By Tina Haertel
Collingwood School is a place to learn, to grow, and to discover oneself; a person who embodies this spirit of Collingwood is Matthew Dickinson. This grade twelve student, just a few days from graduation, has shared with us his amazing experience in the school theatre program and what he has learned from it. Matthew’s acting career started with a part in the “The Laramie Project” which was offered to him in grade nine by Mr. Wener, who thought that Matthew’s enthusiasm in drama class would make him a great member of the cast. Being an actor was never someone whom Matthew aspired to be, but he decided to try a play in hopes of improving his public speaking skills. It was through his first part in “The Laramie Project”, however, that he was able to find an activity which he genuinely enjoyed and to build his own niche within the school.
Since that first play, Matthew has been in numerous other ones and has learned something new both about himself and his cast mates in each production. One thing remains constant in all his plays: his favourite shows for each run are the first and very last ones. “The first because we have been preparing for this day for months and it’s amazing to see everything come together, and the last because everyone just puts 100% effort into making it amazing and it is emotional because its the end of something that has been a part of our lives for months,” explains Matthew. His best memories have been in the months of rehearsals leading up to the play and “hanging out with people who are all there because they like acting”.
Since that first play, Matthew has been in numerous other ones and has learned something new both about himself and his cast mates in each production. One thing remains constant in all his plays: his favourite shows for each run are the first and very last ones. “The first because we have been preparing for this day for months and it’s amazing to see everything come together, and the last because everyone just puts 100% effort into making it amazing and it is emotional because its the end of something that has been a part of our lives for months,” explains Matthew. His best memories have been in the months of rehearsals leading up to the play and “hanging out with people who are all there because they like acting”.
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When asked about his inspiration in the world of acting, Matthew named none other than our very own Alex Lara. Matthew says that seeing Alex go in front of audiences and act has always amazed him because the amount of passion and effort he puts in is “just astounding”. As Alex was a mentor to Matthew, it is with no doubt that Matthew is also a mentor to the younger actors in the school. His one advice to the students just starting to act is to believe in themselves and to give it their all. His golden solution to overcoming stage fright is to “perform for yourself rather than for others” because he finds that he is much more confident that way.
As Matthew’s acting career at Collingwood comes to an end, he looks back with fond memories at his time standing in the spotlight in both the old and new theatres at the Morven campus. In the future, Matthew is not planning on becoming an actor, but is hoping to join a drama club or to audition for plays in university. It is safe to say that Collingwood will miss him as he moves on to a bigger stage. We wish Matthew all the best in his future endeavors and hope that he will come back to watch more of Collingwood’s very own productions.
As Matthew’s acting career at Collingwood comes to an end, he looks back with fond memories at his time standing in the spotlight in both the old and new theatres at the Morven campus. In the future, Matthew is not planning on becoming an actor, but is hoping to join a drama club or to audition for plays in university. It is safe to say that Collingwood will miss him as he moves on to a bigger stage. We wish Matthew all the best in his future endeavors and hope that he will come back to watch more of Collingwood’s very own productions.
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