When Taylor Garlick steps on the stage, it’s the culmination of months of practice and study. He scrutinizes each character he portrays by researching the time period of the play, reading literature about his role and any other exercise that gets him into the mind of the character. The performance is the reward.

“When I walk onstage, I want that to be the world I’m living in,” he said. 

That dedication paid off this year when Garlick, a Farmington High School senior, won the Utah High School Musical Theatre Award for Best Actor, taking first place out of all the other actors nominated across the state. His submission video was his performance of “Freeze Your Brain” from “Heathers: The Musical,” and it blew the judges away. He will compete at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in July, the high school equivalent of the Tony Awards.

Garlick has been on stage since his first role as Tiny Tim when he was 6 years old, but he never thought acting could be a career until he started working with FHS theater teacher Jenifer Land three years ago.

“She helped me see acting in a way I hadn’t thought about before,” Garlick said. “It made me think of it as a science and an art and a business. I realized it could be a career if I worked hard enough to get there.”

While he took voice lessons for several years, his acting skills are self-taught. With every role, he immerses himself in the character to understand his actions a little better. He’ll continue his studies when he attends Weber State University this fall, earning a BA in musical theater.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself and others. With performing, the harder you do the work before you get to the performance, the more fun it will be,” Garlick said. “I just love having a good time and feeling the satisfaction. It pays off in such a special way.”

Land said Garlick has blossomed as an actor during his time at FHS. She’s seen lots of students with amazing natural talent who don’t put in the work to become great. Land knew Garlick was going places since his first year with the program. She describes his talent as “phenomenal” but says he’s also stayed humble and dedicated to the craft.

“[The students] come to me with talent and I just try to help them grow,” Land said. “It’s also part of being a teacher as opposed to being just a director or producer. It’s about who needs to grow, who needs to stretch. It’s about letting them spread their wings and helping them do that.”

Land said Garlick nailed the lead role in this year’s FHS performance of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” even with the difficult score and dialogue. His co-star, FHS junior Addilyn Mcdonald, was also nominated for best actress, finishing in the top 10. 

Garlick said playing Sweeney Todd was his favorite role so far. He loves the way the play surprises the audience and entrances theatergoers with the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim. 

“Real theater and real music makes you feel something,” he said. “You have an emotional reaction you weren’t expecting. You come out of the theater humming the music. I’m just having a lot of fun. I hope it can continue.”