Foreign exchange student, Wade (Veeti) Laasila, from Finland was nominated for best supporting actor in Dallas Summer Musicals as well as the tech crew was nominated for an honorable mention for lighting design.

Dallas Summer Musicals has had an annual award show for high school’s all across the metroplex to enter their musicals into and compete for different awards such as best lead actor/actress etc.

This years production of Cinderella landed Wade Laasila the nomination of best supporting actor.

“I wanted to become apart of the school,” Laasila said. “I was doing theatre before [I came here] and it was a thing I enjoyed and I wanted to continue doing something that I loved.”

Laasila made school history by being the first student nominated from Prosper in DSM.

“It’s a great honor I feel especially being an exchange student,” Laasila said. “I feel it was a pretty big deal and it feels great.”

Laasila hopes that an achievement like this wont be the only one in his future.

“After this it is going to be a big boost for me to achieve greater things in Finland,” Laasila said.

Laasila’s family lives over an ocean away and they were thrilled when they heard the news through a chat with Laasila.

“They were going crazy,” Laasila said. “My mom was saying, ‘Oh no now he’s going to go to Hollywood and he’s gonna stay in America because he’s a big theatre star now.”

Laasila was thrilled to hear he landed a role in the schools musical but was unsure at first about his role of Lionel, the prince’s royal servant.

“I was not sure if I was going to do that well in that role,” Laasila said. “I proved myself wrong as the time went on.”

Theatre isn’t something that Laasila decided to start doing when he came to America. He already had an extensive background in theatre back home in Finland.

“I’ve been in multiple musicals,” Laasila said. “I come from a musically selective high school all together. I’ve been participating in a couple of other musicals and all together surrounding myself in music, which is the one thing I love the most.”

With a passion for theatre like Laasila’s, a nomination like this should not come as a shock.

“Theatre means a lot to me, it’s a part of me,” Laasila said.