It all came together for Grant Moore in a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof.

He had been acting with Ottawa’s Orpheus Musical Theatre for a few years, and had performed in a Pontiac Community Players radio play, but this was the young thespian’s first lead role.

In Pontiac High School’s production of the classic play, he was given the role of Tevye, a character that has more lines than any other in the play and is featured in almost every scene.

Moore spent months preparing for the role, rehearsing lines and timings. He said when it finally came time to perform, all that work ended in success.

The feeling of being on stage, of synergizing with his fellow actors, and then finally the waves of applause at the final curtain call — it was worth all the hard work he had invested into the show.

“Acting was something I’d been in for many years, and by the end of the rehearsal process I felt very comfortable and confident in my role as the lead of the show,” he said, adding that this was one of the moments he realized he might pursue acting as a career.

“It was this big cementing thing that yes, I can do this.”

This month, Moore got further confirmation that he can do this, as the Shawville resident was honoured with Toronto Film School’s Best Actor award at his graduation ceremony.

Moore, who grew up in Aylmer and moved to Shawville when he was 11, concluded his acting program last December and has been back in the Pontiac since then, notably playing a lead role in the Pontiac Community Players’ summer production of Having Hope at Home.

His program, entitled Acting for Film, TV and Theatre, took place over six terms spanning a year and a half, and gave him an overview of acting in all mediums. Moore said he prefers theatre to film or TV acting because the action is unfolding right in front of the audience’s eyes instead of being the result of several rounds of cuts and edits.

“There’s just something magical about being on stage that you can’t get anywhere else,” he said, describing the high he gets from performing live theatre, one he says is unmatched in any other kind of production.

“When you know your character [ . . . ] and then you go out and perform it in front of everyone and just explore this world with the character and have these moments with people that aren’t real, you’re bringing truth off a piece of paper . . . I’m kind of a romantic, I guess.”

Moore said for him, acting is a healing experience that allows him to see the world from his character’s perspective.

“You’re able to step into somebody else’s shoes and tell their story, because actors are advocates for the human experience.”

Some of Moore’s role models in acting are Marlon Brando and James Dean, both method actors from the 50s and 60s. But he said his mom jokes that he’s most like Ryan Gosling because of his versatility.

“It’s an actor that I really look up to and I feel like his work is something I would like to be doing. You can have those dramatic moments and as well move over to comedy and then go into action movies,” he said of the Canadian actor.

Moore said since moving back to Shawville he has been struggling with feelings of inadequacy. On a hike a few months ago at Luskville Falls, he was feeling down when, sitting by the fire tower, he got the email saying he had won the award, distinguishing him as the best male actor of his graduating class as voted by his instructors.

“I was having a really tough time after graduation,” he said. “I was kind of in the dumps for like six or seven months. I felt like a fraud. It felt like all this work I had done at TFS wasn’t worthwhile because I’m not applying for anything, I’m not seeking out an agent.”

When he read the email, he was reassured that all those negative thoughts weren’t true. “I was alone at the top of the mountain, so I was jumping around and shouting.”

Darlene Pashak, who co-directed the Players’ production of Having Hope, said Moore was a real professional who took the craft seriously.

“He crafted the character and gave it great depth while eliciting the humorous side of his character and the plot line,” she said, adding that he was a joy to have on set and supported the rest of the cast and crew.

Pashak said she believes Moore is destined for great things. “I feel like one day I will be saying ‘I knew him when . . .’,” she said.

Since graduating, Moore has been looking at options to pursue acting further. He has been going to open casting calls in the Ottawa theatre scene, and is currently booked for a production of Shawshank Redemption happening in the new year.

He is also considering heading back to school for a more theatre-focused program, and is eyeing George Brown theatre school’s three-year program in Toronto.

Wherever he goes, he believes his roots in the Pontiac will help him stay grounded.

“I’m not sure if I’m at an advantage or a disadvantage from somebody who was born and raised in Toronto or Vancouver, but I always remember where I come from,” he said.

“I remember I was kind of caught up with being in Toronto with all this stuff going on and feeling self-important [ . . . ] I was kind of going into space and not remembering where I come from, and I remember talking to my mom about it and she just said, ‘Remember where you come from,’ and that kind of helped me ground myself.”

Moore said he occasionally thinks back to his early days in community theatre to remind himself of where his passion comes from.

“Acting is always something you don’t think is a feasible career option, but I felt like if I did go into it I would be able to make something of myself. [The Fiddler on the Roof production] was the first time I felt like I can do this and this is a career path that would be beneficial and satisfying and something worthwhile to go after.”