Most students have been participating in their favorite sport or club since they were little, but this wasn’t the case for Alyese. In eighth grade Alyese participated in a mandatory school play, her introduction into the world of drama.

“Moral of the story: you don’t have to start something when you’re three to have an advantage!” Alyese Shannon(‘14) said.

As a senior, Alyese is constantly thinking about her future and what she wants to do later in life. She auditioned for an acting agency, Don Buchwald and Associates, in New York City last December. The agent’s job is to inform actors of auditions coming up so they can prepare and get the job. The agent only gets paid when their actor gets a part.

“I was really “fresh” in the business and not ready for that step quite yet,” Alyese said.

Auditioning for a professional company doesn’t sound hard until you hear what it entails. The company did not make Alyese prepare a monologue; instead they gave her a monologue to read on site.

“The audition is actually called reading because the give you a piece of a TV show script, called a side. They ask you to read and perform it simultaneously, no practice. It’s a cold-read. The cold-read and a couple interview questions made up the whole process,” Alyese said.

Even though Alyese did not get signed by an agent she is still working hard toward a career in Music Theater. She has taken all the drama classes Colonial Forge offers and actively participates in plays.

“Usually I audition for Summer Acting programs. The past two summers I studied in New York and at Radford University in Intensive Acting programs that have really helped me grow as an actress,” Alyese said.

She hopes to major in music theater and audition for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows in New York. Until then she actively participates in school plays and drama classes.