Drew Valaika was just 14-years-old when he auditioned for a role in his high school’s production of “Romeo & Juliet.”
He didn’t land a role. Instead he rolled up his sleeves and worked backstage.
Now the junior theater major is preparing for three significant roles in Nebraska Wesleyan’s spring theater season celebrating William Shakespeare.
“This semester is so much more than just putting up a bunch of Shakespeare plays,” said Valaika. “It shows that even 400 years later, we can take Shakespeare and the universal truths he writes about and see how they apply to us in 2016.”
Valaika’s journey from backstage at his high school to the main stage at Nebraska Wesleyan has been a plethora of experiences. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Anything Goes,” “South Pacific” and “Chicago” are all now part of his young resume.
Topping his resume is his most recent experience: an internship at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre Training Program. His acceptance into the program, held by one of the world’s most renowned theater companies, was “both an honor and a result of a young actor’s determination, dedication, and drive,” said theater professor Jack Parkhurst.
During his sophomore year, Valaika took a class on Konstantin Stanislavsky, a Russian actor and theatre director whose teachings became a dominant force in film acting. Valaika was intrigued and pondered the opportunity to study abroad at the Moscow Art Theatre.
“I said to myself, why not go straight to the source?”
After turning in two letters of recommendation from his professors, his college resume, a 500-word essay, a transcript, headshot, and giving a Skype interview, Valaika received the much-anticipated congratulatory email on his acceptance into the program.
The Moscow Art Theatre Training Program kept Valaika on a strict six-day schedule that included early morning ballet and movement classes followed by voice lessons, and lectures on theatre history and acting.
“Keeping up the endurance of such a schedule was definitely the biggest challenge,” he said.
Some days concluded with a show at the Moscow Art Theatre.
“I got in for free as a student, and I often got a standing room spot,” he recalled. “Or I would find a free seat if I was lucky.”
Valaika credits his NWU training in helping him adapt to the rigorous studying and training at the Moscow Art Theatre.
“The training experience in Moscow stretched my imagination and challenged me to keep coming up with new ideas in my work,” said Valaika. “The teachers there accepted nothing less than your best effort. If they wanted to instill anything in us, it was that there are no half measures in this business.”
“You have to be prepared to give it the full measure every time,” he continued. “That’s something that the theater professors at Wesleyan have always stressed.”
Valaika returned to the Nebraska Wesleyan stage changed by the experience.
“I am definitely more collaborative, that is the biggest change,” he said. “I am now more willing to really take into consideration the thoughts of the people I am working with on a scene and see what they bring to the table. I love working with people more than I ever have before.”
“I’ve also learned how to really bring my own ideas for a character forward and not be inhibited by doubt,” he added. “I’ve definitely become a more autonomous artist from working at the Moscow Art Theatre Training Program. I learned to take my craft into my own hands.”
Now Valaika is ready to embrace large roles this spring, first at Gratiano in NWU’s production of “Othello.” Then he’ll perform as Baptista in “Taming of the Shrew” and Harry Trevor in “Kiss Me Kate,” two productions that he’ll perform on alternating days.
He’s hopeful his combined experiences will lead to more acting.
“I want to be able to make a living off of my art,” he said. “Whether that’s on the stage, in TV, or movies, who knows?”
“I have a passion and a drive for the craft of acting and it is something that I want to do for the rest of my life.”
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Story by Alessandro Schirano, public relations intern.