As he grew up, Adam Kaplan’s parents told him, “Go through life with no regrets. Go for your dream.”

That’s exactly what he did.

Kaplan grew up in an artistic community in Westport, Conn., where, at 6 years old, his dad took him to see “West Side Story” at the local high school. That night, Kaplan fell in love with music theater.

“I got bit with the bug,” he said.

Kaplan graduated from Elon University’s music theater program in May 2012 and landed a role in the “Newsies” ensemble in January 2013.

The road to Broadway started during the summer of 2012 at the Music Theatre of Wichita, where Kaplan got his equity card. This card makes him a member of the Actor’s Equity Association, allowing him to attend the chorus call for “Newsies.”

After moving to New York City in September 2012, Kaplan attended three auditions a day on average but still made time to keep in touch with friends at Elon.

Senior Kaila Merrill, a music theater major, still keeps in touch with Kaplan and calls him her mentor.

“He’s filled with advice,” she said. “He’s like my life coach.”

Kaplan and Merrill have extensive phone calls during which Merrill said he acts like her manager.

“He wants you to succeed,” she said.

The road to Broadway

The “Newsies” audition process began Jan. 11 and less than a week later, Kaplan was cast in the show.

After the initial audition, the casting director called Kaplan in to talk to him about the next step: the dance portion of the audition.

The following morning, Kaplan worked with the show’s associate choreographer for three hours. They drilled the dance combinations to make sure he and the three other men left in the auditions had the stamina and could fill the requirements for the role.

That afternoon, Kaplan had a final callback where he performed the material for the role of Jack Kelly, the part which he would soon be an understudy for.

“People ranged from casting interns to Thomas Shoemaker, the president of Disney Theatricals,” Kaplan said. “It was definitely the biggest audition I’ve ever had. Just to get  to that point was enough.”

Kaplan’s hard work and training paid off that night when his agents called to tell him he had scored the part as the understudy of Jack Kelly.

Rehearsals began Jan. 28, just 17 days after his initial audition. Kaplan will make his debut in the show Feb. 19 at the Nederlander Theatre.

A day in the life

Kaplan now rehearses six days a week. “Newsies,” unlike most Broadway shows, is dark on Thursdays, meaning the show does not have a performance.

A typical rehearsal day for Kaplan begins at noon and runs until five. When rehearsals started, Kaplan had vocal practices so he could learn the music for the show. Then he learned what it meant to be the understory for the role, molding himself into a 17-year-old newsboy.

Kaplan said the cast of “Newsies” must share the theater with other performers, so he doesn’t always get the chance to practice on that stage.

“But whenever we do get a chance to rehearse in the theater, I mean, that’s amazing,” Kaplan said.

When rehearsal ends for the day, Kaplan has a few hours to catch his breath before he heads back to the theater, where he watches “Newsies” as an audience member.

“I’m out front taking notes, or I do what’s called tracking,” Kaplan said. “I’m back stage and just following the guy who I’m replacing, essentially writing down all his backstage choreography.”

Since he is a part of the original cast, he was able to grow with the show, Kaplan said. “Newsies” opened in March 2012, so Kaplan is currently the only new performer.

“It’s up to me, the stage manager and company management to make sure I’m ready as possible before I go on stage on the 19th,” Kaplan said.

A big part of his rehearsal process requires Kaplan to be extra observant of things happening on and off the stage before, during and after the show.

“Newsies” is known for its difficult dance maneuvers and won a Tony Award in 2012 for Best Choreography.

“The choreography is intense,” Kaplan said. “I didn’t have any formal dance training before college,so I think that’s a real testament to Elon’s training and my professors. I truly couldn’t have done it without their help.”

Linda Sabo, associate professor in the Department of Performing Arts, said Kaplan never thought of himself as a dancer even though he spent three years in dance for Elon’s musical stage.

“They have three majors,” Sabo said. “He didn’t choose one over the other; he put all his energy in each area.”

A well-rounded student

During his senior year, Kaplan had the opportunity to play two lead roles: Berger in “Hair” and Georg in “She Loves Me.”

These two roles were Kaplan’s favorites during his time at Elon. He said he liked these roles because they were so different from one another. Even the two shows themselves are opposites – “Hair” is a rock musical and “She Loves Me” is more traditional.

Kaplan learned how to be a versatile actor, which is considered an important skill in theatre.

“We hear at school that our job once we leave school is to audition and every now and then you’ll book something, but your job is to audition,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan said he also learned how to become a confident auditioner at Elon. This skill helped him succeed when he was going to auditions in New York.

“If you can’t audition well, people don’t know what you can do,” Sabo said. “You have to convince casting agents in 15 minutes you’re the one they want.”

Kaplan said he is thankful to have had a close-knit community at Elon.

“I certainly wouldn’t be where I am without my musical theater class of 2012 because theater is such a tight-knit, close community,” Kaplan said. “And to have such supportive friends who really became my family at school is priceless.”

Sabo stressed the importance of generosity – something she would like all of her students to understand.

“Care about other people and the kind of jobs they get,” she said. “Make a good imprint on the world rather than negative.”

According to Sabo, Kaplan was a strong supporter of that.

“It was always fulfilling and fun to work with him,” Sabo said. “He had professional work level commitment.”

Kaplan’s role as Jack Kelly is something he said he felt he was destined to do.

“It’s a tour de force role,” Kaplan said. “When I saw the show I was like ‘God, if I ever get the chance to play this part and sing these songs it would be unreal.’”

As his dream begins to unfold, friends and faculty at Elon continue their support, even from hundreds of miles away.

“This is what he’s supposed to be doing,” Sabo said.