Palm Harbor Native Pursues Dream of Stardom

Editor’s note: This post was written by Kyla Walker of Palm Harbor.

I knew that I wanted to be a performer since I was very young, but at the time I had no idea it was an accepted thing to love. I kept my performances a secret in my room, using my closet door as the wing to the stage as I would wait for my entrance to start to play on the soundtrack. I loved to read Shakespeare out loud before I would fall asleep, pretending to be Juliet to my stuffed animal Romeo. All of this just seemed like my play time when I was younger, but once I found out I could do this for an audience and actually study it, everything changed. I started performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater when I was 10 years old, went on to attend the Pinellas County Center for the Arts and am now a senior at The Boston Conservatory, majoring in musical theater.

I’ve tried very hard to not take my time as a student for granted before going out to the big bad professional world, so I decided to spend my summers studying at different programs. This summer especially was a very special experience. After a year very focused on Shakespeare I really wanted to expand my passion for classical theatre, and so I was extremely grateful to get accepted to the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford, England.

I surprisingly felt very prepared for my audition, even though I had little Shakespeare training (speaking the balcony scene from atop my dresser was basically the extent of my Shakespeare “experience” until the Conservatory), mostly because of how much audition experience we get at the Conservatory. We have opportunities to audition at least 10 times a semester with the main stages and student-produced work. I have received a lot of my experience through the work inspired by the students at the Conservatory, which I am very grateful for. The students here have a drive to perform constantly, so a lot of us create our own opportunities. We are encouraged by the teachers to learn how to create our own work and not just sit around waiting for someone to give us an opportunity.

Last year, I became very passionate about shining light on the amount of prostitution happening around the world, so I created a play consisting of Shakespeare sonnets and cast all women; we collaborated and established this world of freedom, sexuality, vulnerability and joy in our skins. This all happened in this tiny studio in the basement of our school. Watching my peers take an idea I had and turn into a full production was one of the most exciting nights of my life—a long way from my stuffed animal audiences. Experiences like this gave me the courage to take control of these four years of training and get everything I can out of it.

My acting teachers at the conservatory would take time to meet with me every month to help me create this show. And the following semester, they would couch me when I was playing Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and finally they helped me with my audition to get into The British American Dramatic Academy. My acting and speech teachers would take time out of their days just to assure I felt confident in where I was going, especially when I would lose sight of my dreams. At intense programs like the Boston Conservatory, sure, you have your days of complete disappointment and discouragement, but you remember that one thing your sophomore acting teacher said or a look your junior year voice and speech teacher gave you that told you to keep going; that’s what gets you on a plane to an amazing program in Oxford and that’s what gives you the strength to say I can do this.

My time at The British American Dramatic Academy was the most fulfilling experience I have ever had. Going into my senior year, I have now worked with many Royal Shakespeare company actors, directors at The National Theatre and instructors at the best acting programs in England, and I’ve taken masterclasses with some of the most accomplished actors/directors in the world (e.g. John Barton, Fiona Shaw, Jane Lapotaire, David Leveaux). This experience abroad has helped me finally flourish into the actor I wanted to become. The knowledge I have gained and bravery I have acquired from my teachers at The Boston Conservatory has put a fire in me that keeps me coming back stronger the next day, ready for a new day of adventures.

- Kyla Walker, Palm Harbor FL