J.J. Singleton, who currently plays young Simba on Broadway in The Lion King, donates his time to BookPALS. He was born in New York City, and attended City Lights Youth Musical Theatre for two-and-a-half years. Off-Off Broadway shows include The Pirates of Penzance and Of Thee I Sing! He has recently helped BookPALS in our Reading Club assembly.
How did your involvement with BookPALS begin?
My mom saw an article in SAGazine about Kailani Coba (a young BookPAL volunteer reader formerly in The Lion King) and I wanted to get involved. (BookPALS often has articles in the New York SAGazine that is delivered to SAG members via e-mail as well as the national SAGazine)
Why is it important to you to be apart of an organization like SAG foundation BookPALS?
I think it’s important because I like helping kids and hanging out with kids. I like going around and performing because I like to perform. It is different because I can perform for a little time each week and its not touring.
You did a great job performing and helping out with the Reading Club Assembly last month for BookPALS. By the way, what did you think about the tour they gave you of the school at PS52 in Sheepsheadbay?
It was really cool and nice. We saw the whole school and a bunch of people who were interested in me and asked me lots of questions!
What kind of questions did the students ask you?
They asked things like: how long have you done the Lion King, do you like it, how many shows a week do you do?
How many shows a week do you do in The Lion King?
I perform four times a week and then the other boy playing Young Simba performs four times also.
If a fellow classmate of yours wanted to be an actor what would you say?
It takes a lot of practice. You have to go on auditions and take acting classes to get experience. Go for it and try your best!
I hear that you give amazing backstage tours! What is involved in a backstage tour?
I show people the masks and the different costumes. I show them what it looks like from my point of view, looking out on the stage to the audience. People say wow! Then they ask questions like were you nervous on the first day and stuff like that.
How long have you been acting?
I have been acting for four years.
How did you know you wanted to act?
I kind of knew when I made up a song called “broken glass”, when I was younger. Then I would act it out and each time I would do something different with it.
Who has helped you the most with acting?
My mom because she takes me to all these auditions. She looks for stuff for me to do and keeps me out there.
What’s your favorite part about being in the Lion King?
You get to meet a lot of good people and they are all different. I have met cool people like Hillary and Bill Clinton, and actors like Wesley Snipes. There is a wall backstage that has all the celebrities’ signatures that have come to see the show, including the president.
If you could do anything what do you want to do next?
I want to do movies or sports. I really like playing hockey and baseball and I have been playing both for a long time. I would really want to be in a horror flick because it’s a lot of intensity and action.
What is your favorite book, and why?
My favorite book is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone. I like it because there is a lot going on and it’s the beginning when all the characters are introduced. It’s very interesting!
BookPALS
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