In kindergarten, Elon University alumnus Tyler Bertolone stood nervously on the back of the stage with his hands in his pockets in his first performance, “The Wizard of Oz.”
The California native laughed while discussing his debut in theater and said “it wasn’t very impressive.”
Bertolone, a music theater major, graduated from Elon in May 2013, and by November, less than six months after graduation, found out he had been cast in the “Bring It On: The Musical” national tour as Randall.
“I lucked out,” Bertolone said. “It was my very first audition in New York City.”
Bertolone said he and his little brother used to put on shows in their living room all the time. They would make tickets for a little theater and he continued to do theater in elementary school, high school and college.
Bertolone didn’t realize pursuing theater as a career was an option until high school. He was working on a show and the pianist asked if theater was something he wanted to do. That’s when he started looking into Elon.
“Elon was really great about the acting program,” he said. “It’s really strong. By the time I was a senior I had taken acting for the camera, acting theater classes and learned multiple acting techniques.”
Kevin Otos, an associate professor of theater at Elon, said the performing arts department works diligently to prepare students for careers as professional performing artists and professional actors.
“We work very hard to do that in a number of different ways,” Otos said. “In one way it’s to make sure they understand how the business works, and the other thing is to make sure they have something to offer the business. There’s no point in understanding the business if you have nothing to offer.”
Life as Randall
“Bring It On: The Musical” is about Campbell, the lead character, who goes to a big cheerleading high school. Campbell is cheer captain, and the musical takes place during her senior year when she transfers to a high school with a hip-hop crew but no cheerleading squad. Campbell is forced to find a way to become a part of this new group and ends up creating a new squad and competing against her old school.
For most actors in “Bring It On: The Musical,” being cast meant learning how to do cheerleading stunts and hip-hop. Bertolone said he lucked out because his character, Randall, is the disc jockey.
“He gets that high school is just something everyone goes through and it will be over someday and it’s not the end of the world,” Bertolone said.
Rehearsal process
Bertolone started the audition process senior year during the seniors’ casting director series. He auditioned for casting director Joy Dewing and didn’t hear from her until September, when he moved to New York.
“Early September I went in and auditioned for her and the assistant director. A week later they called me back in,” Bertolone said.
He was put on hold after auditions were held in Los Angeles, which meant he was the first pick in New York, but it was possible they could find someone else in LA.
When the casting director returned from LA in November they had Tyler sing more songs and told him he got the part.
“One of the big things about this show was the original cast had a lot longer to put the show together than we did,” Bertolone said. “So the creative team was very adamant about getting people that they knew had really strong training.”
After finding out he was cast, Bertolone had one month until the rehearsal process began. Then after just three weeks of rehearsal, one week of tech and four preview performances, the “Bring It On: The Musical” national tour opened in Georgia.
“It’s incredibly validating for a young actor. It’s like, ‘Wow I have something to offer,’” Otos said.
The cast is contracted through August.
“We’re spending July in Tokyo, which is really exciting. I’ve never been out of the country so it’s going to be mind-blowing,” Bertolone said. “It’s crazy. I wake up some mornings and get on the bus and literally have no idea where they’re taking me and then wake up that afternoon and I’m like, ‘Oh, OK, I’m in South Carolina now,’ and we do the show and do the same thing the next day. It’s crazy but also really fun.”
Success from the beginning
While at Elon, Bertolone had success both in school productions and on national TV. He worked on the TV shows “Banshee” and “Revolution” while still in school.
“I definitely want to do more TV,” Bertolone said. “It’s a completely different experience. Although I just love theater, too, so I want to keep a solid balance.”
Bertolone’s favorite roles at Elon include Jack in “Into the Woods” and Beethoven in “Dog Sees God.”
Otos directed Bertolone in the show “Hedda Gabler” and had high praise for his former student.
“Like a lot of our students here at Elon, Tyler was very talented, and that was clear when I first met him. He brought a very deep level of commitment to this character’s journey and a kind of existential being or anguish – whatever’s driving this character to keep searching,” he said.
Bertolone’s parents encouraged him to dowhat he loves. He said that coming from a supportive family has been incredible because a lot of kids don’t have that.
Otos said seeing Bertolone’s and other Elon alumni’s successes is empowering for current students.
“There’s something very empowering about ‘I sat next to this person in class, we went to some parties together on the weekends,’” Otos said. “You know them as a human being before [a] career’s happened to them. I think that’s wonderful for students to experience.”
Being a role model is something that Bertolone said he finds “weird to think about.”
“I remember coming in as a freshman and that was a huge thing for me,” Bertolone said. “Taylor Trench had just gotten cast in ‘Spring Awakening,’ and he brought me into my audition. I thought he was so cool, and I still do. It’s really funny thinking back on that, and that somebody may think that way about me. I still feel like a goofball.”
Bertolone said music theater majors should remember to do what you love.
“It can get so hard,” he said. “Just finding the joy in it every day is something I’ve struggled with it sometimes, but looking back on it, college was just the best experience ever. Just keep on remembering that this is something you love to do and you have to do, it because that’s what your heart tells you to.”