Community Builder nominators are asked to describe how their nominee will be remembered by future generations. The question is impossible to answer in the case of 18-year-old Alessandro Costantini because he has so much of his life ahead of him.

This year's Young Leader is a gifted actor and singer. He has performed in professional theatre productions, appeared in television commercials, and has a recurring role on the YTV series How to be Indie. Costantini has had an agent since he was 13, and is a member of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), and Canadian Actors Equity, a major achievement for a young Canadian actor.

“People always ask me what do I want to do when I'm older. I say I am already doing it. I am a working actor,” says the confident teenager, who is being lauded as a Young Leader not because of his acting resume, but because of his contributions to the community.

Costantini has performed to benefit Easter Seals, the Sudbury Food Bank, Club Richelieu and the Caruso Club. He appeared on the CTV Children's Christmas Telethon for seven consecutive years. He has worked as an unpaid actor for Theatre Cambrian to entertain Sudbury audiences. Most recently, he started the Youth Entertaining Sudbury (Y.E.S.) theatre company. He produced, directed and appeared in its inaugural production, Hair, the 1967 musical about love and peace that the young thespian felt had a message for today's youth.

This past December, he organized a cabaret to benefit the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth. A fundraiser for Y.E.S. is planned for the spring to raise cash for this summer's production of Rent.

“Dreams really do come true,” he says. “It is overwhelming and heart-warming to see the support the community has continued to put into Y.E.S. theatre.”

At St. Charles College, Costantini was an honours student as well as president of the student council. In addition to his professional work, he took a lead role in school drama productions and still had time for soccer and a part-time job at the Caruso Club. He was named most promising graduate in the class of 2010. Costantini also received a Governor General's Award for community service, the Laurentian University Leadership Award, and the Evelyn Crandall Memorial Scholarship to pursue his education in the arts.

Sudbury Theatre Centre artistic director David Savoy and education co-ordinator Judi Straughan were impressed with the teen's plans to start a theatre company, but given the challenges, were “certain he would fail,” remembers Straughan.

They were wrong. Costantini and company raised $30,000 to produce Hair–nearly $8,000 was raised at a talent show—and they never looked back.

“It was the best experience of my life. (Hair) is just a show that changes your life. It makes you appreciate everything...the people in your life... it gives you passion. When Hair closed, it was the happiest and saddest day of my life,” he says.

“Alessandro has done something incredible for the youth of this community,” says Straughan.

Born in Garson, Costantini started singing when he was five. Inspired by the harmonies of The Backstreet Boys, he sang along with their records, eventually finding his own voice.

“My grandmother told me to turn down the music so she could hear me sing,” he says.

In Grade 7 he started taking singing lessons with Pamela Teed, and then Jeff Wiseman.

He appeared in Theatre Cambrian's productions of Oliver!, and then landed the title role in the STC's production of James and the Giant Peach in 2006. Last season, he was back at the STC in The Full Monty.

The Young Leader leaves for Fredericton to prepare for a role in Theatre New Brunswick's production of Hockey Dreams a few days after the Community Builders Awards gala.

He is currently taking a year off between high school and post-secondary education, but has plans to study acting in Montreal or Toronto.