Riverview's Saxon Has a Passion to Perform

Singing, dancing, and acting are as common as reading, writing, and arithmetic for high school senior David Saxon.

In the morning, he attends classes at Riverview High School just like any other teen, but in the afternoon he heads to Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s pre-college program.

For David, who jokes that he’s seen a million theater shows, studying at Pittsburgh Musical Theater is a dream come true.

The program, located in Pittsburgh's West End, trains high school students for a future in theater. Prospective students must audition to attend.

“I’ve always loved performance,” he said. “I always watched my sister in her high school musical but I never thought I’d take classes in it.”

Since the sixth grade however, he’s been doing just that.

At that time, he started taking classes at the Civic Light Opera in Pittsburgh. He continued until the tenth grade. After taking a year off, he started up with Pittsburgh Musical Theater.

“It’s definitely cool to work in a real theater environment,” he said.

Shows that David has performed in at Riverview include The King and I, The Wizard of Oz, Aida, Jesus Christ Superstar, Bye Bye Birdie, and Our Town.

With Pittsburgh Musical Theater, he’s performed in A Christmas Carol, Phantom of the Opera and Hair.

David has been exposed to the theater since he was a young child.

“Basically, anybody that was going to a show would take me,” he said.

That included grandparents and his mother, Laurie Saxon, who would often take her children to high school musicals.

The rest of his family was supportive as well. His father, Edward Saxon, even put a hard wood floor and mirrors in their basement so David could practice dancing.

One memorable moment for his mother was when she saw David, the youngest of her six children, sing on the stage in The King and I.

“He’d always danced but that was the first time I heard him sing,” she said. “I was blown away.”

A love of music and art runs in his family, David said.

“One side was the musical side and the other side liked to go to musicals,” he said.

And that’s not all. David’s siblings all have creative talent. For older brother, E.J., that’s writing. For sisters Colette and Emily it’s the visual arts. Two other sisters, Julie and Carly, have been involved in theater themselves.

His current role as Lumiere, the kindhearted candelabra, in Riverview’s upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast will be his last as a high school student. But for David, it won’t be the end. He plans to continue studying the performing arts in college and after that, work in the theater.

“I still want to pursue the stage, but I could see myself producing stuff,” he said.  “I want to do something with the arts.”

Check out David's latest role with Riverview's Beauty and the Beast, to be performed at the Tenth Street School auditorium April 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m.

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