Jacob Butler views himself as a bit of latecomer to the acting world.
“I didn’t start acting until my senior year of college at Ball State when I was 21,” Butler said. “The Civic Theatre in Muncie was holding auditions for ‘Into the Woods’ and, after seeing the film and Broadway recording just that past Christmas, I knew I had to audition.”
Butler was in choir in elementary school and band in middle and high school but those were his only experiences performing in front of people until he got the role in “Into the Woods.”
Butler performed as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in “Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical” with the Indiana Performing Arts Initiative and portrayed Quasimodo in the Indiana premiere of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with BOBDIREX.
Now, the 23-year-old Fishers resident has the title role of Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at Civic Theatre at The Tarkington in Carmel. The performances began Dec. 15 and conclude Jan. 7.
“The role is a fun one because of the people you get to interact with along the way,” Butler said. “You get to work with so many talented actors and it’s always fun seeing what the creative team behind the show comes up with. And most people have heard the story and or seen the show before, so I feel like the show is very nostalgic for audiences. So, it’s fun getting to tell the story again for them. There aren’t too many challenges that come along with being Joseph because the brothers, wives and other actors are the ones doing most of the work. Joseph’s name may be in the title, but this show would be nothing without everyone else.”
Butler said he grew up watching the Donny Osmond’s movie version of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” but hadn’t seen any other versions.
“I had the opportunity of performing as Joseph last year at the Muncie Civic Theatre, so when Michael Lasley, the director of The Tarkington’s ‘Joseph,’ contacted me about auditioning for the role I was happy to get another chance to step into Joseph’s shoes,” Butler said.
For more, visit civictheatre.org.
