This week’s Campus Celebrity is one of QU’s many theater enthusiasts, Ashley DiFranza! She’s a senior, double majoring in Theater and Journalism from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, with a nack for permformance and the creative arts. Read on as she dishes on her love for the theater and gives advice on how she plans to incorporate it into her career:
1. What inspired you to become so involved in theater?
I fell in love with theater after partaking in a week-long theater camp when I was in third grade. I had always loved singing and performing in front of people, but for some reason it took until I was standing in the middle of the stage for me to realize how at home I felt there.
After I realized how much I loved acting, I became involved in every production I could throughout middle and high school. When I got to Quinnipiac, I immediately declared a double major and theater and then participated in each production through all four years of my time here. I have gotten the opportunity to not only act in countless shows, but also work on the technical aspects of the productions. I even got to create and direct a musical cabaret show my sophomore year. In the Fall of 2012, I attended the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and dove even more head-first into theater at the semester-long theater-intensive program. When I returned to Quinnipiac, I was elected president of Fourth Wall student theater for the 2013-2014 academic year. My experience at Quinnipiac has been shaped by my involvement in theater here, and I am very thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given so far in the department.
2. Are you hoping to incorporate theater into what you do post-graduation?
I’m definitely going to do my best to incorporate theater into my post-graduation plans. My goal as of right now is to just start auditioning for things in the New England area and getting some more professional credits on my resume before I move to New York City. However, eventually, I’d love to be doing theater professionally and making a living solely off of doing what I love.
3. When is your next show and what will you be performing?
The next show I will be performing in is the “New Play Festival” that the theater department will be performing in New York City at the Abington Theater on March 1. This festival consists of seven QU-student written plays that are directed by seven student directors. I am directing one of these plays called “The Lives We Lead,” which is about a struggling couple coming to terms with the limitations on their relationship. I am also acting in two of the productions, including “Love At Corner Diner”—in which I play a middle aged waitress with a thick Brooklyn accent—and “Count”—in which I play a schizophrenic. All the plays in the festival are truly fantastic, as are the students directing in starring in them. It’s a great opportunity for us to perform in the city and we hope as many people can come out and see it as possible!
I am also directing the Fourth Wall Theater student show this semester, which is “25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” This is the first contemporary musical that Quinnipiac has ever put on, and the fact that it is being produced, directed, and acted in completely by students is amazing. It’s an incredibly funny, modern musical that we know Quinnipiac students will find entertaining. It will run April 25th-27th in the Blackbox Theater, CAS2, and is definitely not a show people will want to miss!
4. Are you involved in any other extracurriculars on campus?
I am the Arts & Features editor of Quad News—Quinnipiac’s online student publication.
5. Do you have a role model in Hollywood or on Broadway, and if so, what have you learned from him/her?
My role model on Broadway is definitely Idina Menzel. Not only is she an amazing singer and actress, but she also does a great deal of work in making the characters she portrays her own. She was the original “Elphaba” in Wicked, and was able to develop her character and make the show the phenomenon it is today. I hope to someday get the chance to play the same types of roles as she has, and in turn make an impact on the theater world that will last long after my final bow.
6. Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
I have been doing theater my entire life, and it really has shaped who I am today.
While the theater department at Quinnipiac may not be as established as one at a school like NYU, it has truly given me the chance to grow as not only an actress but as a person. The department has truly accomplished many amazing things in my four years here, and I hope that, as they continue to grow, students take the time to come out and see a show, and witness firsthand the amount of talent on their very own campus.
Special thanks to Ashley for taking the time to talk to us! Be sure to check out what’s happening at the QU theater department and support our fellow creative students!