Pearland ISD podcast spotlights alumnus Darius Wright on Broadway career and advice for students
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Summary
Darius Wright, a Dawson High School graduate and Broadway performer, discussed his path from Pearland ISD to national stages, the realities of auditioning, and messages for current students on the Pearland ISD Building Blocks podcast.
Darius Wright, a 2010 graduate of Dawson High School and a Pearland ISD alumnus, described his path to Broadway and offered career advice to students during an episode of the Pearland ISD "Building Blocks" podcast recorded by Superintendent Berger and Producer Mac. Wright participated by Zoom from New York and recounted roles on six Broadway shows, a first national tour of Matilda the Musical and two performances at the Tony Awards.
Wright said he still views his career as a work in progress. “I still don't feel like I've made it ... I'm still trying to get better,” he said, describing both the setbacks and the milestones that shaped his work. He told listeners he trained at Oklahoma City University, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in musical theater, and cited early local experiences — including serving as drum major in Pearland marching band — as formative.
The podcast focused on Wright's trajectory from Pearland stages to professional theater, highlighting practical and personal lessons. He recounted performing in regional venues such as the Hobby Center and said that work on national tours and Broadway productions sometimes meant falling out of love with the business side of theater before returning to it with renewed perspective. He described resilience practices including physical training, technique work and a practice of gratitude: “When things get hard, I just say thank you,” he said.
Wright also discussed mentoring and returning to campus. He said he takes part in alumni master classes and Q&As at Oklahoma City University and visits Dawson when he is in Houston to meet students and see productions. Superintendent Berger framed the episode as part of Pearland ISD's effort to showcase alumni outcomes: “Everything we do in public education is about growing our kids,” Berger said.
On practical matters, Wright described the real-time demands of audition weeks. He said a recent week included trying to prepare 16 scenes and songs and callbacks that included dance calls; he described working through that workload by breaking it down one item at a time. He also described early influences and role models on Broadway whose recordings he studied as a student.
The episode closed with Wright urging students to keep learning, to build resilience and to “learn to love yourself” through successes and setbacks. Superintendent Berger and Producer Mac thanked Wright and closed the episode with standard podcast sign-off.
