As the school year ends, many seniors have finalized their plans after graduation and are embracing the bittersweet end of their 4 years at ETHS. Several students have decided to pursue theatre after graduation, carrying their passion into their future, and hoping to make a career of it. Sam Consiglio, Elliot Hoffner, Katherine Kupferer and Templeton Steinwedel are going to continue pursuing their love for acting after walking across the ETHS stage for a final time.
Templeton Steinwedel has been involved in ETHS theatre all four years of high school, including several plays, two years of YAMO and even student directing YAMO.
He is committed to New York University and plans to get a BFA in Drama. Steinwedel auditioned for a total of fifteen schools, and eventually narrowed it down to 3 choices: Northwestern University, Ithaca College and New York University. When it came down to it, NYU offered a level of versatility and flexibility within the curriculum that drew Steinwedel in, and he decided that it was the best fit.
“The opportunities at NYU are unparalleled, and you can just get exposed to so much,” he explains.
The Tisch School of The Arts at NYU, as a renowned school for drama, offers a variety of opportunities for students to meet others who share their love for theatre.
“While I was auditioning for colleges I got to meet people who didn’t make me feel like a nerd about theatre,” shares Steinwedel.
As he navigates NYU, he will continue to have the opportunity to connect with other students who share his passion for theatre and the performing arts, while receiving state-of-the-art training at a world-renowned university.
“I’m excited to spend so much more time doing this, and being able to make it my main focus,” notes Steinwedel.
Similarly to Steinwedel, Sam Consiglio will also be venturing out to NYC to continue her theatre journey.
“I’m really excited to live in New York and to be acting in New York, it sort of feels surreal,” she remarks.
Consiglio has been involved in ETHS theatre for four years. Her most recent role was Persephone in the spring musical “Hadestown,” where she gives a moving performance as the mythic goddess. Additionally, She directed YAMO last fall and acted in the winter play, “The Laramie Project.”
Consiglio will attend Fordham University this fall, where she’ll be pursuing a BA in Performance, while minoring in Creative Writing or a related field. She went through a long audition process where she was constantly acting and missing school for said auditions. Consequently, Consiglio realized that she would like a college experience where she is not limited to acting all day, but can take both theatre and academic classes.
“Something I love about Fordham is that they pride themselves on well rounded collaboration and well rounded creative minds,” Consiglio tells.
Something special about Fordham is that it has a playwriting concentration. Acting will be the main part of the curriculum for Consiglio, but she will still have “the opportunity to branch out” if she wants to.
Consiglio, who has been in fourteen shows at ETHS, applauds the school’s strong theatre presence and community. “There’s an abundance of theatre that you can’t really find in other places,” she notes.
This tight knit community has allowed for Consiglio to learn from others about the audition process, and she’s also been able to learn from teachers, such as Ms. Lani and Mr. Herbert. Being involved in such a strong theatre program for the past four years has allowed Consiglio to meet other passionate artists and discover her love for creative writing. Fordham’s amazing facilities will allow Consiglio to further follow her dreams, and prepare her to navigate the theatre world.
While Steinwedel and Consiglio, who have dedicated their 4 years to the ETHS stage, are continuing to pursue theatre, Katherine Kupferer has found her roles on the screen.
Kupferer has been an actor for many years. She had her first role at seven years old as “the balloon girl” in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of “Gypsy.” Despite not being involved in any ETHS productions, she has had experience in multiple films and learned a lot from her parents, who are also actors. Some films of hers include “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “Ghostlight,” which she co-starred in with her father.
Kupferer went back and forth with herself, debating whether she should go to college, and considered taking a gap year to book roles instead.
“I would not really be capable of auditioning as much and fully commit to roles in a way that I am able to now,” Kupferer acknowledges.
After weighing her options, Kupferer came to her decision. She will be attending The New School in New York City after deferring a year to prioritize her career. This way, she’ll have the freedom to pursue auditions that come through her agent, and then later have the experience of being in an acting school.
Kupferer feels that at college, she would like the opportunity to study other liberal arts programs, such as philosophy, history and English.
“You can’t be an actor and not know what’s going on in the world,” she declares.
Kupferer’s journey goes on as she continues to act as much as she can, and eventually attends The New School for incredible training.
While some students have decided to make acting their primary focus, Elliot Hoffner chose a different path.
Hoffner will be double majoring in Theatre and English at Oberlin College. She has been involved in ETHS theatre since her sophomore year and has been in ETHS performances like “Frankenstein” and “The Laramie Project” have been very important to Hoffner.
“‘Frankenstein’ was really formative for me; it reawakened my passion for theatre,” she notes. Hoffner’s passion for theatre comes from the beauty she sees in it and the strong community it offers. “I love how alive it feels,” she states.
Although she loves to act, Hoffner feels that she’d like to have other opportunities open for her after college, because acting isn’t the most stable career. Throughout high school, she’s gone back and forth between pursuing acting and becoming an English teacher, which led her to the decision to double major. This way, she has the ability to receive a well rounded education in various subjects and not limit her future career options. Whether or not Hoffner becomes an actor, theatre is something that she plans to keep in her life.
“I just love it too much to stop doing it,” she expresses. Her education at Oberlin will give her the opportunities to cater to all of her interests and to continue to not only act, but learn about directing and other aspects of theatre.
As Templeton, Sam, Katherine and Elliot finish high school, they look forward to furthering their theatre education, both on and beyond the stage.
