Senior Jamison Murray is living a real life high school musical
Dec. 5, 2014. 7:30 pm.
The Christmas Carol debuted under the lights of the PAC, while junior actor Jamison Murray was five miles away on the sidelines of the football field, watching varsity defeat in CIF against the Newbury Park Panthers.
9 p.m.
The drama cast, including Murray’s understudy, took their bows, then rushed off stage to watch the projection of the football game and cheer him on. When the camera panned over to Murray praying on the field, the PAC erupted with pride and joy.
That was the night Murray balanced the ‘big game’ and the school play on the same night. Since then he has proven to be the real-life Troy Bolton of PRHS, in addition to being an Eagle Scout, a fluent Spanish speaker, and a Link Crew Leader.
“CIF was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and as I got closer to it, it hurt really hard to not be able to be there on opening night,” Murray said.
Murray’s football career began in seventh grade when his dad purchased a new Nike football to bribe him into playing the sport that he loved. From then on, Murray has been an outside linebacker and special teams member playing on the varsity team for two years.
What may be a more 
prevalent focus in Murray’s life is his heavy dedication to the PRHS drama department. After being tipped off from band teacher Sonny Galvan and senior Isabella Marziello in 2014, drama teacher Marcy Goodnow handed him an audition packet in the parking lot for “Once Upon a Mattress” in which he played an ensemble member.
“(Jamison) has taken every opportunity to grow on stage. He doesn’t back down from a challenge and because of his he has grown from a quiet shy kid to a risk taker!” Goodnow said.
After “Mattress,” Murray fell in love with the stage. He has been cast in seven shows including “Hairspray,” “The Music Man,” and “Alice in Wonderland,” playing an ensemble member, Oliver Hix, part of the barber shop quartet, and the King of Hearts respectively. Murray just finished his seventh and final show, “The Drowsy Chaperone” in which he played co-protagonist and best man George. He was pushed out of his comfort zone and into tap shoes.
“Being able to do a tap numbe
r is really fun. The first time I ever even put on tap shoes was during callbacks,’” said Murray, who decided after a few moments of punching the air and groaning, that either George or Oliver Hix was his favorite role.
Although tap pushed him out of his comfort zone, he was never alone on stage. Murray’s brother freshman Trevor Murray was cast as a member of the dance ensemble and learned tap dance with his older brother, whom he looks up to for almost everything in life.
“He has left a footprint on that stage for me to follow in, and he’s just been the best brother I could ever have,” Trevor said.
Along with his brother, Murray credits his closest friends senior Daniel Vigil, junior Graham Farrell, and his girlfriend, junior Maycee Ham, for being such supportive fellow cast members and friends.
“Jamison has an incredible work ethic. I’ve worked with him in productions, and right now in the Drowsy Chaperone, we have a tap number that we spent hours on and he wouldn’t stop until he got it,” said Farrell, who played Robert Martin, the groom, in The Drowsy Chaperone.
However, Murray wasn’t always this outgoing. During the summer after junior year, Murray was chosen to attend Boys State, a leadership conference held at Sacramento State University. Along with his leadership status, Murray became an Eagle Scout on April 30 after completing his project making 250 reusable bags for the food bank out of old T-shirts.
Another substantial aspect of Murray’s life is his faith. Murray attends The Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or better known as the Mormon Church.
“It’s been my life. I’ve been a member ever since I was little and most of the big decisions of my life, like my mission and where I want to go to school, are based around being a member of the church,” said Murray, who plans on serving on a two year mission to an undetermined location before he hopes to attend Southern Utah University.
He will major in Chemistry with hopes to continue a career in forensic science.
