this is new york, home of our first millennial. >> i'm michael burbach, i'm 22 years old, i was born 989 and i'm an aspiring actor. >> reporter: michael's brave to be on stage dominates everything he does. >> i eat theater, i breathe theater. it's what i think about all the time. there will be times i'm on stage and i'll be like, i don't know my line, i don't know my line but once the time comes, it's all there, it's in you. >> reporter: he's studying theater at manhattan's marymount college. >> i'm excited i'm going out with a bang and all my hard work seems to have paid off. >> the curtains go away and i'm in the moment reliving it. >> reporter: michael has rehearsed this moment time and time again. >> some people -- >> reporter: as a teenager growing up in the midwest, youtube was his stage of choice. first posting songs from the comfort of his bedroom. ♪ ♪ some people who don't know their lines ♪ >> reporter: then uploading his theatrical work. ♪ >> i would sit in my room in iowa and sing along with these broadway cast albums. i'd be so excited about finding a new show or performe

. >> and in new york, following your dream, michael burbach told us belief is everything. >> if you need it and want it badly enough, you can do it. that's the craziest thing because asometimes it seems like an impossible dream, but it's not. >> michael's shot at the bright lights cannot begin without a dramatic final test. >> read them with feeling. okay. in other words, don't just go blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. >> oh, you want us to act? >> today he's joining his mates at marymount college for his performance of a midsummer night's dream. a play he'll perform just before graduation. >> i will yield up to his lordship. >> his performance is crucial. it's the culmination of years of hard work. >> relent, sweet hermia. and lysander, yield thy crazy title to my certain right. >> his last battle before facing the cutthroat world of broadway. >> do you marry him? >> playing demetrius, one of the lovers in this romantic farce, is michael's chance to prove he can cut it as a leading man. >> in high school, i always wanted to be the romantic lead, be center stage, singing the romantic song or