NEW YORK CITY, NY (607NewsNow) — Josh Rivera ’18 has made his debut on Broadway, scoring the role of Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show.

Starting his post-graduation career with a role in the Hangar Theatre’s production of In the Heights, Rivera has seen ups and downs in his work. According to the Ithaca College website, Rivera scored a spot on a national tour of Hamilton and was then cast as Chino in the Hollywood film West Side Story in 2019. The film was not released until 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experiencing somewhat of a lull in his work, Rivera was working at a bar when the film premiered. He began to be recognized from his role as Chino while serving patrons and was then cast as Aaron Hernandez in the 10-episode limited series American Sports Story. Strikes for the Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers Hollywood put a hold on the shooting schedule for the series, which was later resumed after Lionsgate and SAG-AFTRA decided on an interim agreement.

Rivera first met the cast of The Rocky Horror Show while on location at a promotional Vogue photo shoot. Spending years training at Dillingham, he decided that taking leaps of faith and allowing himself to reach for roles and opportunities out of his comfort zone has allowed him to flourish.

“It might mean nothing, and might end up meaning everything. College is time to start doing stuff like that, and really branching out, and figuring out what you’re capable of, and what you actually like,” Rivera says when it comes to trying something new.

Headshot of Rivera, Photo Credit: Ben Cope.

Find the full article about Rivera’s role and journey to Broadway on the Ithaca College website here.