Andrea Torres is a senior theatre major at Agnes Scott College. She is the vice president of Blackfriars, the student theatre troupe at Agnes Scott. Her positive and supportive attitude is a wonderful element of the Agnes Scott theatre department.
Her Campus: Hi Andrea! Thank you very much for agreeing to be my interviewee.
Andrea Torres: No problem!
HC: First off, why did you decide to come to Agnes Scott?
AT: Out of all the colleges I visited, I felt the most welcome and comfortable here. I stayed overnight and through the two days I was here the people I was staying with became almost friends. Also, the campus is really pretty.
HC: Where are you from, and how does the culture at Agnes compare to your hometown?
AT: Mexico originally, but I spent most of my life in Houston, Texas. Agnes reminded me somewhat of Mexico because I was a part of Latinas Unidas for the first two years of college, although theatre took over my time somewhat. [Latinas Unidas is a group which preserves and promotes latina and Hispanic heritage at Agnes Scott.] Until high school, I visited Mexico twice a year with my family, and it became more difficult to go. It was nice to come to Agnes and connect with other latina people again.
HC: You’re a theatre major, how did you choose that? What is the theatre major at Agnes like?
AT: I knew that I wanted to major in theatre, but I didn’t want to declare because I wanted to see if there was another subject that I liked more. That didn’t happen so I declared my second year. It’s a really small department. We have to take classes in every area of theatre so we get a well-rounded education. There are more opportunities to be involved in productions because of both of these reasons. The Blackfriars group is really tight, and I’ve met a lot of my friends through that. (Side note — that’s how Andrea and Audrey, the author of this piece, met!)
HC: At what age did you begin to act?
AT: I was in elementary school when each class had their own play according to the holiday. So for example, first graders might get Christmas, second graders might get Halloween, etc. I was enrolled in my first theatre camp when I was in fifth grade. I realized that I really liked acting in eighth grade when I took drama as an elective.
HC: I know you just got done acting in and directing Spooktacular [an annual Halloween tradition of a spooky student-directed show], how do you feel that show went? What were some challenges and successes?
AT: I think overall it turned out better than I imagined it would. I’m really happy and proud of the results. Challenges… definitely having a cast of twelve and getting everyone to come to rehearsals. At most of the rehearsals, we were missing at least one, if not two of the main characters (i.e. the people that never die). Lines were also something that was worrying me a lot all the way to the end. Successes… when we got the costumes and the light and sound effects it all started to come together well. We didn’t have a formal audition process, and instead chose people based on their preferences and our opinions, which I think turned out really well in the end.
HC: Do you have a minor?
AT: No, I had a minor, psychology. I’ve taken a lot of classes, so it can be considered a concentration. The only classes that I had left to take were with research and statistics, and I ultimately decided that that wasn’t something I was interested in.
HC: What is your next theatre project?
AT: The children’s show! It’s called Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales. It’s four small tales about cats around the world, starting with French puss in boots and then an African, Chinese, and Mexican cats. A troupe of people as cats will be playing the parts. I’ll be directing that play, and auditions are next week. I feel like now that I’ve done Spooktacular I’m more confident in directing and I’m ready to do this!
HC: Thank you! AT: No problem!