Pursuing Theatre at St. John’s College

By Sarah Irving

My name is Sarah Irving and I am a current sophomore here at St. John’s. I am also lucky enough to be involved with our campus theatre company, the King William Players. KWP has given me great opportunities to perform and direct while still keeping up with my academics. During my freshman year I auditioned for both mainstage productions, God of Carnage and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and was fortunate enough to be cast in both. Each show was directed by a senior and the casts were made up of students from every class. Spending afternoons in rehearsals with the people who would become some of my closest friends at the college made my first year here feel so welcoming.

At the end of freshman year, I made the decision to run for an archon (leadership) position with KWP and was voted in as the group’s secretary.

I have served in that role all year long, but my involvement with KWP didn’t stop there. I also made a proposal to direct a musical, the first one St. John’s has put on in the past decade. My proposal was accepted by the other archons and club members, so all year long I have been working ceaselessly with an amazing cast of 25 people to put this show together. Spring Awakening will run for two performances on April 28 & 29, and I couldn’t be more proud.

Having the chance to be involved in creative theatrical projects at St. John’s is so important to me because I plan to pursue theatre after I graduate. The skills I have learned in the classroom combined with hands-on student-run theatre experience will make me a great candidate for a variety of masters programs and positions with larger professional theatres. I believe that theatre is for everyone, and feel very privileged to be on a small campus which values the arts and the unique kind of education they provide. Someday when I have achieved my MFA degree in directing, I will look back fondly at the King William Players and the ways in which this company participated in my success.