Timothy Scott Brausch-Feature Only
Timothy Scott Brausch-Feature Only
Timothy Scott Brausch-Feature Only
name to remember.
Camille Renner
Walking out of Palace Theatre into the crowded Manhattan streets, Timothy Scott
Brausch, 6 feet tall and 16 at the time, was fueled by the inspiration he just witnessed on the
Broadway stage. It was his first time seeing “An American in Paris,” starring Robbie Fairchild
and Leanne Cope, and the grace in which the professionally trained ballet dancers controlled the
stage inspired Brausch. Upon returning home from his trip to NYC, Timothy, with little
experience in theater and none in dance, immediately joined Summit Dance Company in
Concord, NC and began training, setting off the chain of reactions that would begin his career in
Musical Theater.
Now 20 years old, Brausch attends Elon University, pursuing a degree in Musical
Theater, or as he abbreviates it, MT. Elon, an unassuming university in central North Carolina
with roughly 6,000 students, has proven themselves to have a successful Musical Theater
program. According to Playbill, in last year’s season, alumni from Elon were the 10th most
represented on the Broadway Stage, following behind notable programs from more established
schools such as Juilliard. As a native of Concord, NC, Timothy’s decision to go to Elon was not
only due to the proximity to home, but of the integrity and success of the university’s MT
program. However, that was no small feat. Brausch himself attributes his acceptance into Elon
partly back to the night he first saw his favorite musical, “An American in Paris.” “I really feel
like that helped me get into Elon,” Brausch reflects on his dance training inspired by the show,
“...I had no idea what I was doing before that, but I worked really hard to get where I am now so
hopefully one day I‘ll get to play Jerry Mulligan,” Brausch remarked, referring to his dream role
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Timothy, who first began training in dance at the age of 16 and acted in his first musical
just a year or two before that, considers himself to be a late bloomer compared to his MT peers.
Yet he has found that this disadvantage has been a driving force in his success. “It hasn’t seemed
to affect me badly,” Brausch says of his late start, “it actually seems to motivate me more
because I just feel like it was something I chose. It wasn't something my parents made me do as a
kid...it is something that I found by myself.” Whether from this motivation, a huge stroke of
luck, authentic talent, or maybe a combination of all three, it is indisputable that Timothy has
already been victorious in his budding career in Musical Theater. When Timothy’s close friend,
Anna Young, who actually was the first person to encourage him to audition for their high school
musical, was asked if she was surprised by his instant success, she quickly responded that she
wasn’t. “No, I’m not really shocked, he’s always been good at everything,” Young explained. If
Brausch truly is good at everything, it can be assumed that an outstanding work ethic is at play.
In the fall of 2019, Brausch earned the lead role of young Joe Hardy in Elon’s production
of “Damn Yankees,” the Tony Award winning Broadway musical set in the baseball world of the
1950s. Considering the multitude of talented alumni that have come out of Elon’s musical theater
program such as Barrett Wilbert Weed of “Heathers” a nd “Mean Girls” and Taylor Trensch of
“Dear Evan Hansen,” it can be assumed that the program is made up of extremely skilled
individuals, and the lead role is a coveted position. Before the show premiered, Deb Leamy, the
production’s choreographer, was quoted saying, “I have such a talented cast. It has been a joy
and the cast’s work ethic has been stellar.” With that in mind, it seems improbable that a
sophomore, with less training than older performers who also had talent and a good work ethic,
would merit the lead. Nonetheless, Timothy Brausch became Joe Hardy. “Lead [roles] have
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historically gone to upperclassmen because of deeper experiences.” Leamy, a Broadway vet and
MT professor, unfolded, “But Tim brought something truly special to the audition, and
subsequent role, that it was worth taking a shot!” This feat is accredited by Brausch himself to
of the students, he didn’t know any of us so it was a fresh introduction,” Brausch said of the
“Damn Yankees” director, “I think that may have been helpful to me, maybe he didn’t realize I
was a sophomore; it didn't matter what grade I was in. It was just purely based on who was right
Although he was overjoyed to play the lead character, Timothy remains modest when
addressing his own achievements. He hesitates to call his success at Elon unique while looking
down and revealing the dimples that appear when he smiles and adding that his peers have said it
is unusual. He admits, however, that his success as just a second year MT student has gained him
Repertory Theatre.” Brausch revealed, “When I went in for that audition, the director saw Joe
Hardy in ‘Damn Yankees’ a nd knew that I was a sophomore and said to me that he was super
impressed that, as a sophomore, I got that role.” “Chicago” would have been Brausch’s second
professional job but, unfortunately, it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Timothy
Scott Brausch has his entire life ahead of him, is in disbelief that he has already booked 2
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