Where my passion for acting began - Life imitates art

As my highschool theatre program reaches its 25th year, I have had the privllege of being an alumni student asked to share some of my experiences. I took this time to reflect and find grattitude for where I started and be proud of how far I have come.

I attended LCHS theatre & acting program from 2013 - 2016. During my time at LCHS I participated in multiple one acts and theatre shows such as Hairspray, where I was cast as Penny Lou Pingleton, and Annie, as Lily St.Regis.

LCHS theatre program was instantly something I became very passionate about the moment I experienced the hidden magic within this program. All of the students, including myself, lit up entering the room. Jim & Don created this playful work environment where we were able to create, imagine, and in all honesty goof around - which high school students need. After creating a relationship with Jim & Don they soon became a friend and a collaborative working partner. They had a clear vision, and a clear plan on execution, as i'm sure 25 years of experience will do for you, but they never stopped the students from participating, getting involved, and creating a safe space for our creativity to flow.

Most kids can't wait to leave school once that 3 o’clock bell rings - I however, had a 3rd or 4th block spare, and spent my whole afternoon & evening in the theatre room ( i should know the room number lol). Rehearsal wasn't a task it was something everyone was excited to put our time in - and they were loooong nights. Dance rehearsal, blocking, running lines, working with scene partners, singing rehearsals , building sets, the list goes on and on. A lot of moving parts come together to put on these shows, but Don & Jim never backed away from the challenge. All the students join together and become a family, we fight, laugh, sing and of course cry - we are theatre kids, what do you expect? This is something a lot of kids growing up search for, especially in highschool, is a place to belong, a community, a place where they are safe to be themselves or in this instance an outlandish theatre character.

I wasn't necessarily happy when I found out who I was cast as, because being the acting drama queen I am, I wanted to be the lead, the star of the show. I very quickly realized how grateful I was for Don & Jims casting decisions as they saw something I didn't, the best possible person for that specific role. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with my clumsy, goofy, diabolic characters I had the privilege of playing.

I did however get to take centre stage during One acts where I won my first ever acting award “ Most outstanding female performance in a lead role” for the play Spectre. This experience always stayed with me and helped me create the career I am building today. I was passionate about something and I was great at something. To this day whenever I get the opportunity to work on a project or I am creating a project I am passionate about, I always have that same level of discipline and apply all my time towards the project at hand. Inspiration, creativity, and hard work are some things I apply to my daily life that I learned about at LCHS.

One quote I believe to be true is that “life imitates art” and I couldn't agree more. Acting has taught me so much about myself, life, the power of empathy and selflessness, and most importantly keeps me curious.

I aspire to be a working actress in the American film industry and to produce an award winning film.

xoxo,

Becca Girl