Hometown: North Brunswick, NJ
Majors/Minor:
Majors: Psychology & HSSP
Minor: Theatre Arts
Her Campus: What are you involved in on campus?
Jason Haberman: Undergraduate Theatre Collective, Orientation, Admissions Ambassador, CARD lab (psychology lab), WBRS, Psi Chi International Honors Society
HC: What made you want to be on Core this year?
JH: Having had an amazing Orientation experience as a first-year, I loved being an Orientation Leader in my sophomore year. I then wanted to bring my positive experiences and planning skills to Orientation in order to give back to a Department that gave me so much.
HC: What were the best and worst parts of being on Core?
JH: The best part about Core was all the people I met and got to know – living with my other Core members made for the best summer of my life, which was only made better by the people I met and worked with in the Student Activities suite. Additionally, seeing our months of planning come to life was extremely rewarding.
The worst part about Core was when it was over. I had lived, eaten, and breathed Orientation for 10 months, and then, it was over just like that. It was really like losing a part of me.
HC: How did you become interested in theater?
JH: It is actually a pretty funny story how I got involved at Brandeis. I did theatre throughout all of high school, but when I got to Brandeis, weirdly enough, I ended up getting involved in everything but theatre. I still did the 24 hour musical and Quickies, but it was not until last semester that I jumped in with both feet. Two of my friends, Helena Raffel and Alex Faye, who were respectively one of the directors and one of the music directors of Hillel Theatre Group’s production of Seussical, basically manipulated me into auditioning with no other intention other than getting me to be a part of the production. Then, I got the lead role of the Cat in the Hat…so that was interesting. However, it was an amayzing experience, and I met so many amayzing people. Last semester really reminded me of how much I love being a part of theatre. Now, I’m the Secretary-Treasurer of Tympanium Euphorium, and I just directed Boeing Boeing through Brandeis Players this past weekend.
HC: What was it like directing a show?
JH: It was very different from acting in show, since I was working with the show and creating a vision for it long before casting happened. It was really weird when Boeing Boeing ended this past Sunday, since it had been a part of me for so long. The rehearsal process, though, was absolutely amazing. I love my cast so much, because they worked so hard at perfecting their characters, and I could really see that they were enjoying themselves. We also bonded outside of rehearsal through hanging out at one of the cast member’s Mod and through apple picking – which was so much fun! In addition, my Stage Manager, Sarah Minkoff, and my Producer, Joey Rosen, were so unbelievably helpful throughout the whole process, as well as all the designers who effectively brought the show to life.
HC: Are you satisfied with the way the show turned out?
JH: I am so unbelievably happy with how Boeing Boeing went. Every time I think about the show, I can’t help but smile. When I was watching the actors perform, I could see their enjoyment on stage, and then when the audience laughed – which they did a lot! – I loved seeing their energy and enjoyment increase in response. Overall, this weekend made me the happiest of directors!
HC: Would you rather act or direct? Why?
JH: It really depends on the show and where I see myself in the production. For instance, I fell in love with Boeing Boeing when I saw it on Broadway, so I wanted to use my experience with the show and overall theatre experience in order to bring it to the Brandeis stage. For other shows, though, there may be specific roles that I would really want to play, so I would want to audition rather than apply to direct.
HC: How did you become interested in psychology?
Since 8th grade, I knew I wanted to go into child and adolescent psychology, because I was fascinated by the critical periods during childhood and adolescence that can induce stress in people with and without disorder. I recognized that not everyone has a support system to carry them through these often difficult times, so I decided I wanted to work towards becoming that support system for people. Now, 7 years later, I still aspire to become a private practice psychologist, working with children and adolescents. The scary part, though, is that I need to start throughly researching clinical PhD programs and studying for the GRE very, very soon.
What’s your favorite…
…movie and TV show?
Definitely Up for favorite movie, and for TV show, I will always love (and frequently quote) Friends.
…food on campus?
The Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Flatbread at the Stein
…class you’ve taken at Brandeis?
UWS 8a: Crisis and the American Musical with Georgia Luikens – we wrote and choreographed a flash mob for the last day of class to surprise Georgia, because she’s amazing and because we love her. It’s on YouTube, so everyone reading this should watch it!
…band or artist?
My music interests change, but the main bands I’m listening to right now are Bastille, The Mowgli’s, Youngblood Hawke, and San Cisco. In addition, my friends and I saw Walk the Moon at the House of Blues in September, which was awesome!
…way to spend a Saturday night?
Doing something. It does not really matter what that something is, just as long as I’m with friends. It could be seeing a show, going into Boston, going laser tagging, watching friends perform in their a cappella and improv groups, playing Cards Against Humanity – really just something fun with friends.