For Herricks High School sophomore Andrew Greiche, his recent performance in the Herricks spring production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” was another step toward realizing his life’s ambition.
“Broadway’s the dream and I’ll chase that dream,” Greiche said after the successful run of the play earlier this week.
But his performance, as a tyrannical tycoon running a multi-national company was just one recent move he’s made to hone his craft.
Greiche has been training for the past year with vocal coach Tammy Hensrud, who pointed him to two vocal competitions that have brought him recognition.
He reached the second round of the Classical Singers Competition for high school students a few months ago, with a second round to come in Boston In May.
More recently, he won in the lower high school class of the statewide National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition,” delivering two of the songs, “Tu lo sai” by Guisseppe Torrelli and “This Nearly Was Mine” from Rogers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.”
He said Hensrud told him she thought he had a good chance and should try for it, so he did it.
“It feels good. It makes me feel accomplished. I feel like I did something meaningful,” he said. “It encourages me to go on and it gives me more hope.”
Greiche said he’s planning to audition for a summer theater group this year “to keep practicing, keep improving.”
He said he’s very grateful to have the support of his family, friends and teachers in going for his ultimate goal.
“He’s ready for Broadway now,” said Herricks High School teacher Laura Latham, who directed “How to Succeed…”
Greiche, who is 16, has a manager and has had a few auditions for musical theater productions, along with auditions for commercials and films. But he said his manager is advising him to not aggressively pursue that end of things until he turns 18.
Meanwhile, in addition to the voice lessons, Greiche is also taking dance lessons at the American Theater Dance Workshop in the Herricks Community Center. And he said Luke de Lalio, his teacher in the Herricks Student Television Arts Company program for the past two years, has opened his eyes to different forms of acting. He auditioned by acting and singing to get into the arts company program and it was through de Lalio that he met Hensrud, who is the Herricks teacher’s wife.
“I’d like to be exposed to different types of acting, so I’m open to other options,” Greiche said.
Greiche said his passion for performance began when he was on a trip to Disney World with his parents when he was five years old. There was a stage production in which audience members were invited to participate and he remembers telling his father he wanted to try it. His father said yes.
Greiche said that after stepping on stage that day his theatrical journey began.
And after his parents explained to him what acting was about, he started taking acting classes. He would soon after acquire his first manager.
“That was the beginning of my passion,” he recalled. “They’re pushing me to fulfill my dreams. It’s wonderful to have that backbone of support.”
He said he enjoys social studies and is currently taking honors chemistry and algebra 2 trigonometry. He’s also considered studying law, noting the similarity between the skills of a trial attorney and those of an actor.
Greiche said he finds a creative release in the three periods each day in the Student Television Arts Company, an aspect of his school work that he said doesn’t seem like work at all. He said he enjoys learning about different forms of the arts and “being around people who have a similar passion.”
Greiche is performing in the Herricks High mixed choir this year and will be a member of the high school’s elite chamber choir next year.
Whatever else he focuses on as his academic journey continues, he knows what his primary aspiration will be.
“My main focus will be musical theater,” Greiche said.
