The Blue and White met with Vladimir Boeversa, a Junior at Apopka high school, role model, and theater expert. We discussed the outcome of joining theater and how it shaped him as a person.

 Well, I always was interested in acting and voice acting. I always wanted to be a voice actor during middle school, and I wanted to pursue [that goal]. People that I asked, like professionals, always said starting theater, so I decided to get into it my freshman year. I didn’t do any of the plays, though I got more into it my sophomore year. My first play was Clue, and I loved it they were really welcoming, really kind, and they also introduced me to Thespians, which I have never heard of before. You’re able to meet so many different people from different schools and [hear] their thoughts and opinions on certain plays and what they think about theater in general so it’s really cool.

Going to an actual Thespian festival where we compete with other schools and seeing how many other kids are really into this and how they perform certain plays or monologs is really captivating. When we compete for Thespians it is usually at a different school. Basically, we have schools from different counties like Ocoee, Wekiva, Dr. Phillips, [and] University High all compete at one school. [There is] not really a first, second place system, [but, we are still] being graded based on our performances which is precisely how the grading system works. The best you can get in a performance is “Best in Show” which means you’ve done the best performance out of everyone in that specific category.

Before I joined theater I was very anti-social. I wasn’t really putting myself out there. Meeting new people and friends and whatnot through theater, I would say definitely gave me the confidence to be more sociable towards people and get rid of that little awkward wall when I talk to people. If you are still unsure about it, I still highly suggest trying it, because you’ll meet so many nice people who are very welcoming. I would say there was this [one] person last year…named Brenda. She was very welcoming and nice and she always encouraged me to give my hundred percent even when I was down. She would make sure I was okay and to always push forward through hardships. She would be the person that would always be there for me when I’m in my hardest times. If It wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would be doing theater any time soon.

Vlad then went on to explain how he combatted the challenge of stepping out of his comfort zone.

If you’re unsure of something, anxious or stressed out to make a decision. If your emotions are telling you shouldn’t do it I still suggest [to], go with what might benefit you. Originally I didn’t want to do Thespians because I felt like there would be so much on my plate. [As if] my stress is going to be through the roof, anxiety is going to double up, and I couldn’t do it. But the encouragement of this and just saying that I experienced it like, “Hey yeah I did thespians when I was a kid.” Even if you didn’t like it you [can still say that you’ve done it,] gets you more out there in the world.