Several of our alumni have gone on to have distinguished careers both on and off stage, as well as full hearts and wonderful families.

Here are interviews from just a few of our esteemed alums!

Josh Tower

Josh Tower is currently performing in School of Rock on Broadway. Previous Broadway credits include The Lion King (Simba), Ragtime (Ensemble), and Motown (Berry Gordy).

What shows did you do at Upper Dublin?

"South Pacific, sailor number 7 from the left, and King and I, guard number 3 from the right."

What special memories do you have with the UD Theatre Department?

"We'll keep in mind when I was there at the "old" UD there was no theater "department". We were part of "Drama Club". I was in Chorus with Mr. Wilhelm since 6th grade and while I was an athlete I was also part of that great band/ chorus community which broadened my "friend" base dramatically. I had friends who were staring on the football team, basketball and Track AND friends on the math team, bowling team and marching band and we all would meet every day. Chris for some of us and band for others. It was AMAZING! It was Glee 20 years before Glee. I just remember a. Wet special close knit family with all of us and the teachers involved in productions; Mrs. Kunreich, Mr. Karschner, Mr. Wilhelm and Mr. Arnold whose son has taken over as choir director. Good times. Good people."

What have you done since high school?

"Well that's a LONG list but I have been making my living in primarily theater and TV. I've never waited a table as a second job! I started a Real Estate Investment Company that's actually based on Hatboro and well as working with Corcoran Real Estate here in NYC. I've been all over the country performing . My favorite roles have been Berry Gordy in Mitown the Musical and Simba in the Lion king. BUT my all time favorite is Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Never did that one on Broadway though."

What did you take away from your time with UD Theatre and how has it affected your life since?

"What did I take away.... I think I took away a deep love and respect for the performing arts onstage and tech behind the scenes. I came away with a community much like the one that I work in professionally: that is a group of special all accepting people who fight towards one common goal.... a show.... a performance..... a concert. Just think what would happen if the world could work just like that. Also I made life long friends in teachers and students alike. To be able to carry what those teachers exposed me to is truly a GIFT. They are the real stars in all of this. Let me know if you need anything else. "

Samantha Kuhl

Having graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Point Park University, Samantha Kuhl has spent her time since high school as an actor, performance artist and web-based chef.

What shows did you do at Upper Dublin? What do you feel they taught you?

"I believe I was involved in all but one show during my time at UD and that was only because they held auditions the year before, but some of my favorites were “Jekyll and Hyde”, “Seussical”, “The Dinosaur Musical” and “Oliver”. “Jekyll...” taught me how to make the most of an ensemble role, it was a thrill to play so many different people and create worlds for each, that was when I first understood how the ensemble really is integral in helping to tell the story and create the world of the play. Junior year I landed my first mainstage lead role in “Seussical”, it was a role I had wanted since the announcement, but assumed someone else would be cast because they were older. Once I found out she was not auditioning for the show, I went for it with everything I had, I was so proud of myself for going for what I wanted instead of what I thought Mrs. T. had seen in me. I’m not sure that I changed her mind or if she always saw me there, but either way I exceeded my expectations and proved something to myself. I was also nominated for my first Cappie that year. “The Dinosaur Musical” was our Children’s Theatre show and it was my directorial debut, which I think goes without saying, had it’s share of lessons. Mostly, I had to learn how to direct my peers, I had to learn how to be in charge in rehearsal and gain their respect, while also maintaining relationships outside of rehearsal. I made a big speech at the beginning of the process that while we were in rehearsal, I was their director, not their friend. Which as an 18 year old, is kind of dramatic, but at the same time, it had bitten previous directors in the butt a little when it got down to tech week, and I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. Then of course, “Oliver” was my senior show. I actually wrote on my audition form, in the ‘which role are you auditioning for’ section, “Nancy or nothing.” Again, SUPER dramatic. I played Nancy. I won the Cappie that year for Leading Actress in a Musical. I wore my prom dress and my speech consisted of many “holy crap”s. But. I was not handed the role by any means. There were three of us called back and I was nervous. So that was definitely a lesson in don’t take anything for granted. But I guess I learned that lesson fall of Junior year during “Lend Me A Tenor”. It was an 8 person play and I was called back for three of the four women roles and I was cut completely. I was absolutely positive I would be cast, it was just a matter of in which role. NOPE. I was devastated. Mrs. T. had asked me to assistant direct the show, which at 16 felt like salt in the wound, but she was right in that it was an important opportunity for me to see the directing side of things, which it was, considering I went on to direct “TDM” senior year."

What special memories do you have with the UD Theatre Department?

"I have so many, which sounds super cheesy, but I really do. Sophomore year I was cast as my first lead in the Children’s Theatre show “Elliot and the Magic Bed”. I was Elliot’s mom and I had a solo at the end. It was especially validating to me because I really looked up to that year’s seniors and for them to cast me and trust me in a lead role really boosted my confidence. The following year, I again wanted to play the mom in the Children’s Theatre show “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”, but I wasn’t called back for it. I was called back for the teacher. In the call back, I just found this voice and felt like Mrs. Dickens had to be funny. I still don’t know where that voice came from, I just made a strong choice and it got me the role. Talking to the director about it after rehearsals had started he told me that he didn’t want to just give me the same role I had had the year before. Which I hadn’t thought about until that moment, I just thought about having a song. I had so much fun with that role and I ended up doing the curtain speech at the show as Mrs. Dickens telling everyone to turn off their cell phones and unwrap hard candies. It was a lesson in making smaller parts interesting and fun, it’s the adage, “there are no small roles, only small actors.” Sometimes they can even steal the show. I also feel like I can’t leave this question without mentioning State Conference. An entire weekend surrounded by THEATRE KIDS! And it was always around my birthday too which felt extra special. I performed in some of the pieces we brought to conference, my favorite was the devised piece we did with MeLinda about body image. I did a side by side original monologue with the other Sammi actually, about our boobs haha. That piece was so awesome to be a part of because we were guided by MeLinda to create it all. There were original pieces and some borrowed material, music, dance, it was a really, really special piece. I also got recognized for my work in that. Then junior year I ran for State Board, and senior year, I was on the team that ran the conference. It was truly a wonderful experience and I still keep in touch with people I met at the conferences and my fellow State Board members."

What have you done since your time at Upper Dublin?

"I graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Point Park University with a minor in Jazz dance. I worked regionally for a few years right out of college before I moved to New York performing and choreographing. I lived with my parents and was saving on rent so I was fortunate enough to be able to work on many different types of contracts regardless of how they paid. I received my Actor’s Equity Membership Candidate card, which means I can work my way into Actor’s Equity (the actor’s union) for working on Equity contracts. I am still EMC. My favorite credits are “Chicago” at The MUNY in St. Louis, MO. “Chicago” at The Media Theatre. “Gypsy”, “Pirates of Penzance”, and “Pride and Prejudice” at Bristol Riverside Theatre. “Cats”, “Shout” and “Cinderella” at Ocean City Theatre Company. I moved to New York three years ago, the timing was right, a friend needed a roommate and I was ready to grow up and leave home. When I got up here, I needed a job and ended up in the restaurant industry. Food is my other love. I have worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the city and took a break from theatre. This was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. I had been doing theatre since I was 5, it was pretty much all I knew. I had never not been in a show for longer than a month or two. I didn’t do my next show for about a year and a half and I didn’t even audition for it. A director I had worked with before had gotten a last minute grant to do a show and needed to put a cast together super quickly. Which was also super awesome, that I was still on their radar after a couple of years. Doing that show reminded me that I still love it and definitely want it to be in my life but I was also so happy just being a normal person for the first time in 26 years. Since then, I have been toying with the idea of creating my own art. I have too much respect for the craft to do it just because I’m good at it. If I had been auditioning, I probably would have a tour credit, or a cruise ship or more regional stuff on my resume but I would not have the life experience I have gotten since taking a step back from theatre. I have grown so much and am such a different person now. I have worked on a lot of self-love, self-care, and doing things for me. I care much less about what people think about me and I have learned who I am and what I want. When I left my last restaurant, I knew I wanted to go back to performing in some capacity, but I also needed to make money and I thought that I could try to be a personal chef. Mostly I wanted to cook for families. So I put out a Craigslist ad and I was contacted by a Web based TV production company asking if I wanted to film a pilot for my own cooking show. Long story short, they ended up being a scam, but anyone I talked to about it (I raised a lot of money to produce it) told me I needed to do it anyway. One of my best friend’s had a classmate from college who had his own production company and together we produced two episodes of “Sammi’s Kitchen Everyday Gourmet” which is now on YouTube. I actually just won 10th place in a contest that I submitted a clip of my second episode to. So I’m really proud of that, obviously, but my most recent project was something that I felt was even more satisfying on a soul level. I wanted to sing again and I wanted to sing with some strong ladies, so I asked a few of my friends to do a cabaret with me. It turned into an entire event. It was called “NeverTheLess: A Night of Nasty Women”. It was an immersive art installation cabaret. In addition to the ladies I had originally asked to sing (including alum Rachel Zatcoff), I found dancers, poets, speakers, a stand up comic, painters, photographers, a jewelry maker, illustrators...and everyone came together and shared the space for an evening with the goal of empowering and celebrating women. The audience roamed freely, unsure of where the next performance would be and sometimes getting caught right in the middle of a dance. It was something that formed in my head up until the night of the show. No one knew, I barely did, what the evening was going to look like. I basically told a bunch of artists to show up and trust me. It was more beautiful that I could have hoped for and we are planning to do another one sometime this summer. I am hoping that this can become a fairly regular event. All of the proceeds benefitted Ms. Foundation for Women."

What did you take away from your time with UD Theatre and how has it affected your life since?

"I give so much credit to my time in the UD Theatre department, I was really there in the Golden Age. I think theatre is so important. I mean, Art, on the whole, is one of the most important devices we have as human beings, it allows us to express ourselves, to comment on the times, to discover who we are and relate to each other on a human level in a way no other class or subject does. Maybe it’s because it is my chosen artform, but theatre and dance have always been the most human. Acting isn’t about becoming something you’re not, or pretending to be something else. It is actually asking for you to find the truth. “What would I do if I were this character in these circumstances?” Justify it. It’s a challenge. It’s not about emoting on stage, it’s about achieving a goal, an objective and realistically getting what you want. It’s learning how to talk to people, it’s relating to situations you don’t understand. Empathizing. I am amazed, walking down the streets of New York, observing people who are so unaware of who they are, where they are and what they want. How much space they take up, what they sound like when they say something. Theatre teaches you to be aware of everything. How you stand, how you talk, how you move, how you are perceived because it all says something and onstage in the moment you want to be as specific as you can be to obtain your objective. I gained a tough skin, which definitely got tougher in college, and confidence. Confidence was huge. I’ve definitely been knocked down over and over again, but what I keep learning is that it’s all about the journey and you have to work for everything. But there is a point at which you break through that wall and the meadow is on the other side and things will start to get easier in certain ways and opportunities will make themselves known to you, but you have to trust the process. You have to start somewhere and you are never done learning, you are always training and you build on what you keep learning and new opportunities present themselves. I would never have been able to do “NeverTheLess” without having directed “The Dinosaur Musical” or creating the body image piece with MeLinda. I also just started taking improv classes and it still scares me, but it’s less scary than it was in high school. I have also found that I am happier when I’m creating and it’s freeing to be able to create your own art instead of relying on other people to determine your fate and when you work or not. No one is in this for the money, we do it because we have to. Ultimately I want to teach high school theatre. I want to give back to where I built my foundation, I think it’s the age where you can make the greatest impact and I want to help people become better humans and encourage kids to be themselves. High school is no joke, being a teenager is no joke, liking theatre in high school is no joke. But doing quality theatre in high school is not super common and I want to help change that because I had some incredible high school theatre experiences and I want to pay it forward."