THE BLOG

Jillian has been a member of the Trustus Apprentice Company program and served as one of our summer interns in 2015. She was recently accepted into the Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities’ Residential program in Greenville, where she will begin studying theatre arts and acting this fall. Though we will miss her next season, we are excited for this great opportunity coming her way. We sat down to talk with Jillian about acting, training and what she’ll miss most about Columbia.

TT: Jillian, you are a sophomore at Spring Hill High School, and you have been a member of our Trustus Apprentice Company program for 2 years now. What else are you involved in–what else occupies your time, interests and energies? 
JR: I take a couple AP classes at school so most of my time is used studying, reviewing, or doing projects. However, I love to read so any free time after schoolwork is used for that.

TT: How long have you been involved in theater arts?
JR: I’ve been doing theater on and off for about 4 years.

TT: How and when did you realize that you had gift and a passion for theatre arts?
JR: When I auditioned for the SCGSAH Discovery program and got accepted, that was the first time I realized that I wasn’t half bad and had something to contribute. It even gave me the confidence to audition for the apprentice program which I was too intimidated to do beforehand. The passion came when I saw my first professional show and felt my heart racing throughout the entire performance.

TT: Are you interested in any other aspects of the arts beyond just performance and acting?
JR: I really enjoy history so recently I’ve been researching dramaturgy because it combines my two passions.

TT: You are going to the SC Governor’s School next year in Greenville. Is it safe to assume that you are planning to have a life in the arts beyond high school? If so, what do you plan and hope to do? What do your current plans for the future look like? 
JR: I would love to be connected to the arts world in some way, shape, or form. Obviously my first hope would be to act but if that isn’t possible, dramaturgy would be a fun career path. I don’t entirely want to pick one specific path now as there are so many levels of involvement in the arts that I haven’t had the time or resources to explore. Also, college is for sure in my future plans the only debate is where 🙂

TT: How do you hope your education and training at the Governor’s School will prepare you for your future and goals?
JR: Since Governor’s School is such a unique high school experience I hope to gain a different perspective than my peers who also want to enter the art world. The discipline and foundation they provide is unlike anything I could get at a traditional high school around this area.

TT: What 3 things will you most miss about Columbia and the Midlands?JR: Dano’s Pizza, for sure. Actually scratch that, most of the restaurants around here are going to leave a hole in my heart. Also, Soda City is one of the highlights of Columbia in my opinion and not being there every Saturday will certainly be a bummer. I’ll especially miss the one-on-one time with all my friends and family and even community I have grown so accustomed to.