As long as he can remember, Josh Jordan has been a performer.
It didn’t matter if it was music, dancing or acting.
He always wanted to create.
“I pretty much came out of the womb singing. I picked up piano first and then guitar. As I got a little older, and around the time I started playing those instruments and perfecting them, I started performing publicly,” he said.
His passion for creative performances led him to musical theater, and while he always knew he wanted to attend Belmont, he wasn’t sure what he would study.
He considered law and motion pictures, but a high school teacher directed him to apply for the musical theater program.
He performed in various productions in high school but the one that kickstarted everything was “Shrek the Musical,” where he was cast as Peter Pan and Papa Ogre.
He attributes his selection as the paternal ogre to his tall stature and the confines of high school theater.
“They just pick whoever they have,” he said with a laugh.
It was his first time in the spotlight and he wanted an encore.
“I really got to experience what it's like to go after something and create something with a community of like-minded people and the up-sides and the downsides,” he said.
After headlining in several high school productions, he felt prepared to attend the college that he had dreamed of coming to since he was 9 years old.
“I don't know why at that point in my life I was making decisions about where I was going to go to college, but I have always been forward-thinking,” he said.
But once he got to campus, he had a realization – he was in classes with others who had also starred in their high school shows.
“Getting to be in the spotlight for all of high school and then going to college and starting over was a humbling experience in a good way for me at least,” he said.
No longer the star, he was back to the ensemble.
He didn’t complain.
He didn’t stop working.
He didn’t look to go somewhere else.
He instead took the challenge and worked his way to leading shows once again.
“Even from his first lesson as a freshman, he was just on fire for the art form that is musical theater and worked really hard, excelled at every opportunity and sought out extra opportunities in Nashville,” said Instructor of musical theater Erica Aubrey.
Through shows like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Godspell” and “Legally Blonde,” Jordan became one of the frontrunners of Belmont’s musical theater program.
“He immediately stood out as both an incredibly kind, creative and of course, incredibly talented,” said Nancy Allen, coordinator of the musical theatre department.
But even then, he never let it go to his head.
Even if he was acting, he was always the same person at his core.
“I love seeing him on stage, but I also love being with him off stage,” Allen said.
Jordan sought to improve not only for himself but to make a production better.
“I just remember him having such a great work ethic but also being able to take advice and to bring an understanding to the art form and understanding that everybody needs taking care of, and everybody can also take care of one another,” Allen said.
And his care didn’t stop at his cast mates.
“Tech weeks for teachers are really hard. They are a lot of late nights, but you're also teaching your whole regular day,” said Aubrey. “I showed up to school one day, and there was a little goodie bag with a chocolate bar and some hot tea and just a little note that said, ‘Thinking about you this week. Hope it's a great week.’ But there was no name on it, but it was Josh.”
Jordan during his Belmont career showcased in roles ranging from Jesus Christ to the personified French candlestick Lumiere.
Each role came with its own challenges, but all were fully embodied by Jordan.
“There's a specific specificity in Josh's performances and also a human aspect to his performances that definitely speaks to his personality,” said Aubrey, “That absolutely shines through in the work.”
In every role, Jordan tells a story because that’s what he is — a storyteller.
“Telling stories that make people feel seen and creating art that changes people's perspective it's at my core, the reason that I do this,” he said.
And it is a technique he honed at Belmont.
“Our professors taught us to work. Our professors taught us to make great art with whatever we have at our disposal, as opposed to limiting our creativity and our work ethic, because our resources are limited,” he said.
That hard-working mentality and compassion for others have seemingly made it easier for Jordan in his newest casting outside of Belmont.
Jordan is touring with the national production of “& Juliet.” Performing as Richard in the ensemble he applies what he learned both in his classes and productions to his professional work.
“I understand that for theater to be made, sometimes things have to be troubleshooted, and I think someone who didn't go to college for theater, who's going into a cold may not understand that and could be more stressed in a work environment,” he said. “Being in theater professionally is about being adaptable, and nothing makes you more adaptable than training at a college.”
Jordan has traveled across the country with the tour but is most excited to be returning to his hometown.
Sliding across the Tennessee Performing Arts Center stage, Jordan contributes to the ensemble cast in a way that showcases his personality, with funny one-liners and prop usage as Richard.
The tour will make its final stop in California in September, and Jordan isn’t quite sure what his next role will be.
But until then, the show must go on.
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This article was written by Braden Simmons