By Chloe Mee
Some people grow to love an art form after boasting years of experience and practice. They can tell anecdotes of when they picked up an instrument or a paintbrush when they were only little — their passion may have started from that very moment or they may have grown to cherish it. There are other people, however, who unexpectedly stumble across their passion for the arts later on. In some ways, the discovery of this love for arts is more meaningful than one started at an early age.
It wasn’t until Grade Eleven that Atsa Cridge — a current Grade Twelve student at Collingwood — started acting. Now, acting has become something that he loves and cherishes after having made many memories at Collingwood. He said that he decided to audition for the play in the eleventh grade because “a friend from school convinced me to join the play, and I just agreed!”
Atsa auditioned for the Morven plays in both Grade Eleven and Twelve. In the former grade, he was in The Crucible. His role was that of a townsman, which Atsa described as “pretty much just an extra, you could call me a tree.” His favourite play, however, was Going Nowhere Apace. Atsa played a main character called Judd who converses with some girls in a gym. He said that his favourite thing about being part of this production was “being out there on stage with your fellow actors and actresses, having fun in front of a crowd, doing your best to show emotion.”
While being on the cast for Going Nowhere Apace, Atsa has contended with the unique experience of being involved in the performing arts during the pandemic. The Drama Department has adapted to the complications brought about by the restrictions during this time by having smaller audiences in the theatres and wearing masks during performances. For each time they put on the play this year, “I would say around 20 people were in the theatre,” Atsa told me. As for wearing a mask while he was acting, Atsa said that “it didn’t affect my lines at all, I just had to adjust it a couple times while I was talking.”
His favourite movies include all Pixar movies, Oceans 11, Oceans 12 and Oceans 13. All three Oceans movies star George Clooney, one of his favourite actors. Atsa’s top three favourite genres to watch are “comedy, romance and suspense.” He cited three actors as inspirations: George Clooney, Robert De Niro and John Cleese. George Clooney inspires Atsa because “he’s very calm and collected in a lot of his movies, but he has a range that he can do… he’s very good at what he does.” Atsa also noted Robert De Niro’s versatility: “[he is] super serious and really classy with his acting but he can also have lots of funny movies.” And lastly, John Cleese (who has roles in both Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, productions that Atsa particularly likes): “because he’s hilarious.”
If given the chance to meet these actors in person, Atsa replied with little hesitation that he would ask: “can I star in a movie with you, bro?” Then, he rephrased the question but asking with a more refined yet still enthusiastic manner: “can you let me play a part in one of your movies?”
Dedication to the arts runs in Atsa’s family. Atsa explained his mom was one of the best violinists in Serbia “in her teens and leading up to until she was twenty.” This success and talent led her to travel “all around Europe to do shows.” He proudly told me that not only was his mom enrolled in high school to specialise in violin, but she also was enrolled in another high school to study math, sciences, and languages. “Most people only enrolled in one high school but she enrolled in two.” He also mentioned that his dad is better than anyone else in his family at acting and that his younger sister Kassija “loves the arts way more than me — not that I don’t like them.”
When it comes to the other arts, Atsa professed that “I am terrible at drawing… but I love music.” He can often be found listening to music; his favourite artists are “Kid Cudi, Khalid, Sinatra and Djordje Balasević.”
Not only is Atsa a budding actor, but he is an avid and talented tennis player. He has been playing tennis for around eight or nine years. Throughout our interview, Atsa was very humble about his playing, explaining that he has “played in other provinces and went to the US quite a few times for tournaments.” He won two tournaments in the US and a few in BC. Atsa also progressed to the finals in several other tournaments in various provinces across Canada. One such tournament was one in Portland, Oregon and lasted around two weeks; Atsa said that “it was fun and really brought us together.” He won the singles in this competition and stayed to watch the doubles.
Another passion of Atsa’s is basketball. “I love basketball… I love watching it and playing it.” When he plays with his friends, he typically is the guard or a small forward. While it is not something that he pursued at Collingwood on a team, it is something that he is still fond of. Atsa enjoys “hanging out with friends and playing basketball” in his spare time as he is usually “busy with tennis and studying.”
At school, Atsa’s favourite subjects are the sciences and math. He explained that he enjoys math because “I like doing math problems — getting ready for a test makes me feel as though I have accomplished something.” Atsa also noted the acting class that he took in Grade Eleven as “the most fun class I have taken.”
If he were to describe some of the qualities that he would like to be remembered as, Atsa said: “kind, I try to be funny (though a lot of the time I fail), and I work hard at school.” As someone who knows Atsa, I can attest to the fact that he is hard-working, both in academics and in the many activities that he does at school. This year, for instance, he took many rigorous classes such as AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry and AP Physics 2 while working diligently on his role for the play, contributing to the greater community through service and being a senior leader in the Science Club.
Amongst his busy schedule, Atsa said that being in the Morven plays “meant a lot to me.” He went on to explain that “the play and acting in the play was incredibly important to me [because] it really brought me together with people and solidified our connection… it was a really family-like experience, this year and last year.” Prior to being in these plays, Atsa had merely been in the Café Concerts, which “were just for fun.” But now, “last year and this year I was really introduced to it. I love it. I’ve fallen in love.”
After having acted in a couple of plays, I asked about whether Atsa’s perception of acting has changed in comparison to before he had acted. In response, he shared this anecdote: “[something happened] the first day I went home, after our first play. First thing I did [was to] put some popcorn in the microwave, put a movie on… and I realised I was less engaged by the movie because I realised: hey, these guys are actually actors too… this is all fake!” He found this to be somewhat of a letdown, but “at the same time, I gained respect for those actors because my acting wasn’t great, and seeing them do it at that level makes me feel that much better about them.”
As for advice for people who are considering acting or auditioning for a play, Atsa emphatically said to “take Mr Wener’s acting class and do Mr Wener’ splays, even if you don’t get a big role your first time through. It’s just a great experience and it makes you so much better. Grade Eleven was my first year ever, even doing acting class or a play. I butchered my audition. I didn’t really try at all because I wasn’t really into it. Understandably so, I was just an extra. This year I’m not in acting class, but just watching how other people acted just taught me a lot from them, and then I used some of that for my audition this year — it helped.” To thank Mr Wener, Atsa requested that I include this message to him: “Mr Wener, you are beautiful.”
I also asked Atsa about whether acting can serve as an expression of feeling. He replied that “the arts as a whole are an expression of feeling,” in particular, visual art and music. With acting, however, Atsa explained that “a lot of the time, you are acting something that is given to you.” When you are a part of the play — you learn a script and memorise it, trying to put yourself into the character’s shoes — so it may not be an expression of oneself as much as these other forms of art. “[Acting in Going Nowhere Apace] was weird because I had to play a really odd character. I’d like to think that that’s not me at all… it was weird because I had to put myself in the mindset before coming to school all the time.” However, Atsa did say that “I really feel that you can incorporate your own drive and personality” after rehearsing a part for an extended period.
Atsa also mentioned that “[acting] really increased my confidence” and that this could prove to be beneficial in a professional environment in the future. When I asked him about whether he would act in plays or take drama classes at university, he said that he would consider it. He said that “directing a play would be so cool. I know nothing about it. I would have to learn so much from so many people before I would even think about doing it.”
After having spent ten years at Collingwood, Atsa is graduating in June. Atsa is studying Engineering at UBC this coming September. The Arts Mag team and I wish Atsa the best of luck at university and with all of his future endeavours!
Atsa also wanted to say: “Also, thank you to Chloe Mee for writing this amazing article. She put in a lot of time for this quality piece of work, and I believe that everyone should put in a fraction of her effort in order to read it. Although my highschool career may not have been so exciting, with her fantastically talented writing, Chloe makes it seem like it was amazing. Thank you to her and she deserves a ton of credit.”
Some people grow to love an art form after boasting years of experience and practice. They can tell anecdotes of when they picked up an instrument or a paintbrush when they were only little — their passion may have started from that very moment or they may have grown to cherish it. There are other people, however, who unexpectedly stumble across their passion for the arts later on. In some ways, the discovery of this love for arts is more meaningful than one started at an early age.
It wasn’t until Grade Eleven that Atsa Cridge — a current Grade Twelve student at Collingwood — started acting. Now, acting has become something that he loves and cherishes after having made many memories at Collingwood. He said that he decided to audition for the play in the eleventh grade because “a friend from school convinced me to join the play, and I just agreed!”
Atsa auditioned for the Morven plays in both Grade Eleven and Twelve. In the former grade, he was in The Crucible. His role was that of a townsman, which Atsa described as “pretty much just an extra, you could call me a tree.” His favourite play, however, was Going Nowhere Apace. Atsa played a main character called Judd who converses with some girls in a gym. He said that his favourite thing about being part of this production was “being out there on stage with your fellow actors and actresses, having fun in front of a crowd, doing your best to show emotion.”
While being on the cast for Going Nowhere Apace, Atsa has contended with the unique experience of being involved in the performing arts during the pandemic. The Drama Department has adapted to the complications brought about by the restrictions during this time by having smaller audiences in the theatres and wearing masks during performances. For each time they put on the play this year, “I would say around 20 people were in the theatre,” Atsa told me. As for wearing a mask while he was acting, Atsa said that “it didn’t affect my lines at all, I just had to adjust it a couple times while I was talking.”
His favourite movies include all Pixar movies, Oceans 11, Oceans 12 and Oceans 13. All three Oceans movies star George Clooney, one of his favourite actors. Atsa’s top three favourite genres to watch are “comedy, romance and suspense.” He cited three actors as inspirations: George Clooney, Robert De Niro and John Cleese. George Clooney inspires Atsa because “he’s very calm and collected in a lot of his movies, but he has a range that he can do… he’s very good at what he does.” Atsa also noted Robert De Niro’s versatility: “[he is] super serious and really classy with his acting but he can also have lots of funny movies.” And lastly, John Cleese (who has roles in both Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, productions that Atsa particularly likes): “because he’s hilarious.”
If given the chance to meet these actors in person, Atsa replied with little hesitation that he would ask: “can I star in a movie with you, bro?” Then, he rephrased the question but asking with a more refined yet still enthusiastic manner: “can you let me play a part in one of your movies?”
Dedication to the arts runs in Atsa’s family. Atsa explained his mom was one of the best violinists in Serbia “in her teens and leading up to until she was twenty.” This success and talent led her to travel “all around Europe to do shows.” He proudly told me that not only was his mom enrolled in high school to specialise in violin, but she also was enrolled in another high school to study math, sciences, and languages. “Most people only enrolled in one high school but she enrolled in two.” He also mentioned that his dad is better than anyone else in his family at acting and that his younger sister Kassija “loves the arts way more than me — not that I don’t like them.”
When it comes to the other arts, Atsa professed that “I am terrible at drawing… but I love music.” He can often be found listening to music; his favourite artists are “Kid Cudi, Khalid, Sinatra and Djordje Balasević.”
Not only is Atsa a budding actor, but he is an avid and talented tennis player. He has been playing tennis for around eight or nine years. Throughout our interview, Atsa was very humble about his playing, explaining that he has “played in other provinces and went to the US quite a few times for tournaments.” He won two tournaments in the US and a few in BC. Atsa also progressed to the finals in several other tournaments in various provinces across Canada. One such tournament was one in Portland, Oregon and lasted around two weeks; Atsa said that “it was fun and really brought us together.” He won the singles in this competition and stayed to watch the doubles.
Another passion of Atsa’s is basketball. “I love basketball… I love watching it and playing it.” When he plays with his friends, he typically is the guard or a small forward. While it is not something that he pursued at Collingwood on a team, it is something that he is still fond of. Atsa enjoys “hanging out with friends and playing basketball” in his spare time as he is usually “busy with tennis and studying.”
At school, Atsa’s favourite subjects are the sciences and math. He explained that he enjoys math because “I like doing math problems — getting ready for a test makes me feel as though I have accomplished something.” Atsa also noted the acting class that he took in Grade Eleven as “the most fun class I have taken.”
If he were to describe some of the qualities that he would like to be remembered as, Atsa said: “kind, I try to be funny (though a lot of the time I fail), and I work hard at school.” As someone who knows Atsa, I can attest to the fact that he is hard-working, both in academics and in the many activities that he does at school. This year, for instance, he took many rigorous classes such as AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry and AP Physics 2 while working diligently on his role for the play, contributing to the greater community through service and being a senior leader in the Science Club.
Amongst his busy schedule, Atsa said that being in the Morven plays “meant a lot to me.” He went on to explain that “the play and acting in the play was incredibly important to me [because] it really brought me together with people and solidified our connection… it was a really family-like experience, this year and last year.” Prior to being in these plays, Atsa had merely been in the Café Concerts, which “were just for fun.” But now, “last year and this year I was really introduced to it. I love it. I’ve fallen in love.”
After having acted in a couple of plays, I asked about whether Atsa’s perception of acting has changed in comparison to before he had acted. In response, he shared this anecdote: “[something happened] the first day I went home, after our first play. First thing I did [was to] put some popcorn in the microwave, put a movie on… and I realised I was less engaged by the movie because I realised: hey, these guys are actually actors too… this is all fake!” He found this to be somewhat of a letdown, but “at the same time, I gained respect for those actors because my acting wasn’t great, and seeing them do it at that level makes me feel that much better about them.”
As for advice for people who are considering acting or auditioning for a play, Atsa emphatically said to “take Mr Wener’s acting class and do Mr Wener’ splays, even if you don’t get a big role your first time through. It’s just a great experience and it makes you so much better. Grade Eleven was my first year ever, even doing acting class or a play. I butchered my audition. I didn’t really try at all because I wasn’t really into it. Understandably so, I was just an extra. This year I’m not in acting class, but just watching how other people acted just taught me a lot from them, and then I used some of that for my audition this year — it helped.” To thank Mr Wener, Atsa requested that I include this message to him: “Mr Wener, you are beautiful.”
I also asked Atsa about whether acting can serve as an expression of feeling. He replied that “the arts as a whole are an expression of feeling,” in particular, visual art and music. With acting, however, Atsa explained that “a lot of the time, you are acting something that is given to you.” When you are a part of the play — you learn a script and memorise it, trying to put yourself into the character’s shoes — so it may not be an expression of oneself as much as these other forms of art. “[Acting in Going Nowhere Apace] was weird because I had to play a really odd character. I’d like to think that that’s not me at all… it was weird because I had to put myself in the mindset before coming to school all the time.” However, Atsa did say that “I really feel that you can incorporate your own drive and personality” after rehearsing a part for an extended period.
Atsa also mentioned that “[acting] really increased my confidence” and that this could prove to be beneficial in a professional environment in the future. When I asked him about whether he would act in plays or take drama classes at university, he said that he would consider it. He said that “directing a play would be so cool. I know nothing about it. I would have to learn so much from so many people before I would even think about doing it.”
After having spent ten years at Collingwood, Atsa is graduating in June. Atsa is studying Engineering at UBC this coming September. The Arts Mag team and I wish Atsa the best of luck at university and with all of his future endeavours!
Atsa also wanted to say: “Also, thank you to Chloe Mee for writing this amazing article. She put in a lot of time for this quality piece of work, and I believe that everyone should put in a fraction of her effort in order to read it. Although my highschool career may not have been so exciting, with her fantastically talented writing, Chloe makes it seem like it was amazing. Thank you to her and she deserves a ton of credit.”
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