Okieriete Onaodowan, front and center, meets with West Orange High School students and teachers.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Okieriete “Oak” Onaodowan, one of the stars of Broadway’s breakout hit “Hamilton,” returned to his hometown on April 29 to visit with West Orange High School students and some of the teachers that he said were a big reason he is where he is today.
Onaodowan embraced teacher William Farley, who had led him in the jubilee choir and boys’ step team, and English teacher Craig Champagne. He also lauded his WOHS drama teacher, Sandy Van Dyke, saying: “Ms. Van Dyke had us competing and doing fall and spring plays. She made it real and professional. She brought discipline and focus. This (theater) is work, and you have to love to work, and I’m working harder than ever.”
Onaodowan, a first-generation American whose parents are from Nigeria, and his family first moved to East Orange, and then West Orange, where he attended Gregory Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School and West Orange High School.
“I didn’t feel like I always fit in,” he said, noting that moving to West Orange was a “big culture shock.”
West Orange became increasingly diverse as he was growing up, becoming a huge advantage to Onaodowan, who commented that one of the best things about his school experience was the cultural diversity.
“West Orange was so diverse,” he said in the release. “You get so used to interacting with different cultures … it really prepares you for life.”
Onaodowan stays in touch with friends from high school, as well as Farley and Champagne, saying that it helps him feel connected to his roots.
After graduation from high school in 2005, Onaodowan attended Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, but it was not meant to be. “My parents wanted me to go to college but I wasn’t happy there,” he acknowledged.
After a year, he left Rutgers and attended community college, and then made the decision to head to New York and try to make it as an actor.
He was lucky enough to get a good agent and slowly he began getting roles that garnered attention and honed his craft, including roles in “The Shipment” and “Neighbors,” while living with several roommates and working multiple jobs.
Broadway breaks came with “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “Rocky.” His agent sent him on a casting call for “Hamilton,” and an award-winning whirlwind began. “Hamilton,” considered a groundbreaking play with a culturally diverse cast and a hip-hop score, has already garnered seven Drama Desk awards, a Grammy, a Pulitzer Prize, and now 16 Tony nominations.
“We knew ‘Hamilton’ was good, but we weren’t thinking about whether or not it would be a big hit,” Onaodowan replied to a student’s question. “It wasn’t until we got downtown and Harry Belafonte and the Obamas and Hillary Clinton were there and we knew the show was going to be special. President Obama said ‘it’s rare to be recognized as it’s (something groundbreaking) is happening.’”
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