“I saw him as somebody who had the talent and potentially the drive to really go out there and make it,” said Nahan, who was Obayan’s high school adviser.

Last week, theatre sophomore Obayan put his acting skills to the test by auditioning for Oxygen’s “The Glee Project,” which is a TV show serving as an audition for the Fox TV series “Glee.”

After watching an episode of the reality show’s first season, Obayan said he knew he had to be a part of the next season.

“I’m fascinated with performing (and) with being on TV — on film or the stage,” he said. “I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to — in college — be on a TV show for three months that allowed me to act and dance and which would be broadcast nationwide every single week. Of course, I jumped at an opportunity like that.”

Obayan began performing more seriously once he began high school at Detroit Country Day School and took part in several productions directed by Nahan, who is the school’s performing arts director.

Nahan, who also acted as Obayan’s adviser, helping him schedule his classes and preparing him for college, said Obayan’s dedication to performing was apparent from the beginning.

“He commits his entire being, and he feels things very strongly,” he said. “I think that’s communicated depending on the character he is playing.”

For Obayan, theater was much more than just an after-school activity. It acted as a way for him to escape from the problems he was facing at school and at home.

Throughout high school, he said he constantly was bullied for being gay, and during his junior year, he contemplated suicide several times.

“Without theater and music, I would have been lost,” he said. “I loved the performing arts so much, and that was really my solace at that time.”

Oakland University freshman Meredith Deighton, who is Obayan’s best friend, said she stuck by his side throughout everything and admired his strength during those difficult times.

“It was a really tough time for him,” she said. “He was trying to figure out who he was, but the school community wasn’t allowing him to do so. I was so proud of him when he finally came out.”

The pair met during the same production that got Obayan noticed by Nahan and have been best friends ever since.

“We were both so nervous (about the show), so we decided we would bond over the fact that we were so nervous and wanted to throw up,” Deighton said.

Now that he is a college student, Obayan said he tries to involve himself with as many theatrical productions as possible in the hopes that his hard work eventually will lead him to success.

After he graduates, Obayan said his dream is to move to Brooklyn and perform on Broadway — a theater district where productions have continued to inspire him as an artist.

“It’s my passion in life to act, sing and dance,” he said. “What lets me do that as much as I can, at the highest level I can, for the most people I can? I can’t think of anything besides Broadway.”

Obayan said he hopes a role on “The Glee Project” will bring him closer to Broadway.

During his first audition for the show, which was on Nov. 5 in Chicago, he sang for two judges, both of whom he needed approval from to advance to the next step in the audition process. But he received only one vote.

Determined to make it, he traveled to New York City to audition again.

“The fact that he’s really going out there and going to these auditions — I couldn’t be prouder of him,” Deighton said.

Ultimately, he was denied in New York City as well, but a video submission he sent to the show, which consists of him answering several questions and singing a song, still could land him a callback in Los Angeles if the judges find it impressive.

To make it onto “The Glee Project,” and then eventually onto “Glee” would be a dream come true, Obayan said.

“I love that every character in ‘Glee’ is based on that actor’s own life,” he said. “You’re not performing a scripted character; you’re performing yourself, which I think allows you to be really authentic on TV.”

Department of Theatre Head of Acting and Directing Rob Roznowski, who often works closely with Obayan, said Obayan’s one-of-a-kind personality would make him a great addition to the show’s cast.

“(The show) is really created to find unique and interesting talent,” he said. “I think he’s a perfect match for that sort of ironic and unique person to showcase on the show.”