Alumnus Ryan Caswell (BFA, 2007; BEAD, 2009), drama teacher at Winston Knoll Collegiate, played Nicky in the Avenue Q production, which ran from April 29 – May 3, 2015 at the Shu-Box theatre, University of Regina.
While an education student, Ryan Caswell interned at Winston Knoll in the fall of 2009 with Teacher Janeen Clark, “an absolutely amazing teacher,” says Caswell. As a BEAD (After Degree) student, Caswell’s internship came at the end of his program. A short time later, in February 2010, Caswell was hired by Winston Knoll as a drama teacher. While a novice teacher, Caswell did not pursue any acting roles. He says, “I haven’t acted in any productions since I was in The Laramie Project at the University years ago. Since then, I’ve put on my director’s hat and directed five big shows at Winston Knoll: (Drowsy Chaperone, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Wedding Singer, the Wiz and Legally Blonde).” But this year, Caswell decided to take on a role in a recent production, Avenue Q, in which he played Nicky. The show was a success, selling out in advance, and extending yet another day, with that show selling out as well. Caswell says, “It was a truly great time.”
An interview with Ryan Caswell about his involvement with Avenue Q and his thoughts on his professional preparation at the University of Regina:
How did you get involved with the production, Avenue Q?
I was lying awake in my bed on a Tuesday night, perusing Facebook when I saw that auditions for Avenue Q were the next night. Now, I haven’t auditioned for anything in about seven years, so I didn’t exactly have anything prepared. I got up, got dressed and headed to my office at Winston Knoll at 11:30 that night. I did some searching, found a monologue and song, and rehearsed until 2:30 in the morning. I was pretty tired teaching the next morning but it all worked out. I ended up getting a larger role than what I had auditioned for so I was obviously very happy. Nervous, but happy.
Why did you want to be part of this production?
I’ve known about the show for a decade and thought the content was cutting edge and really clever. Then I saw it in New York on vacation three years ago and fell in love with it. There are so many layers beyond the “edginess” of the show that you just don’t understand until you’ve seen the show. Characters that seemed very one-dimensional all of a sudden have really broad, deep arcs to them that make an audience empathize and relate to them in unexpected ways.
What do you see as the relationship between your role as teacher and your role in Avenue Q?
A lot of Avenue Q is about the relationships between people from all walks of life: How we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about certain individuals since we likely don’t know their whole story. This idea relates directly to teaching: just when you think you really know a student they come out of left field and surprise you with something, for better or worse–usually better!
Do you feel your U of R education prepared you well? If so, how?
I do. I first completed the acting program in the Faculty of Fine Arts, which I think was extremely important in giving me the tools to help students. Having hands-on experience in the profession and meeting industry professionals that I have since called upon many times has been a huge plus for my teaching career. Once I finished that degree, I completed the BEAD program. It was a great program that allowed me to take what I had learned previously and apply it directly to the classroom. I would recommend that route to anybody who is considering Arts Education. Fill your cup with as much information as you can and apply it to your teaching style. The students will only benefit from it.
What professional accomplishment are you especially proud of?
In the five years since I’ve been teaching drama at Winston Knoll, there have been 10 students who have completed or who are currently studying at various performance schools in Canada and Europe, with another student set to head west to study this year. Having that many people pursue performance as a career makes me extremely proud.
Do you have any advice for current Education Students?
Prepare. Have a professional plan. Everything I did from five years before I entered education until now, the jobs I took and the places I volunteered, have always been put in place to help me get to the next step. I don’t have any interest in ladder-climbing; I’ll let smarter people than myself run the schools, but it is important to have a long-range plan so that you can always justify what you are doing in the moment. “Justification” is the most important word I teach to every student in my drama classes, but it applies to everyone. If you can’t justify that your actions are leading you from point A to point B, maybe your actions need to be adjusted.