Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,’ win in his category of singing and acting at the state Trumbauer Festival and look what he has now done at Alabama.”
Walker ultimately wants to teach theatre and he has been collecting experience to help him toward that goal. He has participated in a variety of theatre programs, including working in theatre summer camps and participating in theatre education programs at schools. Walker also held the position of president last year in Alpha Psi Omega, the UA theatre honor society. He still sits as a chair this year and helps produce APO’s Guerilla Theatre events.
Guerrilla Theatre, held once a month in the Allen Bales Theatre, performs a total of ten skits per show, with each individual segment consisting of no more than 10 minutes. Guerrilla Theatre has received positive feedback from the campus community, Walker said.
“It’s a very SNL-type thing,” Walker said. “You can get up there and do almost anything for 10 minutes.”
In addition to APO involvement, Walker currently teaches theatre at the Tuscaloosa Magnet School, balanced with preparing for his performance role in the upcoming UA Theatre Department production “Fools” and doing the prep work for a play he will be directing next semester.
Walker is currently finishing his senior year. With the majority of his required credits out of the way, he only has a handful of classes left before he graduates. He plans to finish by taking part-time hours next semester and simultaneously traveling in search of post-graduation work.
“People like to think that there are starving actors and yes, there are some,” he said. “But if you put the work in and commit to it, then you’ll get there”
