Trensch is only the second Elon alum to be nominated for the prestigious theater award.
Elon University alum Taylor Trensch is nominated for a Tony Award for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.”
The Tony is “one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry,” recognizing distinguished achievement on Broadway. Trensch is only the second Elon alum to be nominated for the award after Daniel J. Watts ’04 was nominated in 2020 for his performance as Ike Turner in “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical.”
“(I’m feeling) 50% like a fraud and 50% super excited to share in this with a bunch of my friends,” said Trensch in an interview with Today at Elon. “I feel like suddenly when (…) people are looking at you or paying attention to you more than they have in the past, at least in my experience, (…) there’s a lot of self imposed pressure to deliver some otherworldly performance and I feel like it sets me up for disappointments some nights. But I’m trying to take it in and be grateful and appreciative for it all.”
Trensch is nominated for his performance as reporter William Burke “Skeets” Miller in “Floyd Collins,” which tells the true story of a cave explorer who became trapped 200 feet underground in 1925 Kentucky, launching a media circus. The musical is currently at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in the Lincoln Center Theater Complex. The show is a revival of a 1996 Off-Broadway production with a cast recording that gained a devoted following over the years.
“I would blast this cast recording in my car,” said Trensch. “I would be pretending to listen to cool music, but really would just be listening to the cast album of ‘Floyd Collins.’ So it was a musical that I loved for years and years and years, so when I got the audition I was so thrilled.”
Trensch credits Elon’s unique musical theatre program with helping shape his craft, including former faculty members Richard Gang and Catherine McNeela; Lynne Formato, professor of dance, and retired Associate Professor of Performing Arts Linda Sabo.
“It felt like they allowed people to be idiosyncratic and individual in a way that not a lot of other college theater programs do,” said Trensch. “I think some other schools are thinking about how they can best market their students to the industry and Elon feels more like they’re just trying to nurture individual artists to be the best version of themselves.”
But Trensch says Elon also allowed him to explore subjects outside of musical theater, which is something he recommends for students looking to reach success on the stage.
“Enjoy this time being in school and take advantage of the wide variety of classes that Elon offers, to not throw yourself so totally into the one thing you’re there to study but to try to learn about other things,” said Trensch. “That’s what college is for: to try to open your mind and broaden your horizons as much as possible.”
During his second year at Elon, Trensch was cast as Mortiz Stiefel in the first national tour of “Spring Awakening“. In 2012, Trensch made his Broadway debut as Boq in “Wicked” and has continued to perform on the Great White Way, including in “Matilda The Musical,” “Hello, Dolly!,” To Kill A Mockingbird,” and the lead role in “Dear Evan Hanson.”
“What’s been nice about this (role) is I’ve been able to take everything I’ve learned from the previous jobs in New York and bring all of that knowledge and experience to this role,” Trensch said. “I feel like in the past I’ve either been asked to play like tender clowns or the saddest person in the world. This show is kind of a combination of those two.”
The 78th annual Tony Awards will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 8, 2025 (8-11 p.m. EST/5 – 8 p.m. PST) on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers), or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after airing.