Colby Chase. Photo by Heather Regan.
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
I’m 18 years old and was born and raised in Arlington, VA. I’ve resided in Arlington for my entire life.
How old were you when you first performed on stage and how old where you when you decided to study musical theatre in college?
I started performing at seven years old with the National Children’s Choir in DC. I discovered my love for singing through choir and performing on several big stages such as Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. As I got older, I realized that I wanted more, and was introduced to musical theater in my early, middle school years. My parents knew very little about musical theater at the time, but surprised me with tickets to “Hamilton” at the Kennedy Center during its First National Tour run. I can’t say “Hamilton” has become my favorite show on Broadway, but I will say it was the first production that introduced me into a world that would create a path for the rest of my life.
My parents have always been the most supportive people in my life and, without them,. I could not have made it to where I am today. Even though they knew barely anything about “Wicked” when I saw an ad for it in the Salt Lake City airport after listening to the album, I begged my parents to go and they bought tickets for me to see it as a gift for Christmas that year.
Over time, I had the privilege to audition and participate in a few phenomenal programs such as Stage One and Signature Conservatory at Signature Theater, STATE at Penn State, and ArtsBridge. Meeting people with my passions nationwide and internationally helped me understand that musical theater was more than just a hobby. I decided to pursue music theater the end of my sophomore year. I was always hesitant because people often criticize art degrees. The biggest question I’m asked is “what is your back-up plan?” My answer is always nothing. I don’t have a backup plan. I could not imagine myself doing absolutely anything else. A follow-up to this I might get is “but theater has a very small success rate.” This is very true. I applied to 48 programs, most of which have a lower than 1% acceptance rate. My Oberlin class is 21 students out of 1,300 who applied. Even so, to say I worked really hard to get to where I am today would be an understatement. To say I did it alone would be false. I could not have gotten to where I am without my parents, friends, coaches, and so many more.
How are you similar your character, Evan Hansen, and how are you different?
Like many people, I struggle with anxiety in my life. Some people find this confusing because I have no issues with going onstage and performing before hundreds pf people. As “Dear Evan Hansen” teaches us, there are many ways in life that people can experience the same feeling. However, I would say, in real life, I am very different than Evan in the way I express myself in public. I love to jump into something that I know I won’t be the best in the room. This is the only way to learn and grow. In college auditions, I would sometimes be dancing alongside boys my age who had been taking ballet for over a decade compared to my two years, but hiding in the back of the room doesn’t help you in any way. Internally, I understand Evan’s overthinking and feelings of loneliness. It’s important to remember that this is a shared feeling amongst everybody.
Besides Evan Hanson, what has been your favorite role?
My favorite role to play has been Anthony from “Sweeney Todd.” Although naive, and some might argue not a very complex character, Anthony is relatable to almost every audience member because he portrays someone who follows his heart but disregards consequences. Actually similar to Evan, Anthony makes mistakes and does not realize the cost of his journey until its far to late.
Where do you dream of seeing yourself, theatrically in five years? In ten?
I actually get this question a lot. In an ever-changing industry, it’s difficult to predict where I might end up five or ten years from now. The one thing I can say for sure is that I will be somewhere in the arts industry. I imagine myself auditioning for shows regionally, tours, and off and on Broadway, but I also imagine doing small film work with strangers or people I have met along the way. Wherever I am, I plan to put everything into it.
“Dear Evan Hansen” ran July 24-August 1, 2026 presented by Reston Community Players at South Lakes High School, 11400 South Lakes Dr., Reston, VA 20191. For more information and to purchase tickets for upcoming events, please go online.
