Photo courtesy of Broadwayworld.com

Seven minutes. That’s exactly how long it took for Nathaniel Cullors’ agent to get him an audition for the Motown the Musical. After seeing a video of Nathaniel singing a Michel Jackson song at his school’s talent show, the casting director for Motown the Musical invited the San Antonio teen to New York and audition for the show. Nathaniel recalls the day his life was about to change forever. “I remember feeling really excited and nervous, because this was my first MAJOR audition,” Cullors says. “But after all of those feelings kind of died down I really felt honored.”

Cullors plays the young version of Motown idols such as young Berry Gordy, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. He is well aware of the importance of the players and the genre. “Motown changed the world,” he says. “I feel Motown is the format for a lot of music we hear today, which makes it timeless.”

For a young man, Cullors displays an impressive reverence for the legends he’s playing. “I know that Michael Jackson was the ‘king of pop’ and that he was very inspired by the man who inspires me, James Brown,” he explains. “As for Stevie, I know that he was a very extraordinary man… that he could play a lot of instruments even though he was blind.”

As part of the touring show, Cullors is on the road most of the time but his home state is never far from his heart. “I miss my friends and the rest of my family,” he says. “Other than that I don’t really miss a lot because I find different aspects of Texas in the different cities that I go to.” Though he’s only been to Dallas three times in his life, he’s “very excited” to return. “It’s nice to go there and share what I love with the great people of Dallas!”

His passion for music and his extraordinary talent are apparent in Motown the Musical, and we asked what advice he’d pass on to the students who participate in the Center’s Open Stages education programs. “Don’t expect these things to just come to you,” he says. “You must do your homework and you have to put yourself out there… if you believe that it can happen and as long as you put in the work, anything is possible.”

For this Texas teen, Broadway is the vehicle by which his dreams come true. But for the rest of us, it’s simply a chance to revel in the greatest hits that we all know and love. Cullors puts it best: “This type of music brought people together, got people through things… and is still doing it today!”
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Clearly, young people like Nathaniel Cullors are capable of amazing accomplishments. The students in our Open Stages education programs are very talented performers and students as well. Please help us cultivate Dallas’ young talent by donating to our Raise the Curtain campaign, our most important of the year. And if you would like to purchase tickets to see Cullors’ incredible performance, purchase tickets. Clearly, young people like Nathaniel Cullors are capable of amazing accomplishments. The students in our Open Stages education programs are very talented performers and students as well. Please help us cultivate Dallas’ young talent by donating to our Raise the Curtain campaign, our most important of the year. And if you would like to purchase tickets to see Cullors’ incredible performance, purchase tickets today. today.