The crowd is silent, the lights turn on and the curtain rises. This feeling is all too familiar to first-year theatre minor Nick LaDue. He sat down with the Monitor to discuss how theatre has shaped him into who he is today. When asked what drove him to pursue theatre in college he responded,
“I became a theatre minor because it allowed me to continue one of my favorite hobbies during my college career. I have been acting regularly since sixth grade. Even though I am active in theatre, it is not something I wish to pursue professionally.”
On his inspiration for wanting to pursue his passion for acting, and if he even felt drawn towards one specific type of theatre:
“I can’t really say that one person inspired me to do theatre,” he said, “It was more of a mix of a few people. My sister has been doing theatre since her fourth grade year and I saw how much fun she was having with it, so I figured I’d give it a try. My parents are also advocates for the arts and I believe that their love for performance also drove me to join theatre. I have never felt restricted in my choice to perform. People have always been there to support me no matter what path I took.”
On his favorite production:
“There are so many shows that I have been to that I thought were fantastic,” he said, “It is impossible for me to choose just one show. One of my favorite things about theatre is that it is ephemeral, meaning that each production you see is unique to that one night you saw it. But I must say that my favorite show that I have seen is Phantom of the Opera. I enjoyed it so much, I am seeing it again in February.”
On how overall theatre has changed him, and what qualities he believes have changed him for the better:
“Theatre has changed my life in a number of ways,” he said, “The most important would have to be that it has made me more understanding and accepting of other people. Through theatre I have had the privilege to meet people from all walks of life and I have learned to accept them for who they are and not to pass judgement. Another important lesson theatre has taught me is that we should be confident in ourselves. People always ask me, ‘Do you get stage fright?’ and the answer is no, the reason behind that is because I know I have spent a lot of time rehearsing and memorizing lines that there is no reason that I should mess up. And if I do, chances are, I will be the only one who notices.”
LaDue described the one word that sums up who he is:
“Gregarious. I love being around all different types of people. I would definitely say that I am a very social person.”
Finally, LaDue discussed some interesting things about himself that not many people knew.
“My sister and I were both adopted from Russia and we always joke around about who is more Russian than the other. One time my parents decided to settle the argument by buying us both DNA tests from 23&Me and sending in our saliva. She was .1 percent more Russian than me. I am an army brat who has lived overseas a few times and I have traveled a lot throughout Europe.”