Q: Who inspired you to get into theater?

A:  “I guess I got the “theater gene” from my dad and uncle. They both did theatre throughout high school, and my uncle is a theater director at Hanover. I started theater in middle school all by myself, though. It just seemed fun.”

Q: Why do like like acting?

A: “I enjoy performing because I get a huge thrill when on stage. I also love the fact that no two performances are the same. The best part of being in theater though is always having your “theater family” to always go to.”

Q: How many shows total have you performed in?

A: “In total I’ve been in 17 shows, but with [Lake Central Theatre Company] in particular, I’ve been a part of 10.”

Q: What was your favorite role you’ve ever played?

A: “My favorite show hands down was “Zombie Prom,” LCTC’s 2014 spring musical. It was such a fun cast and an even funnier show. My favorite role I think was Jonas in “The Giver,” the 2014 summer play.”

Q: Do you think there is a lot of stereotypes that come along with the title ‘Thespian’?

A: “I’m sure there are plenty of stereotypes, like that we only listen to showtunes or that we are always overdramatic. Not a lot of theater people actually fulfill those stereotypes. We are a fun, funny group of individuals.”

Q: How do you manage to balance school, choir and theater?

A: “Well, theater and choir do not interfere too [badly] usually because [Ms. Sandra] Hobbs,[Music], and Mrs. [Pam] Neth, [English],  work out schedules for us because a lot of us are involved in both. Managing school in there can get difficult because I struggle with finding a time to do homework on days when we have long rehearsals.”

Q: Do shows ever get to be too overwhelming?
A: “[During] Tech Week, it’s always very stressful with ‘techies’ and actors putting everything together.  Also, at this point when we get so close to performances, sometimes we get short with one another. When other people do not know their lines, songs or dances it gets very stressful and frustrating because you are only as strong as your weakest link.”

Q: Has acting always come easy to you?

A: “I would like to think that the basics of acting came quickly, but I’ve never been perfect, nor will I ever be. It’s something that I’ve grown better at doing with lots practice, experience and being more comfortable with myself on stage.”

Q: Why do you/do you not, want to pursue a career in acting and or theatre?
A: There is such a huge part of me that wants to pursue performing for the rest of my life because it brings me the most joy and excitement. Performing makes me happy and I know it’s a job that’d I’d never get tired of doing. That being said, I know it’s a very tricky business to get into, so that makes me hesitant of pursuing acting.

Q: Are their scholarship opportunities available for theatre schools?

A: There are. At the [State Thespian Conference] they have scholarship auditions for different colleges. I believe you can get scholarships at acting schools for having good grades or normal things like that.