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"Annie Russell Owns my Soul"
January 25, 2007
“If you want to teach an audience a lesson, you’d better make
them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” – George Bernard Shaw
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| Our beloved Annie Russell Theatre, in all her glory. |
I suppose I should mention a little something about the facet of
Rollins that initially sparked my interest in studying here: The
Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.
Coming from an artistically inclined family, I’ve grown up with
the need to perform in my soul. I found the theatre when my
grandmother insisted on dragging me to a community theatre
production of My Fair Lady at the impressionable age of 14.
From then out, the urge to act outweighed my lifelong shyness. To
pursue a viable career in the theatre, I quickly realized I would
need top-notch training to succeed in such a demanding field, but I
did not want to sacrifice a well-rounded education to solely focus
on my passion.
Furthermore, in my development as a young actor and director, I
studied with people that became my family away from home, a group
that challenged me as well as nurtured me on my road to college and
the professional world.
In surveying my college choices and criteria for a suitable choice,
I found schools that fit maybe one or a few of these ideals, but
none that would give me everything I wanted and needed in training
for Equity work, until I stumbled upon Rollins. One of my teachers,
Sally Kalarovich (Osbourne, class of 1999) suggested I visit the
Department of Theatre and Dance Web site and take a look at what
they have to offer.
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| Our equally beloved Fred Stone Theatre, dedicated to
student produced works. |
As I pored over the professors’ profiles, course offerings, and
the present season at the Annie, I thought skeptically “this is
entirely too good to be true, I have to see this for myself.” I
scheduled a campus tour and signed up for the theatre scholarship
weekend. To make a long story short (too late…), I wound up here, so
I must have found something I liked, yes?
Well, let’s start with the amazing faculty and staff. Boasting
members of Actors’ Equity, SAG, and AFTRA, the Rollins faculty is
comprised of working professionals willing to impart their knowledge
of the business and the art to their grateful students, not to
mention they’re all warm, wonderful people genuinely interested in
the success of all their students.
When I catch up with my friends in other college theatre
departments and conservatory programs around the country, I always
hear complaints of how they’re forbidden to perform in a main stage
production until at least their sophomore year. I empathize
wholeheartedly with their plight, but with the Rollins policy toward
freshman majors, sympathy will never furrow my brow in lieu of their
issue. The Rollins Theatre Department welcomes freshmen with open
arms and encourages them to audition for every production, and a
sizable amount of freshmen do get cast in productions. I am living
proof.
Thus far, I’ve appeared in two Annie Russell Theatre productions and
I’m currently in rehearsal for a third. I had the honor of playing
in the ensemble of Annie Get Your Gun, portraying Christopher
Wren in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, and now developing
the role of Ernie Cusack in Neil Simon’s Rumors. When it
comes to practical experience, you just can’t beat putting on a play
under Equity regulations with a professional director.
Interested in technical theatre or theatrical design? We’ve got
you covered. Student designers, technicians, and stage managers
frequently tread the boards alongside the student performers. The
department even offers a directing emphasis that culminates with a
student directed work produced in the Fred Stone Theatre, our black
box space housing student-produced work funded through our theatre
student organization, Rollins Players.
The Department even offers financial aid on an audition/portfolio
review basis. Even if you don’t get it the first time around, you
can always reapply for it yearly.
In short, the Rollins Department of Theatre and Dance provides
training for working theatre professionals. In a field long
portrayed as unstable and unsuitable for making a steady income,
Rollins theatre graduates enter the workforce with the tools needed
to find gainful employment and get that much-sought-after Equity or
SAG card. Sure, it’s nice to have aspirations for fame and stardom,
but let me ask a question: which is better, being able to do what
you love for the rest of your life, or a few fleeting moments in the
limelight? The choice is up to you, my fellow artists and
entertainers.
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| More about Robert...
Robert grew up in Florida and has a strong interest in
theatre and music. He also looks forward to participating in
Rollins Players,
Brushing
literary magazine, GLBTA, Concert Choir, the Cultural
Action Committee and many other dance and music
ensembles on campus.
Robert lives by the mantras of "Make them hear you" and
"Do all things with passion!" He looks forward to reporting
back on all the opportunities for students at Rollins.
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