At 7 years old, Alex Medina competed in his first dance competition, but he was already at a disadvantage.
“I was deathly ill,” he recalled, adding that minutes before the performance, he was throwing up. The stale scent of the stage lighting mixed with the hairspray that thickened the air made him feel even worse. Yet he went on anyway, despite the urges of his coach to rest, and proceeded to put on a spectacular performance with his team.
After that, he said, “I just knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
In March, Medina finished his run of shows as Prince Topher in the Oak Park River Forest production of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.” In May, he will play the title role in “Sweeney Todd” at Ovation Academy’s Encore program for high school students.
He has also racked up numerous accolades on OPRF’s speech team, competing at the the state and national level. Last June, Medina placed eighth in the National Speech and Debate Tournament (NSDA) in Des Moines, Idaho, automatically qualifying for this year’s tournament.
This year he also wrapped up college auditions. He was accepted to both Brown and Carnegie Mellon universities, and committed recently to The University of Michigan’s musical theater program with a full ride, which boasts an acceptance rate of less than 1%.
Sonja Emerson, one of Medina’s teammates and friends, commented on what has contributed to his success. “Alex is an empathetic person. He’s a person that feels deeply so he can connect that to the characters that he’s feeling.”
While speaking to him, even from just across a loud table, this trait was clear. He leaned forward, eyes narrowed in concentration, projecting a quiet confidence that made the listener feel both comfortable and like they were being let in on a very important secret.
He cracked self-deprecating jokes in between answering questions about his past and future,
He was asked: “Are you good under pressure?”
“No, I’m not,” he laughed.
Based on the reactions of the crowd at the OPRF Auditorium for the penultimate performance of Cinderella, Medina couldn’t have been further off target with his self assessment. It only took seconds for a standing ovation to erupt on Friday night, and Medina, in his bright white suit, practically glowed next to his co-star Zaria Larnell under the spotlight.
Medina had the opportunity to showcase many of his skills while performing in Cinderella.
One of Medina’s teachers, Meredith McGuire, said, “He has the absolute potential to be a triple threat. He sings really well. He’s a great actor and he’s also a phenomenal dancer.”
McGuire said that what sets Medina even more apart is his attitude. Someone who is both aware of their talent and modest to a fault is a rarity. “I would say he’s talented. I would say he’s kind, I would say he’s humble.”
Medina has also found a way to avoid letting his artistic pursuits fully assume control over the rest of his life.
Emerson said, “He helps me not take things too seriously. He’s really inspired me to strive for what I believe in in every aspect of my life, but also be sure to make lasting connections with those around me and to not let my ambitions take over my life.”
He drew these aspects of himself into playing his characters as well. In front of an audience he was warm and relatable, something somewhat unexpected from somebody so clearly committed to their craft, and his lines were delivered with a confident frankness that made the audience feel comfortable in their seats.
But being uncomfortable, Medina said, is how he has grown. Every hurdle and challenge he has overcome, and every new situation that he put himself into, has aided him on his path to success in his artistic pursuits. He recognized that as a performer, the best thing you can do for yourself is to continue making yourself uncomfortable.
And in fact, on stage, even after years of performing, it still takes him a few moments to adjust. “I feel a little like a scientist solving an equation,” he said. “I’m performing, but I’m also thinking about a million different things.”
A recent challenge Medina faced was the State Speech Competition. He competed in Prose Reading and Humorous Interpretation, neither of which he had competed in previously.
As the last preliminary round of his OPRF Speech career, there was undeniable pressure on him. Naturally, he felt nervous. When he went before the judges though, that fell away.
“And so it was a moment of, I have to prove myself. There was a lot of pressure on me that I put on myself. So I went up there, I did my thing, and it was the best I’ve ever done it.”
In the end, he finished as a state runner up, falling behind the state champion by only two points.
