Meet our newest Her Campus Girl Crush, Alex “Goldie” Golden!
The Basics
Name: Alex “Goldie” Golden
Hometown: Springfield, NJ
Class Year: 2017
Major: Theatre
Your favorite…
Class at Bucknell: Directing I with Professor Anjalee Hutchinson actually changed my life. I had no idea I enjoyed directing until I took that course. Anj also dropped fire life advice every day and I need her to be my life coach after I graduate.
Spot on Campus: I live in the Tustin Black Box.
Restaurant on Market Street: I can’t pass up a dirty chai from Amami, but low-key the Caribbean Connection restaurant is highly underrated. 10/10 would recommend.
Bucknell Memory: Standing on the quad with the OLs after the candle-lighting ceremony on the last night of Orientation this year. We huddled with our candles, sharing memories from Orientation and what it has meant to us. My experience with the program and with my O-fam has been one of the most defining parts of my Bucknell experience. Looking back on it that night with the people who had become my family and support system, though bittersweet, reminded me of how fortunate I am to have had the chance to be a part of it.
Song: “Lip Gloss” by Lil Mama
Movie: Young Frankenstein
Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, anything by Neil Gaiman, all Harry Potter
(Second) Favorite Food: Homemade garlic mashed potatoes
…
What are you involved in on campus?
I just finished up my last year as an OL (#sad), as well as my reign of terror as Two Past Midnight’s music director. I’m Cap & Dagger’s current president, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, and a Presidential Fellow. I’m also currently music directing the Department of Theatre and Dance’s winter mainstage, the musical Next to Normal.
Tell us a little bit about Next to Normal.
Next to Normal is a pop-rock show by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. It won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which is a rare achievement for a musical. This show is unique in that it explores mental illness in a suburban family, a topic that wasn’t previously considered viable subject matter for musical theatre. It really opened the door for what musicals are allowed to talk about (Just look at this season’s hit, Dear Evan Hansen — Next to Normal paved the way for a show like that to be possible). Our production will run February 24-27, with shows at 7:30pm on the 24th, 25th, and 27th, and a 2:00pm matinee on the 26th. Tickets are $5 for students and are currently being sold online and at the CAP center box office!
What made you pick this show?
Mental illness is a subject often romanticized in the arts. We rarely see theatrical depictions of “ordinary” people struggling with mental illness. That’s what makes Next to Normal so special: the family in this show could be any of our families. There is such a stigma around mental illness, especially on college campuses, with students are afraid to speak up or seek counseling because they do not believe that “normal” people deal with this sort of thing. I strongly believe Next to Normal carries a message that students on our campus need to hear.
What has student directing been like?
Midge Zuk is impossible to work with. I fire her every day but she keeps coming back. Otherwise it has been an absolute privilege to music direct this cast. Being our department’s first student music director has posed challenges in that I don’t have any previous example to follow, but at the same time, it’s given me the chance to break new ground here with my advisor, Professor Dustyn Martincich (she is stage directing the production). Our cast (Mukta Phatak, Midge Zuk, Brendan Trybus, Nick Talbot, Kyle Cohick, and Patrick Newhart) is as passionate about this show as we are. The mere fact that they happily give up four hours of their life every day to come make art with us is a testament to their dedication. The most rewarding part of this process for me has been watching their growth as artists and musicians from rehearsal to rehearsal.
How has your involvement in Bucknell’s theater program shaped your college experience as a whole?
I came into Bucknell hoping the theatre program would help me improve as an actor. I had no idea how much it would change me as a person. My professors, all of whom I consider mentors and role models, taught me to think critically, to challenge everything, and to be a leader. A saying we have in the department is, “Take risks.” We’re not only taught that it’s okay to fail, but are encouraged to do so, which I think is fairly unique to our discipline. Being given permission to take risks, and to fail in them, has given me a confidence in myself that I could not have foreseen having when I was younger.
What advice would you give to your first-year self?
It’s okay to say no sometimes. Do things because you’re passionate about them, not because you think it’s what’s expected of you. Don’t eat caf seafood.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’m shaking hands with Dumbledore. I’ve won the house cup.