The Theater Arts program offered at Catawba College is one of the most prestigious and well-received in the Southeast and for students majoring in theatrical performance such as Lauren Stacks, it is hard not to take full advantage. A Winston-Salem native, Stacks grew up in a family of four children and according to her, while most children were born screaming, she was born singing.
Home schooled from a very early age, Stacks was surrounded by an amazing cast of characters – her family who were also art enthusiasts (as well as improvisation performers) and encouraged their daughter to sing and act as much as her heart desired.
When asking her about her first experiences with acting, she said that if it weren’t for one of the girls becoming too nervous to perform during the show, she would not have gotten such early exposure. “My mom’s friend told me my lines and just threw me up there and I have been doing theater ever since,” she said looking back on the moment.
Her inspiration for becoming an actress is her love of telling a story. Growing up she considered herself less of a storyteller and more so a pathological liar. She would tell her parents about the arguments that her imaginary friends would get into and her ability to weave these fictional tales in her head drew her in the direction of her local community theater as a means of honing her craft and creativity.
She very much enjoys Catawba’s open door policy that allows access and one-on-one communication with teachers that she would not get at a regular university and pursuing a BA in Musical Theater and and a BFA in Musical Theater Performance, she couldn’t be happier with the school’s theater program. “I’m extremely happy with it. It’s very challenging because they demand a lot of you as a BFA candidate.”
Luckily, Stacks was able to obtain entrance into the selective program where she is learning how to create theatrical productions, including learning the arts of sewing, soldering, and costume design. She speaks about her love of learning how to dissect a character, leaving her own world and stepping inside the character’s world, an ability that got her the role of the title character, Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun during her time in the community theater.
Aside from acting, Stacks has sung professionally both in the U.S. and around the world in places such as Malaysia with various musical acts. She continues to dance as well, a skill that was showcased most recently by her performance in the Catawba production of Outrageous Dance Project, a collaboration between the college and Ballet Pensacola.
Lauren is continuously inspired by her faith, family, and love of theater and hopes to one day stand on the Broadway stage and with her talent, that dream does not seem too far away. Stacks is a standout among the crowd with her charming wit and bubbly personality. She is a fine representation of what it means to be a Catawba College student.
Lauren’s next appearance will be in the One Acts Festival on April 25 and 26 at 7:30pm at the Florence Busby Corriher Theater proudly presented by Catawba’s Theater Arts Department.
