R-Jeneration: Love of theater propels Faith Lutheran senior’s dreams of Broadway

The injured Beast lumbers up the stairs, exhausted from his battle with Gaston.

Life escaping quickly, he draws his remaining breaths, turns to Belle, and with resignation and pain in every word, he begins to speak.

"You came back," he croaks.

Suddenly the set cracks and the stairs split.

The Beast unexpectedly tumbles 20 feet to the stage.

Shocked silence resonates through the audience and the cast.

Momentarily stunned, blood running into his mask, Dan Shipley finishes the show, transforming the Beast to a prince, his deep baritone voice never missing a note.

The show, a production of "Beauty and the Beast," always goes on for this Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School senior.

Raised in Rochester, N.Y., Shipley had two passions: singing and the viola.

"When he was 3, he would sit in his car seat and sing along with music on the radio," says his mother, Cathy Shipley. "He would hold his ear and belt out songs. He loved singing, but that was second to his love of the viola."

By middle school, Shipley was a New York all-state viola player.

From a chair in his family's Queensridge home, he places the instrument lovingly to his chin and gently slides the bow across the strings, eliciting soft notes. In recognition of his talent, Shipley received the Maestro Award for his viola performance at the 2009 Las Vegas Heritage Music Festival.

Following in the footsteps of his theatrical father, Russ, Shipley experimented with his vocals and music in school and at every family gathering.

In 2008, the Shipley family relocated to Las Vegas.

Relying on his acting skills, Shipley used the theater to make friends and adjust to the change. He auditioned for the school play, "Clue," a murder mystery replete with complexities.

The following spring, Shipley earned a role in "Seussical the Musical."

When opening night finally arrived, Shipley had been sick for several days with a fever of 103. Erik Ball, the Faith Lutheran musical director, was ready to make a switch.

Shipley insisted on performing.

He donned the wardrobe and makeup that transformed him into the kind, protective Horton and fittingly sang: "I'm alone in the universe/ So alone in the universe/ I've found magic but they don't see it."

When the curtain fell at show's end, the 16-year-old collapsed under the strain and dehydration.

Despite the many hours of rehearsal, Shipley finds time to study and excel in school. He makes the Faith Lutheran honor roll each quarter.

As a senior, Shipley applied to The Juilliard School in New York and Chapman University in California and was accepted to both, eventually choosing to attend the latter.

"I want to explore all aspects of music and performance," Shipley says. "Ultimately, I want to perform on a Broadway stage, so perhaps Juilliard is in my future for graduate school."

Despite his many leading roles, Shipley remains humble.

He is the teen ambassador for the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, and is the founder of Voices of Youth, a group of talented teens who perform across the city to raise awareness and funds for the foundation.

Shipley was awarded the Colleen Alenik Teen Spirit Award for outstanding leadership and dedication to the foundation in 2011, and most recently, he received a 2011 Nevada's Pride award, which recognizes senior students who have made a difference through their community service.