'A child at heart': Family creates fund for theater kids in memory of Central Texas actor

By age 24, Central Texas actor Nathan LeBlanc, inspired by the touring musicals that played Bass Concert Hall in Austin, had already studied at one of the best university musical theater programs in the country.

He had moved to New York City, where he secured his first paid acting jobs. He explored the metropolis, at times with his girlfriend, Anette Barrios-Torres, a Cuban-American actor who recently played Eliza Doolittle in a tour of "My Fair Lady" that stopped in Austin Dec. 5-10.

On Nov. 2, however, LeBlanc did not wake up at his New York apartment.

"There is no cause of death mentioned in the obituary because we don’t know how he died," said his sister, Madeleine LeBlanc, who lives in Austin. "He was found by his roommate with no physical trauma on his body. Not knowing remains a large source of sadness and frustration for my family. We will not know anything until the final autopsy report comes back in four to six months."

Meanwhile, LeBlanc's family and friends have set up a charitable fund at bit.ly/nathanleblanc to make sure students from small school districts like his — he studied drama at South Belton Middle School and Belton High School north of Austin — can attend shows at Bass.

"The trips to Austin proved to him that people do this in real life for their jobs," his sister said, "and I think that reassurance is what gave him the confidence to pursue his dream."

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"This fund is such a blessing for our students and other students in Texas," said Melissa Stuhff, who taught LaBlanc at South Belton Middle School and again during his senior year at Belton High School. "The truth is, when we originally took Nathan and his classmates, I hesitated because of cost. I knew there would be some students who simply couldn't come because of money and that always weighs heavy on me as a teacher. I came from a single-parent household and as an adult I see now that my mom made a lot of sacrifices for me to be involved in school stuff.

"Seeing live theater is often life changing," Stuhff continued, "especially on the professional level."

A theatrical career cut short

Nathan Luke LeBlanc was born on Oct. 13, 1999 in Temple to John and Laura LeBlanc.

He is remembered as kind, witty and creative.

"Nathan was warm, generous, incredibly funny and a natural performer," said his mother, Laura LeBlanc. "He actually fell into theater by accident. Because of a scheduling conflict in sixth grade, he was put into a theater class rather than the choir class he wanted to take. By the end of the first semester, Nathan told me that theater was what he wanted to do."

According to his sister, her brother was always ready to put on a show.

"Nathan was such an amazing person to grow up with," Madeleine LeBlanc said. "We were so close in age and we spent so much of our time together that we developed a sort of code that really only we could understand. I could look at him a certain way and he would just bust out laughing — he always made me feel so funny. In the same sort of way, he could look at me and I could tell that there was some hilarious comment that he was brewing."

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Drama teacher Melissa Stuhff remembers LeBlanc as the nervous, accidental theater student in sixth grade.

"Nathan was the kind of student that you wish you could have a classroom full of," Stuhff said. "While he was incredibly talented, the kind of talent that could make others nervous or intimidated, Nathan was such a kind soul that he made sure that everyone around him was comfortable, having fun and growing as an actor.

"Nathan was the epitome of 'a rising tide lifts all boats.' He was continually pushing others around him to be better, and because he could do it with such sincerity, they followed where he led. He taught me how to work hard and have fun while doing it. He took his craft very seriously, but always brought levity and lightness to rehearsals, especially when things got tough."

LeBlanc attended Oklahoma City University, commonly ranked among the top 10 schools in musical theater training, where he graduated in 2022. He moved to New York City almost two years ago to pursue his career in acting. Some of his credits over the years included "Closer Than Ever," "Swimming in the Shallows," "Children of Eden" and "Silent Sky."

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"He had worked professionally as an actor for a few years and was really at the start of his career," said girlfriend Anette Barrios-Torres. "We were so excited about what might be in store for him."

While in New York, LeBlanc worked as a chess instructor for young children, which he loved.

"It’s going to take me a long time to realize that he’s truly gone because he was such a constant source of joy in our lives," his sister said. "Something that I entirely took for granted. Nathan cared so much for other people and often put them before himself. He always seemed to find a way to make people feel included and important. He was a child at heart and other children could sense that; they would always flock to him at big family gatherings or summer camp."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Nathan LeBlanc's family creates fund for local students to see theater