Meet a Conservatory Student

I recently did an e-mail interview with a local arts newsletter regarding the program I'm in. I thought they were just going to use some quotes for an article, but they ended up publishing everything I sent them (I actually feel a little awkward about the ways in which I phrased things now... Had I known they were using my response in its entirety, I might've composed it more carefully). I thought I'd post it here for posterity's sake.

~A~

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Angela [Last Name] is a first-year student in [the conservatory]. She originally hails from Okemos, Michigan. She graduated from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, and then lived in Chicago for two years between undergraduate and graduate school. This season, she’s understudying Béline in The Imaginary Invalid, and Paulina in The Winter's Tale for the [regional repertory theatre]. She was on stage crew for Wilder! Wilder! Wilder!. She will also be the assistant stage manager for Three Postcards.

What inspired you to come to [this town] to attend [the conservatory]?
I knew that pursuing an MFA in acting was the right decision for me. Acting is my vocation, and I wanted to be as well-trained as possible. I decided to come to [this town] for grad school because I was impressed with the quality of training I could get here. When I visited the program last February, I was struck not only by the skill of the acting students here, but also by their level of professionalism with their craft. Additionally, this program encourages students to expand as artists individually, instead of attempting to crush them into molds. I knew immediately that this was a good fit for me and would allow me to develop into the actor I wanted to be. After being in classes here for a semester, I know that I was correct in this assertion.

One valuable lesson you've learned so far at the Conservatory?
I've learned a multitude of valuable lessons since beginning classes here in August, about acting and about life. I'm learning to stop performing and to go on to stage living instead. I'm learning how to connect with scene partners and respond truthfully to them instead of just reciting lines the same way regardless of what's happening around me. And perhaps most importantly, I'm learning to give full freedom to my creative subconscious and to allow things to happen without censoring myself.

Three major roles as an actor you want to tackle?
It's difficult to name only three roles that I'd like to play. I think Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream would be a great deal of fun, and would fit well with my psycho-physical rhythm. She's frequently exasperated and vaguely insane, yet it's not difficult to relate to her longing and her frustrations. Many years down the line, I would love the opportunity to play Dr. Vivian M. Bearing in W;t. She is a professor of 17th-century poetry who is dying from ovarian cancer. She tries to use her scholarship to make sense of her physical battle. I feel a deep connection to that character, and hope that one day I am lucky enough to be cast in that role. Third, I think I'd have to say Cathy Hyatt-Wellerstein in the musical The Last 5 Years. The musical is written so that her scenes are in the opposite of chronological order, and I imagine it would be a challenge as an actor to try to take on her journey in reverse. She's a passionate woman who is struggling as an actor and is in a complicated relationship. I've played this role many, many times in my bedroom, singing along with the cast recording. I would love to be able to tackle it in a performance for more than just my stuffed animals.

Goals? Dreams?
My highest goal is just to do great work as an actor. I don't know where that's going to lead me, or what I'll be doing as a result. I suppose that solid plans, security, and stability are things that I'm willing to risk in order to pursue this career. I don't mind that uncertainty at the moment, as I have two and a half years left here to better understand what it is that I need to do in order to put my skills to good use.

Final words?
I am an actor because I feel that this is the way that I'm going to change the world. Theater is my civil service. If people can come to the theater and learn from the stories we tell, then we can change their perspectives. If they can put their troubles out of their minds for a little while, we can help heal their souls. If a busy family can come see a play and have something to talk about at dinner the next night, we can unite them. We can change people's lives in astonishing ways, and I believe that we can change the world. And when the world is in a depressed state, people need the arts more than ever. I'm incredibly proud to be doing what I'm doing.

[The conservatory] is a celebrated 3-year program culminating in a Master of Fine Arts degree. For more than 30 years, tens of thousands of actors from across the continent have auditioned for admission. A maximum of 12 students are admitted each year. In their second year, the students perform in the [Name] Theatre, a 161-seat space designed to create an intimate experience for the audience and actors. Third-year students are seen on the [Name] Stage working with the [Name] Repretory Theatre's professional actors in exciting and significant roles.