S.D. DANCER, 15, AIMING FOR BROADWAY STARDOM

Many San Diego dancers have found the Starlight Bowl to be the perfect spawning ground for a career on the Broadway stage.

Jamie Torcellini (“Cats”), Barry Bernal (“Starlite Express”), Michael Laughlin (“42nd Street”) and Russell Giesenschlag (“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”), head a growing list of local dancers who have catapulted into big-time musical theater directly from Starlight.

This summer, artistic directors Don and Bonnie Ward have discovered another standout among the young hopefuls in their ensemble. Fifteen-year-old Brad Bradley, a 10th-grader at the O’Farrell School of Performing Arts in San Diego, will come out of the chorus to play his first speaking role for the troupe when “Shenandoah” opens Thursday night.

“He’s the best dancer we’ve had in years, for a kid of his age,” Don Ward said during a hurried break from rehearsals.

“He has the same potential as Jamie (Torcellini) and the others,” Bonnie Ward said. “He’s very bright. He has very good training, and he’s a good worker--an intelligent worker.

“Too many young dancers are so set on music videos and Vegas, they don’t want to concentrate on their technique any more. But Brad has it all together. He can do everything, and he has a wonderful attitude.”

Brad (he was christened Vincent de Paul Bradley III, but his mother thought that was too much of a handle for a little boy) will portray one of the younger brothers in “Shenandoah.” It’s a vigorous dancing role, requiring gymnastic jumps and a series of loose-limbed tumbles, not to mention being tossed about like a ball by the older boys. But coordination, physical strength and polished technique are only part of the skills Brad needs for the part of young Henry.

“There’s a lot of interplay and relating to the other brothers. I don’t get to do a lot of speaking,” Brad acknowledged as he waited for his cue to join the action, “but it involves showing a lot of emotion. There’s a lot of sadness in the story, but I think it’s good that not all shows are musical comedies.”

The Wards are aware that “Shenandoah”--a sentimental story of a Virginia farmer’s struggle to keep his family out of harm’s way during the Civil War--is more of a downer than most Starlight shows. But as Bonnie said:

“It doesn’t have a lot of dancing, but it has a lot of warmth and humor and the ending represents hope. It’s really an uplifting show.”

Brad’s biggest scenes are also the most spirited and upbeat numbers in the show. He’ll ride roughshod over the raucous “Next to Lovin’ I Like Fightin’ Best,” a knee-slapping, high-kicking country dance that sends the boisterous brothers into a frenzy of hootin’ and hollerin’. Then he’ll kick up his heels again with the gang when they celebrate the birth of a baby in “It’s a Boy.”

Recalling his first taste of show biz, Brad’s blue eyes lit up and a broad grin stretched across his face:

“I started dancing at my church. I was born Irish and my mother thought it would be a good way for me to learn about my heritage. I started singing in the Irish parades when I was 9, and by the time I was 13, I decided I wanted a career in show business.”

Since then, Brad has worked hard to make that dream a reality. He snared a starring role in “Cousin Kevin,” an afternoon special for NBC, and co-starred in another. He has made several television commercials, including the Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson and one for McDonald’s that is still running.

Despite his early success, Brad is sold on the need for a good education.

“I won the academic achievement award in school. I think it’s very important to keep up my grades. You can’t always focus on dreams, because sometimes they won’t come true,” he said. “Of course, mine will.”

If things go according to plan, Brad will be “the next Gene Kelly.”

“I want to start out in the movies,” he explained. “I like theater more, but I want to start out as a dramatic actor. You get typecast as a dancer, and they don’t give you the opportunity to play serious roles. But once you make it in dramatic roles, they’ll let you do anything. I want to be a triple threat.”

The Wards expect promising youngsters like Brad to take off for greener pastures as soon as they’re ready for star billing. But as Bonnie observed:

“That’s part of Starlight’s purpose--to be an interim stop between school and totally unprofessional productions and Broadway. When they come here, they dance alongside experienced professionals, and that helps them develop. By the time they land on Broadway, they’re ready.”