Give Our Regards To Broadway, Sam Benedict!

Profile Theatre's Master Harold & The Boys

Happy New Year!

Did you ever dream big and then dare to act on that dream?

Well, Wilsonville Oregon native, Sam Benedict is not just daring—he’s doing.

And on January 3rd, he’s leaving the place he’s called home for many years and heading East to New York, New York to give his regards—and hopefully soon his talents—to Broadway.

Sam is a former student of my husband Jason’s. Many moons ago, Jason, directed Sam as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and also as Hamlet in the Shakespeare play of the same name.

More recently, last spring, Sam assisted my husband at the high school as music director and choreographer for a hand-crafted collaboration called A Night On Broadway.

In between, Sam attended Western Oregon University and got a BFA in acting in five years. While there and since graduating, he’s been cast in shows by many Portland theater companies including Broadway Rose, Profile Theatre, Bag N’ Baggage, Lakewood Theatre, Stumptown Stages, Public House Theatre, and Artists Repertory.

But success isn’t just about what you’ve done; it’s also about how you’ve done it. Sam is one of the most positive and motivated guys I know. He is known through our family as one of the best huggers ever. Like many inspiring people, Sam’s can-do attitude and drive to continually improve himself is inspiring to others. Just watch, I bet we see more actors from Wilsonville Oregon migrating east soon.

In a November 2005 Oregonian article written by Catherine Ryan Sam said that he was once a high-risk student. He said, “In a way, [theatre]’s been my saving grace. It’s my absolute motivation for going to college in the first place.”

And not only did Sam stay in college for four years, he stuck around for five to turn his BA into a BFA. Since graduating from high school, he’s been in A Chorus Line, The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas, To Kill A Mockingbird, and this past fall nabbed the lead in Master Harold…and the Boys.

Sam wasn’t lucky; he was smart. He is a young man who found something he could invest in and succeed at and poured his considerable energy into every opportunity he could. And even though it can’t have been easy, once Sam found his place on the stage acting, singing, and dancing he’s been on track ever since.

Sam has worked his way up to the point where he it’s time to leave his home and give Broadway a shot. He knows what he’s up against. He knows that he’s going to need more skills and to find a day job that will mesh with his theatre gigs. I have a feeling he won’t be getting too much sleep. So, look out, New York, cuz here comes Sam Benedict!

I wanted to throw a little online going away party for Sam. If you would like to join my family in sending Sam off to New York with a little bit of money in his Paypal account to fall back on, feel free to make a non-deductible donation of any size below. All donations go directly to Sam.

If you are a theatre lover or a New York lover or a Sam Benedict fan, feel free to chip in and help make one actor’s New Year dream come true.

I cannot wait to see his name in a Broadway playbill!

Good luck, Sam! We’ll miss you. And your hugs.