After years of watching Mamma Mia and Hairspray on loop, he knew where his home was, the stage. He had dreamed of many things, flying the skies as a pilot was one of them, but when an unexpected, life-altering condition changed the course of his life, the one thing that always remained was theatre. 

Growing up with a flight attendant as a mother, freshman Brody Kostyszyn always pictured himself as a pilot, soaring through the clouds just like his mom. However, after he was diagnosed with an unfortunate eye condition at the age of eight, his dreams shifted to the world of theatre. 

“I had an airplane themed room for as long as I could remember,” Brody said. “I would always beg my mom to meet the pilots when we flew.”

Soon after however, young Brody’s aspirations of touring the high skies as a pilot were shot down by a devastating eye condition, blinding him in his left eye, which would never allow him to fly. 

“My mom broke the news to me that I could not be a pilot since I failed the eye test in my left eye,” Brody said. “After that I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I went with the only other thing I did at the time which was sports.”

After dedicating all his time to sports, Brody never felt like he truly belonged, until a brief stint in an elementary school musical changed the course of his life. 

“I haven’t stopped since then,” Brody said. “Theatre helped me understand who I was as well as the people I wanted to be around.”

Being a part of such a large family like theatre has helped Brody in various forms. By building his confidence, increasing his joy, and making him a more diligent person, Brody has grown for the better. 

“I have learned the type of person I want to be,” Brody said.  “I really started to understand who I was, as well as the people I wanted to be around.”

Brody’s mother, De-Anna Kostyszyn, loves to watch her son perform and is so proud of him for all that he has accomplished. 

“I’ve seen him grow so much,” De-Anna said. “He’s truly grown into himself and I am so proud of him for that.”

De-Anna has seen theatre change her son’s life, and she couldn’t be happier for him. 

“His confidence has blossomed since he’s joined theatre,” De-Anna said. “He’s so much happier now and that is all a mother could ask for.”

Having been a part of the theatre community for around 4 years, Brody has participated in many productions both in and out of school. With shows ranging from Into the Woods and Mary Poppins, to Emerson’s productions of Almost, Maine and High School Musical, Brody has finally found where he belongs, the stage. 

“When it comes down to it, the reason I love theatre is because I love to make people happy,” Brody said. “To have someone leave the theatre just feeling a little better from before they entered makes me want to perform more and more.”