TOMBALL (May 2, 2026) - For Lone Star College-Tomball dual credit student Sam Morales, the most electrifying moment of his performing journey came as the house lights dimmed and the final curtain fell on the closing night of a three-week run of West Side Story (WSS), his debut performance on a professional stage.
“I don’t even know what emotion I was feeling, but it was the most emotion I have ever felt,” said Morales. “As soon as the curtain came down, I was crying. Not because it was this huge role, but because the experience itself was incredible. The people, the process, everything. I was just overwhelmed with gratitude for it all.”
Morales stepped into that moment not by chance, but through the support of his family, the opportunities placed before him, and his own hard work and dedication.
Morales began his performing arts training as a child; nights filled with dance classes, weekends devoted to rehearsals, and vocal lessons woven into spare moments. The flexibility of homeschooling, paired with LSC-Tomball’s dual credit program, became the perfect stage for him to balance both academics and artistry.
Before landing his first professional role as Nibbles, a Shark from the Latin gang, in the Houston Grand Opera’s West Side Story, Morales cut his teeth in the greater Houston theater community with companies like Class Act Productions, Stageworks Academy, and National Youth Theater in a variety of roles. He was also featured in Theatre Under the Stars productions, Cinderella, and Newsies, as a member of the Teen Ensemble. He describes these experiences as formative and invaluable.
To land a role in the Broadway classic musical WSS, Morales responded to a casting call from Houston Grand Opera seeking local talent. After signing up to audition, Morales received an invitation and had a month to prepare.
Morales approached the audition focused on soaking up the environment, learning as much as possible, and having fun. At just 17 years old, he felt that landing the role was a long shot.
During auditions, Morales was assigned a number and asked to perform prepared and unprepared dances, sing, and read scenes from WWS multiple times and in various configurations with different scene partners throughout the weekend. With each round of callbacks and talent releases, the pressure mounted.
The Tuesday following the five-round audition weekend, Morales received an email offering him a principal role. “It was a crazy weekend, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” Morales said. “And getting the part, it was incredible; completely unexpected.”
The WSS rehearsal period was set for four weeks, with each day’s schedule arriving via email daily. During that time, Morales rehearsed six days a week, seven and a half hours daily, and celebrated his 18th birthday. In rehearsals, Morales focused on memorizing choreography, hitting his marks, perfecting blocking, getting comfortable in costume, and cooperating with the tech crew as they adjusted microphones, lighting, and sound levels.
“There are a lot of moving parts in a production as large as WSS,” said Morales. “At the beginning of rehearsals, you might be there for six hours and only work on one scene. There are a billion cues to hit in just one show. The result of this attention to detail is, in the end, the production seems effortless.”
To keep up with his commitments at LSC-Tomball, Morales made plans in advance. When he learned about the WSS opportunity, he scheduled the bulk of his final semester coursework for the last eight weeks and maintained open, regular communication with the professors of the few classes he had during rehearsals and the show's run.
“My time at LSC-Tomball has helped me develop independence and strong time management skills,” said Morales. “You can’t do schoolwork during lectures, so I had to structure my time and make sure I had everything I needed to handle all my responsibilities.”
Morales said he was overwhelmed with gratitude, not because the WSS role was some “big gig” or because he got to work with “professionals from NYC and Broadway,” but because he was incredibly grateful for the entire experience.
“The Wortham is ginormous,” said Morales. “Being on that stage in front of such a huge audience was exhilarating. The whole experience was amazing. I loved every moment of it.”
This summer, armed with his high school diploma, an associate’s degree in arts, and his first professional theater contract listed on his resume, he’s heading to New York City to train at the prestigious Stella Adler Conservatory in a nine-week program.
“I am just so excited,” said Morales. “I have trained extensively in voice and a significant amount in dance, but acting is an area where I don’t yet have a well-defined process or technique. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to hone that craft and make myself a versatile performer. The reality is, not all the jobs I get will be as creatively inspiring as WSS. Sometimes, I’ll need to take a job simply for the sake of having work.”
After summer, Morales said he will take life as it comes and is poised to take on whatever the future holds. Whether facing creatively inspiring roles or simply working to stay afloat in the industry, he is determined to learn, grow, and embrace every opportunity that comes his way. The world of theater is just beginning to see what this talented young artist has to offer.
Lone Star College-Tomball is located at 30555 Tomball Parkway, at the intersection of SH 249 and Zion Road. For more information about the college, call 281.351.3300 or visit LoneStar.edu/Tomball.
Lone Star College System enrolls over 90,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSCS is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D., serves as Chancellor of LSCS, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2024 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. LSCS consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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