If you haven’t seen or heard Sam Holt perform, I predict you will one day. This 13-year-old has already graced the stages of local theater, danced with the ballet, and is penning his own tunes in preparation for his planned career as a singer-songwriter. “I kind of want to go in the woods, have a recording studio, and just kind of grind it out. Not really sure yet, just see where it takes me,” says Sam, a seventh grader studying theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.

Sam seems up for anything, a relaxed attitude that has opened up doors and allowed him to grow into a classic “triple threat.” As a younger child, his grandparents took him to see Red Mountain Theatre’s Holiday Spectacular. His mother, Shannon Holt, suggested he try out for Red Mountain’s children’s program. True to his personality, “I was like yeah, sure, whatever, I’ll go do this.” He’s been acting, dancing, and singing in theater productions ever since. Last year, when his mom got word that Alabama Ballet needed a tall boy to play a starring role as The Prince in their production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Sam was (of course) game for trying ballet.

Beyond performing, Sam loves basketball (plans to play in rec leagues through high school), and he likes to hunt and fish (credits his older brother Ward and father Ted for teaching him a lot about the outdoors). Sam also has two sisters, Ann Park, 16, and Maggie, 11. 

Sam picked up the guitar during COVID-19 quarantine, teaching himself before taking lessons. Last summer, he took advantage of the “no devices” policy at sleep-away camp and began writing songs. That new direction has informed his plans for the future. “I really want to pursue singing and songwriting and maybe do theater and ballet and stuff on the side,” says Sam. “I’m not really sure right now, I just have so much stuff on my plate I can’t really decide.” At 13, Sam has plenty of time to explore with the same grace and open-mindedness that has already taken him so far.