Tad Hilgenbrink was born in Quincy, Illinois and attended Quincy Senior High School, where he was actively involved in music and theater. He performed as part of the resident company for Summer 2003 at Music Theatre of Wichita in Wichita, Kansas, where he performed in the musicals Footloose, Oklahoma!, Good News, Chicago, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. He has a BFA Musical Theatre and Dance minor from Millikin University and IES London. Tad has performed in roles such as The Artful Dodger in Oliver!, Gideon in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Chuck Cranston in Footloose.