By Kendyl Cardwell
Senior Spotlight: Vanessa Mills
The curtains come down as the actors and crew take a deep bow to the cheers of the audience resonating through the theater. To the cast, it is not just the conclusion of a 2-hour play, it is the culmination of months of dedication and commitment. Long hours and a seemingly endless amount of preparation are required to pull off productions smoothly, making theatre a very difficult and respectable discipline. Even more impressive are the high school students that can juggle a hectic high school life and a dedication to theatre.
Vanessa Mills, a Montverde Academy student is one of those students. Vanessa has developed into an accomplished technical theatre student and set designer throughout her time in high school. Graduating from Montverde Academy this year, she will be continuing her theatre at a high level when she attends Carnegie Mellon next year.
Theatre is not just a hobby to Mills; instead, it is a passion that allows her to express her creativity and convey a unique story. “My favorite thing about theatre is creating magic”, says Mills. “I love having the ability to bend reality for only a few hours and to change how people see the world.”
Vanessa is able to convey the magic of theatre through her specialty in set design, a specific focus within technical theatre. Technical theatre encompasses all that goes on in order to run a production, including everything from stage elements, lighting, costumes, and the very important aspect of set design. This means she helps to plan and build the sets on stage for all the productions. According to Mills, set design offers a unique way to communicate the context and mood of the play. “My favorite thing about set design is transforming the atmosphere of the stage in order to transport an audience into a different time or place”, says Mills.
Her commitment to her craft leaves her with little free time. “I spend anywhere up to 10 hours a day in the theatre,” Mills states. These long days have certainly paid off. Throughout her time in the theatre program, she has become the technical theatre director of the troupe and has played a major role in their accomplishments. Including Dr. Phillips Applause Awards and Superior honors at districts and state competitions, Vanessa and the technical theatre department have received many respectable accolades.
Next year, Vanessa will be attending Carnegie Melon’s prestigious drama program. Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama has only a 4-percent acceptance rate and is considered to be one of the best schools in the country. Attending Carnegie Mellon will offer a challenging and enriching program to work on her passion. “The director in our theatre was the one who brought up Carnegie Mellon. I’m so excited, yet nervous, to be going to such an amazing school! I can’t wait to learn as much as I can and to be able to work on my art all year long,” says Mills. “The few people I’ve met have been so welcoming and nice. They’ve helped me throughout my interview process and all the post-acceptance work. I am so excited to be going,” she added.
After graduation, Vanessa will start the next chapter of her life at Carnegie Mellon. No matter where her destiny takes her, she will always continue to carry with her the invaluable impact theatre has made on her life: Vanessa explains, “Theatre has made me more confident. I’m now able to stand by my own ideas. I’m more comfortable with creative thinking. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone to design insane sets, but to also have them make sense. I am not afraid to speak my mind and push my own ideas.”
