Stepping into the spotlight

When the stage lights up, so does he. His home lies within the scripts he reads. He spends his time preparing his characters and memorizing his lines. Theatre is a big part of his life and he plans to make it even bigger.

Sophomore Matthew Kennedy has played all kinds of characters. From a Scottish crofter to a Russian ballet teacher, he’s done it. His acting career began in the 6th grade and it’s still going strong.

“Honestly I’ve almost given my all in theatre,” Kennedy said. “I barley have any time to do anything else. I put so much effort into theatre which is how I’ve gotten from what I was to the actor that I am now and the worker that I am now.”

Whenever most people feel passionate about something, they have reasoning behind it. Kennedy has more than one reason for doing what he loves and a unique outlook on theatre.

“I find theatre to be many things,” Kennedy said. “I find it to be a family, which is one thing. I know that’s a stereotype most of the time. People say ‘oh theatre’s a family,’ but it honestly is. I’ve bonded with so many people in this wonderful community where I can just be myself. I also consider it a challenge. I face a lot of different difficulties like a role or something I have to do on stage, like a stage kiss, or be some sort of strange character I’m not used to. I also think it is a privilege because I get to be with the people I love and I get to do what I love.”

Kennedy does theatre with other departments but his heart belongs to one.

“The Leander theatre department is very hardworking compared to other theatre groups,” Kennedy said. “I feel like we act and work very much differently than other schools. We do a lot of more things that are extraneous but they help us become better.”

Involvement is considered key in theatre; as with most things, the more involved you are, the more successful you will be.

“I am very involved,” Kennedy said. “Throughout this year I have been in every single show that I have been capable to be in. Major has given me the option to do marketing which means I’ll be doing advertisements like posters and stuff. So I’m not only doing acting, I’m also helping out advertise for our plays.”

Kennedy is involved in the International Thespian Society and has been for multiple years.

“A thespian is someone who very much loves the stage,” Kennedy said. “They love to be an actor or be a technician. They find themselves in that place which is theatre, and that’s what makes them a thespian. They are very much different from everyone else because they are comfortable on the stage, they are really, really good on the stage. Depending on either if it’s acting or technical work. Honestly I just think they’re very independent, hard working people.”

With a large senior class moving out and a small junior class moving up in the department, Matthew is choosing to step up next year as an incoming junior.

“My plans next year,” Kennedy said. “I definitely hope to be in every single show possible. I want to try and get as many lead roles as possible. I know I may not get those lead roles but I’m going to try my best to try and get those lead roles just so I can expand my boundaries even more. I wanna be more involved in what we do annually. Like the GAHSMTA awards, cause I’ve had friends who are juniors and seniors who have done select ensemble and stuff like that. I just hope to be even more involved in this theatre department.”