Although some may find the idea of performing or even speaking in front of others to be terrifying, junior Jane Shanks embraces her passion for theater with determination and enthusiasm. Now embarking on a new, exciting production, Shanks is prepared to channel this energy as a cast member of Prince Caspian with the Logos Theatre in association with the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
As an active member of the TheatreMcLean drama department since her freshman year, Shanks has always had a love for all things theater.
“My first show was [when I was] Mary in my church’s Christmas play,” Shanks said. “I’ve been doing shows and theater summer camps ever since.”
During her time in the theater department at McLean, Shanks has not only performed but also lent her talents to other aspects of production, such as the stage crew and costumes.
“Jane and I met when we were working on costumes freshman year for Airness and it’s always a great experience working with her, either acting alongside her or on stage crew,” junior Izzy Boon said. “She is really kind and helpful anytime you just want to talk to someone [and] she takes a lot of initiative. I’ve noticed just with costumes that whenever there’s a huge mess, she’s always one of the first people to help everyone clean it up.”
After working on many shows at McLean, Shanks is ready to apply herself to new projects. She was first introduced to the Logos Theatre when she saw a performance of The Horse and His Boy at the Museum of Bible with her family. She was instantly impressed by the quality of the show and had the chance to meet some of the leaders of the organization.
“I learned that they have a summer program and an academy of arts,” Shanks said. “I thought the people were really interesting and I had some nice conversations so when I heard that they were doing Prince Caspian up here, I auditioned for it.”
The Logos Theatre frequently brings shows to D.C., however, they are based out of South Carolina which has brought new challenges to the audition process.
“This was my first virtual audition,” Shanks said. “It was difficult to figure out how to record it, which exact file type it had to be, and how to send it in, because previously I had only auditioned in person.”
After receiving the exciting news that she was cast in the ensemble, Shanks had little time to prepare before she was set to temporarily move down to the theater’s primary location and start the rehearsal process.
“I leave on Jan. 22 for South Carolina, where I’ll be for almost a month, rehearsing at their campus there, and then I’ll come back up to D.C.,” Shanks said. “Then there will be nine weeks of shows, [with] seven shows a week.”
While rehearsing, Shanks will have to unenroll at McLean, but that is not a problem for her due to her past experience with being homeschooled.
“I plan to re-enroll the week before AP exams,” Shanks said. “So I’ll be self-studying, which I think is going to be fine [because] I was homeschooled for seven years, so I’m pretty comfortable teaching myself.”
The rehearsal process for this show will be more rigorous than the previous shows that Shanks has been a part of. However, her peers are confident that she will be a valuable contributor to the production, as Shanks’ commitment to her craft has not gone unnoticed by those who work alongside her.
“I think sometimes it can be hard to find your own way in theater, especially when we were underclassmen, but I think [Shanks] really solidified a great place for herself in TheatreMcLean and left lasting effects on our community,” junior stage manager Allie Vargo said.
This show is not only a chance for Shanks to continue embracing her love for theater, but also an opportunity to make new connections and help decide the role that theater will play in her life moving forward.
“It’s kind of going to be a trial run to see if this is something that I want to pursue in the future,” Shanks said. “I’m definitely excited to meet people and spread the gospel through an art form [and] I just think the people and the experience is going to be really cool.”
Although Shanks is endlessly excited for this new adventure, she will certainly be missed by her friends and peers at McLean.
“I’m definitely going to see the show, but I’m really sad that she’s leaving,” Boon said. “As soon as she told me, I made her send me the link to buy tickets so I can see it when it comes to [the area]. I’m really happy for her and this opportunity.”
