Tilghman Grad Comes Home to the Stage

by ANDREW KATZ

The Stage was Set in Paducah

Performer Micheal Corey Hassel Returned to His Hometown as a Cast Member of “Hairspray”

MICHEAL HASSEL’S FIRST experience with performing may have started at seven years old, but it wasn’t until his sophomore year when he had to choose theater over track that his passion for the performing arst really took off.

Track had become a chore, so when he heard that

Market House Theatre was putting on a production of “Hairspray,” prioritizing a role in his favorite musical was a no-brainer.

MICHEAL COREY

HASSEL

” “Inspiring young, Black, queer children is big for me now,” says Micheal of his role in the Hairspray touring company. “I just love entertaining people and making people smile.

Hassel, now 23, is on the national tour of “Hairspray” which came to the Carson Center in April. He is the understudy for Seaweed, part of the ensemble and has done many shows as a Dynamite.

“Hairspray” is not Hassel’s first time on The Carson Center stage. He did Broadway Workshop, a summer theater program offered at Paducah’s performing arts center, for three years. It was through YouTube videos and summer programs such as Broadway Workshop that Hassel grew his talents.

Rehearsals for the tour started in October and since November the cast has done around 50 shows. Hassel said he dedicates every performance to his late mother. He said he feels most connected to her when he is performing and theater started as a healing process for him. Hassel said since his mother’s passing, Glenn and Heather Denton have taken care of him, making sure his car insurance is paid and his applications are submitted.

“We have always liked to describe him as the friend who came over to spend one night and, even after a decade, hasn’t left,” Glenn Denton, a Paducah attorney at Denton Law Firm said on Hassel joining their family. “I have a Ph.D. level degree in making sure Micheal’s Is are dotted and Ts are crossed. Whether that means making sure that his driver’s permit is obtained or making sure that he’s going to take care of his student loans.”

After graduating from Paducah Tilghman High School in 2016, Hassel attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. This is where he met Bill Jenkins, the department chair of theatre and dance. Jenkins said he considers Hassel a close friend and almost an adopted family member. Hassel said Jenkins is the first person he calls when he has news. Through his involvement in Sedoctave—an a capella group at Ball State—and shows at the university, Hassel said he quickly found community at Ball State.

“He is a walking billboard for Paducah, Kentucky,” Jenkins said. “When you lose a parent at such a young age, community can be defined in many different ways, whether it is the community he developed at Ball State or the community he developed on his current tour. That started with the community of Paducah, and I think he gains great inspiration from trying to make his hometown proud.”

Andrew Shannon, one of Hassel’s best friends, said Hassel is an inspiration to him. Shannon said he experienced his energy and talent firsthand in high school when Shannon was a leader of the band. “It is heartwarming to see my friend progress and keep his foot on the gas,” said Shannon.

Hassel said he developed a strong work ethic very early in his career and he always stayed prepared since Market House Theatre and Paducah Tilghman only did shows once a year. While Jenkins and Denton have been paternal figures, they both said it is Hassel’s tremendous talent that has gotten him this far.

“Through Micheal’s talents and achievements, he is very much a self-made man,” Glenn Denton said. “He has had people help him along the way but it is through his perseverance and hard work that he is where he is today.”

“Occasionally there is a standout black male performer but usually not,” Hassel said, noting why performing is so important to him. “Inspiring young, Black, queer children—that you can do this too—is big for me now. I just love entertaining people and making people smile.”