MIDLAND, Texas — From the lights of Midland Community Theater to the big stages of Broadway, people who worked alongside Matt Hinkley knew he had the talent to go far.
“Matt was a fantastic actor and fantastic singer, but Matt's true love was music," MCT director and volunteer Carl Moore said. "He loved playing and even writing music.”
Fast forward to today and Matt Hinkley - formerly of MCT - is now the proud winner of a Tony award, winning the award at the 77th Tony Awards due to his work as the musical director of The Outsiders.
Even from a young age, Hinkley had a talent for the stage, acting in plays such as Othello.
His true calling though... was music.
“Music I think was the best choice that he could have made because he has played in the orchestra pits on several Broadway shows and kind of climbed the musical ladder,” Moore said.
Hinkley now joins Michael Arden as Midlanders who have brought home Tony Awards.
Arden, who won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2023, has a similar background to Hinkley.
Both started at MCT as Pickwicks, MCT's youth theater program, and both worked their way to the top to earn a Tony Award.
“So here's two former Pickwicks who have gone on to do really well in their endeavors beyond Midland," Moore said. "That's exactly what can happen to you if you work hard and dedicate yourself. There is a future in theater beyond Midland, if that's what you want to do.”
Their stories prove that anyone can make a career in acting, even if their beginnings are as humble as MCT.
Stories like this is why community theatre is so important to the local communities, as it gives people a creative outlet, they don’t get anywhere else.
“That's the main thing that we're doing," Moore said. "We give a strong educational support to our young people with our theater and also we give our adults a good place to go to scratch their itches."
Besides, storytelling and plays have been a vital part of human history for centuries.
Stories like Hinkley's only emphasize that.
“Theater is always important. It has been important since the days of the ancient Greeks," Moore said. "You know, people love to hear stories told to them and that's what theatre does, it provides that avenue.”