He can dance. He can sing. He can act. Gregory Boyer has it all.
A 17-year-old senior at Berks Catholic High School, Gregory, who goes by Greg, is one of a rare type of performers who can combine all his talents and really put on a show.
“I love performing in front of big audiences,” he said.
Greg started performing at age 3, when he took ballet, tap and jazz lessons at Berks Ballet Theatre. Then in the sixth grade he took modern dance.
What would inspire a 3-year-old boy to start dancing?
“My sister (Sarah Boyer, a 2009 Exeter graduate) took lessons, and I would always beg my mom to let me dance there, too,” he said. “I wanted to be just like her.”
And so a performer was born.
After dancing for several years, Greg decided to give singing and acting a try. In second grade, he was a happy child in Central Catholic’s performance of “South Pacific,” and in third grade, he joined Siena Singers, the school choir at St. Catharine of Siena.
“When I was born, my lungs collapsed, and I was on an oscillating ventilator for 14 days,” Greg said. “My doctors said I was a miracle baby and my lungs were saved for a reason.”
That reason was to sing. Greg has since participated in Berks Classical Children’s Chorus, the Diocesan Chorus in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and in the District Chorus in 2014.
“My grandmother encouraged me by always coming to my concerts and telling me afterwards how good I was,” Greg said. “Whenever I sing I can picture her standing there, smiling and cheering me on.”
He’s been involved with many community theaters, including Reading Civic Opera Society, Reading Community Players, Genesius Theatre and Alpha Omega Players.
He’s also held numerable roles in Berks Catholic’s “Beauty and the Beast” (for which he was nominated for a 2013 YNOT Award); a dancer and college student in Genesius’ “Legally Blonde”; the tailor in Berks Catholic’s “Fiddler on the Roof”; and an Apostle in Alpha Omega Players’ “Jesus Christ: Superstar.”
Last year, Greg helped to found the Theater Club at Berks Catholic. As its president, Greg puts a lot of time and effort into Theater Club’s activities.
“Most of my free time is spent at practice, or building, painting and designing the sets,” he said. “But the feeling of accomplishment when you finish the run of a show makes the time and hard work worth it.”
Speaking from years of experience, Greg is able to give solid advice to young performers.
“Be yourself and be bold and don’t let anyone tell you you’re wrong, but also be open to different ideas and instruction,” he said.
Greg’s plans for the future include attending DeSales University and performing professionally.
“I hope to be on Broadway some day,” he said, “or a conductor of a large chorus or a director of a big production.”
No matter what happens in the future, Greg will always carry his enthusiasm for performing with him.
As he claims, “The best thing about performing is being able to express yourself and become a different person and forget about all your worries.”
