Having a major in the arts is not something to be taken lightly, and no one knows that better than senior Cara Wantland. She has dedicated her last four years to rehearsals, performances and tech weeks, yet her passion for music and theater has not yet run out. In fact, her future plans do not really go beyond that. Echoing the sentiments of many a senior Connie, Wantland notes, “My top goal in the future is just to be able to make a living performing – theater, singing, whatever. Nothing’s set in stone,” she admits, “but I don’t really have a plan B …”
If you have seen any theatrical performance here at Lawrence, then you have probably seen Wantland act. She has been in an enormous number of both departmental and independent works, from “Cabaret” to “Smash” to the regionally acclaimed “Blood Wedding,” for which she received an invitation to the 2009 Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition – truly no small feat.
But Wantland’s talents do not begin and end with the theater; in fact, you may have seen her performing original singer/songwriter-type pieces with Andre Juan in various venues around campus. Wantland can also boast a minor in music: “My junior year, Andre convinced me to do the minor, so I sucked it up and began the theory sequence. I loved it, and if I could do it over I think I would have been a double major … but I’m not bitter.”
Our heroine has also been involved in ArtsBridge, through which she was able to co-direct Roosevelt Middle School’s musical, “Aladdin, Jr.” Reveals Wantland, “Getting paid to make Agrabah a real place was a good life choice.”
If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to see Wantland at her theatrical finest, be sure to check out her two productions this term – as one of the leading ladies in this year’s LUMP production of “After the War,” and in her own senior project, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Artist Spotlight
