EP. 10 - Avionce Hoyles
Download MP3Under the Sea with Avionce Hoyles: From the Church Choir to Sebastian
In this episode of Behind the Curtain at RMT, host Roy Lightner sits down with the incredibly talented Avionce Hoyles, who steps into the iconic role of Sebastian in Red Mountain Theatre's production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Tune in as Avionce shares his inspiring journey to the stage, starting from his childhood growing up in a religious Southern Baptist household in South Carolina, where his singing was initially confined to the church. He reveals how a second-grade improv workshop helped him discover his comedic chops and how his high school theater teacher ultimately convinced him to pursue an arts scholarship instead of becoming a clinical therapist.
Listen as they dive into Avionce's full-circle connection with The Little Mermaid. He discusses how seeing Titus Burgess play Sebastian on Broadway completely blew his mind as a young college student at AMDA, and how becoming a new uncle in real life has deeply influenced his current, grounded take on the beloved crab. Avionce also shares an unforgettable audition story for Jesus Christ Superstar, where a director challenged him to bring his "full self" to the role of King Herod a moment that forever changed his artistic trajectory.
Beyond his current role, Avionce speaks passionately about rejecting the romanticized "starving artist" trope, emphasizing that artists are highly trained professionals who provide the world's essential entertainment. He opens up about his personal love letter to the Queen of Rock and Roll with his touring solo show, Dear Tina, and shares his ultimate dream: to become a dynamic producer who discovers and elevates new, untapped talent, much like his idol Quincy Jones.
Whether you're an aspiring performer, a passionate theater fan, or someone looking for a little motivation to chase your own dreams, this deeply moving and laugh-out-loud episode is a must-listen!
Creators and Guests
Host
Roy Lightner
Roy Lightner is an award-winning theatre creator, director, choreographer, and educator born and raised in Kansas City. Prior to his tenure at RMT, Roy served as the Associate Artistic Director for the Transcendence Theatre Company, and also on the Musical Theatre Faculty of Ithaca College. Additionally, Roy has taught courses at Arizona State University and Cornell University. His work as a creator, director, and choreographer spans internationally, including productions and immersive events for Google, Lincoln Center, the Stephen Sondheim Center, Transcendence Theatre Company, MTWichita, Music Theatre of Kansas City, GEVA Theatre, Cape Playhouse, Westin Playhouse, Depot Theatre, and more. As a creator/director/choreographer his credits include: Transcendence Theatre Company’s productions of Oh, What a Night! (2015 Winner - Best Director, Broadway World San Francisco), Superheroes in Love, and Music of the Night; New York City Opera’s Lucky to Be Me (Lincoln Center, assistant to Peggy Hickey), Hairspray, Miss Saigon (Sondheim Center), Hound of the Baskervilles (Cape Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, Westin Playhouse, Depot Theatre), Bring It On (Music Theatre of Kansas City), Hairspray (Winner - Best Director, Broadway World KC), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Good News, Urban Cowboy, Starmites, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and more. Dance Concert Choreography credits include: two full-length original choreographic works Under the Covers (Ithaca College) and In Your Eyes (Miller-Marley Ballet Company), The Oklahoma City Dance Project, NYC’s Community Dance Project, New York City’s Jazz Choreography Enterprise, Astoria Fine Arts and B.C. Beat. Performance credits total over 40 professional productions. As a national director for Dancers Inc., he toured the country as a Master Class teacher. Roy has taught at New York City’s Professional Performing Arts School, as well as created the contemporary/musical theatre dance program for the Astoria School of Fine Arts. He graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Musical Theatre; and received his Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts with a Concentration in Performance Creation from Goddard College. Roy is currently an Associate Professor of Musical Theatre at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
