At the age of five in 2007, Sam’s family took him to see the national tour of The Lion King, his first musical. As soon as the lights dimmed, he was immediately drawn to the stage, spending the remainder of the show on his feet, clutching the mezzanine railing in front of him in awe. For the past 17 years, Sam has been chasing that feeling.

Hailing from Marquette in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Sam is a proud Yooper currently attending Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where he is pursuing that electric feeling of performing through a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and a minor in Strategic Communications (expected Class of 2025). His previous Ball State credits include Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret, an Angel in Kinky Boots, Perch Perkins in The SpongeBob Musical, and in the ensemble of the world premiere of Skin and Bones. He also starred in the short film Cliché, which premiered at the 2024 Indy Shorts International Film Festival as part of Radiance Cinema. Throughout his undergraduate years, Sam spent summers performing in Kings Island’s 70s on Demand and Country Crossroads shows and working as a camp counselor at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Outside of performing, he loves all things outdoors (hiking and cross-country skiing are his favorite activities), cooking vegetarian delicacies, 35mm film photography, and avidly running. As a young, queer storyteller, Sam aspires to bring the emotions he felt all those years ago to audiences through his performance art. He hopes to make his family—and his inspired five-year-old self—proud.

You can see Sam next on stage in his senior capstone alongside his musical theatre class in If They Could See Us Now: A Celebration of Coleman, Herman, and Ball State’s MT Class of 2025 at The Cabaret in Indianapolis on January 17th and 18th, at Joe’s Pub in NYC on March 5th, or at Ball State University’s 2025 Senior Showcase at Theatre Row in NYC on March 4th.