Broadway Comes to Benet

Broadway+Comes+to+Benet

This past Monday, Daniel’s Hall of Benet Academy was alive with the spirit of music and theatre as students welcomed past alum, Jordan DeLeon ‘10 (ensemble), back to the Benet stage.  Jordan is currently performing in a Broadway production of The King and I, and was joined by a few of his cast mates: Sam Simahk (Lun Tha), Ali Ewoldt (Tuptim), Kate Baldwin (Mrs. Anna), and Adrienne Tang (wife & understudy Tuptim).  Students had the opportunity, during their 5th and 6th hours, to talk with these actors and ask them questions about the journeys they went through to achieve the goal all actors dream of: to make it to the Broadway stage.

The actors started by introducing themselves, and then telling the students about how exactly they got involved in theatre.  Surprisingly, most of them had had other careers lined up, as they knew how unstable a career in music and drama could be.  They then talked about how different a theatre career is from a regular one.  With a normal job, a person would interview, be hired by an employer, and have a secure, lasting position at wherever they are hired.  In theatre, it’s all entirely different. A person will audition over and over again, trying to land a role.  If and when they finally do, they have that role for a couple of months, and then have to start the process all over again.  The actors described this life as, “A job that is all auditioning.”  Sophomore, Audrey Hare, finished off the interview with the final question, “What can a sophomore do to prepare for a life in professional theatre?”  The actors all responded, “Start looking into scholarships now.”  This life is definitely not an easy way to go, but Benet theatre students are inspired and up to the challenge.

Aspiring music students especially benefitted from this experience, and found it extremely helpful to hear advice directly from professional actors themselves.  Said senior, Grace Griffin,”It was so exciting to get the opportunity to learn something from people who have experience in the industry”.  Alie Oates, a sophomore greatly interested in vocal performance, commented that, “It’s inspiring hearing that people who are leads now were turned down so many times in the past.  It really encourages me to not give up, even in such a difficult career path.” Clare Schuch, a senior going into music performance next year at Miami of Ohio, found inspiration as well.  “They gave me a lot of hope for my future career,” she said.  “It’s great to see that people from Benet can actually make it.”  This unique experience was clearly beneficial to the students of Daniel’s Hall in showing them that, even though the journey is tough, it is possible to make it big in a theatre career.  Through seeing the joy and confidence in these accomplished actors, Benet students are more than ready to take up any difficulties this career path has to throw at them, in order to reach their goal.