Skylar Astin burst onto the Broadway scene in 2006 after being cast as the energetic “pile of teen hormones” Georg in Spring Awakening, a role he played for 2 1/2 years. With music by Duncan Sheik, the rock musical was based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play and won the Tony for best musical in 2007.

A New York native, Skylar has been acting since the 8^th grade and appeared in the documentary Stagedoor, about Stagedoor Manor, a prestigious theatrical summer camp that was the inspiration for Todd Graff’s Camp and counts Natalie Portman and Robert Downey Jr. as some of its alumni.

Having played the piano since he was five, it was no surprise that Skylar’s piano playing in Spring Awakening would be praised by none other than Billy Joel: “When Billy Joel comes up to you and says ‘I love how you’re playing,’ you can’t help but say, ‘You’re Billy Joel!’ It doesn’t get better than that.”

Making his foray onto the big screen, Skylar’s feature film debut was the irreverent comedy Hamlet 2, starring comedian Steve Coogan, about a down-on-his luck high school theatre teacher who spurs his students on to mounting a stage show to keep arts education in their school. Speaking of his young co-star, Steve recounts, “Skylar actually said, ‘Why don’t you do this?’  I remember thinking, ‘Hang on, who is this guy? I’ve been doing this 20 years. This is his first movie and he’s got an idea for me?’ Then I realized what he was saying was funnier than my idea.  He often made smart judgments that seemed to come from a guy who had a much older head on his shoulders.”

Hamlet 2 was screened in Sundance in 2008. And it was after seeing his performance in the movie that an agent signed him on with United Talent Agency.

Skylar’s next film project was Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, which premiered in Cannes in 2009 and reunited Skylar with his Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff.

Skylar will be playing the role of Mark in next month’s staging of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl.