For students majoring in the performing arts, like senior Nicholas Webster, their college experience is centered around growing their talents and being audition-ready prior to graduation. While future teachers gain classroom experience, and other majors hit the career fairs, performing arts students are taking their talents to the Big Apple, where they get to showcase their talents in front of casting directors and agents.
In his first college production, Webster portrayed the role of Amos in Big Fish, which was a highly supporting role to land as a freshman. Since then, Webster has brought many roles such as Eli Whitney (from Anything Goes), Carter Smith (from John Proctor Is The Villain), and Ernest Ludwig (from Cabaret) to life, with Cabaret being one of the most memorable. Webster said the experience of portraying Ludwig in Cabaret was completely new to him with the show being about such a dark topic yet Cabaret simultaneously uses zany comedy and dance to uplift the story.
Of all the skills learned during his time here, Webster said that people skills are the most useful when thinking about his future.
“I have learned in my four years with this program that even the best ideas still must be communicated clearly to be understood and carried out correctly,” said Webster. “Furthermore, the ability to put yourself forward in stressful situations and still be yourself as well as genuine is a skill that can’t be taught but is incredibly important.”
In his senior show, Anything Goes, Webster portrayed the comedic Eli Whitney which was a very different character compared to his role in the fall production of ‘John Proctor is the Villian.’ Carter Smith is arguably the most difficult role Webster has ever portrayed solely because of how sinister the actions of Carter Smith are yet he will never see what he does as wrong.
Webster said the educators in the performing arts department have instilled a strong standard of professionalism that he believes will carry him far in the industry.
“The professors have been transparent about how hard it is to develop a career and succeed in this industry, and instill the realities that we will face in the audition and rehearsal rooms, while still pushing us to be spectacular and continue chasing our dream of performing,” said Webster.
Students in the performing arts majors attribute a lot of their success to their professors including Kevin Halpin who taught Webster the crucialness of versatility, Scott Holdredge who teaches tech theatre classes where students learn set design and how to use potentially dangerous tools safely.
“I admire Holdredge because he has such a clear vision and is an incredible artist,” said Webster. “He really knows how to make things and then make them look beautiful.”
Some other professors that stuck out to Webster were Simone Scalici who taught the actors how to functionally utilize the set. Webster also added that Scalici taught him how to effectively receive on the spot changes that transformed his performance from good to great. Webster also attributes his improved skills to certain other professors like Dr. Deena Conley who directed the fall 2024 performance of John Proctor is the Villain.
“She [Dr.Conley] pushes for a certain standard of excellence,” said Webster. “She teaches acting classes, and is very good at making a schedule for our acting classes so that there is a lot of time built in to grow comfortable with the style that you’re working on.”
The courses offered for the performing arts are aimed at making the students more well-rounded and versatile for real work situations they will find themselves in. SUNY Cortland offers four different level acting classes as well as spoken voice, tech theatre classes and basic musicianship. Directing classes, singing lessons with assigned voice teachers and piano lessons are available as well as repertoire classes for constructive notes from more of the voice specialized faculty. The curriculum aims at giving performing arts students the basic grounding and techniques they need to be employable and stand out in the entertainment world.
While most students don’t have definitive plans for after graduation other than acquiring work, Webster has committed to working at the Cortland Repertory Theater during the summer production of “The Odd Couple.” For most students graduating with a fine arts degree their long-term plans entail finding a consistent income through performing even if they must move to bigger more production centered cities to do so.
“After 4 years of Musical Theater intensive college training, I feel prepared to walk into any job interview/audition with a positive outlook and confidence,” said Webster. “I hope to be able to attain a stable job as well as steady acting work to be able to live independently and further my career in the industry.”
As any graduating senior would, job search related anxieties tend to arise around this time especially for performing arts majors who go up against so many other trained individuals when in the audition process. Webster said the faculty here have been transparent about the hardships in this industry and have instilled the realities that performers including Webster will face in the audition and rehearsal rooms while still pushing each student to be spectacular and continue chasing their dreams in entertainment.
“I am still optimistic to the prospect that I will find my niche and live well while doing what I love,” said Webster.
In addition to all the end of semester as well as graduation anxiety and chaos, the seniors graduating with a degree in the fine arts also get a very unique opportunity to have a showcase in two of New York’s more intimate performing arts theatres, OpenJar and GreenRoom42. In these theatres, agents can watch them perform and even chose to represent the students they like.
When the five seniors arrived in New York City for their showcase they were welcomed by their director Bob Cline, Rodney Bush their pianist and Michael Edgerton who is a sophomore at Pace University who played drums for the group’s showcase. Both showcases went well according to Webster, Friday’s performance was at OpenJar while Saturday’s performance was at GreenRoom42. In addition to being able to buy tickets to the event, friends and family of the students were able to livestream Saturday’s performance making it possible for the younger performing arts students here to see what a senior showcase entails. Bob Cline, the director, is stationed in NYC but does work out of Cortland as a professor teaching the working actor and senior showcase classes.
Nick Webster attributes his most valued and crucial knowledge of the industry, as well as his personal growth as a performer to the amazing team of directors and professors he got to work with during his four years here.
“People say theatre is like a family. I disagree, I don’t think its like a family. I think its a force of nature,” said Webster.