Students often hear stories of how people change career paths post-grad, especially in fields that revolve around the arts. In many situations, workers put their passions aside to find greater success in different areas – which can be daunting to hear, especially if you’re going into an unstable field.
However, achieving a desired career path is possible through passion and determination. Lindsey Noel Whiting, a Bradley alumna, has found success in the performing arts in many different aspects. From performing as Alice in “Lookingglass Alice” to dressing up as a hamster and performing circus acts in downtown Chicago, Whiting has done it all.
“I started [performing] in high school and before in children’s theater,” Whiting said. “My plan for college was to get a theater scholarship and then change my major to psychology – but that did not happen, and I just stayed in the theater department.”
Whiting graduated from Bradley in 2003 with a bachelor of science in theater performance. While attending school, Whiting learned the technical aspects of theater, which ultimately secured her many opportunities post-grad with different theater companies.
“My old technical director, who taught scenic design and lighting design, came and visited [my show] … I told him, ‘I can’t tell you how many times it has been useful to have shop skills,’” Whiting said. “The theater department [at Bradley] gave a lot of opportunities such as choreographing, scenic design, rendering and 3D design and not just focusing on acting.”
Chicago’s Tony-award-winning theater company Lookingglass is where Whiting found her residency for 15 years, with her most notable character being Alice, which was an acrobatic spin on the classic movie “Alice in Wonderland.”
“It was the hardest show I performed in,” Whiting said. “The acting itself was not difficult; it was every other aspect such as the acrobatic parts like holding a man on my shoulders was difficult. It was the most physically rigorous show I had to do but incredibly rewarding.”
Currently, Whiting is working with Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis in the next production of “Leonardo! A Wonderful Story About a Terrible Monster,” where she voices and controls the main puppet, Leonardo, to give a wonderful performance to children ages three and up.
Whiting is an example of how you can achieve your aspirations, even in more uncertain fields. Challenges may arise but being able to do what you love and enjoy is a greater success.
“There were definitely times when I had to work other jobs besides performing – it just depend[ed] on how things were going,” Whiting said. “I always stuck with it, though. Something about performing and hearing everyone’s reactions after [the shows] was always worth it.”
Be First to Comment