Nile Andah remembers seeing the national tour of “The Lion King,” in March 2010 and being ecstatic about the idea of watching the performance because he loved the movie. He ended up falling deeply in love. During the performance, his mom claims that he turned to her during the performance swearing he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

Andah had never seen anything like it and was mesmerized by the magic he saw on that stage.

For the next several months after seeing the performance, he became obsessed. He handmade all the different animal costumes out of paper and brass fasteners, watched countless YouTube videos of productions of “The Lion King” all over the world and made his parents play the original Broadway cast recording over and over.

“I’m pretty sure my parents thought there was something wrong with me,” Andah said.

Andah was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has always been fascinated with theater as a whole. When the opportunity arose to direct “Into The Woods” at Pioneer High School (PHS), he immediately accepted the position.

“[It seemed like a] great artistic outlet to connect with fellow performers and theater-makers on a different level,” Andah said. He co-directed with Oluchi Nwakorie, a sophomore at the University of Michigan’s School of Music Theater and Dance (SMTD) also majoring in musical theater.

For him, the show’s closing was bittersweet.

“It’s always wild having something you’ve worked on for months end so abruptly,” Andah said. “I am super excited to watch the cast up there killing it one last time,” Andah said, just days before the closing.

Looking back on the shows, Andah would have done things differently. There were days when he was physically present in the rehearsal, but wasn’t mentally present.

“I found it difficult balancing both performing in the Michigan Musical Theater Department’s fall show and co-directing this show at times,” Andah said. “The next time I direct a show, I want to make sure that I can devote my full and undivided attention, time and energy to it. With all that being said though, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.”

Some of Andah’s best moments within the rehearsal process were when the actors made a new choice or delivered a line differently. Because of that, he felt the entire energy of the scene shift.

“Those moments were so exciting to both me and Oluchi as co-directors because we got to see whoever did that dive deeper into their character,” Andah said.

Andah saw all the performers grow immensely during the process. As each week passed, it was evident to Andah that the actors were getting deeper in their understanding of their characters. By the end of the run, he saw that everyone was invested in the story and how their character’s wishes impacted their decisions.

“It was so cool seeing them play off of each other’s energies and watching how the choices they made impacted their overall character arcs,” Andah said.

As the show ended, Andah learned a lot about himself as a performer, creator and human being.

“My biggest takeaway from “Into The Woods” that ties into all three of these aspects of myself is the importance of gratitude for the present moment,” Andah said.

Andah thinks it is important that we do the things that make us happy and take time out of the day to tell the people we love that we love them. He has started doing gratitude check-ins with himself every night.

“I’ll go back through my day and think about at least two things or moments from the day that I’m grateful for,” Andah said.

Andah realized that because he’s a person who is constantly thinking about the future and long-term goals, he rarely allows himself to live in the moment and appreciate the things around him while they’re around him.

“I can let myself work towards my goals and wishes without letting them cloud my appreciation for everything around me and all the progress I have made,” Andah said.

After the show officially closed, Andah was left with immense gratitude and pride.

“I’m proud of what my co-director, Oluchi, and I created,” Andah said. “I’m proud of every single Pioneer student involved with the show for all the work they put into it while also balancing the pressures and deadlines of school. This has been one of the most artistically fulfilling experiences of my life. I’m just so grateful that this piece came to me when it did and for all the magic that came from it.”

One piece of advice Andah has for students interested in the performing arts is to try everything.

“It will give you a deeper appreciation for the people behind the scenes who work tirelessly to make a show happen,” Andah said. “All it can do is make you a more well-rounded artist and person.”