Our own Broadway star

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
High school students often find themselves juggling their time between jobs, homework, sports and other extracurricular activities.
It can be difficult to do. Throw in a two-hour car ride, hours more of play rehersals – not to mention one of the greatest basketball seasons in state history – and it's amazing that Russellville junior Tucker Hammock even remembers the past three months.
The talented actor/singer recently completed the lead role of Jean Val Jean in the Virginia Samford Theater and Shades Valley Theatre Academy's performance of Les Miserables.
He is now starring as Tony with Muscle Shoals High School on their performance of West Side Story which will run from April 24-27.
"When I'm doing it I just forget about everything else," said Hammock, who began performing as a six year old.
"It's kind of like a little place for me to go get away."
While working on Les Miserables, Hammock was forced to travel back and forth to Birmingham for practices and performances, but was constantly encouraged by friends who traveled from Russellville to offer support.
"It was amazing how many people went down there to watch me and support our shows," Hammock said. "People don't know how much that meant to me."
The Birmingham shows also meant he had to take time off from the Golden Tigers basketball team who were in the midst of one of the school's greatest seasons ever.
"Coach (Michael) Smith and the team was really supportive about it and worked with me any way they could," said Hammock, who plans to major in musical theater in college.
For a teenager with so many interests, Hammock still has no one set field that he wants to pursue, but he knows the broad field he wants to be in.
"I don't want to be grounded to one thing," he said. "I like all of performing, from editing and producing to building sets. I really don't want to limit myself to any of it."