Acting and A Capella: Aanand Shah Senior Spotlight

Where did you start performing arts?

I started at a local school called Stagecoach when I was 6 years old. It was kind of in the middle of nowhere and we'd have theater classes on Sundays. My first ever show that I did with them was Bye Bye Birdie, where I got to be the lead, Albert. But during my first ever audition for a musical, I cried, because I had forgotten how the song went. Even though theater started with me becoming the lead, that isn’t strictly necessary. I think it just starts with trying something new. I really fell in love with theater then because I got to be a businessman as a six-year-old.

What affirmed your decision to continue with theater and the like?
I fell in love with the analysis of individual people, down to their actions, appearance, and body language. This breakdown allows me to effectively imitate the characters and people I portray. Another big contributing factor is the acting community itself. It can be a little bit toxic with auditioning, but once you’re into a show the community is wonderful. You're all going through a shared experience of trying to assemble a show to the best of your ability, working together towards a collective goal. The overall experience is much better when people are excited and motivated, and for us it's the more the merrier. All of this intimate collaboration lets us put together good shows in a good community.

How did you first get involved with Walnut Street Theater and how has your experience been?

Walnut Street Theater is a local theater on 9th and Walnut and it's a place where I do my theater outside of school. I’m in more professional productions and live shows. It originally started with me doing their summer camps. It's about a month from July to early August of theater training where we learn how to put on makeup, how to sing and dance, and general skills to help aspiring actors excel. They'll also teach you how to audition properly, which involves a lot of taking initiative and expressing both your interest and availability. I was able to get an audition for A Christmas Carol in sixth grade. I was very lucky that they had an open spot and it was truly a wonderful experience. The sixth graders took a class field trip to see it and my friends all got to see me perform as Turkey Boy.

How many school musicals have you been a part of? Has anything about the format changed significantly in your eyes?

I've been a part of Oliver, Shrek, Pippin, Willy Wonka, Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Legally Blonde, and now Guys and Dolls. That is to say, I've been a part of every single school musical. However, middle schoolers don’t receive a lot of parts, which is on purpose because they’re just starting out. Many format changes come with a change in director. For example, Devin, our director in middle school, placed an emphasis on dancing elements and creating new interest in the parts that are usually more boring. The high school portion of the cast changes a lot, but there are always middle schoolers. I love working with them and think that it’s a very valuable opportunity for them. There are discussions about retention issues, considering that we lose people to the high school application process, though I believe that the theater department will never disappear.

What is the general process like to put together a production?

The musical is announced in November, we have auditions and roles are decided before the new year, and there is usually a read-through around this time. When school starts again everything starts moving really fast. We only have two months to put together a full show, and we can only meet after school for two hours per day and five days per week. I know that professional productions that also only have two months run from 9:00 to 5:00 or 10:00 to 6:00. The fact that we can work at a professional speed while having so many songs and show participants is an amazing thing. Coordination and organization are two of the most difficult factors, because we involve so many departments and both middle schoolers and high schoolers. Everyone has their set of tasks and there are many moving parts. The process is very rewarding because by the end we put together a show in professional time with a live orchestra, something that very few schools have. I would like to give credit to Ms. Neu for all the hard work does to keep this going.

What are your future plans relating to theater? How much does a college schedule play a role in foreseeable circumstances?

I hope that I can continue. I don't know what it is, but I think being a part of my family, I knew that I wasn't going to go into acting from the beginning. Although I have acted since a young age, similar to how people play piano since they were kids, that kind of thing with Asian parents and the Asian house when you do these things as a kid but don't really ever pursue that. You do them to build your character, identity, and discipline. I would love to keep going with acting, but realistically I know that it is a tough industry out there. It's not only about if I can make a living acting. I would love to continue acting if I could…but I need to start focusing on college and what I’ll need to do as an engineering student. Acting taught me how to think differently, in a way that analyzes people’s character beyond the surface. I do hope to continue theater. At the end of the day, I am appreciative of the experience that I got and I'm so happy and I'm so proud of the people that I get to work with and see through theater.

Any advice for upcoming theater people?

Don't be afraid, always keep trying. A lot of people don't do theater because they're afraid of being on stage and being embarrassed, but I think a major part of theater is the joy of getting over that fear. Theater’s for anyone and there's always a place for everybody no matter what. The more you try to get yourself out there the better. Theater is one of those things that builds people's confidence and people should keep doing as much as they can because learning how to be confident, especially in a school like Masterman where you can become pretty introverted and focused on your studies, and being able to present yourself is something so important. Again, always keep trying and don’t be afraid.

Favorite spots in the school?

My favorite spot in the school is the nook between the stage and the basement with the out of tune piano. That spot truly has the best acoustics of all the places in the entire school. Whenever Sweet 16 gets serious we always have extra rehearsals there as a club. It’s also the place where cast members and stage crew are during the shows getting ready for their cues. I think that place holds a lot of memories specifically for me and many of the people in the music department. My favorite part of that spot was during one show night, the stage crew was in the nook during my solo at the end of Act I for Beauty and the Beast, and they were holding signs like “she don’t want you bro” or “we forgive you pookie.” One of the funniest and endearing moments of that show.

Advice to your freshman self

Don’t be worried about the future. It's so easy to get overwhelmed with school, family, extracurriculars, and people. Oh, I did so bad on that test! Oh, my GPA is gonna drop and I’ll never get into college! Oh man, I have so much homework to do this week. How am I going to get it done!? Stop worrying and get one thing done at a time. It’s so easy to get paralyzed with fear and overwhelmed with all the work. Take a breath, slow down and write out what you need to do. Make a task list or organize your tasks. You got this, you can do it, you will make it out of this school alive.

What are you looking forward to next year? 

I am looking forward to more sleep this year. I can’t lie I’ve been slacking on sleep but with college courses taking up less time in the day I hope to take the time to sleep and maybe grow a little taller. I’m so excited for college life with new experiences and getting out into the world. I’ve been at Masterman for eight years. That’s eight years in the same building every single weekday from September to June. It’ll be nice to get out and about.