It’s safe to assume that CCA is known, mainly, for three things: its stellar academics, driven student body, and arts conservatories. Non-ravens often hear extravagant tales about spectacles of visual, performing, and academic arts on campus created by equally talented young minds, but how much do they really know about the effort and passion it takes to create and maintain programs like that? Likely, not much.
In order to change that, I asked Envision Theater Conservatory head Janine Marquie for her inside thoughts on what it means to be a part of one of CCA’s most coveted art intensives, and more specifically, how to be a hardcore ‘theater kid’ at CCA.
Described by Marquie herself as a “Pre-professional theater learning environment,” CCA’s best actors, singers, and stagehand technicians utilize ETA (Envision Theater Arts) conservatory as a home-away-from-home to showcase their exceptional creativity and talent.
By requiring an audition to get in, Marquie ensures that only those who “really love…and want to make great theater,” are accepted, keeping and fostering the impassioned environment around play and musical-making that the group currently embodies. Once admitted, these actors spend 6+ hours a week (in addition to in-school theater classes) sharpening their performance skills in order to shine in one of the two magnificent productions CCA puts on each semester.
One, a beloved musical. Some past shows include The Lightning Thief, RENT, Chicago, and Hairspray! The other, an equally beloved play. These performances feature delightfully well-acted renditions of The Tempest, Sense and Sensibility, Lost Girl, and The Wolves.
CCA’s conservatory talent often makes up the majority of roles, and they work tirelessly backstage to learn lines, polish characters, build sets, and sew costumes for the masterful final products we all see either in the Black Box Theater or Proscenium.
Knowing how hard she and her kids work to showcase their talent and drive, Marquie must worry about how ETA fits into one of CCA’s other notorious narratives: that it is, at times, unbearably stressful.
When asked, she says, “I hope that the environment in my classes and in conservatory and the shows can alleviate some of that [anxiety]…in general, I hope the environment is a place where people can come and be their authentic selves…”
Specifically, Marquie hopes to continue focusing on a conservatory built around one word. “Kindness,” which she says “is a big deal…” and “hard to have…in high school theater,” is her biggest priority right now. Lucky for her, this year’s crop of young talent seems to be doing an exceptional job.
According to the ETA lead herself, her students “are amazing because they are so dedicated and hardworking and driven and yet on the other hand so empathetic and thoughtful…If you do theater, you know what it feels like to be vulnerable.” Well, way to go, young thespians!
Speaking of, I had the pleasure of talking to a few conservatory students about their perspectives on the positivity and productivity of the atmosphere. Alana Hansen Toohey, an ETA junior, says, “I love the sense of community there is in the conservatory…I think that having a group of people who you can spend time with on something that you love so much is really special.”
Even as it’s clear that her students are brilliant in both talent and compassion, Marquie understands that it can be hard to maintain self-confidence and a sense of adequacy through it all, and has some advice. “Success has got to be measured internally and not externally,” she says, and wants to ensure a belief “that role size,” for example, “doesn’t equate to your talent.”
What she says must be true because, according to her students, Marquie is nothing short of superhuman when she's in her conservatory element. “I’ve been working with Marquie for many years, and…I really admire her dedication to maintaining all of this, and just how she creates this space where so many people can show their talent,” says Tate Criqui, a senior in Conservatory. After all, it is no small feat to coordinate 4 productions a year without completely burning out.
Finally, as we closed up our interview, just to clear the air about the whole ‘theater kid’ stereotype, I asked Marquie to share one thing she believes people get wrong about her students and drama geeks in general. Jokingly, but with a determination in her eye that hints at an unmistakable truthfulness, she replies, “I think the misconception that theater kids are kind of arrogant or callous is completely incorrect…theater kids are going to save the world!”
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