Student Highlight : Allison Earl Follows Dream in Pursuit of Acting Career

From a very young age, Allison Earl began doing theater, and by the time she was old enough to be involved in the Winthrop High School Drama Society, she knew that she was meant to be an actress. “I was so impacted by everyone who taught me in the Drama Society, and I essentially fell in love with it,” said Earl, who is headed to Emerson College in the fall to pursue acting and education. “Especially all the milestones, like winning finals or all-star company awards with the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild. Every show was a new adventure, whether it was a straight play, a musical or even directing a show senior year. I feel like WHS Drama Society truly prepared me for the college world and allowed me to become a versatile actor, because of all the diverse roles and shows they allowed us to be involved in. I also directed a show this year, which sort of inspired the second part of my major. It made me realize that I definitely want to teach later on in life, and I want to give back to people.”

Why did you Choose Emerson College?

I chose Emerson College because I attended the Pre-College Acting program there last summer and fell in love with the way they taught theatre. I loved all of the instructors and would love to work with them again. They truly inspired me and impacted the way I thought about acting. I responded very well to their ways of teaching and their techniques/ideologies resonated with me. Working with them improved me so much as both a performer and human being. I can’t wait to continue studying there. The campus is beautiful, and I always knew I wanted to live in the city. During the college admissions and auditions process I wasn’t sure if I wanted to live in New York City or Boston, but I’m very glad I decided to stay here. It feels like home. 

What are Your Career Goals?

I am hoping to work professionally as an actor. I know that I want to be onstage; that’s definitely the goal, but I’d also love to do some film acting in the future. There are so many opportunities for professional stage actors in the Boston area, as well as in New York. I haven’t decided which city I’d like to live in yet, but I know that’s what I want to do. I also know that I want to teach theatre somewhere, someday. Either at college or in a high school, but I’d like to do both. I’m not sure what the mix between everything will be, but I definitely know where my passion lies.

What Will you Miss About Being in High School?

Although I feel more than ready to begin a new chapter at school this year, there are definitely many things I’ll miss about high school. Obviously, I will miss the drama society’s shows and the community there so much. I still have so many close friends in high school that I’ll miss so much as well. I’ll also miss Mock Trial and working with Mrs. Maria Flanagan. We always had plenty of work to do, but also plenty of laughs. I think the thing I’ll miss most about high school; is the tight knit community we have. Since the school is small, we are all very close. In my experience, it was so great to have such a supportive student body. Whether you were a performer, an athlete, or more into academics, it never seemed like anyone judged each other. We always went to sports games, especially to support my sister who plays three, and the athletes always came to support our shows. To me, it always seemed like the students encouraged each other, no matter what our interests were, and we were met with the same support from our teachers. I definitely hope to have that in college. 

Do you Have an Acting Role Model?

I’ve been so impacted by teachers in my time at Winthrop High School, especially Mrs. Karen Calinda. She taught me an extraordinary amount about acting and the world of theatre but was also such a wonderful mentor throughout my high school years. She is truly amazing. Everyone I worked with in Winthrop has been. Another person who inspired the teaching portion of my major is my mom. She just finished her 20th year with Winthrop Public Schools, as both a speech pathologist and as Special Education Director at WHS. Her dedication and hard work to make students’ lives better inspires me to do so in the future.

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