Some actors have been shaping their craft since birth, learning nearly everything there is to know about playing a character. But there are some actors who are new to the art, only just starting to learn.

Junior Katie Hong and senior Pabs Herraiz are two actors who were recently introduced to acting and are continuing to develop their skills.

Hong began connecting with the Drama Society through costuming. In the spring play last year, she was asked to fill an empty role in the show in addition to designing costumes after the originally casted actress decided against doing the play.

“I was there the whole time to do costumes, so I knew the whole story,” Hong said. “I got the role without auditioning exactly, and I really wasn’t expecting that.”

Hong auditioned for the Student-Directed Play Festival this year because of how much she enjoyed her experience last year, and she said she is working on developing her acting abilities further.

“Once I got into acting as a role, I was in the family of the cast. I wasn’t observing outside. I really liked that; I felt accepted right away,” Hong said.

Similarly, Herraiz was encouraged to join the Shakespeare play by his friend, junior Mattie O’Kelley-Bangsberg, a fellow China Exchange program participant.

“I knew he’d be good at acting, so I told him to come with me to the audition,” O’Kelley-Bangsberg said.

According to Herraiz, working with the entire cast and seeing everything come together was a highlight of his acting experience. Despite any initial hesitance, Herraiz ultimately enjoyed his time in the show.

“Being on stage, you can do anything you want, and you’re not going to be judged for it, because you’re playing a character. It’s someone else’s life; it’s not you,” Herraiz said.

Both Hong and Herraiz said they were nervous at first, but that it got easier with time. For Hong, her first play was not a typical play. Instead, it was a more interactive show where the audience participated. According to Hong, that was what brought down her nerves.

Herraiz immediately went from nervous to “pumped and excited,” he said, as he began to get comfortable on stage with the rest of the cast.

“You never achieve this nirvana of acting, you always need to be getting better at it as you go,” Herraiz said. “I’m definitely in the early stage, and I have a long way to go.”

Lily Böhlke can be contacted at [email protected].