Portrait of an Artist as a Theatre Minor (or, Five Questions for Sarah Shuren)

We wanted to get to know more about our Theatre Minors, so we are asking them each five questions. We asked student Sarah Shuren the questions and here’s what she told us.

What do you love about theatre? I’ve been involved in all sorts of art forms since I was a kid, and theatre pulls together a bunch of different aspects from all these other forms of art and combines them into a separate entity. I love being able to work with all these different art forms at once as well as experiencing the atmosphere around theatre. Every time I went to see a play or performed in one I was always so invested in the experience, it was always so moving and I could always relate to what was going on in some way. Theatre is a way to get a bunch of people together and reach out to others and help change lives, and I love getting to be a part of it

What's one show you would love to be a part of one day?One show I would love to be a part of would be HAIR. It’s my favorite musical, I’ve gone to see it multiple times. The music is one of my favorite part of the show, the costumes are another. The hippie generation is something I’ve always felt very passionate about and I’ve always loved learning about it. Being a part of a musical that was written then to make a point about how the country was going in the height of a war that was so controversial is something I would just love to do.

Sarah Shuren, fourth from left, in her senior play.

What inspired you to become a Theatre Minor?
I had been in my high school’s theatre department for six years, and when I went to college I missed it (in the photo I am in my last play senior year at my high school. My arms are crossed and I'm making a face as my character has seen a ghost and no one believes her). I decided to take a few theatre classes my second semester at Bloomsburg to get myself back into it. After another semester I decided to add theatre on as a minor instead of a second major so I could still graduate on time while still being able to be involved in the whole process.

What is your major? What made you first interested in it? My major is Mass Communications, and I originally picked it because I thought I wanted to be involved with radio. But as I got taking more and more classes I found that I enjoyed video editing more. Getting to go through a whole mess of footage and finding the best shots and arranging them all to tell a story is a lot of fun. It’s also very rewarding to see the final product of spending hours on end editing together a short clip.

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be? If I were a fruit of vegetable I would probably be a strawberry. Strawberries are more of a spring/early summer fruit, and that’s my favorite time of year. It’s just starting to get warm and everything starts turning green, it’s just so beautiful that time of year. Strawberries are also my favorite fruit, so there’s some bias there.

To read about other Theatre Minors.

Portrait of an Artist as a Theatre Minor (or, Five Questions for Alyssa Lardi)

We wanted to get to know more about our Theatre Minors, so we have started to ask them each five questions… The first Theatre Minor we asked is Alyssa Lardi and here’s what she told us.

What do you love about theatre?

I love how theatre can be so different yet similar. When I tell people I'm a theatre minor, sometimes they'll respond with "Oh plays are so boring" or "God I can't stand musicals," but there are so many different kinds and levels of theatre that it's impossible to not find SOMETHING you can enjoy. Theatre allows you to go anywhere and be anyone- a stressed and overwhelmed student director one week (first photo--I am on the right, attempting to troubleshoot blocking issues), a secret agent the next, and an Elf a month later (in the second photo, I am in the bottom right in pink wig and green jacket--I'll never get to dress this fashionably again). It's also a craft that employs all kinds of people with all kinds of interests, and everyone can feel that their work is important and they belong. Whether it's people working on Broadway, community theatre, improv groups, school plays, musicals, Shakespeare, introductory classes- there's always a bond among those who appreciate theatre and you can always find something you have in common.

What's one show you would love to be a part of one day?

I've been in love with the musical Spring Awakening since my freshman year of high school, and have seen it six times during three different productions. It's amazing to me how you go from all the issues the young characters face- suicide, child abuse, acceptance, religion, abortion- to a song named "Totally Fucked" which is literally a carefree rocking out party on stage. The music is beautiful and the show itself is quite eye-opening, so it's definitely a dream production for me.

What inspired you to become a Theatre Minor?

I've been involved with theatre for my entire life, and freshman fall semester was the first time since about 4th grade that I wasn't involved with a production. I knew I wasn't going to just stop being involved and had friends who were majors, so I decided to look into the minor. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to stay active and really start learning about all of the aspects of theatre. I like the structure of the minor because it's not too overwhelming for a person with a time-consuming major, but still allows me to branch out into new disciplines and take courses I'm interested in. 

What is your major?

My major is American Sign Language/English Interpreting, which means facilitating communication between hearing people who use spoken English and Deaf/Hard of Hearing people who use ASL. If you've ever seen a person signing during an important press conference or interpreting for famous Deaf people like Marlee Matlin or Nyle DiMarco, those are a few settings interpreters can work in. I took ASL in high school and came to Bloomsburg specifically for the interpreting program, because I am absolutely in love with the language, the communities, and the profession (even though it's a LOT of work and extremely difficult). Adding a theatre minor was also a practical career choice, as theatrical interpreting is a field I may wish to pursue and background knowledge of what happens both on stage and behind the scenes will be extremely beneficial.

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be?

I won't lie, I thought the most about this question. After a lot of personal debate and soul searching, I think would be an Apple, because they're honestly the most superior fruit. They go with caramel, peanut butter, chocolate, and in pies or other amazing desserts. Also, I'd get to be in a ton of Instagram and Facebook posts in fall when all of us New Yorkers visit orchards and spend the day apple picking.