Name: Sam Jones
Class: Junior
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Major: Theater Major with a Concentration in Musical Theater and Dance; Minor in Linguistics and Minor in Dance
How long have you been acting?: “I started acting in high school. I used to do the backstage stuff, building the sets and being on the crew. But then a buddy of mine talked me into auditioning. He said ‘Hey, musical auditions are coming up, it’s “Fiddler on the Roof.”‘ I kind of knew the show, so I auditioned… and then I got a pretty sizeable part. Then I just got the bug. I did it throughout the rest of high school and then I decided that it was what I wanted to do in college.”
What shows have you done so far?: “I’ve done “Chicago” twice… “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” “Legacy of Light,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Hairspray,” “The Laramie Project”… and I’m doing “Into the Woods” right now. My professional credits, I was in “Bare: A Pop Opera.””
What is your role in your next production?: “I’m the Baker in “Into the Woods.””
Is there anyone that helped you reach this level of success?: “I have a really, really supportive family. My mom studied music in college, so when I told them that I wanted to study musical theater, they were just like, ‘Okay, let’s get your audition material together.’ They were so helpful throughout the whole process. They come down here to see all of my shows, and lately because I’ll be graduating next year, I’ve been going to all these auditions and they’ve been so good about giving me gas money so I can go to these things and making sure I have head shots, you know, because they want me to be successful.”
Do you enjoy doing student theater here at CNU?: “It’s great! I love being at CNU. We have a really, really good department; we’re very close. I’ve made a lot of tight friends in the three years I’ve been here, and I’ve been very lucky to have gotten the opportunities I’ve been given.”
What things do you do for fun on campus?: “Theater kind of takes over your life but I honestly love just hanging out with people, sitting down and talking about life. I play a lot of music with people just whenever I get the chance. I haven’t done a whole lot of it lately because I’ve been focused on “Into the Woods,” but I song-write a little bit and just try to collaborate with people. I’m also training for my second half marathon! I love exercising.”
What cubs/organizations are you a part of on campus?: “I’m a member of Extreme Measures, which if you don’t know is the largest a cappella group on campus. I love singing with them because I get to stretch my brain and my musical chops a lot and in a different way than I do for theater. It’s a workout! I also recently became a campus rep for Serengetee (#WearTheWorld!), which is a t-shirt company that donates 5% of its profit to charities all around the world. I’m hoping I get to do some really big things with that this semester, like organizing a 5K or something.”
What do you plan on doing after graduation?: “I’m auditioning everywhere, but I’m sort of hoping I can make it out to California. They have theater there, they have music there, they have film there… I’m hoping I can get my foot in all three of those places and be successful somehow. L.A. is what I’m looking at right now.”