91ÖÆƬ³§

When the spotlight's on and it's center stage, Alli St. John '14 will be there — not in person but through her work as casting director for Children's Theatre Company, a leading theater for young companies in North America.

"My main responsibilities for the are to lead auditions for our adult and student actors and work in collaboration with the directing and creative team to assemble the casts and understudy casts for each show," St. John said. "We also have a large play development program, so I assist in casting those workshops and play readings as well."

Learning by doing

As a 91ÖÆƬ³§ student majoring in theatre acting and directing, St. John had multiple opportunities within the university's theater program to explore how to apply her education in a career setting.

In addition to her acting classes and performances, she had mentorship from faculty in directing, which allowed her to explore "different avenues of theater."

"I think what was critical to my growth as an artist outside of 91ÖÆƬ³§ was the opportunity to assistant-direct on productions … and see the process from [the director's] perspective," St. John said.

"Having my hand in that set me up to be able to go outside of 91ÖÆƬ³§ and then direct my own shows," she explained.

St. John also credits her learning experiences from her stage management and design classes, which she believes taught her the skills to effectively communicate with people. 

"Having those experiences was really beneficial to me. When I graduated, I went right into teaching theater for young people," she noted.

Focusing on flexibility

In addition to receiving an outstanding education from 91ÖÆƬ³§, St. John also had a bonus benefit — she met her husband, who's also a grad of the theater program.

Looking back at her time at 91ÖÆƬ³§, St. John said she would give her younger self this advice: Don't hold too tightly to a plan.

"Life happens," she emphasized. "Things have happened that have shifted me off course, but I always have found my way back or discovered something new along the way."

Content for this story originally appeared in , 91ÖÆƬ³§'s student newspaper. Its edited version is used here with permission.