Wallingford native Josh Young has done the acting thing.
He has acted on Broadway, been nominated for a Tony Award and toured Europe and Asia performing “West Side Story.”
Now, he’s returning to the Philadelphia area to pay it forward. This summer at the Union for Reform Judaism’s 6 Points Creative Arts Academy in West Chester, Young will teach acting to campers during the first two sessions from June 25 to July 21.
He will also move to the area for two months with his wife Emily Padgett-Young. Their young children — daughter Adele and son Leo — will come for two weeks before heading back to Missouri. The family lives in Springfield, Missouri, where the parents, both actors, teach musical theater and voice at Missouri State University.
Young, 43, lived in Michigan for four years before moving to Missouri in 2023. There are no direct flights to Philadelphia from Springfield, he said. So, he hasn’t seen his parents and his siblings that often in recent years.
He’s excited to spend quality time with them. He’s also excited to find “more Judaism” for his kids than they normally get in Springfield, where there are not many Jews. The children will be spending time with their grandparents while their father works at camp.
“My hope is that I make this my summer home,” Young said.
Young left for Syracuse University in 1999 and hasn’t returned home since. When he was acting on Broadway, he lived in New York and visited home frequently. He also performed “Les Misérables” and “Hairspray” at the Walnut Street Theater.
Young’s parents — Russell and Judy Young — live in Havertown. His sister, Dena Lebovic, lives in Penn Valley with her family. And his brother, Doug Young, resides in Fort Washington with his.
“I was hoping to not perform over the summer and have something for my children in the future and bring my kids back to my hometown to spend time with their grandparents,” he said.
Young was looking for future camps for his kids when he saw the position on reformjudaism.org. It was fortuitous.
“It was kind of crazy,” Young said. “There not that many Jewish arts camps in the world that are in need of a musical theater teacher.”
Young may have done the acting thing, but he never planned to do it forever. Along with Padgett-Young, he wanted to build a family. Young said he got his master’s in education to “take what I learned performing for 20 years and teach the younger generation.”
The actor cut his teeth at the Upper Darby Summer Stage and the Young People’s Theatre Workshop in Glen Mills. Now, he’ll help younger versions of himself.
URJ’s 6 Points Creative Arts Academy is “a vibrant, fast-paced, communal living environment where young artists, who travel from locations across North America, develop their passions and explore new skills,” according to a news release on Young’s hiring. The camp also integrates Jewish values.
“To say our campers are excited to be mentored by a Tony nominee this summer is an understatement,” said Jay Rapoport, camp director. “We are thrilled that everyone in our camp community will have the chance to work with a performer and educator who has had such a successful and award-winning experience on Broadway and in regional and international musical theater.”
Jews such as Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and others played significant roles in the golden age of Broadway during the 20th century. This is the type of lesson Young wants his own kids to learn.
There’s an old Jewish population in the Ozark region where the Youngs live, according to the actor. But Adele and Leo are the only two kids in their Hebrew school class.
“This would give them two months of Judaism a year. Not so much even the religious aspect but the cultural aspect,” Young said. “I want my kids to be raised with those values and traditions.”
There’s one more thing Young is excited about: Wawa soft pretzels.
“I love soft pretzels,” he said. “And I definitely look forward to Wawa soft pretzels.”