Getting ready to graduate college and tackle the real world is a hefty challenge, but Jordyn Aquino is prepared for the big leap with a good head on her shoulders. Aquino, a senior BFA Musical Theater Major in the SFUAD Performing Arts Department, has spent her college career working on multiple productions, including starring as Ti Moune in the Spring 2013 production of Once on This Island, and appearing in Middletown, Little Shop of Horrors, and Spring Awakening. Aquino sat down with Jackalope Magazine to reflect on her time at SFUAD, her relationships with her teachers, and what the future holds after graduation. Jackalope Magazine: Tell us a bit about your background as an actress and singer. Jordyn Aquino: Well, I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and as one would imagine, there isn’t a ton of wonderful theater going on there. So I did kids performing troupes and stuff like that. I never really did much high school theater. I was more into community theater and the different camps that they had going on at local colleges. Also, I grew up singing a lot, so music was always a big part of my life and theater just kind of went hand in hand with the music stuff. My singing led to competitions, and then that branched into acting competitions. There were agents and managers at these competitions and that led to me moving to LA. I did pilot season, for ABC pilots and Disney things. I was getting far along in auditions, but then I ran out of money, went back home, and decided ‘maybe I’ll go to college.’ So I did. JM: Why did you decide to attend SFUAD? JA: Well, I went to a prospective student dinner and I met [former PAD Chair] John Weckesser and [alumni] Lisa Hamilton, who did a ‘how to prepare for an audition’ video for the department, and I really appreciated what she had to say about the school. It seemed like a place where, not only could I grow as a performer and learn about my craft, but I could also be a better-developed human being. So John Weck gave me his card if I promised to call him, so the next day I did, I sent in a video audition, and he said ‘ok, you can come here,’ and that’s how SFUAD happened! God, this is awkward! Doing your first interview is like losing your virginity! JM: Haha, how so? JA: Well, you know, it’s awkward, a little bit painful…haha! JM: I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say that about an interview! Wow! JA: Sorry! JM: What has been your experience in the Performing Arts Department (PAD) at SFUAD and how have you grown? JA: It’s hard to wrap it up. The experience has definitely helped me prepare for working in the industry. I’ve had wonderful training and been able to work with teachers who helped me identify my strengths and I’ve been able to nurture those. I’ve also been able to work on my weaknesses and get better. As far as how much I’ve grown, I’ve learned to calm down, learned to be more patient and not take myself so seriously. JM: Do you have a teacher that you feel particularly influenced you in a positive way? JA: Oh yeah! All my teachers have been great influences, I love them all so much! Well, Victor Talmadge and Gail Springer, definitely! Gail has really influenced me and it’s been really wonderful to work with her, especially when it comes to vocal training and Estill training. She’s also cast me and helped me expand and given me parts that challenge me and help me grow. For Victor, I really appreciated the kind of discipline he had for acting. You always had to have a reason for what you were doing. You had to justify everything! I appreciated that because acting...
JORY SPEAKS
posted by Nicholas Beckman
SFUAD Performing Arts Department faculty Jon Jory discusses his life in theater and the upcoming Dangerous Liaisons performance he directed.
Talmadge on Acting
posted by Raimundo Estela
SFUAD Interim Performing Arts Chair Victor Talmadge discusses his acting career and his hopes for his student actors going forward.
Middletown Delivers
posted by Nick Martinez
Middletown, the latest SFUAD Performing Arts Department production, opens with Curtis Williams’ Public Speaker waxing philosophic about the nature of small towns. It’s a fun digression that captures the high energy and inherent sadness of the mostly plot-less but emotionally poignant show that follows. The play has an ensemble cast, but there are a few characters given the most time to shine, including: Mathew Eldridge’s John Dodge; Porscha Shaw’s Mary Swanson; Michael Phillip Thomas’s Cop; and Jade Lewis’s Mechanic. Eldridge and Shaw did a phenomenal job carrying the emotional weight for much of the play. Due to the structure of the play, many of the actors had the difficult job of taking what could easily be one-note characters and adding pathos. It seems lazy to make such a blanket statement, but the whole cast was really up to the challenge. Not every joke landed, and not every character left the same impression, but the batting average is so high, it is easy to brush off the shortcomings. Maia Rychlik’s Librarian and Yusef Seevers’s Doctor, in particular, breathed such life into simple characters that leave one combing through all of their dialogue for hidden meaning long after you leave Greer Garson Theatre. The two scenes that stood out most were the scene in space and Lewis’s scene with Tallis Geohegan-Freifeld’s Doctor. The scene in space, featuring Matt McMillan and Robert Henkel Jr. is nestled towards the end of Act One. The scene is by far the most removed from the plot, but is the first point where the themes are front and center. McMillan and Henkel Jr.’s subtle performance prevents the message from being overbearing. Chelsea Kuehnel’s sets are also a delight in their simplicity, giving the space scene a magical feel and the dusty...
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