Joshua Thomas fell in love with acting as a 9-year-old portraying a Royal Guardsman in Alice in Wonderland.
He vividly remembers a scene in which the Royal Guardsmen formed a circle, held hands, and moved about the stage. By happenstance, Thomas ended up front and center where he saw an entire row of his family in the audience, proudly watching him.
“OK, this feels really cool,” Thomas thought.
Fourteen years later, Thomas’ family will once again gather to watch, this time as he crosses the CEFCU Arena stage to receive his undergraduate diploma from Illinois State University on Saturday, December 17.
“They’re all excited,” Thomas said. “They really believe that a degree opens doors for you, which I believe as well.”
An acting major and mass media minor from Aurora, Thomas is the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree—just five years after his inspiring grandmother received an associate degree at age 70.
“She’s really proud,” Thomas said. “She’s like, ‘You did even better because you got your bachelor’s.’”
In high school, Thomas was highly involved in the performing arts—from acting in theater productions; to playing the trombone, the euphonium, and the trumpet in band; to singing in the choir. When it was time to consider college, he visited several campuses.
“One of them was Illinois State, and I really loved it,” Thomas said. “I went in April, and so there were students in their caps and gowns taking pictures on the Quad, and the marching band was practicing, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can see myself here.’ It was amazing.”
Thomas became a Redbird, and during his time at Illinois State, he has acted in 10 School of Theatre and Dance productions, including six mainstage shows. He said his favorite role was playing Mortimer in the spring 2022 production of Mary Stuart, a play about the rise and downfall of Mary Stuart, the 16th-century queen of Scotland and cousin of Queen Elizabeth of England.
“I was the main antagonist, and my favorite roles are the ones that aren’t like me, because then I get to step into someone else’s shoes,” Thomas said. “That’s what you do as an actor—you make it personal. You make it your own.”
During his freshman year at Illinois State, Thomas said Instructional Assistant Professor of Acting Kelsey Fisher-Waits helped him understand and appreciate the complexities of acting.
“She told us, ‘Being an actor is like being a detective,’” Thomas said. “You’re looking at the script, and you’re trying to find the underlying meaning of everything, and you’re constantly reading between the lines.”
Thomas said it is also important for him to infuse his personal identity, as the son of a Black father and a Mexican American mother, into his roles. “I love being a part of that representation,” Thomas said.
After months of preparation and rehearsals, Thomas—who has acted in at least one show every year since his Alice in Wonderland debut—said it always feels “exhilarating” for the curtain to open on a performance.
During the summer of 2022, Thomas received his first professional acting credit as an intern with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival which involved playing roles in the Theatre for Young Audiences production along with mainstage shows Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear. He was also an understudy for professional actors with lead roles in both Shakespeare plays.
“It was like a big family, and I just loved that cast so much,” Thomas said. He added that by working with several professionals from across the country, he was able to network within the relatively small, tightknit acting community.
Thomas said performing Shakespeare all summer also made him a better actor.
“You take the Shakespearian language and make it applicable to yourself and try to make the audience understand through your actions and how you’re saying the lines,” Thomas said. “That’s what I love about it.”
With a resume packed full of acting credits and an Illinois State degree in hand, Thomas plans to move to Chicago by the summer of 2023 to pursue gigs in theater, television, and film. He might even dabble in radio after DJing at student station WZND for two years.
“I’m just going to hit the ground running, sending in as many self-tapes (for auditions) as I can and sending as many emails to as many casting agents as I can and make as many connections as possible,” Thomas said. He has already joined several regional Illinois State acting alumni Facebook groups to expand his network.
As a soon-to-be Redbird acting alum himself, Thomas said he feels prepared to pursue his dream.
“They give you a lot of opportunities for firsthand experience at Illinois State,” Thomas said. “That’s how they prepare you to be a professional actor, and you really have to seize your opportunities.”
This story is one of a series of profiles on Redbirds who are celebrating graduation this December. For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement this semester, visit the Graduation Services website.
