When Josiah Randles ’25 arrived on campus four years ago for the University of Lynchburg’s Summer Transition Program, they intended to major in political science with the goal of becoming a lawyer. A talent show changed all of that.
At the show, which was part of STP, Randles sang the Radiohead song “Creep.” Little did they know that someone was recording their performance. The covert recording was later shared with Loretta Wittman, then-director of Curtain Call, Lynchburg’s musical theater ensemble.
On Aug. 4, 2021, at 8:28 p.m. — Randles still has the email — Wittman emailed to say she’d heard Randles was “quite the singer.” Then she invited them to audition for Curtain Call and an upcoming one-act play festival. Randles auditioned and the rest, as they say, is history.
Next week, Randles will graduate from Lynchburg. It’ll be a pivotal moment in a journey that started in Prince George, Virginia, where Randles was a football player and former thespian who, as they put it, “didn’t go out of high school with the highest GPA.”
“I was so very happy [Lynchburg] was able to give me a chance,” Randles said. “I wanted to go to a school that had a smaller population, smaller classes. I also wanted to get back into theater. I took a long hiatus from theater. I was an athlete and couldn’t do both.”
After taking two classes toward a poli-sci degree, Randles dropped back and punted, changing their major to theatre and adding a second major in criminology and a minor in musical theatre.
Over the last four years, Randles has performed in numerous theater productions, including “Seussical,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” “As You Like It,” “Urinetown,” “Pippin,” and others.
“Josiah came to the University of Lynchburg Theatre Department without much on-stage experience,” Dana Ballard, Curtain Call’s director, said. “They had sung in their high school choir, but I don’t think they had ever performed in a theatrical production.
“When Josiah first arrived, the pieces they chose were all songs for a very deep baritone voice, but over four years of vocal coaching in the theatre department and voice lessons in the music department, Josiah developed their tenor range and can now sing from the lowest low to the highest high.
“This is extremely unusual in a singer and is one of the keys to Josiah’s great success.”
In January, Randles went with Curtain Call to New York City, where the ensemble performed at 54 Below, a popular Cabaret Club in the Big Apple’s theater district.
At the concert, Randles sang a solo, “Monster.” It was written specifically for them for Lynchburg’s Curtain Up Songwriters Workshop, where singers work with emerging New York City songwriters to create songs that tell personal stories.
The song, written by R.J. Christian, was inspired by Randles’ struggles with mental illness, which they spoke about briefly before their performance at 54 Below.
On the way to New York, Randles said they wanted to give their song a “bigger reach,” beyond just a couple of on-campus performances. “My goal is to … make an impact on one person — to make them feel seen,” they said.
Choked up with emotion, Randles sang Christian’s haunting, heart-wrenching lyrics, which included passages like, “Why can’t I hold something and not crush it in my hands? Why’s my life a joke that always lands?”
When they finished, the room erupted in applause, and after the show, they were approached by several audience members. “There was a person in the audience that had bipolar disorder and PTSD,” Randles said. “I gave him a hug.
“He said, ‘The song really helped me out and I felt seen.’ A lot of people came up and said, ‘This song is amazing.’ The whole point was to make an impact. I’m very humbled and blessed.”
Randles added that having an online video of their performance will provide future opportunities to talk about mental health issues. In particular, they want to spread the message that “it’s OK for a Black man to show their emotions. I want to be able to break that stigma.”
“Monster” not only gave Randles the opportunity to share their story on a big stage, the experience also impacted their career goals. While Randles still has their sights set on Broadway, this fall they will enroll in NYU Steinhardt’s master’s degree program in drama therapy and musical theatre.
“Talent like that doesn’t come along all the time, and I feel honored to have helped [Josiah] develop it.” Ballard said. “And the fact that they got into NYU, which is extremely competitive, is a testament to both great talent and hard work done over the last four years.”
Randles also has a passion for what they describe as “social justice and advocacy work,” and it extends well beyond the theatre department. At Lynchburg, they are secretary of Man2Man, a CHAMPS Mentor, a community assistant, and a member of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society, the Student Development Student Advisory Group, and Queer & Spiritual.
As president of Lynchburg’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Randles organized Pride Walk Individual. The event, held during Lavender Week in October, includes a slow walk across the Dell from Hopwood Hall to Snidow Chapel, followed by a program that memorializes and/or celebrates the queer community.
Randles also was involved in founding the Lavender Lodge, an off-campus social club described on Instagram as “Lynchburg’s free community space celebrating queer joy & flourishing.”
Last month, Randles performed in their final Curtain Call spring cabaret, “Dream Roles,” in which they sang “Why God Why?” from the Broadway musical “Miss Saigon.” In the musical, an American GI falls in love with a local woman the night before leaving Vietnam.
“He finds himself pleading with God, asking why this happened to him and why now,” Randles said. “To me, this song holds deep personal meaning, especially as I approach graduation. As I reflect on the journey I’ve had — my experiences, the challenges, and the accomplishments — I often find myself asking God the same questions.
“I’m filled with gratitude for how far I’ve come, but there are moments when I wonder, ‘Why me?’ and ‘Am I truly good enough to pursue a career in this field?’ This song resonates with me because it captures the vulnerability and uncertainty of facing a big life change.
“It’s about grappling with doubt, while also acknowledging the beauty of the unexpected moments that shape our path. It’s a reflection of the emotions I’m feeling as I step into this new chapter.”
