Curtain Up by Lauren

Curtain Up by Lauren - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

As young children, we are often asked to ponder the clichéd question: “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Commonplace are the wild aspirations – superhero, racecar driver, movie star – all ambitions that understandably fade with time in favor of realistic career pursuits. In my case, I was always fascinated by the idea of becoming a Broadway performer. My family playfully encouraged me, setting up living room concerts and cheering for encores after each and every performance. But as I grew older and geared myself for an actual artistic career, encouragement noticeably waned. College quickly became a dreaded conversation topic, with even the friendliest of exchanges ending in facetious "starving artist" jokes and unsolicited backup plan recommendations.

As a girl who loves grasping a lecture just as much as perfecting pirouettes, I’ve struggled with the stereotypical separation of scholars and artists in high school. With constant pressure to pick which discipline to prioritize, I’ve always regretted the impending sacrifice of a holistic college education for a performance based major - bettering myself as an artist should stem from bettering myself as a student, right? With college fast approaching and offering a fresh array of opportunity, I have made it my goal to break these limiting stereotypes. I plan to combine the individualized training of a 10-14 student BFA Musical Theatre program with the exploration of additional liberal arts classes and study abroad programs. I believe this is the perfect design for molding a forward-thinking, cultivated individual – exactly what I aspire to be.

Theatre has a unique way of bringing influential messages to life, using actors as the primary vessel of communication. My purpose as artist seems clear and significant in this way: theatre inspires change, and I have chosen to become a lifelong messenger. My dreams of performing on Broadway still hold true from when I was a little girl, but I have since learned to shift my focus from external doubts to concentrate on the stipulations for building a stable, passion-filled career. If you had asked me several years ago why I enjoyed theatre, my answer would have been relatively shallow: performing is thrilling, I have a passion for music, no feeling compares to the excitement of a large musical number. But what took performance from an extracurricular activity to a career path for me is its capacity for impactful change. By telling stories that cannot be equally illustrated through other platforms, theatre communicates messages that spread awareness and inspire positive actions. I look to the future with determination and excitement, knowing that no matter how difficult the road ahead becomes, I have dedicated my life to an invaluable art form.