Learning long division, taking tests, turning in assignments. Sounds like a typical load for a fourth grader, right? Not so fast. Lucas Moran crams more – much, much more – into every week. The budding 10-year-old actor also packs in multiple auditions each week, along with rehearsals and regular performances at theaters across the Valley.

That’s show business for you!

Lucas got his start in acting at the tender age of 4, when he attended a summer camp at Desert Stages Theater. From that experience – not even an actual performance, he recalls, just a couple of songs from the hit “High School Musical” – Lucas caught the acting bug.

Together with his parents, James and Marisa Moran, he began exploring other acting opportunities across the Valley. He met coaches and auditioned for parts. He expanded his theater family to Greasepaint Theater and began working with vocal and acting coaches.

Since then, his opportunities have been steadily growing. So far, Lucas has appeared in 15 plays. He also appears in commercials, film, and print through his agency.

By the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, it was apparent that Lucas’ growing passion for theater was competing with academics. He previously attended a charter school that didn’t offer enough flexibility for traveling auditions and other demands.

Just days before he planned to start fourth grade last August, Lucas was in New York for Broadway training at the Broadway Artist Alliance. Taking stock of what it would take to help Lucas fulfill his acting dreams, they realized, “We needed more balance in our life,” Marisa recalls.

Lucas withdrew from his old school, signed with a manager and talent agent, and enrolled at ASU Prep Digital, an accredited online school chartered by Arizona State University.

“We thought it would cooperate better with my schedule,” Lucas says.

Indeed, it does. Each week, Lucas receives a playlist, so he knows what’s ahead for the week in terms of assignments, tests, and other expectations. Working on his own schedule, he’s able to keep up with class, all while attending auditions for everything from voiceovers to TV, film, and musical parts.

“It’s very easygoing, and I love how compassionate ASU Prep is for my love for acting,” says Lucas, whose goal in life is to become a Broadway actor and drama professor.

Lucas just finished a run in the sold-out show “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Don Bluth Front Row Theater in Scottsdale. The unique theater-in-the-round format provided an exciting new experience as he took on the dual roles of young Harry Bailey and Tommy Bailey.

“It’s a really fun time and I know the hard work, training and dedication are going to pay off,” Lucas says.