Name: Colleen Carroll
Year: Junior
Major: English and History
Campus Involvement: Alpha Psi Omega (Theater Honor Society) President, Theater Emory, Dooley’s Players, Tour Guide
HC: Disney character you most relate to?
Rapunzel from Tangled
HC: What about theater makes you feel the most empowered?
What I’ve always loved about theater is getting to play something other than myself. And in some ways you’d think that wouldn’t empower me as Colleen, but there’s something that makes me feel powerful when I can command a whole other character. The idea that I have fully formed a character and it’s me and only me that successfully presents it is really fun. And with directing, there’s something very empowering about being part of that process, and being able to take ownership in the final product.
HC: What has been your favorite role you’ve ever played?
I think it would have to be when I played a character called Old Bailey in Neverwhere which is based on a book by Neil Gaiman. It was a character that was so silly and wacky, and she just talked to pigeons the whole time. She was kind of a nothing character, but I loved her so much and put so much into her. It was just such a fun role, and it was early on in high school so it was an important moment for me.
HC: Favorite comfort food?
Mexcian; growing up my family would always go out for Mexican food, or when it was just a rough day.
HC: How do you think that Emory has shaped your relationship with theater?
In high school I did a lot of academics wth theater, and I really haven’t done that in college. Not because there aren’t wonderful programs, but just because it hasn’t been what I’ve fallen into. In high school it was more about someone else taking leadership and making decisions. Whereas my time at Emory has forced me to take initiative more. So I feel that now theater isn’t something that’s taught to me, rather it’s something I’m really experiencing and taking ownership of.
HC: What are you most grateful for in life?
All the wonderful people I know who I care about and who care about me. That’s my family and my friends, and honestly just all of the communities that I’ve found.
HC: Who are the most influential women in your life?
My grandma and my mom one hundred percent. Both of them show how to live a really full life, and have taught me that you can be powerful as a woman in a million different little ways throughout your entire life.